Max Nichols
@maxnichols.bsky.social
He/him. Game designer. I make worlds that you want to explore. Sr. Tech Design in AAA. Prev: Bungie, Turbine. I run @HyruleInterviews.bsky.social
Blog: namelessquality.com
Portfolio: maxnicholsdesign.com
Blog: namelessquality.com
Portfolio: maxnicholsdesign.com
Flat lists of credits, with no job titles, ranks or roles shown, are often framed as a way to "share credit", or "show that everyone was equal".
The actual effect is that you aren't getting credit for your specific work and impact. It especially harms higher-ranking employees from vulnerable groups
The actual effect is that you aren't getting credit for your specific work and impact. It especially harms higher-ranking employees from vulnerable groups
November 12, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Flat lists of credits, with no job titles, ranks or roles shown, are often framed as a way to "share credit", or "show that everyone was equal".
The actual effect is that you aren't getting credit for your specific work and impact. It especially harms higher-ranking employees from vulnerable groups
The actual effect is that you aren't getting credit for your specific work and impact. It especially harms higher-ranking employees from vulnerable groups
Valve should just release a actual Steam-branded industrial boiler, see how many people buy one for the collection
November 12, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Valve should just release a actual Steam-branded industrial boiler, see how many people buy one for the collection
It pains me that there is an entire generation of people who have now grown up trained to view manipulative, engagement-farming gambling games as the norm for video games.
There are countless people who have formative, nostalgic memories of opening loot boxes and the excitement of gacha ten-pulls
There are countless people who have formative, nostalgic memories of opening loot boxes and the excitement of gacha ten-pulls
November 12, 2025 at 5:24 PM
It pains me that there is an entire generation of people who have now grown up trained to view manipulative, engagement-farming gambling games as the norm for video games.
There are countless people who have formative, nostalgic memories of opening loot boxes and the excitement of gacha ten-pulls
There are countless people who have formative, nostalgic memories of opening loot boxes and the excitement of gacha ten-pulls
Fun Frankenstein casting fact that @paigeedits.bsky.social pointed out to me: Mia Goth played both Victor’s mother and Elizabeth.
I’d say “too on the nose”, but I didn’t clock it at all, hahah. Well played GDT
I’d say “too on the nose”, but I didn’t clock it at all, hahah. Well played GDT
November 12, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Fun Frankenstein casting fact that @paigeedits.bsky.social pointed out to me: Mia Goth played both Victor’s mother and Elizabeth.
I’d say “too on the nose”, but I didn’t clock it at all, hahah. Well played GDT
I’d say “too on the nose”, but I didn’t clock it at all, hahah. Well played GDT
Damn they’re so good at making up slogans for leftists
I'm not sure this nickname will have the impact they think it will
November 12, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Damn they’re so good at making up slogans for leftists
Reposted by Max Nichols
One of the reasons I only ever want to use human artists to make art for me:
I do not have a trained artist's eye! I KNOW that I am not as good at recognizing and diagnosing quality, or issues with quality, as an actual artist would be!
I rely on them for their taste as well as their execution.
I do not have a trained artist's eye! I KNOW that I am not as good at recognizing and diagnosing quality, or issues with quality, as an actual artist would be!
I rely on them for their taste as well as their execution.
October 30, 2025 at 9:16 PM
One of the reasons I only ever want to use human artists to make art for me:
I do not have a trained artist's eye! I KNOW that I am not as good at recognizing and diagnosing quality, or issues with quality, as an actual artist would be!
I rely on them for their taste as well as their execution.
I do not have a trained artist's eye! I KNOW that I am not as good at recognizing and diagnosing quality, or issues with quality, as an actual artist would be!
I rely on them for their taste as well as their execution.
Reposted by Max Nichols
"babies are born worshipping unknown gods" is one of the most incredible dwarf fortress bugs i have heard of. its poetry.
November 11, 2025 at 4:18 PM
"babies are born worshipping unknown gods" is one of the most incredible dwarf fortress bugs i have heard of. its poetry.
Getting voice actors to sign away their voice rights before you use AI to generate their lines doesn't make it acceptable.
The only reason VAs are willing to sign that is because they're coerced into it by an entire industry trying to replace them with autocorrect. Desperation. Lack of protection.
The only reason VAs are willing to sign that is because they're coerced into it by an entire industry trying to replace them with autocorrect. Desperation. Lack of protection.
November 11, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Getting voice actors to sign away their voice rights before you use AI to generate their lines doesn't make it acceptable.
The only reason VAs are willing to sign that is because they're coerced into it by an entire industry trying to replace them with autocorrect. Desperation. Lack of protection.
The only reason VAs are willing to sign that is because they're coerced into it by an entire industry trying to replace them with autocorrect. Desperation. Lack of protection.
I think the single most important design decision in the entirety of Destiny 1 or 2 was when they built the inventory/quest screens to be interactable during loading screens
Not talked about almost ever, but it was so damn important to the loot game
Not talked about almost ever, but it was so damn important to the loot game
November 11, 2025 at 2:02 AM
I think the single most important design decision in the entirety of Destiny 1 or 2 was when they built the inventory/quest screens to be interactable during loading screens
Not talked about almost ever, but it was so damn important to the loot game
Not talked about almost ever, but it was so damn important to the loot game
Reposted by Max Nichols
spell idea: steal door.
fires a bolt which creates a door in the first wall it hits. removes a random door from elsewhere. there must be a closed door somewhere in the current map.
fires a bolt which creates a door in the first wall it hits. removes a random door from elsewhere. there must be a closed door somewhere in the current map.
November 10, 2025 at 10:32 PM
spell idea: steal door.
fires a bolt which creates a door in the first wall it hits. removes a random door from elsewhere. there must be a closed door somewhere in the current map.
fires a bolt which creates a door in the first wall it hits. removes a random door from elsewhere. there must be a closed door somewhere in the current map.
I just love it when politicians vote in favor of people dying because they can't afford healthcare
Even more than usual, I mean
Even more than usual, I mean
November 10, 2025 at 2:27 AM
I just love it when politicians vote in favor of people dying because they can't afford healthcare
Even more than usual, I mean
Even more than usual, I mean
I've never played any of the Inazuma Eleven games, but this looks pretty damn good
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9UO...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9UO...
『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』ファイナルトレーラー 1
YouTube video by LEVEL5ch【公式】
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:22 AM
I've never played any of the Inazuma Eleven games, but this looks pretty damn good
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9UO...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9UO...
Gaming Alexandria is a huge deal in game culture preservation. Incredible organization. Probably the single most important group this side of the VGHF
I reference their work constantly for @hyruleinterviews.bsky.social!
I reference their work constantly for @hyruleinterviews.bsky.social!
Hard to believe it's already been ten years that Gaming Alexandria has been around. Here's a (late) article about our history, as well as special thanks and small blurbs from others of what Gaming Alexandria has meant to them. Here's to another ten years! www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/2025/11/g...
November 9, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Gaming Alexandria is a huge deal in game culture preservation. Incredible organization. Probably the single most important group this side of the VGHF
I reference their work constantly for @hyruleinterviews.bsky.social!
I reference their work constantly for @hyruleinterviews.bsky.social!
HAH, someone finally did it:
One of the shonen anime this season had a series of drawn-out multi-episode battles
And one of the characters lost patience and finally just drew a fuckin’ gun
One of the shonen anime this season had a series of drawn-out multi-episode battles
And one of the characters lost patience and finally just drew a fuckin’ gun
November 9, 2025 at 7:51 PM
HAH, someone finally did it:
One of the shonen anime this season had a series of drawn-out multi-episode battles
And one of the characters lost patience and finally just drew a fuckin’ gun
One of the shonen anime this season had a series of drawn-out multi-episode battles
And one of the characters lost patience and finally just drew a fuckin’ gun
Reposted by Max Nichols
Oh, I also apparently wrote a TWO PAGE letter apologizing for bad grades (gonna be real, I had ADHD bad and was unmedicated) and then had the audacity to quote Linkin Park at the end. 😂 Past me was kind of cringe…
November 9, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Oh, I also apparently wrote a TWO PAGE letter apologizing for bad grades (gonna be real, I had ADHD bad and was unmedicated) and then had the audacity to quote Linkin Park at the end. 😂 Past me was kind of cringe…
I got to listen to some truly hilarious dramatic readings of 8-year-old-kid X-Files fic
Apparently I wrote X-Files fanfiction as a kid and I had no idea until my mom dropped off a million relics of Paige off at my house… It wasn’t good fanfiction either, sadly.
November 9, 2025 at 2:17 AM
I got to listen to some truly hilarious dramatic readings of 8-year-old-kid X-Files fic
The new game almost immediately establishes some copout retcon shit to justify reusing more of Tears of the Kingdom’s assets without having to actually do the hard + expensive work of portraying the history hinted at in the game
I am not a fan of the fact that the last two Hyrule Warriors games have gone back to try to fully portray an ancient, mythic time from the backstory of their respective mainline games.
Dispelling the unknown with the low-quality known is a bad thing! Stories need unknown edges
Dispelling the unknown with the low-quality known is a bad thing! Stories need unknown edges
November 8, 2025 at 6:17 AM
The new game almost immediately establishes some copout retcon shit to justify reusing more of Tears of the Kingdom’s assets without having to actually do the hard + expensive work of portraying the history hinted at in the game
Brutal, lol
The only other composer for SMG is Mahito Yokota, so when Miyamoto says this he is saying it about a very specific person’s work.
Yokota is a big Kondo fan
The only other composer for SMG is Mahito Yokota, so when Miyamoto says this he is saying it about a very specific person’s work.
Yokota is a big Kondo fan
![Iwata: Compared to Kondo-san, you may not have worked on development of The Legend of Zelda that long, but you've been playing it forever, right?
Yokota: You can say that again! Talking about it could take forever! [laughs] I love The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time beyond all reason!
I have, of course, played all the Zelda games since the first one, and played them all the way through, but Ocarina of Time was an eye-opening experience to how great video game music can be. I played song after song on the piano.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:f2mmt5cpordy27x4kx4ng5u2/bafkreiblrzbs5gyvzk6bxrugaxqjai5lmwzomrpyloow5mgxjst7f4ffcq@jpeg)
November 8, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Brutal, lol
The only other composer for SMG is Mahito Yokota, so when Miyamoto says this he is saying it about a very specific person’s work.
Yokota is a big Kondo fan
The only other composer for SMG is Mahito Yokota, so when Miyamoto says this he is saying it about a very specific person’s work.
Yokota is a big Kondo fan
Yeah.
There's no way that the delay is because of the union busting. The timelines don't line up. The cost of the delay is probably measured in tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.
Even if the (evil, blatant) union busting DID hurt dev this much, it would take longer for them to recognize it.
There's no way that the delay is because of the union busting. The timelines don't line up. The cost of the delay is probably measured in tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.
Even if the (evil, blatant) union busting DID hurt dev this much, it would take longer for them to recognize it.
Fuck all union busters but trying to draw a line of causation between the delay and the seemingly illegal firings is agenda-driven reporting that is extremely unlikely to be accurate.
November 7, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Yeah.
There's no way that the delay is because of the union busting. The timelines don't line up. The cost of the delay is probably measured in tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.
Even if the (evil, blatant) union busting DID hurt dev this much, it would take longer for them to recognize it.
There's no way that the delay is because of the union busting. The timelines don't line up. The cost of the delay is probably measured in tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.
Even if the (evil, blatant) union busting DID hurt dev this much, it would take longer for them to recognize it.
I consider “player fantasy” to be useful shorthand for certain types of creative direction.
I think it has big limitations though; it’s hard to push past what the players have already seen elsewhere if you’re cleaving too closely to referential thinking.
I want to work on games with deeper visions
I think it has big limitations though; it’s hard to push past what the players have already seen elsewhere if you’re cleaving too closely to referential thinking.
I want to work on games with deeper visions
Weigh in nerds!
Do you find it helpful to discuss "player fantasies"? Does the term fill you with disgust? Do you have a good handle on what it means?
Do you find it helpful to discuss "player fantasies"? Does the term fill you with disgust? Do you have a good handle on what it means?
I am writing something about "fulfilling player fantasies" in games. I would appreciate any thoughts people have on the subject (positive or negative - is this a valuable concept?), talks or papers discussing or popularizing this sort of rhetoric, etc etc
November 7, 2025 at 12:52 AM
I consider “player fantasy” to be useful shorthand for certain types of creative direction.
I think it has big limitations though; it’s hard to push past what the players have already seen elsewhere if you’re cleaving too closely to referential thinking.
I want to work on games with deeper visions
I think it has big limitations though; it’s hard to push past what the players have already seen elsewhere if you’re cleaving too closely to referential thinking.
I want to work on games with deeper visions
Reposted by Max Nichols
GOOD NEWS! Researchers have developed a cancer vaccine that has shown STUNNING results, PREVENTING up to 88% of MULTIPLE aggressive cancers by harnessing dual-pathway nanoparticles that train the immune system to recognize and destroy tumor cells. In some cases, it COMPLETELY prevented metastasis.
November 5, 2025 at 5:00 PM
GOOD NEWS! Researchers have developed a cancer vaccine that has shown STUNNING results, PREVENTING up to 88% of MULTIPLE aggressive cancers by harnessing dual-pathway nanoparticles that train the immune system to recognize and destroy tumor cells. In some cases, it COMPLETELY prevented metastasis.
When used as a buyer's guide, really any review is only useful inasmuch as the author's tastes align with the reader's.
It's a finicky art for sure, but there's definitely value in varied tastes being represented amongst reviews
It's a finicky art for sure, but there's definitely value in varied tastes being represented amongst reviews
November 4, 2025 at 7:22 PM
When used as a buyer's guide, really any review is only useful inasmuch as the author's tastes align with the reader's.
It's a finicky art for sure, but there's definitely value in varied tastes being represented amongst reviews
It's a finicky art for sure, but there's definitely value in varied tastes being represented amongst reviews
Reposted by Max Nichols
"Max loved Zelda, no one can dispute that. My theory as to why he was often forgetful or absent minded is because Max learned how to navigate more mundane tasks on auto-pilot so that he could devote more of his brain space to thinking about Zelda at ALL TIMES."
November 3, 2025 at 11:35 PM
"Max loved Zelda, no one can dispute that. My theory as to why he was often forgetful or absent minded is because Max learned how to navigate more mundane tasks on auto-pilot so that he could devote more of his brain space to thinking about Zelda at ALL TIMES."
Whoops
I accidentally donated all my Destiny Collector's Editions to goodwill, lmao
I accidentally donated all my Destiny Collector's Editions to goodwill, lmao
November 3, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Whoops
I accidentally donated all my Destiny Collector's Editions to goodwill, lmao
I accidentally donated all my Destiny Collector's Editions to goodwill, lmao
Trying to identify this artist/NPC designer who worked on Skyward Sword.
None of the credit databases list anyone with the family name of “Kinouchi”, nor is there anyone in my own database, which covers all Zelda games. I wonder if this name got mistranslated?
The quote is from Hyrule Historia.
None of the credit databases list anyone with the family name of “Kinouchi”, nor is there anyone in my own database, which covers all Zelda games. I wonder if this name got mistranslated?
The quote is from Hyrule Historia.
November 3, 2025 at 5:35 AM
Trying to identify this artist/NPC designer who worked on Skyward Sword.
None of the credit databases list anyone with the family name of “Kinouchi”, nor is there anyone in my own database, which covers all Zelda games. I wonder if this name got mistranslated?
The quote is from Hyrule Historia.
None of the credit databases list anyone with the family name of “Kinouchi”, nor is there anyone in my own database, which covers all Zelda games. I wonder if this name got mistranslated?
The quote is from Hyrule Historia.