Dr. Miko Charbonneau

@drmikachu

Studio Lead of @prettysmart.bsky.social, Dr. of Dance Games, horror writer and game designer. OUT NOW: THE SPIRIT LIFT, a deckbuilding ghostpunk hotel-crawler! VR/Horror game design consulting? Talk or collaborate?

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Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Mar 22

I heard we're talking about placeholder assets in our games! These are the ones I drew for THE SPIRIT LIFT! I stream #gamedev so these helped me show the game without spoilers while also being funny. Placeholder assets should be obviously not final so you don't "accidentally" leave them in 😉

A doodle of a white sheet ghost with a black bar across its face that says PLACEHOLDER

A doodle of a white coffee mug that says World's Worst Boss! Above it in the steam it says "placeholder"

A white square with some blue lines in the doodle of an elevator door and two red question marks, one on each door.

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Mar 11

Hi #WhatAGameDevLooksLike! I'm Miko, a game designer, writer and studio lead! Started out with my Ph.D. on dance games, designed AR/VR for the launch of HoloLens, designed for Minecraft Bedrock, now I run @prettysmart.bsky.social. I'm also available for VR/horror game design consulting! #gamedev

Close-up portrait of Miko's face. She is half-Japanese and wearing minimal makeup. Her hair is brown with a long streak of pink transitioning to lavender at the tips. She's smiling and wearing light pink clear glasses.

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Mar 8

Post some of your favorite video game characters for international women's day 🥰

An illustration of Beatrice, the Golden Witch, with her arms spread and a wild smile. She is holding a gold pipe in her right hand and wearing an iconic black and gold dress. Behind her is a swirling purple fog effect and the background of a tea party room. From the game Umineko When They Cry (Umineko no Naku Koro ni)

10 illustrations of the face of Ada Wong from different games. Each is labeled in order: RE 2 1998 Re 3: Nemesis 1999, Re 4 2005, RE Umbrella Chronicles 2007, RE Darkside Chronicles 2009, RE Operation Raccoon City 2012, RE Damnation 2012, RE 6 2012, RE 2 Remake 2019, RE 4 Remake 2023

Illustration of the character Sakura from Dangan Ronpa. She is an impressively muscular characcter with huge biceps and a thick neck. She has long wild white hair, a stern expression, and an old scar diagonally across her face. She is wearing a sailor school uniform with her forearms bandaged for combat.

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Jan 28

For you #gamedev enthusiasts, here is a graph made by gource.io showing all 5601 file commits while we made THE SPIRIT LIFT! The colors represent file types and each branch is a folder. We've recorded the animation also; once launch quiets down I can break this down more if people are curious

A graph of nodes and lines which form a visual depiction of the dev process for a game called THE SPIRIT LIFT. The majority of the blooms of circular flower like shapes are in the upper top left. Colors range from yellow to pink to green. In the top right text says "5601 Commits".

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Jan 24

Today's Trivia: What's the name of the digital pet from Japan that inspired this gear item in our game THE SPIRIT LIFT? Bonus points if you know the origin of the name (I just now realized I've been telling people the wrong answer to this whoops!) #gamedev #trivia #90s #nostalgia

An illustration of a digital toy with a face and three buttons at the bottom. The shape of the toy is that of a hamster with puffy cheeks and it has a little ring at the top so it can be attached to a keychain. The screen in the middle shows a digital rodent face sleeping or frowning.

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Jan 22

A lot of you got the first one, so here's a harder 90's nostalgia question! Below you'll see a spell from our game THE SPIRIT LIFT! What was this strange folded piece of paper used for? (bonus if you have a story of using one yourself!) #gamedev #indiegame #deckbuilder #trivia #90s #nostalgia

An illustration from the game THE SPIRIT LIFT. It features a piece of paper folded so that four points stick upward and have open areas underneath for people to stick in their fingers. On each wedge there is purple scribbled writing that isn't meant to be deciphered.

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Jan 22

Our 90s nostalgia game THE SPIRIT LIFT launches next week, so let's do some trivia! What soda launched in the mid-1990s did our art team lovingly parody for our roguelike deckbuilder? (wrong answers okay if you weren't around in the 90s!) #gamedev #indiegame #90s

An illustration of an open soda can. The can is a green and yellow color, with bright orange fictional font exploding from the middle and a red strip at the bottom. This is a parody of a popular soda in the 90s

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Oct 23

I let ghosts haunt my attic to bring you the release date for THE SPIRIT LIFT, our ghostpunk roguelike deckbuilder! Check out the full trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxTh... Wishlist, play demo, tell friends! store.steampowered.com/app/1727590/... #gamedev #horror #indiegame #deckbuilder

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Oct 14

What better way to celebrate #adalovelaceday than buying games about coding and engineering? The Ada Lovelace Sale is live now! You can get Code Romantic at 50% off! store.steampowered.com/curator/4258... Thanks to @ludenio.bsky.social for running this cool event! #gamedev #indiegame #coding

Text says October 13-19 Ada Lovelace Day Sale 2025. Awesome games about coding, automation and engineering. Hosted by luden.io

The image shows a workspace with a jumbled pile of wires and monitors and circuit boards. In the upper right corner is a portrait of Ada Lovelace with ADA in neon letters. There's a poster on the right wall of Alan Turing that says ALAN WAKE UP.

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Mar 17

All my recent pics are snapchats I send to my mother! Older and less dog-like in person #WhatAGameDevLooksLike I'm Miko! Earned my CS PhD on dance games, designer specializing in AR/VR and horror. I run @prettysmart.bsky.social where we consult and build THE SPIRIT LIFT, a ghostpunk deckbuilder!

It's Miko! An Asian woman with shoulder length brown hair that has red streaks. Wearing a red floral pattern and pink glasses. Visual filter is adding pink dog ears and a pink dog nose.

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Jan 3

I am ready! I'll be on around 3:40pm PST! Wearing my cute top by @mellow-minx.bsky.social and everything! <3 #gamedev #indiedev

Woman in pink glasses smiles at camera. She's wearing a gold medallion necklace and a blue patterned kimono top

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Jan 1

As my last creative act of 2024, I published my first #horror review video! 2024 horror movies were SO GOOD I started a YouTube channel. Enjoy my favorite 20 movies in SkinamaPINK-vision! www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnIP... #horrormovies #youtube #horrorreview

A woman with glasses is holding up a scrap of paper and smiling. Behind her, several horror movie posters are displayed but dark and hard to see. The writing says 2024 Horror Movies Ranked!

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Dec 19

Ok hi! Wow! Bluesky is really growing huh? If you followed me recently feel free to say hi. Even better if you have pet photos... Here's my anxious shepherd monster Evie!

The face of a dog in a carpeted room with blue curtains. The dog is brown and black with powerfully worried eyebrows and a big nose. She is wearing a blue collar.

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Dec 14

My look from The Game Awards! We represented @prettysmart.bsky.social with our matching ties and met so many fun people! And I was so warm and comfy with my blazer and five pockets. Suits rule! #gamedev #tga #gameawards

Collage of photos of an outfit from the game awards. Top left is a close up of metallic gold shoes, top right is a woman with colored hair in a suit with a bright blue tie and gold shoes. Bottom Left is the same woman with a man, both smiling in matching blue ties with eyeglasses tie bars. Bottom right is a closeup of the glasses tie bar.

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Aug 18

I am PSYCHED to be playing The Crimson Diamond by @juliaminamata.bsky.social! You will not believe the love that went into the retro pixel art style of this game, the music is phenomenal (shoutout to DanTheBand!) and the writing and mystery has me hyped!!! store.steampowered.com/app/1098770/...

A pixel art masterpiece in a limited palette of colors representing a bygone era of adventure games. Two women sit on a train seat: on the left is a woman with shoulder length blue hair and a blue top with a white collar, on the right is a woman with a bob of red hair, a green hat, a charming gray coat and a yellow bow around her neck. The dialogue reads "can you imagine?"

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Apr 11

crushing bugs in our upcoming game demo for THE SPIRIT LIFT! hang out and cowork with me! www.twitch.tv/drmikachu

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Apr 4

Need a break from your feed? come cowork with me. Today I'm fixing bugs in our horror game THE SPIRIT LIFT! www.twitch.tv/drmikachu

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Oct 7

We are at @geekgirlcon.bsky.social with our game demo! Floor 3 in the Gaming Okoye room. I have cute giveaways for you if you come by ❤️ #gamedev #ggc23

A person's hand holding merch for THE SPIRIT LIFT a card game. One is a charm with the name and face of the character Maria. Behind the hand is a monitor showing the game being played

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Sep 25

Pick 20 favorite games and share! It took me days after seeing this. I opted for 20 games that changed my life, either through escapism, inspiration, or directly being part of my career. Alt text for the names! topsters.org

A list of game covers. The list says "Life Changing Games" at the top. The games are listed by title on the side: Persona 3 portable, Resident Evil 4: Premium Edition, Final Fantasy Tactics, Xenogears, Pikmin 2, Phantasmagoria, Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, Shivers, The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery, Magic: The Gathering (Old PC edition from the 90s), The SIms, Karaoke Revolution, Dance Central 2, Dance Dance Revolution 3rd Mix, Elite Beat Agents, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, PHoenix Write: Ace Attorney - Justice For All, Minecraft, Magic: The Gathering Arena, Super Mario Bros. 3, Spiritfarer, Vamprie SUrvivors, Slay the SPire, Yakuza 0: Digital Deluxe Edition

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Sep 16

It's my sixth wedding anniversary which means I am allowed to post a shot of me and my best friend silhouetted against the water on our big day.

A woman and man on their wedding day standing on the beach with the ocean behind them. The sun is setting over the water and silhouetting them with the glow peaking through between their faces

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Sep 2

Also I am not great with plants but somehow have grown the most amazing basil?! This is one fifth of the plant! THAT LARGE LEAF IS BIGGER THAN MY HAND

A basil plant with hand sized leaves in a glass jar, resting precariously on the arm of a blue patio chair in a sunlit room

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Aug 31

Also it's totally my birthday week and I'm feeling old but heck I don't look it yet and I am so proud of what I've done so far. Age is just a number, growing old is a blessing, live a life you're proud of without regrets <3

A cropped in shot of me, Miko, an Asian woman in a purple plaid shirt, pink glasses and big black headphones. I'm not wearing makeup and my skin is looking pretty good despite my status as a middle-aged adult.

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Aug 10

It's Thursday, and that means #gamedev streaming! Today I'll be updating smash particles, TV static animations and a spooky hallway for our deckbuilding hotelcrawler THE SPIRIT LIFT! https://www.twitch.tv/drmikachu Demo coming soon: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1727590/THE_SPIRIT_LIFT/

A screenshot of gameplay from prettysmart games’ THE SPIRIT LIFT horror adventure. The screenshot features a creature boss, Sporacula, in the middle of the frame with little ‘Shroomcake minions flanking his sides surrounded by red glowing chandeliers and a ominous red patterned stained glass window behind Sporacula’s head. In the foreground is the players cards used to defeat the creatures along with the three characters of your team with stats. In the bottom left is a tracker for your buffs

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Aug 5

I'm on staycation and doing much more sightseeing and exercise than I expected! I love the color of the water here.

Landscape photo of a field and the ocean. The sky is cloudless and vast. On the horizon another piece of land can be seen. The water is a deep blue. The land is yellowed grass and ragged shrubs.

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Jul 20

Hey #WishlistWednesday we're making THE SPIRIT LIFT: a retro horror deckbuilder set in a haunted hotel. If you like the sound of 1990s teenage angst, scrappy equipment card battles and cute/spooky/sexy monsters, check us out! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1727590/THE_SPIRIT_LIFT/

A screenshot of gameplay from prettysmart games’ THE SPIRIT LIFT horror adventure. The screenshot shows the game’s 8-character dashboard (Sako, Tobias, Briar, Garnet, Quintin, Indiana, Maria, and Oliver) to battle against the boss, Sporacula, and the synergy of three characters picked to make up the COMPETITIVE CREW compromised of Sake, Tobias, and Indiana. The character featured to the right of the dashboard shows Briar, a young brown-skinned girl with braids in a half updo with two buns wearing purple fishnets on their arms and legs with a purple and black collared dress with an apron with pockets full of art-related options and black boots. Briar is a Spiritual character class dubbed “The Artist” with item cards of the palette knife, oil paints, sketchbook, and a item equipped of a brush belt.

A screenshot of gameplay from prettysmart games’ THE SPIRIT LIFT horror adventure. The screenshot features the Shop in the game with the shopkeeper, Dorian Graywolf, who is a violin-playing werewolf holding a violin bow with glowing yellow eyes in a dapper 3-piece pin-striped suit. To the left of Dorian, there are cards (heavy flashlight, night vision goggles, firefighter axe) for purchase as well as items (sunglasses, rollerblades, and tactical vest). On the far left, shows your 3 character group of Garnet, Quintin, and Briar as well as their stats individually and as a group. Below the team are buttons to leave shop, max uses, destroy card, and XP meter.

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Jul 10

My next course is live: #Notion tips for Writers! Look I even made a happy thumbnail (which looks weird in bluesky, eep! I'm learning) It covers all the tricks I use to accelerate my writing process: research, tasks, submissions, and word count! https://skl.sh/3XzQKox #author #writer

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Jul 9

You deserve a break from social media. Here's a picture of my dog's nostrils.

Slightly blurry, extremely closeup black nose of a dog. The nostrils are enormous.

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Jul 6

Game dev Thursday! This week I'll be working on particle effects and UX tweaks for THE SPIRIT LIFT, our retro horror deckbuilder: https://www.twitch.tv/drmikachu https://store.steampowered.com/app/1727590/THE_SPIRIT_LIFT/

Dr. Miko Charbonneau@drmikachu· Jun 29

I don't know what the bluesky vibe is for streaming posts, but today is special! We're live with game dev streaming! Doing particles in Unity for our horror deckbuilder THE SPIRIT LIFT! https://www.twitch.tv/drmikachu THEN Pride Month charity streaming at https://www.twitch.tv/plaidberrydesign