iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nick @nickcummings.com · 01/10/2026

I am also saying this

Haruka Sawamura saying “To me, Kazuma Kiryu… is family.”

Nick @nickcummings.com · 27/09/2026

It's hard for me to differentiate "games that shaped who I am as a human" from "games that shape my tastes as a maker of games." It's a blurry line. But these are all games that helped me understand myself in important and discrete ways.

My 9 Games
The 9 Games That Shaped Who I Am

Final Fantasy VI
EarthBound
Myst
Metal Gear Solid
Dance Dance Revolution
Rock Band
Undertale
1000xRESIST
Big Walk

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 26/09/2026

I still can’t believe this is the energy we voted into City Hall

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 25/08/2026

like, just compare the CGI rendition of Firion in the article thumbnail to the original illustration by Amano and you’ll see just how much is lost in the adaptation

Illustration of Firion, a white-haired man with brown eyes and a focused expression holding a red sword horizontally in front of him with his right hand, by Yoshitaka Amano for Final Fantasy II. He’s wearing a cap of multiple colors and textures, a flowing blue cloak, and various details hang in his earrings and from the sword’s hilt.

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 21/08/2026

things are going great here on Big Walk

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 26/07/2026

Can’t really think of a game, or major work of artistic continuity, that called so many shots in such subtle but significant ways. Nobody makes ‘em like Toby Fox, I swear

Deltarune screenshot of several characters gathered around a red-and-purple tree. A black-and-white dialog box at the bottom says:

* (A flower, torn in half.)

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 20/07/2026

Oh yeah, this is a good time

My Outlier game score for day 60. I got 851 points

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 20/07/2026

There were so many people lined up for this ride that I saw folks at the finish line before my group had even started!

Photo showing hundreds of cyclists on ebikes standing in the “Better Naito” bike lane, getting ready to ride out

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 17/07/2026

I’m replaying chapter 3 of Deltarune and this stopped me in my tracks. Toby!!!

Screenshot of Deltarune chapter 3 where the party and Tenna are playing a retro video game. An NPC’s dialogue box says “a flower torn in half!”

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 15/07/2026

We hit $290 total donations today! Thank you all so much for your generosity and for sharing @kateviolette.com's fundraiser with your networks. As promised, here's my matching donation of $290. 💜

A screenshot from GoFundMe's donation page. It says:

You donated $290
Nicholas, you're joining 78 donors making an impact

And it has information about reaching more donors, etc. below that.

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 05/07/2026

Eugene V. Debs, exactly half a United States ago. (Via @debsmuseum.bsky.social’s Instagram account)

Instagram post from @debsmuseum depicting Eugene Devs speaking forcefully on stage in front of American flags and a small gathering of people. There is a long quote from Debs that begins here; I will transcribe the first paragraph here and the rest in full in the next photo’s alt text.

It begins:

"I like the 4th of July. It breathes a spirit of revolution. On this day we reaffirm the ultimate triumph of socialism. It is coming as certain as I stand in your presence."

"A little over a century ago the inhabitants of this country were not citizens. They were ruled by a foreign king.
They petitioned for relief. Their petitions were disregarded. They objected to taxation without representation. Their protests were scorned. Finally they revolted. They issued the Declaration of Independence and enunciated the proposition that men are created equal. But the founders of this republic had only vague conceptions of democracy. The working class as we understand it today were not represented in the Constitutional Convention. The founders of the republic in declaring that men were created equal evidently meant themselves alone. They did not include the Negro, who had been brought here against his will and had been reduced to a state of abject slavery. The institution of chattel slavery was already securely established at that time. It was founded in iniquity, yet it did not seemingly disturb the consciences of the founders of the republic.
This institution was in conflict with the spirit of the Declaration, with the genius of free institutions, and yet it was incorporated in them. It steadily grew in power, and in course of time it controlled the country and the courts and the life of the people."
"On this day, commemorating the 4th of July, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was issued. Thousands of orators all over this broad land will glorify the institutions under which we live. In pride they will point toward Old Glory and declare that it is a flag that waves over a free country. I have no respect for the stars and stripes, or for any other flag that symbolizes slavery."
"I am a patriot, but in the sense that I love all countries. I love the sentiment of William L. Garrison: 'All the world is my country and all mankind are my countrymen.' Thomas Jefferson once said: 'Where liberty is, is my country.' That is better. Where liberty is not, socialism has a mission, and, therefore, the mission of socialism is as wide as the world."

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 22/06/2026

gosh dang it I am going to finish this game jam if it kills me

Screenshot from a web game I'm working on that's currently called Cursed Math. A black background with red letters says "Cursed Math". Counters for problems solved and high score are shown. A basic calculator is on the left and a list of line items to math up is on the right. Two candles are burning in the corners because it's gothed out in here

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 18/06/2026

i swear this is me making a video game #summerslowjams

Side-by-side screenshots of a plaintext editor (Cursor, but I have all the AI bullshit turned off) with some React TSX code that renders a calculator. On the right is a Chrome browser window with the dev tools open. In the content area, a basic calculator with rudimentary styling is visible. The only unusual button here is one at the bottom that says "sell soul."

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 17/06/2026

oh ok we're just doing this with a straight face now huh

GitHub update feed screenshot showing a blanked-out user who starred a repository called avoid-ai-writing. Its description reads: "Skill that audits and rewrites content to remove AI writing patterns. Use it with your favorite agents including Claude Code, OpenClaw, and Hermes."

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 17/05/2026

I haven’t given a talk in seven years and I forgot about step one the drafting process: an exorcism

Handwritten pencil notes on graph paper, cropped to make it harder to read:

“Trash the Planet talk - ideas and outline

Why did I feel I had any reason to give a talk right now?

“Please hire me I’m very good but also…that secretly I’m awful”

“What the fuck are any of us even doing in this field anymore; shit is so fucke—“

“aaaaah”

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 03/03/2026

I understand how signals work now. Honestly, what a cool feature: it's one of those things you think should've just been baked into every game engine at this level once you've worked with it a bit.

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 02/03/2026

he protec but he also rol

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 19/02/2026

got a new microwave recently and you can only start a timer with the "TIMER" button, not the "START" button, but you can only stop it with the "STOP" button, not the "TIMER" button as one might think, and also you can only set a power level after you type in a specific time but before you press star

Black-and-white portrait of Anthony Bourdain with the Kissinger quote, except it reads:

"Once you've read Donald Norman, you'll never stop wanting to beat every kitchen appliance to death with your bare hands."

- ANTHONY BOURDAIN -

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 18/02/2026

the year is 2026. tech execs, buoyed by unfathomable investment capital, purchased every last computer component in order to build "AI". video game likers are now pariahs. forced underground, they congregate in game-like "virtual coworking" spaces. they toil endlessly, alone, together. they wait.

Screenshot of On-Together, a coworking app where a dozen or so avatars congregate on picnic benches on a dock. The avatars are all working on various tasks.

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 18/02/2026

drank this potion and now I'm 3% more excited for opening day

Screenshot from Titanium Court. A salesperson in a suit and tie is explaining a potion for sale: "The effects are really mild. Drink it and you'll end up liking this 'baseball' just a bit more than you already do. That's it!"

Screenshot from Titanium Court, following the previous. The narration says: "And so, you return to the Court with a new map of the War and a single complimentary potion of 'liking baseball.'"

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 28/01/2026

"The best thing I can say about our game of the year, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is that it is exactly what I wish Final Fantasy could be, instead of what it actually became. As a meditation on the grieving process and the necessity to find joy and meaning in our lives regardless, it is a triumph."

Screenshot of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. We look over the shoulder of a white-haired character in a black suit as they stare at a garden pathway in front of them. In the far distance, enshrouded in fog, is the Eiffel Tower, broken and bent to the right at the top.

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 28/01/2026

Blue Prince, by @dogubomb.bsky.social, inspired me more as a designer and storyteller than anything else I engaged with in 2025: "Blue Prince is the most intricately constructed puzzle box of a video game I’ve ever encountered. It is also, despite all odds, marvelously well-tuned."

Screenshot from Blue Prince in Her Ladyship's Chambers, a purple bedroom. A scrap of torn paper is held up in the center that contains a spiral illustration and the words "does it never end?" written below.

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 28/01/2026

Despelote is "a small autobiographical story that resonates far beyond its modest scope and play time. It captures the whimsy, magic, and harmless mischief of childhood freedom in a way very few games achieve." "If you’re going to play one short game from 2025, make it this one."

Screenshot from Desperate showing a black-and-white living room scene. Two hand-drawn characters sit on either side of a TV broadcasting a soccer match. The left character, a man with glasses and a beard, says "Why don't Peruvians host their games in a high altitude city?" The right character, a child, says "The ball got past him!"

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 28/01/2026

Baby Steps: "Once you figure out how to walk a few yards, then a few hundred feet, without stumbling, you find a simple joy in it. Joy begets the grace to forgive yourself if you make a mistake and fall on your ass. Grace welcomes curiosity. And thank goodness. There’s a lot worth seeing out there."

Screenshot of Baby Steps showing the protagonist, Nate, a caked-up, onesie-wearing man in his mid-thirties, wearing a hard hat and staring up at a seemingly endless spiral staircase before a sheer cliff face.

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 28/01/2026

Deltarune, from @tobyfox.undertale.com, still consumes my idle thoughts: "Undertale remains a singular game, as Deltarune takes great pains to not be Undertale 2. Instead, Deltarune is an intricate prism looking back through and beyond Undertale, reflecting and refracting its themes and characters."

Screenshot from Deltarune Chapter 4 showing Kris in a church in the overworld. Dialog choices include:

Enter the shelter
Asgore
Bangin' sermon my man

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 28/01/2026

Hollow Knight: Silksong, from @teamcherry.bsky.social, is a beautiful, deep, and worthwhile challenge: "And then there’s the splendor of the thing: every screen has something bespoke to showcase, each enemy has a brilliant suite of sound effects, and every moment has a beautiful song to enhance it."

Silksong screenshot showing Hornet talking to Sherma, who is bathing in a hot spring and singing:

Holy water, nice and hot
Makes a perfect swimming spot,
Heals your worries in a flash,
So jump on in...splash splash splash! Ha ha ha!

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 28/01/2026

Promise Mascot Agency, by @kaizengameworks.com, delighted me to no end: "The team behind the Danganronpa-lite Paradise Killer teamed up with Ikumi Nakamura to make a hybrid management sim and open-world exploration game. This is, of course, a bizarre thing to do, which I think is kind of the point."

Screenshot of Promise Mascot Agency showing Michi and Pinky in conversation with Mr. Mori and Tora, the station manager and station cat. The latter are saying: "This town deserves better. Infrastructure gives people opportunities and allows places to thrive."

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 16/01/2026

Every time I open my freezer and grab one of the many breakfast burritos I made a few weeks ago

Twin Peaks screenshots of Dale Cooper speaking to Sheriff Truman: "Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen."

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 11/01/2026

Every movie should offer this choice

The blu-ray menu for Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood. “Play Film” is highlighted

The same menu as before, but “Play Film” has been chosen. Two new options appear on its right: “Play with introduction by Sir Ian McKellen (2016)” and “Play film”

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 02/01/2026

Starting the year off right

A handwritten bookmark is tucked into a hardcover book: This Year: 365 Songs Annotated: A Book of Days by John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. The bookmark says: “I am gonna make it through This Year: 365 Songs Annotated: A Book of Days if it kills me”

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 23/12/2025

Found a Millennial-Gen Z Rosetta Stone

Blue sticker with black text on a blue bike rack that reads:

I find it kinda bussin’
I find it kinda cap
That the dreams in which I’m dying
Are the ones that kinda slap

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 16/12/2025

So this tree is in my home now and it is all festooned with a nice strand of lights and crowned with a single ornament, the only one I own: a carton of oat milk made out of felt I have a brand, I suppose Anyway: my first-ever tree! Thank you for the impromptu holiday adventure, @kateviolette.com!

A four-foot Christmas tree stands on a wooden table against a beige wall, with a strand of multicolored lights woven around it. A blue and white faux carton made of felt crowns the tree, with the words "oat milk" on it.

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 10/12/2025

Just found myself writing the following comment in my code — // **THIS MAKES SENSE.** — and I think maybe I need to get right with a higher power or something

Sad Pablo Escobar meme: a man sits on a bench, at an empty kitchen table, and stands outside on some concrete against a green backdrop, all alone

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 18/11/2025

update: we've moved on to Countdown to Ecstasy

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 14/11/2025

Still thinking about Clair Obscur, the game that entered into a staring contest with maximalism and won

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 12/11/2025

I was born and raised in Oregon and I have always believed down to my core that it's mega nasty and bad that we celebrate the whale being blown up

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 23/10/2025

🥹 maybe now my dad will be proud of me

Report card for a final exam from Mount Holly Elementary in Blue Prince. I got an A- grade.

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Nick @nickcummings.com · 19/10/2025

There was a clear call to action in the Undertale 10th anniversary: nurture the creativity and goodness within and share it to build community. Raising $300k+ for MSF while showcasing thousands of people’s memories; Toby crediting every contributor while exhorting players to find their own meaning.

The world

is as big as you
want it to be.

Where will you go next?

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