iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Alan (Who Is Awesome)

Damien McFerran @damienmcferran.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Who in their right mind would launch a website NOW? Us, actually! 😀 Welcome to @steamhype.com! We've assembled a compact but talented team in @dominictarason.com & Noah McFerran (very much a relation) to keep you updated on the wild & wacky world of Steam! Visit and be sure to tell your friends!

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

A couple of years ago, I was talking to Billy Basso about his game Animal Well, and I remarked on how his game made me feel differently about Metroid Dread, retroacrively. He pin-pointed for me how rote the bones of the Metroid series had become.

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

That was one of the Nintendo directs of all time

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

A lot of people remarking on OOT remake's art style being too contemporary, not enough whimsy. I...half agree, but I have to believe this art direction was stuck to because Nintendo views OOT encased in its key art, heavily inspired by fantasy painter and Buck Rogers artist Frank Frazetta.

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Asha Sharma, the CEO of Xbox who just laid off 3,200 (!), is ANOTHER rank-and-file corporatist who says The Right Things™ while lining her own pockets. Her career was started w/ venture capital (Porch), followed by MASSIVE bonuses based on stock performance (Instacart) Her net worth is over $50M

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Microsoft is laying off 4,800 workers today. Its CEO made $96.5M in 2025, a 22% increase from the previous year. Microsoft made $101B in net income last year — and raked in up to $12.5B in tax breaks from Trump's Big Ugly Bill. This is what a rigged system looks like.

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Uh yeah, so. There was a lot to appreciate and enjoy in that Nintendo Direct…but having the exact same lineup as the 3DS 15 years ago feels a like a recession indicator to me.

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

The Switch 2 is two N64s duct taped together

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Nintendo Life @nintendolife.com · 09/06/2026

Opinion: By Definition, Pokémon TCG Is No Longer A Hobby. (Repost)

nintendolife.com

Opinion: By Definition, Pokémon TCG Is No Longer A Hobby

All work and no play

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

I’ve drawn a pedantic but critical line in the sand: a hobby that doubles as a major economic lynchpin is, by definition, more work than it is play. Pokemon fans need to reassess it. Here’s my article on how PokemonTCG has outgrown its fans:

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Nathan Grayson @nathangrayson.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

mixtape feels like one of the least likely targets of misinformation campaigns and video game culture war ire yet, but that's kind of the point: this can happen to any game now, and indeed, platforms and content creators demand it. nothing will ever be enough to sate the beast

The real question at the nexus of the toilet vortex swirling around this game is one of who gets what. Central to Twitter users and YouTubers’ complaints is the notion that traditional games media’s shriveled remains—with IGN at the vanguard—serve as unjust gatekeepers and kingmakers. Mixtape, they argue, is being elevated to a position of acclaim it did not earn by multiple embodiments of The Man, their conniving tendrils interlocked in a lattice of collusion.

But the truth is that relatively few people care about written game reviews these days, especially with even heavy hitters hollowed out by layoffs and the ravages of Google’s ever-changing algorithm. The very content creators who accuse IGN and other sites of misusing their influence are the real tastemakers of the modern era; they shape the conversation around new games—often via misinformation and ragebait, which more reliably drives engagement on social media than discussing games on their own terms. They’re once again demonstrating as much with Mixtape. If you search Mixtape on platforms like YouTube, you often see their opinions first. When people on Reddit ask why everyone’s talking about Mixtape, you hear about the controversy surrounding review scores—not the game itself or even, in many cases, what the reviews specifically praised.

However, for these content creators to admit that their influence, at least in aggregate, now far outstrips that of websites would be to give up the game. This type of rhetoric requires some kind of faceless, all-powerful enemy to rage against. Three imposing letters—I, G, and N—make for a perfect foil in this age of attention-seeking faces and names, despite the dwindling number of underpaid, overworked freelancers who do the actual work of propping up those letters.

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

The main criticism I’ve read of MIXTAPE is that it’s “not a game”, because it heavily limits player choice. REMINDER: ALL that’s required of a “video game” is an interaction w/ video. Just like music is but sound inside time And movies need only be moving pictures Games can be LITERALLY anything

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Quick feelings on Star Fox Remake: • Do I personally want a Star Fox 64 remake? Not really. But at least it's one of the best action games ever, and it's been 30 years (?!) • In some ways it looks stunning, in some ways, ew? (Particle effects look, uh, yeah.) • Switch 2 camera KILLER APP 🦊

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Not baffling in the slightest!! He's a 73 year old man caring to his legacy in a medium not his own. It's a shame people in charge are letting him down... and he doesn't even fully realize.

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Since Star Fox is on everyone’s mind, I wanna submit that Star Fox 64 is the ONLY great SF game because it’s essentially a rogue-like arcade game with attitude. The sequels? Closer to straight up action games with slower set pieces (and far less memorable camp).

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

For #MAR10Day, here's a reminder from the original Super Mario Bros. instruction booklet regarding how to topple the Turtle Tribe. 🐢

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Because art is greater than the sum of its parts. ...you know, the exact OPPOSITE structure of a video game review.

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Hey mutuals, anyone available for an illustration prompt?

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Spencer is a rank-and-file corporatist, a visionless guy who led with endless layoffs and industry destabilizing mergers & acquisitions, never by example. His lasting legacy will be of trend chasing, for maximizing profits (streaming, subscriptions, influencers, etc).

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Link’s Crossbow Training clears both eras by a mile 😎

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Okay NERDS, I recently moved, so I’m doing another episode of “Looking through Alan’s old game media boxes”! I picked this random box. Let’s see wtf is in it 👀 📦

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

I know this tweet is cynical, it's a common accusation often leveled by Smash Bros and speedrunner fans in particular. (I'm both.) But it reminded me of @ibogost.com's book about play. Remember: "Play" isn't doing what you WANT, it's doing what you CAN with whatever is at your disposal. 1/2

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Ben Hart @pavlovforgoths.com · 09/01/2026

the discourse on what jobs are acceptable to replace with generative AI reveals a lot about what we think of other people's jobs

recently my friend's comics professor told her that it's acceptable to use gen AI for script-writing but not for art, since a machine can't generate meaningful artistic work. meanwhile, my sister's screenwriting professor said that they can use gen AI for concept art and visualization, but that it won't be able to generate a script that's any good. and at my job, it seems like each department says that AI can be useful in every field except the one that they know best.

It's only ever the jobs we're unfamiliar with that we assume can be replaced with automation. The more attuned we are with certain processes, crafts, and occupations, the more we realize that gen AI will never be able to provide a suitable replacement. The case for its existence lies on our ignorance of the work and skill required to do everything we don't.

By magicmosshka, yesterday's

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

I already asked, he won’t let me use his employee discount 🙄

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

In lieu of a best of 2025 post, know that DESPELOTE was the best game of 2025, and it wasn’t particularly close.

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

This has been the hardest year of my life, which is partially why I won't be able to make a BEST OF 2025 game list (I didn't play enough...) ...it's also why I only published, uh, 3 articles this year. BUT someone just alerted me 2 of them were on Nintendo Life's BEST OF 2025 list. Thanks guys!

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Reposted by Alan (Who Is Awesome)

Ash Parrish, Kotaku's LeBron James @adashtra.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Bjork has given us her hitbox. I expect the lab folks to have her frame data ready for the rest of us by EOB

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Sakurai drinking water is so on brand lol

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

8 years ago, I was upstairs in a secluded media room at E3 when I spotted Reggie. Once I realized who it was, I noisily listened to his convo - he was leaning over to some guy in a suit, and I heard him whisper: “Metroid Prime 4 is going to be real special…” It’s finally here! Happy Metroid day!

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Reposted by Alan (Who Is Awesome)

Amy-Leigh Shaw @diveamydive.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Hahaha, right?! Or what about mandatory disclosures for the discrepancy between the salaries of the CEO and their lowest paid worker? That would be so funny, right?! Let’s do it as a funny joke!!!

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Oh, you like Pokemon? What X speed is your 300MHz eMachine’s CD-ROM drive?

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Try this game out, it punches way above its weight and is one of the more intoxicating rhythm games I've played in a minute 🎵

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Reposted by Alan (Who Is Awesome)

Rebekah Valentine @duckvalentine.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Went out for groceries, came home to this

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Reposted by Alan (Who Is Awesome)

Simogo @simogo.com · 07/10/2025

SIMOGO 15TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL October 28, 2025 Please join us for a celebration full of news and surprises. See you!

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Hi & hello — my day job is seeking content marketing writers! As the eventual boss, my preference is for freelancers I know. Do you have a portfolio of writing popular articles? Can you write with an unmistakable author voice? Knowledge of writing to keywords nice but not necessary! DM me! ❤️

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Alan (Who Is Awesome) @alanwritesstuff.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

So many memories with this incredible guy, going all the way back to when we used to cover something called “E3” together 😱 Excited for whatever comes next for you Zion 👀

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Reposted by Alan (Who Is Awesome)

Matt Binder @mattbinder.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

this woman has been working at Nintendo for almost 20 years and nearly a decade longer than the guy she is replacing how much more qualified does she have to be lol

Grummz
@Grummz
X.com

Nintendo...
Is absolutely fucked now, isn't it?

QT:
Centro LEAKS • @CentroLeaks • 1d
Devon Pritchard becomes the new president of
Nintendo of America after Doug Bowser's retirement.
7:06 PM • 9/25/25 • 2.9M Views

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