Jacob Vela
Solo lawyer working with game devs and other creatives at argolawyer.com.
Game developer at studiovelagames.com (Star Rift Saga) https://store.steampowered.com/app/2158690/Star_Rift_Saga/.
- I have genuinely tried to get generative AI to help me do things for work. But it gets so much wrong and is so confident about what it gets wrong. This is in things that it should be very good at. The best way to see that LLMs really aren't that great is to ask it about something you know about.
- It's a good way of looking at it. While I do think that looking at the "video game industry" as a single thing can be useful in some places, it's not as much when you're looking at what is competing with your game for their player's time.
- Support your local tournament organizers. (by inflicting unnecessary distress to the ones that are fans of Metroid like @jaxas.bsky.social)
- So let me get this straight. OpenAI needs a license to Disney characters but not any of the other copyright-protected material in their dataset? What's the distinction here? Just those who have the resources to sue them? Got it. Really not helping the "copyright for big corps only" allegations.
- This is from a Sonic game, allegedly. What excites me the most about these crossovers in games is the business deals that have to go on between companies to make them happen, and that says something about me.
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- It was a fun bracket, my final set went to game 5, final round. Always a good time with @salemfighters.bsky.social.
- I find this fascinating for a few reasons. It shows how games can't easily cater to both players and market speculators. Their interests in the game are directly opposed to one another. Which is a big reason why I think that crypto/blockchain has no good place in games. 🧵
- I feel like @rohangrey.bsky.social's Law, Money, Tech class could have an interesting discussion or at least be a good topic for a student paper on digital "assets" in games and their speculative markets. There's something here on the question of securities as well.
- One of my biggest gripes with the way that fighting games are monetized (paid game+DLC characters each year) is that the goals of the game's balance and profitability are at odds. Is the new DLC character overpowered at launch? Maybe, but the incentive is there to make it strong so that it sells.
- Group that makes cool remixes purely because they love creation and the game music that inspired them says AI is antithetical to their core values because of course it is. The problem is people who want to pretend to be artists and get the credit without actually doing the work to learn the skills.
- It might be because I played a lot of Hades so I was a lot more familiar with that game (and had more upgrades), but Hades II feels a lot harder. Which it could be, since this game is aimed at people who already played and beat the first one. Game is very good though.
- (Epilepsy warning, probably.) I think I won Maze Mice.
- Price increase for Xbox consoles in the US "due to changes in the macroeconomic environment." Look, if you're going to be vague about it, you're part of the problem. Just say what it is, tariffs being imposed by the current administration are increasing the price in the form of an import tax.🧵
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- Mike made a pretty bold assumption here about my brain not exploding, but I do appreciate being called an indie dev daredevil. I was on Mike's podcast where I talked about the basics of what indie devs should know about the law. Give it a listen so I can do it again and talk about other topics.
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- I came across this trailer last night and I have rarely needed a game beamed straight into my eye holes so immediately as this one. The opening made me think Star Fox, and the gameplay confirmed everything I look for out of that. Hey @chuhailabs.com, I need a release date ASAP.
- Okay yeah, Kirby Air Riders seems like it's building on that prototype. It sure is Air Ride, but again. And more. Which is what fans have wanted. I have my reservations, but game looks solid. Love how many of the visual effects were seemingly pulled straight from Smash. Efficient.
- Hot take: I think the original Kirby Air Ride is only alright. It's still fun, but mostly a good prototype for different ideas rather than a great game on its own merits.
- I have no idea how Game Changer is going to get any wilder for their next season, but I'm excited to find out.
