My Hunt For The Mysterious Man Or Machine Controlling The Blizzard Arena’s Light-Up Halo

The Blizzard Arena stage has a massive light-up halo on the ceiling that serves as a progress bar for Overwatch objectives. As a team captures a point, the halo fills up with that team’s colors. It’s an impressive illustration of who’s winning. And it’s all manual. Or so I’ve been told. The other elements on…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: My Girlfriend’s Friends All Hate Me

Hello all you florescent death antelopes, and welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only dating advice column to win that coveted chicken dinner. This week, we’re tackling the drama that friends can bring to our relationships. What do you do you do when your relationship is amazing, but your girlfriend’s BFF’s hate you? How do…

Man Arrested For ‘Swatting’ Call That Led To Murder Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter

Twenty-five-year-old Tyler Barriss was charged today in Kansas for involuntary manslaughter and two other counts in the wake of a swatting call that led police to kill an unarmed 28-year-old at his home. The maximum sentence varies but if found guilty, Barriss could face a hefty fine and years in prison. Police say that Barriss…

Ten Things Call of Duty: WWII Players Want Fixed

As you might expect, the Call of Duty community is being very vocal about changes they want to see in WWII on social media outlets such as the WWII subreddit. And they have a point: Two months since the launch of the latest Call of Duty, there are still many improvements that could be made…

My First Night As A Philadelphia Fusion Fan

I’m too old for this. “This” is the official viewing party of the first match of the Philadelphia Fusion, the Overwatch League team owned by Comcast. I’m 34, and I’m at a college bar in West Philadelphia on a Thursday night. It’s crowded. I’m surrounded by cosplayers, cheerleaders, college kids and actual kids. I did…

And The Destiny Merry-Go-Round Spins Again

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: In September, Bungie releases an online first-person shooter. A few months and a disappointing expansion later, the game is in trouble. Fans are mad; lots of people are quitting. Bungie vows to do better and sets about making improvements. Patient fans are eventually rewarded with a better game.…

A Game That Got A New Level For Every Day Of 2017

A Road to Aweis an exploration game featuring hundreds of M.C. Escher-inspired digital worlds. Developer lectroniceadded a new location every day throughout 2017, creating a gorgeous series of mazes, monuments, and museums. It’s this week’s indie pick. Space in A Road to Awe shifts and contorts to form winding pathways. Each new map is a…

Xbox One’s Backward Compatibility Is Fantastic

We often criticize gaming platform makers for their missteps, so let us also praise them when they do something great: Xbox One’s backward compatibility feature is nothing short of perfection. Setting up my Xbox One X over the holiday reminded me that I had been meaning to get around to playing Lost Odyssey, an Xbox…

Out today for the Switch, Azkend 2: The World Beneath is an adventure that plays out in a series of enjoyable match three puzzles. It’s a premium game, so there’s no buying power-ups or lives, which is nice. Switch owners can even use touchscreen controls, making it the best console version of the game yet.

Video Game Lobby Group Slams Newest Trump Comments As ‘Repulsive’

The video game publishers’ lobbying group in Washington, the Entertainment Software Association, has denounced comments reportedly made by president Donald Trump during an Oval Office meeting with lawmakers on Thursday where he is saidto have called African nations and possibly Haiti “shithole countries.” The lobbying group had previously voiced support for presidential policy. The president…

Sims 4 Toddlers Now Get Your Jokes

The Sims 4 had a small patch yesterday, and as ever, there were some amusing patch notes. You will now be given enough time to take care of your neglected baby after the warning “you neglected your baby” notification appears. The Pile of Discarded Food that results when a toddler throws their food on the…

Look At This Giant Detective Pikachu Amiibo

The 3DS game Detective Pikachu is coming to the west in March, The Pokémon Company said today, and with it comes a giant Amiibo that’s nearly double the size of a standard Pikachu. Detective Pikachu, which launched in Japan in March 2016, will be out in North America on March 23, 2018. Last month, actor…

Tips for Drawing Backgrounds

Thomas Romain is a terrific artist working in the anime industry in Tokyo. Previously, he showed how to draw detailed buildings. This time, we’re going to learn from him how to draw backgrounds. Romain has an impressive resume, including art direction on Symphogear and mecha design for Space Dandy. Over numerous months, he’s been kind…

Your Winter 2018 Anime Guide [Updated]

When it gets cold outside, there’s only one thing to do: stay indoors and watch anime. So let’s do exactly that! Here the winter 2018 anime shows to watch during these frigid months. Below are the shows that are currently airing, along with where they’re being simulcast to the outside world. Have a look and…

The Time When Nintendo Employees Went On A Hunger Strike

These days, people might be thrilled to work for Nintendo. But in the 1950s, when things got dire, employees took extreme measures to show their dissatisfaction. The photo below dates from May 25, 1955. The banner reads, “On A Hunger Strike.” Below that, it reads, “Nintendo Labor Union.” At that time, Nintendo was still mainly…

Fart Punch

Fred Rambaud is a freelance concept artist and illustrator based in Canada who has worked for companies like Gearbox (where he’s currently art director), Ubisoft, Games Workshop, Activision and Warner Bros. You can see more of Fred’s work at his ArtStation page To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button…