Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Nat Mesnard @natmesnard.bsky.social · Jun 28

I'm teaching an interactive fiction class at @onestorymag.bsky.social this summer! Join me online July 10 - August 7 to make interactive stories in Twine. No coding experience required. Sign up here:
one-story.com/product/inte...

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Reposted by Nat Mesnard

Hannah Tinti @hannahtinti.bsky.social · Jun 27

Next month I'll be taking this Interactive Fiction class (as a student!) with @natmesnard.bsky.social at @onestorymag.bsky.social. Join us as we play & create stories that break the mold. All levels welcome. one-story.com/product/inte...

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Nat Mesnard @natmesnard.bsky.social · Jun 10

@thealeks.bsky.social hey, I'm a writer / game dev who sometimes works with Twine, and I want to write about your game "Egress" for an anthology I'm contributing to. If you'd be willing to chat about it, would you DM me?

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Reposted by Nat Mesnard

Heart Machine @heartmachine.bsky.social · Jun 7

Check out @unquietgames.bsky.social and their debut project BANNED TOGETHER, a first-person, 3D narrative puzzle game that follows two trans college students finding history — and chosen family — in a campus library.

unquietgames.com

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Reposted by Nat Mesnard

Lorri Hopping (HoppingFun) @hoppingfun.bsky.social · Jun 4

Author/publishing friends, Banned Together is a mystery video game about #bannedbooks from NYC-based devs @elanamakesgames.bsky.social and @natmesnard.bsky.social. You play as Ruby, an aspiring journalist.

Coming in 2026: unquietgames.com

#pridemonth #books #libraries

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Reposted by Nat Mesnard

Tabletop Bookshelf🔜Gamehole @tabletopbookshelf.com · May 25

Live fast. Eat trash. Solve mysteries.

Inspired by guidebook-style TTRPGs and a pulpy, punk ethos, Psychic Trash Detectives from @scryptidgames.bsky.social is a shared-GM game for 3-4 players about psychic trash animals solving the mysteries no one cares about

tabletopbookshelf.com/products/psy...

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Reposted by Nat Mesnard

NYU Game Center @nyugamecenter.bsky.social · May 23

Announcing: Games in NY Steam Sale event!

A selection of more than 100 games made, set, or published in New York, on sale for one weekend!

Join us Thurs 5/29 at 1pm EDT with a showcase on Twitch (twitch.tv/nyugamecenter) coinciding with the Sale page launch!

More info at linktr.ee/nyugamecenter

Poster art for the Steam Sale reading "5/29 - 5/31 1PM EDT, Games in New York"

A graphic schedule for live streams and broadcasts occurring during the Steam Sale.
On the left:
Games in New York Showcase, Featuring: Immortality, Trombone Champ, Despelote, Consume Me and any many more

NYU Game Center Incubator Showcase, Featuring: New and upcoming games from the NYU Game Center Incubator 2025

Center:
5/29, starting at 1pm EST, Games in NY Showcase, followed by a live streamer block, the Incubator Showcase, and an evening of more live gameplay

5/30, starting at 11am EST, Game Center Live, followed by Lecture Series restreams (Featuring Connor Carson - Immortality, Bennett Foddy, Nicole He, and many many more), a GUMBO Mixer stream, and finally more live gameplay.

Featuring New York local streamers: @LeggoBeggo // @SylvesterstoneKhandr // @HitoRetroGaming // @Jetset // @Thatsoalykat

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Reposted by Nat Mesnard

Yarn Spinner @yarnspinner.dev · Apr 28

The @narrascope.org conf is coming up this June in Philly, and this year includes a narrative games showcase.

This will be attended by leaders in narrative spanning industry, academic, and independent backgrounds, and also has a wee bit of prize money involved 🏆

Submit now! itch.io/jam/narrasco...

NarraScope 2025 Showcase

A game jam from 2025-02-01 to 2025-05-02 hosted by vel & NarraScope. A showcase of narrative game excellence in conjunction with NarraScope 2025 . Calling all narrative game makers! Designers, develop...

itch.io

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Reposted by Nat Mesnard

Blue Prince Out Now! @blueprincegame.bsky.social · Apr 10

Blue Prince is OUT NOW!

Your journey to find Room 46 begins.

linktr.ee/blueprincegame

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Reposted by Nat Mesnard

NarraScope @narrascope.org · Mar 26

Registration is now open for NarraScope 2025! Until April 11, full NarraScope 2025 memberships are available at a discounted Early Bird rate. Your membership provides access to all NarraScope talks, meals, and opportunities to sign up for workshops. Register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/narrascope...

NarraScope 2025

NarraScope brings together writers, developers, and players in support of adventure/narrative games and interactive fiction.

www.eventbrite.com

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Nat Mesnard @natmesnard.bsky.social · Apr 3

We are truly in the final hours of the Assemblage #ttrpg campaign through @backerkit.com's #Pocketopia. Weird ecologies, remarkable interdependencies, survival in an uncertain future. 🍄 If this is your jam, a pledge before we close at 4PM ET would mean a lot to me! www.backerkit.com/c/projects/s...

Assemblage: A TTRPG of World Building & World Breaking

Together, become a weird ecology. When the world shatters, how will we survive? Assemblage is a science-inspired eco-fantasy TTRPG in which 2-6 players collaboratively build the story of an interdepen...

www.backerkit.com

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Nat Mesnard @natmesnard.bsky.social · Apr 2

Honestly that was the perfect conclusion to the Assemblage Pocketopia campaign, which ends tomorrow. One last chance, y'all, to back this playful love letter to collaborative science-psychedelia... 🍄 www.backerkit.com/c/projects/s...

Assemblage: A TTRPG of World Building & World Breaking

Together, become a weird ecology. When the world shatters, how will we survive? Assemblage is a science-inspired eco-fantasy TTRPG in which 2-6 players collaboratively build the story of an interdepen...

www.backerkit.com

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Nat Mesnard @natmesnard.bsky.social · Apr 2

Playing a bit of my GMless #ttrpg Assemblage today with the wonderful @drbrightstar.bsky.social, we found ourselves describing an organism (and its symbiote) who swims in a stomach-acid mangrove and sports a ridge of pitcher plant-like ears 🌱

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Reposted by Nat Mesnard

boshi's place @boshis.place · Apr 1

happening tomorrow:)

boshi's place @boshis.place · Mar 21

Join us for the Bundle of Joy release party on April 2nd, 7PM EDT at boshi's place!

Come celebrate with developer Essay Games (@essaygames.bsky.social) and play the game! Come hang out, take care of baby, try not to reach a breaking point (in-game), and take a break at the coloring station.

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Nat Mesnard @natmesnard.bsky.social · Mar 29

Hey, I am so delighted to see @goblinmixtape.bsky.social bringing the spotlight to these Pocketopia projects, including Assemblage! 💙

Sam Leigh @goblinmixtape.bsky.social · Mar 29

Pocketopia is a crowdfunding event focusing on pocket-sized tabletop games.

Here are five TTRPGs from Pocketopia that I recommend checking out!

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Nat Mesnard @natmesnard.bsky.social · Mar 29

A signal boost for this awesome dev log by @elanamakesgames.bsky.social! I got to playtest Old and Gray from @bolerogamestudio.bsky.social for the first time at GDC and I am so ready to cry my way through this wonderfully heartfelt and cozy narrative game when it comes out ✨😭💕

Elana @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · Mar 28

Being a game designer isn't about getting things right the first time: it's about trying something out, listening to playtesters, trusting your team, then trying again! Here's my dev log about the evolution of a rhythm game at @bolerogamestudio.bsky.social: bolerogamestudio.itch.io/old-and-gray...

Unpacking the Game Design Process of Old & Gray

It's GDC season and the Bolero crew is in San Francisco with an expanded 7-minute demo of Old & Gray! The whole team has been hard at work enriching and polishing our latest build for playtesting with...

bolerogamestudio.itch.io

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Reposted by Nat Mesnard

Sam Leigh @goblinmixtape.bsky.social · Mar 29

I had the delight of chatting with Nat about Assemblage during GameFace Con - after hearing more about the game, this was a no-brainer back for me!

If you're interested in weird, fictional ecologies (and/or you were a Spore kid, like me), you should absolutely give this a look.