iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 29/09/2026

The very predictable side effect of not hiring junior roles and replacing* them with AI instead. *AI can't actually do the job of humans. (Credit: inspired by a tweet by a @Dylanszn01 on twitter)

Who killed Hannibal? meme with the text over man with gun "Companies replacing Junior Roles with AI" shooting another man on a couch with text "Junior Artists". Second image is the text: (5 years later) Why can't we find senior talent?

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 08/09/2026

The new Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake's Link design looks very very similar to my 2 year old daughter and it is making me laugh.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 01/09/2026

And last but not least for my work on the Magic the Gathering's The Hobbit set. Bolg, Erebor's Reckoning. Art Director: Cassie Murphy This is being shared with the permissions from Wizards of the Coast © 2026 MEE LLC. TM lic MEE to WotC LLC #MTGxTheHobbit

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 01/09/2026

Dáin Ironfoot for Magic the Gathering's The Hobbit set. This one was a promo so it seems to be hard to find an image online but I found this photo. Art Director: Cassie Murphy This is being shared with the permissions from Wizards of the Coast © 2026 MEE LLC. TM lic MEE to WotC LLC #MTGxTheHobbit

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 01/09/2026

Quarrel for Magic the Gathering's The Hobbit set. Bilbo and the dwarves quarrel over some much needed food at the house of Beorn. Art Director: Cassie Murphy This is being shared with the permissions from Wizards of the Coast © 2026 MEE LLC. TM lic MEE to WotC LLC #MTGxTheHobbit

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 01/09/2026

A few more Magic the Gathering's The Hobbit card illustrations to share! First up The Sackville Bagginses. Art Director: Cassie Murphy. This is being shared with the permissions from Wizards of the Coast © 2026 MEE LLC. TM lic MEE to WotC LLC #MTGxTheHobbit

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 17/08/2026

Here's the 9 cards from the scene. • The Eagles are Coming! • Dreaded Bat-Cloud • The Lonely Mountian • Chief Warg’s Company • Thorin’s Last Stand • Bard’s Company • Bolg’s Company • Dain’s Company • Thranduil’s Company

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 17/08/2026

With Magic's The Hobbit set now out, thought I'd drop the full artwork for The Five Armies Clash! scene. A huge thanks to my art director, Cassie Murphy. This is being shared with the permissions from Wizards of the Coast © 2026 MEE LLC. TM lic MEE to WotC LLC www.rucach.com/project/the-...

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 17/07/2026

That's not the early morning fog on the lake. It's wildfire smoke from Canada. You gotta love a trip back to the States to be welcomed by a Code Purple air quality alert. What is Code Purple? (it's past code red. I didn't know there was worse than red) Just don't breathe the air. That's all.

A red sun rising in the smoggy air in the morning over a lake.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 26/01/2026

Most people already know that Trump and his MAGA loyalists have been barrelling towards fascism. But even they're no longer hiding what they are. We need a mass working class, socialist response. America needs a national general strike. Build. Organize. Resist.

MAGA letters arranged in a spiral pattern resembling the Nazi swastika

MAGA letters arranged in a spiral pattern resembling the Nazi swastika being smashed by a fist

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 23/01/2026

Lovely 10 Year commemorative enamel pin from this year's IMIRT AGM. I got to design this logo years ago, so I was thrilled when IMIRT reached out to me to update the logo. My favourite bit was switching out the D20 for a D10 for this commemoration (2015-2025).

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 14/12/2025

New D&D art! Check it out! Chapter 5: Magic of Faerûn opener illustration created for Dungeon & Dragon's Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn player expansion. AD: Emi Tanji The seventh Blackstaff of Waterdeep, Vajra Safahr is seen here awakening The Hawkman. www.rucach.com/project/magi... #DnD

The seventh Blackstaff of Waterdeep, Vajra Safahr is seen here awakening The Hawkman, one of the mighty walking statues of Waterdeep.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 14/12/2025

A huge thank you to our sponsors @gwuireland.bsky.social, StoryToys, Black Shamrock, Entity, @gambrinous.com, DIGIT, a Scopely Studio, Tall Team, and @spookydoorway.bsky.social. And a big thanks to our supporting organisations @imirt.bsky.social, @ardan-ie.bsky.social, and The Games Co-op.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 14/12/2025

The Irish Game Dev Portal connecting our Irish Game Dev Holiday Parties from Galway, Cork, and Dublin. What a great night to catch up with fellow game developers. We probably had close to 200 game developers meet up Friday night for drinks, food, a bit of social games and prizes, and good craic.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 06/12/2025

Got to meet fellow Valley of the Lost Abbey collaborator, composer, and sound designer George Mercer @georgemercer.bsky.social in Galway for the wrap up of the IndieDev 2025 program. #IndieDev #gamedev #irishgamedev

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 04/12/2025

Honoured to have been among the nominees at the West Regional Skills Awards with Ainslie Peters of CREW who collaborated with me on a workshop this year on Worker Co-operatives in the Games Sector. Looking forward to continuing future collaborations with CREW and others in the year to come.

Ainslie Peters from CREW and Denman Rooke from RÚCACH holding a sign for Regional Skills West.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 13/09/2025

Ceist agus Craic for Catherine! Table Quiz this Wed Sept 17th at Massimo Bar Galway, doors at 7pm €10 per person. All funds raised will go directly to the Catherine Connolly TD Presidential Campaign. Link to register - bígí linn! shorturl.at/VOItx #galwayforcatherine #gaillimhdoncatherine

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 25/08/2025

Cont... Co-Create: Cooperative Business Models for the Games Sector Part 1: Navigating Co-Op Mode Funded by Galway City Council, with support from West Regional Skills, ICOS, and in collaboration with CREW, Rúcach and SolidNetwork.

Graphic promoting webinar with David Brooks from CoLab Collective

Graphic promoting webinar with Taylor Fischer from Wild Blue Studios

Graphic promoting webinar with Denman Rooke from Rúcach

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 25/08/2025

Worker Cooperatives in Game Dev webinar this Wednesday!!! I'll be moderating a panel with our fantastic speakers from KO_OP, Baby Ghosts, Necrosoft Games, CoLab Collective, and Wild Blue Studios. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/co-create-...

Graphic promoting webinar with Saleem Dabbous from KO_OP

Graphic promoting webinar with Eileen Mary Holowka from Baby Ghosts

Graphic promoting webinar with Shane Marks from Necrosoft Games

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 23/08/2025

The absolute scale of the Cologne Cathedral is impossible to convey in pictures. There's not many buildings in the world that have filled me with such awe.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 07/08/2025

Married this lovely person 15 years ago! What a wonderful journey it's been. And now we have a little buddy to join us. Went for a date at Campbell's Tavern for pizza and music.

Photo of Denman with his wife and daughter

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 01/08/2025

Part 2: Build the Framework Join a hands-on workshop to start designing your own co-op game studio, with practical tools and peer collaboration. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/co-create-...

Co-Create: Co-operative Business Models for the Games Sector. This 2-part masterclass introduces participants to the innovative potential of co-operative business models.

Part 2: Build the Framework. ready to dig deeper? Join us in person for a hands-on workshop where you'll connect with peers and start mapping out your own co-op game studio, learning tools, tactics, and team-building included.

3rd of September 2025 10:00-13:00 (GMT) In Person at CREW.

Funded by Galway City Council, with support from West Regional Skills, ICOS, and in collaboration with CREW, Rúcach and SolidNetwork

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 01/08/2025

Studio Rúcach @rucach.bsky.social in collaboration with CREW are excited to announce a two-part masterclass exploring co-operative models for game dev. Part 1: Navigating Co-Op Mode (Online) Hear from co-ops creating equitable workplaces in the games industry. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/co-create-...

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 17/07/2025

The team and I at @rucach.bsky.social are very excited to announce we're one of the teams for the IndieDev 2025 fund working on our game 'Valley of the Lost Abbey'. Looking forward to sharing our dev progress over the next few months. #IndieDev #IndieDev2025 #GameDev #IrishGameDev

Graphic with text "Rúcach - 'Valley of the Lost Abbey' and #IndieDev2025". including images of the team members and some concept art of a mouse, hedgehog and key art of a mouse in a valley with a ruined abbey in the distance.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 10/07/2025

Heading to London... and I am going to melt.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 10/07/2025

I'm heading to London for Games Transformed: Smash the Fash @gamestransformed.bsky.social event. I'll be on a panel titled "What Can the Left Learn From Struggles in the Games Industry?" & speaking on our @gwuireland.bsky.social union organising with game workers in Ireland. #GamesTransformed2025

Games Transformed 2025 poster. Pelican House London E1 5QJ. 12 07 25. Smash the Fash.

Timetable graphic for Games Transformed 2025

Graphic for the talk What can the Left Learn from Struggles in the Games Industry? 15:300-16:30 - Ground Floor, Event Space. Featuring GWUI, Draught Strikers, IWGB, Equity, STJV, Tom Nicholas, and Chris Bratt.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 26/06/2025

Psst... ᴵ ᵍᵒᵗ ʸᵒᵘ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗʰᶦⁿᵍ ʳᶦᵍʰᵗ ʰᵉʳᵉ... ᶜʰᵉᶜᵏ ᶦᵗ ᵒᵘᵗ #BattleOfTarot #IndieDev

Tarot cards laid out on a battlefield. A magician character stands before the viewer. Art style is an ink and watercolor style.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 15/06/2025

For Father's Day I march with my child in solidarity, love, and grief for all the fathers left in Palestine and for all who've been slaughtered and for all who've had their children massacred or maimed by Israel. #Galway #Ireland #Palestine #Gaza

Denman standing with his child on his shoulders in a crowd marching through Galway city.

Denman wearing a Palestinian kufiya while holding his daughter

A crowd of people in Galway city marching with Palestinian flags

A large crowd of people in Galway city with flags of Palestine and a large banner that reads "occupied territories bill now"

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 12/06/2025

Hey Irish banks hows it goin?

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 17/05/2025

Oh hey, it's #ScreenshotSaturday , here's the latest mockup from the video game adaptation of Battle of Tarot I'm working on with some lovely people. Everything is still a work-in-progress and not final at all, but trying to get the visual style nailed down. #GameDev #IrishGameDev #BattleOfTarot

Screenshot mockup of a card game using tarot cards. Art style is a start contrasted one with an ink and watercolour look. View is top down, with tarot cards can be seen arranged on a battlefield.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 09/05/2025

Any of my Godot comrades here know if there's a way to get the "Animation Key and Pose Options" into the 3D scene and not just the 2D? I mainly just want that auto keying feature for my 3D scene. #Godot

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 06/05/2025

Some Battle of Tarot animation tests with Spine. This is our character based off of The Magician tarot archetype. #BattleOfTarot #GameDev

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 25/04/2025

But even in a good face topology you can't completely avoid poles, but you just need to put them in a place that won't be noticeable. Example 1: I found through a quick search but outlines out the important areas of the face to animate. Example 2: a face I made highlighting a few of the poles

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 17/04/2025

It might not be much in the scheme of things, but for a game that I released for free and have done absolutely zero marketing for and has spread simply from word of mouth, I'm pretty flattered to see the 1000th download. (This doesn't account for sharing between people or other sites like BGG.)

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 13/04/2025

Absolutely honoured to have received the "Best Analogue Game Runner Up" award for Battle of Tarot at the @imirt.bsky.social Irish Game Awards this Friday at @ardan-ie.bsky.social FÍS Games Summit. It means so much that this card game has grabbed people's attention. #BattleOfTarot #GameDev

Trophy on a table with Battle of Tarot and Best Analogue Game Runner Up text on it.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 05/04/2025

Playing an epic 6 player, 9 hour game of Twilight Imperium. First time playing, and man, that's a fun game.

A photo of a game of Twilight Imperium on a table

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 31/03/2025

Oh it's 100% a comparison.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 31/03/2025

The only Ghibli I want to see on my feed is actual Ghibli.

A screenshot from Studio Ghibli's Porco Rosso with the test "Better a pig than a fascist"

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 28/03/2025

Here's the first draft of the cut up image for anyone curious.

cut up image of a character with various piece like the head, eyes, and hair in separate layers.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 28/03/2025

Learning a new program! This time it's Spine! Still just getting started with some tutorials on how to set everything up, but looking forward to animating one of the characters for Battle of Tarot. #battleoftarot #madewithspine #spine2d

A character from Battle of Tarot setup in the Spine 2d animation app. Bones and some mesh with vertexes are present on the image.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 22/03/2025

Great to be out on the streets of Galway marching with comrades of all colours, creeds, and kinds standing against racism, discrimination, and imperialism. We have a world to win and that means standing up against oppression & changing the system which facilitates it, Capitalism.

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Denman Rooke @denmanrooke.com · 21/03/2025

Hey folks! I have friends designing a deckbuilder game and on the lookout for an artist who would like painting "a lot of weird colourful birds". Project is in prototype and looking for funding, but want to have an artist lined up. Submit portfolios to hello@neonaurelius.com #GameDev #JobFairy

Graphic with the text "Rethinking Tradition. Art style: we take inspiration from contemporary Asian graphics design, fine art, mahjong design, cyberpunk, and futuristic indie games aesthetics." Images include "Impression of Rio de Janeiro" Li Xuesong, 2022. "Encyclopedia of Gestures (Jeu du Monde)" Firelei Báez, 2023. "MENOGGA" 1983ASIA, 2018.

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