China continues its tirade against youth gaming & streaming
As part of its two-month campaign to clean up the ‘chaos’ around gaming and livestreaming, China is continuing to place restrictions on young people. It appears the nation with the single largest gaming market, isn’t all that pleased with its accolade. The growing list of internet restrictions within China could honestly...
Current in Gaming
Blizzard hires female Vice President of Culture to overhaul toxic values
Since countless accusations of misogyny and sexual misconduct broke last August, Blizzard has been working to improve its toxic culture. Jessica Martinez has now been hired to oversee the transition towards a ‘more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.’ Blizzard has taken a PR battering in recent years, and rightfully so. While...
Unlocking this trophy in Horizon Forbidden West will plant an actual tree
As Horizon Forbidden West players fight to save the planet from a rogue terraforming system, they will also simultaneously help the planet in real life. Every time the trophy ‘Reached the Daunt’ is unlocked, Sony will plant a tree. The widely anticipated sequel to Guerrilla Games’ flagship title is now...
Is Microsoft creating a monopoly after Activision Blizzard deal?
Microsoft is on the brink of acquiring Activision Blizzard for a record fee of $68.7bn. Having already landed the Bethesda deal last year, is the conglomerate potentially underway with a full-scale gaming monopoly? If the cringe, social media driven console wars are even still a thing, this is the equivalent...
Twitch begins its clampdown on hate raids after streamer boycotts
After streamers staged a 24-hour boycott on the platform in response to recurring hate raids, Twitch has finally started its legal clampdown on key offenders behind in-app harassment. For RekitRaven and other key streamers behind the growing #TwitchDoBetter movement, it’s safe to say: congratulations, the platform has definitely responded. Late last...
Minecraft library liberates gamers in censored countries
One of the most successful sandbox video games of all time once again proves its versatility outside of tree-punching and cave-exploring by providing a journalism sanctuary for its 126 million active players. Thinking outside the box Oppressive governments and growingly sophisticated systems of surveillance have led to an increase of censorship...
Twitch streamers plan 24-hour boycott in response to ‘hate raids’
Twitch streamers from marginalised communities have regularly spoken out against abuse and harassment they receive on the platform. With instances of ‘hate raids’ continuing to slip past moderators, a day long boycott now aims to drive change. If you’re big into streaming, you’ll likely have seen the hashtag ‘#TwitchDoBetter’ bouncing around on Twitch and Twitter throughout August. During a broadcast earlier this month, popular streamer RekitRaven – who is Black...
Vine’s creator working on bizarre new NFT console Supdrive
Dom Hofmann, a founder of both Vine and Byte, has announced a firmware console called Supdrive. Using NFTs as game cartridges, each title will be unique to each player. This whole NFT trend is getting pretty out of hand now. Dom Hofmann, the founder of TikTok’s 2012 ancestor Vine, has recently announced plans to develop a firmware console which will take classic-style arcade games – like Pacman or Space Invaders...
US politicians call on gaming companies to axe coercive spending
Building on legislation outlined by the UK, US Congress members are calling for developers to better protect young people from ‘predatory’ game mechanics like loot boxes. In 2021, gaming is all about value for money. Subscription services like Games Pass, PlayStation Now, and EA Play are popping with hundreds of AAA titles to get stuck into, yet somehow people are still coerced into forking out for microtransactions. In a bid to...
Netflix eyes game development to expand its community
Netflix is expanding its service to feature video games and has on-boarded EA and Facebook executives to head up game development. Will this strengthen the belief that subscriptions are the future of the industry? Between binging an endless library of films, tacky reality shows, satirical cartoons, and high-brow TV dramas, it’s safe to say most of us with Netflix subscriptions are already getting our money’s worth. With over 200 million subscribers from...
