Daniel Ahmad
@zhugeex.com
35K followers 150 following 1K posts
Director of Research & Insights at Niko Partners. I analyze the video games market in Asia & MENA. I tweet insights about gaming + more.
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zhugeex.com
Hi Bluesky,

I'm the director of research and insights at Niko Partners, a market research and consultancy firm that covers the video game market in Asia & MENA.

I share insights on the video games industry, as well as thoughts on tech, politics, history, science and public transit.
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
thegamebusiness.com
In this week's edition of The Game Business, we dive into what is really going on in the Chinese video game market with Niko Partners (with Lisa Cosmas Hanson and Daniel Ahmad on the Show).

Plus, we disagree with former FTC Chair Lina Khan on Xbox

www.thegamebusiness.com/p/some-game-...
"Some game companies continue to be afraid of the Chinese market"
Plus! We dive into the latest figures from China's video game market
www.thegamebusiness.com
zhugeex.com
Unfortunately, yes.
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
stephentotilo.bsky.social
SCOOP: Last year, Ubisoft cancelled an Assassin's Creed game set during Reconstruction. Was to feature a Black Assassin who, among other things, fought the rise of the Klan

Sources: Leadership nixed it over concerns re: U.S. political climate, backlash to Yasuke

www.gamefile.news/p/scoop-ubis...
Scoop: Ubisoft cancelled a post-Civil War Assassin’s Creed last year
Company leadership deemed the project too controversial for the moment, sources tell Game File
www.gamefile.news
zhugeex.com
Granted the underlying bias they have towards x being "bad" plays a role.

But it's literally just mass psychosis developed by consuming the same type of content over and over to the point they are convinced there is a pattern or agenda that doesn't exist at all.
zhugeex.com
It cannot be stressed enough that the majority of right wingers that engage in culture war nonsense are people who have PsyOp'd themselves into seeing "pattern recognition" everywhere in the same way that biblical numerologists have a heart attack every time they see the number 666 somewhere.
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
jamellebouie.net
i think it is cool that a government run by fanatical bigots is on track to plunge the economy into a mountain and cause a food crisis
ddayen.bsky.social
So this is funny.
The administration just issued a rule slashing foreign agricultural worker wages. And to justify it, in a public filing, Trump's Labor Department alleges that Trump's immigration enforcement has devastated the Ag workforce and caused a "risk of supply shock-induced food shortages."
Trump Labor Department Says His Immigration Raids Are Causing a Food Crisis
In a filing in the Federal Register, the Labor Department argues there are “immediate dangers to the American food supply” due to a lack of migrant agricultural workers.
prospect.org
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
carlquintanilla.bsky.social
NVIDIA and OpenAi:

Concerns that their “increasingly complex and interconnected web of business transactions is artificially propping up the trillion-dollar AI boom.“

@bloomberg.com $NVDA 👀
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
internethippo.bsky.social
Sometimes a user will post a joke and then that very same user will post something sincere. And I as the reader am expected to understand this, using my brain?
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
truthout.org
Organizers in New Mexico spent a decade electing lawmakers who would put the question of universal child care funded by oil and gas royalties on the ballot and in late 2022, voters were allowed to decide on the matter directly. They voted overwhelmingly to approve it.
Universal Child Care Is Popular. New Mexico Showed Us How We Can Win It.
A vibrant, grassroots, bottom-up movement was behind the victory, offering a template that other states can follow.
truthout.org
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
wario64.bsky.social
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will receive a free update featuring new dungeon, enemies, bosses, costumes, text/UI game localizations, and more surprises

Game has now sold over 5 million units

www.ign.com/articles/cla...
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
70sbachchan.bsky.social
China — here is stem cell therapy breakthrough in treating severe diabetes

US under trump — WiFI radiation opens up your blood brain barrier … VaCcINes aRE bAd www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/h...
zhugeex.com
China’s govt has never taken a truly universal approach to welfare. It’s always been directed in some capacity.
zhugeex.com
This is how it’s supposed to work btw.

New technology / automation makes production faster / more efficient, which ultimately displaces existing workers.

The state steps in and funds reskilling and retraining so workers aren’t left behind.

China’s approach isn’t perfect, but is the right one.
zhugeex.com
"To close the gap, Chinese authorities have launched an ambitious retraining effort, where local governments, schools, and companies are experimenting with joint programs to help workers catch up."

www.sixthtone.com/news/1017376
In China’s Factory Belt, Workers Race to Survive the Robot Era
A nationwide reskilling push aims to prepare industrial workers for automation, but the pace of change is testing both people and institutions.
www.sixthtone.com
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
moreperfectunion.bsky.social
Nearly 70% of Americans believe the economy is headed in the wrong direction, according to a new Fannie Mae survey.
zhugeex.com
You can buy China's Unitree G1 Robot from Walmart in the US.

Meanwhile, no American robotics company has a working commercial product.
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
nytimes.com
As it did in 2018, the White House plans to dole out relief funds to struggling U.S. farmers who have lost their biggest customer, China, because of steep tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Trump to Unveil Farmer Aid as China Shuns U.S. Crops
As it did in 2018, the White House plans to dole out relief funds to struggling U.S. farmers who have lost their biggest customer.
nyti.ms
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
rbreich.bsky.social
Thanks to Trump’s tariffs on China, U.S. soybean farmers have lost their biggest customer and are grappling with higher prices for farming equipment.

Now, Trump has said he will bail out farmers — supposedly with the tariff revenue that caused the crisis to begin with.

Hello?
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
adapalmer.bsky.social
I see pieces like this a lot, often w/ a spin of lamenting cultural degeneration, but reading is a LABOR issue, it’s declined because so many people are working overtime or two jobs & employers expect after hours work. France has Earth’s highest reading rate b/c long lunch breaks & labor protections
Reposted by Daniel Ahmad
mikeachim.bsky.social
Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...
Post from Threads user rodneyowl: "Ireland has declared the Basic Income for Artists scheme permanent. This will be officially announced in tomorrow’s budget. Details to follow. Congratulations to all who fought for it and the present and future artists of all sorts in Ireland. That includes me 👌We’re just comin to the end of a 3 year pilot scheme. It’s been a roaring success. For every €1 paid out to the 2000 participants, the government got €1.46 back. Can’t argue with that. Other countries are already taking note."