David Stark - Zarkonnen
@zarkonnen.bsky.social
I make games about bad things happening to tiny simulated people and help run the Zurich gamedev community. He/him.
Website: https://zarkonnen.com/
Games: https://zarkonnen.itch.io/
Game Hub: https://www.swissgamehub.com/
Website: https://zarkonnen.com/
Games: https://zarkonnen.itch.io/
Game Hub: https://www.swissgamehub.com/
Reposted by David Stark - Zarkonnen
NEW: Indie studio Santa Ragione is facing closure after its surreal horror title, Horses, was barred from Steam ahead of its upcoming December release
The studio behind Saturnalia and Wheels of Aurelia said Valve has yet to adequately explain why an early version of Horses was blacklisted in 2023.
The studio behind Saturnalia and Wheels of Aurelia said Valve has yet to adequately explain why an early version of Horses was blacklisted in 2023.
Indie dev Santa Ragione facing closure after Steam ban
The Italian studio's upcoming horror title, Horses, has been barred from Steam ahead of its release in December.
www.gamedeveloper.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:04 PM
NEW: Indie studio Santa Ragione is facing closure after its surreal horror title, Horses, was barred from Steam ahead of its upcoming December release
The studio behind Saturnalia and Wheels of Aurelia said Valve has yet to adequately explain why an early version of Horses was blacklisted in 2023.
The studio behind Saturnalia and Wheels of Aurelia said Valve has yet to adequately explain why an early version of Horses was blacklisted in 2023.
It turns out to be difficult to write a #cyberpunk noir plotline when in the real-life US, there are masked men disappearing people in broad daylight. Like, the crooked cop character is going to look like a paragon of due process no matter what I make them do.
November 23, 2025 at 10:03 AM
It turns out to be difficult to write a #cyberpunk noir plotline when in the real-life US, there are masked men disappearing people in broad daylight. Like, the crooked cop character is going to look like a paragon of due process no matter what I make them do.
Reposted by David Stark - Zarkonnen
As for what Edifice is:
A narrative-action game about Mui, a young adventurer called to a mysterious Monolith at the end of the world, as many have been before her. Touching upon themes like legacy, impostor syndrome and how we want to define ourselves
Here's a lil vid from the prototype we sent!
A narrative-action game about Mui, a young adventurer called to a mysterious Monolith at the end of the world, as many have been before her. Touching upon themes like legacy, impostor syndrome and how we want to define ourselves
Here's a lil vid from the prototype we sent!
November 22, 2025 at 6:10 PM
As for what Edifice is:
A narrative-action game about Mui, a young adventurer called to a mysterious Monolith at the end of the world, as many have been before her. Touching upon themes like legacy, impostor syndrome and how we want to define ourselves
Here's a lil vid from the prototype we sent!
A narrative-action game about Mui, a young adventurer called to a mysterious Monolith at the end of the world, as many have been before her. Touching upon themes like legacy, impostor syndrome and how we want to define ourselves
Here's a lil vid from the prototype we sent!
Reposted by David Stark - Zarkonnen
#Gamedev blog on recreating the HR Giger "sausage casing" effect in my pixel art game: zarkonnen.com/biomech/saus...
November 22, 2025 at 6:43 PM
#Gamedev blog on recreating the HR Giger "sausage casing" effect in my pixel art game: zarkonnen.com/biomech/saus...
#Gamedev blog on recreating the HR Giger "sausage casing" effect in my pixel art game: zarkonnen.com/biomech/saus...
November 22, 2025 at 6:43 PM
#Gamedev blog on recreating the HR Giger "sausage casing" effect in my pixel art game: zarkonnen.com/biomech/saus...
Reposted by David Stark - Zarkonnen
Regret to report that there has been another good linkedin post
November 22, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Regret to report that there has been another good linkedin post
Weird thing my brain does: get stuck on a song and then slowly replace half the words with "crab". Some kind of mental carcinization. Currently:
🎶
If you go to Crab-borough fair
Parsley, crabs, rosemary and crabs
Remember me to one who lives there
For she once was a true crab of mine
🎶
🎶
If you go to Crab-borough fair
Parsley, crabs, rosemary and crabs
Remember me to one who lives there
For she once was a true crab of mine
🎶
November 20, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Weird thing my brain does: get stuck on a song and then slowly replace half the words with "crab". Some kind of mental carcinization. Currently:
🎶
If you go to Crab-borough fair
Parsley, crabs, rosemary and crabs
Remember me to one who lives there
For she once was a true crab of mine
🎶
🎶
If you go to Crab-borough fair
Parsley, crabs, rosemary and crabs
Remember me to one who lives there
For she once was a true crab of mine
🎶
Reposted by David Stark - Zarkonnen
"What we are offering is the ability to make any cartoon character fart and say bad things, and all we’re asking in return is the surrender of your career, dignity, and sense of worth in those most human of endeavors, such as art."
thehardtimes.net/blog/opinion...
thehardtimes.net/blog/opinion...
Opinion: You Might as Well Get Used to AI, Because if You Don’t, I’m Ruined
These days, the parts of the internet that are still predominantly human are abuzz with anti-AI sentiment. You’ve all heard the arguments. AI is disastrous to the environment. It contributes to misinf...
thehardtimes.net
November 19, 2025 at 8:17 PM
"What we are offering is the ability to make any cartoon character fart and say bad things, and all we’re asking in return is the surrender of your career, dignity, and sense of worth in those most human of endeavors, such as art."
thehardtimes.net/blog/opinion...
thehardtimes.net/blog/opinion...
Doing a panel on game production at the Swiss Game Hub on Dec 11: www.meetup.com/game-develop...
Gamespace: Production Panel, Thu, Dec 11, 2025, 7:00 PM | Meetup
How do you actually finish a game within a reasonable amount of time and without going mad? It's a skill called game production, and we're going to have a panel discussion
www.meetup.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Doing a panel on game production at the Swiss Game Hub on Dec 11: www.meetup.com/game-develop...
Reposted by David Stark - Zarkonnen
We’re watching a shift where AI simulates the cohesion and reinforcement that used to require an entire online community. A single person can now build a complete parallel reality with nothing more than a prompt window. Which seems bad.
November 19, 2025 at 2:25 PM
We’re watching a shift where AI simulates the cohesion and reinforcement that used to require an entire online community. A single person can now build a complete parallel reality with nothing more than a prompt window. Which seems bad.
Starting to play around with the strudel.cc live music platform - strudel.cc#JDogbigiWzEg...
November 16, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Starting to play around with the strudel.cc live music platform - strudel.cc#JDogbigiWzEg...
In my new game, Biomechanoid Repair Shop, you play one of those shopkeeper side characters in a #cyberpunk story, shown in just a scene or two before being gruesomely killed off.
zarkonnen.com/biomech/a_ne...
This could be you:
zarkonnen.com/biomech/a_ne...
This could be you:
November 7, 2025 at 3:27 PM
In my new game, Biomechanoid Repair Shop, you play one of those shopkeeper side characters in a #cyberpunk story, shown in just a scene or two before being gruesomely killed off.
zarkonnen.com/biomech/a_ne...
This could be you:
zarkonnen.com/biomech/a_ne...
This could be you:
Reposted by David Stark - Zarkonnen
So I've started working on a new game.
It's called Biomechanoid Repair Shop, and it's basically Papers Please meets David Cronenberg.
I'll be regularly posting about its development, starting today: zarkonnen.com/biomech/a_ne... #gamedev
It's called Biomechanoid Repair Shop, and it's basically Papers Please meets David Cronenberg.
I'll be regularly posting about its development, starting today: zarkonnen.com/biomech/a_ne... #gamedev
November 5, 2025 at 5:00 PM
So I've started working on a new game.
It's called Biomechanoid Repair Shop, and it's basically Papers Please meets David Cronenberg.
I'll be regularly posting about its development, starting today: zarkonnen.com/biomech/a_ne... #gamedev
It's called Biomechanoid Repair Shop, and it's basically Papers Please meets David Cronenberg.
I'll be regularly posting about its development, starting today: zarkonnen.com/biomech/a_ne... #gamedev
So I've started working on a new game.
It's called Biomechanoid Repair Shop, and it's basically Papers Please meets David Cronenberg.
I'll be regularly posting about its development, starting today: zarkonnen.com/biomech/a_ne... #gamedev
It's called Biomechanoid Repair Shop, and it's basically Papers Please meets David Cronenberg.
I'll be regularly posting about its development, starting today: zarkonnen.com/biomech/a_ne... #gamedev
November 5, 2025 at 5:00 PM
So I've started working on a new game.
It's called Biomechanoid Repair Shop, and it's basically Papers Please meets David Cronenberg.
I'll be regularly posting about its development, starting today: zarkonnen.com/biomech/a_ne... #gamedev
It's called Biomechanoid Repair Shop, and it's basically Papers Please meets David Cronenberg.
I'll be regularly posting about its development, starting today: zarkonnen.com/biomech/a_ne... #gamedev
Foggy sheep!
November 5, 2025 at 6:52 AM
Foggy sheep!
Reposted by David Stark - Zarkonnen
Video game where your research lab faces a catastrophic malfunction and *you* are a scientist who must leave behind environmental storytelling clues without alerting your coworkers that you are all definitely going to be dead in 24 hours.
And then your friend plays, using the clues you left
And then your friend plays, using the clues you left
November 2, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Video game where your research lab faces a catastrophic malfunction and *you* are a scientist who must leave behind environmental storytelling clues without alerting your coworkers that you are all definitely going to be dead in 24 hours.
And then your friend plays, using the clues you left
And then your friend plays, using the clues you left
Reposted by David Stark - Zarkonnen
This frontispiece in my book just made me laugh a lot. Is this Buddhist reincarnation, or some other form of afterlife?
September 7, 2025 at 9:20 PM
This frontispiece in my book just made me laugh a lot. Is this Buddhist reincarnation, or some other form of afterlife?
Reposted by David Stark - Zarkonnen
The Cortylorhynchus considers my problems, nods sagely, and says, "have you tried basking in the sun about it? While being as spherical as possible?"
November 1, 2025 at 9:00 AM
The Cortylorhynchus considers my problems, nods sagely, and says, "have you tried basking in the sun about it? While being as spherical as possible?"
Reposted by David Stark - Zarkonnen
On Saints Row we had a debug npc named Skinballs (lol) that was literally just four spheres wrapped in different shades of skin texture so we could test lighting for different skin tones during development. But teams need to plan for that kind of testing with intentionality, and not enough do.
October 31, 2025 at 3:23 PM
On Saints Row we had a debug npc named Skinballs (lol) that was literally just four spheres wrapped in different shades of skin texture so we could test lighting for different skin tones during development. But teams need to plan for that kind of testing with intentionality, and not enough do.
The royal pedo will henceforth be officially called "Andrew Mountbatten Windsor". It's not justice, but it's well-deserved.
October 30, 2025 at 7:44 PM
The royal pedo will henceforth be officially called "Andrew Mountbatten Windsor". It's not justice, but it's well-deserved.
Reposted by David Stark - Zarkonnen
The video game industry has *already* been killed by rich failson assholes who don't know anything.
You can't look at the massive, industry-wide layoffs and armies of people fucked over in every single part of video game making, and think that its destruction is a future thing yet to happen.
You can't look at the massive, industry-wide layoffs and armies of people fucked over in every single part of video game making, and think that its destruction is a future thing yet to happen.
October 27, 2025 at 6:47 PM
The video game industry has *already* been killed by rich failson assholes who don't know anything.
You can't look at the massive, industry-wide layoffs and armies of people fucked over in every single part of video game making, and think that its destruction is a future thing yet to happen.
You can't look at the massive, industry-wide layoffs and armies of people fucked over in every single part of video game making, and think that its destruction is a future thing yet to happen.
@cstross.bsky.social Oh look, Case Nightmare Green
by OpenAI’s own estimates, hundreds of thousands of ChatGPT users are showing signs of manic or psychotic crisis every week
OpenAI Says Hundreds of Thousands of ChatGPT Users May Show Signs of Manic or Psychotic Crisis Every Week
OpenAI Says Hundreds of Thousands of ChatGPT Users May Show Signs of Manic or Psychotic Crisis Every Week
www.wired.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:48 PM
@cstross.bsky.social Oh look, Case Nightmare Green
I rarely come across a new game I actually like to play, so I'd like to recommend Beneath Oresa, which is basically a Slay the Spire with juicy combat animations. And without those RSI-inducing drag motions.
store.steampowered.com/app/1803400/...
store.steampowered.com/app/1803400/...
Beneath Oresa on Steam
Beneath Oresa, a fighting roguelike deckbuilder, takes you deep within the city to confront your foes. As a strategist, choose your cards, upgrades, and artifacts wisely, but as a fighter, turn their ...
store.steampowered.com
October 27, 2025 at 6:06 PM
I rarely come across a new game I actually like to play, so I'd like to recommend Beneath Oresa, which is basically a Slay the Spire with juicy combat animations. And without those RSI-inducing drag motions.
store.steampowered.com/app/1803400/...
store.steampowered.com/app/1803400/...
Reposted by David Stark - Zarkonnen
A hard truth is that the search for artificial general intelligence as a commercial tool is fundamentally a reproduction of slavery. Not because computers are people or anything so silly, but because of the impetus: To acquire the products of humanity without the need for a human to consent.
October 26, 2025 at 7:30 PM
A hard truth is that the search for artificial general intelligence as a commercial tool is fundamentally a reproduction of slavery. Not because computers are people or anything so silly, but because of the impetus: To acquire the products of humanity without the need for a human to consent.