Gabriel aka mystal
@mystal.cafe
they/them 🇵🇷 | Queer nb game dev, programmer & designer. Rock climber. Rustacean. Mask wearer 😷
Former Combat Designer/Gameplay Programmer @ Brass Lion Entertainment
Makes games for money in Unreal and for soul in Bevy, Godot, and other cozy engines
Former Combat Designer/Gameplay Programmer @ Brass Lion Entertainment
Makes games for money in Unreal and for soul in Bevy, Godot, and other cozy engines
Pinned
Gabriel aka mystal
@mystal.cafe
· Jun 6
Battle the forces of a corrupting entity called the Deceiver as you harness the mythical abilities of the Wu-Tang Clan!
Check out the trailer below, and wishlist Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver on the Steam & Epic Game Store!
Steam – bit.ly/ROTDSTEAM
Epic Store - bit.ly/ROTDEPIC
Check out the trailer below, and wishlist Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver on the Steam & Epic Game Store!
Steam – bit.ly/ROTDSTEAM
Epic Store - bit.ly/ROTDEPIC
Holy shit, the game I worked on for three years is finally announced! I did a lot of tech and combat design work on this game and I'm so proud of it.
That big hammer weapon at the end of the trailer was my baby, I designed and implemented most of it with help from amazing artists and programmers :3
That big hammer weapon at the end of the trailer was my baby, I designed and implemented most of it with help from amazing artists and programmers :3
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
"From the developer of ElecHead, Öoo is another brilliantly concise puzzle platformer, one that delights in showing you that it was your understanding, not your abilities, which barred your progress."
👍Derek Likes Öoo: store.steampowered.com/curator/4057...
👍Derek Likes Öoo: store.steampowered.com/curator/4057...
"Öoo" the bomb caterpillar exploration puzzle platformer, is out now! 🎉
Dive into an adventure packed with discovery and clever puzzles, we hope you enjoy it!
👇
store.steampowered.com/app/2721890/...
Dive into an adventure packed with discovery and clever puzzles, we hope you enjoy it!
👇
store.steampowered.com/app/2721890/...
November 24, 2025 at 9:14 PM
"From the developer of ElecHead, Öoo is another brilliantly concise puzzle platformer, one that delights in showing you that it was your understanding, not your abilities, which barred your progress."
👍Derek Likes Öoo: store.steampowered.com/curator/4057...
👍Derek Likes Öoo: store.steampowered.com/curator/4057...
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
One of my favorite things is getting to tell friends who are new to NYC that the subway "stand clear of the closing doors please" voice is a trans woman named Bernie Wagenblast and she's amazing.
November 24, 2025 at 6:19 PM
One of my favorite things is getting to tell friends who are new to NYC that the subway "stand clear of the closing doors please" voice is a trans woman named Bernie Wagenblast and she's amazing.
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
this is such a depressing read. studios are happy to exploit the labour and creativity of women & queer people & poc but then turn around and sacrifice them to a baying mob of bad actors who they believe are their core audience. did we learn no lessons from gamergate?
For @aftermath.site, I spoke to @imodrew.bsky.social, the Sucker Punch dev fired after making a Charlie Kirk joke.
She paints a picture of an industry that all too often ignores bad actors until those bad actors threaten them financially.
aftermath.site/sucker-punch...
She paints a picture of an industry that all too often ignores bad actors until those bad actors threaten them financially.
aftermath.site/sucker-punch...
Two Months After Firing Over Charlie Kirk Comments, Ghost Of Yotei Dev Blames Harassment Campaign, Not ‘Bad Joke’
"I really don’t want this to happen to anyone else, because I feel like with the state of everything, it will absolutely happen to other people," says Drew Harrison
aftermath.site
November 24, 2025 at 7:24 PM
this is such a depressing read. studios are happy to exploit the labour and creativity of women & queer people & poc but then turn around and sacrifice them to a baying mob of bad actors who they believe are their core audience. did we learn no lessons from gamergate?
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
We always see a surge of infectious disease, including COVID, RSV, etc etc around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Unless you want to gift your fam with a few weeks sick this year, mask up as you travel!
November 24, 2025 at 12:24 AM
We always see a surge of infectious disease, including COVID, RSV, etc etc around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Unless you want to gift your fam with a few weeks sick this year, mask up as you travel!
Games are magical. I knew I wanted to make them by the age of 10.
... buuut, no one in my life knew how they were made. (I grew up in Virginia in the late 90/early 00s)
I studied CS in college, but still didn't learn how games were made...
... buuut, no one in my life knew how they were made. (I grew up in Virginia in the late 90/early 00s)
I studied CS in college, but still didn't learn how games were made...
November 22, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Games are magical. I knew I wanted to make them by the age of 10.
... buuut, no one in my life knew how they were made. (I grew up in Virginia in the late 90/early 00s)
I studied CS in college, but still didn't learn how games were made...
... buuut, no one in my life knew how they were made. (I grew up in Virginia in the late 90/early 00s)
I studied CS in college, but still didn't learn how games were made...
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
November 22, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
New article on ★ daiz.moe ★
Crunchyroll is destroying its subtitles for no good reason
daiz.moe/crunchyroll-...
A ton of research and effort went into this one. This is the article to read to get to the bottom of Crunchyroll's subtitle changes!
Replies here will show up as comments (eventually)
Crunchyroll is destroying its subtitles for no good reason
daiz.moe/crunchyroll-...
A ton of research and effort went into this one. This is the article to read to get to the bottom of Crunchyroll's subtitle changes!
Replies here will show up as comments (eventually)
Crunchyroll is destroying its subtitles for no good reason | Daiz.moe
With the Fall 2025 anime season, Crunchyroll demonstrates zero respect for anime as a medium as the presentation quality of its subtitles reach an all-time low.
daiz.moe
October 29, 2025 at 10:44 PM
New article on ★ daiz.moe ★
Crunchyroll is destroying its subtitles for no good reason
daiz.moe/crunchyroll-...
A ton of research and effort went into this one. This is the article to read to get to the bottom of Crunchyroll's subtitle changes!
Replies here will show up as comments (eventually)
Crunchyroll is destroying its subtitles for no good reason
daiz.moe/crunchyroll-...
A ton of research and effort went into this one. This is the article to read to get to the bottom of Crunchyroll's subtitle changes!
Replies here will show up as comments (eventually)
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
THEY ADDED NEW GARBAGE reblog to save a life
November 21, 2025 at 7:00 PM
THEY ADDED NEW GARBAGE reblog to save a life
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
November 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
My interactive tween guide for Godot is out !
If you have trouble using tweens, adding "Juice" or picking the right transition, it should hopefully help!
The guide is free and will always be 🩵
qaqelol.itch.io/tweens
#Godot #GameDev #Animation #Tutorial #Guide #Tweens
If you have trouble using tweens, adding "Juice" or picking the right transition, it should hopefully help!
The guide is free and will always be 🩵
qaqelol.itch.io/tweens
#Godot #GameDev #Animation #Tutorial #Guide #Tweens
November 20, 2025 at 1:21 PM
My interactive tween guide for Godot is out !
If you have trouble using tweens, adding "Juice" or picking the right transition, it should hopefully help!
The guide is free and will always be 🩵
qaqelol.itch.io/tweens
#Godot #GameDev #Animation #Tutorial #Guide #Tweens
If you have trouble using tweens, adding "Juice" or picking the right transition, it should hopefully help!
The guide is free and will always be 🩵
qaqelol.itch.io/tweens
#Godot #GameDev #Animation #Tutorial #Guide #Tweens
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
with alt text, because everyone deserves a good cry.
come over.
come over.
July 15, 2025 at 11:21 PM
with alt text, because everyone deserves a good cry.
come over.
come over.
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
“I told everybody: ‘I’m retired, I sit home all day. If we get any reports of ICE in the neighborhood, somebody text me, and I’ll run over on my scooter and go yell at them.’”
Another example of something people would actually do with universal basic income.
Another example of something people would actually do with universal basic income.
November 20, 2025 at 3:09 PM
“I told everybody: ‘I’m retired, I sit home all day. If we get any reports of ICE in the neighborhood, somebody text me, and I’ll run over on my scooter and go yell at them.’”
Another example of something people would actually do with universal basic income.
Another example of something people would actually do with universal basic income.
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
bennett f wrote a really nice and interesting comment on discover the world itch.io/post/14821693
Post by Bennett F in Discover the World comments
This is the kind of mechanic that is probably non-obvious to think of if you're just brainstorming ideas, but arises naturally when you start implementing the physics. The spin move could be implement
itch.io
November 20, 2025 at 2:35 AM
bennett f wrote a really nice and interesting comment on discover the world itch.io/post/14821693
Without downloading any new pics, describe your gender
November 20, 2025 at 5:23 AM
Without downloading any new pics, describe your gender
This year has been objectively terrible for me and basically everyone else. But at least I can listen to the Bowser's Fury Lake Lapcat theme whenever I want
www.youtube.com/watch?v=31Yg...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=31Yg...
Lake Lapcat - Bowser's Fury OST
YouTube video by Cha Chingo Christiano
www.youtube.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:13 PM
This year has been objectively terrible for me and basically everyone else. But at least I can listen to the Bowser's Fury Lake Lapcat theme whenever I want
www.youtube.com/watch?v=31Yg...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=31Yg...
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
We're looking for dev volunteers as part of our Sand Witch Circle—experienced engineers who care about fast, efficient software and making the best of the Web as part of our mission to help online creative communities and fight censorship.
Apply here:
Apply here:
Sand Witch Circle Application (Developer)
Conjured Ink is seeking out Free and Open Source developer volunteers as part of our Sand Witch Circle. We're looking for experienced engineers who care about fast, resource-efficient software and making the best of the Web Platform as part of our mission to help online creative communities and fight censorship. Professional experience with our tools isn't needed, but a willingness to learn and grow with the organization is.
forms.gle
November 18, 2025 at 8:25 PM
We're looking for dev volunteers as part of our Sand Witch Circle—experienced engineers who care about fast, efficient software and making the best of the Web as part of our mission to help online creative communities and fight censorship.
Apply here:
Apply here:
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
The bay area needs to get cheaper so the weirdos can come back. We also need brand new weirdos. More weirdos please
![(from the below interview)
48 HILLS Kind of related, how do you think the industry has changed? On a broad scale, but also just in terms of the Bay Area scene specifically, what kinds of changes have you seen?
BRANDON SHEFFIELD Obviously, the Bay Area has changed a lot. When I quit my job in journalism and started doing game development full-time, all the indie weirdo game devs were here. We all knew each other, we all had weird little dramas with each other, it felt like a big scene. Then, as tech grew and they needed places to live, all the tech folks came out into Oakland, and then all the artists that had left San Francisco to come to Oakland now had to leave Oakland. It just felt like arts were kind of disappearing from the whole area. And it was so gradual that it didn’t feel like it was a big trend until probably around the Ghost Ship fire, and then it felt like there was an endpoint for fun times. I think it’s coming back now, I feel like DIY venues are starting to happen again.
In terms of the game development scene, there’s always been a gap between San Francisco and the East Bay, and that remains present, but I feel like both groups are smaller than they were before. There are fewer of us, and we don’t hang out. [laughs] But we try. I’ve been running an East Bay game dev meetup for 15 years, and we still get new people coming. But it’s very weird to watch things change over time. Because I’m staying in Oakland, this is where I’m going to live. It just feels like things are changing around me.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qpbuxrel3f3njvjw5rakf532/bafkreihtvxjidpcoejhpbyhm5rlmq4aeayzqyc6uiuocdemoalatb2cdqy@jpeg)
November 18, 2025 at 6:17 PM
The bay area needs to get cheaper so the weirdos can come back. We also need brand new weirdos. More weirdos please
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
@adamatomic.bsky.social has created a *lot* of small games, and we were delighted for him to join us at ThinkyCon 2025 to share how he approaches it.
My approach to making small games - Adam Saltsman (ThinkyCon 2025)
Adam Saltsman joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "CorgiSpace, or, short legs on purpose, or, my approach to making small games"
Talk description: I've made and released 14 games in the last 12 months, all in my very limited free time, and had a super fun time doing it, even though I al
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:56 PM
@adamatomic.bsky.social has created a *lot* of small games, and we were delighted for him to join us at ThinkyCon 2025 to share how he approaches it.
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
THERE IS
NO MIDDLE GROUND
BETWEEN RESPECTING LABOR
OR DESTROYING IT
NO MIDDLE GROUND
BETWEEN RESPECTING LABOR
OR DESTROYING IT
"Surely there's a middle ground here?" The CEO of Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead says people "jump to extreme takes" when debating generative AI, and that there needs to be more nuance in the discussion.
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/surely-...
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/surely-...
‘Surely there’s a middle ground here?’ Helldivers studio CEO says people ‘jump to extreme takes’ when debating GenAI | VGC
“This is such a trigger point for big parts of the games industry today”…
www.videogameschronicle.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:10 PM
THERE IS
NO MIDDLE GROUND
BETWEEN RESPECTING LABOR
OR DESTROYING IT
NO MIDDLE GROUND
BETWEEN RESPECTING LABOR
OR DESTROYING IT
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
A reminder that for every billion dollars made on PC gaming, Newell pockets $300m.
He keeps out of the public eye better than some billionaires, but he is still a libertarian billionaire, and billionaires should not exist.
He keeps out of the public eye better than some billionaires, but he is still a libertarian billionaire, and billionaires should not exist.
Gabe Newell Just Bought a New $500 Million Yacht With a Basketball Court and '15 Gaming Stations'
insider-gaming.com/gabe-newell-...
insider-gaming.com/gabe-newell-...
Gabe Newell Just Bought a New $500 Million Yacht With a Basketball Court and '15 Gaming Stations'
Gabe Newell, the co-founder of Valve, just took receipt of a $500 million yacht with a staggering amount of equipment on board.
insider-gaming.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:43 PM
A reminder that for every billion dollars made on PC gaming, Newell pockets $300m.
He keeps out of the public eye better than some billionaires, but he is still a libertarian billionaire, and billionaires should not exist.
He keeps out of the public eye better than some billionaires, but he is still a libertarian billionaire, and billionaires should not exist.
Use of genAI in games is primarily a labor problem. The extreme take is firing people who make quality work, replacing them with LLMs trained on stolen artwork, and requiring the poor overworked people still employed to clean up the generated mess.
"Surely there's a middle ground here?" The CEO of Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead says people "jump to extreme takes" when debating generative AI, and that there needs to be more nuance in the discussion.
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/surely-...
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/surely-...
‘Surely there’s a middle ground here?’ Helldivers studio CEO says people ‘jump to extreme takes’ when debating GenAI | VGC
“This is such a trigger point for big parts of the games industry today”…
www.videogameschronicle.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Use of genAI in games is primarily a labor problem. The extreme take is firing people who make quality work, replacing them with LLMs trained on stolen artwork, and requiring the poor overworked people still employed to clean up the generated mess.
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
This, but for other creative work, like writing and editing.
Trying to measure coding productivity is, and always will be, a fool's errand.
Why? Because I can go for a walk then take a shower and have an idea, then write a single line of code that fixes everything I was working on.
Immense productivity, but by most metrics I didn't do anything at all.
Why? Because I can go for a walk then take a shower and have an idea, then write a single line of code that fixes everything I was working on.
Immense productivity, but by most metrics I didn't do anything at all.
November 16, 2025 at 9:41 PM
This, but for other creative work, like writing and editing.
Reposted by Gabriel aka mystal
‼️ NEW BLOG POST ‼️
where I scream about the games industry, but mainly, about the idyllic game dev farm aka indie game studios ran by people who have money but dont really care about games. it's cathartic and weird. thank you kindly
maurimo.dev/blog/posts/2...
where I scream about the games industry, but mainly, about the idyllic game dev farm aka indie game studios ran by people who have money but dont really care about games. it's cathartic and weird. thank you kindly
maurimo.dev/blog/posts/2...
MAURIMO - #02 - THE IDYLLIC GAME DEV FARM OF HELL
maurimo.dev
November 14, 2025 at 11:51 PM
‼️ NEW BLOG POST ‼️
where I scream about the games industry, but mainly, about the idyllic game dev farm aka indie game studios ran by people who have money but dont really care about games. it's cathartic and weird. thank you kindly
maurimo.dev/blog/posts/2...
where I scream about the games industry, but mainly, about the idyllic game dev farm aka indie game studios ran by people who have money but dont really care about games. it's cathartic and weird. thank you kindly
maurimo.dev/blog/posts/2...