It's 🌈PRIDE🌈 month!! Support your local agencies if you can with a donation or your time. Attend a Pride event. Take some time to learn and share about the people who fought for LGBTQIA+ rights and those who continue to do so; folks like Marsha P. Johnson and Laverne Cox.

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In this month's newsletter

1. Tech Workers are STILL Overwhelmed
2. Games You've Never Heard About Recap!
3. Around the Web (Deb explains D&D, Fridge Poems, Deciding Between Two Jobs)

1. Tech Workers are STILL Overwhelmed

You probably know by now that I'm building something called The Party, a community for tech folks who are craving connection, growth, and a little more joy. And to be honest, I’ve had doubts this past month, getting ready to launch the alpha. Do people still want this kind of thing? Can I really pull it off?

Then I came across this survey, and it hit me: this is still very much the problem I set out to help when I started this business. Instead of this survey of 8.2k tech workers, last year, it was Gallup's poll. Every now and then, I come across yet another piece of evidence that working in tech is harder than ever.

Almost every respondent says they’re more burned out than last year. Mid-career folks feel stuck (it's me, hi). Managers are overwhelmed. And while burnout has many causes, I think part of the reason it feels so heavy is because we’ve lost something deeper: our teams.

I don’t just mean coworkers. I mean the kind of team where people have your back. Where you laugh at inside jokes. Where you stay on after the meeting ends just to talk through something (or nothing at all). The kind of team where growth isn’t something you chase alone.

I’ve been lucky to have that twice in my career. It made work feel human. It made me feel human. And I miss it. I think a lot of us do.

Companies used to make space for that kind of culture, a community of care. But now? Team-building is a “nice to have.” Mentorship is fading. Everyone’s stretched too thin. And without the time or trust to connect, the work feels heavier. Lonelier. More mechanical in a lot of ways.

There's a space for The Party to really bring people together, and create a space for tech folks who want a community. Specifically people who miss supporting each other, growing together, and playing together. Because play is one of the best ways we grow. It’s how we bond. And in a world where everything feels like a task list, it’s how we make time to practice being human.

So yeah, I’m still nervous. But I know I’m not the only one feeling this way. The alpha version of The Party launches this month with a small group. If you’re curious, you can reply to this email or DM me on LinkedIn. The wider beta will come in a few months.

But mostly, I just wanted to say: if you’re feeling burned out, disconnected, or like something’s missing, you’re not alone. There are others out here, rebuilding what work used to feel like.

2. Games You've Never Heard About Recap!

I promised to share out the games covered in my first ever public event on games, Games You've Never Heard About, so here they are! I'm planning to run another session sometime soon because it was so fun! I ended up doing a live demo of Honey Heist, using the chat as a gamemaster. Thanks to everyone who hung out!

There are Ghosts in This Discord by Adam Vass and Will Jobst

The Quiet Year by Avery Alder

Sword Loser by Jackson Tegu

Dread by Epidiah Ravachol and Nathaniel Barmore

Alice is Missing by Spenser Starke

One Last Job by Grant Howitt

Honey Heist by Grant Howitt

Sargasso Sea of Space by Tim Hutchings

Thousand Year Old Vampire by Tim Hutchings

You're a Fucking Butterfly by Tim Hutchings

4. Around the Web

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