iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

If you were a fan of Isle of Arrows but wanted to lean further into designing beautiful walled gardens, then I can highly recommend The Merchant's Eden. 🌲🪻🏰🐃🌲

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

The Merchant's Eden is sitting at "Mostly Positive" on Steam shortly after release, in part because it does not cater to expectations of established TD norms. Not to say it's without faults, but indies willing to step outside of norms in this bleak market is something I think should be celebrated.

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

The best bit is that creative expression wasn't objective driven, I just fancied making my defences aesthetically pleasing, which when contrasted against a lot of of tower defence games that are highly punitive for anything less than optimal placement was a real breath of fresh air.

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

The Merchant's Eden is 100% my game of the year, The tension between needing to expand and optimise my settlement with preserving the historic charm of the winding streets, Mediterranean trees and leaving ample room for the foundations of my church was such a fun and refreshing challenge.

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I had a lot of fun with this game, worth supporting the dev 🔎🐴

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Telecommunicate, illuminate, eliminate. Learn the secret language of Morse Code and vanquish the advancing imperial fleet. #morsecode #hamradio #gamedev

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

I showed MORSE at HAM RADIO 2026 last week, the Amateur Radio audience loved the project but a recurring question was "Can I buy a DRM-free copy?" The answer to that is now yes, MORSE is available on itch, also now 20% off for the next week. alexvscoding.itch.io/morse #hamradio #morsecode #gamedev

alexvscoding.itch.io

MORSE by Alex Johansson

A game that teaches the secret language of Morse Code.

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Lovely! That sounds great to me, I've followed you to arrange postage : )

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

I'll be in touch! Followed you : )

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Hey folks! Weird request. I got featured in EDGE magazine issue #415 with MORSE, I had a friend send me a copy of it but it got lost in the mail. Does anyone have a copy they’d be willing to sell me? I’d really appreciate it ♥️

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Wired up three dutch pots ahead of my session tomorrow with local Caribbean people living with dementia at Memory Hub, very excited for the session! 🍲🦜 #dementia #altctrl

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Recently I've been designing games for people living locally with dementia, using familiar objects such as teapots, watering cans and walking sticks as the controllers to play with. The Sheffield Star covered the story today with a front page mention, which I'm very grateful for!

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

I did a successful dry run of my installation, Singing Teapots ahead of my playtest this week with people locally living with dementia, check it out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBu-... #dementia #sensoryroom #altctrl #maker

youtube.com

Singing Teapots - A multi-sensory experience for people living with dementia exploring bird calls.

YouTube video by AlexVsCoding

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

I am unfortunately abroad when this is on, but wanted to show my support for this. In the current industrial landscape, games focused on communities and not platforms is desperately needed. Wishing the organisers well with the event!

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I've built some custom hardware so people living with dementia can build games controllers, which I'll be testing around Sheffield next month! Here's the breakdown: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkmH... #games #dementia #altctrl

youtube.com

Familiar Glow: Hardware for facilitating craft based workshops with people living with dementia.

YouTube video by AlexVsCoding

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

For full clarity as well, David did the beautiful custom form factors for the magnet clamps, I soldered a clothes peg to the far end of the wire, slightly different levels of effort exerted : )

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Running alternative controller workshops with people living with dementia next month, for which I've worked with @nachimir.bsky.social to make crocodile clips for older hands: + Magnetic lead clamp for easy connection + Larger surface area so less fiddly to handle + Familiar form of a clothes peg

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Very excited to share that MORSE, my strategy game that teaches Morse Code got featured in RadCom, the UK's national Amateur Radio magazine! Always a thrill seeing the game in print, thanks to the RSGB for covering the project! #morse #morsecode #rsgb #hamradio #games

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Today is Morse Code day! This week the game is 20% off and I'll be updating the demo with a bunch of features to help with Amateur Radio outreach and plenty the polish. Read more about it here: store.steampowered.com/news/app/197... #hamradio #morse #gamedev #morsecode #morsecodeday

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Experimenting with turning warm teapots into games controllers for folks living with dementia : )

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Just in case there's any ambiguity, April fools : )

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Extremely excited to announce I've secured a partnership with @johnromero.bsky.social to bring the DOOMhandle to market, stay tuned for more details! 🔥🚪🔥 #doom #gamedev #games

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Doing a bold re-imagining of DOOM

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

I am really looking forward to this next week! Props to Susie and the team for bringing it all together.

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

I am extremely excited to announce that MORSE now has 3 dedicated training modes to sharpen your telegraphy skills - Calibration, Speed and Listening! Really chuffed with how seamlessly these educational modes integrate into the game. #hamradio #screenshotsaturday #indiedev #gamedev #games #morse

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Nice to see MORSE getting a mention on here! "I could describe it as a kind of tower-defence real-time twist on Battleships, but really it’s a frantic and frequently overwhelming game about using Morse to fight off incoming enemies and it’s utterly original in all the important aspects." WHEEEEEE

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Connected up this little fella to the Teaspoon Telegraph 💧 #hamradio #games #morsecode

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

"Even if we can't go to the store together anymore, there are ways the games I've connected with her can still hold a special place." A very sweet writing by Jesse about games, care and intergenerational bonds 🍃

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

More videogames should be controlled with wizard staffs

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

My partner flashed HELLO in Morse Code at me whilst walking towards her car : ) What a gem ❤️

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Here's a preview of one of MORSE's 3 new training modes: Test your ability recognising the sound of letters in Morse Code. Update arriving next week! 👂⚫ ⚫◼️ ⚫◼️⚫ #hamradio #morsecode #morse #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #games

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Very excited to be finally adding a calibration tutorial to MORSE, so folks can have a better understanding of how to tweak their telegraph. Coming soon! 🎚️ #hamradio #morsecode #gamedev #games

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Here's what that outreach mode looks like in practice: MORSE is currently on display in Strasbourg, so I tracked down the name of the local (REF67) and national (REF) amateur radio clubs and added them to MORSE to give players a direct local connection to engaging with the hobby.

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Pushed an update out for MORSE today with a suite of features to support Amateur Radio including an outreach mode for radio clubs to use, a non-visual Morse input mode, support for Vband and more! Read about it here: store.steampowered.com/news/app/197... #hamradio #morse #gamedev #morsecode

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Hey Robert! Was wondering what your preferred method of direct contact was? Thanks for your work over the years, long term listener.

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Also I knoooooow it's technically cheating posting a 2026 prediction 2 months into the year but the podcast had some interesting takes and fancied throwing my hat in the ring heh

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Whilst no money was used and the gambling was "simulated", she recognised the potential harm of letting him win, stamping out a seed that he might hold some kind of exceptional luck or skill. I feel like as designers we need to show similar responsibility towards our audiences (or regulators will).

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Personal anecdote: I went to a wedding a couple of years ago for family relative and there was a free roulette table. My teenage relative had won lots of chips and was on track to get the top winnings. So the croupier quietly handed us out extra chips to bet to ensure he didn't come out on top.

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

I really, really hope I'm wrong with this one, would be curious to hear what folks think. This isn't intended as a sleight against devs turning to these mechanics, I can both be appreciative of the design and critical that simulated gambling holds harmful potential. We just need to talk about this!

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

I've heard from multiple devs dealing with publishers prioritising signing gambling games, clearly chasing coat tails of Clover Pit and Balatro. If the broader market follows suit, it's only a matter of time till free to play devs clone an indie hit with real, paid gambling and harm escalates.

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

My 2026 prediction is that as devs lean harder into the harmful aesthetics and mechanisms of an explicitly addictive industry, the escalating arms race of indie gambling "simulators" will quietly rot games from the inside out. It's wild how the scourge of Loot Boxes faded from memory so quickly.

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Unironically getting to build outdoor games tailored for nuns would be such an interesting design brief

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Alex Johansson @alexvscoding.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

I am very grateful to have closure on that project last year and I'm loving nurturing the community and game post-launch, but I can't put myself through that process again. I tell students "you have a certain number of games left in you" (and that number can go down), so I'm taking my own advice!

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