Culture

‘OK, Boomer’ Girl’s Rise To Twitch Fame Was ‘A Perfect Storm’ Of Memes And Politics

Several decades ago, at the beginning of March 2020, when Bernie Sanders was still in the race for president, a streamer who goes by the handle Neekolul posted a short video of herself lip syncing and dancing along to a song by YouTuber Senzawa made up entirely of variations on the phrase “OK, boomer” to…

Google Stadia Pro Goes Free For Two Months

Google announced today that it’s making its Stadia Pro video game streaming service free to everyone for the next two months, as people stay home to limit the spread of Covid-19. “Video games can be a valuable way to socialize with friends and family when you’re stuck at home, so we’re giving gamers in 14…

How’s It Going?: Simple Pleasures Edition

We’re halfway through the week, if time still has meaning for you. Welcome back to our daily open thread. As I wrote yesterday, I’ve been struggling to do much besides worry lately. Nevertheless, I’m trying to force myself to notice the good things that I can still access, or that this situation is bringing out.…

Gaming PC Builder Maingear Is Now Making Emergency Ventilators

New Jersey-based computer company Maingear announced today that it is retooling a significant portion of its manufacturing facilities, normally dedicated to making very pretty gaming PCs, to create very pretty emergency ventilators to aid hospitals in the fight against covid-19. Emergency ventilators are an important tool in the fight against covid-19, which can severely impair…

Track: Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus | Artist: The Strokes | Album: The New Abnormal

I know you very well. Ayacucho, Peru. By Manuel Huertas | Instagram 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 

Yoshi’s Desert Planet

These Nintendo remakes are getting out of control. And while, yeah, this is very much Just Two Things, I also want to point out the restraint/folly in not going for the more obvious route and making Yoshi the bounty hunter and Mario the weird, powerful baby. These are all the work of concept artist and…

A Reminder That Most Steam Games Tank

Valve put out a big announcement today broadcasting the fact that “there’s been a continuous increase in the number of games achieving success on Steam.” Of course Valve would celebrate their own platform, but in sharing the success stories, it’s easy to lose sight of the increasing number of games that are failing. Valve shared…

Conventions Can Still Be Held, They’re Just Happening Online

One of the biggest casualties of the global Covid-19 lockdowns are events like comic and anime conventions, because huge arenas filled with tens of thousands of people crammed in, hugging and shaking hands are a massive health risk. But that’s OK! We can still have cons on the internet. And not just joke ones, like…

Playing Borderlands 3 Can Help Scientists With Actual Research

Ever felt guilty about playing video games while the world crumbles around you? Well, you’re in luck, because Borderlands 3 now includes a special mini-game that lets you contribute to real-world scientific research while earning in-game rewards. Borderlands Science can be found in the infirmary of Sanctuary III, the spaceship that acts as the game’s…

Everything Shown During Today’s Inside Xbox

Here’s a roundup of everything Microsoft shared during today’s Inside Xbox stream. An early version of Grounded, the upcoming survival adventure game from Obsidian Entertainment, will arrive on Xbox Game Preview on July 28. We learned that while Xbox Series X games can be stored on any external hard drives, they’ll need to be moved to…

PlayStation 5 DualSense Controller Revealed

While we’ve yet to get a glimpse of the PlayStation 5 itself, Sony has seen fit to tease us today with a first look at its controller. In a new post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony Interactive Entertainment senior vice president Hideaki Nishino unveiled the DualSense wireless controller, the company’s follow-up to the DualShock 4.…

Virtual Reality Is My Favorite Way To Leave The House Right Now

At this point, we’ve heard how good virtual reality can be for walking around imaginary environments and interacting with worlds up close. But what I never saw coming was how my frivolous, cool tech distraction would become my new favorite way to leave my apartment in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. As of this…

Riot’s New Game Valorant Has 1.6 Million Viewers On Twitch Right Now [UPDATE]

Valorant, a game that’s not out yet and that most people can’t play, currently has 1.6 million concurrent viewers on Twitch, putting it within spitting distance of the all-time record. The new game from League of Legends (and only League of Legends, until now) developer Riot Games mashes up Counter-Strike-style tactical shooting with hero powers…

No Man’s Sky Has Freaking Mechs Now

Hello Games continues its quest to add every cool science fiction thing possible to procedural space sim No Man’s Sky with free update 2.4, Exo Mech, which gives players access to giant effing pilotable mechs. Also other things, but mainly mechs. Mechs can jump. They’re immune to planetary hazards. They feature immersive cockpits for those…

How’s It Going?: Productivity Edition

Hello, it’sonly Tuesday, and it’s also time for our daily open thread. I’ve been having a lot of trouble getting things done lately, a struggle I’m sure I’m not alone in. Maybe you’ve seen the memes about Shakespeare writing King Lear while in quarantine, along with all the reminders that you don’t have to write…

Track: Wanted Man (Take 1) | Artist: Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash | Album: Travelin’ Thru, 1967 – 1969: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 15

UFC Getting Private Island, Is Now Basically A Fighting Game

Unlike most sports, which are just riding this whole covid-19 thing out, the UFC is out there trying to get back underway as quickly as possible. By taking what used to be a fairly conventional combat sport and turning it into the plot of a Dead Or Alive or Tekken game. UFC boss Dana White…

Hermione’s House Blend

Eloïse Girard is a freelance illustrator and graphic artist from France. You can see more of Eloïse’s stuffat her ArtStation page.

Super Mario 64‘s Glitchy Smoke Has Been Fixed After 24 Years

For all this time, over all these decades, we’ve all been playing Super Mario 64 with a visual glitch: The smoke that comes off Mario’s butt when you catch fire is broken. Yup, turns out the MS-Paint-lookin’ effect we’re so used to isn’t how the smoke is supposed to look. Rather, after some poking around…