Michael Hartman 🧢
@Muckbeast
Followers
13,334
Following
1,062
Media
2,606
Statuses
42,537
Inventor of Free-to-Play business model. Game dev 30+ years. Frogdice CEO (video games), Virtual Keystone (consulting), Bluegrass Esports. College professor.
Lexington, KY
Joined September 2011
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
ORM HOUSE OF TOUCH
• 120222 Tweets
#ThetouchbkkxOrmKornnaphat
• 117649 Tweets
篠原さん
• 61489 Tweets
篠原恵美さん
• 56379 Tweets
#高校生クイズ
• 53200 Tweets
ジュピター
• 40529 Tweets
セーラームーン
• 36907 Tweets
声優さんの訃報
• 31976 Tweets
Polaris Dawn
• 30920 Tweets
#السعوديه_الصين
• 29357 Tweets
病気療養中
• 28796 Tweets
BAMBAM FM LANCÔME SG
• 25702 Tweets
Delogu
• 24832 Tweets
Aston Martin
• 20572 Tweets
Adrian Newey
• 17304 Tweets
Maiduguri
• 14725 Tweets
الذكاء الاصطناعي
• 14548 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
Twitter threads:
1) Rewatching of
#TNG
2) First time watching
#DS9
3) First time watching
#Voyager
4)
#AssassinsCreed
Odyssey
My twitter thread for #
#AssassinsCreedOdyssey
thoughts, reactions, screenshots, video clips, and other nonsense. Valhalla was awesome but so far Odyssey is even better, which is blowing me away.
#AssassinsCreed
(1/???)
1
2
3
1
3
4
Do Streamers/Youtubers generate game sales? Hot topic today so I'll share some tough realities from the game dev side. I have 30 years in this business, 3 games streamed by hundreds of channels of various sizes, and data shared with me from thousands of other game devs. /1
49
207
570
I am also pretty fed up with this hobby being trashed as if gamers are bad people. Gamers are some of the most generous and inclusive folks.
18
284
448
Great point. Losing ~40 court cases pokes too many holes in his farcical claim of election chicanery. He would have been better off conceeding, taking the high road, & beat the fraud drum for his or his sons' campaign. Then again, he is a lazy dummy who fails at everything.
14
60
409
@CDickleg
@CultureCrave
Yeah, that movie where Obi-wan was the main character sucked for that reason. Oh wait, there was no such movie. Main characters need more backstory than side characters. That's the point.
10
3
375
For science I present this photo documenting the juxtaposition between super humbug people that already tossed their tree and the awesome festive folks across the street.
6
56
375
I'm a 25 yr industry vet, own my company, have an established fanbase, & even I am afraid of being blackballed if I have the "wrong" opinion
29
229
262
Getting angry about Saudi Arabia and any possible product or sponsorship from them carries very little sacrifice. Try living without products made, paid for, or sponsored by China and suddenly you're having to give up a lot of things you actually like and care about.
i spoke to Dot Esports on why more people within esports spoke up about the Saudi Arabia NEOM sponsorship than they have over China's influence on the scene
33
72
655
2
22
278
Defending artistic expression against outsiders who hate video games is expected. But now we have to defend it from insiders? Atrocious.
16
191
227
Something I find disturbing in the modern online climate: devs who think ridiculing your customers (gamers) is a smart or appropriate move.
18
167
207
We already have a way to express our dislike of a video game: not buying it. I am shocked and appalled by how many of my colleagues are falling all over themselves to support censorship of our art form. This should not be us, at all.
All these people screaming at me because the game is set in the Iraq War--go scream at everyone who made Vietnam games (or movies) or WWII games (or movies). Are we no longer allowed to make art about wars? All war is terrible.
26
45
361
6
49
236
Once you feel comfortable mocking your customers, you really shouldn't be in this business. You've lost the love and passion for your craft.
3
147
196
Calling a sexy character a "step back" is like calling Shovel Knight a step back because it uses pixel art. No one artistic vision is best.
14
132
192
Gaming media: I love you, but if you make us choose, we'll side with gamers every time. They play and love our games and sustain us.
17
170
187
.
@alexiskleinman
should never again write about video games. She totally embarrasses herself with this paragraph:
http://t.co/LMuQmWHFWD
59
167
188
Taking a bunch of shit right now from a few colleagues because I refuse to label people part of a "hate group" when I know they aren't.
15
98
144
6
28
164
The Earth is round. Mad Mike is flat. Case closed.
#MadMike
A few years back we did an episode about a flat earther whose plan to find out if the earth truly is round or flat was to singlehandedly built a literal rocket to launch himself into the stratosphere. Anyway, today he finally did it! ...aaand he's dead now
72
99
765
6
18
147
I make games to bring joy to people. It is literally that simple. I deeply appreciate every single person who ever played one of my games.
3
89
123
Of all the reasons I'm still in business after 25 years, I wouldn't have thought "I don't shit on my customers" would become such a rarity.
3
73
115
@dakotaz
@BangBangClick
I went into detail on this topic as a game dev with 30 years experience, data from thousands of colleagues, and research I've done as an adjunct professor:
Do Streamers/Youtubers generate game sales? Hot topic today so I'll share some tough realities from the game dev side. I have 30 years in this business, 3 games streamed by hundreds of channels of various sizes, and data shared with me from thousands of other game devs. /1
49
207
570
13
6
142
It sucks to have to keep my yap shut because there's too many people counting on me to avoid controversy that could hurt our games.
16
80
108
@RandolphMarsh
@CameronMcCurry
@ESPNBooger
@minakimes
You are on crack.
@minakimes
knows her stuff and has insightful takes. I shamefully admit to being dubious the first time I saw her on Around the Horn but quickly realized she earned her spot through merit.
1
0
115
But when I see the sweeping generalization "Streams sell tons of games! Devs should be eternally thankful anyone streams their game!" I have to call it out for how incredibly inaccurate it is in modern times. Outside the rare viral phenomenon, this just is no longer true. /10
3
11
122
He's someone with a history of playing dirty pool and using his press contacts to fuck with people who dare to have a different opinion.
11
74
93
One in particular is a very vocal "indie darling" the press always sucks up to and whose games always win those rigged "game festivals."
5
72
95
@sterlingguns
@rupertmurdoch
@eoionline
Your tweet would have been absolutely perfect if you'd also mentioned the Earth is flat. Don't forget to include that next time.
3
5
105
That's how broken this has all become: people afraid to have their own opinions for fear of being ostracized and their career destroyed.
1
56
87
In almost 25 years in the gaming business, there's never been a time this tumultuous that I can remember. Huge changes are coming.
19
59
86
Kotaku's decision to run "the blacklist article" is the "New Coke" of games journalism.
5
70
84
IRONY: Slowing destroying your career by constantly trying to destroy innocent people's careers because they think differently.
8
68
84
@uaevo_
@_Equin0x_
@MikeP77Doglover
@the_bird_roads
@Thisfuckin_guy
@robotson
Absolutely, 100%, provably wrong.
Many people believe that global population growth leads to greater poverty and more famines, but evidence suggests otherwise...
12
30
55
3
5
95
Some games, especially narrative based games, lose a significant amount of their value to streams. Look up "That Dragon, Cancer" & see what the developer said about the impact of streams. When the majority of the game's content can easily be experienced via stream, why buy it? /7
7
4
95
@TheDr3amMachine
I think you're right that ultimately gamers will stand with devs who respect them.
8
70
84
My wife, oldest daughter, and I set our alarm clocks so we could start watching this tonight and binge it before she leaves for college on Saturday. Lets go
#LuciferSeason5
!!!!
@tomellis17
@LesleyAnnBrandt
@dbwofficial
@Aimee_Garcia
@InbarLavi
.
5
8
97
Opposing politically correct censorship is important even when the thing being censored is something you don't like.
http://t.co/jgjdM3jtmW
3
62
76
Despite the fact they now drive few sales, you still cannot ignore it. Marketing video games is ridiculously hard. ~10k games launch every year on Steam alone. You have to utilize every avenue out there to get your game discovered. /4
2
2
90
I'll make it easier for you and link an article that has the creator's own words. 14k sales despite millions of Youtube views and similar popularity on Twitch. /8
7
5
92
@leahmcelrath
Thank you so much for this message. My daughter and I volunteered and knocked on doors multiple weekends for Amy McGrath and we're pretty devastated by her close loss here in Kentucky. But Andy Barr was +23 here 2 years ago and barely won +2 today. That is progress.
2
16
91
Remember when games media was about actual games & it was awesome? Spoiler: About 90% who work in that biz miss it too. We're all suffering.
4
65
70
@aegies
So again, you're saying only one group of people get to have their preferences catered to? Sorry, that's selfish and unacceptable.
4
39
66
Writing about gaming without knowing Samus Arun,
@alexiskleinman
, is like writing about tech and not knowing who Bill Gates is.
9
40
74
You can also hope to be one of the handful of lucky games each year that hit the jackpot & go viral because of streams (Among Us). But that takes more than just luck. You have to be the right kind of game for that virality to even be possible. Not every game is like that. /6
5
1
84
@RandolphMarsh
@CameronMcCurry
@ESPNBooger
@minakimes
She blows John Clayton out of the water and is far more interesting while doing it. I dig the others you mentioned but there is room for a wide variety of intelligent voices. Give her a fair shot. She digs deep into the facts and makes some fascinating observations.
1
0
84
Cosplayer
@LunaLanieee
is a big fan of Stash and a kickstarter backer. Join the community:
http://t.co/BTiINCi3Mw
http://t.co/B6morm6nyd
15
12
78
Wow. Gawker in the toilet. ~19 million uniques Dec to ~7 million Mar. Losing almost 2/3rds of your audience is brutal
http://t.co/T2XLS4Co6v
10
63
62
From here forward when I say "streams/streamers" that includes Youtube and similar stuff.
Quick summary of what I and other devs have seen generally:
6 years ago: Streams are pretty good.
4 years ago: Streams are kinda meh.
3 years ago to now: Streams drive very few sales. /3
6
4
78
Gaming web sites and magazines lost their impact even sooner than streams, so you have to use everything at your disposal and hope that in the aggregate you can get your game noticed enough to stay in business. /5
1
1
76
Viewer attitudes and expectations have changed and evolved. They are primarily there to be entertained by the streamer and the channel. They aren't in "shopping mode" when they sit down to watch a stream. /12
4
1
79
The relationship between streamers and devs is usually a very positive one. It just isn't the slam dunk at driving sales that many people think it is. Everything evolves and changes, and it does so even faster for video games and streaming. /21
9
4
77
This is a great thread to read and understand what it's like for other people and races here in the US and around the world. MAGA isn't a "side" of an argument: it is a white supremacist death cult.
Hi, Paul here. I'm tied to a bed by a fan of my books that found me after a car crash & she's hurting me since I was going to kill off her favorite character. She just broke my ankles with a sledgehammer but I'm sure with these tips I'll finally have a constructive conversation.
16
213
1K
1
43
78
I also teach a class
@EKU
as an adjunct professor "Game Production and Publication." Week 6: "The role of influencers on the video game industry (Twitch, Youtube,social media)." Suffice it to say, I have studied this topic extensively for both business & educational reasons. /2
1
1
74
@CDickleg
@CultureCrave
You know better than the savior of A New Hope. Uh huh.
A well told main character with super powers has an "origin story." Recognize that term? Rey had none. We were robbed of a potentially great character played by a good actress due to garbage story telling and writing.
5
0
72
Many game studios have explicitly granted blanket broadcast rights to streamers. This is not only because there is some value to their games being streamed, but also because they don't want the negative blowback from doing otherwise. We can't all be Nintendo. :P /19
2
2
73
Examples from scattered gamers who claim "I bought my last 5 games because of streams!" don't change the hard facts of sales data. There are too many games, too many channels, too many platforms, and viewers just aren't looking to be sold to. /11
4
3
74
This despicable practice of dogpiling to kill anyone's career for their opinion is literally insane. It absolutely must stop from everyone.
2
46
53
I mean SERIOUSLY,
@alexiskleinman
, do not ever, ever, ever, ever, ever write about video games if you don't know Samus Aran. Disgraceful.
8
33
58
Mainstream media loves to paint games & gamers as a freakshow. Why? Because TV, movies, & Hollywood are threatened by video games. (1/4)
4
41
51
@3YearLetterman
@JoeBair81
@RepMTG
Nice of you to not even hit him with the details of your DVD collection or unlimited laser printing privileges.
0
0
63
@aegies
In my reality variety & artistic expression are respected, and no single vision is a "depressing" "step back." It is a good reality.
3
26
50
@aegies
Depressingly? Starving children in Africa is depressing. An artist creating a character you don't like is trivial in the extreme.
3
28
52
Legally, this issue is interesting (full disclosure: I have a law degree, UGA '98, and practiced law briefly, but gave it up to make video games. No tweets are legal advice.) Buying a game doesn't necessarily/likely give you the right to broadcast it (for profit or otherwise) /18
1
2
65
I have to stress that I'm not saying streams are useless. At
@Frogdiceinc
we have wonderful relationships with streamers and love working with them. In our last 3 games we have even designed some "streamer friendly" game features specifically to enhance streams of our games. /9
1
1
66
I have the same thought whenever I see signs like this.
4
16
64
@Thooorin
When you don't even have enough integrity to put forth minimal effort in your clickbait shitposting:
1
3
60
I'm bemused by the sad, angry people ruling their tiny twitter fiefdoms thinking they have any real impact on the gaming business.
3
35
44
GAMERS: Remember that the internet thought police are ultimately ineffectual. Awesome games keep getting made & they can't do shit about it.
9
46
55
The entire GamerGate vs AGG controversy brilliantly summed up by an experienced woman game dev: "Journalism is Dead"
http://t.co/UemYy4lT2W
2
50
56
@itsmarydinah
@Dudebank
@usopen
@Naomi_Osaka_
You are wrong. Look at Carlos Ramos history. This was a disgusting outrage. Ramos should be fired.
@serenawilliams
is owed an apology.
#BoycottUSOpen
#BoycottUSTA
Djokovic Gets Into Argument With Same Umpire Carlos Ramos at French Open, multiple violations did not result in docked point or game.
340
6K
11K
2
12
53
@NateSilver538
This was the last straw. Unfollowed. Holy shit Nate Silver abandoned ethics and honesty and just wants whatever gives him the most ad clicks - Trump.
35
3
64
@aegies
You know as well as I do that getting "depressed" because an artist creates something you don't like is not a mature reaction.
3
28
42
Games that are already huge (Fortnite) or huge budget games are able to make effective use of big channels because they already have the customers. The streams are just a conduit for getting their message out there (new skins, new event, whatever). /13
2
2
58
So insanely true it hurts.
I wish instead of covering if a youtuber is a nazi or not for weeks, game press would cover my game or any other undercovered game more.
18
107
224
2
29
49
Their control is an illusion. Gamers call the shots. All that matters is having the respect of gamers who love your games.
4
40
39
Today I saw
@TheGingerarchy
clumsily & repeatedly attacked for supporting "the patriarchy" by a rapper. Yes, rap. Yes, those music videos.
5
11
48
With all of the above said, I'm not arguing that streamers should pay a royalty or give a cut of their revenue to the game dev. I'm also not saying something like that is ridiculous or outside the possibility of how future relationships might work. /15
3
2
56
It will only change, and should only change, if it benefits both streamers and devs. I know of at least one "twitch competitor" that has a rev share with game devs as part of its USP (unique selling point). Though we've seen how hard it is for anyone to compete with twitch. /17
4
2
56
Stream channels, like TV channels, need content. Right now they get a large part of that content either for free or for a very small initial cost. That relationship may change in the future - for the benefit of both the game developers AND the streamers. /16
2
1
56
@aegies
why is that a step back? Why can't there be variety and all spectrum of character designs? Why only one standard?
1
18
41
@Totalbiscuit
@adrianchm
Never thought I'd need to defend artistic expression so strongly with people in my own industry. Should be obvious
12
33
38
Pose test of an untextured dryad character model from Stash. Adam did a great job on her face.
http://t.co/GhpdbABdbe
http://t.co/umzxZkXhBH
11
19
40
@aegies
I don't think that changes anything. It doesn't make a single sexy character a "step back". That implies ANY sexy design is bad.
2
18
39
@ImNotJK
@Grady_Booch
This sounds like highly compromised health:
3/ It didn’t come without costs. I gave myself pre-diabetes when working 90+ hr / week in my early 20's. Suffered stress-induced IBS when my first startup went through ups and downs. I’m not saying it’s easy to live this way.
150
27
200
0
1
52
Their desperate final gambit won't succeed. They will further marginalize themselves and alienate the masses. Gamers will win. (4/4)
9
29
36
One of the greatest things about gaming is how inclusive it is. Don't let a few creeps force everyone to take sides and tear gaming apart.
3
35
46
@tha_rami
This may be a sad statement of the world we live in, but it legitimately scares me a little that someone is going to see your screen, think you're hacking the plane, and report you (for other obvious reasons :/). I hate saying this. I hate thinking this. Our world is monstrous.
2
0
52
@RandolphMarsh
@CameronMcCurry
@ESPNBooger
@minakimes
She graduated summa cum laude from Yale. Won a ton of awards as a business journalist for Forbes & Bloomberg. Hired by ESPN the magazine in 2014 when they saw her writing online and knew they needed younger writers who's talent, voice, & passion could drawn in younger audiences.
2
0
50
I'm sick of articles calling gamers entitled. Nothing entitled about wanting no anti-consumer crap like platform exclusives & broken games.
8
32
39
@CDickleg
@CultureCrave
Did you forget he used to bullseye womp rats in his T-16 back home. They're not much bigger than two meters.
He also had training from Obi-wan and all he did was use the force to help him make a shot.
Seriously. You are just wrong here. Marcia had her narrative on lockdown.
3
0
53
This dude
@J_Ishiro
(with an assist from his wife
@Katapult
) takes on the weirdly growing "anti-big-boob" trend while putting a random internet ignoramus in his place.
@redlianak
has been championing this same point for years.
5
11
41
One of the most awesome, brilliant, & fascinating people you can follow on twitter & youtube is
@RealSexyCyborg
. Learn a TON about tech, but also culture as she shares life experiences from Shenzen, China. Many of us could use a broader education in both!
1
7
49
This week I've had the highest quality discussions ever on twitter. Gamers are such awesome, intelligent, interesting, & insightful people.
3
29
45
@tha_rami
We sure Valve is taking the loss? Typically they make developers eat this cost, no? Plus, many will refund to steam wallet. That said: I agree. Huge W by Valve/Steam. I have many criticisms for them from the dev side, but from the gamer/consumer side they almost always deliver.
4
0
52