iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Man I really fumbled not submitting Guinea Pig Gunner for @gdocexpo.com this year. Ah well, live and learn!

Reposted by John Watson

Softpale Games Indie Hub @softpalegames.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Indie Game Coming Soon Game - Guinea Pig Gunner Play as a cyborg guinea pig armed with a throwable teleporter in a fast 2D run-and-gun. Release Date: 21 Sep, 2026 Wishlist Guinea Pig Gunner on Steam. store.steampowered.com/app/3996660 #indiegames #steamgames #indiedev

1103

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Two (2) positive Steam reviews for Guinea Pig Gunner so far! Onward and upward! 📈 store.steampowered.com/app/3996660/...

Steam review except: GPG is incredibly endearing and it made me excited to see what will come next with this really solid foundation of dialed in and responsive movement mechanics mixed with classic run and gun gameplay that feels like a heartfelt love letter to the likes of both Sonic the Hedgehog and Contra. If you want to form your own opinion, the short and skinny is that you should check it out and see it through to the end.

010

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Seeing people log multiple hours of playtime in just the past day since shipping is really validating. My game design is resonating with people. 🥲

010

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Just shipped my first Steam game today and already thinking about the next one. Making games is fun!

000

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

18 months and 25,000 lines of GDScript later, Guinea Pig Gunner is launched today! Taking this from a quirky little experimental action/puzzle platformer on my hard drive to a full-fledged Steam release has been quite the journey. store.steampowered.com/app/3996660/... #indiegames #gamedev #godot

store.steampowered.com

Save 15% on Guinea Pig Gunner on Steam

Play as a cyborg guinea pig armed with a throwable teleporter in a fast 2D run-and-gun. Blink through walls, telefrag enemies, chain acrobatic movement, and tear through an arsenal of weapons to stop ...

0144

Reposted by John Watson

Joe Wintergreen @joewintergreen.com · 20/09/2026

no game dev skill is more important than making up your fuckin mind

393092659

Reposted by John Watson

Adriaan @adriaan.games · 17/09/2026

Godot contributors and Godot Foundation people are really good people, ya’ll. There’s so much goodwill and best effort action, many of their efforts unpaid, under-appreciated, and invisible. Please continue to send them kindness. And donate a bit of what you can spare. fund.godotengine.org

fund.godotengine.org

Godot Development Fund

Join the Development Fund and support the Godot Foundation to work on Godot Engine.

210833

Reposted by John Watson

BAD Collective @badcollective.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

ICYMI: Playtesting & Pints this past Saturday! Thanks again to everyone who came out to play an #indiegame or two and every #indiedev who showed a game! (If you missed out: don't worry, there'll be another one soon enough!)

0146

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I added a cool "materialization" effect to the teleporter gun in Guinea Pig Gunner. Shaders are fun! Should I do a devlog about it? Check out the demo and add it to your wishlist! #wishlistwednesday store.steampowered.com/app/3996660/... #indiegames #steam #indiedev #gamedev

0145

Reposted by John Watson

matthew | ENCHAIN out NOW @mattlawr.dev · 17/08/2026

speedrun of a challenge trial from the recent patch. time trials are not a focus but they highlight the game's movement. the past two updates I have made these trials more robust, so they'll be simple to setup in new areas. only thing missing is some kind of replay ghost system...

194

Reposted by John Watson

Makkon @makkon.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

yall should get South of Midnight now. it's self-published by Compulsion Games, microsoft is out of the picture. they could use the support! store.steampowered.com/app/1934570/...

store.steampowered.com

South of Midnight on Steam

South of Midnight is a new action-adventure from Compulsion Games. Explore the mythos and confront mysterious creatures of the Deep South in this modern folktale while learning to weave an ancient pow...

10487254

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

If Half-Life took place today Gordon Freeman would have been born after Half-Life came out. You’re welcome.

000

Reposted by John Watson

Rami Ismail (رامي) @ramiismail.com · 07/08/2026

This isn't about games but same for games. Please don't let anyone tell you you're doing creative things "wrong", including myself. You're not here to make my things, or their things, you're here to make your things. Feedback is just another perspective - believe in yourself.

4453109

Reposted by John Watson

Luke Reilly @i2games.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

It’s #WishlistWednesday! ✅ Reply with ONLY your game's name and the storefront link. 🔀 Repost this Let's share and help spread some Indie love! � #indiedev #indiegames #gamedev #madewithunity #art

102712

Reposted by John Watson

𝕵𝖎𝖒𝖒𝖞 𝕸𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖈𝖊 @jimmymakepeace.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

the bullies at school keep making me squeeze through narrow gaps so that they can seamlessly integrate cutscenes into gameplay without a loading screen.

202723787

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Why can’t my game get the same kind of motion as this bullshit comment I left on TikTok a month ago 😭

Screenshot of a TikTok comment saying, “Heels to nuts is crazy”

000

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Me with “Halo isn’t good anymore” video essays

000

Reposted by John Watson

Dan Marshall @danthat.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Godot's rise is something I've seen a lot of behind the scenes lately. If you're a jobbing coder, it's definitely worth spending some evenings getting to grips with it so you can slap it on your CV. Lots of indie/ AA titles are gravitating towards it.

510715

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Pro-tip: if you’re thinking about designing a game with a teleporter gun mechanic, don’t 🫩

100

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Random grunt marked as friendly in the Truth and Reconciliation mission of Halo: Campaign Evolved, lol (a marine scolded me for taking him out 🥲)

000

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Just realized that shader compilation eats into your refund time grace period on Steam. Clever bastards.

000

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

New Guinea Pig Gunner trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQrR... Wishlist and grab the demo if you haven't already! store.steampowered.com/app/3996660/... #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames

youtube.com

Guinea Pig Gunner Gameplay Trailer

YouTube video by Glowmatic

092

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Chasm of Xal’ Goroth is kinda like “hey what if Doom was Myst for a while” and honestly I’m here for it

000

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

As a lifelong fan of Doom and Quake the news about id Software is heartbreaking. I'm sure it's wishful thinking but if there was some way for them to band together and create something new, I'd love to see what a team of that caliber can create independently.

000

Reposted by John Watson

🐔 Brian Bucklew 🐔 ₑͤ＞∿＜ₑͤ ∞🌮 @unormal.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

imagine if they fired every band member every time an album came out

7453121308

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

The teleporter gun lets you fake out enemies and do cool platforming tricks. Check out the demo if you haven’t already. 😉 #indiegames #gamedev #madewithgodot #steam #wishlist #platformer #megaman #sonic #runandgun #metroidvania

182

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

A lot of game design feedback these days feels like, "a user has to be able to perfectly execute everything on their first try of playing the game, otherwise it's poorly designed." Like, it's okay if people fail to execute on a challenge and have to try again. Tired of this "retention" mindset...

120

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Having a dev account on Steam is funny because what do mean my business dashboard is tied to my edgelord username account I made to play Counter Strike Source when I was 16

000

Reposted by John Watson

Rémi Verschelde @akien.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

I see some concerns raised about Godot's policy on contributions using AI. TL;DR: Godot isn't vibe-coded. As a whole, the Godot foundation and maintainers are fairly critical of AI usage, and don't make nor accept vibe-coded contributions. Godot doesn't include AI features nor intends to add any.

Godot's current policy on AI-assisted contributions reads like this:

"The use of AI to contribute to Godot is discouraged, and contributions made entirely by AI are prohibited.

We acknowledge that AI can be useful, but we are convinced that human effort results in better and more relevant contributions.

If you do use AI, we expect that you put in effort to proofread and improve anything it generates, and that you disclose what you used AI for. As maintainers spend significant time reviewing your code, please make sure that the code you submit is well-tested and functional. Please be respectful of their time and only submit something you have put thought and effort into."

441961469

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

As much as I want to indulge in new hardware, my 5 year old Razer laptop has the same amount of memory as a Steam Machine, along with a 4tb drive I added aftermarket. I can comfortably run DTDA at triple digit frame rates, and my current setup of Pop OS running Cinnamon desktop is running nicely.

000

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

In this interview I talked about my influences and motivations behind building Guinea Pig Gunner, while the interviewer did his first blind playthrough of the demo. It was a ton of fun! www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJwm... #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #platformer #sonic #megaman

youtube.com

Developer's Commentary with the Creator of Guinea Pig Gunner (Glowmatic)

YouTube video by wash

0101

Reposted by John Watson

Aerial_Knight @aerialknight.com · 19/06/2026

Happy Juneteenth! If you're looking for something cool to play today to support a black business in the U.S., check out some of my games. - Studio is Black-owned - Black characters - Black Voice Actors And racist trolls hate us ♥️ linktr.ee/aerial_knight

151475914

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Gonna make a running thread of my favorite #SteamNextFest demos. Trying to actually play things instead of just accruing them in my library, lol.

401

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Playing random Next Fest games has me feeling like I really should have added card drafting to mine. :/

010

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Guinea Pig Gunner is part of Next Fest June 2026. Grab the demo here! store.steampowered.com/app/4637150/... #NextFest #indiegame #indiedev #platformer #runandgun

061

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Alien AI cultists have taken over the world, and now a cyborg guinea pig is the only one who can stop them. Presenting: Guinea Pig Gunner 🐹 Run-and-gun meets frantic movement shooter energy, with a dash of puzzle platforming. Check out the demo! #PitchYaGame store.steampowered.com/app/4637150/...

010

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

I remember in Halo 2 when Miranda Keyes tells Cortana "I don't care if I have clearance," and Cortana says "Aye, ma'am," I was like, "Oh that's not realistic."

000

Reposted by John Watson

Graham Reid 🌴 @grahamoflegend.com · 22/05/2026

After reporting *that* game to Steam, and after reading Reb's article about calling out Steam, I'd love if you could go wishlist Ourlands and at least 3 other dope indies who are trying really, really hard to get attention but it's all getting sucked up by nonsense, racism, etc. 🙏🏽 Thanks!

13310

Reposted by John Watson

matthew | ENCHAIN out NOW @mattlawr.dev · 15/05/2026

bonus screenshots from last week's update. only 1 more day left in the sale

a challenge level from ENCHAIN, hidden in original launch and formally introduced in the new version.
a spiraling tower stands above the first person view of the player character, with wood grapple points and axeleton enemies along the edges

another challenge level.
an orange and purple structure stands centered in view. a skeleton hand halfway towards the structure points towards it with a thumb.
a timer at the bottom of the screen indicates time remaining.

a large blue facade with pointed towers stands tall, with checkerboard geometry in front of it. a yellow pickup sits on the stairway path up on the right. other yellow indicators can be seen in the sky

1143

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Submitted the first Steam Playtest build for Guinea Pig Gunner. Soon: no more emailing playtesters zip files. 😎

010

Reposted by John Watson

matthew | ENCHAIN out NOW @mattlawr.dev · 14/04/2026

to improve experiences of the speed trials, you will soon be able to see your best time and replay the challenge, among other things. these trials are pretty open ended, with strategies evolving as you learn more moves and find stronger tools. only a bit more to fix for this QoL update, stay tuned

0216

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

A tradition of mine is carrying over some sound effects from my previous games to my current project. This morning while playtesting it had the weird side effect of reminding me how far I've come as a developer since my last game. #gamedev #indiegame #solodev

092

Reposted by John Watson

FAEDEC 🧿 @faedec.zone · 15/04/2026

This is your reminder to play weird little indie games and support the devs

15851275

John Watson @jwtsn.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Seeing all these huge successes in Godot makes me so happy.

000