James Montagna

James Montagna

Directing Nintendo games & making apps!
#93883674 followers24 following
#1,819Last month
20 KP
>10,000All time
35 KP

About

Been making games since Kindergarten; scrawling level designs in crayon. Thirty years later, I've directed titles for Nintendo, shipped dozens of games at WayForward (Shantae, plus collabs with Disney, Sega, Konami, and more), and toured internationally with game art installations. Now I'm building apps, experiences, and hunting for whatever's next. Always down to make something cool together, or see what you're up to. Thanks for following ☆彡

Badges

Tastemaker
Tastemaker
Gone streaking 10
Gone streaking 10
Gone streaking
Gone streaking
Gone streaking 5
Gone streaking 5

Maker History

Forums

XTERIX: Vapordeck for X (Twitter)p/xterix-vapordeck-for-x-twitterJames Montagna•

4mo ago

🔥 What makes an app feel "polished"?

Hey! I'm a game designer (Advance Wars, Shantae), and working on an app while applying game UI thinking (satisfying sensations, visual feedback) to hit that "feels good to use" factor.
Curious to know from the PH community: What UX tells you an app is made thoughtfully? What makes something feel polished to you?
For me: Haptics. I've personally been obsessed with a well-placed tick sensation, or even a ratcheting when rolling through a menu. This is the level of attention-to-detail that says "someone cared about this" also it's just so darn immersive. Feels satisfying.
Let this thread be the secret sauce collection.

P.S. I put this thinking into XTERIX, an X client for iOS with haptics, multi-account, and Apple Watch support. If you try it, I'd love to know what lands for you.

James Montagna•

4mo ago

XTERIX: Vapordeck for X (Twitter) - ✨ Alternate X client with style: PIN lock, 25 accounts, more

The official X (Twitter) app is your feed. XTERIX is your weapon. This "vapordeck" for X starts by securing your account access with PIN privacy. Seamlessly swap between up to 25 logins, or obliterate data residue instantly with a quick 'Burner' session. Scroll, like, and repost from your wrist with X Apple Watch support. For power users who want their privacy to look as good as it feels: welcome to the vapordeck experience.
Murrorp/murrorMona Truong•

4mo ago

The layoff wave and how we can move past the fear

Many people have told me that being part of Gen Z comes with advantages we have time, energy, and plenty of opportunities to shape our careers in the AI era. And I do feel lucky to have grown up with technology, to have had early exposure and opportunities to learn and explore it.

But the AI era feels different. The shift is not only new, it s happening at lightning speed. Before I ve even fully adapted to working with AI, we re already seeing waves of layoffs where human roles are being replaced or reshaped by AI systems. And honestly, that creates uncertainty and anxiety not just for me, but for many people around us.

View more