How Humans' Greatest Wish Made Online Games Lonelier
WIRED · 8 minFlight made video games like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV easier to play, but some say that convenience came at a cost.
Gaming
Curated by our editorsStories to fuel your mind
Video Games’ Sensory Revolution: How Haptics Reinvented the Controller
The Ringer · 14 minThe next generation of consoles has further evolved a once-basic necessity to an immersive tool for physical connection. But do developers—and gamers—actually want that?
A comprehensive breakdown of the Epic v. Apple ruling
The Verge · 13 minWe’re going to take a close look into the ruling’s biggest conclusions — and what they mean for both companies.
The Best 2-Player Board Games for Couples to Play at Home Together
The Kitchn · 2 minGreat for date night or a slow Sunday afternoon.
The Case for Video Game Tutorials
WIRED · 10 minThey might not all be perfect, but they’ve become necessary.
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The Investors Trying to Fix the Most Toxic Company in Video Games
Slate · 12 minIn July, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued video-game giant Activision Blizzard, alleging, more or less, that the company has a workplace environment from hell.
The best solo board games
Polygon · 2 minWhen you think of playing a board game, someone sitting alone at a table may not be the first thing that comes to mind. The social aspect of board games is obviously important, but a number of the best board games have satisfying puzzles to work out even if you can’t get anyone to join you.
It's time for open world games to ditch the question marks
PC Gamer · 5 minOne of the more common complaints about modern open world games is how they have become exercises in 'icon-chasing', where you spend most of your time pinging between dozens of different question-marks on a map, rushing to sweep them up like a weaponised cleaner.
The 15 greatest games of the 2010s – ranked!
The Guardian · 7 minFor a few months in 2016, you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing people swiping at their phones, trying to catch a Psyduck superimposed on their local streets. The news was full of reports of people mobbing hotels or parks to find virtual critters.
Limited Free Time? Here Are 4 Video Games for Busy People.
The New York Times · 8 minIf you like playing video games but have a hard time fitting them into your schedule, you’re not alone.
These Astonishing Minecraft Builds Were Years in the Making
WIRED · 5 minMinecraft, the best-selling video game of all time, has been around for more than a decade. The procedurally generated survival sandbox is constantly evolving, playing host to everything from speedrun challenges and political dramas to lessons.
Three hours a week: Play time's over for China's young video gamers
Reuters · 3 minSHANGHAI, Aug 30 (Reuters) - China has forbidden under-18s from playing video games for more than three hours a week, a stringent social intervention that it said was needed to pull the plug on a growing addiction to what it once described as "spiritual opium".
Why the games industry needs a new engine
PC Gamer · 10 minGame engines: everything runs on them, barely anyone outside of developers really know what they're all about.
The best cooperative board games
Polygon · 2 minBreaking out a new cooperative board game is always a cooperative experience. Everyone works together to find the best strategies to navigate an unknown landscape and achieve victory. But some games keep that co-op spirit alive after that first playthrough.
Why the industry should heed China’s crackdown on video game players
The Guardian · 4 minBeing a parent can feel, at times, like leading an authoritarian nation of one.
What Really Happened At That BlizzCon Panel, According To The Woman In The Video
Kotaku · 8 minXantia doesn’t spend much time on Twitter, so she learned that California was suing Activision Blizzard for years of alleged sexual harassment and discrimination a couple days late.
It’s now possible to play early ’90s CD-ROM games via ScummVM
Ars Technica · 2 minThe ScummVM community has just made the early CD-ROM gaming era more accessible. For five years, multiple people have worked on making Macromedia Director games playable on modern hardware, and today, that work is done.
Valve’s gaming handheld is called the Steam Deck and it’s shipping in December
The Verge · 4 minValve just announced the Steam Deck, its long-rumored Switch-like handheld gaming device. It will begin shipping in December and reservations open July 16th at 1PM ET. It starts at $399, and you can buy it in $529 and $649 models as well.
Axie Infinity: online games where people earn as they play are transforming gaming
The Conversation · 4 minThe ultimate point of playing video games has always been to have fun. Whether it’s Space Invaders or Sonic or Red Dead Redemption, you hit the start button and do your thing until game over – and then you probably wipe the sweat off your hands and do it again.
Deathloop is one of the most incredible games I’ve ever played
Polygon · 6 minOf the many fantasies humanity has entertained, conquering time has been paramount, whether through time machines, freezing, or reversing. If time is the great consumer, then those that control time control the universe.
‘Free Guy’ Isn’t a Good Video Game Movie. It’s a Good Movie About Video Games.
The Ringer · 16 minThe Ryan Reynolds action comedy topped the box office this weekend, but as the first non-IP Disney release in years, that wasn’t a sure thing. The minds behind the movie talk about how the film came together and how it evolved in the years since its conception.
China bans kids from playing online video games during the week
CNN · 4 minChina has barred online gamers under the age of 18 from playing on weekdays and limited their play to just three hours most weeks, marking a significant escalation of restrictions on the country's massive gaming industry.
The modern challenge of gaming without a strong Internet connection
Ars Technica · 5 minFor many players these days, the video game industry’s increasing reliance on online connections is an afterthought. But for the significant portion of the world without a quality Internet connection, it can sometimes feel like the game industry at large is leaving them behind.
The best PC controller in 2021
PC Gamer · 7 minI've got news for you. The best PC controller isn't always a mouse and keyboard. Yeah I know, a real shocker for us WSAD enthusiasts. There are a lot of games—from Shovel Knight to Forza Horizon—that are better played with a gamepad than a gaming mouse and gaming keyboard.