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Stephen T. Slota

@steveslota.bsky.social
380 followers 644 following 251 posts

Co-author of The Worldbuilding Workshop: Teaching Critical Thinking and Empathy Through World Modeling, Simulation, and Play Learning Scientist, EdTech Expert, Instructional Designer, GameDev, Former K12 Teacher They|Them 🏳️‍🌈🎮 www.steveslota.com

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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 20h
Mom: "You don't need more Biddy Blas! You have Biddy Blas at home!" [The Biddy Blas at home]: youtu.be/aT4FGkFR0Y4?... #biddyblas #scribdoon #starwars #galacticracer
youtu.be
TMNT 87 Leatherhead
YouTube video by Cartoons & Weed
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Reposted by Stephen T. Slota
BALL x PIT 🏐 RISEN BALLBYLON OUT NOV 12 @ballxpit.com · 21/09/2026
BALL x PIT's biggest expansion is coming on November 12, with more levels, more characters, more balls, and more more! To celebrate, you can now grab your copy for less than $10 on Steam, which is already a significant amount of BALL x PIT, including 3 free updates.
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
You can learn more about A Land Once Magic (and see the beautifully illustrated manual!) here: vidityavoleti.itch.io/a-land-once-...
vidityavoleti.itch.io
A Land Once Magic by Viditya Voleti, Elliot Davis
A conversational post-fantasy worldbuilding game
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
It was super fun talking w/ @moreblueberries.bsky.social & @vidityavoleti.bsky.social about the philosophical, educational, & mechanical dimensions of #ttrpg development / #worldbuilding! 🏰✨ A Land Once Magic is a fab experience—strongly recommend checking it out! #EduSky #gamedev #creativewriting
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
In addition to discussing my dear friend @adkelleysoc.bsky.social's interdisciplinary work at @michiganstateu.bsky.social, the three of us explored myths of scientific objectivity, what it means to look beyond biology, & creating a more empathetic medical landscape. 🚑🩺 #EduSky #premed #sociology
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
In which we draw on Mike’s decades of research, scholarship, and administration experience to discuss best practices for #instructionaldesign and how to craft high-quality online, discovery-driven #pedagogy! 🏫💻 #EduSky #edtech #tech #technology #distancelearning #training #onlineeducation #teaching
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
In which we discuss how Wendi’s (2020) game, A Strong Fire, integrates Oneida language and cultural traditions to preserve and teach, as well as Native representation in video games, advice for aspiring worldbuilders/roleplayers, and the future of Indigenous Futurism. #EduSky #indiedev #culture
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
This convo was born of multiple articles detailing how OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, & Amazon are bulk-buying books to feed the AI woodchipper. We weigh philosophical/practical concerns, sociocultural consequences, & the value of personal qualitative experience. Check it out! #EduSky #media #education
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
This is *exactly* what @thergenrader.bsky.social and I were talking about on this week's episode of @wrldbuildingwrkshp.bsky.social! Framing is a deliberate choice that deeply influences how people form world narratives, especially wrt available attention, time, and/or digital info literacy skills.
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Your name/book is so frequently invoked in our Slack that we have a macro proclaiming "LONG LIVE THE DOMINION OF NEW ENGLAND" with a custom American Nations map emoji. 😂 We'd love to send you a copy of the book and/or interview you about the overlap in our scholarship! DM me to swap contact info. 😊
Screenshot of The Pericles Group Foundation's Slack chat featuring a custom macro proclaiming "LONG LIVE THE DOMINION OF NEW ENGLAND" along with a link to the "Dominion of New England" Wikipedia page and a custom emoji of author/historian Colin Woodard's map of eleven distinct sociocultural American nations.
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
This episode is a great illustration of how disciplinary silos can limit thinking. There are legitimate, important connections btwn #politics, #comms, #history, #climate, #psychology, & #creativewriting! Wicked problems demand complex solutions from all kinds of creative, smart people! 🎨🧠 #EduSky
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Those who listen to the end will be treated to my *favorite* part, where @thergenrader.bsky.social clicked his heels, spun in a circle, and said @chrislhayes.bsky.social's, @colinwoodard.bsky.social's, and @volts.wtf's names three times in a mirror, hoping they would appear. 🔮🥲 #attentioneconomy
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Special shoutout to my @uconn.bsky.social colleagues who've contributed so much to #STEM education, including Todd Campbell, John Settlage, @toriwagner.bsky.social, & @ddburkey.bsky.social! 🧑‍🔬⚗️ Hear about their work for *FREE* wherever you get your podcasts! 🔬🧬 #EduSky #engineering #technology
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Thank you to the teachers, researchers, authors, thinkers, & artists who have influenced us (including Bill Watterson, @billamend.bsky.social, Carl Sagan, George Orwell, China Miéville, @ibogost.com, @colinwoodard.bsky.social, & more). Visit the episode page a full resource list! #EduSky #highered
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
For the curious, here's a link to the interview: www.theworldbuildingworkshop.com/podcast/epis... Roger's take on historical narratives is even more pertinent given the success of Nolan's film.
theworldbuildingworkshop.com
EPISODE 27: RECOMPOSITIONAL STORYTELLING WITH ROGER TRAVIS — THE WORLDBUILDING WORKSHOP
Episode 27: Recompositional Storytelling with Roger Travis | 26 May 2026 Stephen and Trent interview their great friend and classics scholar, Dr. Roger Travis, whose forthcoming book from McFarland ...
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
My colleague @thergenrader.bsky.social and I interviewed our friend/classics scholar @tinperegrinus.bsky.social about recompositional storytelling back in May, and he reiterated this exact point. But I wouldn't expect the world's most artistically illiterate person (Elon) to know or care.
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I think what irks me the most about historical fidelity in cases like this is... it's all made up anyway! There is no "correct" version! Whatever "actually" happened in Troy was reinvented and reimagined for centuries before being written down!
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Thank you, @theonion.com & @bencollins.bsky.social, for publishing this superbly fitting headline on the same day our @wrldbuildingwrkshp.bsky.social podcast heavily references #darksouls & #eldenring... 😌🙏✨
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Special shoutouts to @nintendousa.bsky.social's #legendofzelda #BOTW and @cdprojektred.com's @thewitcher.com as well as AppleTV's #widowsbay and New England folk legend The Leatherman: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leather...
en.wikipedia.org
Leatherman (vagabond) - Wikipedia
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
In which we discuss how meticulously designed games like @bandainamcousa.bsky.social's #darksouls and historical cities like Madrid communicate complex narratives through geography and artifacts! 🌎🎮 #EduSky #creativewriting #storytelling #worldbuilding #history #historyed #education #gbl #highered
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
How often does @kballestrini.bsky.social think about Rome? Every day! But not for the reasons those weirdos on Twitter do... Tune in to learn about the development and implementation of the text-based Latin #language #ARG #RPG Operation LAPIS! #EduSky #roleplay #classics #Latin #k12 #highered
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
This "podcast promoter" keeps trying to sell us his services by claiming he'll boost @wrldbuildingwrkshp.bsky.social in the rankings. I haven't responded because the emails are becoming increasingly unhinged. Will he eventually offer us gold? Jewels? His hand in marriage? Only one way to find out!
Emails from a "podcast promoter" attempting to sell services that will boost The Worldbuilding Workshop's ranking. Desperate for a reply, the messages become increasingly strange and funny over time.

June 8: "Hey Trent, Is this your podcast? The Worldbuilding Workshop: Companion Podcast. We recently helped Todd, host of Highly Sensitive People, grow from 500 to 12,000..."

June 25: "Hi Trent, Either you've been taken aboard a UFO or hate my emails. I reached out a couple of days ago suggesting how you could grow The Worldbuilding Workshop..."

July 2: "Trent, I've attempted to reach you about growing your show to 10k monthly downloads, but have had no success (sad face). Either you've been eaten by alligators..."

July 8: [Meme depicting Mr. Bean looking at his watch and laying down next to a road; text reads "me waiting to hear back from you"]

"[Name] excited and nervous to hear back from you."
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Also: shoutout to @ms.now's @chrislhayes.bsky.social whose book The Sirens' Call is an excellent primer on the attention economy, big tech's profit motives, and the reason(s) our media/information ecosystem is so fractured, toxic, and difficult to fix. #EduSky #literacy #criticalthinking #highered
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Wherein we discuss key sociopolitical & economic factors as informed by climate journalist @volts.wtf, @huffpost.com's @michaelhobbes.bsky.social, @ms.now's @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social, @theonion.com's @bencollins.bsky.social, @theatlantic.com's @radiofreetom.bsky.social, and my hero, Carl Sagan! 🌎
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
When @thergenrader.bsky.social and I say we're doing an episode of @wrldbuildingwrkshp.bsky.social about United States history, this is what we mean:
A comic book drawing of a giant, green, disembodied George Washington head floating through the sky above Washington DC while firing lasers out of his eyes and burning the Capitol building to ground.
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
In which we highlight @colinwoodard.bsky.social's "American Nations" as a great foundation for world modeling + Ta-Nehisi Coates, @nhannahjones.bsky.social (@the1619project.bsky.social), @davidgraeberinst.bsky.social / @davidwengrow.bsky.social ( #TheDawnofEverything), and more! #EduSky #historyed
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
"Going on a hyperfixation deep-dive into municipal water systems and treatment after reading the quarterly water bill and having your curiosity piqued by the freakish consistency in your monthly water usage" is a weird way to remind yourself that you're solidly middle-aged and neurodivergent.
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Also: hat tip to @scottnicholson.bsky.social's excellent tabletop roleplaying game research— @thergenrader.bsky.social and I shouted you out during our convo on low- vs. high-tech #edtech implementations and designing around technology obsolescence. 👋🫶
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
In addition to discussing how Mike Young & I conceptualized "Epic Fail," we talk through the rise/fall of Seymour Papert's Logo, overlap between "Epic Fail" & @doctorow.pluralistic.net's "Enshittification," & implications for collaborative worldbuilding! #EduSky #edtech #design #highered #research
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Throughout the convo, we offer examples drawn from our classes & personal gameplay experiences, including @vaesen-rpg.bsky.social & @dndbeyond.com as well as smaller TTRPGs like Coyote & Crow, Dream Askew, and @snowbrightstudio.bsky.social's Teatime Adventures. ✨ #EduSky #gaming #GBL #worldbuilding
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Grateful that Mike, my former doctoral advisor & @uconn.bsky.social colleague, hopped on a call with us to discuss ideas I've not heard in other convos about #genai, both wrt philosophy & direct application. Lots to unpack—hope our fellow educators will tune in! #EduSky #edu #edtech #technology
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Bryan Alexander @edufuturist.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
We just saw Backrooms. A few thoughts: 1. If you don't know it, it's a mix of psychological, horror, and fantasy stories concerning the discovery of a seemingly endless series of office-like rooms. The source is internet video and writing.
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
...Plus some fun detours into @square-enix-games.com's Final Fantasy, @blizzard.com's @worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com, @larianstudios.com's Baldur's Gate 3, @microsoft.com's Fable, @rockstargames.com's Grand Theft Auto, and even @nintendousa.bsky.social's Mario Kart! ✨🎮
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
A fanciful trip down memory lane in which we deconstruct everything from @bethesdastudios.com's @fallout.bethesdastudios.com and Bioware's @masseffectgame.bsky.social to @bandainamcousa.bsky.social's Dark Souls and @cdprojektred.com's @thewitcher.com! #EduSky #games #worldbuilding #play #highered
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Tune in to hear a trio of nerdy nerds nerding out about mythology, stories, & playful learning, incl. Roger's forthcoming book re: cooperative adventure card games! We hope you enjoy the convo as much as we did! ☺️ #EduSky #GBL #design #indiegames #games #cardgames #mythology #CCGs #creativewriting
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
We hope you'll join the conversation to learn more about AbleGamers, the National Center for Learning Disabilities, Understood.org, @stevesaylor.net, @gamemakerstoolkit.com, & @georgemasonu.bsky.social's exceptional Anya Evmenova! #EduSky #accessibility #gamedev #indiedev #K12 #teacher #inclusivity
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Jared Holt @jaredlholt.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
We live in a cartoonishly corrupt country and it is a profound moral failing of our society that the people looting its coffers show no apparent fear that they'll ever be held accountable www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/u...
nytimes.com
Justice Dept. Announces $1.8 Billion Fund in Settling I.R.S. Suit
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Join us as we disentangle five decades of Star Wars' social, cultural, and economic ascendance (including shoutouts to @the501stlegion.bsky.social, The Rebel Legion, and my mentor #teacher Terry Becker) plus a TON of related topics! #EduSky #teaching #highered #gamedev #indiedev #storytelling #K12
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The Worldbuilding Workshop @wrldbuildingwrkshp.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
**Beginning NOW!** Join the stream for a fun-filled discussion about hopeful speculative fiction and worldbuilding concepts/strategies with @worldanvil.com, @thergenrader.bsky.social, and @steveslota.bsky.social ! Twitch: www.twitch.tv/worldanvil YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9tH...
twitch.tv
worldanvil - Twitch
Writing Hopeful (+ Evidence-Based!) Speculative Fiction with Trent Hergenrader & Steve Slota
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The Worldbuilding Workshop @wrldbuildingwrkshp.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
CORRECTION: The stream will begin at **1:00PM ET** TODAY (SATURDAY, MAY 2)! Tune in for a great conversation!
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Do you love storytelling? Creative writing? Escaping the daily horrors of your doomscroll? Tune in tomorrow at 2:00p ET via Twitch/YouTube as we frolic in the flowery fields of hopeful speculative fiction with our friends at @worldanvil.com! #EduSky #indiedev #k12 #design #worldbuilding #stories
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Join the conversation to learn about our colorful characters as well as examples drawn from AMC's Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul, @hbomax.bsky.social's Game of Thrones, & even @nintendousa.bsky.social's @splatoon-japan.bsky.social @splatoonnamirror.bsky.social! #EduSky #games #indiedev #storytelling
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Is there a term for articles written in such a way that the authors seem to have been asleep underground on Mars for the last 15 years? What's the equivalent "Betteridge's Law of Headlines" or "Brandolini's Law" for this?
Image of a (April 24, 2026) Washington Post article titled "Elon Musk's near-daily online posts about race are turning off some fans." Underneath an artistic rendition of Musk wearing a MAGA hat, the caption reads: "Elon Musk posted almost daily about race on X in recent months, a Washington Post analysis found, at times sharing views experts said echoed white supremacy. The article was written by Faiz Siddiqui and Jeremy B Merrill.
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Tune in to learn where our world came from & where it's headed, ft. Pixar's "Monsters, Inc.," the Coen Brothers, FX Hulu's "Alien: Earth," @hbomax.bsky.social's "IT: Welcome to Derry," and one of our favorite TTRPGs, Free League Publishing's @vaesen-rpg.bsky.social! #EduSky #indiedev #K12 #writing
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Tune in for our characteristically quirky banter as well as discussion about Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale," Frank Herbert's "Dune," Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Dispossessed," and... The Smurfs!? #EduSky #teaching #k12 #creativewriting #design #gamedev #indiegames #roleplay #ttrpg #simulation
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Tune in for this superb convo ft. notable shoutouts to @bethesdastudios.com's @fallout.bethesdastudios.com, @naominovik.bsky.social's Temeraire series, @ellereeve.bsky.social's Black Pill, & @colinwoodard.bsky.social's American Nations! #EduSky #storytelling #education #creativewriting #transmedia
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Talia al Ghoul 🏳️‍⚧️ @usili.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Oh my gd, the Artemis II crew doing a parody of a bad 1980s sitcom intro from in space. Source: www.instagram.com/p/DWwuHPfCZ8Z/
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Bithell Games @bithellgames.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Amberspire is out May 6th! 🌇 Build a science-fantasy city atop an abandoned mausoleum 🎲 Roll dice to collect resources and keep your city running 🏠 Grow your population and influence 👥 Earn the favour of off-world factions 🌧️ Manage the unusual ecology Wishlist on Steam!
A screenshot of our upcoming city-building game Amberspire (without UI), showing a growing settlement with a large Starport at the centre.A screenshot of our upcoming city-building game Amberspire, this time with UI. Five resource dice have been rolled and are currently being distributed into a number of buildings: the Cistern, Ruster, Habitat, Bazaar, and Landing Pad.A screenshot of our upcoming city-building game Amberspire, with resource dice again being allotted different buildings. This time, a Lighthouse is in the process of being built.A screenshot from our upcoming game Amberspire. One of the factions, Void Lineages, has arrived in the city. To the right is a portrait of one of their members. To the left, a description:

"The city has drawn the attention of a new off-world faction...

Void Lineages

The Void Lineages are a rhizomatic family of pilots, traders, smugglers, and shipbuilders. A familial structure organized under hierarchs maintains strict controls over its members, but this structure is frequently threatened by desires within and forces external. Ultimately the lineages remain reactive to an ever-shifting political landscape.

The Void Lineages favor increases the maximum dice pool limit to eight, and the penalty reduces it to four.
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
I'd be remiss if I didn't shout out our other notable mentions, including: @volts.wtf and his phenomenal climate journalism, @ibogost.com's Newsgames: Journalism at Play, 4X games like @aow4.paradoxinteractive.com, Dante's Inferno (everyone's fav burn book), and some good ol' fashioned Isaac Asimov.
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Stephen T. Slota @steveslota.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Had a great time geeking out with the ever-exceptional @edufuturist.bsky.social! The three of us did a deep dive on @jamesckaufman.bsky.social's 4C Model of #Creativity, the 1980s @dndbeyond.com Satanic Panic, and #games like @zmangamesofficial.bsky.social 's Pandemic. #EduSky #gbl #gamedev #design
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