iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 01/10/2026

But, the reason we remember this implementation fondly is because they made the choice coherent with other design decisions. This is in contrast to other games that just kinda had it... Like superman 64.

A picture of superman 64 which also had fog, but was poorly explained in the world/game so it was obvious it was a limitation and not intentional.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 01/10/2026

Here's an example of method that doesn't use fog, but does the same thing. Instead of saying I'm not gonna draw that bc FOG, this method only ever renders things that you're going to be looking at.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 01/10/2026

It's October 1st, and it's foggy outside, so here's your somewhat yearly reminder that Silent Hill's fog was a technical limitation. Even now, it's still one of the best examples of turning a hardware weakness into a game design strength. #gamedev #gamedesign #silenthill

A picture of an older silent hill game where we can see and example of the fog/render distance.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 28/09/2026

Randomly thinking about meeting a lead dev on starfox attending his talk, and having the takeaway be: "No one appreciates the cool math we did because they only think about the furry pilots" #gamedev #gamedesign #starfox

A cute drawing of fox McCloud in an arwing.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 26/09/2026

I remember this doing numbers back in the day.

A pie chart that looks like Pacman. The legend says the yellow part resembles pacman and the not yellow part does not resemble pacman.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 23/09/2026

We're doing 9 games again? Sure!

A my nine games collage with the games

FTL
Pokemon Red
Super hot
Resident evil 4
Doom
Magic the gathering arena
Slay the spire
Uplink
Pokemon snap

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 21/09/2026

I just learned that Monopoly tried to pivot to a booster pack model while collaborating with FIFA. I have thoughts. The first of which is just a resounding... What? But let's talk about booster pack focused games anyway? #gamedesign #monopoly #tradingcardgames

A picture of monopoly prism being played. There's a recognizable monopoly board with 3 empty slots in the center where your players would be placed. Matches are determined based on your team.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 18/09/2026

Speaking of sankey diagrams, I was once rudely informed I was wrong so I'll pass it on (even though they were wrong) AcTuAlLy It's CaLlEd A rIvEr PlOt

100 opinions. 99 are Sankey diagrams 1 is a river plot

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 17/09/2026

Similarly, noxious revival lets you choose what to put where and often for no mana (2 life). Let me tell you, that can feel like a time walk when you need to draw a land and an opponent puts a non land card on your deck.

Noxious revival (g or 2 life)

Put target card from a graveyard on top of its owner’s library.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 17/09/2026

Buuuut, if you think outside the box a bit you can get something similar for cheaper. Memory lapse, for example, counters a spell and puts it back on top of the deck. Sure, it didn't destroy it, but if your player really wants that effect they're gonna have to spend another turn to do it.

Memory lapse (1U)

Counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, put it on top of its owner’s library instead of into that player’s graveyard.

Disempower (1w)

Put target artifact or enchantment on top of its owner’s library.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 17/09/2026

For this reason, cards that skip draws are almost as expensive as cards that give you turns or are symmetrical so that both players stall. (See plagiarize's 4 mana vs temporal manipulation's 5)

A card called plagiarize, an instant for 3U with the rules text "until end of the turn if target player would draw a card, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card"

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 17/09/2026

Generally, giving a play an extra turn is too powerful without a big cost that goes with it. Magic made the mistake of severely undercosting time walk at 2 mana and has settled around 5 for a fair version. But can you get an extra turn by just removing the best part? #mtg #gamedesign #tcg

A picture of the card Time walk costed at 1U with text

Take an extra turn after this one.

A picture of temporal manipulation costed at 3UU with he rules text Take an extra turn after this one.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 17/09/2026

Shinji! Crew the Mysterious Limousine!!

Whenever this Vehicle enters or attacks, exile up to one other target creature until this Vehicle leaves the battlefield. If a creature is put into exile this way, return each other card exiled with this Vehicle to the battlefield under its owner's control.
Crew 2

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 15/09/2026

Where else can I share my figures??

Lisa Simpson with a graph showing as intelligence increases happiness decreases. It's captioned with "I make a lot of graphs"

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 11/09/2026

"Robot cockroach can inject you with stuff" is just starting to feel like a normal 2026 headline. Help. #cyberpunk #cyborg

A screenshot of an ieee article titled "cyborg roaches can stab you with needles"

It also shows a picture of said cockroach wearing a backpack with wires connected to its head.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 31/08/2026

I don't think I'll ever recover from trying to partner with a school and asking why GitHub was blocked on their network. The IT head was not familiar with GitHub. Their response? "That's only good for viruses. That's where all the kids download viruses!"

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 20/08/2026

Game makers! Genuinely curious. What's your current marketing strategy? I have a suspicion that mine might have a few issues... #gamedev #indiedev #solodev

A picture of homer with his ill-advised shotgun makeup applicator saying "people will like what I tell them to like"

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 16/08/2026

This one goes out to anyone reproducing bugs on a QA report. Your computer was probably tired. Cannot reproduce. #Gamedev #Indiedev #qa #programming

A bell curve with a noob on one side saying "computer was tired" a person in the center with "I must fix this bug only seen once" and the person not the other end saying "computer was tired"

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 14/08/2026

Meeting a milestone sometimes means your code comments look like this: #gamedev #indiedev

A hole in a wall with a sign across it saying "we know about this"

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 11/08/2026

Making a 3d game with a small team means learning about stuff like lazy shader loading, and how to avoid it, against your will. #gamedev #indiedev

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 07/08/2026

I really like mana sinks like this, but dislike that this card completely power creeps things loek bonesplitter bolt without having to sacing anything.

Burn from Within
{X}{R}
Sorcery

Burn from Within deals X damage to any target. If a creature is dealt damage this way, it loses indestructible until end of turn. If that creature would die this turn, exile it instead.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 07/08/2026

I'm still recovering from the info hazard that Khaaaaaaaaaaannn! Is a real magic the gathering card.

A magic the gathering card that costs xR titled Khaaaaaaaaaaannn! It deals double x and exiles a creature if it dies

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 25/06/2026

Having been a part of the gaming layoffs last year, I'm sorry to see so many people being affected by it. I see y'all, and I wish you the best!

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 22/06/2026

In case any of you all need weight references for your RPG weapons here's a handy guide: DM: "you swing your claymore and it hits with the equivalent force of a newborn!" #gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign

A visual image showing different swords and an equivalent weight reference. E.g. a rapier is about the weight of a can of beans and a claymore(?) is roughly equivalent to swinging a newborn.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 16/06/2026

I recently learned that some tcgs allow taking notes (cards revealed etc), but that most no longer allow this because of its impact on playtime. Matches get dragged out, etc. Brings up an interesting design question about what skill means in games like this. 🧵👇 #gamedesign #gamedev #tcg #indiedev

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 15/06/2026

I keep thinking about the advice Miyamoto gave to rare when they were working on Metroid Prime. "What would it be like if Samus has a bug's head?' I'm impressed Rare got "swappable visors" out of that because I would have struggled to process that feedback. #gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign

picture of the following text: “Mike Wikan likes to tell a story about Mr. Miyamoto asking us during the early design phases of Prime 1, ‘What would it be like if Samus had a bug’s head?'” – Brian Walker, Senior Producer

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 10/06/2026

I know it's a joke, but this is a fun concept for a Slay The Spire card. On average, this card would deal 50 damage for 5 life and 3 energy. Put another way, it's roughly equivalent to a card that deals ~17 for ~2 life and one action. But it feels SO different. #gamedesign #slaythespire

A slay the spire card called gambling addiction that would deal 1-100 damage to the opponent 1-5 damage to you, for 3 energy.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 02/06/2026

I learned that conservation of ninjitsu was a major design inspiration for z-targeting in Ocarina of Time. The issue? Players had a hard time following multiple enemies. One of the devs noticed something similar happened in martial arts movies. Why not copy them? 🧵👇 #gamedesign #gamedev #Indiedev

A screenshot of link form the ocarina of time z-targeting shadow link.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 29/05/2026

Always made me think of this book

The cover of "piano lessons can be murder" showing two disembodied hands playing the piano.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 29/05/2026

I'm listening to a Magic the Gathering podcast about the design of alpha and they got to the boon cycle. We joke about how horrible healing salve was compared to ancestral recall, but the interesting thing is they knew it too! They purposefully chose rule of cool over balance. #gamedesign #mtg

Healing Salve {W}

Instant

Choose one —

• Target player gains 3 life.

• Prevent the next 3 damage that would be dealt to any target this turn.

Ancestral Recall {U}

Instant

Target player draws three cards.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 26/05/2026

Can't find the citation but, when I was working at USC, I was told new designers at hasbro are put in charge of those Monopoly re-skins you see everywhere. I have mixed feelings about the sheer number of reskins, but I can appreciate the idea as a design challenge. #gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 21/05/2026

They also used this same design trick with Wall of Illusions. Here, the design trick is used to pull off something pretty nasty. It made it so that any level 4 monster (at the time) gets bounced back to the player's hand.

The monster Wall of Illusion with an effect that bounces a creature back to that players hand.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 21/05/2026

So check out this monster. Back in early yugioh the really strong monsters that didn't require a special summon topped out at 1800. Then they printed mechnicalchaser with 1850(!) attack and was only released in tournament packs.

A picture of mechanicalchaser with 1850 attack.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 21/05/2026

Early TCG power scaling was really funny. Magic: Uses single digits Pokemon: Uses multiples of 10 Yu-Gi-Oh: THOUSANDS!!1!!! Real spinal tap energy. #gamedesign #gamedev #tcg

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 21/05/2026

Cool. A creepier way to interact with spiders. "Necrobotics" But also, can we not show this to the tech bros right now? Thanks. Contemporary #cyberpunk #necrobotics

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 19/05/2026

The show I worked on for PBS Kids, Skillsville, won 2 Telly awards!

A screenshot of the Telly awards showing that Skillsville won a silver award and a bronze award for the episode "Astronaut"

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 15/05/2026

When your marketing person wants to talk to you about your game: #gamedev #indiedev

A frame of Barbie dancing from the Barbie movie with the caption "Do you guys every think about user retention, onboarding, and demographic growth metrics?"

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 14/05/2026

The answer for this week's sample question is... Vape! Meet the Vap-o-gatchi! Real talk, though, there's already a push to ban this kind of stuff: news.ucr.edu/articles/202... Welcome! To the world of TOMORROW!!

A vape modified to be hooked up to a tomogatchi. If you stop puffing for too long,bit dies.

000

Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 14/05/2026

"How can people be so cruel?" I say as I quick save my sims game and install a pool with no ladder.

A screenshot of a sims pool with no ladder.

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Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 12/05/2026

Numbers in games are funny. If this card was printed with "death touch" and "if this creature deals combat damage that player loses the game" I'm not sure it would have made as much news as "+9999 when attacking". People have strong emotions about numbers. #gamedesign #gamedev #indiedev

The card jumbo cactuar form the final fantasy Magic the gathering set. It's a 1/7 creature for 5GG with the ability when it attacks it gains +9999 attack.

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