itch.io

I've been slowly reading "Weaving the Web" by Tim Berners-Lee, the book about creating the world wide web. i can't recommend it enough! it fascinates me how so much of modern web (social media especially) is intrinsically misaligned with the core design (or core values) of the web.

links are intrinsic to what it's about (connecting information and creating a "web"), but modern platforms don't like that because it's bad for user retention... like it's so against everything this was supposed to be...

here's a quote that i liked, from the book (in case you want to read it, it's free on Archive):
“Hypertext would be most powerful if it could conceivably point to absolutely anything. Every node, document - whatever it was called-would be fundamentally equivalent in some way.
Each would have an address by which it could be referenced.
They would all exist together in the same space — the information space.”
https://archive.org/details/weavingweborigin00bern_0/page/n9/mode/1up

lol thank you for the correction xD
i crossed out the n, so now it's fixed.

this is very cool. thank you for sharing playing it!

After playing this it's hard to articulate how precious this feels...

It's a beautiful, emotional, touching experience without it ever even saying a single word. It makes me think about the beauty of just existing in a space. Taking in a moment. Reading between the lines. Looking at the world and understanding its context and tiny stories.

These moments that are created, and the game holds for you.

The visual fidelity (3D bells and whistles) just kind of reinforces that in an interesting way. I'm used to seeing this type of "high quality graphics" used in a way where you're rushed through a world, with tasks and objectives. This is like the exact opposite.

This is a "game" that's beautiful and just lets you stare.

It's such a remarkable moody piece. Thank you for making this and sharing it.

fixed it just now. added more.

thank you for this beautiful interpretation. it’s validating to see someone view it under the lense of queer experience. it means that to me too.

i try to let my work be as open to interpretation as possible, to be inclusive to other’s experiences, but it always means a lot when someone really gets these deeper aspects.

to those who doubt gold brick simulator:
with gold brick simulator i was able to pay off my mortgage, restore my mental health points, release trapped cortisol, summon money so money finds me, and my lower back pain is gone. gold brick is everything.
(reviewed based on sample clicks)

i really appreciate your comments here. it’s very validating to hear.

imo pornographic games are the original avant-garde in this space. there was a period way back where they where just starting to get seen fairly then that flipped. to me that indicated a bigger shift in culture that eventually impacted everyone… but i can’t speak to that. i was just observer not participant there.

i feel like it’s an awful period in tech right now (and games are not separate from that space) where fascism took it all over to drive it in that totalitarian direction. the way AI has been co-opted to be what it is now is a big glaring example. artists are fighting with that and it’s almost like a propaganda war where artists in all fields are made to feel disposable. making them think about quitting. a big enemy of fascism is art, and i feel like that’s why it’s so under fire rn.

i’m not sure how it will shake out but i just know that if an artist quits, techbro fascism wins ever so slightly, and that’s a sad loss for us all.

thanks for sharing this. i know the gamejolt story well. they were friends, we’d (the two founders) would hang out at events whenever any of us where at the same festival, hugs n stuff, they interviewed me a bunch, said they supported my work no matter what, named a drink at one of their parties after my game, etc etc… then they took down my games because of that policy. they never gave me an explanation either, even if my games didn’t have sexual content. they said they reverted it but took my games down anyway. i wrote about that https://www.nathalielawhead.com/candybox/on-gamejolts-new-policy-why-stigmatizing-sex-in-games-is-harmful-to-the-medium-and-never-works

it’s an example of the empty platitudes platforms give queer creators but then stab them in the back when no longer of use to them.

i feel for pornographic devs and think they are a canary in the coal mine for how experimental work is treated. it impacts queer work the most and is often a smokescreen for targeting queer work.

personally i wish people would read this in a broader scope (what success is and that traditional capitalist models are not sustainable, we need to create that for ourselves…) rather than assuming i’ve had it easy and just had accolades dropped in my lap when the entire existence here has been a heartbreaking uphill struggle (you can read about how i was treated by game journalists for example), but this struggle is one i believe in and don’t want to give up. i have a right to exist, so that keeps me going. if i give up then i admit that the world has no place for someone like me.

i hope your work gets the respect it deserves someday. the way we treat anything surrounding porn is wrong.

thank you. i really appreciate the kind comment. it means a lot to me to see how many people resonated with this.

thank you for playing it 💖🙏🦋

Yes of course! feel free…
(and thanks for asking)

thanks for pointing that out.

in technical terms expansion is probably correct. this is going to be part of the new update, but it’s also  released on its own because it’s interesting enough on its own too.

thank you so much for the kind words! i appreciate this.

aw 🥹 thank u 🙏 

It actually started as an arcade cabinet! That's the ideal way to play it and what it was designed for. It's (I think) owned by The Museum of Human Achievement in Austin, Texas, and Fantastic Arcade.

Yay thank you for making a video! this is very cool.

This is so sweet and wholesome! I love it :D

Like on the itch page? It's a full screen animated gif. The CSS for it is here: https://alienmelon.itch.io/allthemes
(If that's what you mean lol)

thank you!

the Bitsy in the last gif is the one that's featured inside the actual Unreal game (it's in the demo).

this is amazing that's like 6 whole minutes no joke :O

Yay!

i'm sorry that you are experiencing this. it's awful to go through something like this. thank you for standing up to him. even if you can't see it through i hope you are proud of yourself because it does make a difference to even just try... and if you do, you are amazing either way. either way you are the person who has that courage.
please take care. i wish you a lot of strength and hope. (and fuck that lawyer)

This one is very cool! I loved the background artwork in the spaces.

Thank you for this recommendation. I’ll definitely check it out. These games look compelling.

I got some beautiful game suggestions after publishing this, and very much appreciate people’s generosity in sharing all that. These look beautiful too!

wow omg thank you for these recommendations. these are stunning. i can't wait to dig in.
and thank you for your comment too. your curation work is always inspiring.

lol this is hilarious. i keep knocking down buildings to see what the person would say. i love how everything is voiced and like i'm bumbling around and there's this silly commentary that left me manically grinning the entire time. damn those premiums tho what a shame it's a rough life owning mega giant killer robots.

thank you for these kind words. this means a lot 🥹 

i’m sorry to hear that :( i hope u grow another soon

thank you so much for confirming that. it's good to know that "work computer" made it work. i need to fix that UX issue because i think a lot of people have issues running it since they choose the higher options when "work computer" is for them. it helps to have that confirmed. thank you!

are you stuck in the main menu? you move left/right with your mouse (the little light sprite) and click on "Start". things that are clickable get highlighted... after that it's keyboard and mouse (like any first person game).

the demo is going to be up for a very long time since it's not anywhere near done... i aim to (hope) to also be able to support Linux and macOS in the future since that's supported by Unreal.

Thanks for letting me know. I put out a fix for this. I put close buttons [x] in all the UI's now that aren't linked to the thing popping up so that they close right away without a hang.

https://alienmelon.itch.io/everything-is-going-to-be-ok

https://alienmelon.itch.io/electric-zine-maker

https://alienmelon.itch.io/runonce

thank you!!! 😭 omg i cannot express how much this means to hear, especially rn the timing is a blessing. hearing things like this encourages me to keep going. making this type of art is what i love doing the most out of life and all i want to do. i hope for the new thing i am working on to hold up and be as meaningful as this.

it was hard to work on it. making art that is “different” is scary, but knowing people like you exist out there that love it like this makes it absolutely worth it. thank you!! 😭🙏🥰

did you even read the post? just because i’m saying online spaces could benefit from less toxicity does not mean i am “forcing everyone” to be more kind.

This is amazing for a first game. It's visually beautiful and atmospheric. Playing two characters this way made it intriguing, especially in the type of eerie environment you created. I wish there was more. Beautiful work!

This is incredible. The scope, polish, atmosphere, story... and the way it follows the theme is impeccable. It's beautifully done!

Wow this is amazing. I love how you incorporated the theme, and had the courage to do something in 3D. You pulled this off wonderfully. Well done!

this is amazing. i love how you incorporated the theme into this. it's interesting, a well designed concept, and just difficult enough. well done!