Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

GDE Series @gdeseries.com · 3d

Ten years ago, solo #indiedev @tobyfox.undertale.com released @undertale.com – a six-hour #RPG developed by a single person on a modest budget that subverted genre conventions by offering a combat system where players could spare all enemies. – @inverse.com

#game #videogame #gamedev #indiegame

One of The Most Influential RPGs of the Last Decade Was Made By One Person

How the one-man team behind ‘Undertale’ moved millions. And, in the process, helped define an era of indie gaming unlike anything else before.

www.inverse.com

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KSPACE @kaleidospace.com · 6d

Known as the “father of wearable computing,” @utoronto.ca
Steve Mann pioneered XR #tech by building and wearing homemade computer vision systems. He was honored with an IEEE award for contributions to #wearabletech.

– @spectrum.ieee.org

#technology #techtuesday

Steve Mann’s Visionary Journey From Tinkerer to Tech Innovator

Meet the "father of wearable computing" who turned childhood curiosity into tech that empowers vision and challenges surveillance norms.

spectrum.ieee.org

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Novy Unlimited @novyunlimited.com · 7d

Microsoft’s price hike of #XboxGamePass Ultimate by 50% triggered strong negative reactions from players – along with cancellations and subscription stacking to lock in the old rate.

– @ign.com's @wyp.bsky.social

#gameindustry #gamenews #xbox #gamepass #game #games #videogame #videogames

Cancellations, Anger, and Frantic Subscription Stacking — the Internet Reacts to Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass Price Hike - IGN

As the dust settled on Microsoft’s shock price rise for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which jumped 50% from $19.99 to $29.99 in the U.S. in what amounts to an extra $120 a year, fans reacted with a mixture...

ign.com

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GDE Series @gdeseries.com · 10d

Legendary #FinalFantasy composer #NobuoUematsu
says that modern #gamemusic has become “boring” because #game producers bottleneck creativity by demanding that a #composer sticks to safe, cinematic styles.
– @thegamerweb.bsky.social's @quinton.bsky.social
#gameaudio #gameindustry #games #videogame

Final Fantasy's Most Famous Composer Believes Modern Video Game Musicians Are Being Held Back

An interesting perspective from the legendary Nobuo Uematsu.

www.thegamer.com

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Novy Unlimited @novyunlimited.com · 12d

Embracer's Bluff was discovered in a @borderlands.2k.com 4 playthrough that could be a subtle jab at @gearboxofficial.bsky.social's former owner, Embracer. It's a ramshackle town with a killer vending machine and an evil AI toilet. – @kotakudotcom.bsky.social's @zackzwiezen.com
#gamedev #gamenews

Borderlands 4 Seems To Include A Jab At Embracer

Embracer's Bluff might be a sly reference to the company's past and the hated video game publisher that tried to own everything

kotaku.com

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Evil Asterisk Podcast @evilasterisk.com · 17d

Dream Error's Beyond the Doors is an automation #horrorgame where the player surveils their neighbors. Blending puzzle-like challenges with a pervasive sense of #dread, the #game is coming soon to Steam – but you can play the demo now.

@rockpapershotgun.bsky.social's @edwinet.bsky.social #games

Put your neighbours under surveillance in automation horror game Beyond The Doors

This indie horror game casts you as a lonely greasemonkey working in the basement of a dingy, weed-hung apartment building. Your job is to bug your neighbours.

www.rockpapershotgun.com

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GDE Series @gdeseries.com · 18d

A 5 year-old girl with a rare eye condition called nystagmus is participating in a pioneering clinical trial that uses games developed by @unisouthampton.bsky.social to improve #vision by tracking eye movements and assessing how quickly a child can see. – BBC #game #games #videogames #videogame

'Eyesight video game offers my daughter genuine hope'

Five-year-old Nevaeh has a rare condition that makes her eyes move uncontrollably .

www.bbc.com

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Novy Unlimited @novyunlimited.com · 19d

Glen Schofield told Christopher Dring on @thegamebusiness.com that the Dead Space team resorted to guerrilla marketing tactics to get EA execs' attention by placing posters for the #game in EA's bathrooms and offices.
– @gamesradarplus.bsky.social's @jordangerblick.bsky.social
#gamehistory #games

Dead Space creator says the devs put posters in EA toilets to fight for funding and get exec attention: "Whenever they went to the bathroom, they were seeing Dead Space"

"That's about as indie as you can get inside a giant company, having to fight for your dollars"

www.gamesradar.com

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Novy Unlimited @novyunlimited.com · 20d

The countdown to the Tokyo Game Show is on! If you’re exhibiting, networking or just there for the #games, we can’t wait to hear about your experience. Share your #TGS highlights with us!

#TokyoGameShow #TGS2025 #game #gameexpo #videogames

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GDE Series @gdeseries.com · 25d

GDE4 store links for the print replica eBook:

Google Play
bit.ly/gde4-googlep...

Amazon Kindle
amzn.to/451dv70

VitalSource (VST)
bit.ly/gde4-vst

#gamedevs #gamedeveloper #gamedevelopers #gamedesign #gamedesigner #game #games #videogame #videogames

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GDE Series @gdeseries.com · 25d

Happy #ReadAnEbookDay 📖 From #indie studios to major developers, a good #gamedev education is crucial. #GameDevelopment Essentials is available as an #eBook on Amazon and Google Play – putting the knowledge right at your fingertips. Instructors can also sample it on
@vitalsource.bsky.social!

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Novy Unlimited @novyunlimited.com · 26d

In the wake of layoffs, a group of former Polygon staffers launched @roguesite.bsky.social – a #game site that sidesteps ads & corp ownership by being worker-owned & relying on a subscription model.

– @gamedeveloper.bsky.social's @kerrblimey.bsky.social

#games #journalism #gamenews #videogames

Former Polygon staffers launch new game website Rogue

The new publication will leverage a subscription model to avoid the "ethical concerns" that come with sponsorship and advertising.

www.gamedeveloper.com

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GDE Series @gdeseries.com · 27d

Veteran programmer #KojiSugimoto is frustrated with #games that recreate PS1-era visual glitches like affine texture warping; he and his colleagues spent countless hours trying to fix these technical flaws, so why are devs emulating them?
– @pcgamer.com

#gamedevelopment #gamedev #gameprogramming

A veteran Final Fantasy programmer hates how indie games deliberately recreate PS1 visual bugs he made 'many futile efforts' to fix: 'I just don’t get what’s so interesting about trying to replicate t...

The kiddies can't get enough affine texture warping these days.

www.pcgamer.com

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GDE Series @gdeseries.com · Sep 12

It's #NationalVideoGamesDay 🎉

We’re not just celebrating #games, but the experiences they’ve given us: the first time you beat a boss, the all-nighter with friends – or the #game that got you hooked. Settle in with your favorite game today and make some new memories!

#videogamesday #videogames

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Novy Unlimited @novyunlimited.com · Sep 11

A #GTA5 Easter egg (creepy laugh in the Los Santos sewers) has been explained by a YouTuber who found the audio file in the game’s code. It's a nod to "Ratman" – a player-created #GTA4 urban myth from English folklore.

– @gamesradarplus.bsky.social

#game #games #videogames

GTA 5 sleuth finally has an explanation for this 12-year-old Easter egg, and it turns out it has roots in a GTA 4 urban myth

And it all stems back to a British seaside town

www.gamesradar.com

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GDE Series @gdeseries.com · Sep 10

Social stealth was removed from @assassinscreed.ubisoft.com
Shadows to allow the #gamedevs to focus on the shinobi's tactical, moment-to-moment #stealth experience – but it could return in future #games.

– @scottmccrae.com on @gamesradarplus.bsky.social

#gamedev #gamedevelopment #game #videogame

Ubisoft explains why Assassin's Creed Shadows ditched social stealth, but says it's likely not gone for good: "Our stealth team chose to put 100% of their energy on the moment-to-moment tactical shino...

Smile and wave boys

www.gamesradar.com

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Evil Asterisk Podcast @evilasterisk.com · Sep 8

@balazsronyai.bsky.social's claymation horror game The Children of Clay (free on Steam) is one of the most frightening experiences in years – despite its short, 15-minute duration.

– @pcgamer.com's Ted Litchfield

#horror #game #indiegame #indiegames #horrorgames #claymation #horrorgame

I played this free, 15-minute claymation horror game about examining an ancient idol in the morning while the birds were chirping, and it still scared me more than anything I've played in years

The protagonist of The Children of Clay should have also considered doing his thing in the morning.

www.pcgamer.com

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Novy Unlimited @novyunlimited.com · Sep 5

Desimulate of @omwgamestudio.bsky.social wants to turn his viral #AI clip into a #game – but AI-generated meshes have too many polygons and are too messy for open-world RPGs, so he'll build it from scratch using the art as a reference.

– @kotakudotcom.bsky.social's @ethangach.bsky.social
#gamedev

AI Made A Viral Clip Of An RPG But Can't Make The Game Itself

An AI-generated clip of an old-school first-person RPG is too hard for AI to make into an actual game

kotaku.com

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INDIESPACE @indiespace.com · Sep 4

New game publisher @lyricalgames.bsky.social led by industry veteran Blake Rochkind (formerly of @taketwointeractive.bsky.social & @unitedtalentagency.bsky.social) will focus on bold "triple-i" titles – @variety.com's @jmaasaronson.bsky.social

#indiepublishing #indiegames #videogames #indiegame

Lyrical Media Launches Indie Video Game Publisher Led by UTA, Take Two Vet Blake Rochkind; Three Titles in Development (EXCLUSIVE)

Alexander Black's production company Lyrical Media has launched privately funded indie video game publisher Lyrical Games.

variety.com

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GDE Series @gdeseries.com · Sep 4

In a bold launch strategy that blew away the team's expectations, @gameswing.dk released GUNTOUCHABLES for free during the first 24 hours – attracting 2M+ players. The game still remains affordable at just $4.99.

– @pcgamesn.com's @keny2ken.bsky.social

#indiegame #gamedev #game #games

New action roguelike snags 2 million players with free giveaway, and you can join them for just $5

Apocalypse survival roguelike Guntouchables blends Binding of Isaac, Enter the Gungeon, and Hades, and 2,000,000 people grabbed it for free.

pcgamesn.com

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GDE Series @gdeseries.com · Sep 1

Labor Day is more than just a day off. It’s a tribute to the resilience and commitment of the American worker. Thanks to all of you who put in the effort every day to build a better future.

#LaborDayWeekend #laborday #LaborDay2025 #labordayweekend2025 #HappyLaborDay

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That's What She Does (TWSD) @thatswhatshedoes.com · Aug 28

After a career spanning nearly 80 years, Japan's oldest professional Go player, 98-year-old Kazuko Sugiuchi, has retired and will be the first woman promoted to the rank of 9th dan.

– @japantimes.co.jp

#boardgames #boardgame #gamer #game #games #tabletopgame #tabletopgames #gamer #womenshistory

Time to go: Japan pro board game player retires at 98

Kazuko Sugiuchi turned professional in 1948, and she is set to be promoted to the rank of ninth dan after retiring, becoming the first woman to reach that level.

www.japantimes.co.jp

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GDE Series @gdeseries.com · Aug 28

Final Fantasy launched w/a game-breaking bug that #gamedevs (incl Uematsu) warned players about by inserting a handwritten slip of paper into 500k+ #game boxes that read: "If this happens, the game will break, so do not delete this..."

– @gamesradarplus.bsky.social

#gamehistory #gamedev #games

The original Final Fantasy launched with a game-breaking bug that Square noticed too late to fix, so devs had to slip a warning into 500,000 copies of the JRPG: "Do not delete this..."

"If this happens, the game will break"

www.gamesradar.com

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Novy Unlimited @novyunlimited.com · Aug 27

After seven years and multiple playthroughs, Red Dead Redemption 2 players have discovered a hidden clothing customization mechanic that allows them to modify how items are worn.

– James Lynch on @gamingbible.bsky.social

#gameplay #game #games #gamenews #gamedev #gamedevelopment

Red Dead Redemption 2 Players Uncover Locked Area We Weren't Supposed to Explore

Red Dead Redemption 2 fans have found a hidden area; I only wish Edgar Ross was there so I could put him in the dirt a second time.

www.gamingbible.com

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Evil Asterisk Podcast @evilasterisk.com · Aug 21

Dead Take – a psychological horror game from
@bafta.org award-winning @surgentstudios.bsky.social (founded by actor @abubakarsalim.bsky.social of Raised by Wolves & House of the Dragon) exposes Hollywood’s dark underbelly.

– @wired.com

#psychologicalhorror #horrorgame #horror #indiegame #game

'House of the Dragon' Actor's New Horror Game Skewers Hollywood

Abubakar Salim’s game "Dead Take" explores scandals, exploitation, and AI-fueled media manipulation.

wired.com

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