iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Elana Bogdan

Jenna Stoeber @thejenna.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Submissions are open for the Experimental Games Showcase at GDC next year! Past participants include some of my all-time fave games, like Blippo!, Nour, Consume Me, Annual Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival etc etc. Check it out and follow @exgs.bsky.social ! www.experimentalgamesshowcase.com

experimentalgamesshowcase.com

Experimental Games Showcase

SUBMIT YOUR GAME TO THE

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Don’t mind me over here, watching this trailer on loop, for a game that may never get made… What a bleak reflection on this industry, that not even a beautiful and captivating prototype like this, from a beloved indie studio with a wildly devoted fanbase, can get funded! 😭

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

I love reviewing all your clever, creative, experimental indie games! Please keep them coming!

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Reposted by Elana Bogdan

Emmurder Killwell えま @emmakidwell.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

If you're in the DMV area, I'll be talking about the craft of memoir games! ✨ Jacob is moderating AKA guiding me to make sure we discuss what memoir is, examples of work, my inspirations, and how the process of writing one provides a challenge for narrative designers when telling evocative stories

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Kitty heard I was grayboxing and couldn’t resist getting in on the box action

Patched tabby cat sitting in a wooden box, just above a laptop displaying the Unity game engine, open to a graybox scene, with simple gray stairs and walls

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Reposted by Elana Bogdan

Emmurder Killwell えま @emmakidwell.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

as a creative it's not hard to give proper credit to your inspiration. it's weird AF when you don't. also if you don't know about Train, fix that. www.rockpapershotgun.com/tomorrow-and...

rockpapershotgun.com

Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow's publisher still won't credit Brenda Romero

The publishers behind the bestselling novel Tomorrow x3 have released a statement refusing to credit Brenda Romero's for her inspiration.

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

What a delightfully (and deliciously 🫐) sassy way to respond to having your work stolen by an AI company!

Ty Taylor, wearing a blue lei and floral shirt, posing with a tub of blueberries, beside a sign that reads: “Free Blueberries! Ty Taylor, creator of the one-and-only and original GDCparties.com, is giving away free blueberries to anyone who has never stolen someone else's website! So, if you're a developer who is capable of creating original content, please enjoy an afternoon snack.”

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

This flight’s nearly empty so the crew’s just cracking jokes: “We’re about to dim the cabin lights. So if you’re scared of the dark… um… just look up, and you’ll find a button to turn on a light? Adds a little ambiance, a little touch of romance. If you don’t like romance, DON’T TURN ON THAT LIGHT”

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Please just assume that my badge at every games conference always says this

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

So psyched & grateful to return to GDC this year, as part of the delegation from @womeningamesnyc.bsky.social! 🌁🎮👩‍💻

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Reposted by Elana Bogdan

Game On the Movie @gameonthemovie.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

In 48h, Theresa Loong is launching a 30-day #Kickstarter to finish Game On, a feature #documentary about pioneering game designer @brendaromero.bsky.social and the lasting impact of her work on women and the next generation of creators! gameonthemovie.com/kickstarter #indiegames #filmsky #bluesky

A banner for the movie Game On A feature documentary about Brenda Romero with a picture of Brenda Romero sitting in front of a computer monitor with a video game on the screen

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

PSA: The key replicas that @iam8bit.com produced for @blueprincegame.bsky.social are not only screen accurate but absolutely GORGEOUS! 🗝️😍 Sure, ok, the Prism Key doesn’t actually radiate rainbows IRL. But today, with the help of a window prism and some afternoon sunlight, I fixed that ☀️💎🌈

A metal replica of the Prism Key from Blue Prince, sitting on a desk in a pool of rainbow light, which almost seems to radiate from the key’s own prism

A metal replica of the Prism Key from Blue Prince, hanging against a wall in a pool of rainbow light, which almost seems to radiate from the key’s own prism

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Finally finished Blue Prince. (FINISHED finished. You know, not the first, second, third, or fourth endings. The actual one. Maybe 🌀) Masterpiece of a game, but I’m so ready for my brain to stop seeking clues in every grid-shaped thing. (And if I never see the color blue again, it’ll be too soon 😆)

Photo of a Japanese-style folding screen against a sliding glass door. It’s 9 ranks (er, rows) tall, and cropped to 5 columns wide.

Photo of a doormat, seen from above. It features a 9x5 grid of light gray squares, surrounded by a darker border, evoking the layout of the Mount Holly Estate in Blue Prince.

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

@natmesnard.bsky.social & I had a great time chatting with Zoey on True Avatars, her weekly podcast about queer games! It was a fun convo that got into some serious issues - from puzzle design & “MetroidBrainias,” to fascism & queer erasure. Find the full interview (both audio & video) linked below!

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Some locals just drove by, selling pumpkins out of their pickup truck. Somehow I scored a lil pumpkin for free, just by laughing at their hilarious sales pitch? (I wonder what tipped them off I might want it… 🎃🍂😅)

A little orange pumpkin, with a freakishly long stem, sitting on a picnic table

Selfie with a fall leaf pendant, made of stained glass, and pumpkin earrings

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Reposted by Elana Bogdan

Unquiet Games @unquietgames.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Thanks so much for the shout-out, @kymira.ca! We couldn't have asked for a better neighbor than @wtchcrft.com at @qgcon.bsky.social last weekend. We should totally collaborate on a "queer indie games inspired by Blue Prince" bundle, haha! 🩵

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

On my way to @qgcon.bsky.social, and the first leg of my flight to Montréal is behind schedule. The pilot has reassured us he’ll “try to take any shortcuts we can.” Can’t wait to see how this guy folds space and time to shortcut us through the sky!

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 22/06/2025

Been learning so much and meeting some amazing people at NarraScope this weekend! If you're around, and happen to be a mortal creature like myself, you might enjoy my talk on death-positive narrative design this afternoon (1:30 ET, URBN Center 141, more details at narrascope.org/schedule/#ta...) 💀🎲🖤

The title slide of a presentation, featuring white text on a black background, which reads: "The Life We Have Left to Live: Death-Positive Narrative Design and Embracing Mortality Through a Site-Specific Cemetery Roleplay." The slide has an ornate border, and includes some art of a skull beside a few dice and a dice shaker.

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Reposted by Elana Bogdan

Unquiet Games @unquietgames.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

Excited to continue our celebration of Pride month over at Coexist tonight! Come for @officialnycg.bsky.social's talk about representation in gaming, then stick around to play our latest demo of Banned Together 🏳️‍🌈🎮

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

If I had a nickel for every queer engineer I know who worked at Amazon for many years, wanted a change of culture, founded an inclusive game studio, then eventually got snatched up by Anthropic… I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice!

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Reposted by Elana Bogdan

Unquiet Games @unquietgames.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

We’re kicking off Pride in style by demoing our new gameplay at Gaymer Pride today! It’s a free event, so come hang out with us at the Museum of the Moving Image, play Banned Together, and we’ll send you off with a snazzy gay bookmark 📚🌈✨

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Reposted by Elana Bogdan

NYU Game Center @nyugamecenter.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

We are live NOW with the 2025 NYU Game Center Incubator Showcase! On Steam: store.steampowered.com/sale/GamesinNY And on Twitch: twitch.tv/nyugamecenter

store.steampowered.com

Games in New York

Games set, published and designed in New York

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Check out all these amazing games made right here in NY! 🏙️🎮🤩 Some of the most diverse & innovative work in indie games is happening here, and I’m so proud that Banned Together (my upcoming queer mystery game about book banning) is featured here for wishlisting: store.steampowered.com/sale/GamesinNY

store.steampowered.com

Games in New York

Games set, published and designed in New York

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Reposted by Elana Bogdan

Chella Ramanan 🇬🇩 @chellaramanan.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Over here. A thing to help working class ppl into games @pocinplay.bsky.social 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Trying to be cryptic here, to prevent spoilers for a certain puzzle game I happen to be obsessed with lately, but… I just found my 7th red letter, and it feels like a *wild* coincidence that that happened today, of all days!? If you know, you know 🩵👑😉

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

If, like me, you’re a big fan of @noclipvideo.bsky.social, @2playerproductions.bsky.social, and quality documentaries about indie games, this is for you! (Of course, I may be a little biased, since I’m working on this project, and Myst is very dear to my heart 📚🎥)

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

As someone making a game about books, I felt lucky to attend *multiple* events this week at the intersection of games & writing: the launch of @jeannethornton.bsky.social’s novel A/S/L, steeped in digital nostalgia, and @ashleybardhan.bsky.social’s delightful “video game reading night” about love!

In a small queer bookstore in Williamsburg, a crowd applauds Jeanne Thornton, who sits beside fellow author Cat Fitzpatrick, holding a microphone as she introduces Jeanne.

Ashley stands on a stage, speaking into a microphone as she introduces this month’s “video games reading night,” with four guest readers (mostly games journalists) sitting on a couch behind her.

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Being a game designer isn't about getting things right the first time: it's about trying something out, listening to playtesters, trusting your team, then trying again! Here's my dev log about the evolution of a rhythm game at @bolerogamestudio.bsky.social: bolerogamestudio.itch.io/old-and-gray...

bolerogamestudio.itch.io

Unpacking the Game Design Process of Old & Gray

It's GDC season and the Bolero crew is in San Francisco with an expanded 7-minute demo of Old & Gray! The whole team has been hard at work enriching and polishing our latest build for playtesting with...

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Hey that’s us! Come check out our new gameplay if you’re around tonight 📚🌈✨

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

The fact my suitcase looks like this when packing for a conference makes me confident I’m in the right industry 🎮🎭 Can’t wait to see everyone at GDC!

An open suitcase, with a game controller and fancy party mask in the zip pouch, and a sequined coat, dress, & choker below

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

New achievement unlocked: @natmesnard.bsky.social & I pitched our game together in front of a live audience at a public event, and we had a great time! Next stop: GDC ✈️

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

Ever wonder what kind of indie game @natmesnard.bsky.social & I have been developing over the past year and a half? DM if you’d like free tickets to our pitch this Tues! 😉

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Reposted by Elana Bogdan

Catt Small @catt.design · 25/02/2025

Might feel like everything is going to 💩 but there's still lots of good in the world. Here's a little joy for ya — grab a ticket or apply to speak this year!

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

Over the holidays, I bonded with my father-in-law (very much not a gamer) by getting him hooked on Balatro. It's been a couple months now, and I'm still unsure whether to feel like a world-class daughter-in-law or an absolute monster when I see this notification pop up daily 😅 #Balatro

Screenshot of a Steam notification on a Windows desktop, announcing that my father-in-law (username blurred out) in playing Balatro

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

If this is already happening in NYC of all places - at a hospital that proudly calls itself a leader in trans healthcare - that’s a real canary for the rest of the country. If you’re local, I hope you’ll consider coming out to show the community cares & won’t allow transphobia to become normalized!

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

So fun judging the Global Game Jam for my first time, alongside @holywowstudios.bsky.social & other fantastic folks! Our pick for overall winner went home early to eat & sleep, so they had to accept their award by phone - which @halfrobot.com aptly called “the most game jam” acceptance ever 🤣 #GGJ25

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

Proud to be working with such a talented team! Still can’t believe this was our art lead’s first foray into pixel art, because they totally nailed it 🤯😍

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

If you’re going to play Captain Sonar (think: Battleship, but it’s 4v4 and you’re piloting submarines in real time), the only right way to do it is with underwater mood lighting and Subnautica looping in the background for ambiance. Thanks for another fun game night at @nyugamecenter.bsky.social! ⚓️🌊

A group of game designers from the NYU Game Center Incubator playing Captain Sonar around a long table, with blue lighting and a long folding screen dividing the table.

A game board from Captain Sonar, featuring various gauges (labeled “Mine,” “Torpedo,” Drone,” etc), held in front of a large monitor displaying underwater footage from Subnautica.

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

Sometimes when I get nervous about jump scares in indie games like Gone Home, I need to remind myself: “Oh, my sweet summer child, there’s no way this team had budget for a character animator”

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

How can a work be both an “FMV video game” and a “non-interactive video” at the same time? Bahiyya Khan’s unique HOWL installation offered agency by presenting multiple screens & vantages to navigate. What I didn’t expect: the “game mechanic” of taming my fear of the looming presence behind me… 😱

A darkened room at NYU, with video projections on several walls, a trio of computer monitors set up in the middle, and a ghostly mannequin with horns lurking in the back left

On the wall, a projection shows three figures sitting side by side, viewed from behind: a dark figure with horns, a red-hooded figure, and a figure with a white mask, tilted back toward the sky. To the right of this image lurks a physical mannequin with a gaunt white mask and brown-haired wig, draped in a black cloak.

A ghostly figure with long, zigzagging black horns, covered in a black cloak and standing in front of a projection of a landscape

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

New definition of “friends with benefits”: a friend who owns a beautiful upright piano, with her own copy of @bearmccreary.bsky.social’s Battlestar Galactica Songbook, just waiting to be played 🎹✨

A beautiful, mahogany upright piano against an exposed brick wall. A painting of Frida Kahlo sits on top of it and a copy of the Battlestar Galactica Songbook rests on its music stand.

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

Had a blast prototyping a poignant TTRPG about revisiting old memories while meeting your friends at the park, on the last day of your lives 🌳🥺 Huge thanks to @natmesnard.bsky.social for hosting tonight’s workshop and @nyugamecenter.bsky.social for sponsoring!

Sticky notes, with hand-drawn pathways and labels like “garden” or “dog park,” laid out on a table, similar to tiles in the game Carcasonne

A crowded room of game designers sitting around tables in the basement of the Twenty Sided Store. They are listening to Nat Mesnard, who wears a cap and stands at the front of the room, introduce the workshop.

Three panelists, mid-response to an audience question, each in a very distinct pose. On the left, Jay Dragon gestures while gazing into the middle distance. Viditya Voleti, in the middle, rests his head in his hand. And Lauren Bilanko, on the right, smiles and laughs.

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

It’s definitely a privilege of digital game design that I rarely need to worry about supply chains etc. That said, I’m currently writing a LARP about death, and crafting & sourcing the physical game components has honestly been so fun & satisfying!

Two clear vials with golden caps hanging from black lanyards. The one on the left contains a stack of clear marbles, while the one on the right contains green beads made of malachite.

Three objects arranged on a balcony: a black glass vase, a black artificial rose, and a metal puzzle in the shape of an atom. In the background is a scenic fall landscape.

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 29/10/2024

Had to reschedule therapy this week for some Halloween plans, and my therapist didn’t miss a beat: “Oh, I figured that might happen - Halloween is basically a queer holiday!” So that’s how I know they’re a keeper 🎃🏳️‍🌈#HalloweenIsAQueerHoliday

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Reposted by Elana Bogdan

Yiyi @yiyiwzhang.bsky.social · 29/10/2024

MAKING QUEER GAMES AND MAKING GAMES QUEER panel at New York Comic Con! w/ @qweertygamers.bsky.social, Enrique, @mininyssa.bsky.social, @elanamakesgames.bsky.social Thanks @gaymingmag.bsky.social + SPI Marketing + New York Comic Con

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Elana Bogdan @elanamakesgames.bsky.social · 16/10/2024

Psyched to be joining this panel on queerness in games tomorrow and doing my part to make Comic Con just a little bit gayer! 😉🏳️‍🌈

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