Author: Jasmine Henry

As a black gamer, 2016 felt like some sort of tipping point. After years of getting dumped on in the medium, relegated to offensive stereotypes and serving as no-name NPCs, this year black video game characters finally got to take the center stage. In multiple blockbuster titles. While it wasn’t out and out representation throughout…

A Good Bundle wants to raise money for two very good and very deserving causes. “A bunch of creators are sharing their works to combat some of the ugliness in our world,” explains the bundle’s description, with indie hits such as Gone Home, Proteus, Catlateral Damage and Read Only Memories being sold for absolutely peanuts.…

What does a lesbian bring on a second date? A U-Haul….. But, what should a fictional lesbian bring to a second date? A bulletproof vest. Such is the state of sapphic representation on television that fans expect their favourite bi and gay ladies to be killed off the second they’re introduced. Finally get a love scene with your…

The year is 2054. Frank Ocean’s third album, released just days ago, plays softly in the background. I load the hologram in the palm of my hand, the display of the news channel as mottled light on my digits. ‘Blizzard Continues to Tease Overwatch Gay Character Reveal’ Ever since Blizzard confirmed that at least one…

In 2012 Anita Sarkeesian raised over $150,000 on Kickstarter to fund Tropes vs. Women, a video series aiming to tackle the many tropes attached to female characters in video games. Possibly one of the most divisive projects in crowdfunding history (second only to the ultimate potato salad), plenty of gamers have plenty to say on Tropes…

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…

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…

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…