iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Control: Resonant is pretty great so far. The combat is good but the best part is definitely the city exploration where you stumble on cursed object sidequests or just a random PC playing a sweet FM synth track. I'm really curious what else is in this game.

001

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

Jim Shepard @madjackmcmad.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

So happy with how this came out. Been in my head for about a decade. Five minutes, free, in-browser, requires audio you can hear. It's a bit of what you expect, and so much of what you absolutely do not. skiesoffight.com Don't spoil it, just play! #indiedev #gamedev #retrogaming

27929

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

If a company actively trains a human or animal to do harmful things and fails to keep them safely contained, that company is clearly at fault. But apparently if it's an AI agent the authorities just shrug their shoulders.

020

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Is Google suddenly so desperate for money that they need to force my phone to support two brands I hate? What is going on over there.

020

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Today in pointless and arbitrary attempts to rename things...

001

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This is a ton of organizational changes, moving Halo to Activision and Obsidian to Bethesda has made their intentions clear for the future. Good luck to everyone impacted by the changes: www.theverge.com/news/998586/...

theverge.com

Activision is taking over Halo as part of a massive Xbox shake-up

The Xbox reset continues with major studio changes, layoffs, and more.

000

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

After researching current web site development options, I have decided to use Astro for the main site because it's easy to setup with plugins and uses normal html and javascript. I was able to get a site published (on Cloudflare Workers) in an about an hour using docs.astro.build/en/tutorial/...

docs.astro.build

Build your first Astro Blog

Learn the basics of Astro with a project-based tutorial. All the background knowledge you need to get started!

110

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 18/09/2026

So about that batshit insane AI millenarian Silicon Valley sex cult running much of big tech….from Sonia Joseph: siliconvalleynotes.substack.com/p/agi-cnc-an...

Sonia Joseph y @soniajoseph_
To the journalists contacting me about the AGI consensual non-consensual (cnc) sex parties—
During my twenties in Silicon Valley, I ran among elite tech/Al circles through the community house scene. I have seen some troubling things around social circles of early OpenAl employees, their friends, and adjacent entrepreneurs, which I have not previously spoken about publicly.
It is not my place to speak as to why Jan Leike and the superalignment team resigned. I have no idea why and cannot make any claims.
However, I do believe my cultural observations of the SF Al scene are more broadly relevant to the Al industry.
I don't think events like the consensual non-consensual (cnc) sex parties and heavy LSD use of some elite Al researchers have been good for women. They create a climate that can be very bad for female Al researchers, with broader implications relevant to X-risk and AGI safety. I believe they are somewhat emblematic of broader problems: a coercive climate that normalizes recklessness and crossing boundaries, which we are seeing playing out more broadly in the industry today. Move fast and break things, applied to people.
There is nothing wrong imo with sex parties and heavy LSD use in theory, but combined with the shadow of 100B+ interest groups, leads to some of the most coercive and fucked up social dynamics that I have ever seen. The climate was like a fratty LSD version of 2008 Wall Street bankers, which bodes ill for Al safety.

33921220

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Like everyone else this week, I wrote a thing about the prophesized AI apocalypse (and how it relates to religious history and social psychology): medium.com/@jzig/ai-is-...

medium.com

AI Is Not the End of the World

Over the last week, lots of powerful people (like Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon) have suddenly started talking about how AI will take…

141

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

What are people using these days to build self hosted substack-like websites for publishing text heavy articles? I did some experimentation with React a few years ago but I think I want to modify an existing system instead of building one from scratch

000

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Today is my last day at Epic. I decided to leave (again) so I can focus on larger issues in the world, and to help with some family stuff. I am not looking for fulltime employment right now and am taking a break from active game dev.

3110

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

New: An "expert witness" in a $61 million lawsuit over an industrial explosion that killed three people and destroyed 200 homes used ChatGPT to write his report for the court. He prompted ChatGPT to "show how 3M is 0% at fault for the explosion at Watson Grinding" www.404media.co/show-how-3m-...

10154591825

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Hmm you can either read this email subject as "GDC was great this year and you should have been there!" or as "GDC used to be great but is no longer relevant" #gamedev

Email subject saying "Benjamin, the games industry gathered here" sent by GDC Festival of Gaming

0223

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Someone reminded me about the PIE 3D Game Creation System so I had to look up this classic ad. This is what you had access to as a hobbyist in the 90s #gamedev

A magazine ad for pie in the sky software with a lot of text including "Make 3D action games with NO programming! Sell them for $$$ No Royalties or Fees!"

080

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 01/08/2026

Suresh reports on his experience talking with hundreds of executives (and, more importantly, their subordinates) about what (if anything) AI is doing for business in an essay entitled "AI Mania Is Eviscerating Global Decisionmaking": hermit-tech.com/blog/ai-mani... 11/

hermit-tech.com

AI Mania Is Eviscerating Global Decisionmaking

The reality of how much damage AI mania is doing to our ability to run institutions effectively.

530888

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 11/07/2026

Yep, basically my feelings at this point. I am 110% for game preservation, even if it skirts the law. The broad strokes of what SKG are pushing for is great on paper. But the moment they try to push for any real policy it's an incoherent, unworkable mess that'd kneecap indie and small/mid studios.

1930950

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

Eric Neustadter (e) @thevowel.com · 06/07/2026

Budgets are intentionally unrealistic on the low side to get projects approved in the first place. Sales targets are intentionally unrealistic on the high side to get projects approved in the first place. This guarantees an unhealthy ecosystem. It's bogus numbers all the way down.

06222

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

Joan Zahra Dark 🔥 جون زهر درك @joandark.com · 29/06/2026

If you're on psychatric meds, there's a pretty good chance you're also dealing with some extra heat intolerance, don't overexert yourself when there's a heat wave! You might not think you need water, but you probably do!

216081

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Live updates: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exu1...

ALLIANCE BETWEEN GOD AND SATAN ANNOUNCED

1352954

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Those of us in the pro-democracy movement can and should hold both of these positions. 1. We unequivocally reject violence. 2. We will unequivocally oppose efforts by this administration to use last night as an excuse to try to suppress criticism and criminalize dissent.

318128743010

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

Chris Person @papapishu.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Not everything that breaks is technically the fault of vibe coding but the kind of culture that would foster vibe coding is the kind that produces a lot of shit that breaks.

262997616

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Is anyone writing good commentary saying "AI is actually good for some things but much less than is hyped and should not replace human jobs and creativity"? I find myself 90% agreeing with the "never use AI" folk but I don't think the hardline stance is convincing or technically accurate.

120

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

While playing Clair Obscur it really felt like the devs used the Unreal Engine to the fullest, and it was nice to see this discussion of how they depended on a lot of the tools I worked on personally. Glad they went into some detail!

1197

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

I don't know about this, junior devs and contractors have been writing code that only works correctly in the golden path for many decades at this point. I've been treating LLMs as "smart junior devs who think too highly of themselves" and that has worked out well so far.

110

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

Theo Sanderson @theo.io · 08/02/2026

I made a map of 3.4 million Bluesky users - see if you can find yourself! bluesky-map.theo.io I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail

bluesky-map.theo.io

Bluesky Map

Interactive map of 3.4 million Bluesky users, visualised by their follower pattern.

66572502154

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Reading the actual text, this only matters if you join age-restricted servers or channels, of which I am currently in 0. If this stays as an opt-in process, they're just doing this as a workaround to technically comply with the various laws. But, if they start auto-classifying it's all over.

010

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

The National Shutdown protest against ICE is today in the US. I mostly work with non-Americans so won't be fully following it, but hypocritical support of important goals is better than staying silent: nationalshutdown.org

nationalshutdown.org

NATIONAL SHUTDOWN—FRI. JANUARY 30

020

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Yesterday, I awoke to news of another ICE killing in MN. On Bluesky, the conversation was deeply critical of ICE. But I wanted to see how things were going on X. Surprisingly, the attempts there to blame the victim weren't getting as much traction as I suspected. So I wrote a thing.

open.substack.com

Another Killing on ICE

The right wing propaganda machine can’t spin the killing of Alex Pretti

19945213

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

The last 24 hours have shown that nonviolent resistance is starting to work in the US. The press has started to actually document the lies of the current administration, and the attempts to suppress dissent and instigate violence are backfiring.

011

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

I went to the Walk for Peace today and it was packed so here's someone else's photos. It was great to get a Buddhist talk on peacefulness right as the snow started. Everyone stay safe for the next few days, from the weather and everything else

210

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

Worlds of ZZT @worldsofzzt.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Happy 35th birthday ZZT! Thank you for showing us that anyone can make a game

07632

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

Yesterday was an awesome final day at #MAGFest! It featured chill Transport Tycoon jazz jams, an Ace Combat cinematic experience with orchestra, and Danimal Cannon shredding the final boss track of a game I helped make (Soundfall)

A projector showing OpenTTD with a live jazz band

Intro to Ace Combat music with game producer

Danimal Cannon playing with phone flashlights in background

010

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Musical highlight of #MAGFest so far was definitely Kingdom of Zeal, who played some bangin jazz fusion covers of Crono Trigger music

020

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Lots of good stuff at the #MAGFest indie showcase like always! Bigger retro console section this year and said hi to my gaming buddy @madjackmcmad.bsky.social showing off Eye Of The Commando

041

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

@kayin.moe You were shouted out by @slowbeef.bsky.social at the obscure games panel at MAGFest. Also you should come to MAGFest

120

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

On my first Amtrak journey up to MAGFest and it's so much better than driving on I95. Looking forward to the weekend and I'll actually post things for a few days!

000

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

Nicole Bedera @nbedera.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

This interview is a snapshot into where tech companies are with online harassment right now. They know how to end it, but they decided not to spend the money. They’re prioritizing growth (and profit) above all else. And they’re blaming YOU for logging on to the platform they designed to be unsafe.

nytimes.com

We Asked Roblox’s C.E.O. About Child Safety. It Got Tense.

21817297

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

If anyone needs help with profiling and optimizing #UnrealEngine games, I just published a new tutorial walking through how to use Memory Insights and Mem Report. There isn't a lot of first hand information on how to profile so I thought I would write some down: dev.epicgames.com/community/le...

dev.epicgames.com

Profiling Game Memory and Performance | Tutorial

Tutorial explaining how to use the engine's built in Memory Profiling tools along with Unreal Insights

141

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

K. Thor Jensen @kthorjensen.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Oh my god some fucking tech dingdong posted this on Twitter with the caption "AI games are going to be amazing" totally seriously, you have to watch it. You have to. In full screen.

135794152124

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Obviously the country has bigger problems, but today I'm mad at Trump for ruining the start of my vacation. Flying is a complete mess right now

000

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

To focus on the important part: Trump has ordered every state's national guard to organize dedicated units devoted to "quelling civil disturbances" which is a terrifyingly vague goal

075

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

This chart from the Google Cloud report shows how #AI is being used right now in #GameDev. I think only the first and last items on this list would really be considered "Using AI" to the average game player:

How developers are using AI agents:
Asset or content optimization that adapts to in-game needs 44%
In-game coaching or automated tutorials 38%
Dynamic balancing and tuning of gameplay 38%
Procedural world or environment generation that reacts to player actions 37%
Automated content moderation or community management 37%
Adaptive difficulty or personalized player challenges 36%
Automated testing and bug reporting 35%
Advanced NPC behavior 34%
Internal studio functions 34%
Real-time voice or audio enhancements 33%

2124

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Here's an interesting report on using #AI in #gamedev, but you should click through to read the report because the headline is a bit deceptive. They are counting all development of games with procedural generation or dynamic difficulty as using AI agents: www.gamesindustry.biz/87-of-game-d...

gamesindustry.biz

87% of game developers are using AI agents in their workflows, says new survey

A new survey by Google Cloud and The Harris Poll has found that 87% of developers are using AI agents in their workflow…

083

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

I bought myself a new PC today even though my current one is working fine. I'm guessing prices will start to go up fairly soon for enthusiast PC parts because of www.reuters.com/world/china/... as the smaller companies won't know be able to suck up to Trump the way that Apple/Nvidia are now

reuters.com

Trump says US to levy 100% tariff on imported chips, but some firms exempt

President Donald Trump said the United States will impose a tariff of about 100% on imports of semiconductors but offered up a big exemption - it will not apply to companies that are manufacturing in the U.S. or have committed to do so.

000

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

I just 100% completed Death Stranding 2 on normal, Platinum and all milestones. It was the perfect game to play over my last few weeks of semi-vacation. Good mix of Kojima bullshit and satisfying deliveries. If this whole programming thing doesn't work out, maybe I should be a logistics manager.

020

Ben Zeigler @doublebuffered.bsky.social · 20/07/2025

Saw credits for Death Stranding 2 and I kind of just want to play more as it opened up a bunch of other content. It turns out I really like a mix of logistics challenges and Kojima-style bullshit. The plot still doesn't really make sense but the cutscenes were all pretty great

010

Reposted by Ben Zeigler

METR @metr.org · 10/07/2025

We ran a randomized controlled trial to see how much AI coding tools speed up experienced open-source developers. The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.

11668692993