Lorri Hopping ✍🏼 📚🕹️ 🎲
@hoppingfun
One of those creative types: Word-y, geek-y, game-y (oh wait). I've been making games, stories, media, books, jazzy content for oodles of clients for decades. Come see: hoppingfun.com
Unseen in this introductory photo and video are the 20-30 people who gathered around the little community tables to talk and brainstorm.
There's Tim again, with Amit from @igdanyc.bsky.social, who's organizing another Gamapalooza—an even bigger indie game showcase in #nyc slated for mid-October. You can learn more about it by following the Discord: discord.gg/Ft8vjgg7V #NYMakesGames
At #g4c2026, Tim Rattray @timrattray.bsky.social and Kevin Hoskin filmed talks for their documentary about the NYC game scene, Playing in the Shadows of Skyscrapers. Tim also threw a fun afterparty! Bonus: I met the SON of a coworker from the dawn of my career, now a game audio/music creator.
MORAL PANIC slide from #g4c2026 (Rachel Kowert) Writing: "We will cease to exercise our memory" Phone: "Constant distraction" Crossword: "Literate women" Film: "Debauchery" Comics: "Demon worship" Video Games: "Murder simulators" (Who remembers the Satanic panic?)
I call this photo "Panel" (it was an excellent panel: "How Are Games Getting Funded in 2026?")
I can read one of these graffiti. (Spotted in NYC subway station, July 22, 2026))
Games for Change! A boost for the soul and mind to hang with people making a positive difference in the world. In an inspirational twist, David Gagnon jump-started a lively discussion around the maverick idea of creating a public media model for games—like Sesame Street did in the 1960s. #g4c2026
GAMES FOR CHANGE! It's time. Opening party (tonight), then 2 days of talks, panels, workshops, awards, and a game arcade like no other. This festival has ONE MISSION: Let's make games that make a difference! I'm a well pub'd writer, game designer for hire. #g4c2026 #seriousgames #gbl #g4c
I had a blast—minor league baseball aims to entertain! The Cyclones struggled with pitching in game one but made a contest out of it in game two. Meanwhile, fans walked their dogs on the field, giant hot dogs ran races, kids vied for prizes, the Surf Squad cheered, and mascots did what mascots do.
Get the joke? Lefty the Clown, entertaining the crowd at the Brooklyn Cyclones double header today.
Street drama: Baby falcon drops to the sidewalk, chirping and hopping. New Yorkers jump into action: phoning animal rescue, documenting, fending off security guard who asked everyone to "move out!" One woman put down a capful of water, another offered pieces of muffin. #nyc
Fashion photography workshop (free) at B&H Photo, feeding on soccer fever. We just stumbled on it. An I love ❤️ New York moment.
The 7 Train to Grand Central Station, from Long Island City, has become my new commute while I house sit in NYC. I must have passed this 5-story mural a dozen times before it finally smacked me in the face.
Usually held on the first Wednesday of the month, the NYC Indie Game Dev Social is free to attend but books up fast! Sign up here to be notified of the locale and date of upcoming events: buttondown.com/nycindiegames General info here: jesshaskins.notion.site/NYC-Indie-Ga...
NYC Indie Game Dev Social! SRO turnout last night with lively conversations lingering till midnight between friends, new and old who love to make games. It's a can't-miss event any time I'm in New York City. Hosted by @jesshaskins.bsky.social for more than a decade. #gamedev #nyc #NYMakesGames
Riding the 7 train to Times Sq, I felt confident that the Yankees were playing the Pirates. (not)
I loved, loved, loved two glorious days of tall ship majesty along the East River, then Hudson. Pounded aurally right now by explosions downriver, no way to escape it. #tbh
I couldn't get a good pic (too far away), but Angelique caught my eye because red sails. "It was common in England to treat sails to make the cotton canvas more resistant to mildew with tallow, tannic acid, and red ocher." #tallships #america250 #sail4th
First ship in the flotilla! They skirted the Manhattan shore, so the mini "tall" ships looked a little smaller than I'd hoped.
Messi fever! Canine and human forms, on the Greenpoint Esplanade. #worldcup #fifa #argentina #messi
July 3, Preview to the #sail4th flotilla, happening practically outside my door!! East River preview cruise from 1-4 pm, viewable along the public Esplanade. (that's the pre-view preview, with a workhorse barge in the fore, from a few nights ago)
Super rare to meet someone with the same last name as me. Samantha at the Flop House Comedy Club just married into the clan and even got a rabbit tattoo. Fun set tonight!
In the 2026 keynote, Meredith compares birthing a baby (she's having a second child late in life) and birthing a game. I'm not a parent, so, no comment. What's key here, to me, is the search for truth—and that truth can be distorted. You have to "burn a path thru the fog" to find it. #narrascope
The "Bad Future" part of his talk includes a "perceived sense of efficiency," over-investment, the anxiety of a "black box" (we don't know exactly how LLMs and their billions of nodes operate)... and more. (quote from an anonymous Anthropic employee) Clear presentation. Worth a listen. #ai
I think this applies to ALL collaborators, especially the "respect expertise" note. As with music and audio, game writing and narrative design are skilled disciplines in an art form and craft and that's what NarraScope is all about. Let's add game editing to that, too. (More on that talk later.)
This Tempo and Pacing slide, for ex., helps me enter the sound sphere realm creatively and more deeply. I love super-practical craft talks because video games and digital narratives are always a team effort (for me). The more I know, the better I can relate to and communicate with others.
A key #NarraScope takeaway: generations of creatives keep on creating, innovating, and playing—no matter what. I thrive on that vibe and so do many, many others. This toddler (4?) spent an hour playing in the fountain pool outside the lecture hall doors, turning everything into a toy, with joy.
NarraScope 2026 in Albany! A somewhat pivotal experience for me with surprising new connections, meaty conversations, and an emerging perspective on what I want to do with the homestretch of my career. I'll follow up with fave talks after they're posted on the IFTF YouTube channel. #narrascope
I took some snaps at the Level Up Tuesday! This FREE event features an expert talk (in this case, how to strategically tackle the super-tough game job market). With lots of time to socialize, I met two up and coming music/audio talents and other devs and designers + IGDA friends and regulars.