Alexander King
@literallyaking.com
Game Designer, Economy/System Design. Adjunct Professor at NYU Game Center & Parsons DT. Staff Data Analyst for ACT-UAW Local 7902. Spreadsheet aficionado.
(He/Him)
(He/Him)
Reposted by Alexander King
I frequently see "AI" boosters implying that LLMs are simply an innate and superior part of coding now, inescapable, and that literally all programmers agree with them.
And, well. That, too, is a form of propaganda
And, well. That, too, is a form of propaganda
October 2, 2026 at 12:41 AM
I frequently see "AI" boosters implying that LLMs are simply an innate and superior part of coding now, inescapable, and that literally all programmers agree with them.
And, well. That, too, is a form of propaganda
And, well. That, too, is a form of propaganda
My 3 year old this morning: "I wish it was Halloween all year!"
Me: Oh yeah me too
Him, sighing wistfully: "But I know it doesn't work like that"
Me: Oh yeah me too
Him, sighing wistfully: "But I know it doesn't work like that"
October 1, 2026 at 6:05 PM
My 3 year old this morning: "I wish it was Halloween all year!"
Me: Oh yeah me too
Him, sighing wistfully: "But I know it doesn't work like that"
Me: Oh yeah me too
Him, sighing wistfully: "But I know it doesn't work like that"
Reposted by Alexander King
Fuck ChatGPT flyers. The future is broadsheets.
September 25, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Fuck ChatGPT flyers. The future is broadsheets.
Reposted by Alexander King
Trying to make a game that spreads on social media but not wildly enough that a dozen clones release before you can finish the game.
September 11, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Trying to make a game that spreads on social media but not wildly enough that a dozen clones release before you can finish the game.
Reposted by Alexander King
Ah, hello prince. This is a nice day for rolling, isn't it? We got the idea for rolling up some things. Well, for you to do it. Maybe some fluffy things. Fluffy things with points in their mouths. They make a noise, aw aw? I don't know how it goes. Get a lot of them. Anyway goodbye, I don't love you
これはつくばにあるトロイの柴犬。この中に隠れていた犬達によってつくばの土地が制圧されつくばわんわんランドが建立されたのは有名な逸話ですね。(オデュッセイア視聴の意)
September 19, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Ah, hello prince. This is a nice day for rolling, isn't it? We got the idea for rolling up some things. Well, for you to do it. Maybe some fluffy things. Fluffy things with points in their mouths. They make a noise, aw aw? I don't know how it goes. Get a lot of them. Anyway goodbye, I don't love you
Reposted by Alexander King
I'd put money on the line that GTA6 will have approximately 100,000 little jokes between the cutscenes and NPC barks and worldbuilding etc and not a single one will make you laugh
September 15, 2026 at 6:41 PM
I'd put money on the line that GTA6 will have approximately 100,000 little jokes between the cutscenes and NPC barks and worldbuilding etc and not a single one will make you laugh
Reposted by Alexander King
Reposted by Alexander King
microzine #15, oval office odyssey, screenshot, apple II (1986) www.mobygames.com/game/149343/...
September 5, 2026 at 12:36 PM
microzine #15, oval office odyssey, screenshot, apple II (1986) www.mobygames.com/game/149343/...
I think about this a lot. As a new parent, it's been very apparent to me the incredible craft with which certain picture books are made with, and what a subtle art it is too, such that many children's authors and virtually all publishers seem utterly oblivious to what that craft is or looks like.
when I think about them I wonder: are picture books secretly the ultimate medium? they combine writing & illustration but they're ultimately about performance. they're about the most profound things but also need to connect directly. they're designed to be read again and again, on a daily basis.
September 3, 2026 at 11:21 PM
I think about this a lot. As a new parent, it's been very apparent to me the incredible craft with which certain picture books are made with, and what a subtle art it is too, such that many children's authors and virtually all publishers seem utterly oblivious to what that craft is or looks like.
Reposted by Alexander King
I tried to be optimistic! I stand by this bit.
August 24, 2026 at 11:09 PM
I tried to be optimistic! I stand by this bit.
The most recent post on her website being a 3 year old post titled "What Caused Recent Crypto Selloff" is very found audio log energy
August 23, 2026 at 11:39 PM
The most recent post on her website being a 3 year old post titled "What Caused Recent Crypto Selloff" is very found audio log energy
This was utterly fantastic! Very sad to have finished it.
Lots to love, but what really impressed me was the incredible density and intricacy of the level and puzzle design. Nothing is superfluous, every screen is packed with secrets to explore.
Lots to love, but what really impressed me was the incredible density and intricacy of the level and puzzle design. Nothing is superfluous, every screen is packed with secrets to explore.
August 22, 2026 at 5:40 PM
This was utterly fantastic! Very sad to have finished it.
Lots to love, but what really impressed me was the incredible density and intricacy of the level and puzzle design. Nothing is superfluous, every screen is packed with secrets to explore.
Lots to love, but what really impressed me was the incredible density and intricacy of the level and puzzle design. Nothing is superfluous, every screen is packed with secrets to explore.
Reposted by Alexander King
I am becoming incredibly exhausted of this pattern:
many people: "AI sucks!"
Very Smart Person: ah but have you considered (distinct application of ML or statistical modeling that has no real relationship to what the tech industry is marketing as, and people broadly perceive as, "AI")
many people: "AI sucks!"
Very Smart Person: ah but have you considered (distinct application of ML or statistical modeling that has no real relationship to what the tech industry is marketing as, and people broadly perceive as, "AI")
apropos of nothing, here's a terrific feature about a meaningful, life-saving use of artificial intelligence, which I have been thinking about for over a year. it's just extremely stupid to say that AI has zero benefits even if you don't think it should be used in writing (which I don't)!
Can A.I. Find Cures for Untreatable Diseases—Using Drugs We Already Have?
For many medical conditions, lifesaving treatments may be hiding in plain sight.
www.newyorker.com
August 21, 2026 at 3:20 AM
I am becoming incredibly exhausted of this pattern:
many people: "AI sucks!"
Very Smart Person: ah but have you considered (distinct application of ML or statistical modeling that has no real relationship to what the tech industry is marketing as, and people broadly perceive as, "AI")
many people: "AI sucks!"
Very Smart Person: ah but have you considered (distinct application of ML or statistical modeling that has no real relationship to what the tech industry is marketing as, and people broadly perceive as, "AI")
Reposted by Alexander King
fanart (1997) archive.org/details/Comp...
August 20, 2026 at 12:58 PM
fanart (1997) archive.org/details/Comp...
I think maybe the reason this didn't happen is that promises like the former are quickly verifiable as something it can't actually do, whereas promising to replace all labor *in the future* is a goalpost that's conveniently mobile.
(Since, largely, the real customers are VCs etc, not people)
(Since, largely, the real customers are VCs etc, not people)
I maintain that consumer AI products would have been received very differently if they were launched with promises like, "You can query this to sort through your inbox of 50,000 emails" rather than "What if artists starved in the streets? :)"
August 19, 2026 at 9:49 PM
I think maybe the reason this didn't happen is that promises like the former are quickly verifiable as something it can't actually do, whereas promising to replace all labor *in the future* is a goalpost that's conveniently mobile.
(Since, largely, the real customers are VCs etc, not people)
(Since, largely, the real customers are VCs etc, not people)
tfw you're working on an ancient world project
August 12, 2026 at 8:37 PM
tfw you're working on an ancient world project
Well, guess the time has come that I'm gonna have to sit my kid down and explain gender
August 10, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Well, guess the time has come that I'm gonna have to sit my kid down and explain gender
What's kind of surprising to me is how boring and small Zuckerberg's vision is, even in a press release where he's just making things up. He could (and does) say it'll do anything, but the only example he can come up with personally is "It tells me how to spend time with my kids"
I tried to read it, but one of the first tenets is promising everyone a magic being that will grant all their wishes.
Mark Zuckerberg Lays Out New AI Vision in 6,500-Word Essay
The Meta CEO has a new game plan for winning over hearts and minds to his company’s artificial-intelligence efforts.
www.wsj.com
August 10, 2026 at 2:31 PM
What's kind of surprising to me is how boring and small Zuckerberg's vision is, even in a press release where he's just making things up. He could (and does) say it'll do anything, but the only example he can come up with personally is "It tells me how to spend time with my kids"
What I take from this is that every Eurasian civ had "Chicken Nuggets" open on the tech tree from 3000 BCE onwards, but no one pulled the trigger on it for another five millennia, smh
literally every history question has been asked in there and thoroughly, *comprehensively* answered already
August 6, 2026 at 1:47 AM
What I take from this is that every Eurasian civ had "Chicken Nuggets" open on the tech tree from 3000 BCE onwards, but no one pulled the trigger on it for another five millennia, smh
Reposted by Alexander King
I get the flex from people that have never used AI, believe me. But I think it's equally powerful that I used pretty much all of these tools to learn how they work and see what they do for myself, I stopped using them because they are not very useful and I wouldn't care if they disappeared at all.
August 5, 2026 at 6:37 AM
I get the flex from people that have never used AI, believe me. But I think it's equally powerful that I used pretty much all of these tools to learn how they work and see what they do for myself, I stopped using them because they are not very useful and I wouldn't care if they disappeared at all.
So tempted by this. Man I miss the old machines. I always thought they were strangely tacky, the kiddy colors and all caps signage. But then the useless grey new ones came out and I realized, with horror, that all along these were actually stunningly well designed 😢
We’re auctioning a limited number of MetroCard Vending Machines and MetroCard Express Machines!
The auction is now open and offers must be received by Wednesday, August 19, 2026 at 8 pm EST.
Learn more and bid on our website: mta.info/auction
The auction is now open and offers must be received by Wednesday, August 19, 2026 at 8 pm EST.
Learn more and bid on our website: mta.info/auction
August 5, 2026 at 1:28 PM
So tempted by this. Man I miss the old machines. I always thought they were strangely tacky, the kiddy colors and all caps signage. But then the useless grey new ones came out and I realized, with horror, that all along these were actually stunningly well designed 😢
Reposted by Alexander King
Finished up Derelict Star recently, really enjoyed it despite not being much of a 'precision platformer' player. From the rave reviews I went in expecting good level design and an expressive moveset, but I was still surprised by the sprawling size, existential mood, and awesome soundtrack.
August 4, 2026 at 10:29 PM
Finished up Derelict Star recently, really enjoyed it despite not being much of a 'precision platformer' player. From the rave reviews I went in expecting good level design and an expressive moveset, but I was still surprised by the sprawling size, existential mood, and awesome soundtrack.
An aside, but it's funny that all these companies can only imagine collecting middleman rents, throwing a chain across a river.
Every tech company's play always boils down to something so boring as "grow so big you can take a cut of all ad spending"
Every tech company's play always boils down to something so boring as "grow so big you can take a cut of all ad spending"
July 20, 2026 at 9:08 PM
An aside, but it's funny that all these companies can only imagine collecting middleman rents, throwing a chain across a river.
Every tech company's play always boils down to something so boring as "grow so big you can take a cut of all ad spending"
Every tech company's play always boils down to something so boring as "grow so big you can take a cut of all ad spending"
I do love the hilarious court politics at play here, where the consultant can't ask *anything* about AI since it would definitionally require an admission of failure
July 19, 2026 at 1:20 PM
I do love the hilarious court politics at play here, where the consultant can't ask *anything* about AI since it would definitionally require an admission of failure