iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 28/03/2026

Oh no I found the “super nerd” outfit in Pokopia and… it’s literally me

Ditto as Carol, a blonde humanoid with space buns, glasses, and a plaid shirt

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 27/03/2026

I’m at the escape room conference I’m at the holiday expo I’m at the combination escape room conference holiday expo

Carol, wearing a mask and headphones because Jesus Christ, poses with Jesus Christ

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 27/03/2026

Escape room conferences are weird, yall.

A paper sign that says “HEY! Don’t touch the monkey, this means you!” pasted to a cardboard panel. The cardboard is fastened to a pole in front of a cage (monkey not visible, but you can be sure it’s in there)

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 27/03/2026

"Every good game I've ever seen has eventually found its audience!"

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 14/03/2026

This year’s @exgs.bsky.social Experimental Games Showcase at @officialgdc.bsky.social was such a joy to help organize and be a part of. Thank you so much to everyone who presented, organized, showed up to pack the room, and came to demo. What an absolute honor to work with these people. ♥️

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 28/12/2025

Nooooo this is not my moral philosophyyyyy 😭

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 25/09/2025

My little game "With You" surpassed a million downloads on Steam! I'm so blown away by all the support its gotten over the last few years — I never expected this many folks to play my little project, but I'm so grateful! 🥹 store.steampowered.com/app/1860570/...

The title card for "With You," with its two little characters looking at each other from opposite sides.

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 07/07/2025

You know, we do what we can to cope. Creativity has pulled me out of some dark places this year.

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 30/06/2025

I turned my apartment into an escape room that only my friends can play. It ended up being an important lesson in art, creativity, and companionship.   The video on YouTube breaks down the idea, process and technology, gameplay and narrative, and lessons learned. Please share! youtu.be/ISbamI5ODNQ

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 19/06/2025

been going through a bunch of old photos (for reasons) and found this picture of a jello mario I made in 2008 as a birthday gift for my boyfriend at the time. i literally ate with this

a pixel-art mario made of colored translucent cubes of jello

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 17/06/2025

Three people so far have played the puzzle room in my apartment, and I’m super happy with how the design has turned out overall. I’ve made some tweaks after each playthrough, and I have three more folks coming over today to play. This process is so fun. I’m gonna start cutting a dev video soon. ♥️

A small patterned box with a combination lock securing it, with four colored symbols on the lock, one next to each wheel. The box and lock sit atop a small colorful journal with “Dear Diary” scrawled on the front.

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 16/06/2025

To my fellow sensory sensitive sunscreen-hating baddies, I’m begging you to try Korean or Japanese sunscreen. This stuff has become my absolute favorite, smells like nothing, feels like nothing, but still a highly rated SPF 50. I get the ick of sunblock smell and feel, but there are better options!

A bottle of Nivea UV super water gel SPF 50, a Japanese sunscreen.

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 10/06/2025

This is exactly what I look like after I post on reddit about a game I designed.

Nathan Fielder standing in the middle of an airplane crash scene, looking down at what appears to be two crash victims still strapped to their seats.

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 09/06/2025

This is exactly what I look like when a mentor is giving me critical feedback on a game I designed.

Nathan fielder dressed as a child while sitting on an oversized children’s bed

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 09/06/2025

This is exactly what I look like when someone tells me they enjoyed playing a game I designed

Nathan Fielder wearing a captains uniform, grinning as he steps off the 737 he successfully landed, saving 150 passengers.

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 08/06/2025

This is exactly what I look like when I’m watching people ignore the rules in a game I designed.

Nathan Fielder looking both pensive and foreboding in front of a fiery backdrop

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 07/06/2025

This is exactly what I look like when I’m watching people playtest a game I designed.

Nathan Fielder with a laptop strapped to his chest, staring intensely at a subject offscreen

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 19/04/2025

I have grave news to report.

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 18/04/2025

Similarly to everyone who said to set expectations low for Paris, I feel like people are trolling me when they say it’s hard to eat gluten-free in Italy. It’s been so much easier for me here than in the states — more options, better labeling, and higher quality. I’m so happy.

A collection of colorful Italian gluten-free pastries

A gluten-free meat and cheese sandwich with a bite taken out of it sits in front of a gluten free muffin and a partially-eaten gluten free toast with jam.

Grilled octopus on top of mashed potatoes topped with roasted greens

An aperol spritz sits in front of a small bowl of olives and a tin of crisps, with a scenic background of a rainy Milan

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 15/04/2025

Alright, everyone I talked to who said to set my expectations low for Paris was obviously trolling me because this city is incredible???

A set of diamond-shaped stairs covered in moss leading up toward old Parisian buildings. On a wall above the stairs is a large graffiti of a space invader

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 10/04/2025

Me at a random British bookstore

A meme of a dude standing in the corner at a party by themself, saying “they don’t know I designed two of these games”

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 30/03/2025

bruh one of the times I went to visit my parents in Florida these massive things were everywhere and I felt like I was in goddamn Jurassic park

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 27/03/2025

Oh dang looks like I need to be a top-50 GDC speaker a few more times so I can get a straight flush *Balatro juice noises*

Carol’s face on two cards: a 4 of spades and a 7 of spades.

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 17/03/2025

Hey yooo I made the GDC speaker deck this year, but somehow they managed to butcher my studio name “Insatiable Cycle” pretty atrociously. “Insationable Cucle” is going to be my new verbal stim whether I like it or not.

A picture of Carol on a 7 of Spades, with her studio labeled “Insationable cucle”

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 13/03/2025

As if we needed more reasons to love Costco, THEY HAVE BIG FLUFFY SNORLAXES

Carol joyously hugs a my-size snorlax in a Costco warehouse

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 10/03/2025

I’ll be at #GDC2025 next week! This year I reprised my volunteer roles as both a juror for the Best Student Game award category at the Independent Games Festival, as well as a curator and co-organizer of the Experimental Games Showcase (formerly Experimental Game Workshop).

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 09/03/2025

I cut, folded, assembled, and bound 125 of these lil bad boys for next week. If you see me around GDC and you want a little zine about my new sustainable games project, just ask! Bonus: it’s on seed paper so once you’re done with it, you can plant it to grow wildflowers.

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 07/03/2025

Fun fact: I made the logo for my new sustainable games website out of homemade dough and a marker. All the game graphics on the website are hand-drawn like this. I want this shit to feel messy and human, because play is messy and human.

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 06/03/2025

Ok now that the secret’s out it’s time to make a hundred of these little handmade zines for GDC. I’m printing them on seed paper so ~theoretically~ if you get one, you can plant it, water it, and grow American wildflowers.

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 06/03/2025

SECRET PROJECT REVEAL! Introducing my latest project, "Play With Your Own Junk" — a collection of earth-friendly party games that you can play with stuff you already own. Think of it sort of like a recipe website, but for games. playwithyourownjunk.com

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 03/03/2025

Holy shit, a campaign that follows through on their promises

A train car with graffiti on it that says “destroying train cars ‘25”

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 25/02/2025

Uh oh looks like I’m Doing Something

A seated video setup with very bisexual lighting

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 19/02/2025

I got Hello Kitty Island Adventure on Switch and @mellybelly.bsky.social wanted to see it. My capture card crapped out, so I just pointed my phone at the ceiling projector and hopped on Discord. We agreed I need to start streaming on twitch like this.

A blurry screenshot of a small, faded projection of Hello Kitty Island Adventure next to a ceiling fan.

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 10/02/2025

My game "With You" is part of the Steam Couch Co-Op Fest until Feb 17! If you're looking for a short & sweet experience to share with someone who doesn't play many games, this is for you. It's free as always, but if you wanna support the little projects I do, the tip jar is only $1 during the sale!

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 06/02/2025

Look I’m all about de-influencing and not buying shit you don’t need, so I’m not saying you should get a projector so you can rot in bed while you watch game dev videos on youtube… …but I am saying this is my new favorite accommodation for my bad back.

A mess of GDScript code projected on the ceiling next to a ceiling fan

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 31/01/2025

posted a gif of our fart game on reddit and the comments don't disappoint

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 30/01/2025

This hospital waiting room art is really bringing me a lot of comfort

Printouts haphazardly pasted onto a wall: a “Hang In There” paper with Garfield grumpily hanging by his shirt, with a cutout of snoopy looking lobotomized below

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 27/01/2025

I forgot to keep up with this gamedev progress thread because I was movin' so fast and it eventually got spoilery, but I'm v happy with where my anemic-ass floppy arm ended up carolmertz.itch.io/never-let-th...

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 26/01/2025

the console log looks exactly how you'd expect.

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 26/01/2025

Welp. I know it's only January, but I think it's safe to say that @mellybelly.bsky.social and I made the GOTY. Our game "Never let them see you fart" is now live: carolmertz.itch.io/never-let-th...

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 26/01/2025

The one secret about IBS that doctors don't want you to know!

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 25/01/2025

ok I went out to lunch and had a drink and now I'm back and my GGJ game is... hitting different

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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 25/01/2025

Been working on a little thing for the global game jam to try to get myself to finish something in Godot and so far this is what I've got. Making games is hard

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