oliver
@oliverbates
design researcher. he/him researching through making games, zines and critical tea towels about climate futures, tech, and systems. Links to my stuff: and research fellow @ lancaster uni
Currently developing a little engine so you can hack together your own screwthatlike game to create mini LARPs about energy scarcity and other possible climate futures. #LARP #gamedesign #rpg
Another great donation to The Museum of Manky Tea Towels! “this timeless dishrag was restored from on top of the wardrobe in the zebra enclosure at Knowsley Safari Park. During a full moon it shapeshifts into a roll of sellotape. Donated: Apr 1992” #storiesofmankyteatowels
Me and @ben.kirman.org are zine making this week ready for the Museum of Manky Tea Towels (manky.website) and tea towel making workshop at @emfcamp.bsky.social next week! Get in touch to donate your tea towels!
In June I had the immense pleasure of bringing Zines to the ICT4S 2026 conference to encourage alternative voices, ideas and forms of expression about ICT and sustainability. You can find all the zine contributions on my itch.io page here: lnkd.in/ePySFi4Q #zines #digitalsustainability
Award winning poster alert from NetDrive spring event at Oxford Uni!!! Had fun coming up with a speculative noticeboard from a future where scientific computing is championing digital sufficiency (consuming “just enough”) to reduce the carbon footprint of digital research and scientific computing.
“Do not eat” written on the lid of some particularly wet feeling slime that came with a kids magazine. The image of a cake draws me in. I lick my lips. “NOOOOO” screams the child as she swipes it from my mouth. Why is there a picture of a cake on it if I’m not supposed to try a bit?
📓 ICT4S Zine Jam @ ICT4S 2026 (Bern, Switzerland) We’re excited to host the ICT4S Zine Jam and invite you to explore different ways of doing research on ICT and sustainability. conf.researchr.org/track/ict4s-... We’d love to have you there. The ICT4S Zine Collective More info in thread ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Flip That is taking form. It’s the never asked for sequel to Screw That @ben.kirman.org threatened the world with. Prepare yourself for another little experimental game.
Tickled this morning by “The player wearing the thickest socks go first” whilst exploring different sizes of cards thanks @samillingworth.com and @pfwgames.bsky.social
"SCREW THAT: A resource scarcity game" is now in the world. Find it here: oliverbates.itch.io/screw-that It's a little indie game. It's also an untested prototype, experiment and provocation.
New game dropping soon? Possibly. @ben.kirman.org got the idea juice flowing for a little game about resource management at home.
I might need a rebrand on this one. too sexy for a work book for energy analysts?
Searching for the perfect profile picture I remembered that @tonypickering.bsky.social captured my pre trim emo profile.
I’m fighting the pop corn idea laden brain this week. Trying on zines, filling them with prompts and activity sheets to help me find my creative flow.
I loved zine making to process emotions, trauma, and the mania. @oldkels.bsky.social thank you for this page in particular