October Decoder 2023
Writing
My brain is back in order now that we've had some time to settle into the Autumn vibes. For Ko-fi supporters you can now access my thoughts on Garden Galaxy and for those who are looking for a free post I covered both demos and announced games for Game Devs of Color Expo.
Video
Streaming
I decided to keep Wylde Flowers to myself after noticing the lack of interest from the community. It's always difficult to pinpoint what folks like the see most on the channel while still aligning that with what I want my experience to be in my own content. Some reflection revealed that I couldn't quite connect with the story like I wanted to in a live setting, despite enjoying the gameplay itself. It's entirely likely that farm sims are just not for me, but I'm stubborn and want to keep trying to find something with the magic I'm looking for.
We successfully concluded the To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) fundraising campaign in September, raising a total of $500 which included contributions from the community and a donation match from my side. Thank you all for listening to my personal story as a survivor of a suicide attempt and for supporting the cause. This means we'll have a kirigami stream in December, and I'm excited to learn that craft!
As for games this month, it's finally Halloween time and we'll be digging into all the monster and zombie stories. Wednesdays will be dedicated to The Walking Dead, and Thursdays to Oxenfree II: Lost Signals and Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip. All three games are new to me so I'm happy to share some of the Halloween joy, scares and panic with you all for the month. Then we'll be back to Final Fantasy IX, which I've quickly fallen in love with, in November.
Short Form
Speaking of Final Fantasy IX, we got some good moments on stream that I think will be great on Tiktok, along with some goofing around in GDoC demos. Keep an eye out for the short edits soon!
Personal
Currently Playing
I'm honestly still very stuck on Armored Core VI ! I've found some really cool upgrades and paint jobs to make the mech my own, and with the help of my partner have been enjoying the epic story that drives the game forward. To be honest I was pleasantly surprised to even realize there was a story; I would have been happy with just the pew pews and the swords.
By the way, if you or someone you know (North America only) is at all interested in Super Mario Bros. Wonder we'll be running another Gleam contest/giveaway this month. Keep an eye out for the announcement and Gleam link on October 6th at Twitter/X, Bluesky, Instagram or the sub-only Discord.
IRL
My partner and I had a wonderful time at the opera! It was my first time ever and I wanted to watch something that was very tragic so we settled on Il Trovatore. Our masks and portable air filter saved the day once again as the opera house was quite packed.
On likely the opposite vibe of the opera, I've been learning a lot about American college football lately. Our family is close to the sport in both interest and profession so I've been trying my best to understand the general rules so going to these games is more interesting. Apparently Taylor Swift has also made her fans more enthusiastic about the NFL as well but I'd like to think that I'm a step above all that (maybe). I think the difference between college football and the NFL definitely is in the proximity to the students versus all the flair or arrogance I've seen at the pro level. There's a lot more story left for the players and it's interesting to watch their path unfold.
Picture of the Month
Enjoy the foyer of the War Memorial Opera House, which somehow has lamps that look like they belong outside! There may be some history driving the style here but I'm unaware of it (let me know about it if you have fun facts).
Feel free to reply directly to this email to let me know your thoughts, or perhaps any content that you'd like to see or questions you might have. Otherwise, sending you all my haunted thoughts for the month and I look forward to writing to you in November!