Opens profile photo
Follow
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Captain of
@kitfoxgames
(Boyfriend Dungeon, Moon Hunters, Dwarf Fortress??). Co-director of
@pixellesmtl
. She/her. Be full of love. Put in the effort.
Montreal, Canadakitfoxgames.comJoined January 2012
961 Following
22.8K Followers

Tanya X. Short’s posts

Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
we sold as many copies of Boyfriend Dungeon in 1 day as we did in the first week of Moon Hunters (2016)... plus we didn't take any outside funding for it, so it's all for Kitfox, baby! 🎉
308
7,838
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Why Every Game Has Combat a thread with probably unpopular grumbling of a non-violent game designer who's tried and failed to escape making combat-based games many times
167
5,240
719.4K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
boyfriend dungeon's coming out in 6 minutes on Xbox, Windows Store, Steam, Epic, Nintendo Switch, itch been working on it for 4 years I'll have a lot to write but for now my team is the best and I can say, honestly, it's true success to work with them every day
204
3,469
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
welp, we hit that in under 24 hours. hooray for Dwarf Fortress fans and hooray for Tarn and Zach's brilliance! (and thanks to you too, Steam algorithm!)
Quote
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
you: "How many copies will Dwarf Fortress sell?" economist, studying historical Kitfox data: "uhh, ~160k units in 2 months" you: "surely it'll be more" economist: ... me: let's see what the Steam algorithm does! kitfoxgames.medium.com/how-many-copie
90
2,638
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
we legit thought that all of the reports of angry bluejays and ostriches destroying people in Dwarf Fortress was just folks sharing funny stories. nope, Tarn glanced at it and noticed fishing was set to agitate local wildlife way too much. classic. (fix pushed)
46
2,451
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
as requested, here's a lil thread with thoughts and observations on how to grow as a game designer, from aspiring to senior, as a salaried game designer for over 10 years. (it's ok if you disagree with me 🌠)
21
2,098
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
"game dev is so competitive! so hard to get in!" they said "such a high churn in this industry! most ppl only last 5 years!" they said HUH. I wonder who those apply to, since we have so many predators kept around for DECADES after complaints are made about them! 🤔 so mysterious
12
2,016
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
most of your 30s seems to be figuring out which of your eccentricities and personality traits are actually coping strategies you adopted to survive your 20s, and which of those are worth keeping
29
1,738
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
indies, if you spend time: - tweeting abt your game - writing blog posts abt your game - answering journalist questions abt your game - sending emails abt your game your marketing budget is now more than $0 because your time is worth more than $0. congrats.
23
1,746
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
calling a low-effort lunch a "cheese board" transforms you from a raccoon scavenging miscellaneous snacks from your kitchen into a luxurious princeling, lording over your domain, enjoying life to the fullest
16
1,696
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Hello, I'm a game designer. You may know me from my greatest hits: "Wouldn't it be cool if" "I have a document about that here somewhere" "What do you mean it's cut" "No it's supposed to do that" "Uh thanks. That's a bug but"
24
1,644
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
ok the arms race is getting out of hand. soon ya'll are gonna be posting "I'm making a game where all my sprites start as notches in redwood trees, so my great-great grandkids will have to update them in 300 years when the rings are ready to scan" smh
Quote
Luno
@lunoland
i'm making a game where all my sprites start as intricate wood carvings twitter.com/EvaBalikova/st…
Embedded video
0:17
32
1,572
77.1K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
CUT THIS OUT. ALEX IS AWESOME and it's OK that antagonists exist! He did a great job!
Quote
Octo
@Octopimp
Hey I can't believe I have to address this, but please don't send me hate messages about my character in Boyfriend Dungeon. I know he sucks, but I'm just his voice actor. Please be respectful.
20
1,220
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
if any major entities would like to acquire a studio that has NO pending allegations of sexism, toxicity, bullying, or other cultural problems, may I offer you Kitfox Games for the low, low price of only 3 billion
27
994
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
people think "baby steps" refers to how small the first steps towards a goal are, but it SHOULD refer to a lot of falling down, getting back up, crying, and never having a goal in the first place
12
1,017
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
people think mentorship is giving advice, wisdom that's a start, but also includes: - encouragement to make their own mistakes - seeing them surpass you - forgetting your role in their success - a life-long friendship - mutual admiration give, let go, and give more, if you can
10
956
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
The 3 step process to high productivity: 1 only work 8 hours a day maximum, seriously, no excuses 2 tell someone you respect what you accomplished each day 3 have a second monitor That's it. Everything else is a minor optimization or a band-aid.
32
899
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
HEY don't forget that quality assurance is: - essential to good game development - skill-based and challenging - deserving of respect & pay - not any more of a "starting"/junior position than any other role
20
872
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
other popular ways to burn out: - being micromanaged or otherwise undermined - being given tasks you feel are meaningless, doomed, counter-productive - not feeling appreciated or welcome on your team - feeling stagnant, lacking growth or stretch opportunities - personal tragedy
18
910
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
3 things that would help games move towards becoming a safer, better industry: - unions - making abusers risky/shameful/costly to hire and promote - diverse executives & leads oh wait those last 2 things are easier with strong unions.
7
831
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
When it's very hot and you have no air conditioning: 1 go outside 2 acquire a bicycle 3 ride bicycle downhill. Do not pedal. 4 keep riding bicycle downhill 5 now you are in the sea welcome to your new home
18
739
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Instead of non-violence, gameplay qualities to examine for value/appeal in an analysis of geese, katamari, etc: - mischief (playful/harmless norm-breaking) - familiarity of setting/content - introducing chaos into order - exploration of minutiae
11
763
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Envy is a real problem, bc it can not only make you feel like crap, it can also prevent you from collaborating and supporting others, or even destroy relationships! So here's how to deal with it, in my experience as a creator, not a mental health professional. (a quick thread)
23
762
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
game design will always be my first love, but I didn't expect to enjoy studio leadership and indie management as much as I do. giving people the opportunity to excel in their dream job? helping them grow into their best professional selves? YES MORE PLEASE
18
796
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
consciously or not, many game designers love Nintendo because their games and studio are very obviously design-led, whereas Microsoft is primarily a tech-driven company and ... well, Sony's complicated, but I'd say product-design or art/narrative driven, depending on the moment.
11
803
26.5K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
said it before but if you're making an indie game of your own IP and a publisher wants to help: - don't let them 100% recoup - if they don't put in dev $$$, their rev share should be 30% or lower - assume their promotion promises might fall through, and plan accordingly
11
732
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
I have a few mins left in my lunchbreak so I'm going to do a quick thread on: you might be accidentally marketing your indie games to other game devs, pros and cons
9
712
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
hey, you know what's nice? I was prominently personally attached to the Dwarf Fortress announcement yesterday, and received neither harassment or doubts about my competency. wow! looking forward to that not feeling like a surprise! <3
16
683
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
more important than it seems: if you're going to have a kid, please please please take AT LEAST 3 months off for parental leave, ESPECIALLY If you're not giving birth, ESPECIALLY if you're a man, and ESPECIALLY if you are a lead or manager or CEO. 👏NORMALIZE👏TAKING👏LEAVE👏
17
672
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
ahhhaaaa, yes, here is the official term for what happens when you leave your game's fans alone for too long and need to fight uphill to get control of their spiralling toxicity: community debt
16
669
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Had a conversation with someone getting into proc gen today and realized i don't yell this enough: HAND BUILD YOUR TARGET THING FIRST, so you can then analyze how best to achieve that. Don't start thinking abt process and algorithms till after.
20
634
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
if you're having trouble with hybrid work culture, I suggest: a monthly per-person teambuilding credit! Kitfox offers $50 per employee/month, spent when 2 Kitfoxes hang out, if they share a pic. So far we've seen lunches, tea, and soon an escape room! quick thread explaining:
21
692
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
hi. I co-edited a widely-regarded textbook on procedural storytelling in game design. happy to comment. have a whole book's worth. if anyone wanted to ask. just sayin'.
25
689
64.3K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
in case it helps someone: I cut down on my over-committing when I saw that it made me inconsiderate (the opposite of my intent). when you over-commit, you end up half-assing, ignoring, or disappointing people/things you care abt, which isn't just sad like 'no'.. it's rude!
13
615
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
At some point in almost every event, a senior game designer or director breezily says on a stage that he doesn't really think about the values and messages inherent in his work. It seems odd to me that this is not embarrassing?
12
574
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Replying to
@tanyaxshort
and Ooblets for example is SO much stronger for not having your cute little friends fight and defeat each other. the dogfighting analogy at the heart of Pokemon remains deeply unsettling and just glossed over for the same reasons Moon Hunters does it:
4
623
80.9K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
If someone inspires you, here's a few ways to support them: - buy their products/give them $ - signal boost their tweets - refer them to speak at events - rec them to be studied by your peers - nominate them for awards, books, festivals - analyze/write about their work
1
574
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
can't believe there's actual yelling in some peoples' game development studios. I would say "it's video games! calm down! it isn't heart surgery!" except heart surgeons should also know better than to abuse their expert assistants...
39
578
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
I'm REALLY grateful that even though there's some heated Discourse about real issues, nobody is harassing me or Kitfox! wow! hooray! but also, I wish ya'll were more kind to each other too, please. empathize; recognize needs; respect.
7
583
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Quick thread on keeping up your (and/or your team's) mental health while making indie games in a pandemic (will expand into a proper article to explain nuances soonTM):
6
591
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Replying to
@tanyaxshort
you CAN build a different metaphor. Ooblets has dance-offs. but then you have to explain a bunch of new elements (victory points instead of HP, beats, warm-ups, hype, fluster, trepidation), but regardless of abstraction, they FEEL more abstract due to unfamiliarity.
7
604
70.7K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
yooo under-represented devs at AAA companies on cancelled projects: understand that most of your white male counterparts are absolutely finding a safe way to break NDA and show off the now-dead things they worked on for years to potential employers. you should too.
4
597
111.1K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Replying to
@tanyaxshort
ok not every game but you know what I mean. theoretically Moon Hunters would be better and more thematically consistent without combat as its central gameplay -- persuasion or cultural exchange or just exploring would be more thematic. beating up random wild animals is weird.
2
584
78.9K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Some people are wondering how 500k* Dwarf Fortress units for $30 turns into "only" $7 million. 1. SUBTRACT: - ~50k units returned/chargebacks - taxes - Steam's 30% 2. remove Kitfox's recouped investment, then 20% you'll get ~$7m! tadaaaa! *January added another ~100k units
18
593
61.9K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
when I started out as a designer, I wanted to be a AAA director, bc that's the image of success. but as an indie, I have significantly more freedom & control than any AAA director (except perhaps Mr. Kojima, hats off to him), and lack of buying/market power doesn't bother me.
7
560
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
hey indies! do you have literally NO IDEA when your game will ship? or how long this task will take? or how inaccurate your estimates are? or how many hours per week you spend on nonsense? that's not being indie, that's being silly! work with a project manager!✨🌠
19
531
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
working on a(n unannounced) game that makes me believe many game designers (incl me) might be overly focused on loops. Gameplay loops are abs a useful lens and tool, but there is A LOT of types of play they don't encapsulate. Need to think deeper on how to articulate this.
33
553
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
It's honestly amazing when 1 person can handle all of a game's programming, art, and design! Wow! But don't call them a solo dev unless they also do the game's audio, QA, marketing, porting, social media, and budgeting, or you're erasing crucial work and team members.
36
519
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
honestly, sometimes, my expectations for this industry are so low, I'm just glad the most popular game this year isn't called Kill Literally Everyone and that I don't have to use an app called Buttz to talk to my colleagues professionally
10
521
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Replying to
@tanyaxshort
100-hour work weeks burn people out. yep. absolutely. but you can get burned out by 40-hour weeks. especially if doing particularly draining tasks. or working under bad management. or going through health/personal issues.
3
490
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
I got asked how I pick launch dates, so here's a quick overview thread of JUST TIMING factors to consider when trying to get coverage (press, streamers, etc) of your indie game, trailer, whatever:
11
511
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
saying "hey nobody should bomb houses with children in them, please stop systematically murdering literally all of those people" shouldn't be controversial.
1
497
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
game design tip of the day: interesting decisions don't always create replayability. it's common for designers or producers to want replayability (i.e. the player to spend more time) in their feature or piece of content, but decisions aren't necessarily the answer. (minithread)
11
479
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
a mentor once told me: "in a normal job, you hate it 80% of the time and love it 20%. in your dream job, those numbers are reversed" takeaway 1: 20% of the time is still tough. it's a job. takeaway 2: if "ugh" starts climbing to 30%+, it's time for reflection and change
14
482
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Never sure what to feel when a male friend finds a wonderful, career-improving experience and makes lifelong connections in the same exact team that has been hostile, toxic, and esteem-destructive for a female friend.
12
473
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Replying to
@tanyaxshort
don't get hung up on defining when and how and where 100-hour work weeks are acceptable or not. get hung up on how valuable someone's health and happiness and stability is, and what that should be worth to their employer.
6
434
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
don't be an asshole. not to strangers, not to your team, not to your loved ones. don't care how talented, skilled, special, or experienced you are. shut up until you can be kind.
5
451
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
what if THIS tax season was the one north americans rose up with one voice and declared, "no. I will NOT spend hours telling you information you already fucking know. just give me a Confirm button like a proper country's government and eat the turbotax executives for dinner"
9
496
20.7K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Breonna Taylor’s name is no longer trending and the police that murdered her are still free. If you see this please reply/quote/tweet on your own. ARREST BRETT HANKISON, JONATHAN MATTINGLY & MYLES COSGROVE FOR THE MURDER OF #BREONNATAYLOR
2
427
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
As an event-runner, I understand it can be frustrating when people say diverse speaker lineups are 'easy', given how it fails to happen so often. So here's some tips. (thread)
11
441
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Replying to
@tanyaxshort
consider the number of comabt concepts that have varied definitions across genres and games but have a generally-understood relationship to each other: hitpoints, damage, weapon, armor, vulnerability, poison, piercing, vampirism, ranged, block, dodge, trip, unarmed, etc.
2
470
69.6K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Have employees? Me too! Here's a few small things studio heads can do to make your studio more equitable and comfortable to work for... other than more pay and benefits :) (Feel free to chime in with similar!)
11
435
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
me: I'm mostly a game designer. I hate doing business. it makes me want to stop living. also me: hello next week I'm doing 15 talks at GDC on how to do the business. have you thought about making more profit? yes.
25
437
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
babies are such typical item adventure protagonists. give them an object and they'll use all their verbs on it (eat, scratch, bang) and then combine it with each of the other objects nearby and in their inventory.
10
425
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
I was already vaguely embarrassed to be a game dev in the current world climate and then my father in law said "hey did you know Elon Musk started as a game developer?" and so, sorry ya'll, I quit, bye
13
431
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
all the things all at once! today was basically a game launch, Boyfriend Dungeon is now living its best life 💋⚔️🙏 and also became a Canadian citizen! 🍁✨🥰 in my life, August 17 2022 is one for the books!
48
439
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Replying to
@tanyaxshort
Ooblets dance-offs are really "just" a turn-based card RPG combat. example move: Pilfer Polka, which costs 2 beats in order to steal 4 victory points. but what is happening in this metaphor? how is my dancing stealing their glory? what kind of polka makes them look bad? huh?
2
441
60.6K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
ok if I seem a bit tired, rn I am balancing: - Boyfriend Dungeon - publishing Dwarf Fortress, Mondo Museum, & [REDACTED] - Pixelles Creator Fund - [REDACTED] - an 11-month old child - a pandemic - living in an airbnb good night forever
25
430
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
did you know Kitfox has 4 day workweeks? sometimes I feel guilty about it bc it's such an unusual luxury, but... oh well. sometime I'll use my extra hours to write a lil blog post or video or something explaining why I think it's worth doing, as a company.
14
426
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Replying to
@tanyaxshort
by comparison, imagine a similar move from Slay the Spire -- it'd obviously be lifesteal/vampirism, leeching HP from the opponent. even though it's just as abstract (how did my sword waving around take their blood and put it into me again???), it feels more grounded.
3
438
55.7K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
I'm less interested in the #1 game on Steam being indie than I am interested in the overall power curve being flatter, so that studios selling #10-200 can keep their doors open longer.
4
416
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Steal a man's fish, you eat for a day. Make a man teach you to fish, you'll eat more fish. Steal a man's fishomancy knowledge, become Empress of the Sea, never let anyone make you eat fish again.
5
377
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
Replying to
@tanyaxshort
all that to say I'm currently FINALLY working on a game without combat and uh yeah, thank goodness it is unlikely to attempt to have deep strategic systemic challenges for the player to overcome because if it did I think I'd "whoops" a combat core loop again.
4
425
30.1K
Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort
This was my 8th gdc, and the first since 2008 which did not include overwhelmed crying with inadequacy at any point. If you're reeling a little, it's okay. You're okay.
14
399