Ask Dr. NerdLove: Help, I’ve Got A Crush On A Twitch Streamer

Hello all you wheel-eyed death lemmings, and welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only dating column that survived all four days of Emerald City Comic Con. Barely. This week, we’re all about the hard questions. When you have a loving relationship and a new and exciting crush… which do you choose? Do you even have…

It’s Unclear Why Indie Game Rime Costs $10 More On Switch

Yesterday, the developers of the colorful adventure game Rime announced that it will be out on May 26 for PC, PS4, Xbox One. Later, it’ll also come to Nintendo Switch, although you’ll have to pay an extra $10 for the privilege. Rime, which was originally announced as a PS4 exclusive before the developers at Tequila…

You Can Make A Game About Government Surveillance, But You Can’t Make People Care

Orwell’s central conceit is nothing if not timely. The game casts players as a fictional Big Brother, sifting through people’s private communications and picking info that might connect them to a terrorist plot. Months after its release, however, the game’s developers are worried about another timely issue: apathy. The team’s goal with Orwell wasn’t to…

Breath of the Wild Doesn’t Fit Anywhere On The Zelda Timeline

The Zelda timeline has long been a matter of dispute among fans, but after the release of Hyrule Historia, they finally have an official ordering of the games in the series. After the release of Breath of the Wild, that’s all in dispute, again. Warning: The following article contains story spoilers from Zelda: Breath of…

Steven Universe RPG Coming To Consoles This Summer

In 2015 Cartoon Network Games and developer Grumpyface Studios released Steven Universe: Attack the Light, one of the best mobile role-playing games ever. This summer they’re back and on game consoles with Steven Universe: Save the Light. Cartoon Network Games has produced some very good mobile games and some not-so-great console games. Getting Attack the…

A VR Game That Laughs In The Face Of VR

In Virtual-Virtual Reality, a satirical Google Daydream VR game released today, a melting slab of butter orders you to smear toast on his unctuous body. When he demands more toast, 32 toasters appear. Toast is burning, popping out onto the floor. The butter is unhappy; he yells at you to “cover his butter body,” but…

The Game Developers Who Are Also Witches

Kitty Horrorshow was the first game maker to tell me she was a witch, and it wasn’t a joke. On the contrary, Horrorshow was revealing the spirituality that allowed her horror games, ANATOMY and CHYRZA, to have a sense of mystique and danger. Horrorshow is one of a growing number of young people who practice…

We Talk To The Writer Of Planescape: Torment And Alpha Protocol 

Last week in San Francisco, veteran game designer Chris Avellone joined Kotaku Splitscreen to talk about Alpha Protocol, his time co-founding Obsidian Entertainment, and the Bethesda murder dungeon. In the video above you can catch that segment. For all of our GDC interviews—including Tim Schafer, Kim Swift, and many more—you can find Kotaku Splitscreen at…

I Took Gamer Drugs For A Week And This Is What They Did To My Body

Is there a drug I can take, Limitless-style, that will make me better at video games? Ideally, it would be something legal. And something that wouldn’t put me in any medical danger. There are a lot of drugs on the market that claim to boost gaming prowess. This week, I tried two. I don’t recommend…

The Elder Scrolls Card Game Is Now Out For Real

The Elder Scrolls: Legends, a card game that has been in beta for nearly 17 years, comes out for real on PC today. Publisher Bethesda says it’ll be out for iPad on March 23, Android tablets in April, Mac in May, and mobile phones this summer. Bethesda’s also adding a bunch of expansions and campaigns…

Podcast: Why Zelda: Breath of the Wild Works So Well

It’s hard to talk about Zelda: Breath of the Wild in anything but superlatives, which is exactly what Kirk and I are doing on today’s gush-filled episode of Kotaku Splitscreen We also talk Shadow of War (which looks cool!), updated Destiny raids (which will bring us back for a bit!), and Switch hardware malfunctions (which suck!). You…

Lessons Learned About Gaming After Becoming A Parent Of Twins

I heard that having kids changes the way you can play games. Nine weeks in with one boy and one girl born a minute apart, I can confirm that it’s true. This is what I’ve learned about playing games while raising twins: You will play fewer games. Simple. No brainer. Doubly so if there are…

Need, Ahem, A Hand?

Robbie Trevino is an artist who has worked on games like Project Spark and Conker’s Big Reunion. You can see more of Robbie’s work at his ArtStation page To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner. Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video…

The Nintendo Switch Makes Its Japanese Classroom Debut

Why study during class breaks when you can play the Nintendo Switch? Images are popping up online, showing junior high and high school kids playing the Nintendo Switch. Obviously, many, if not most, schools do not allow students to bring game hardware. Depending on the school, some won’t even allow smartphones! You bring any of…

Japanese “Bunny Bread” Looks Cute Enough To Eat 

One of the best things about Japan is its bread. And one of the best things about said bread is how creative it can be. “Usagi pan” (うさぎパン) or “rabbit bread” is not new. For a while, certain bakers have fashioned buns into bunnies—or other animals as well. And so on. What is new is…

The Nintendo Switch’s First Week Game Sales In Japan

Early sales figures showed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sales numbers for Japan, but for those who wonder how the other Switch titles did, let’s find out! For the week of February 27 to March 5, five of the top ten games are Switch releases. Not bad for games on sale only…

Reflection. Malmö, Sweden. By Mistermaz. 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!

An App For People Going To Nerd Conventions

There’s a Kickstarter currently running for an app called Shout Around, which is designed specifically for anyone attending stuff like gaming, anime and cosplay conventions. Built on geolocation and friends lists, the idea is it can be used both to meet new people and catch up with the ones you already know. It works a…