iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

This Friday, I'll be talking for a whole hour about my takeaways from making Oddsparks in Zurich at the Gamespace Conference! @swissgamehub.com I'm planning a DENSE talk with lots of takeaways, touching on four different topics that are basically smaller talks by themselves!

A promotional image for the talk by the Gamespace conference. The title of the talk is Oddsparks Postmortem: Making a Hardcore Genre Cosy for All. An image of me is being held by a little man in a mountain background.

A slide from the talk. Elmo is surrounded by fire as the background and the headline says "THE TALK WILL NOW TRULY BEGIN", followed by 4 points, the different sections of the talk.

1. How to Mix Genres
2. How to make a Hardcore Genre Cosy
3. Genre Mixing for Two Sets of Audiences
4. Managing both a Cosy and Hardcore Audience

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J. L. Westover @mrlovenstein.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Secret Panel HERE 🐻 patreon.com/mrlovenstein/posts/on-whim-143945864

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I'm working on a card game where you're a punk in post-apocalypse Cologne, Germany, pushing your luck against mutated cops and radioactive parrots, and hope against all odds. We're also working with local punk bands to license their music! store.steampowered.com/app/4508290/...

store.steampowered.com

Lucky Punk: a push your luck Deckbuilder on Steam

1% chance. 100% choice. Draw another card or *Stop*. Push your luck and beat the odds in this roguelike deckbuilder. Survive and thrive in a vibrant eco-dystopia… or don’t. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Gather supplies a...

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Astragon, the publisher of Farming Simulator, has this digger for Construction Simulator, and a real bus for Bus Simulator, that as far as I understand, you can play the game inside.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

😩 We both already have plans tonight, unfortunately.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

We're on Hall 10.2, booth D043G! Look for the "GameUp! Rheinland-Pfalz" booth.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Showcasing at Gamescom my game about being a Punk in Cologne, Germany and local cologne icon, Die Maus (from Sendung mit die Maus), visited us and he's all punked up too!

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

FROM GAMING'S HEART I STAB AT THEE.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

All you nerds and game devs coming to gamescom, to my turf?? 👋 Hiii. If you need some recs from a local, ask away.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Hi! I'm the designer of @greenparrotgames.bsky.social and we're working on Lucky Punk, and we specifically call it out on our Steam Page that we are anti gen-AI. store.steampowered.com/app/4508290/...

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

It's a charming interface, just very surprising to find in this day and age! It just needs a little sticker to show that you should rotate it.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Yeah, I can see it. An old-school slot machine style. Extra weight on the pull, the bigger the order. Groups of teens order several hundred euros worth of food for the group so they can challenge each other to pull the extra stiff lever. (The one who manages to do so gets the extra nuggets)

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

It's a very retrofuture and charmingly confusing interface! I think what makes it extra confusing (and fun) is that the machine's visual design doesn't date it. The NFC card reader really makes it look like it's only 10 years old, so it should have a touchscreen, but it's probably closer to 30!

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Insane UX at this old train ticket machine in Strasbourg that confused almost everyone who went up to it. With this kind of iPod-ass controls, it must be, what, 20 years old?

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Chiitan🌈ちぃたん☆ @chiitan.love · 02/08/2026

Love has never needed permission from labels 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 My emptiness of gender lets me see that clearly. Anxiety tightens around transgender lives right now. Why must their chosen bonds still pass through someone else’s gate? Why is the soul they claim treated as a request instead of a right?

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

LinkedIn is a subsidiary of Microsoft, so by clicking that button, you become an unpaid dataset labeller.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Looking forward to the general acts of Vampirism, Mike. The demo's currently off, but here's what I'm working on atm. bsky.app/profile/gree...

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

At Guadalindie, an indie game fair in Malaga! There's indie games, a little artist's alley, and talks (including @itsquinns.bsky.social)

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

In 2019, I was asked to write my advice for people, especially fellow people of colour, who are interested in games as a career. Here it is. My opinion has never changed. I always reply to any student cold-contacting me, I've mentored a bunch of times. We do this together and help each other.

A blurry photo of the Ensemble 2019 leaflet with me on the left and some text on the right. In the next photo is an excerpt of the most relevant text.

My advice:

Look, you have to understand that the industry is rife with issues. People burn themselves out working 100-hour weeks with no overtime pay out of a sense of duty and pride. Hundreds of people can suddenly lose their jobs and will be forced to move cities if not countries to search for new work. Quality assurance teams are paid pennies in zero-hour contracts despite being a pillar in our industry.

But, my dearest stranger, we are still here because of the incredible potential of the medium and we are trying to do our best to make the industry a better place for all of us. And if you find yourself, as many of us have, with excitement and passion in your veins to create a video game because, once upon a time, a video game had made an impact on your life... Let us make something wonderful together and make the industry and the world a better place.

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Arden Osthof @ardenost.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

PLEASE CHECK OUT THE GAY SHIT I'M MAKING FOR @wispfire.com youtu.be/WdueSevuomU?... store.steampowered.com/app/2523380/...

youtu.be

Red Kiss Announcement Trailer

YouTube video by Fellow Traveller

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

I did some Narrative Design consultancy on this game! I played quite a bit of King of Dragon Pass so it was lovely to work with David. Looking forward to seeing it out!

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Green Parrot Games @greenparrotgames.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Lucky Punk is a push-your-luck deckbuilder with no hidden RNG! It's a snappy game, focused on highlighting the beautiful agony of knowing how thin the line is between a win or a loss, but it's all down to chance. Try the demo now! store.steampowered.com/app/4508290/ #PitchYaGame #indiedev #gaming

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itch.io @itch.io · 02/06/2026

The Power of Pride Bundle 2026 is now live on Itchio! All in support of 284 queer creators and their 396 creations. $60 Bundle: itch.io/b/3682/the-p... $10 Pay-What-You-Can: itch.io/b/3684/the-p...

itch.io

The Power of Pride Bundle 2026 — $60 Edition by The Power of Pride Bundle and 284 others

The Power of Pride Bundle 2026 — $60 Edition: 396 items for $60.00

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

We're making a /punky game/. Using AI on something that claims to be punk would be like... oh, I don't know, having sex with a condom on and then stealing a baby from the hospital to parade it as yours. store.steampowered.com/app/4508290/...

screenshot of a Steam page focused on the text: Made entirely by foolhardy, hopeful humans. No "AI".

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ιм єνιℓ иσω :3 @vreni.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

STOP TELLING ME AI IS THE FUTURE OH MY GOD

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

I'll be busy running through the Artists Alley on Friday as a visitor, but I'll be exhibiting on Saturday and Sunday. If you're around, say hi!

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United Videogame Workers-CWA @videogameworkers.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

THE INAUGURAL GAME WORKERS CONFERENCE IS HERE

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Simogo @simogo.com · 26/03/2026

It's that time again

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

On my way to A MAZE! I'll be showing off Lucky Punk on the Open Screens, Thursday 14:00-17:00. Let's hang! amazeberlin2026.sched.com/event/2N9v0/...

An image of a screen inside of a train showing that I'm currently on a train going to Berlin.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

CROWNBREAKERS is a great little tactical deckbuilder (demo's on steam!) and you should give Martin money so he can keep making it even better!

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Green Parrot Games @greenparrotgames.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Did you know that Deckbuilder Fest is happening this week, 4th-11th of May? Did you know that we're doing our first public playtest during Deckbuilder Fest? Wishlist and playtest the game: store.steampowered.com/app/4508290/ www.tiktok.com/@greenparrot... #gamedev #indiedev #roguelike #cardgame

tiktok.com

Deckbuilder Fest is running from 4th of May to 11th and we're running a playtest. Play some cool card games and try out Lucky Punk! #gamedev #indiedev #cardgames #deckbuilder #indiegames

TikTok video by Green Parrot Games

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

It's a card game! By me, a card game sicko! The design aim is simple. In high level play, there's this moment where you know how razor thin the margins between winning and losing are, and you're agonising over a simple decision as if it was a kidney stone. I wanted to share that moment with you! 💖

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

So I stripped everything else away. It's pure push-your-luck with perfect information. It's just you, your odds, and that beautiful agony of asking the 20% chance to not fuck you over *now* when you actually can't handle it but you can't NOT take the risk. Take a look and share with your friends!

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Anyway, since there's less than an hour until the 1st of May, let's just end it with a simple message. Happy International Worker's Day. Solidarity forever.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

We all still keep in touch with each other and most have gotten new bearings. There's actually a lot of new teams that are spawning from Massive Miniteam and our time spent making Oddsparks. It's all due to the good regional games funding here in the NRW. No culture funding? No culture.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

It's a deeply bittersweet feeling. We were nominated for multiple awards, and now it's getting to a bigger audience as part of the Epic Store giveaways, we sold pretty well too, but unfortunately it still wasn't enough. We had to shutter the company. I miss the team.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Oddsparks is free on Epic Store until May 7th! I'm very proud of what we made, it's an incredibly accessible and chill automation game with light exploration and Pikmin style combat. And there's online co-op too! store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/odds...

store.epicgames.com

Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure | Download and Buy Today - Epic Games Store

Download and play Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure at the Epic Games Store. Check for platform availability and price!

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Osama Dorias @osamadorias.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Dreams on a Pillow is the game that the establishment doesn't want you to play. A game made by Palestinians about Palestine. This game needs to exist, and we can make it happen. Please back, share, and talk about this game. We must amplify the voices that they're trying so hard to silence.

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Jimmie Myers @jimmiemyers.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Video games are interactive and experiential. Having *life experiences* is also a big deal.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Oh daamn, I want to play around with this. The e-ink display they used is about $10 per card, which is prohibitively expensive if I was designing a commercial product. But this is the kind of design problem I love to gnaw on. Especially making something that can't be replicated with just phones.

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mahsa alimardani @mahsaalimardani.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

We didn't deserve this day.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Make it as overwrought as possible. The silliness is the point. You are practicing the mental act of connecting wildly disparate things together. At some point, it will become something you can do better on command. Mike Rugnetta is disappointed by climbing Mount Everest. Hike Regretta.

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Brenden @brendengibbons.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Step 2. Make the worst nonsense puns you can think of. Bike Rugnetta. Mike Forgetta. Psych Rugnetta. Step 3. Make one liners to set up the puns without using the pun word. "Mike Rugnetta becomes a motorcycle racing youtuber, Bike Rugnetta." "Mike Rugnetta is struck with amnesia, Mike Forgetta"

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