Arjan Terpstra
@ranja72.bsky.social
Video game writer. Wrote for Guerrilla and PUBG games. Author of PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon and Sonic Art and Design books. See ranja72.com for details, projects, contact.
Pinned
Arjan Terpstra
@ranja72.bsky.social
· Nov 11
Hi there, Arjan here, video game writer from the Netherlands. Involved in anything from video game history and exhibition curation to writing for games. Also active in (Dutch-language) journalism and copywriting. Enjoying the vibes here after a long stint on X.... Let's be friends!
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
Bye forever, WeTransfer.
July 14, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Bye forever, WeTransfer.
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
Amen.
January 17, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Amen.
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
Reading Agatha Christie's lesser work does show you how much of what counts as "fair play" in mysteries depends on the assumption of shared social context.
Just read a short story where the crucial clue was, as Miss Marple says, "Gardeners don't work on Whit Monday. Everybody knows that."
Just read a short story where the crucial clue was, as Miss Marple says, "Gardeners don't work on Whit Monday. Everybody knows that."
January 14, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Reading Agatha Christie's lesser work does show you how much of what counts as "fair play" in mysteries depends on the assumption of shared social context.
Just read a short story where the crucial clue was, as Miss Marple says, "Gardeners don't work on Whit Monday. Everybody knows that."
Just read a short story where the crucial clue was, as Miss Marple says, "Gardeners don't work on Whit Monday. Everybody knows that."
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
"Medusa" by Judith De Leeuw in Torrelavega, Spain for Alegra la Vista Urban Art Festival.
streetartutopia.com/2025/10/14/w...
streetartutopia.com/2025/10/14/w...
January 13, 2026 at 7:22 AM
"Medusa" by Judith De Leeuw in Torrelavega, Spain for Alegra la Vista Urban Art Festival.
streetartutopia.com/2025/10/14/w...
streetartutopia.com/2025/10/14/w...
Ginger root or fossilized pokemon? In todays episode we will…
January 13, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Ginger root or fossilized pokemon? In todays episode we will…
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
January 12, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
I find myself thinking about historian Robert Paxton’s 2004 definition of fascism far too often than I’d like these days. Note that these sentences were written back when Donald Trump was a NYC playboy libertine who donated to Democrats.
June 29, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I find myself thinking about historian Robert Paxton’s 2004 definition of fascism far too often than I’d like these days. Note that these sentences were written back when Donald Trump was a NYC playboy libertine who donated to Democrats.
Late to the party by 52 years, but boy, Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama is one hell of a sci-fi people. Tense, well-structured, with Newtonian science propping up the fiction, the way the sci-fi writing gods intended. And there's three more Rama books! #hapyreading #scifi
December 29, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Late to the party by 52 years, but boy, Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama is one hell of a sci-fi people. Tense, well-structured, with Newtonian science propping up the fiction, the way the sci-fi writing gods intended. And there's three more Rama books! #hapyreading #scifi
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
The complete Bayeux Tapestry has finally been released and proves that Bishop Odo had absolutely nothing to do with the illegal Norman invasion of England.
December 20, 2025 at 12:38 PM
The complete Bayeux Tapestry has finally been released and proves that Bishop Odo had absolutely nothing to do with the illegal Norman invasion of England.
This thread is so true. GenAI as a tool has its advantages, but it’s just one of many. Inspiration isn’t always found online, AI has no grip on 98 percent of the human cultural experience and does not understand what your project needs, like: never.
Research is the MAGIC TIME on any project where I get to go have fun and explore. And 100% what you are looking for are the surprising and amazing details and textures that you could never make up
This is such a misunderstanding of why writers, artists, and designers do research to begin with, which is to find something unexpected, not capture the average or find reference for the default.
And, as always, the biggest misapprehension: We don’t want to NOT do this part. It’s fun to learn shit
And, as always, the biggest misapprehension: We don’t want to NOT do this part. It’s fun to learn shit
December 19, 2025 at 6:26 AM
This thread is so true. GenAI as a tool has its advantages, but it’s just one of many. Inspiration isn’t always found online, AI has no grip on 98 percent of the human cultural experience and does not understand what your project needs, like: never.
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
I'm sharing this here, as I have on Facebook and Instagram, but there's no account on here to share from, and I just think this is wonderful.
A really good balance of design and implementation, and appears to achieve everything it set out to do, and it *SO* appeals to my inner 'work nerd'.
A really good balance of design and implementation, and appears to achieve everything it set out to do, and it *SO* appeals to my inner 'work nerd'.
December 18, 2025 at 9:24 AM
I'm sharing this here, as I have on Facebook and Instagram, but there's no account on here to share from, and I just think this is wonderful.
A really good balance of design and implementation, and appears to achieve everything it set out to do, and it *SO* appeals to my inner 'work nerd'.
A really good balance of design and implementation, and appears to achieve everything it set out to do, and it *SO* appeals to my inner 'work nerd'.
Recently, fellow game writer and narrative designer Konstantine Paradias reached out for a chat on all things narrative. It's such an honor and a pleasure to sit with your peers and discuss the trade at length. Enjoy the video everyone! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk2f...
Interview with AAA Game Writer Arjan Terpstra
YouTube video by Συγγραφικό Στέκι
www.youtube.com
December 14, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Recently, fellow game writer and narrative designer Konstantine Paradias reached out for a chat on all things narrative. It's such an honor and a pleasure to sit with your peers and discuss the trade at length. Enjoy the video everyone! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk2f...
Ok I laughed
Just tried a frog-flavored beer.
You can really taste the hops.
You can really taste the hops.
December 9, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Ok I laughed
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
Ok, so, once more:
If you can count it, it's "fewer".
If you can't, it's "less."
Example:
"I need fewer apples to finish this recipe than I thought."
BUT
"I have less patience than I used to."
If you can count it, it's "fewer".
If you can't, it's "less."
Example:
"I need fewer apples to finish this recipe than I thought."
BUT
"I have less patience than I used to."
December 8, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Ok, so, once more:
If you can count it, it's "fewer".
If you can't, it's "less."
Example:
"I need fewer apples to finish this recipe than I thought."
BUT
"I have less patience than I used to."
If you can count it, it's "fewer".
If you can't, it's "less."
Example:
"I need fewer apples to finish this recipe than I thought."
BUT
"I have less patience than I used to."
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
“Forbidden advent calendar” lol
December 6, 2025 at 5:44 PM
“Forbidden advent calendar” lol
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
I wrote this huge, 3,000-word or so deep dive into the state of game actors’ contracts in the UK, which is a hot mess of exploitation, AI clauses and chaotic rate calculations.
And no one read it.
But you really, REALLY should.
www.gamesindustry.biz/contracts-fo...
And no one read it.
But you really, REALLY should.
www.gamesindustry.biz/contracts-fo...
Contracts for game actors are a nightmare in the UK
SAG-AFTRA's strike might have sorted things out in the US – but UK contract negotiations are still a mess of exploitation, AI clauses, and non-standard rates
www.gamesindustry.biz
December 6, 2025 at 10:12 AM
I wrote this huge, 3,000-word or so deep dive into the state of game actors’ contracts in the UK, which is a hot mess of exploitation, AI clauses and chaotic rate calculations.
And no one read it.
But you really, REALLY should.
www.gamesindustry.biz/contracts-fo...
And no one read it.
But you really, REALLY should.
www.gamesindustry.biz/contracts-fo...
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
At about $60K that's about 128 million graduate team indie games, at $150K about 500,000 small indie games, at $300K about 250,000 mid-size debut indie games, or at around $950K about 110,000 indie games by a team of more experienced devs.
There are a total of 110,000 indie games on Steam.
There are a total of 110,000 indie games on Steam.
Mark Zuckerberg’s gamble on the "Metaverse" has lost his company more than $77 billion.
December 6, 2025 at 3:08 AM
At about $60K that's about 128 million graduate team indie games, at $150K about 500,000 small indie games, at $300K about 250,000 mid-size debut indie games, or at around $950K about 110,000 indie games by a team of more experienced devs.
There are a total of 110,000 indie games on Steam.
There are a total of 110,000 indie games on Steam.
Reposted by Arjan Terpstra
kind of obsessed with this custom binding for Moby dick by Susan and Chaim Ebanks at Exeter Bookbinders
December 4, 2025 at 2:05 PM
kind of obsessed with this custom binding for Moby dick by Susan and Chaim Ebanks at Exeter Bookbinders
We might have a winner
December 4, 2025 at 2:03 PM
We might have a winner
Probably gave an arm for science
December 3, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Probably gave an arm for science
adding ‘artisanal flaming’ to my hobby list
If you get flamed on Twitter, it's going to be by right wing bluechecks and it's going to all sound like bottalk. That's easier to shove aside and see it as just part of the noise of the platform.
If you get flamed on Bluesky, it's artisanal and coming from multiple quarters.
If you get flamed on Bluesky, it's artisanal and coming from multiple quarters.
November 28, 2025 at 1:03 PM
adding ‘artisanal flaming’ to my hobby list