David Fenner

Game Designer/3D artist/Writer/Composer

Founder @play_me_studio.

Now working on The Simulation

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

I'd like to tell you about an ambitious independent videogame that has been quietly in development since late 2021.

It began as a daring experiment: Original mechanics, a horror story, unique visuals... all of it with different, interesting layers that communicated with each other... We really fell in love with it.

The experiment clearly worked. We knew we had something unique in our hands, and so did everyone who tried it. @BlumhouseGames soon joined the adventure.

We’ll be showing much more soon. But for now, I’ll leave you with this:

You’ll never see the sentence “The game takes no creative risks” in any review.

We took all of them.

You can wishlist here: https://t.co/EAfsRTql9I

[Playmestudio @play_me_studio]

We've been too focused making the game for maybe too long.

So I feel guilty that we didn't go by the book with the "Hey you have to spend 90% of your time to market your indie game since forever!" rule since 2021.

So forgive me if I start a sharing spree.

[Ed Newton-Rex @ednewtonrex]

This is disgusting behaviour from Google.

It is using its monopoly power to try to force creatives to let it train on their work.

It is career suicide for artists not to upload to YouTube. Arguing that doing so allows Google to train AI on their videos/music - AI that competes with them - is outrageous. Whatever the Ts & Cs say.

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

Yes

[thomasmahler @thomasmahler]

One thing I’ve always found strange is how much the conversation around games has shifted over the last 10–20 years.

It used to be about the games themselves. Which game was better? Which studio was more creative? Which ideas pushed the medium forward?

Now so much of the discussion seemingly only revolves around metrics: Daily active users, player counts, revenue, earnings reports, market share.

And I often wonder: Why do actual players care about any of that?

Most of the time, these numbers are discussed without any real understanding of the business behind them. People compare DAU numbers between live-service games and packaged products as if they’re measuring the same thing, when in reality they’re often completely different businesses with completely different goals.

What’s even stranger is that many indie developers have adopted the same mindset.

You’ll see some indie devs on their third or fourth game breaking down exactly how much money each project made, analyzing every chart and revenue graph. And when they talk about their games, it sometimes feels like they’re talking about stocks rather than things they spent years creating. Things they and their team was truly in love with.

I’ve always believed that every game you release should basically be an extension of yourself. That thing you’ve worked on is your baby, so you better make sure you treat it with the love and care it deserves.

If you do it right, that game becomes part of your legacy. Many years later, people will still associate it with you. That means releasing something shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Gamers are an incredibly demanding audience. They already have access to thousands of excellent games, many of them available at heavily discounted prices. Simply making ‘another one of those’ isn’t enough.

So shouldn’t our focus be on creating experiences that feel genuinely new? On pushing genres forward? On making something that leaves an impression on people?

The business side matters. Of course it does.

But I think too many developers start optimizing for metrics before they’ve created something actually worth measuring.

At the end of the day, the studios and creators that tend to endure are the ones that make products people genuinely love. The ones that solve problems, move the medium forward, and create experiences that stay with players long after they’ve put the controller down.

If I’m going to spend years of my life making something, I’d rather it have an impact on people than look good on a spreadsheet.

If you love what you do, the numbers ought to just be a side-effect.

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

@BretWeinstein Absolutely. And every reply against him is swarmed with bots insulting. X is a disgrace.

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

@IceStorm @Pirat_Nation I didn't know that. Point stands though.

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

@RalLuque5 @esjavieraleman *buy

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

@RalLuque5 @esjavieraleman Yeah I understand. But still, price does make a difference at release. People but shittier cars and PCs and live with their shiftiness because they want to spend less. It's fair competition. Some people maybe would prefer the shitty epic store if they pay less. That's all.

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

I love Steam, and I still think it’s the best store out there.

But the real test would be letting devs price games lower on stores with smaller cuts. A $60 game on Steam could be about $48 on Epic and earn devs the same.

How many players would pay $12 more just to own it on Steam?

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

I love Steam, and I still think it’s the best store out there.

But the real test would be letting devs price games lower on stores with smaller cuts. A $60 game on Steam could be about $48 on Epic and earn devs the same.

How many players would pay $12 more just to own it on Steam?

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

I love Steam, and I still think it’s the best store out there.

But the real test would be letting devs price games lower on stores with smaller cuts. A $60 game on Steam could be about $48 on Epic and earn devs the same.

How many players would pay $12 more just to own it on Steam?

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

I love Steam, and I still think it’s the best store out there.

But the real test would be letting devs price games lower on stores with smaller cuts. A $60 game on Steam could be about $48 on Epic and earn devs the same.

How many players would pay $12 more just to own it on Steam?

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

@Quillette 👏👏👏

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

Microsoft and Adobe will be studied 100 years from now as examples of when capitalism didn't work for the consumer.

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

Yes but:

If you have something important to do, it's ok to stay a little late to finish it, as long as you don't do it often.

Thing is, important things tend to make you sleep badly. Urgent things, can actually wake you up in your sleep or make you have nightmares. Psychology also matters.

Try to do things in the day, of course.

But if you can't and need to stay a little longer, or if you are really inspired, don't let the urgency of sleeping become stressful.

Sometimes also staying up for fun can also be worthwhile... just not too late or too often.

You can recover if you don't do it often. It's not a big deal. Just keep life in balance, including the obsession for routine.

The body does have some tolerance for chaos... just don't abuse it. Do what Bryan says... mostly.

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

Yes but:

If you have something important to do, it's ok to stay a little late to finish it, as long as you don't do it often.

Thing is, important things tend to make you sleep badly. Urgent things, can actually wake you up in your sleep or make you have nightmares. Psychology also matters.

Try to do things in the day, of course.

But if you can't and need to stay a little longer, or if you are really inspired, don't let the urgency of sleeping become stressful.

Sometimes also staying up for fun can also be worthwhile... just not too late or too often.

You can recover if you don't do it often. It's not a big deal. Just keep life in balance, including the obsession for routine.

The body does have some tolerance for chaos... just don't abuse it. Do what Bryan says, mostly.

[Bryan Johnson @bryan_johnson]

This is it.
Everything learned spending millions on longevity.

From: Your Immortal Unc and Auntie.
To: Our Immortal nieces and nephews.

0. Sleep is the world's most powerful drug.
1. Be in your bed for 8 hours
2. Same bedtime every night, any time before midnight
3. Don’t eat right before bed
4. Calm foods for dinner
5. No screens 1 hour before bed
6. Avoid added sugar (be aware it’s in everything)
7. Avoid all things in an American convenience store
8. Avoid fried foods
9. Shoes off at the door
10. Eat whole foods, particularly veggies fruits nuts legumes berries
11. Walk a little after meals or air squats
12. Get your heart rate high routinely
13. Lift heavy things
14. Stretch daily
15. Water pik, floss, brush, tongue scrape, morning and night
16. Make an effort to drink water
17. Get sunlight when you wake up (UV is low)
18. Protect skin in midday sun
19. Stand up straight
20. See at least one friend once a week
21. Avoid plastic where you can (in all things)
22. Circulate air in rooms
23. When stressed, breathe, learn to calm your body
24. Go to the dentist
25. Avoid sitting for long times
26. Protect your hearing, the world is too loud
27. Alcohol is bad for you
28. Finish coffee before noon
29. Avoid bright lights after sunset
30. If obese, look into a GLP
31. Sleep in a cold room
32. Texting while driving is dangerous
33. Turn off all notifications
34. Limit social media use
35. Don’t smoke anything
36. If you struggle to sleep, read a physical book before bed
37. 1 hour before bed have a calm wind down routine: bath, read, light walk, listen to music
38. The body is a clock and loves routine. Have a daily morning and evening schedule.
39. Avoid long distance travel where you can
40. Baby steps first: incorporate new things slowly
41. Do less… most things don’t work.

Bonus points if you get your blood checked.

Start here, it will change your life.

[AboutBeverages @AboutBeverages]

@_David_Fenner_ Absolutely loved this game! Played it when it first came out and still reference it on my streams to this day.

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

Sorry, it's Ukrainian! (Google translate said Russian 😒)

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

The Signifier is not a well known game, it went REALLY under the radar... but for many, it does leave a mark.

People still leave reviews from time to time that really warm my heart.

This one was 4 days ago. Translated from Russian.

"The Signifier is a phenomenal game, and another good example of how masterpieces and outstanding works can be found even among very little-known things.

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

@catharsis_ Oh shit. That's a very ugly mistake lol. (According to Google translate, it was Russian, that's why I thought it was so)

[David Fenner @_David_Fenner_]

Pretty impressive that there is no mention about the issue of how one sided divorce goes. Marriage is scary for good reasons, starting that most women initiate divorce and most get the best of it. The issue should be there, but it's not. In fact, there are no issues listed about things that women should change or improve for men. Weird.