Nicole Carpenter
@nicolecarpenter.bsky.social
reporter, former polygon
text me on signal @ nicolecarpenter.87
text me on signal @ nicolecarpenter.87
Pinned
The untold history of Barbie Fashion Designer, the first mass-market ‘game for girls’
How Digital Domain and Mattel Media built Barbie’s wardrobe
www.polygon.com
I'm getting more sad about getting laid off. My work means so much to me. I'm a really good reporter. I've been getting scoops every single week lately, while also doing in-depth, award-winning reporting. I have good ideas!
New email: [email protected]
www.polygon.com/23776996/bar...
New email: [email protected]
www.polygon.com/23776996/bar...
i spoke to the folks behind the project to bring concord back to life about why they're doing it
!["I think a big part of [reverse engineering] is just being curious and motivated," Real said. "I'm very interested in 'lost media' and the like so I initially gravitated towards Concord because of the very large wave it made online as well as its incredibly short lifespan. Over the course of the project I began to respect a lot of the design choices I initially questioned and I think that also motivated me to keep working on it. I think part of it is wanting other people to see what I saw."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ngixp5ab4bvfayehc23q2mja/bafkreiemmmsshjdkovqagje5j7ftmr2sjdzxidxrbazepzkilpi6vxsrpu@jpeg)
November 14, 2025 at 10:08 PM
i spoke to the folks behind the project to bring concord back to life about why they're doing it
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
absolutely heartbroken to announce that i was part of the crystal layoffs today 💔
if y’all spot any openings for a soft, dedicated, smiley games writer — please send them my way 💫
i was on the most perfect narrative team on an exciting, ambitious project. i will cherish it all forever. 💖
if y’all spot any openings for a soft, dedicated, smiley games writer — please send them my way 💫
i was on the most perfect narrative team on an exciting, ambitious project. i will cherish it all forever. 💖
November 13, 2025 at 11:39 PM
absolutely heartbroken to announce that i was part of the crystal layoffs today 💔
if y’all spot any openings for a soft, dedicated, smiley games writer — please send them my way 💫
i was on the most perfect narrative team on an exciting, ambitious project. i will cherish it all forever. 💖
if y’all spot any openings for a soft, dedicated, smiley games writer — please send them my way 💫
i was on the most perfect narrative team on an exciting, ambitious project. i will cherish it all forever. 💖
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
a single buck! we don't even get to do the boring "it's as much as a cup of coffee" comparison thing, because it's just a buck!
read all the blogs, comment all you want, it's a good website!
read all the blogs, comment all you want, it's a good website!
We're having a sale! Get your first month of Aftermath for just $1.
aftermath.site/aftermath-vide...
aftermath.site/aftermath-vide...
November 13, 2025 at 9:49 PM
a single buck! we don't even get to do the boring "it's as much as a cup of coffee" comparison thing, because it's just a buck!
read all the blogs, comment all you want, it's a good website!
read all the blogs, comment all you want, it's a good website!
do games go to heaven when they die? i talked to @morgansung.bsky.social on close all tabs about dead and dying games
www.kqed.org/news/1206377...
www.kqed.org/news/1206377...
Where Do Games Go When They Die? | KQED
When Ubisoft, publisher of the sprawling open-world racing game The Crew shut down the game’s servers, cutting off access to even its single-player mode, fans were outraged. The moment tapped into the...
www.kqed.org
November 13, 2025 at 1:30 AM
do games go to heaven when they die? i talked to @morgansung.bsky.social on close all tabs about dead and dying games
www.kqed.org/news/1206377...
www.kqed.org/news/1206377...
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
Drop everything: @morgansung.bsky.social x @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social on where games go when they die!
Close All Tabs is an inspiration! The best in the game!
overcast.fm/+AAHuu2Obdxo
Close All Tabs is an inspiration! The best in the game!
overcast.fm/+AAHuu2Obdxo
Where Do Games Go When They Die? — Close All Tabs
When Ubisoft, publisher of the sprawling open-world racing game The Crew shut down the game’s servers, cutting off access to even its single-player mode, fans were outraged. The moment tapped into the...
overcast.fm
November 13, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Drop everything: @morgansung.bsky.social x @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social on where games go when they die!
Close All Tabs is an inspiration! The best in the game!
overcast.fm/+AAHuu2Obdxo
Close All Tabs is an inspiration! The best in the game!
overcast.fm/+AAHuu2Obdxo
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
new from @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social: Raccoin! aftermath.site/raccoin-is-a...
Raccoin Is A Coin Pusher Where It's OK To Shake The Machine
From Balatro publisher Playstack, Raccoin: Coin Pusher Roguelike is a constant dopamine release shaped like the nostalgic coin pusher arcade games
aftermath.site
November 12, 2025 at 9:20 PM
new from @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social: Raccoin! aftermath.site/raccoin-is-a...
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
Interesting write-up by @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social on these new idle games that run on your Desktop. As a Chrome user I haven't seen these... not sure if they're my jam but certainly seems like a less caustic use of time than endless scrolling between work tasks.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/a...
These Video Games Want Only Some of Your Attention
www.nytimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Interesting write-up by @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social on these new idle games that run on your Desktop. As a Chrome user I haven't seen these... not sure if they're my jam but certainly seems like a less caustic use of time than endless scrolling between work tasks.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/a...
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
I went to meet the 'Rockstar 31', the developers who were suddenly fired from their work on GTA 6 for what the studio has described as gross misconduct.
That's not what the workers call it though. They have another couple of words they prefer to use: union busting.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9nO...
That's not what the workers call it though. They have another couple of words they prefer to use: union busting.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9nO...
The Rockstar Workers Fired Before They Could Finish GTA 6
YouTube video by People Make Games
www.youtube.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:43 PM
I went to meet the 'Rockstar 31', the developers who were suddenly fired from their work on GTA 6 for what the studio has described as gross misconduct.
That's not what the workers call it though. They have another couple of words they prefer to use: union busting.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9nO...
That's not what the workers call it though. They have another couple of words they prefer to use: union busting.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9nO...
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
Written by Toussaint Egan (@thesaintoftous.bsky.social) and designed by Callin Mackintosh, Amnesia: Design Works comes in both Standard and Deluxe Editions with around 200 pages of fascinating/frightening new secrets and behind-the-scenes concept art.
lostincult.co.uk/amnesia
lostincult.co.uk/amnesia
Amnesia: Design Works — Lost In Cult
Featuring anecdotes and insights gathered from interviews with key franchise figures – including Frictional Games co-founder Thomas Grip, Fredrik Olsson, Dan Pinchbeck, Jessica Curry, Rasmus…
lostincult.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Written by Toussaint Egan (@thesaintoftous.bsky.social) and designed by Callin Mackintosh, Amnesia: Design Works comes in both Standard and Deluxe Editions with around 200 pages of fascinating/frightening new secrets and behind-the-scenes concept art.
lostincult.co.uk/amnesia
lostincult.co.uk/amnesia
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
fortnite friday is a talk show that takes place entirely in fortnite, which has nonetheless pulled names as big as gavin newsom, george santos, and the rizzler. I’ve always wondered how @connoreatspants.bsky.social does it, and I finally got a chance to ask him
November 11, 2025 at 10:10 PM
fortnite friday is a talk show that takes place entirely in fortnite, which has nonetheless pulled names as big as gavin newsom, george santos, and the rizzler. I’ve always wondered how @connoreatspants.bsky.social does it, and I finally got a chance to ask him
i got hit point blank with a slapshot, right above the knee where there are no pads, last night from a man double my size… i am feeling rough this morning
November 10, 2025 at 5:58 PM
i got hit point blank with a slapshot, right above the knee where there are no pads, last night from a man double my size… i am feeling rough this morning
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
Despite the ravages of age and an internet steeped in misinformation, your eyes – in this one case – do not deceive you: Website different. It’s taken an immense amount of time and effort, but welcome to Aftermath version 2.0:
aftermath.site/aftermath-rela...
aftermath.site/aftermath-rela...
November 10, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Despite the ravages of age and an internet steeped in misinformation, your eyes – in this one case – do not deceive you: Website different. It’s taken an immense amount of time and effort, but welcome to Aftermath version 2.0:
aftermath.site/aftermath-rela...
aftermath.site/aftermath-rela...
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
For non-subscribers, here's a gift: For the next 30 days, Aftermath subscriptions for new readers are on sale at $1 for your first month:
aftermath.ghost.io/11-06-2025...
aftermath.ghost.io/11-06-2025...
November 10, 2025 at 3:51 PM
For non-subscribers, here's a gift: For the next 30 days, Aftermath subscriptions for new readers are on sale at $1 for your first month:
aftermath.ghost.io/11-06-2025...
aftermath.ghost.io/11-06-2025...
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
Tonight was a very bad night.
November 10, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Tonight was a very bad night.
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
Aftermath’s first two years have been packed with highlights, like the time @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social published a story about breast milk rivers, and then a student emailed us to say we couldn’t post anything weird/horny for a day (they were trying to make us look credible to their professor):
November 7, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Aftermath’s first two years have been packed with highlights, like the time @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social published a story about breast milk rivers, and then a student emailed us to say we couldn’t post anything weird/horny for a day (they were trying to make us look credible to their professor):
this game is an absolute delight
November 7, 2025 at 8:11 PM
this game is an absolute delight
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
the idea of doing a jigsaw puzzle fills me with a cold fear but this @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social blog talked me into this game aftermath.site/solve-these-...
Solve These Strange Jigsaws - Aftermath
There are so many moments in Strange Jigsaws that I want to talk about, but unfortunately talking about them will sully the experience.
aftermath.site
November 7, 2025 at 8:07 PM
the idea of doing a jigsaw puzzle fills me with a cold fear but this @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social blog talked me into this game aftermath.site/solve-these-...
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
We're LIVE
On today's stream, it's our two-year anniversary special! The whole gang, including contributors, will be live to discuss our accomplishments, failures, hopes, dreams, and fears. We'll also be making some big announcements about the near future. We go live at 4 PM ET
www.twitch.tv/aftermathdot...
www.twitch.tv/aftermathdot...
November 6, 2025 at 9:10 PM
We're LIVE
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
conde nast fired the vp of new york newsguild for asking HR questions
More important to me than my identity, I am also the Vice President of the NewsGuild of New York, and targeting me with a blatantly retaliatory termination like this feels like an egregious shot against our union and against media workers as a whole.
November 6, 2025 at 7:05 PM
conde nast fired the vp of new york newsguild for asking HR questions
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
On today's stream, it's our two-year anniversary special! The whole gang, including contributors, will be live to discuss our accomplishments, failures, hopes, dreams, and fears. We'll also be making some big announcements about the near future. We go live at 4 PM ET
www.twitch.tv/aftermathdot...
www.twitch.tv/aftermathdot...
November 6, 2025 at 7:15 PM
On today's stream, it's our two-year anniversary special! The whole gang, including contributors, will be live to discuss our accomplishments, failures, hopes, dreams, and fears. We'll also be making some big announcements about the near future. We go live at 4 PM ET
www.twitch.tv/aftermathdot...
www.twitch.tv/aftermathdot...
this is a big deal! i spoke to two lawyers about it. (thanks @haleyfax.bsky.social!!!!!)
How the US Patent and Trademark Office will re-examine Nintendo's battling patent
aftermath.site/uspto-pokemon-...
aftermath.site/uspto-pokemon-...
November 6, 2025 at 5:52 PM
this is a big deal! i spoke to two lawyers about it. (thanks @haleyfax.bsky.social!!!!!)
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
Pilot had a massive ad spread in a jp newspaper with "make AI jealous" and "write what AI can't touch" written on it
Anyway I think everyone should own a Pilot kakuno pen
Anyway I think everyone should own a Pilot kakuno pen
November 5, 2025 at 4:42 AM
Pilot had a massive ad spread in a jp newspaper with "make AI jealous" and "write what AI can't touch" written on it
Anyway I think everyone should own a Pilot kakuno pen
Anyway I think everyone should own a Pilot kakuno pen
Reposted by Nicole Carpenter
