Online Gamers Tend To Score Better On Tests, New Study Says

Contrary to popular belief, high schoolers grinding daily on World of Warcraft may not need to fear for their GPAs. A study released in the International Journal of Communication today found that kids who game erry’day score 15 points above the average in reading and math. Surveying 12,000 Australian high school students, Royal Melbourne Institute…

You Can No Longer Catch Pokémon At Hiroshima’s Memorial Or The Holocaust Museum

After requests from Hiroshima officials, Niantic removed Pokémon, PokéStops and Pokémon Go gyms from Hiroshima Memorial Park before last weekend’s annual ceremony marking the city’s World War II bombing, the AP reports It is the 71st anniversary of the U.S. attack on Hiroshima, in which 140,000 were killed. Late July, in preparation for the city’s…

Want the true D.Va experience? Try playing Overwatch with flight sticks. That’s what streamer Rudeism did, with full face paint for good measure. There was a bit of an acclimation period, but he managed some strong plays before it was all said and done.

The Birth of Berserklejerk, A Refuge For Anime Fans Sick Of Seriousness

It is a rule of the internet that, when a fandom is taken too seriously, it will develop its own special brand of self-mockery. But how does that happen exactly? In the case of dark fantasy manga Berserk’s 26-year-old fandom, it happened when the stale franchise’s subreddit fell into the hands of an over-pious fan.…

Kotaku Confessional!

It’s “senior week” at our parent company Gawker Media, a time to write what we really want to write, though that’s kind of what our sites have been doing for the past 14 years. What’s the occasion? Someone new is about to buy us, likely with a plan to infuse Kotaku’s budget with about a…

Blizzard Warns Players Not To Use Overwatch‘s Lucioball Character Glitch

Overwatch’s Lucioball mode is all fun and games until D.Va or Widowmaker shows up, and somebody loses an eye. Or a head. It’s a bizarre glitch, and Blizzard has some advice for people taking advantage of it: don’t. What began as something of a funny prank has turned into a game-breaking exploit. Some people have…

The Best Video Game Flamethrowers

Is there any video game gun more awe-inspiring than a flamethrower? Most shoot bullets, but the flamethrower? It blasts enemies with giant gouts of flame, searing them like a juicy steak. A good flamethrower will give you some of the best moments in video games, whether it’s a close save from an otherwise unassailable foe…

In 2012, Kotaku’s Stephen Totilo looked at the case for video games as an Olympic sport Could Counter-Strike or League of Legends ever be part of the Olympics?

Twitch Cracks Down On Cheating Pokémon Go Streamers

Twitch announced today that they’ll be cracking down on Pokémon Go streamers who rely on third-party cheats. Streamers who play the game aided by software that tracks Pokémon or spoofs their GPS location will “receive a strike on their account.” Three strikes results in a ban. Niantic defines cheating as “using modified or unofficial software;…

Nice Bikes

Al Crutchley is an artist from the UK who has worked on games like Elite: Dangerous and Homefront: The Revolution You can see more of Al’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…

World Of Warcraft Expansions Revisited: Lich King It’s Cold Outside

Our trip through the first five World of Warcraft expansions on the way to Legion continues into Northrend, the frozen continent no one was paying attention to for the first four years of the game’s existence, but is actually a major threat to all existence. This piece originally appeared 8/6/16. InThe Burning Crusade the Dark…

Why ‘Day-One Patches’ Are So Common

This blog post, by game developer Rami Ismail, was originally published on his website. We’ve republished it here with his permission. No Man’s Sky didn’t send out review builds because the game wasn’t done. No Man’s Sky gets leaked by resellers breaking street date. Polygon, Kotaku, and numerous streamers obtain a copy before release date…

Pikachu lights up a Ferris Wheel in Japan. To help celebrate the now seemingly annual “Pikachu Outbreak” event, everybody’s favorite electric rodent is appearing on Cosmo Clock 21 wheel in Yokohama.

The 2020 Olympics Could Change Tattooing In Japan Forever

The 2016 Rio Olympics are underway, and athletes from around the globe are competing for gold. Many of those Olympians are inked, as are those spectators who have flocked to the games. All are giving hope to those who want Japan, host of the next Summer Games, to become more open-minded about tattooing. Numerous Olympic…

The Best Resident Evil Cosplay Of 2016

Nothing will top this. Nothing. That is, unless cosplayer Gaidoes another outfit, then maybe it will be surpassed. If not, this cosplay of William Birkin’s Stage 1 transformation will safely secure the top spot. If this looks familiar, that’s because Gai previously did Birkin’s Stage 2 transformation. Japanese website Gigazine took the above images. Ditto…