iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Here's a whole bunch of truly excellent games. I just finished Hob's Barrow a couple of weeks ago and it's a really nice and atmospheric piece of folk horror! People keep saying that point and click adventure games are dead but it's not true and it has never been true, the whole genre is thriving!

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I have been reminded of the finest piece of writing I did for Control Resonant. Truly groundbreaking material.

A printout of a page, numbered 152, of a document titled "The Great Copy Battle_FINAL_V2.pdf". It features the following writing (starting and ending in midsentence):

TEXT STARTS:
were alone in the courtyard and no one was watching anymore. Ricardo eyed the Contessa.

"I think you will find that I have won" she says.

"You only think you have won!" Ricard yelled and pulled out the handgrenade. He flicked the safety off with practiced ease.

"You're crazy!" She gasped. Her eyes sparkled with rage but also excitement. She had never seen somebody act like this. And she liked it

"Maybe I'm crazy" he nodded. "Maybe I have nothing to lose. You think I'm guilty of those crimes. But it wasn't me. It was my copy. This me is on your side"

"Why should I believe you" asked the Contessa while smiling sneeringly. "We have witnesses who heard your confess."

"My copy confessed! Or maybe another copy! But it wasn't he me you know"

"He could see the Contessa hadn't considered that. She was lost in thought. It was an opportunity to act but he felt strangely drawn to her, like she was a piece of metal and he was a magnet. He fingered the handgrenade, ready to throw but hoping against all"
TEXT ENDS.

In the margin, it has been written in red pen, "Don't know what you expect me to do with this. The best I can say is it's a display of actual human incompetence instead of some genAI bullshit."

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

We had this talk sometime in the beginning of the year so I'm frankly a little hazy on the specifics by now, but I do remember it was a good time. It's always a good time talking to Cam. Anyway, RPGs are the fuckin' best and I love talking about them.

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Cam Rogers @camrogers.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I talk to writer @mikkihel.bsky.social (Control Resonant, #AlanWake). Mikki's been running #TTRPG for his friends for almost 20 years and credits it with making him the person he is today, in more ways than one. We get into that and a whole bunch else besides. bit.ly/4ysSu4R #podcast

bit.ly

1 - Mikko Rautalahti (Control Resonant, Alan Wake) Loves Roleplaying Games | I Love This & I'll Tell You Why

If you love Alan Wake, or any of Remedy's games, you probably love Mikko Rautalahti's work. He was Senior Writer when I worked on Quantum Br

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This is incredibly true. Even people who have worked in this industry for a long time often struggle with that.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The screenshot describes ChatGPT’s output as ”astonishing.” I would call it ”predictable.” The only exceptional thing about this is that in this instance, the user took real-life action. This is what the software does every day, all day, by design. It has no human context for what it says.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

That is a great deal for a great game. It’s well worth the (tiny!) investment.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Man, Dolly Parton. Not a lot of people — certainly not in her in income bracket — managed to be as decent as she was. Just a real non-shitty person, which should not be what made her stand out and certainly wasn’t her only achievement, but ultimately, that’s why people loved her, I think.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

The 5 Simpsons lines I've uttered most off the top of my head: 1. It's a victimless crime, like a punch in the dark. 2. (singing) I hate every ape I see from chimpan-A to chimpan-Z 3. Trying is the first step towards failure. 4. Stupid sexy Flanders! 5. Everything's coming up Milhouse.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

They would do that? The company that specifically had ”don’t be evil” as its motto and then looked at it and went ”…nah” and took it out? That Google? No. Really? No!

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

This is the kind of cruelty we need more of.

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Reposted by Mikko Rautalahti

James Wallis @jameswallis.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

The art of UI design is over forty years old and we haven't learned a single damn thing.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

My work day would immediately improve. I don't use AI for anything, but just getting some Google results that aren't riddled with some random made-up bullshit would already mean things are looking up. I also wouldn't have to waste my work time on AI-related discussions. That's hours, some days.

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Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Harvey & Joyce's adopted daughter Danielle is trying to raise funds to deal with Pekar's raw archive; basically four storage lockers full of notes, outlines, ideas, etc. Note this is not Pekar's comics per se. Those rights have been tied up in court for years. Long, ugly story. Worth backing.

kickstarter.com

His Name was Harvey Pekar

Saving the legacy of Harvey Pekar:Urgent mission to rescue four full storage units of American Splendor history before its lost forever

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Strong point! Kinda like how society definitely has an incentive to not have the world be destroyed by climate change and Bernie Madoff had an incentive to not die in prison-- Ohh, that's right; ambition, short-term gains and denial have some kind of relationship with consequences, don't they?

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Gail Simone @gailsimone.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Transphobes are uniformly trash and we don't need to pretend otherwise. It isn't complicated.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

I recently played through the entire series and I had a blast. These are just really solid point-and-click adventure games.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Anthropic can fuck all the way off with this. This is like Jeffrey Dahmer being morally outraged that somebody snatched a piece of human flesh out of his mouth.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

This whole thread is interesting. And depressing. And illuminating.

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Alex M-O | Wishlist Rune Fencer Illyia! @amodev.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

i created this meme like 4 years ago on twitter and it went super viral and i think i got like 20 death threats. that's how you know i was cooking with this one

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

The best way for your studio to die an awful death is for it to be owned by a large company. Being completely independent is difficult, yeah, but for decades now, these giants have been buying up studios and then quietly strangling them in their sleep, often just a couple of years later.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Some real Shining City on a Hill action. Truly inspiring.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

This is 100% real. People often don't understand how that can be, but the thing is, these trailers are made at a time when the game is not finished, and yet it has to look like it's finished in the trailers. The drain on everything that causes is immense.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

I realized just now, at 1:42am, that Stuart Gordon's next movie, From Beyond (1986), is on Prime Video. Obviously the perfect time to start watching it.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

The last week has been one of the shittiest in my entire life for several reasons and I will now compensate by eating nachos and salsa and watching Re-Animator.

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Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

imagine what the news response would be life if the Indian military killed 3 american civilians in the middle of a war with someone else.

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Reposted by Mikko Rautalahti

alix e. harrow @alixeharrow.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

sylvia townsend warner in 1926, foreseeing the type of author who would use AI:

"That offensive young man at the Sabbath ,"
she remarked , "I know he wasn't you . Who
was he?"
"He's one of these brilliant young authors ,"
replied the Devil . "I believe Titus knows
him . He sold me his soul on the condition that
once a week he should be without doubt the
most important person at a party ."
"Why didn't he sell his soul in order to be-
come a great writer ? Then he could have had
the party into the bargain .”
"He preferred to take a short- cut , you see . ”

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

This is some real ”we don’t need seatbelts” level thinking. Yeah, absolutely we don’t. We don’t need to avoid drinking drain cleaner and we don’t need to not stick pencils in our eyes and headbutt tables. But if survival and well-being matter, we should consider things like physics and bacteria.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Sometimes you write a tiny little thing in a couple of minutes and it’s just one task among others during a very very busy day but you find out it lands just right. Anyway, yeah, I came up with that and yes, this was 100% my intent.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

The new Wolverine gameplay video looks great and I'm looking forward to playing it. That said, I have some thoughts. Maybe character concerns? It's two things, actually, Wolverine himself and Jean Grey, so, y'know, just... all of it, kind of? (A thread.) www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0cT...

youtube.com

Marvel's Wolverine - Official Gameplay Deep Dive | State of Play 2026

YouTube video by IGN

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

youtube.com

Marvel's Wolverine - Official Gameplay Deep Dive | State of Play 2026

YouTube video by IGN

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

This really is a very typical AI use case: somebody wants to do something, but they have no real concept of quality and they are utterly ignorant of how much they're broadcasting their lack of concern for it for everyone to see. They just want to do a Thing and to be seen as a Thing-Doer.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

If you’re into a cool weird west horror vibes, check out Dead Money. I’ve read the second issue, which isn’t out yet, and it’s where things start to get real bad for the characters, which is, of course, good for the readers. It’s a fun ride!

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

There's an impending LEGO Batman situation but don't worry, I'm on top of it.

A screenshot of a Steam download indicator, showing an estimated 2 minutes and 16 seconds until it's finished.

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Zeteo @zeteo.com · 20/05/2026

Israel's ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shared this video showing Israeli forces abusing detained flotilla activists. Zeteo calls for the immediate release of all activists, humanitarians, and journalists abducted, including our contributor Alex Colston.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Seriously, there’s something ghoulish about Israel being allowed to take part in Eurovision, with all of it cheerful and vapid celebratory vibes, while it is simultaneously continuing to commit genocide. It’s some real”let’s invite Hitler to dinner but let’s not talk politics!” type indifference.

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BladeoftheSun @bladeofthes.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

No one cares who won. This competition is soaked in blood and you should be disgraced to have attended it. #Eurovisión2026

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

I feel like there are way more fun ways to ruin your life than this.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

This is a great example of AI not actually understanding neither what it reads nor what it's talking about. This is not a "hallucination," this is software guessing at stuff and being able to process statistical proximity but possessing no actual intelligence or ability to understand human context.

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Ian / Sìne @vonaether.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Happy May the 4th! If, for some reason, you're looking for a galaxy-spanning science-fiction tabletop RPG where PCs are wielders of a psionic force, might I suggest Trinity Continuum: Æon? theonyxpath.com/trinity-cont...

A ship soars through the cloudy atmosphere of Mgitu. In the foreground, a predator emerges from the clouds, ready to pounce on the ship. In the far background, an airwhale can be seen floating.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Say there's a shitty guy named Ted. Somebody goes, "hey, Ted, you do a lot of shitty stuff, you suck." And Ted responds, "WELL! But like a century ago there was another Ted and THAT Ted was cool, tee hee!" And then he's all like aww yeah, I got 'em, I GOT THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS. You sure did, Ted.

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

This Polygon article on Quantum Break turning 10 gave us a lot of praise. I'm very proud of the work we did on the game and I'm glad to see it still resonates with people. It wasn't the big hit everybody was hoping for, but I think we did okay! www.polygon.com/quantum-brea...

polygon.com

Nobody remembers Control team's 2016 sci-fi game that could’ve changed everything

Quantum Break was years ahead of its time

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Mikko Rautalahti @mikkihel.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

In my post-Death Stranding haze I stumbled upon this Polygon article by Colin Campbell. I feel like it nails a lot of thoughts and feelings I had about the experience. www.polygon.com/2019/11/8/20...

A screenshot from the article. It reads:

"He has a knack for presenting visual and imaginative oddities which leave me badly wanting to know what the fuck is going on.

Why are we eating bugs? Where do these ghosts come from? What’s on the other side of that mountain? Who are these jack-asses attacking me? What’s it like to have a motorbike? Why am I carrying a baby in a box?

Kojima is good at replacing one mystery with an answer that leads to another question. Kojima’s uber-story is overwrought, partly as a result of being constructed from so many quivering little mini-stories, none of which really fit with any of the others. It’s like trying to make a beehive out of bees.

In the end, Kojima can’t fully explain it all, because so much of his work is inexplicable. His starting point is a muddled canvas of blurry ideas, so how can his end-point be anything other than a mess?"

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Chirs @aesungaia.neocities.org · 01/05/2026

there's a cat tree in my house (1/6)

Comic panel showing the inside of a room. There's a cat tree by the front door, under a window. There's a dog door on the front door. The narration reads: 'So, there's this cat tree in our house. We got it back when we had cats, but we don't have any anymore.'

Panel 2. The cat tree now has cats in it, and the front door no longer has a dog door. The narration continues: 'Lately, it's been filling up with cats I don't recognize. I don't know how they keep getting in. We don't have a dog door or anything.'

Panel 3. The cat tree looks slightly different, the cats are gone, and other small details around the room have changed. The narration continues: 'So, we have this cat tree at our house. I don't know how it keeps getting in. We've never had a cat or anything.'

Panel 4. Instead of the room, we see an illustration of several cats walking single-file in a void, weaving around the text of the page and several heaps of pills. The narration continues: 'When I was a kid, I used to be on this medication. Long after I'd stopped taking it, it was revealed to me that one of the potential side-effects was memory issues. For the longest time, I couldn't recall a single thing that had happened to me during the years I was on it.'

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