Supergiant Games is handing over the keys to the underworld early. Hades II, the sequel to the studios’ critically acclaimed roguelike, is now available to buy for $30 on PC via Early Access on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Hades II follows Melinoë, underworld princess and sister to the …
Read More »I’m a Boy. Does Playing Female Characters in Video Games Make Me Gay?
I’m a guy “in real life,” but I’ve always played female characters in video games. More and more people say this means I’m either secretly gay/trans or a total creep. Am I allowed to just prefer it? —Gender Player Dear Player, It sounds like you have a lot of people …
Read More »Decades of Garry’s Mod Nintendo Uploads Are Disappearing
For the past few months, Nintendo-related content has been disappearing from Garry’s Mod, the physics-based sandbox game and modding platform beloved by Steam players. The source of the takedown requests presents a worst-case scenario for the community; rather than coming from copyright trolls, the takedowns are coming from Nintendo itself, …
Read More »Delta Is an iOS Game Boy Emulator That (Likely) Won’t Get Taken Down
Video game emulators are having a tough time. Back in March it was Nintendo Switch emulator Yuzu, which got shut down following a lawsuit from Nintendo. Pizza Emulators, another Nintendo emulator, disappeared around the same time. Then, over the weekend, after Apple updated its restrictions on retro game emulators to …
Read More »How a Picturesque Cozy Game Hit Its Antiauthoritarian Stride
Snufkin said ACAB. OK, not literally “all cops are bastards.” Rather, the hero of Hyper Games’ Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley says things like, “If you remove all the signs in a park, the police officers leave.” Still, the message remains—and it’s getting noticed. Ever since the game hit Steam and …
Read More »'Fallout' Nails Video Game Adaptations by Making the Apocalypse Fun
For decades, it seemed like Hollywood couldn’t get a video game adaptation right. Movies like Double Dragon, Super Mario Bros., and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider were all critically panned, with their creators called out for either sticking too close to the source material, failing to capture the magic of the …
Read More »Influencers Are Trying to Go Viral by Playing a Game About Going Viral
Ben disappeared somewhere in the pitch black of the Old World. A handful of streamers gathered to investigate its monster-filled caverns and hallways, only to find their friend had gone missing. “Did Ben die?” one wondered aloud, just before another spotted him with relief in his voice. “I’m not even …
Read More »The Future of Video Games Is … Reality TV?
Over by the pool, a slap fight breaks out. Two cast members, no longer content to trade insults, are flailing at each other with the fervor of a schoolyard fight. Camera screen bouncing, the producer sprints over to get footage. It’s 1999, and players are producing the latest season of …
Read More »A 'House of the Dragon' Star Made a Video Game to Grieve His Father
A decade ago, Abubakar Salim lost his father. That grief lives within him. An actor by trade, with credits in Raised by Wolves and House of the Dragon’s upcoming season, he searched for years for the right medium to work through the hurt. A film. A TV show. Nothing did …
Read More »Is AI the Future of NPCs?
Bloom, a non-player character with a face like a potato and a black beanie pulled tight around his ears, wants to know about my strategy and how I fare in combat. “I follow a map and I punch hard,” I reply into the microphone. Text of our conversation flashes across …
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