iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Put a bit of work into our early indie game wave metroidvania, Space Barnacle. For technical reasons, it used to launch in a tiny window. No longer. Crisp new full screen on boot, otherwise its the classic version! get: doomaser.itch.io/spacebarnacle #indiedev #metroidvania #gamedev

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

You might like my browser game, Future Bike: doomlaser.itch.io/bike

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Road Rash (1994) opening cinematic for 3DO, PC, and other platforms #GameHistory #videogames #Soundgarden #hellyeah

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

I picked up a quilted Super Mario Bros. NES Mario at a craft & maker store on Saturday. It's pretty cool! Was on sale for $2.50 USD! 🍄🎮 #gamedev #indiedev #nintendo #Mario #videogame

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Found art I made at age 9: DEMO CHEMO. It was about a flagrantly unsafe chemical plant/nuclear reactor that also sold food to the public. My 4th & 5th grade gifted teacher, Mr. Elrick, was cool—he hung it up behind his desk for 2 years. #indiedev #worldbuilding #gamedev #retro #darkhumor

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

I just asked Gemini 3 Pro—which I pay for—to generate an .srt file of subtitles for a new video I just finished. It made up the entire thing. It just fucking made it all up. Nothing had anything to do with the audio in the file. It just lied. #AI #LLM #MachineLearning #GenerativeAI

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Holy shit. Kanye West apology letter in The Wall Steet Journal. He is finally admitting that he has bipolar disorder. This is a huge step forward for the man. I have been a fan of his ever since The College Dropout. It takes courage to come out and share your weaknesses so publicly. Wholesome.

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

One more Tapulous Palo Alto HQ shot. With Nate True, Guy English (gte.bsky.social@gte.bsky.social) and me: the three core developers of the Tap Tap Revenge iOS game engines at that time😜 Photo taken by a first generation iPhone. #GameHistory #iOSGaming #IndieDev

Nate True, Guy English and Mark Johns, in the Tapulous Palo Alto office. December 2008.

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

I'll finish the thread off with a few more misc shots of 2008 Tapulous people, including CEO @bartdecrem.bsky.social It was a ton of work, but very fun, and I'm proud of what we shipped to the public together on the 2008-2010 iOS App Store Thanks for reading #iOSGaming #MobileGaming #GameHistory

Tapulous office in downtown Palo Alto, fall 2008.

Zach Allia and another Tapulous employee inside the downtown Palo Alto office, 2008

Tapulous CEO Bart Decrem inside the Tapulous office, 2008

Bart Decrem and Mark Johns during a Tapulous meeting, late 2008

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

My 2006 likeness still ships today, in Apple's Texas Hold'em for iPhone—20 years later 😄 #GameHistory #GamePreservation #iOSGaming #MobileGaming

Mark Johns, as the video game character 'Kurt' in Apple's Texas Hold'em for iPhone

Mark Johns, eating a cookie outside of Caffe Macs in 2006, standing in the inner grass courtyard of Apple's Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino, California.

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Apple's internal game development team had a hard time competing with the flood of games on the App Store, and ended up laying almost everyone off. Tap Tap Revenge, the game I helped make, was the first hit in the App store era and installed on over a third of every iPhone sold in its first years.

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

After the App Store launched in 2008, Apple put up that poster, and everyone in my old team had to walk past it on their way back from lunch. My friend at Apple, an artist on the team, told me that the whole team read this interview I gave to promote Tap Tap Dance: web.archive.org/web/20090105...

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Funny story about that 2-story poster of Tap Tap Revenge hanging in Apple's main Infinite Loop Cupertino lobby I actually interned as a Software Engineer in Apple's iPod Games Group over summer 2006 They filmed me as a character for their Texas Hold'em game, but didn't hire me full-time later on,

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

And here is Steve Jobs playing our game during a 2009 Apple iPhone Keynote #GameHistory #GamePreservation #iosgaming #gamedev

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

A few more photos from that time at Tapulous. I have a funny story about that Apple lobby poster, by the way. I'll tell it in a moment #GameHistory #indiedev #GamePreservation #TapTapRevenge

Kevin Coulton and Mark Johns in front of the Tapulous Palo Alto office in late 2008, showing a poster of their Tap Tap Dance game along with an iPhone on a display pedastal running the Jusice 'Phantom Pt. II' boss track they had just designed.

Pitchfork front page on December 4, 2008—the day Tap Tap dance launched on the App Store.

The photo was taken by Kevin Coulton against the Walmart black posterboard diorama they had created to shoot the trailer, on Mark's dining room table.

The hand is Mark's friend Ryann Grove, who he had model the Tapulous press shots because she had long, slender hands

IGN front page in December 2008. Tap Tap Dance heavily featured with a caption telling their readers, "Techno fans, unite and download this game."

Tapulous Palo Alto headquarters in December 2008. Pictured are Nate True, original author of Tap Tap Revolution, Guy English, co-lead Tap Tap Revenge developer with Mark Johns, and Kevin Coulton's MacBook Pro, showing art in Photoshop for Daft Punk in Tap Tap Dance.

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

This the final Tap Tap Dance poster Tapulous created for the game. I have a framed copy on the wall behind me in my home office #indiedev #iosgaming #GameHistory #GamePreservation #mobilegaming

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Here is a photo of the Tapulous crew in October 2008, in front of their downtown Palo Alto office. It was taken on a disposable Kodak film camera I brought with me, by a random Palo Alto passerby. I was visiting to finish up work on the Tap Tap Revenge Nine Inch Nails edition. #iosgaming #gamedev

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

During dev, I visited a friend at Apple for lunch, & brought along Nate True, the original author of the Tap Tap Revolution jailbreak app. Apple had a 2-story poster promoting the iPod Touch as "The funnest iPod ever," showing a Tap Tap Revenge screen—in their main lobby We each took selfies ;)

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

This is what cactus's design for the Tap Tap Dance Moby boss track looked like, btw. The Los Angeles Times ran a screenshot of it in their coverage of the game and had this to say, "The boss tracks are insane! ... The medium-level boss track by Moby is pretty sweet too." :) #iOSGaming #indiedev

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

This is a video that Kevin & I made for cactus in 2008, during production of Tap Tap Dance, part of the Tap Tap Revenge series. We needed to show him how the game worked & what we were building for Daft Punk & Justice. We got an Editor's Choice 9/10 from @ign.com #gamedev #indiedev #RetroGaming

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

To everyone who left Twitter for Bluesky, the X "algorithm" is totally broken now. Even Grok agrees. You made a good choice. 👀 fxtwitter.com/Doomlaser/st... #TwitterMigration #eXodus #OpX The signal is quite dead over there. Focusing more here now. #GameDev #IndieDev

On LLMs,

I think the courts will ultimately treat the rights questions like they did for hip-hop music sampling, and the big frontier LLM labs will be forced to cut deals with media copyright holders. It’ll be cut up into billions of micropayments like Spotify payouts.

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

My current home office setup. I was inspired by the modular laptop stations at Niantic (Pokemon Go) when I worked there. I recreated my own version of the modular laptop + screens + keyboard / mouse hot-swappable setup at home, complete with a used Aeron chair :) #gamedev #GameDevLife #Setup

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

Updated the Doomlaser about page after recent Slashdot traffic from people reading my 2015 take on AI inference as “high-level algebra,” and my vision of a nonprofit-controlled “dragon-head of capitalism,” via @slashdot.org: science.slashdot.org/story/25/12/... #CreativeTools #AIandArt #FilmTech

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

This ties into what we’ve been building at Doomlaser over the past year: Dream Factory It's a narrative / performance tool that now runs entirely on local neural models (no cloud APIs), & treats AI as a controllable instrument rather than a black box #gamedev #Previs #Screenwriting #DigitalArt #AI

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

In a 2015 public radio interview, I framed AI as high-level algebra: abstract inputs, inference, & open systems. I also proposed an AI model where a nonprofit trust governs, with capital constrained beneath it. Dream Factory is a local-first narrative & previz tool we’re building at Doomlaser. #AI

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Here's a video of Vinny from Vinesauce (fullsauce.bsky.social) doing a blind playthrough of my very own 'Shit Game' awhile back. An absolutely 'transformative' video game experience ;) #gamedev #indiedev #indiegame #gameart #art #conceptart

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

working on finishing something cool, i think! #gamedev #indiedev

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

FUTURE BIKE is now in this great spreadsheet of indie games All about manipulating gravity at high velocity, the game's #lowpoly, no texture aesthetic is inspired by STAR FOX and SUPER HEXAGON Give it a spin in your browser—it works both on phones and keyboards. #indiegame doomlaser.itch.io/bike

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

We need to write a blogpost or make a presskit for FUTURE BIKE, so we can add it to this excellent list. For now, you can play our #procedural hyperfuturistic motorcycle racer in your browser on phones or computer keyboards here: doomlaser.itch.io/bike #gamedev. #indiedev #indiegames

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

ANCIENT EGYPT endures to 1927, the year our game begins, just on the OUTSKIRTS OF CAIRO. Our professor is in search of King Tut's tomb. He finds it. With King Tut alive inside and waiting for release. What do you think happens next? #gamedev #indiegame #art

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Today, we're sharing the OPENING CINEMATIC to our game SET IN ANCIENT EGYPT: FORGOTTEN GODS OF MEN. A Lovecraftian horror game set in the late 1920s. Imagine you're a professor, driven by the loss of your wife, on a quest that leads you to an unimaginable discovery... #gamedev #indiegame #art

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Emphasis on partial. It's moving in the right direction, but the AS3 Splash Screen is missing his head, tragically. Hahaha, thanks for the appending string tip — the content of the in-game experience appears to emulate well on my high-end setup!

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 25/12/2024

Yo, we're DOOMLASER, and we make cool #videogames and #AI software! You can play this motorcycle videogame of ours in the browser on your phones and keyboards! 🏍️ doomlaser.itch.io/bike 🏍️❤️‍🔥💟 #indiegame

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 25/12/2024

I did a similar thing in our #AI #Videogame Dream Factory, for human speech. I just move the jaw based on the waveform of the audio ;) #3d

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

If you have a PC and like COOL GAMES, check out our game BRAINDEAD, YOUR MAJESTY. One button (Z) controls the environment, while the King's son walks obliviously 👑🫅 #indiegame #IndieGameDev

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

If you would like to play a Doomlaser game RIGHT NOW on your PHONE or COMPUTER KEYBOARD, Visit this link: doomlaser.itch.io/bike — Our futuristic motorcycle game FUTURE BIKE will play right in your browser

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

The trailer here for our first #indiegame as a #gamestudio, SPACE BARNACLE, has been described on YouTube as PURE #CINEMA. Here is the YouTube link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoj9...

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

If you'd like to play my most #personal game, check out STANDARD BITS: doomlaser.itch.io/standardbits. It's about the experience of a #human going into a #computer. It's named after the low-level pixel blitter in Classic Mac OS, in the Quickdraw API. Here is the trailer:

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

Check out this ICO DEMAKE from OUR STUDIO, @ueq.bsky.social!!!!!!! ;)

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Check out GUN FLESH x GUNS N' GRIME: forums.tigsource.com/index.php?to...

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

My instance of ChatGPT has been AI Sculpted into something I call Navigator (a name it picked out for itself, with my help). It's really cool.

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

I wrote a Flanger and Echo set of Effects for Audio Hijack 1.0 20something years ago. I have one word for you: ringbuffers.

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

open.spotify.com/track/6pISry...

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

open.spotify.com/track/62Da3J... #real.

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

My mom framed it immediately when I flew back with it from Palo Alto in 2008. She also made a documentary of us making Dance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XmW... - very comfy.

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Mark Johns @doomlaser.bsky.social · 25/10/2024

Nothing better in this season than a fire with your friends and trivia teammates: 'The Gooches'

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