NASA leverages gamers to save the world’s coral reefs
As rising temperatures continue to bleach delicate coral ecosystems, NASA scientists are turning to gamers to help map out the ocean floor. If you’re willing to put your candy crushing obsession aside for a bit, NASA is offering gamers the opportunity to partake in a mission of global importance. Despite covering...
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Twitch expands misconduct policy to include other platforms
Ensuring that Twitch remains a safe and inclusive space for stream buffs, the platform is expanding its off-service conduct policy to punish threatening behaviours outside of Twitch. Those who take to spreading hate online or trolling Twitter and Discord may soon find their indiscretions have landed them bans on Twitch...
The Game Devs of Color Expo to go entirely digital for 2021
In its sixth year, the Game Devs of Color Expo 2021 will celebrate the growing ethnic diversity within game development. Again, the event will be entirely digital. With most of North America’s big gaming conferences axed last year due to Covid-19, it’s good to see that the calendar year is...
Thred Daily – Why improving inclusive gaming is important
With Microsoft recently updating the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines, Elliot takes a look at why improving inclusive gaming should be at the top of every developers to-do list. Recent releases such as Gears 5 and The Last of Us Part 2, along with Microsoft’s adaptive controller are great examples of improved...
OverActive Media announces biggest Esports stadium in Toronto
The ever popular and lucrative business of Esports is about to head to the next level, sealed by a futuristic $500m stadium build in Toronto. Esports has burst onto the mainstream in recent years, blossoming from a subset of sports culture into a full blown industry in its own right....
Microsoft testing new program to improve gaming accessibility
Microsoft is aiming to make gaming as accessible as possible for players with disabilities. A new program recommends that first and third party developers now send in their games for inclusive evaluations. Data from the ESA Foundation suggests that there may be as many as 46 million gamers with disabilities...
Stadia’s internal closure bets on industry shift to Cloud gaming
14 months after Stadia’s high-profile launch, Google is closing the company’s internal game development studio. Its once exclusive Cloud technology is now open to potential suitors. It’s taken Google 14 months to realise it doesn’t want to be a game making company anymore. Grandiose ambitions first revealed at the Game Developers Conference 2019 have never come close to fruition for Google’s Stadia. It originally teased its own Cloud-based console, a controller,...
The most immersive Game Pass titles to improve 2021
Lockdowns and social restrictions look likely to last well into 2021. We’ve picked the most immersive and best Game Pass titles currently available to keep you going in these isolating times. Despite mainstream media’s tendency to vilify video games, recent studies suggest that they can actually improve overall wellbeing and better your mood. Playing through a lengthy RPG or tense survival game can help distract, escape, and...
‘Reset Earth’ game encourages Gen Z to protect the ozone layer
The United Nations is launching an animated film and interactive game that aims to teach Gen Z how to protect and appreciate the ozone layer. Who’d have thought the UN would be dropping a mobile game in 2021? ‘Reset Earth’ is a new game and interactive web series being launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to celebrate this weekend’s World Education day. It’s available through the...
Why we need to stop putting developers under ‘crunch’
Cyberpunk 2077 has been removed from the PlayStation Store for being unstable and buggy. It’s a result of industry pressures and crunch time - do things need to change? CD Projekt Red’s latest title, Cyberpunk 2077, has finally launched for both PC and consoles, after a near eight year wait and four delays. Intended to be a worthy successor to the studio’s last game, The Witcher 3, the sci-fi RPG title...
