Author | Lightnews

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · 3d

There's something magical about building a town from a single shack into a bustling metropolis. I like high octane games, but city builders are special.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/the-qu...

#CityBuilders #CitiesSkylines #Foundation #FarthestFrontier #Becastled #Banished #SurvivingMars #IndieGames

2 3

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · 10d

I use scaffolding to cut down trees in Minecraft and my Oblivion paladin wasn't allowed to jump.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/i-use-...

#Minecraft #Oblivion #CozyGames #OCD #GamingAnxiety

1

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · 17d

Rot, decay, and death. Yeah, how edgy of me right? But when it comes to games, there’s something magical about decaying, abandoned, and long forgotten worlds, and I love the way decaying worlds make me feel.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/why-im...

#VideoGames #Impermanence #Fallout #DarkSouls #Stalker

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · 24d

The year is 1998: revisiting the originals of PS1 remakes

unmappedworlds.com/posts/revisi...

#Remakes #VideoGames #Nostalgia #CrashBandicoot #Spyro #ResidentEvil2

4

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Sep 29

Hundreds of games on my backlog, many unplayed or unfinished. Here's how my relationship with the gaming backlog has changed over the years.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/the-ty...

#VideoGames #Steam #GamingBacklog

1

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Sep 22

In 13 years that I’ve I had a Steam account, I’ve clocked in 6,629 hours in my Steam library alone. That’s 276 days of non-stop game time. Here are my top 10 played games, and why.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/6629-h...

#VideoGames #Steam #SteamLibrary #IndieGames

4

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Sep 15

Map markers and the joy of getting lost

unmappedworlds.com/posts/map-ma...

#GameDesign #VideoGames #ElderScrolls #Morrowind #Oblivion #Skyrim

2

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Sep 8

I love hostile cozy games. How can you be cozy without the contrast of a hostile world?

unmappedworlds.com/posts/the-ho...

#CozyGames #SurvivalGames #GameDesign #IndieGames

2 6

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Sep 1

Looking for group, afraid of finding one. Gaming obligations in MMOs, social anxiety, and fleeting human connection I seek in games.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/lookin...

#MMORPGs #WorldOfWarcraft #GuildWars2 #Overwatch

1 1

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Aug 25

Video game difficulty sliders are dumb - there are so many better ways to fine-tune gamer experience.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/diffic...

#GameDev #GameDifficulty #VideoGames

1 5

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Aug 18

As a parent to a six month old, my relationship with gaming changed. It's more handhelds, pause is mandatory, and more alternative ways to engage with the medium.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/redisc...

#VideoGames #Parenting #GameDifficulty #SteamDeck #NintendoSwitch

1 2

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Aug 11

Designers build all these beautiful worlds, and then hide them behind layers of and layers of HUDs.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/dont-h...

#GameDesign #UserInterface #VideoGames

Don’t hide the worlds behind HUDs

Just as much as I don’t like having magically updated maps in games (see the joys of leaving the map behind), I also get taken out of the experience by the two-dimensional HUDs (heads-up display) plop...

unmappedworlds.com

1

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Aug 4

I explore the difference between predatory and perpetual pricing models. Why do I dislike The Sims 4 model, but happily pay for dozens of Total War: Warhammer DLCs.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/the-si...

#LiveServiceGames #TotalWar #TheSims #GameIndustry

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Jul 28

For whatever reason, I like when games make me feel lonely. That takes me to a special, slightly uncomfortable, slightly home-feeling space.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/on-fee...

#Minecraft #DeathStranding #EliteDangerous #GameDev

3 9

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Jul 21

I recently played Mouthwashing. It was... weird.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/mouthw...

#IndieGames #HorrorGames #GameReview #Mouthwashing

1 4

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Jul 14

On my son's death, journey through grief, and Death Stranding. Trigger warning.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/death-...

#VideoGames #Grief #Loss #DeathStranding #IndieGames

3

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Jul 7

About the language of games, magic through obscurity, and learning to appreciate games on different levels.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/when-i...

#IndieGames #GameDev #Morrowind #ResidentEvil #GamingLiteracy

3 7

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Jul 3

A while back I tried the highest difficulty in The Long Dark - without much experience with the game beforehand. It was rough.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/the-lo...

#TheLongDark #SurvivalGames #IndieGames

1 6

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Jun 30

A quick one today - one thing I really liked about Foundation, and one thing I didn't.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/founda...

#VideoGames #IndieGaming #GameDev #Foundation #CityBuilders

3 7

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Jun 26

Wrote this one a while back, but never shared on Bluesky: five standout games I've played last year.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/five-s...

#YearInReview #VintageStory #ChantsOfSenaar #TotalWarhammer #ShadowsOfDoubt #PharaohTheNewEra

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Jun 23

I play many games, but only finish a small number. Why is that, and why is that okay?

unmappedworlds.com/posts/why-do...

#Gaming #IndieGames #NierAutomata #RedDeadRedemption2

2 4

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Jun 16

Interesting observation! I actually would say 5E requires less optimization compared with 3.5E (and more compared to 2E) - there are more viable builds, and there are less dead ends. I'm curious - is your experience is a product of rules, choice of modules, DMing style, or group culture?

1

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Jun 16

"Given the opportunity, players will optimize the fun out of a game". I dive into some reasons behind this behavior and explore good and bad examples from modern games.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/why-we...

#GameDev #STALKER2 #RogueTrader #DarkSouls #FireEmblem #Inscryptio

1 2 10

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Jun 9

How navigation and traversal in games can be amazing, how games like Outward do it well, and how some mechanics have a tendency to get in the way.

unmappedworlds.com/posts/the-jo...

#GameDev #IndieGames #Outward #DeathStranding

1 2 10

Unmapped Worlds @unmappedworlds.bsky.social · Jun 6

Oh - you know what I missed? Car progression in Snowrunner and Mudrunner games. These cars get so much better that by the end of the game navigating terrain becomes trivial, which is the whole darn point of the game. There's not much game left at that point.