Culture

A Look Behind TV’s Most Relatable Gaming Story In Ages

Writing an episode of a TV show that revolves around video games can be a tricky endeavor. It’s all too easy for showrunners to gravitate towards common tropes such as being sucked into a digital world or becoming overly obsessed with a flashy new game. Stories like these have been overused in the decades since…

Socialist Tabletop Game Reminded Me That You Have To Stop Infighting To Get Shit Done

On Wednesday night, a group of friends and I gathered to spark a revolution. We were playing Comrades, a tabletop RPG that puts its players in the shoes of leftist activists fighting for their causes. I make it no secret that I am a socialist. That’s right! I’m the political dissident the President is warning…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for having been invited to a lot of dinner parties, which feels very adult. It’s also for video games! I’m going to spend more time in Apex Legends this weekend. Last night a friend texted me to play this game with her by calling it “Ape Legs,” which I am hereby declaring…

Track: Everybody Wants To Rule The World | Artist: Andy McKee | Album: Joyland Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

West Texas Winter. Hudspeth, Texas. By Mobilus In Mobili | Flickr JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Some Of Our Favorite Cosplay From PAX South 2019

PAX South was held in San Antonio a few weeks back, and while there was a lot of great stuff going on, we’re here today to highlight some of the cosplay that was on show. Mineralblutook all of the photos you’ll see below, (as well as shooting a 12-minute video) while you’ll find both the…

An Elegant Vehicle For A More Civilized Age

Gregory Fromenteau is an art director at Ubisoft, who has worked on games like Rainbow Six: Siege. You can see more of Gregory’s stuff at his ArtStation page.

Astroneer Makes Outer Space Survival Relaxing

The worst problems are often ones we make for ourselves. For instance, while wandering Astroneer’s idyllic starter planet, I found a hole. Its alluring darkness contrasted the planet’s candy swirl aesthetic so perfectly that I couldn’t resist. I gently edged my way down one of its walls. Then I started sliding. Then I kept sliding.…

Breath Of The Wild Speedrunning Has Changed A Lot In Two Years

Yesterday, speedrunner sketodara01417 completed a speedrun for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in slightly over half an hour. As someone who used to casually speedrun the game, I was awestruck at how much things have changed. New glitches and massively different movement techniques have radically altered the game into something breathtaking to…

I Keep Trying To Play Multiplayer Games Solo

I’ve mostly been a single-player gamer. I grew up with Nintendo consoles and went more Metroid than Mario Kart, more Super Mario Bros. than Smash Bros. When I’m playing Destiny, I’ll enjoy some of its spontaneous co-op combat, but I don’t indulge in PvP. So why do I keep buying or trying multiplayer games? My…

Track: Piano Concerto No.3 | Artist: Beethoven (Alice Sara Ott with Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra) | Album: N/A Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Sunrise. Dumaguete, Philippines. By Martin Tan. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Arise, Sir Skullface Of Skellingtown

Alexandr Novitskiy is an artist based in Ukraine. You can see more of Alexandr’s work at his ArtStation page

Kid-Friendly Twitch Streams Aim To Be The New Saturday Morning Cartoons

Since practically the dawn of consumer television, Saturday mornings have meant sitting down in front of the TV with a soggy bowl of sugary cereal and watching cartoons. But in the age of multiple 24-7 kid-focused cable channels, the Saturday morning cartoon is now a relic of the past. Now, a pair of Twitch channels…

Sadly, It’s Surprising That There Are Two Black Women In Apex Legends

Loading up Apex Legends for the first time, I saw two black women as playable characters. It was a strange and arresting feeling to see them. I’m still trying to understand my feelings about it. I’m usually quite wary of falling into what my coworker Riley MacLeod calls “the diversity trap,” which is to say,…

Track: Native Dancer | Artist: Sakanaction | Album: Shinshiro Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

The Alpine Express

Cosmin Hrincu is a background artist based in Sydney who has worked on a number of Marvel movies. You can see more of Cosmin’s work at his ArtStation page

A Cosplaying Transformers Band Playing Led Zeppelin And The Pokemon Theme

The Cybertronic Spree are a band who specialise in covers of songs from games, anime and movies. And, when the mood takes them, Led Zeppelin as well. That’s a fun enough premise on its own, but then, they also do it cosplaying as Transformers. And it’s really good cosplay, too! Aesthetically pleasing, accurate to the source…

A Game About The First Year Of Art School

Art Sqool sucked me in early on. My second in-game assignment was to draw slowly and deliberately. It was a tall order for drawing with a mouse, but I gave it a fair shot. I made sure I traced my lines slowly, with purpose, really considering each stroke and what it added or took away.…

Track: Moonchild (Live) | Artist: Chibo Matto (with Sean Lennon) | Album: Stereo * Type A Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.