Noah Falstein

Per Rafael Brown's post below, "SAG-AFTRA called a strike in the game industry this week. The biggest issue is the right and protection of motion capture artists to not have their data exploited for AI training. " The problem is, of course, that the data that's collected by the gaming companies can be stripped out of the games after the fact, with no one, including the gaming company, knowing about it. That's functionally true for almost everything SAG and other unions have fought for. The averaging that occurs within the process of training an AI means that short of getting access to the training dataset (which has happened a lot, but a cagey company could hide it all), there may or may not be any evidence that this data was used. It's why it actually matters if AI companies, in general, are using ethical data. There are all sorts of contracts, agreements, ethical concerns, and IP owned at every level, from the creator/actor all the way up to the multinational. Given that many big companies stand to lose, they should be making more of a fuss. Capitalism usually acts that way. Today, all the people with stuff to lose to AI (except those who are functionally powerless) are doing virtually nothing to protect our collective inheritance, IP, and value. #sagaftra #gaming #ai #generativeai #artificialintelligence #strike #intellectualproperty #rights

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My sit-down with Gerald Ford of The Corner of Story and Game podcast was AWESOME. Have a listen to learn about TIME as an element of game design. ✨ #gamedesign #gamedesigners #gamedev #indiedev #gamedevelopment #gamedevelopers #podcast #podcasts #gamingpodcast #gamedevpodcast

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Don't want to bum you out but I know I'm not the only one who has noticed the same layoff cycle on LinkedIn over and over. I can tell your future... 1. Studio is shut down, all the devs become active on LinkedIn maybe for the first time in years and do their looking for work posts. People reach out with connections and support emojis. 2. The outpouring of thanks to the wonderful gamedev community. Amir Satvat and other full time LinkedIn influencers are tagged. 3. Nothing comes of all the LinkedIn support. Devs post frustration posts about how hard it is to be laid off and the injustice of the game industry. Many people will later delete these posts when they start to realize studios still aren't hiring them. 4. The reality step. Months pass and prominent veterans are still unemployed, let alone those "juniors" with a mere 5 years experience. At this point, people either give up and disappear, get a job and disappear (rare), or become a chronic disillusioned LinkedIn user. This last one either requires wearing a mask or ranting about capitalism more and more. 5. The laid off devs watch this cycle repeat for a whole swath of suffering people every couple weeks/days. And that's the step I've been on for a few months. But hey I've been working hard on my family and my solo projects. Magehunter coming soon, and AAA Simulator devlogs will be in production even sooner! Make art for yourself and those you love. Don't make my mistake - look for happiness outside this Microsoft product called LinkedIn.

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Come learn about Xsolla's strategies to improve your mobile games revenue.

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🚨🚨 OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE ALERT 🚨🚨 For the 15th episode of my foundational health habits podcast of, I jumped into video. I've been thinking of it for a while, but there were too many reasons to avoid it. I rely on a script too much. I don't have a decent background. I can't work out how to get the eye level right. I feel self conscious. [Fill in the blank]. Today I figured, screw it. Just do it. However it comes out, is however it comes out. I can review, reflect and make it a bit better each week. And that's exactly the right way to reach my goal of a polished video podcast episode. As you can see, it took a few short takes to get in the flow, but then I powdered through the whole episode. You can find the video version of episode 15 (Habit Review: May 2024 – Now, that's how you do it!) here – https://lnkd.in/eEXvtG7X And of course, if you prefer not seeing my face, you can get the audio only version o Spotify and Apple (and wherever else you listen to podcasts). Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eyQJXV6v Apple: https://lnkd.in/eP8TFjfs Feedback welcome!

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SDL2 viewport in a Win32 app. I plan on using this as a base later on for a level editor! #cpp

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"A reinvigorating sequel for the series that leaves no doubt about its place in the RPG pantheon." -IGN I'm thrilled that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has earned an 84 on Metacritic from 48 critics, marking a solid win for BioWare and Electronic Arts (EA). Many reviewers have noted that The Veilguard reinvigorates the Dragon Age series, praising its return to a more structured, purposeful environment rather than a sprawling open world. Players can now experience the northern realms of Thedas, including places like Rivain and the wilds of the Anderfels, in a highly immersive way. The intricate design of Minrathous, though occasionally challenging to navigate, has been highlighted for bringing a new level of detail to the series. Many enjoyed the fast-paced, action-oriented combat system, rewarding players for skillful timing and companion synergy. Although companions have less independent customization, they bring unique abilities that create a dynamic in battle. The story and character arcs have also received high praise, with each companion treated to a deep, individual storyline. Many reviewers are describing these arcs as akin to full-scale hero journeys rather than simple side quests, complete with personal nemeses and moments of triumph that add significant weight to the overall narrative. Though I haven’t yet touched it due to travel, the Dragon Age series is one of my all-time favorites, so I plan to take my time to fully experience The Veilguard before sharing my own review. I also hold out a faint glimmer of hope that the Keep and tapestry features will return someday - these elements were unique in tracking player choices, and their absence has been felt among fans. Maybe it’s a futile hope, but I had to mention it one more time. I am so happy for everybody involved with the latest chapter of this legendary series, so dear to me, and I can't want to get my hands on it the second I am home and the family is asleep! P.S. If you're wondering how long to beat, folks are saying 55-60 hours for main plus most side content. That's what I'm talking about.

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FRIDAY ROBLOX THINK PIECE... Is Roblox really aging up?  The answer is definitively yes, and easy to see if you know where to look. Examining a wealth of data from RoMonitor Stats, it is becoming a tale of two platforms.  1️⃣ One side of Roblox is truly for 6-12 year olds gamers. Simple games with no progression, collection, or game loop, featuring simple graphics, sometimes with very child-friendly themes, remain extremely popular and well-represented in the Top 25 Roblox games. Brookhaven, the #1 all-time Roblox game in users, is a perfect example of appealing to the platform’s youngest demographic. 🎯 20M+ DAU 🎯 200K Discord followers  ➡️ That’s 1% Discord:DAU ratio It’s furthermore famous for having minimal monetization, which is highly valued by the youngest demographic.  2️⃣ The other side is more grown up, 13-18 years old - a great example is Gamefam’s War Tycoon, the #1 Roblox military game. 🎯 350K DAU 🎯 100K Discord followers  ➡️ That’s 28% Discord:DAU ratio Highly monetized and players value the monetization layer of the game. We have seen this pattern across our portfolio and the platform itself. The younger the demographic of a Roblox game, the lower the Roblox DAU to Discord Follower ratio.  Stands to reason 🔷 6-12 year-old players are barely on social media 🔷 They have less to discuss around the games and the live ops 🔷 They are not ready to be “community members” 🔶 13+ year-old players are substantially on social media 🔶 Love gossiping about how the game is going and being operated 🔶 Love being community members __________________ We believe therefore that the Roblox DAU to Discord ratio is a key directional indicator of a game community's average age. ⬇️ We call this metric the “Community Age Index”.  🟣 We see the Community Age Index for anime-themed games. This is where Roblox’s most aged-up audience is aggregating - playing anime battling games like Blox Fruit, Strongest Battlegrounds, and Jujutsu Shenanigans. I’m sure a smart consultancy like Naavik could do some ranking math on the Community Age Index of these games and find some fascinating insights. 🟣 Why anime? Because this incredibly passionate audience is simply underserved for multiplayer content through official channels, so they have started making their own content to meet their gameplay needs. The promise of UGC in action! 🟣 So, is Roblox aging up? It is clearly keeping players in certain genres into their teen years in a way it wasn’t 5 years ago, and we can all thank the massive global popularity of anime for that!  So much more data to be shared from Gamefam, RoMonitor Stats, and other industry experts at our Slush event - FUTURE OF GAMING | UGC IS CHANGING EVERYTHING on Nov. 19th in Helsinki! Would love to hear your thoughts Aaron Bush Abhimanyu Kumar 🔜 IGDC KizmoTek Austin Tindal 💪 Nicolas Markham Alexandra (Alli) Guglielmino

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MiniMax - GenAI Video - fantastic facial expression prompts - Joy – Wide eyes, big smile, raised eyebrows, relaxed facial muscles. - Sadness – Downturned mouth, furrowed brows, teary eyes, drooping eyelids. - Surprise – Wide eyes, raised eyebrows, open mouth, slight head tilt. - Anger – Furrowed brows, clenched jaw, flared nostrils, narrowed eyes. - Fear – Wide eyes, slightly open mouth, tense brows, rigid jaw. - Disgust – Scrunched nose, raised upper lip, furrowed brows, narrowed eyes. - Confusion – One eyebrow raised, slightly open mouth, furrowed brows, head tilt. - Contempt – One side of the mouth curled up, narrowed eyes, head slightly turned. - Determination – Tightened lips, narrowed eyes, focused eyebrows, set jaw. - Shock – Frozen expression with wide-open eyes, slackened jaw, raised eyebrows. - Relief – Closed eyes, small smile, relaxed eyebrows, exhale shown with slightly open mouth. - Embarrassment – Eyes looking downward, blushing cheeks, sheepish smile, raised shoulders. https://lnkd.in/g6mD44Dw

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Notice the default blink rate of the text cursor for the latest versions of Windows is exactly 530 milliseconds? It's an example of a detail few viewers will give a second thought to. In contrast, creators often get caught up in the minutiae of their work instead of zooming out to look at the overall experience they've crafted. Sometimes, taking a step back can lead to further discovery.

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UMG's Partnership with SoundLabs Brings Advanced AI Technology to Music Production Universal Music Group (UMG) has announced a collaboration with SoundLabs, a music technology company known for its AI tools designed for music creators. This partnership will allow UMG's artists and producers to use SoundLabs' MicDrop plugin, an AI-powered tool compatible with all major digital audio workstations. The plugin can be trained on an artist's voice, enabling the creation of custom vocal models for studio use. UMG, which works with prominent artists like Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Adele, and Kendrick Lamar, highlights that this tool provides artists with full creative control and approval over the generated content. The MicDrop plugin offers several innovative features, including the ability to modify vocal timbres, transform speech into singing, and change the language of a vocal recording. This technology allows artists to release foreign-language versions of their songs without recording new vocals. Additionally, it enables them to perform duets with their younger selves by utilizing archival recordings. UMG emphasizes that these vocal models will be exclusively available for the artists' personal use and not for public access, ensuring ethical application and full control by the creators. This development follows UMG's recent partnership with Roland, where they introduced seven ethical principles for AI in music creation. These guidelines aim to ensure that artificial intelligence enhances, rather than replaces, human creativity. Previously, UMG also explored licensing artists' voices for AI-generated songs in collaboration with Google, demonstrating their commitment to integrating AI ethically in the music industry. SoundLabs, led by Grammy-nominated producer and software developer BT, is at the forefront of AI music technology. BT has a history of working on innovative audio plugins like iZotope's Stutter Edit and BreakTweaker. He expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, emphasizing the potential of AI to democratize creativity and reduce barriers in the creative process. UMG's Chris Horton reiterated the company's focus on keeping artists central to their AI strategy, ensuring that technology serves artistic expression. The MicDrop plugin is set for release later this summer, marking a significant step in the evolution of music production. #MusicInnovation #AIMusic #CreativeTech #FutureOfMusic

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Ok...I'm working on a premise. A kernel of a thought I had a while back...and would like to express it here to get your take. I posit: Video Games; their fundamental purpose...is misunderstood. ...Shall we? OMY@C Video games are fun...right? That's why we play them...right? What is fun though? Blowing things up is fun. Killing zombies and nazis...objectively fun. Making tea and moving a plate of fish over and over again from point A to B is fun. ...wait. Is it? Half of "Dave The Diver" is serving sushi to irritable customers. How is that fun? Shit...what does "fun" even mean? Are we thinking about this the right way? Let me be clear, "Dave the Diver" is definitely fun. I enjoyed the hell out of that game. But WHY did I enjoy it? I did not race a car through space...I did not overcome any necromorphs or orcs...hell, I didn't even throw a game winning touchdown. I poured drinks...I added ingredients to a menu. What the hell? Here's the thing: One of the main reasons we play games is to feel the pleasant satisfaction of challenging ourselves when nothing truly mortal is on the line. Historically...when there is no saber-toothed tiger about to eat us, or farmland that needs tilling...humans have played games. We play games to provide a momentary escape from the toil of our daily lives. Ironically, many of these games have psychologically replaced the danger we no longer experience from saber-toothed tigers...or the repetitive toil that very few of us still experience through farming. The danger part is what everyone thinks about. The toil? Not so much. But...we need toil. We need repetition. We need meaningless micro-successes. "Fun?" ...yeah, maybe fun is not strictly about gleeful enjoyment...and more about recognizable satisfaction...and with video games, that includes the toil. I typically have at least two hypercasual mobile games going at any given time. For the last couple years, one of those games has been Voodoo's "Bubble Buster 2024." I'm on level 1,997. It's a prototypical, short-form dopamine distributor. Each level is different though, so it always feels fresh. The other one I'm playing right now is "Hexa Sort," by Lion Studios...it's one of a million "hexa" stacking games, but this one has super clean design, and is genuinely challenging. Is it weird that a "shape" has become a gaming sub-genre? yes...but that's not my point. There is undeniable enjoyment in both games...and I often choose them over GTA V (where I have the opportunity to steal cars, fly a helicopter under a bridge...shoot evil space clowns). It's clearly the more "fun" proposition, right? Toil. It's a different itch that also needs a'scratchin'. Final Thought: The Eagles are next up at The Sphere LV. I know Don Henley and Glenn Frey were notorious jerkfaces, and Jeff Lebowski hates them, but he's wrong. I'd see that show. I think Radiohead would be the ultimate Sphere show though. Make it so.

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This is a PSA to all tech artists and anybody in gamedev trying to make OSS libraries: You NEED to include a license with your repo. If you don't then nobody is allowed to clone, fork, or use your repo in any way. I am saying this because apparently this is not known by the vast majority of people in this community. This is a perfect example: https://lnkd.in/ed2xgyth. Seven years of houdini tutorials. NONE of it can be used. If you hit fork or clone on that repo you are breaking the law. Such a shame. Everybody loses. Please spread the word. Include licenses. OSS in gamedev is just starting and every license added to a repo like this makes a huge difference in making OSS gamedev a reality. More information if anyone wants resources: https://lnkd.in/eXfMpVg6 #opensource #gamdev #houdini

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This week I'm really starting to push the playtesting demo of Bundle of Joy and get folks to check out the game leading up to PlayNYC and other public events. One thing I've been trying to learn during this process is how to "let go." Sometimes I hold WIP a bit too close and don't invite folks into the process as much as I probably should. I not only want to be more transparent with what I'm making and *how* I'm making it, but I also want to feel less vulnerable when I'm actively sharing something in development. Bundle of Joy is so personal that it's been extra hard letting go. However, whenever I've shared the game with folks I get a lot of positive feedback and encouragement. But it still feels a little risky to be so... out there! I have to remind myself that EVERY SINGLE TIME I show the project something magical happens: laughter at my jokes, panicked button-mashing to change a diaper, satisfied smiles when finishing an in-game day, a thoughtful reading of the delicate narrative. Even when I find a new bug, it's still magic! Keeping that perspective in mind as I start this next sprint will help me loosen my grip and more fully appreciate another essential part of this process. I can't wait the demo with folks later this week at the NYU Game Center playtesting event and my community (which you can be a part of!!! https://lnkd.in/eRhHRftA). #indiegames #godot #indiedev #playtesting

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Humans have long pondered the nature of their mind/brain and, particularly why its capacities for reasoning, communication and abstract thought are far superior to other species, including closely related anthropoids. This article considers superior pattern processing (SPP) as the fundamental basis of most, if not all, unique features of the human brain including intelligence, language, imagination, invention, and the belief in imaginary entities such as ghosts and gods. SPP involves the electrochemical, neuronal network-based, encoding, integration, and transfer to other individuals of perceived or mentally-fabricated patterns. During human evolution, pattern processing capabilities became increasingly sophisticated as the result of expansion of the cerebral cortex, particularly the prefrontal cortex and regions involved in processing of images. Specific patterns, real or imagined, are reinforced by emotional experiences, indoctrination and even psychedelic drugs. Impaired or dysregulated SPP is fundamental to cognitive and psychiatric disorders. A broader understanding of SPP mechanisms, and their roles in normal and abnormal function of the human brain, may enable the development of interventions that reduce irrational decisions and destructive behaviors.

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Roblox just released a ton of great new features, specifically major updates to their safety systems, including default user protections, parental controls, and policies. Here are some of the key changes straight from Roblox: "- Increased built-in protections for younger users including additional communication restrictions and default access restrictions to certain categories of content. For example, a new built-in setting restricts users younger than 13 from directly messaging other users in experiences or messaging others through Roblox (platform) chat. - Expanded suite of Parental Controls including remote management to monitor activity even when parents and caregivers aren’t physically together with their kids. New controls also allow parents to create/adjust important settings from their own devices – for example, set a daily screen-time limit (new), spending controls, view friends’ list (new), set content access restrictions, and more. - Updated Content Labels: We have renamed “Experience Guidelines” to “Content Labels,” which now include default restrictions for younger users’ access to more mature content (Moderate/Restricted) based on the following maturity levels: Minimal, Mild, Moderate and Restricted." You can read the entire newsletter here - https://lnkd.in/e7BWc2zw

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This is Not Fortnite Usual this Is Unreal Engine Fortnite Creative BlackPoint Studios In North Carolina Game we are developing on Fornite. (Blackpoint BR) As the Regional Director for Blackpoint Studios and someone that genuinely has a passion for all facades of video games and Esports is cool to the see the growth of developing a video game using Epic Games Unreal Engine Fornite Creative eventually. People all over the state will give us feedback on the game and we will listen to the feedback and develop game even better. Our goal is to get an Epic Games MegaGrant & additional funding to devlop (Blackpoint BR) on the Unreal Engine. Helping develop infrastructure and definitely need opportunities have helped build the confidence in Epic Games & Fortnite & the value of experience it can bring to a city, county, state a nation, internationally, globally. If didn’t develop the Jump Ahead Esports competitions and go Chicago to the Esports Trade association I wouldn’t be in this position. Developing video games on Fortnite that will be on PS5, PC, Xbox, Steam, Nintendo. One day Blackpoint is going to be a global video game studio creating that longevity the video game industry, and Esports industry needs. #GlobalGoals #EpicGames #UnrealEngine #Fortnite #Economics #Blackpoint #VideoGames #Esports #Billions #PS5 #PC #xbox #Steam #GameDesign #FortniteCreative

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