Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 7h

That art is absolutely gorgeous

Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 7h

The absolute GOAT. I hadn't realised how many big Hollywood movies he was action choreographer for.

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Reposted by Idle Researcher

Indie Insights, Your Indie HQ @indieinsights.bsky.social · 11h

1st Look: Is Familiar Findings the Cozy Desktop Companion You’ve Been Waiting For?

Read the full review here:
indieinsights.org/2025/10/08/f...

#FamiliarFindings #DesktopGame #IdleGame #IndieGame

1st Look: Is Familiar Findings the Cozy Desktop Companion You've Been Waiting For?

If your Steam wish list is starting to look like a supernatural zoo of delightful creatures, then let’s introduce you to a new resident: Familiar Findings.

indieinsights.org

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 7h

This was such a nice surprise to wake up to, a huge thank you to Gianna Cosimini for our first write up.

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 7h

"It looks like a delightful, charming, and genuinely innovative take on the idle genre, prioritizing your relaxation over a constant grind[...] It promises a small, quiet, and satisfying kind of magic."

A lovely piece from @indieinsights.bsky.social.

#nextfest #indiegames #cozygames #gamedev

1st Look: Is Familiar Findings the Cozy Desktop Companion You've Been Waiting For?

If your Steam wish list is starting to look like a supernatural zoo of delightful creatures, then let’s introduce you to a new resident: Familiar Findings.

indieinsights.org

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 15h

You can find our Steam page here store.steampowered.com/app/3914780?...

Familiar Findings on Steam

Summon and study witches’ familiars in this charming creature collection game. Gather dragons, spirits and more in your quest to complete your magical grimoire. Watch them enchant your screen without ...

store.steampowered.com

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 15h

It's the final #wishlistwednesday before NextFest! We've been hard at work making sure our demo is stable ahead of Monday.

If you're someone who likes idle games, cute monsters or just a little bit of magic in your day, please do check us out!

#indiedev #cozygame #cutegame #irishdev #steam #demo

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 1d

#FamiliarFindings now has an official Discord! This is the best place to request new features, submit bugs and share your screenshots with others playing the game.

discord.gg/2myDUScK

#indiedev #irishdev #cozygame #idlegame #pixelart #discord

Join the Familiar Findings Discord Server!

Check out the Familiar Findings community on Discord - hang out with 10 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

discord.gg

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 7d

Check out the demo on Steam store.steampowered.com/app/3914780?...

Familiar Findings on Steam

Summon and study witches’ familiars in this charming creature collection game. Gather dragons, spirits and more in your quest to complete your magical grimoire. Watch them enchant your screen without ...

store.steampowered.com

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 7d

Very happy to say that the demo for #FamiliarFindings is now available in 9 different languages! Hoping to add another 2 before NextFest.

#indiedev #nextfest #cozygame #wishlistwednesday #jogoindie #fofura #インディーゲーム #独立游戏 #인디게임

A screenshot of the settings page in Familiar Findings. It shows a dropdown of the language options, which includes English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Russian and Japanese.

A screenshot of the tutorial text from Familiar Findings. It's written in Brazilian Portuguese and introduces the character Avia.

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 14d

Great to hear! I'll send you a PM

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 14d

Consider your target market reached because this is adorable

Spellomancer @spellomancer.bsky.social · 14d

You stand before the Librarian.

What #book are you checking out?

#indiedev #indiegames

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 14d

Oh and the flavour text here was done by fiancée @blush-of-the-dawn.bsky.social who generously gave her time so we could "make it big and pay for our wedding" which is her way of pretending that she's not doing a nice thing for me. Excited for everyone to see more of her work. She's incredibly funny

Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 14d

Can I suggest a cozy idle game adored by cats this #wishlistwednesday? Mine loves to watch the little creatures on the bottom of my screen while I work. We've just updated our codex with fun lore and history for each Familiar. Link: store.steampowered.com/app/3914780?...

#indiegames #cozygames

A screenshot of the codex from the idle game Familiar Findings. The left page shows the player the Familiars that they've unlocked. You can see spirits, faunae and dragons. The right page shows the entry for Grimalkin, a starter Familiar in the game. The player can see how many they've found, the highest rarity they've gotten, fusion combinations that they've tried and flavour text. The scholarly text reads: "The domestication of Grimalkin pre-dates recorded history. Mythohistorians theorise that they were initially adopted by herbalists as mousers but became valued for their companionship overtime." Avia's notes read: "Cute and cuddly, Grimalkin are a great low-maintenance "starter familiar" for young witches."

A tuxedo cat in front of a desktop monitor. The monitor shows the idle game Familiar Findings. On the bottom of the screen you can see a two-tailed cat, a dragon and a blue unidentifiable creature. There is an open spell book hovering in the centre of the screen.

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 14d

Can I suggest a cozy idle game adored by cats this #wishlistwednesday? Mine loves to watch the little creatures on the bottom of my screen while I work. We've just updated our codex with fun lore and history for each Familiar. Link: store.steampowered.com/app/3914780?...

#indiegames #cozygames

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 15d

If you're a content creator/games reviewer and you're interested in joining our press list please reply below/DM me. Looking to work with a wide variety of smaller creators. Familiar Findings is a cozy idle game where you summon witches' familiars to complete a magical grimoire. #indiedev #gamedev

Capsule art for the idle game Familiar Findings. It depicts a white-haired elf holding a spell book/grimoire. Purple smoke is coming out from the pages forming into a two-tailed cat. A dragon peeks at the book from behind her shoulder. The background is yellow with purple font spelling the games title.

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Reposted by Idle Researcher

Iolus [eye-‘oh-luus] @thatpurplederg.bsky.social · 18d

My wife & I are still out of work. We have 5 months before we have to give up our home. So I’m reaching out again to see if there are any indie devs needing a level designer or software engineer to join their team? We just need a chance 💜

#IndieGames #IndieDev #IndieGameDev #GameDev #GameDesign

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Reposted by Idle Researcher

Cliffa Games @cliffagames.bsky.social · 20d

So excited to be adding more little touches to #FamiliarFindings! What animations do you think'd be fun to see in the game?

Matt de Carvalho @demeru.itch.io · 20d

For #FamiliarFindings we're going to be adding little animations to Avia your little corner witch as you interact with the game. I've got a happy wave hello for when you open the game up in the works.

#pixelart #indiedev

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 20d

There's been a lot of team discussion on what to name these creatures in our game Familiar Findings. Any suggestions? It's a cozy game with magical familiars so the vibe is cute/magical/witchy.

2D Pixel art from the idle creature collector Familiar Findings. It depicts a small mammal with an otter like face, deer like antlers and racoon like markings. The fur is green and white and the eyes are blue.

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Reposted by Idle Researcher

Supergiant Games @supergiantgames.bsky.social · 21d

Today marks five years since the v1.0 launch of HADES!! With HADES II v1.0 out next week, we wanted to express our deepest gratitude for all your support of the original. THANK YOU!!💘🔥

HADES is now 75% off for the occasion, & we're streaming now on Steam, YouTube, & Twitch.

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Reposted by Idle Researcher

Game Devs of Color Expo @gdocexpo.com · 20d

Tristan talks decolonization & cozy games.

What does safety mean for the audience we're trying to reach?
What mechanics, rewards, cultural touchstones, & character archetypes will we implement that will resonate with them?

Questions to consider when thinking about your game.
#GDoCExpo2025 #gamedev

DECOLONIZATION AND DECOLONIALITY
DECOLONIZATION
Often framed as an undoing of colonial influences and structures, it is also a creative process of imagining what cultures would look like if not disrupted by the exploitation of colonialism.
DECOLONIALITY/DECOLONIALIDAD
The process/practice of rejecting Euro-centric ways of knowing and being. Coined by Aníbal Quijano, this concept acknowledges how different concepts of the cosmos influenced knowledge acquisition, information storage and transfer, and ideas of the self.

COLONIALSIM? IN COZY GAMES? WHERE?
• So Many White People
• The Outside Individual Who
Saves the Day
• The Land is There for the Taking
• Corn and Wheat Make Number
Go Up
• Nuclear Family/Two Gen Family
• Monochronic Structures, 4
Seasons, Gregorian Calendar
• Conveniently Ancient Civilizations
Spirituality is Silly
Straight Up Racism

HOW CAN WE DECOLONIZE COZY GAMES
We can start the process of decolonizing and practicing decoloniality by questioning ourselves and those we trust around us. For example:
• What does safety mean for the audience we are trying to reach? • What mechanics, rewards, cultural touchstones, and character (archetypes) will we implement that will resonate with them? • What is the relationship of the player character to the NPC community and how can we handle this mechanically and narratively?
• How many generations of people are present at any time?
• How is time measured and how does this play out mechanically and narratively?

Games to Check Out
Fields of Mistria
Saltsea Chronicles and Mutazione
Tales of the Shire
Wanderstop

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 20d

Our game has been added to the Irish Steam list! Honoured to be a part of this growing industry filled with so much talent and passion. The Irish game dev community is so welcoming and supportive. I'd really encourage people to follow and share this list to help support Irish developers. #gamedev

Steam Curator: Games From Ireland

Games developed in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, from Irish creators, or playable in the Irish language (Gaeilge).

store.steampowered.com

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Reposted by Idle Researcher

Chris Franklin @errant-signal.com · 21d

It really is reaching a point where everything I post is just

- living nightmare
- living nightmare
- cool indie game you should check out
- living nightmare
- cool indie game you should check out
- cool indie game you should check out
- 2010 era status tweet like 'i want a coke'
- living nightmare

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Reposted by Idle Researcher

Amy-Leigh Shaw @diveamydive.bsky.social · 21d

Hey! I have no idea how to do this, I’ve never made a List or Starter Pack before, but:

⭐️ If you’re a Games Writer/Narrative Designer looking for work, and you’d like to be added to my Starter Pack, lmk!
⭐️ If you’re looking to hire a Games Writer/Narrative Designer, check out this Starter Pack!

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Idle Researcher @idleresearcher.bsky.social · 22d

No problem! Best of luck with your game

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Reposted by Idle Researcher

Casey Explosion @caseyexplosion.bsky.social · 22d

Reduce your steam wishlist with this one weird trick

buy a game

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