Category: Read
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Palmer Luckey and the Ugly Side of Oculus Rift’s VR Revolution
A few weeks ago, a report from The Daily Beast uncovered the fact that Oculus Rift creator and Time Magazine’s best ever cover star, Palmer Luckey, has donated $10,000 to Nimble America, a group that creates memes and shitposts in favour of the Toupéd Cheeto himself, Donald Trump. Nimble America (NA) is run by two former r/The_Donald…
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Could Be Worse I Guess: A Lara Croft Playlist
The Tomb Raider Reboot was not kind to Lara Croft. Scarred both mentally and physically, the adventurous young woman was hardened in a way only people who’ve been trapped with a murderous cult on a virtually inescapable island can understand. I like to think that along with about 3 pairs of pants and a lifetime…
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Accessible Gaming Is All About Options
Representatives from The AbleGamers Foundation recently took part in a Skype panel as part of Tulsa’s XPO Game Festival. They shared a few simple changes that can make games more accessible for gamers of different abilities. They also stressed the importance of developers not going overboard in the quest for inclusiveness. AbleGamers is a nonprofit…
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A History of Deus Ex’s Racism Controversies
With futuristic, sci-fi sequel Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, developer Eidos Montreal has once again found itself walking atop the fiery coals of controversy. The developer first landed itself in trouble by referring to the game’s poor treatment of augmented humans (‘augs’ are treated as second class citizens, forced to live in ghettos) as the ‘Mechanical…
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What Happens to Female Playable Characters When Gender isn’t an Issue?
Game developers recognize that consumers want female playable characters. Just last year, it was announced that in Call of Duty you could play the game from a female perspective. There are lots of games that let you play as women, but what’s worrisome is that playable female characters surprise us. What should surprise us is a…
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Danielle Bunten Berry: The Unsung Herald of Multiplayer Games
Finger pressing hard on the D-Pad, your character sprints upwards and towards the finishing line. Below you, money trickles out of your savings as you watch your competitors scurry to outbid you in time. As the clock hits zero, a trumpet plays, and the sale is final. You won the auction. M.U.L.E. was a formative…
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Become A One Woman Army In SOS Atlas
What can I say, I’m a bit of a sucker for female Sci-Fi protagonists that can kick ass. Enter Third Gate Studios with their Kickstarter campaign for SOS Atlas. Seeking $10,000, the developers hope to bring their fantasy adventure game to PC next year. SOS Atlas follows the story of a young woman named Kit…
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League Of Legends Has A Power Fantasy Problem
If you’ve ever played League of Legends. Scrap that, if you’ve ever even heard of League of Legends, you’ve probably heard the discussion surrounding the objectification of its female characters. Tight shorts, midriff, a complete lack of body armor: these are some of the infamous hallmarks of League’s female cast. This discussion obviously isn’t exclusive…
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Crumbling The Tower of Babel with Cinematic Storytelling
As technology advances, video game cinematics play an increasingly important role in games with heavy narratives. Trailers and cutscenes become a shared talking point amongst players. An individual’s play style may vary from person to person, but the cinematics they watch remain the same – most of the time, anyway. Sometimes, translation gets in the…
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Shock Value Alone Won’t Sell Shitty Games
Some games just want to watch the world burn. Or at least blow the minds of ultra conservative parents trying to protect their precious little snowflakes from simulated violence. Look, I understand sometimes a developer just wants to sell some games and doesn’t mind appealing to the lowest common denominator to do it. Not every…
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VR Gaming’s Real Problem Isn’t Price; It’s Diversity
As virtual reality makes its much-hyped comeback, developers and headset makers have been trying to sell us on the idea that the technology will offer the most immersive gaming experience ever. Why just play a game when you can feel as though you are actually in it? It’s certainly an alluring premise, after all, games are already such a…
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Eldet Expands the LGBT Spectrum
I’m a fan of games that tackle queer themes, especially if they’re more subtle than most. After trying out the demo for Eldet, I instantly backed the game because of this. Unfortunately, not everyone was happy with the “gay only” characters. Developer Marccus has addressed this in a new update, showcasing new additions to the…