Max Davie
@maxdavie.bsky.social
ADHD in every sense. Trustee and co-founder at ADHDUK. Paediatrician.
Writing about games and books at https://playandwords.substack.com/
He/him
Writing about games and books at https://playandwords.substack.com/
He/him
Reposted by Max Davie
Hilary Cass remains profoundly mistaken about social transition, stubbornly maintaining the fiction that it's a health intervention requiring professional gatekeeping. In most cases, it's not.
paedspoliticsbiscuits.wordpress.com/2025/04/11/d...
paedspoliticsbiscuits.wordpress.com/2025/04/11/d...
February 12, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Hilary Cass remains profoundly mistaken about social transition, stubbornly maintaining the fiction that it's a health intervention requiring professional gatekeeping. In most cases, it's not.
paedspoliticsbiscuits.wordpress.com/2025/04/11/d...
paedspoliticsbiscuits.wordpress.com/2025/04/11/d...
Hilary Cass remains profoundly mistaken about social transition, stubbornly maintaining the fiction that it's a health intervention requiring professional gatekeeping. In most cases, it's not.
paedspoliticsbiscuits.wordpress.com/2025/04/11/d...
paedspoliticsbiscuits.wordpress.com/2025/04/11/d...
February 12, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Hilary Cass remains profoundly mistaken about social transition, stubbornly maintaining the fiction that it's a health intervention requiring professional gatekeeping. In most cases, it's not.
paedspoliticsbiscuits.wordpress.com/2025/04/11/d...
paedspoliticsbiscuits.wordpress.com/2025/04/11/d...
I must admit I used to have the Londoner's sniffiness about Birmingham, but every time I go there I like it more. And the museum tearoom is tremendous.
February 12, 2026 at 4:58 PM
I must admit I used to have the Londoner's sniffiness about Birmingham, but every time I go there I like it more. And the museum tearoom is tremendous.
This is EXACTLY what I've been saying for a couple of years now- the real Tavistock scandal was the unnecessary closure of an excellent service. As a service lead, less than 1 complaint a year is an absolute dream!
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/health/...
via @yorkshirebylines.co.uk
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/health/...
via @yorkshirebylines.co.uk
The real Tavistock Clinic scandal: 1,000 court cases that never materialised
A FoI request for the data behind the media hysteria over the Tavistock Clinic presents quite a different picture
yorkshirebylines.co.uk
February 12, 2026 at 3:05 PM
This is EXACTLY what I've been saying for a couple of years now- the real Tavistock scandal was the unnecessary closure of an excellent service. As a service lead, less than 1 complaint a year is an absolute dream!
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/health/...
via @yorkshirebylines.co.uk
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/health/...
via @yorkshirebylines.co.uk
I have a lot of time for Susie Dent, but there doesn't seem to be a shred of evidence provided either that children's language abilities are deteriorating, or that it's due to screen time.
It's commercialised moral panic.
share.google/zMqxCk4xCLzs...
It's commercialised moral panic.
share.google/zMqxCk4xCLzs...
Children’s vocabulary shrinking as reading loses out to screen time, says Susie Dent
Exclusive: Countdown lexicographer urges families to read, talk and play word games to help language development
share.google
February 12, 2026 at 2:43 PM
I have a lot of time for Susie Dent, but there doesn't seem to be a shred of evidence provided either that children's language abilities are deteriorating, or that it's due to screen time.
It's commercialised moral panic.
share.google/zMqxCk4xCLzs...
It's commercialised moral panic.
share.google/zMqxCk4xCLzs...
I think @malrempen.bsky.social is a really excellent designer. He's not a big poster, but really, this new project needs some noise!
I just backed his new, excellent looking game Almighty. Who doesn't want to smite mortals?
www.kickstarter.com/projects/mal...
I just backed his new, excellent looking game Almighty. Who doesn't want to smite mortals?
www.kickstarter.com/projects/mal...
Almighty ⚡️ The Godliest God Game
You are a powerful and moody ancient god! Create, manipulate, and smite puny mortals to earn their belief and glory
www.kickstarter.com
February 12, 2026 at 9:24 AM
I think @malrempen.bsky.social is a really excellent designer. He's not a big poster, but really, this new project needs some noise!
I just backed his new, excellent looking game Almighty. Who doesn't want to smite mortals?
www.kickstarter.com/projects/mal...
I just backed his new, excellent looking game Almighty. Who doesn't want to smite mortals?
www.kickstarter.com/projects/mal...
Just backed this, a reimplementation of my favourite TTRPG system into a super-cool 60s spy vibe... YESSSS
We're about 30 hours in and Blades '68 has had the strongest debut for any BackerKit project we've done
18 stretch goals unlocked, with more to come.
So grateful to our 2700+ backers for this outpouring of support. You've really exceeded our expectations.
Thank you.
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...
18 stretch goals unlocked, with more to come.
So grateful to our 2700+ backers for this outpouring of support. You've really exceeded our expectations.
Thank you.
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...
February 12, 2026 at 9:20 AM
Just backed this, a reimplementation of my favourite TTRPG system into a super-cool 60s spy vibe... YESSSS
I wrote a post, with kind assistance from @danthurot.bsky.social himself, on why I find it hard to review board games, and specifically why I can't work out how much I rate Inis.
open.substack.com/pub/playandw...
open.substack.com/pub/playandw...
Reviewing board games is hard- the case of Inis
I can see how good Inis could be, if only people weren't so... people-y
open.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 11:29 AM
I wrote a post, with kind assistance from @danthurot.bsky.social himself, on why I find it hard to review board games, and specifically why I can't work out how much I rate Inis.
open.substack.com/pub/playandw...
open.substack.com/pub/playandw...
Reposted by Max Davie
I really hope people advocating to ban kids from SM read this. Some kids are isolated by disabilities or circumstances. Furthermore, some kids grow up in abusive households. “Ideally, a child’s exposure to online worlds should be moderated by their parents” isn’t a reassuring sentiment for everyone
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
‘I’ve lost my friends’: advocacy groups warn Australia’s social media ban risks isolating kids with disabilities
Despite the ban’s aim to protect young people, experts are concerned that those in marginalised communities or living with disabilities could lose vital support networks
www.theguardian.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:06 AM
I really hope people advocating to ban kids from SM read this. Some kids are isolated by disabilities or circumstances. Furthermore, some kids grow up in abusive households. “Ideally, a child’s exposure to online worlds should be moderated by their parents” isn’t a reassuring sentiment for everyone
This is likely to be an unpopular view, but the more I see of other billionaires when they buy media power, the more Rupert Murdoch emerges as... nuanced?
Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos stays silent as employees brace for cuts | Washington Post | The Guardian share.google/8BaawaRfPzNt...
Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos stays silent as employees brace for cuts | Washington Post | The Guardian share.google/8BaawaRfPzNt...
Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos stays silent as employees brace for cuts
Bezos has not publicly responded to several letters sent by Post staffers urging him to curb potential layoffs
share.google
February 3, 2026 at 9:51 PM
This is likely to be an unpopular view, but the more I see of other billionaires when they buy media power, the more Rupert Murdoch emerges as... nuanced?
Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos stays silent as employees brace for cuts | Washington Post | The Guardian share.google/8BaawaRfPzNt...
Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos stays silent as employees brace for cuts | Washington Post | The Guardian share.google/8BaawaRfPzNt...
Reposted by Max Davie
Added Yakety Sax to that video from Minneapolis
February 3, 2026 at 8:15 AM
Added Yakety Sax to that video from Minneapolis
Reposted by Max Davie
It’s so funny that this guy’s entire thing is “Oh are you triggered by what I have to say about marginalized people” but he loses it when someone more well-liked than he will ever be talks about an actual injustice
Ricky Gervais calls out Grammy winners for making political acceptance speeches: "You're in no position to lecture the public about anything"
Ricky Gervais calls out Grammy winners for making political acceptance speeches: "You're in no position to lecture the public about anything"
Gervais cited his own 2020 Golden Globes monologue, in which he urged winners not to use their acceptance speeches "as a platform to make a political speech."
decider.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:20 AM
It’s so funny that this guy’s entire thing is “Oh are you triggered by what I have to say about marginalized people” but he loses it when someone more well-liked than he will ever be talks about an actual injustice
Sorry to report that Hadley Freeman is back on her bullshit.
February 2, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Sorry to report that Hadley Freeman is back on her bullshit.
Reposted by Max Davie
Take me down to the Parallax city where the far moves slow and the near moves quickly
February 1, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Take me down to the Parallax city where the far moves slow and the near moves quickly
I don't know if this is a common reaction to the new Daredevil trailer but I hadn't watched the Jessica Jones series and the first episode is SO GOOD.
Does it keep this up?
Does it keep this up?
February 1, 2026 at 3:40 PM
I don't know if this is a common reaction to the new Daredevil trailer but I hadn't watched the Jessica Jones series and the first episode is SO GOOD.
Does it keep this up?
Does it keep this up?
Just returning this to the library and hadn't noticed the question on the back cover. A question the book is too intellectually lazy to actually answer.
open.substack.com/pub/playandw...
open.substack.com/pub/playandw...
January 29, 2026 at 1:29 PM
Just returning this to the library and hadn't noticed the question on the back cover. A question the book is too intellectually lazy to actually answer.
open.substack.com/pub/playandw...
open.substack.com/pub/playandw...
I keep reading about a schools readiness crisis because smartphones. But the official measure of school readiness is attaining a good level of development at the end of reception, a stat that has been tracked since (I think) the late 90s. Here's the trend from 2012.
No room for complacency but...
No room for complacency but...
January 28, 2026 at 7:48 AM
I keep reading about a schools readiness crisis because smartphones. But the official measure of school readiness is attaining a good level of development at the end of reception, a stat that has been tracked since (I think) the late 90s. Here's the trend from 2012.
No room for complacency but...
No room for complacency but...
In a medical context it's more a gateway to rampant paternalism and a disregard for evidence in favour of vibes. But seamas's point stands
Calling transphobia a 'gateway drug' to the far right undersells it. It's pure accelerant. Grimly fascinating to guess what crankery becomes any famous transphobe's secondary obsession, cos they all have one: 15 minute cities are fascism! Grok noncing is cool! ICE are good! We should kill all dogs!
January 27, 2026 at 2:26 PM
In a medical context it's more a gateway to rampant paternalism and a disregard for evidence in favour of vibes. But seamas's point stands
Reposted by Max Davie
You’ve got to love how actress Kelly Marie Tran, one of the most harassed people ever to be on the internet, still leapt up to defend trans people in a recent interview. No one would blame her for keeping her head down and shutting up forever but she will NOT and I admire her for it ⭐
Star Wars actor says ‘trans rights are human rights’ when asked about Harry Potter
Kelly Marie Tran said ‘trans rights are human rights’ when the topic of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series was mentioned in an interview.
www.thepinknews.com
January 26, 2026 at 10:23 PM
You’ve got to love how actress Kelly Marie Tran, one of the most harassed people ever to be on the internet, still leapt up to defend trans people in a recent interview. No one would blame her for keeping her head down and shutting up forever but she will NOT and I admire her for it ⭐
Strongly recommend this: games are such a great portal to talking about social structures and niceties, as well as the politics of consumerism, she these folks are brilliant unpackers of all this.
Also funny!
Also funny!
The latest episode of But Why Vikings? features not only the wonderful @ava.foxfort.net and the dashing @timclare.bsky.social but also questions about etiquette from @semicoop.bsky.social and their thoughts on the role of BGA thanks to @maxdavie.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
The tyranny of structurelessness
Podcast Episode · But Why Vikings? · 23/01/2026 · 1h 4m
podcasts.apple.com
January 26, 2026 at 7:51 PM
Strongly recommend this: games are such a great portal to talking about social structures and niceties, as well as the politics of consumerism, she these folks are brilliant unpackers of all this.
Also funny!
Also funny!
Once again the Guardian can't resist a tech-panic headline, even if the very sensible guidance linked to isn't suggesting limits plus other measures, but pointing out that restrictions just don't work.
Ignore the headline, read the guidance.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Ignore the headline, read the guidance.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Screen time limits for children are no longer enough, new US report finds
Experts say guidance is ‘refreshing’ as it puts more emphasis on responsibility of companies and society
www.theguardian.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:10 AM
Once again the Guardian can't resist a tech-panic headline, even if the very sensible guidance linked to isn't suggesting limits plus other measures, but pointing out that restrictions just don't work.
Ignore the headline, read the guidance.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Ignore the headline, read the guidance.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Max Davie
The BBC claims to have “research” that supports its decision to use abusive transphobic terms for trans women.
But it will not share that “research”.
At the most basic level research is not research if it is not published.
It is just a lie. The BBC is lying.
But it will not share that “research”.
At the most basic level research is not research if it is not published.
It is just a lie. The BBC is lying.
January 25, 2026 at 8:52 AM
The BBC claims to have “research” that supports its decision to use abusive transphobic terms for trans women.
But it will not share that “research”.
At the most basic level research is not research if it is not published.
It is just a lie. The BBC is lying.
But it will not share that “research”.
At the most basic level research is not research if it is not published.
It is just a lie. The BBC is lying.
Reposted by Max Davie
Has the BBC ever done a ’stress test’ of its both sides model?
An example stress test would be reporting on events in Germany in 1933 (or similar) as if they were contemporary domestic events.
I’m guessing they haven’t, because the BBC would fail such a test.
An example stress test would be reporting on events in Germany in 1933 (or similar) as if they were contemporary domestic events.
I’m guessing they haven’t, because the BBC would fail such a test.
How on earth can the BBC still be relaying this demonstrably untrue information into its reporting at 942pm, without even "balancing" the false account, when they have the video footage & the analysis of it
January 25, 2026 at 8:39 AM
Has the BBC ever done a ’stress test’ of its both sides model?
An example stress test would be reporting on events in Germany in 1933 (or similar) as if they were contemporary domestic events.
I’m guessing they haven’t, because the BBC would fail such a test.
An example stress test would be reporting on events in Germany in 1933 (or similar) as if they were contemporary domestic events.
I’m guessing they haven’t, because the BBC would fail such a test.
The argument against a ban on conversion therapy is that it would deter legitimate therapy approaches. There is zero evidence of this in practice, whatever Sex Matters insist.
January 23, 2026 at 8:26 PM
The argument against a ban on conversion therapy is that it would deter legitimate therapy approaches. There is zero evidence of this in practice, whatever Sex Matters insist.
Reposted by Max Davie
I have finally got around to reading 'The Age of Diagnosis', which seeks to turn the clock back on diagnosis to the era of doctor knows best.
It really shouldn't be allowed to.
open.substack.com/pub/playandw...
It really shouldn't be allowed to.
open.substack.com/pub/playandw...
One facepalm after another
Suzanne O'Sullivan raises important questions about the fuzzy boundaries of diagnosis and the limits of medicine... but can't escape her own crude anti-diagnostic narrative
open.substack.com
January 19, 2026 at 8:03 PM
I have finally got around to reading 'The Age of Diagnosis', which seeks to turn the clock back on diagnosis to the era of doctor knows best.
It really shouldn't be allowed to.
open.substack.com/pub/playandw...
It really shouldn't be allowed to.
open.substack.com/pub/playandw...