David Merrett

@snakeydave.bsky.social

92 followers 190 following 230 posts

Social researcher, runner, climber, silly gaming man

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Economics 35%

Political science 25%

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David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · Jan 7

Metroid 4 is an odd duck, eh?

backloggd.com/u/SnakeyDave...

SnakeyDave's review of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond | Backloggd

It’s competent if unremarkable for the most part, but occasionally soured by some bizarre inclusions. The structure is old-fashioned, like a pre-Breath of the Wild Zelda with its distinct dungeons in ...

backloggd.com

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · 14h

Ha, same. Honestly, the green shards in Metroid Prime 4 were a treat.

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · 14h

Hmm, I did pretty well with 2016, but some notable gaps: Stephen's Sausage Roll, Rez Infinite, Kentucky Route Zero, XCom 2, Pony Island, Shadow Tactics. Nice idea.

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · 14h

Not a bad shout! I played loads of the first level of Hitman 2016 but got overwhelmed by Sapienza. The framing of a decade later might get me over the hurdle of going back.

Reposted by David Merrett

Steven Bailey @stevenbailey.bsky.social · 14h

If you want to sell me a next-gen console, just fill its games with loads more little boxes and pots and crates for me to punch into pieces as I pootle about the place.

I'm that easy to please.

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · 14h

The heart wants what it wants.

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · 14h

Okay, I will keep up with games this year, and catch up on last year's releases. Why would I finally get around to playing a random 7/10 from 2015? Especially when I could be making headway in Expedition 33 or starting Cairn. What's that? Mad Max is downloading?

Reposted by David Merrett, Stephen Jones

James Ball @jamesrball.com · 15h

"AI detectors" are themselves AI, and yet are endlessly trusted by people on here if they say that a newspaper article is AI.

AI detectors are snake oil. None of them reliably works. And UK broadsheet are not yet using AI to write articles. No, that link to the deal you found doesn't prove it.

Yiannis @yiannisbab.bsky.social · 15h

Just because I keep seeing those "I checked this piece and it's written by AI" - this is an old article of mine, before AI was available. So could we not?

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · 15h

Signed up to the newletter. Exactly my kind of nonsense.

Reposted by David Merrett

pantaloon | ITAW is OUT NOW 📶 @pantaloon.io · 16h

alright you bunch of scoundrels - have you played the Titanium Court demo yet!? It's not publicly available, I know, but we are blessed to have early keys

Sign up to our very nice newsletter and we'll bosh a key to your email hole right there and then

www.pantaloon.io

#indiegames | #gamedev

Reposted by David Merrett

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 18h

‘It’s the most urgent public health issue’: Dr Rangan Chatterjee on screen time, mental health – and banning social media until 18

The hit podcaster, author and former GP says a failure to regulate big tech is ‘failing a generation of children’. He explains why he quit the NHS and why he wants a ban on screen-based homework

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by David Merrett

wint @dril.bsky.social · 21h

re:your "Ace Ventura goes to Epstein Island" script—we like the concept. We th ink its very good. But it borrows too many jokes from AV1 & 2

Reposted by David Merrett

modern life is rubbish✌️ @maddielonglegs.bsky.social · 2d

had a very respectful chat about theology tonight

the holy trinity
The Felt is not The Hand is not The Henson Spirit. But together...they are Muppet.

Reposted by David Merrett

Ryan Day @ryanday.bsky.social · 3d

They’re calling it the baldest coaching staff in NFL history, folks.

Reposted by Philip N. Cohen, David Merrett

Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 3d

This entire 'debate' is so maddening. We have been promised that a groundswell of rushed, dissatisfied detransitioners was about to emerge for nearly a decade.

Not only have they never materialized, but academic research continues to show small numbers, long assessments and miniscule regret rates.

Numerous accusations from critical media outlets claimed the clinic was a “transing factory” that ignored “holistic” approaches to care and was recklessly prescribing puberty suppressant hormones, known as puberty blockers, to children.

One article from The Times, published in 2022, claimed that at least 1,000 families were planning mass legal action against the Tavistock gender clinic for rushing youngsters into taking puberty blockers.

However, a freedom of information (FOI) request to the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, shared by Yorkshire Bylines, revealed that, between 2012 and 2022, only eight complaints over healthcare provisions had been lodged.

Reposted by David Merrett

Arieh Kovler @ariehkovler.com · 5d

The predominent anti-AI position on bsky is that AI is useless, fake, shit and basically the same as NFTs, destined to collapse in months once everyone sees how poor it is. So anyone who suggests that it could improve or be useful to any boss in any situation in the future must be evil.

Reposted by David Merrett

Dan Ryckert @danryckert.com · 6d

Did not expect the story of Mario Tennis Fever to basically begin with “Daisy is on her deathbed.”

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · 14d

Games completed 2026, #6: Doom 64

Cracking game.

bckl.gg/q6lW

SnakeyDave's review of Doom 64 | Backloggd

I’m a big fan of Super Mario Land on the Gameboy. Is it as good as traditional Mario? Probably not, but as a contrast, as a weird alternate version of a familiar thing, where, for example, the Koopa’s...

bckl.gg

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · 14d

Games completed 2026, #5: Skate Story

Desperately trying to avoid using the 'vibes.' If it's still on PS+, it's well worth checking out.
bckl.gg/q6lx

And some longer, less structured thoughts here: bckl.gg/q6lM

SnakeyDave's review of Skate Story | Backloggd

Loved the look, loved the music (Blood Cultures have a new fan) and, by the end, I liked the story. A limited skating game, but an excellent music-centred experience a la Sayonara Wild Hearts or Thump...

bckl.gg

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · 14d

Games completed 2026, #4: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

What a shame about the remake, eh? But, it's still worth playing the original. The combat is alright - just don't try and jump over any of the blue enemies.

bckl.gg/q6li

SnakeyDave's review of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | Backloggd

Played this with a friend, showing him one of my old favourites. It really holds up. Even the combat is not bad; the encounters just suffer from too many respawning enemies. The story and platforming ...

bckl.gg

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · 14d

Games completed 2026, #3: Despelote

Even with the awkward controls, this kid's better at football than me.

bckl.gg/qY7c

SnakeyDave's review of Despelote | Backloggd

I really struggled with the first half of this. The central kicking mechanic was annoying and I was a little bored. However, I was completely enraptured by the end. One of the chapters added a loose m...

bckl.gg

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · 14d

Games completed 2026, #2: Blasphemous 2

Turns out, even after putting god knows how many hours into Silksong, I was still in the mood for a Metroidvania packed full of religious imagery. Better than the first one.

bckl.gg/qPle

SnakeyDave's review of Blasphemous II | Backloggd

I found the first Blasphemous a bit underwhelming. There seemed to be a contradiction between the game's portentous tone, with all its overt religious symbolism, and the kinda bog standard Castlevania...

bckl.gg

Reposted by David Merrett, Christine Kooi

Oliver Nachtwey @onachtwey.bsky.social · 14d

Hahaha

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · 14d

Completely agree.

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · 14d

Love this piece. Christian Donlan writes so beautifully about the appeal of games.

After the brutal highs of Silksong, Game Pass' latest great Metroidvania shows the genre at its elegant best

After Silksong, it seemed like we needed a break from Metroidvanias. Mio: Memories in Orbit makes us realise we were wrong.

www.eurogamer.net

Reposted by John Appleby, David Merrett, Mark Priestley , and 1 more John Appleby, David Merrett, Mark Priestley, Pauline Stafford

James Ball @jamesrball.com · 18d

On almost everything – fraud, polarisation, radicalisation, misinformation – evidence suggests that over 60s are in much more urgent need of online protection and education than teenagers.

But that issue gets zero political attention, and is a total non-starter. Nothing good will come of it.

John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 18d

This was a minor story on London news this morning - but suspect is a real cautionary (and alarming) tale of an older man getting radicalised online.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Sidcup man convicted aover explosive attack on Ulez camera

Kevin Rees's homemade bomb caused damage to vehicles and property including a child's bedroom.

www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by David Merrett

Oli Franklin-Wallis @olifranklinwallis.bsky.social · 20d

I think a lot about Parmy Olson's observation that AI companies actively push everyone to talk about existential risk, because it distracts from more prosaic current day concerns like copyright theft, conditions for data workers, energy & water use, and their financial situation

Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 20d

‘Humanity needs to wake up’ to dangers of AI, says Anthropic chief www.ft.com/content/c309...

‘Humanity needs to wake up’ to dangers of AI, says Anthropic chief

Dario Amodei posts 20,000-word essay detailing potentially catastrophic risks from powerful technology in years to come

www.ft.com

David Merrett @snakeydave.bsky.social · Jan 15

@jacobgeller.com Sektori was an incredible recommendation. Not since Super Hexagon has a game plugged so directly into my adrenal gland.

Reposted by David Merrett

Andy Robinson @andyrobinson.bsky.social · Jan 8

A preliminary employment tribunal hearing for recently fired Rockstar Games developers kicked off this week, with their union seeking interim relief.

www.videogameschronicle.com/news/fired-r...

Fired Rockstar Games developers fight for payroll relief at employment tribunal hearing | VGC

Rockstar claims that fired staff were breaching confidentiality agreements…

www.videogameschronicle.com

Reposted by David Merrett

Sunny Moraine @dynamicsymmetry.bsky.social · Dec 28

This is just going to always be my go-to response to this kind of thing anthonymoser.github.io/writing/ai/h...

I do understand: you want permission. There's a machine in the corner wrapped in human skin that makes things out of shit and blood to look like whatever you want (as long as you don't look too closely). You gave one to your teacher and they didn't notice. Your boss told you to use it after they laid off half the team and it was fine. You fed one to your kids and they liked it. You want to know you can use it sometimes without me thinking less of you. You don't need me to believe it's useful, you just want me to be polite about it.

But I am a hater, and I will not be polite. The machine is disgusting and we should break it. The people who build it are vapid shit-eating cannibals glorifying ignorance. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.

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