iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

shahaan @shahaan.me · 29/09/2026

finally watched #TheOdyssey and it got me thinking: how would you design a "god's favour" mechanic in a game? typically, like with most game mechanics, you might design it to be explicitly transactional player does a good thing -> earns god's favour buff 🧵(1/7) #gamedesign

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 12/09/2026

want to feel like a flawless person? spend 30 seconds reading the live chat for any game industry event #BlizzCon

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 03/09/2026

sports games should be treated like smartphones upgrade every year and you'll be disappointed upgrade every 2-4 years and the difference will feel tangible sports #gamedesign is too rigid, graphics have matured, and a yearly release schedule is too frequent to warrant big changes

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 27/08/2026

life is like taking a photo never quite how you pictured it

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Ahmed Soliman @solimaniac.com · 12/08/2026

ontario when there's something cool to see in the sky:

A weather map showing heavy cloud cover over Southwestern Ontario

Shaquille O'Neal make a "time out" hand sign

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 23/07/2026

I just said thank you to the self-checkout machine AI has defeated me 🏳️

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 20/07/2026

woke up with a sore neck, a bad knee and an ankle injury sleeping remains the most dangerous activity of my day

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 13/07/2026

im convinced boomers feel a deep, primal joy when they defy google maps how do we replicate this feeling in games? #gamedev

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 10/07/2026

as a #gamedev I really envy the songwriting medium songs don't need a plot or characters, they convey an emotion in < 5 minutes with a few looping lyrics I wonder if we can replicate that in games 💭 a short experience with no objectives or resolution - just focused on conveying a single feeling

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 08/07/2026

shocking statistic I came across today: roughly 1 in 5 AAA game developers in the world are Canadian happy belated #CanadaDay 🇨🇦🕹️

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 07/07/2026

super cool solution! would love to explore how this can work for situations where you don't have enough room for the symbols, like when using coloured outlines around icons

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 02/07/2026

prices for AAA video games over the last 30 years (inflation adjusted) ps1: $50 -> $110 ps2: $50 -> $97 ps3: $60 -> $103 ps4: $60 -> $86 ps5: $70 -> $90 prices went down but average #gamedev costs exploded (1/9)

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 29/06/2026

i've been learning a lot about camera lenses and an interesting lens trait i've come across is its "personality" - which describes how the optical flaws of the lens create an interesting aesthetic (1/6)

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 26/06/2026

we also have to be ok with not seeing graphical improvements every year games are so much more than hyper realistic simulations current hardware limitations will force devs to focus on art direction rather than fidelity

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 26/06/2026

I wrote a thing then got AI to make its own version of the thing without context of my thing and it wrote a thing that's almost the same thing as my thing does that mean the robot is as smart as me or am I as dumb as the robot?

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 09/06/2026

madison square garden is a circle

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 08/06/2026

pro game design tip: don't start the workday with an entire box of double stuffed oreos for breakfast

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 03/05/2026

day 1 as an amateur wildlife photographer ft. this curious little guy

black squirrel climbing down a tree while looking towards the camera

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 28/04/2026

we are programmed to hope for things but that puts us in a constant state of grief would we be happier if we didn't dream?

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Ahmed Soliman @solimaniac.com · 12/04/2026

civilization destroys itself and all that's preserved are the sacred learnings on building B2B SaaS

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 10/04/2026

suddenly extremely sympathetic to quebec language laws because why does that new cafe have a "restroom" who is resting in there. it’s a washroom. we need a federal mandate. #canada

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 27/03/2026

we all grow up thinking we’ll do things differently than the generations before us after all it's human nature to be a little self-centered it takes real humility to learn from past mistakes, because first, you have to admit that you aren't so different, and you're prone to the exact same faults

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 16/03/2026

history is littered with brilliant people who switch fields expecting the same success, only to be humbled greatly - steve jobs ignored doctors - bill gates ignored educators - elon musk ignored PR advisors moral of the story: listen to the experts in your life 🤓

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 07/03/2026

sometimes I watch a whole video on a dead interest just because I'm touched the algorithm remembered and I don't want it to feel bad

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 22/01/2026

there's something really cinematic about Carney delivering the eulogy for the American Empire the betrayed best-friend steps out of the giant's shadow to lead the rebellion it doesn't feel petty, and it's not about vengeance it's an underdog story, and it's about justice 10/10 character arc

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 12/01/2026

if you are a people-pleaser, DO NOT work in AAA #gamedev when you aim for mass appeal, you'll be stuck considering fans of the franchise vs. fans of the genre lean into one, you alienate the other try to balance both, now everyone's pissed off it's a lose-lose folks, don't do it ✋

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 10/01/2026

#HotTake: moving to another country because your money is worth more there is the IRL equivalent of smurfing I may be broke but at least I have my honour ✊🥲

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 08/01/2026

for me the tension created by pvp in #ArcRaiders is its best quality and a result of "the fear of the unknown" encouraging pvp makes it expected / removing pvp kills the suspense some villain players are essential to the #gamedesign bc if everyone is guaranteed to be friendly, the tension vanishes

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funbil @funbil.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

the point of a movie is not to be done watching it. the point of a song is not to be done listening to it. the gamers' obsession with completion as the only motivator to play a game has directly led to the medium's worst traits. "AI gaming ghost" is a reflection of the lack of willingness to engage

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Harris Foster @harris.zone · 06/01/2026

Game development tip! If you’re unsure which direction to take your project, try making Halo 3. That game was very good.

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 06/01/2026

it's so cute how his eyes follow the beetroot 🥹 side note: the beetroot shaking when it's being yoinked is a great example of game feel > realism realistically the arm should shake, but moving that to the object visualizes the struggle and gives the player a clear cue that they're pulling #gamedev

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 05/01/2026

#HotTake: modern games die quickly because the #gamedesign caters to extrinsically motivated players who sprint to a finish line the titans of the past (CS, Dota, LoL) catered to intrinsic mastery and that's why they are immortal you can finish a battle pass, but you can't "finish" getting better

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 04/01/2026

it's worth mentioning that both of these categories are really just forms of literacy reading an analog clock is intuitive for an adult, but a gen-alpha kid would likely struggle when assessing whether a mechanic is intuitive, ask "does our audience have the required literacy for this convention?"

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 04/01/2026

the best lesson on grief I've learned came from playing #ArcRaiders: "it's not your loot, it's just your turn with it" nothing in life is yours to keep, everything is temporary the victory isn't keeping your loot, it's having the courage to press "play again" after losing everything 10/10 game

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Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 01/01/2026

Just making sure that 2025 is definitely over

14th century painting of St. Margaret of Antioch attacking a devil woman in a virid dress hitting a demon with a hammer

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 31/12/2025

getting older is realizing that last year's miseries will carry over into the next year and next year's miseries will carry over into the year after that and the miseries of that year will carry over into the year after that and the miseries of that year will carry over into the year after that and-

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 30/12/2025

all my aura goes out the window as soon as I encounter a door

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 02/07/2025

why is this my everyday outlook login experience

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Sy Brand @tartanllama.xyz · 31/12/2024

I have two New Years' resolutions: 1. Set realistic goals 2. Solve every single one of my problems Excited to see where the year takes me

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David Gaider @davidgaider.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

Putting a project to bed after a lot of work, never to be made, is a strange kind of grief. Only your team will get it. For me, if I'd reached the point where it felt real, where my fingers were electrified and ready to type? It's so hard to move on to the Next Thing and forget it ever existed. 😞

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Hank Green @hankgreen.bsky.social · 22/12/2024

I don't know that I've ever heard a better idea than bagels.

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Gh0sstly @gh0sstly.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

Skyrim was right: soup DOES heal you for 10 points of health and 10 points of stamina.

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Josh Scherr @joshscherr.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

Had to delete my last post bc I used the word “great” twice in the same sentence; will try again later

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AshravenBlu @ashravenblu.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

I had to snip out my favourite moment from #TheGameAwards. @laratlarian.bsky.social's words echo the heart of every developer. The industry needs to listen. We just want to make cool stuff for people. #indiedev #gamedev

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kourge the jafnhár 🏳️‍🌈 @kourge.net · 12/12/2024

did you know that when he was alive, confucius never once said 謝謝 xiexie? this is because he did not speak mandarin

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Aevee Bee @mammonmachine.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

Many people do not understand game design. Let me explain: game design is when attacking with your primary attack builds stacks of zorp, and your secondary consumes zorp stacks to add additional slow and lifesteal when you plurk

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legit gaming leaks @gamingleaker.bsky.social · 19/10/2024

Another video game is in development.

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shahaan @shahaan.me · 08/12/2024

if we evolved eyelashes to keep things out of our eyes, why do i wake up everyday with an eyelash in my eye

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the story is true @dcellgames.com · 07/12/2024

usuiwiwiwuwuwiwiwjdjjejwjshdjdikrdjfjdkcikejdidkdjbxidkdmsnsks

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zach silberberg @zachsilberberg.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

that one orc: looks like meat's back on the menu boys! crowd of orcs: *cheers* vegan orc who is always asking if there are vegan options: are there vegan options

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