Voices of VR #1684: Playable Essay “individualism in the dead-internet age” Recaps Enshittification Against Indie Devs
Dec 7, 2025
Nathalie Lawhead, known as Alien Melon, is an experimental game designer and net artist exploring internet culture and anti-big tech themes. In a fascinating discussion, she delves into the nostalgia for early internet creativity, critiques the social media's mental health toll, and highlights artists’ struggles against the tech industry. Lawhead also advocates for reclaiming decentralized networks and discusses her innovative playable essay, showcasing how art can restore empathy in a commodified digital landscape.
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Turn Talks Into Playable Works
- Present critical ideas as playable interactive work to reach broader audiences beyond talks and blog posts.
- Use game formats to make manifestos experiential and accessible on platforms like itch.io.
Storefront Rejections And Double Standards
- Nathalie submitted the piece to Steam and faced rejection citing linking to itch.io and vague IP concerns.
- She found app-store gatekeeping nitpicky and often inconsistent with how larger studios are treated.
Parody Tools Get Treated As Malware
- Nathalie described Electric File Monitor, a parody desktop virus scanner that reads your files and assigns personalities but gets flagged as malware.
- She highlighted the absurdity of requiring expensive code-signing to avoid being treated as a virus.