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Ben Taels

@bentaels.bsky.social

1.2K followers 2.1K following 2.2K posts

Kiwi, Dad, Human Factors Psychology PhD, & Games User Experience Research. Formerly Epic Games, Player Research, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Te Manatū Waka, & Hamilton Zoo.

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · Jan 3

Some talks that I have given:

Reward in games (without the dopamine neurotrash): youtu.be/xkg9ocYDLr8?...

Human Error and game design: youtu.be/JyuR2fKvQ20?...

What road safety can teach us about reducing toxicity in games: youtu.be/WMYoCuZ3Fa8?...

Throwing Out the Dopamine Shots: Reward Psychology Without the Neurotrash

YouTube video by GDC 2025

youtu.be

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Reposted by Ben Taels

René Otto @aceottorney.bsky.social · 20h

Proud to announce Deviant Legal’s Game Developer’s Guide to Publishing Agreements: a free resource for developers wanting to learn about publishing deals. Publicly accessible, without requiring to provide your data: deviantlegal.com/guide/game-d...

An image about the game developer's guide to publishing agreements feauturing otto the otter

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Reposted by Ben Taels

AHHH! real meghan!! 나영지 🇵🇸 @ruemcclammyhand.bsky.social · 7h

cowards!!!

Stephen Totilo @stephentotilo.bsky.social · 7h

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

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 8h

If you are sharing password secured files with folks (such as a UX Report or videos from a test) there are websites online that can be used to generate messages that expire when read

This is not only a nice secure way to share, but also you get to feel like you are in Mission Impossible

Reposted by Ben Taels

Stephanie... In New Zealand @bootstheory.bsky.social · 21h

This has been the vicious fucking thing about the "Jobseeker Benefit" ever since Paula Bennett coined it in 2013

In addition to keeping people in poverty it's been a term of propaganda forcing us all to accept the frame of welfare as economic obligation instead of social support

Russell Brown @publicaddress.bsky.social · 22h

Fucksake. It's quite clear now that they only looked at this benefit policy as political marketing and took no advice on who it would impact – which includes young people with serious health issues and disabilities. Just feckless and cynical. Shame on them. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Hundreds of teens with a health condition, disability may be cut from Jobseeker benefit

The government is ending Jobseeker payments to 18- and 19 year olds whose parents earn more than $65,000.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 21h

'Current GenAI models are a very complex hammer that doesn't understand what it is doing or what nails are'

youtu.be/_zfN9wnPvU0?...

AI Slop Is Killing Our Channel

YouTube video by Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell

youtu.be

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

lol, that sounds right to me!

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

People!

And if they are slowly walking by they are much more likely to stop in for a coffee or ice cream, or notice your window display.

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

This same result, business fear, followed by actual real benefit to those same businesses has been seen time and time again around the world

Because once again, cars don't shop. People do. So if you create a space that is welcoming to people you create more business!

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

Old performances can be hard to watch for sure. The pacing of older films can be painful too. In addition to some of the views they hold/messages they send being shit.

There's definitely a tonne of amazing stuff out there! More than ever!

The issue can be finding it. Same problem in gaming

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

I mean you aren't infinitely growing value what is the point of you! ;)

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

Just to be clear my post was meant to be sarcastic and that I don't agree with Scott who has also made several stinkers

(Even if I do love Alien)

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

Old person says things today aren't as good as they were in the past!

Other old people click and agree!

IGN @ign.com · 1d

Ridley Scott, the director of Alien, Gladiator and Blade Runner, has slammed the current state of the movie industry — and said the majority of new films are "s***".

'We're Drowning in Mediocrity': Alien Director Ridley Scott Says Modern Movies Are So Bad He's Gone Back to Watching His Own

bit.ly

Reposted by Ben Taels

Sharon Murdoch @domesticanimal.bsky.social · 1d

The Govt wants to cut Health NZ staff working on alcohol harm & end its research & social marketing campaigns. Sixty five organisations have signed an open letter to the PM, calling for alcohol industry to be excluded from policy making.
My #cartoon today #NZpol #alcohol #Health #PublicHealth

Cartoon. Title: “Sponsored by the Alcohol Lobby”. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and Assoc Justice Minister Nicole McKee, drinking together. McKee hands her beer to Doocey and says, “Hold my beer” “I’m going to sort out these Public Health boffins. Lower right it says, “Govt ignores expert advice on alcohol”

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

I did my PhD in Groningen, one of the most pedestrian friendly cities you will find. But it wasn't always that way

It used to have a car first design in the inner city.

When they decided to change that the businesses said they would all go under!

But what actually happened was they thrived!

A picture showing the car and parking space dominated inner city of Groningen up the top, and the current pedestrian design packed with people

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

In Wellington I saw businesses on Courtney Place with signs & petitions against the Golden Mile claiming it would hurt their business

In transport science this is a common response from business to pedestrian spaces, but a false one!

Cars don't shop, people do. People who are walking by!

#nzpol

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Reposted by Ben Taels

Chloé Stawski (Spooky Edition 🎃🦇) @chlowski.bsky.social · 1d

hades gals 💀🌸

fanart of Melinoe from Hades 2, wearing a modern outfit (dark jeans, orange top), she has a big tattoo on her right arm, and is about to tie her hair with a hair band (is this how it's called in english ?)
her eyes are closed, she has nice arm muscles and looks extremely lesbian

fanart of Nemesis from Hades 2, wearing a modern outfit (red jeans, black crop top with the Hades sigil as a pattern on it), moon shaped necklace, tattoos on her left arm and pecs, as she's about to tie her hair using a green hairband, her eyes closed
(green light on her right side cause she's standing next to Melinoe's glowing arm, off camera)

fanart of Eris, from Hades 2, she's sitting, right leg with her knee bent, in front of her
right hand on her right foot, left hand on her face, framing her left eye between two fingers
she's wearing big sneakers, micro shorts, some sort of sweater with stripes showing her shoulders
she has apple tree branch tattoos on her thigh and left shoulder

fanart of Medea from Hades 2, but wearing modern clothes (tiny leather shorts with double belt, red/purple leather crop top), a nose ring, necklaces, also big tattoo covering the entire left arm (a snake, a moon crescent, flowers and leaves)
She's sitting, resting on her left hand, her right hand next to her face, conjuring some plague magic that bathes her in green light

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Fantômas, Le contrebandier de DEI @theefantomas.bsky.social · 1d

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

Virtual phone services that can be used from a computer or mobile device can be useful for phone screening and participant contact for UX Tests

They can be more flexible in features and aren't tied to just one phone

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

If we want to get really efficient here then cutting out the walking between plots would also be a step :)

I haven't minded either the walking nor 0,0 reset, just because of how I play. But I can understand how it would be an issue for some

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

In many cases yes. But not all.

Again. I see the issue, just guessing at why they may have chosen not to. Maybe a consistency argument. Maybe.

It also would have to remember between plots as you walk (and reset between runs to first available). Maybe that is harder than it sounds? Just guesses

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

But I can see the frustration if you are just wanting to spam plant

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

I can see what you are saying & also maybe why they made that call. In that you may not be planning on planting the next seed, but rather another one

Then by selecting the next seed you may be further from the one you want? Maybe

Its not quite as clear cut as the journal one

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

It is a very lovely looking UI. Aesthetic, but also with useful information in many places!

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

A nice UX moment in Hades II is if you are standing in front of a person you can gift and press the journal button it opens to that person's journal entry

And if you have unlocked it on the entry is your current gifting status with that person

Nice work @supergiantgames.bsky.social!

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Reposted by Ben Taels

DeadSlug @deadslug.bsky.social · 2d

Badass Kyro

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