Zach Gage

Zach Gage

@stfj.net

artist game maker co-created puzzmo

5.6K followers85 following498 posts

Zach Gage reposted

Orta Therox
@orta.io

About a year ago I started building my own Server-Side React renderer for Puzzmo (a Relay-native SSR server.) I first built it in our upcoming puzzle editing tools Workshop, then refined it for data.puzzmo.com and today it's running on www.puzzmo.com

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

I had a dream last night that I was really tired and had to go take a nap and then I woke up

Zach Gage reposted

Orta Therox
@orta.io

We've updated the @puzzmo.com streak system today, now a streak will self-heal in three days. So, if you had a max of 31, take a week off, then do three days in a row and you're back up to 34.

Zach Gage reposted

Orta Therox
@orta.io

400+ concurrents on notsolitaire.com - pretty wild to see so many folks playing. P.s. you can change your avatar by clicking on an emoji from an achievement you've unlocked.

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

holy moly y'all got 11,000 wins and 180,000 achievements in the first 4.5 hours. solitaire is alive and well in 2026 ♥️🫡

Zach Gage reposted

brainfruit!
@brainfruit.bsky.social

Can you count? Are you sure? Announcing SHEEPS, a game where you have several thousand problems. Count the sheep pouring out of mysterious portals, gain unfair counting advantages, survive terrible counting curses. Discover, at long last, a use for math. Coming 2027. Wishlist: bit.ly/countsheeps

Zach Gage reposted

Orta Therox
@orta.io

Welcome back to the week, for folks who might have missed it. I've been working on allowing 3rd party games on @puzzmo.com this year and we're opening the doors just an inch to test the waters for this week bsky.app/profile/stfj...

Zach Gage@stfj.net

📣 We're trying something new over here in Puzzmo land — community games. We still have plenty of our own games coming, but if you've got a game you think would be a fit for Puzzmo, reach out! More info & the submission form here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... Submissions run through October 2.

docs.google.comSubmit A Game To PuzzmoWe're thinking about having a handful of games from members of our community appear on Puzzmo later this year. We’re always working towards Puzzmo being the place for thoughtful puzzles, so this proje...

Zach Gage reposted

Orta Therox
@orta.io

New blog post: On realising I need to evaluate my engineering principles in a post-LLM world This year, I've come to understand that the values (which have paid off incredible dividends) for the last decade aren't as applicable today as they were blog.puzzmo.com/posts/2026/0...

Zach Gage reposted

Orta Therox
@orta.io

For almost a year the largest project I have been working on is building support for non-Puzzmo games on @puzzmo.com Ribbit was built in 90% of that system, and Hue Complete Me was 100% in it. A month ago I ported the Crossword to it. Got a game? We're exploring opening up bsky.app/profile/stfj...

Zach Gage@stfj.net

📣 We're trying something new over here in Puzzmo land — community games. We still have plenty of our own games coming, but if you've got a game you think would be a fit for Puzzmo, reach out! More info & the submission form here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... Submissions run through October 2.

docs.google.comSubmit A Game To PuzzmoWe're thinking about having a handful of games from members of our community appear on Puzzmo later this year. We’re always working towards Puzzmo being the place for thoughtful puzzles, so this proje...
Zach Gage
@stfj.net

📣 We're trying something new over here in Puzzmo land — community games. We still have plenty of our own games coming, but if you've got a game you think would be a fit for Puzzmo, reach out! More info & the submission form here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... Submissions run through October 2.

docs.google.comSubmit A Game To PuzzmoWe're thinking about having a handful of games from members of our community appear on Puzzmo later this year. We’re always working towards Puzzmo being the place for thoughtful puzzles, so this proje...
Zach Gage
@stfj.net

wild reading this previously unpublished interview from 2018 with Jesper about casual vs hardcore, fairness, games and art, and sometimes going against the grain of indie games culture. The whole world has changed, but i still stand by it all.

Jesper Juul@jesperjuul.bsky.social

From the Handmade Pixels interview series, here is my conversation with Zach Gage @stfj.net. Thanks! jesperjuul.net/handmadepixe...

jesperjuul.netHandmade Pixels: Interview with Zach Gage
Zach Gage
@stfj.net

Ok im gonna say something here that is going to draw a lot of different feelings from everyone, and I want to be clear i'm not "in support of this" or "against it". i'm just saying it as an observation that seems true to me: I think with the latest frontier LLMs, the “music” era of games is upon us

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Zach Gage
@stfj.net

This change certainly supports a future filled with rough, personal, non-commercial, games of all sizes, built for friends and communities. All of which adds up to a deeper understanding of games and play. If a more mainstreamed cultural literacy of that stuff matters, that's a positive.

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

So i guess there it is. Please don't shoot the messenger, this is just what i'm seeing out there, and I think it's important to grapple with. i'd love to hear any other lessons y'all think we should be pulling from other arts as we weather this new turbulent era in games.

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

Ok im gonna say something here that is going to draw a lot of different feelings from everyone, and I want to be clear i'm not "in support of this" or "against it". i'm just saying it as an observation that seems true to me: I think with the latest frontier LLMs, the “music” era of games is upon us

View full thread
Zach Gage
@stfj.net

When I think about lessons to learn from the music industry, i see that what matters most for stability and success are: attention and community-building. I don't really know more than that. Maybe someone else has some thoughts?

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

I know this has been a bummer, but if I am looking for a positive, even though this is bad for individual developers, I do suspect that this is good for games as a media. When I look at the arts, the parts of it that are the most in-culture are the ones that anyone can easily pick up as a hobby.

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

Ok im gonna say something here that is going to draw a lot of different feelings from everyone, and I want to be clear i'm not "in support of this" or "against it". i'm just saying it as an observation that seems true to me: I think with the latest frontier LLMs, the “music” era of games is upon us

View full thread
Zach Gage
@stfj.net

I don't think it is in any way hyperbole to say that these days, anyone with the level of drive needed to learn to write songs and play guitar, could put in the same amount of effort (or less!) and make a game of note. So here we are, games enters it's "music" era.

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

I don't really know what that means. It's probably not great for the businesses of most of the people I know (or me?), but I do think we've been creeping up on this for a while so it shouldn't be much of a shock.

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

Ok im gonna say something here that is going to draw a lot of different feelings from everyone, and I want to be clear i'm not "in support of this" or "against it". i'm just saying it as an observation that seems true to me: I think with the latest frontier LLMs, the “music” era of games is upon us

View full thread
Zach Gage
@stfj.net

But that is clearly over. It is now fairly trivial to make any game of any complexity within the bounds of complexity that matter for most game ideas. You can build the bridge part in one prompt (and people are, all across the internet, to widely varying degrees of success and quality)

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

Obviously it still requires some real work to fit the bridge into the opera, but I think we’re kidding ourselves if we ever thought that was the bit that kept everyone who wanted to make a game from actually doing it.

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

Ok im gonna say something here that is going to draw a lot of different feelings from everyone, and I want to be clear i'm not "in support of this" or "against it". i'm just saying it as an observation that seems true to me: I think with the latest frontier LLMs, the “music” era of games is upon us

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

For years we have been talking about games going in the direction of music (in the sense that there’s more great music out there than anyone can possibly engage with). This trend has driven down prices, made it harder for developers to find audiences, and turned distribution platforms into soup.

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

But one thing that has always been true about games that was not true about music (or a lot of the other arts) is that games are just incredibly hard to make. As my friend Frank Lantz famously said, "games are operas made out of bridges". (sorry to drag you into this thread @flantz.bsky.social).

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

I like the little thrill when I have to type in an 2FA passcode and I open up my authenticator app and I’ve only got like three seconds remaining

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

The kids and I finished dragon quest 11 tonight. Wow what a totally great game and what a fantastic and fantastically told story. It really became quite a bit more that I expected!

Zach Gage
@stfj.net

Thank you ego but I already know my microwave-less life is a misery I don’t need it rubbed in at breakfast

Zach Gage reposted

Ian Boudreau
@ianboudreau.com

Here's something cool we're announcing today: Knytt Classic, a faithful and complete rebuild of Nifflas' classic 2006 indie platform adventure for modern PCs, is available today, totally free to own store.steampowered.com/app/2656050/...

store.steampowered.comKnytt Classic on SteamCelebrate the 20th anniversary of the indie freeware classic, rebuilt for modern machines! Explore a maze-like planet as the Knytt, a peaceful being abducted by aliens, find your missing ship parts, a...

Zach Gage reposted

Bennett
@foddy.net

a fusion of two of my all time favorite games by one of my all time favorite indie devs <3

Stuffed Wombat@stuffedwomb.at

MARBLE SOULS coming 2026 wishlist now - store.steampowered.com/app/4531440/...