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Ben

@binarymoon.bsky.social
332 followers 971 following 618 posts

UK based Web and Game Dev. I create fun things with a computer (games, apps, websites). Find me online: www.binarymoon.co.uk/social

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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I can relate! I wrote and sketched a short graphic novel but when it came to inking it just looked terrible and I gave up. Keep going though. I love those relaxed little folk.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Here's the newsletter where I mentioned the tiny books I had seen online. I love making stuff for the computer but I also love making things in the real world. Hopefully my next book or two will be a bit neater 😊 ninjasparks.com/2026/issue-4...
ninjasparks.com
Things You Can Hold
Last week was the launch of the 30th anniversary Pokémon Celebrations set. So on Wednesday morning I found myself, at 6am, in a queue with about 200 other people waiting to get some cards.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Inspired by the newsletter I sent on Monday and a nudge from a friend I made a tiny book today. Making a small app that lets you design your own book then print it out so you can cut it out and glue it all together. #papercraft #crafting
A photo of my tiny book open beside a pencil and a 5p piece. Shows the book open with 2 pages of text.A photo of my tiny book beside a pencil and a 5p piece. The book is green with the title The House That Went for a Walk
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
It has now been submitted. Learnt a lot doing this. I've been making online games for 20 something years, but this is the first time I've worked within strict guidelines. It's been fun, and challenging! #js13k #gamedev #javascript js13kgames.com/games/unicor...
js13kgames.com
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Oh. Looks like I updated the URL and didn't add a redirect from the old page. Unicorn Escape is here now: beepmini.com/games/unicor... #js13k
beepmini.com
Unicorn Escape
You are a happy unicorn, but you have fallen down a big hole and find yourself in some caves. So you need to jump around the cave system to regain your rainbow powers so you can escape.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Have updated this a few times since I first published it. It's a lot more full featured now so if you tried it maybe try again. Unfortunately realised its a bit slow on older hardware so going to try and work out why tonight and then submit it. #js13k
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Got a nice little group of games on beepmini.com now. Am really pleased with the games list, looks nice and retro but also like they are all from the same developer/ era. I have another 4 or 5 games that I made when making beepmicro so I will tidy and release them too #gamedev #indiedev #javascript
A grid of 8 retro influenced games on a pink background.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I don't think it's impossible for the ai. The ai does what it's told. If they could come up with an original idea ai would build it, obviously stealing from everything. But the original idea could be human. But these people act like an ai and copy what they've seen. Maybe it's impossible for them.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
They got the power of ai and all they do is rip off other peoples stuff. Not even the imagination to make something original with it. If you're going to use it at least do something different.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Have put the game online. Please tell me what you think! #gamedev #indiedev #js13k #videogame #javascript beepmini.com/games/unicorn/
beepmini.com
Unicorn Escape
You are a happy unicorn, but you have fallen down a big hole and find yourself in some caves. So you need to jump around the cave system to regain your rainbow powers so you can escape.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
God I hate scalpers. I would probably get the special version if I could but you're probably right that we're out of luck. Fingers crossed for the regular version from somewhere else.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Oh no 🙁 I didn't realise it was available to order. Definitely want a physical copy. Hopefully I'll get it next time round.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The haters can get in the sea. I loved the original in the 90's and I'm really excited for this, plus my 10 year old watched the intro with me and was also really excited for it. We played through BOTW and TOTK together and now I get to show him one of my fave games of all time.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Oops. Maximalist not minimalist.
static.klipy.com
Tingle in Zelda Game
Alt: Tingle in Zelda Game doing a dance
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Looked amazing. Very minimalist as you say but kept the essence of the original. So pleased it's a reimagining rather than a port.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
They're gonna delete all your digital games as well.
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Noa 🪻 @noahbogart.com · 07/09/2026
i'm bored while my kids play in the front yard and i don't feel like reading my book, so i'm gonna post a thread of my favorite iphone games, which i think is a under-discussed demographic in games
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
When I had designed a chunk of the world I printed it and gave it to my 10 year old son who helped me to work out the position of the rainbows and the doors and keys to try and make it an interesting experience. #gamedesign #js13k
A pen and paper version of the game level. It has the level printed in black and white with pencil and pink highlighter drawn on top to try different things.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Here's a screenshot of the game and the splash screen. It's almost done now. A bit of level tidying and then some play-testing but I'm pretty happy with it. #js13k #gamedev #indiedev #javascript
A screenshot of a tiny unicorn flying through a colourful cave world. The screenshot uses vector assets with a glow effect to look "retro". The unicorn is white with a pink outline and has a rainbow coming out of its bum.The Unicorn Escape splash screen. There's a unicorn in the middle of the screen with the game name (Unicorn Escape) above and "click to begin" written underneath. The image has a dark background and there's particles flying out from the centre of the screen in the colours of the rainbow.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I fixed a lot of bugs this evening, and I now have a little unicorn character. He doesn't animate but he does look cute I think. I may add simple animations in the future but everything is restricted by the 13k size limit. #js13k #gamedev #javascript
The start of the level layout for my unicorn game. Mostly a dark background with brown rocks and a pink unicorn character.
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Annie @badgrgrl21.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
From Tim Curry’s autobiography that came out last year: #frightclub
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Richard Moss @mossrc.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
This is such a bad faith and fallacious argument from Sony. It's perfectly intuitive to think that you are buying a (digital) copy of the binary data and that that copy should work for as long as you have the compatible hardware. (Text clipped from @stephentotilo.bsky.social's Game File newsletter.)
The gamers said in their June suit that Sony's disclosures have failed to meet California's standards.

In its August 21 filing, Sony says they are. It notes that the linked documents state that "you can use a product in the ways described in the license, but do not own the product" and "[t]he Software is licensed to you, not sold." (For context, which you can see for yourself by clicking the above links: Both lines appear hundreds of words into digital documents that are thousands of words long).

Beyond that, Sony argues that anyone who pays for a digital game inherently understands that they can't own it because, if they did, no one else could have a copy. This concept appears to draw a distinction between a digital copy of a game and a physical object that only one person can have at a time.
Here's how Sony's lawyers make that case:...
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Started building the actual world this evening. It's a bit slower going than I imagined but it is working, which is the main thing. I want to finish the first version tomorrow and then I test it a lot! Then make it look prettier, and hopefully add music if the budget allows. #js13k #gamedev
A screenshot of the vector level editor building the world map for my unicorn game. This shows an incomplete world with lots of rocks and paths that will need to be traversed.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
This is a horrible drawing I scribbled on my tablet but it shows my early thoughts for the level layout. It will change since I haven't worked out any critical paths or puzzles or tested anything, but I am trying to work out how to make it look interesting and be enjoyable to explore. #gamedev
A black and white image showing a cave system for the unicorn to bounce around and try to escape from.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
This is a simple vector editor I made for the map editor. It's based on another simple editor I made for drawing shapes for my vector game library. I can basically just add squares and then split them up and draw the points around, or add lines. It outputs json for the engine to consume. #indiedev
A primitive vector editor I am using as a level editor. It's a dark screen with some toolbar buttons and a colour palette at the top, a right sidebar containing screen dimensions and export options, and the main section just shows some vector shapes and a few icons for different objects that can be interacted with
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
This image shows our hero, the unicorn (currently a pink square). Once fully powered up it leaves a rainbow trail everywhere it goes, which is can bounce off of to reach higher locations. #gamejam
Early screenshot of my unicorn (currently a pink square) bouncing around a vector environment, with a rainbow trail following behind it.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Haven't done any updates on my #js13k game. It's slow going and I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I'm making a metroidvania! 😬 Here's a few early pictures. #javascript #gamedev #indiedev #gamejam
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The Scales ⚖️ @shakethescales.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Professional wordsmiths at the BBC are mixing up their modal auxiliary verbs, accidentally positioning Reform as a government in waiting. The use of 'will' signals the future tense carrying implied certainty, rather than the hypothetical scenario suggested by 'would.' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Reform says it will prioritise British-born young workers for social housing
Labour called the plan "unserious and unworkable" and accused Reform of pushing "gimmicks and division".
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Kotaku @kotaku.com · 17/08/2026
Report Suggests Nearly No One Is Buying AI Generated Goods kotaku.com/3d-model-markets-are-bei…
kotaku.com
Report Suggests Nearly No One Is Buying AI Generated Goods
A classic conundrum of 'why would I buy something you didn’t make,' platforms like CGTrader has shelves of AI made models collecting dust
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
I get these too. It's seemingly a common scam.
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Andrzej Mazur @end3r.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Fifteenth edition of #js13k, web game development competition where you have to fit your entire game into a 13 kilobyte zip, starts NOW! The 2026 #theme is... #UNICORNS AND #RAINBOWS! 🦄🌈 js13kgames.com/2026/blog/co... #gamedevjs #gamejam #indiedev #indiegames #codegolf #JavaScript #HTML5
js13kGames 2026 theme: Unicorns and Rainbows
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H I Sutton @covertshores.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Go on Clacton, you can do it!!!
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TQ 🌿 @witchytq.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
they know we don't want it. they do not care.
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Paris Marx @parismarx.com · 12/08/2026
In the 2010s, we were told new tech would revolutionize transportation. As BMW faces backlash for sticking a Spider-Man ad on its center console, we can see what it really amounted to: cars that collect vast quantities of data on us and which automakers are desperate to use to push ads on us too.
disconnect.blog
BMW’s in-car Spider-Man ad is a warning sign
We were promised a transport revolution. Instead we got cars tracking us and serving us ads.
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Grace Blakeley @graceblakeley.substack.com · 12/08/2026
Developers backed by American asset managers want to dredge up Falmouth harbour, spilling toxic chemicals into local waterways, just so mega cruise ships can drop off tourists who barely visit the local area. STOP THE DREDGE graceblakeley.substack.com/p/the-dredge...
graceblakeley.substack.com
The Dredge: The battle for the future of Falmouth Bay
The biggest seabed dredge in over 80 years is being proposed for Falmouth Bay. Campaigners claim local democracy is being overridden.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Added custom fonts to the engine, so it uses a vector drawn using the same system as everything else. Lightweight and looks pretty unique! #gamedev #indiedev #javascript
A screenshot of the app using the full BeepMicro font with letters, numbers and punctuation. In different sizes, weights, and colours, all made dynamically from coordinates.A screenshot of another prototype game using the new font. Shows a small square character with a smiley face, traversing a world of much larger squares
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Thanks. I'll put it on my Christmas list! 😊
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
What was the book? This sounds right up my alley
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
In preparation for the js13k game jam I am making a small vector game library that I call BeepMicro. It mostly draws vector shapes from an array and takes care of timing and input. See some screenshots of test games I've made below. #gamedev #js13k #javascript
A minimal retro vector version of Breakout with a dark background and bright colours.A circular shooter game inspired by TempestA space invaders clone with rows of brightly coloured enemies towards the top, and a triangular spaceship at the bottom
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
In preparation for the js13k game jam I am making a small vector game library that I call BeepMicro. It mostly draws vector shapes from an array and takes care of timing and input. See some screenshots of test games I've made below. #gamedev #js13k #javascript
A minimal retro vector version of Breakout with a dark background and bright colours.A circular shooter game inspired by TempestA space invaders clone with rows of brightly coloured enemies towards the top, and a triangular spaceship at the bottom
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Paris Marx @parismarx.com · 10/08/2026
sounds like Apple sticking U2 in people’s libraries and having to promise never to do that again
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
This looks like a lot of fun. Would love to play it with my son on the Switch 😊 I know it's not there yet, just a vote for a possible future release. Hope it does well for you.
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Politics UK @politicsuk.com · 09/08/2026
🚨 NEW: A pilot has traced the shape of a bin over Clacton days before the by-election
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Ned Hartley @nedhartley.com · 07/08/2026
Look, Death Stars exist now, a Death Star is just a tool that people use. If we don't use it to blow up a planet then someone else will. It doesn't matter if you have ethical concerns about Death Stars, it's too late, they exist, you just have to use them now.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
It keeps happening. Went to a museum the other day paid for 2 adults and a child and was given tickets for 1 adult and 2 children. Went to a restaurant a couple weeks ago and was given 2 child menus without asking. 🤦
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Ever since my 10 year old got to the same height as my wife everyone thinks she's my daughter. Just been charged for 1 adult and 2 children on the bus. She's in her 40s 😬 she's flattered but I don't feel great. My son has started calling me grandad.
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Surprised Eel Historian, PhD @greenleejw.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Just gonna go ahead and share this again, 'cause it keeps being annoying relevant.
A poem and a drawing. The poem starts at the top left of the page, is titled "Humanities" and is made up of a set of 6 haikus. The first and last ones are on the left side of the page, but haikus 2-5 are increasingly indented, The text of the poem reads:

Who needs history?
Literature? Languages? 
Art? Philosophy?

These can only help
    you to better understand
        our humanity.

Best to let machines
    read your books. And write your books.
        Do your art for you.

You will never need
    to think. Never need to learn.
       You’ll learn to like it.

And when the end comes
    you’ll have never burdened your
        soul with any growth.

Someone selling this
sees profit in destroying
your humanity.

-- John Wyatt Greenlee

The drawing is at the top right. It's a black and white ink pen drawing made of abstract shapes and lines. It might look like a tree made of bird heads.
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Indie Book Spotlight @bookspotlight.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
LMFAO
AI User: I'm an artist.
Me: *turns off wifi* Prove it.
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Ben @binarymoon.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
It's working again now, Thanks! ☺️
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