Minecraft Maker “Notch” Just Gave $250,000 to Reform Software Patents

Notch and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban are each donating a quarter million dollars to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The EFF says that the money from the maker of Minecraft will help fund efforts to reform patent law in the courts and in the court of public opinion. Here’s Notch explaining why he’s giving his…

Hey Riot, You Should Make This League of Legends Character Gay Already

So argues Todd Harper in a open letter to Riot Games about the League of Legends champion, Taric. Rumor is, Taric might be gay. Consider that Taric loves gems, he has moves called stuff like ‘dazzle,’ his voice clips go from sultry to flamboyant (listen to that clip above by LeagueVoices), and even Taric’s background…

The War Z Removed From Steam [UPDATE: Valve Calls Release ‘A Mistake’]

Controversial zombie survival game The War Z has been removed from Steam. Although there’s still a listing for the game on Valve’s digital distribution service, you can no longer buy it. Fans have been clamoring for the game’s removal from Steam since it was released on Monday. Many gamers have criticized the game for its…

Madden‘s Facebook/Mobile Game Makes It Rain for Early Adopters

If you installed Madden NFL Social when it released on Nov. 1 and haven’t played it much since, it might be a good time to check back in. The game’s latest title update dropped 100,000 of the game’s virtual “coins” on anyone who had a copy of the game installed before this week. The 100,000…

ChefVille ‘The Loaf Connection’ Quests: Everything You Need to Know

We’re can already have three Wheat Bread Racks in our restaurant in ChefVille. However, most recipes that require bread ask for it in bulk, and it’s still hard to keep a decent supply of the ingredient on hand at all times. To help with that, Zynga has released the Bread Box, an item that works…

The War Z Mess: Every Crazy Detail We Know So Far [UPDATE]

This week’s wildest story is the story of The War Z, a new Steam game that has caused a great deal of controversy for numerous reasons. Update: This afternoon, The War Z was pulled from Steam Fans have come out criticizing the zombie survival game for misleading advertising, suspicious microtransactions, and forum censorship. Meanwhile, The…

New York Bans Another 2,000 Sex Offenders from Online Gaming

New York State, whose “Operation Game Over” earlier this year banned more than 3,500 registered sex offenders from services like Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, has booted another 2,100 from online gaming after bringing THQ, Funcom and NCSoft to the cause. Eric T. Schneiderman, the state’s attorney general, announced the bannings earlier this morning.…

Now You Don’t Need Friends to Play the Penny Arcade Card Game

I’ve been wanting to play the Penny Arcade card game from Cryptozoic Entertainment for ages. At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con I spent a great deal of time wandering past the Penny Arcade booth, holding the cards in my hand or casting longing glances from afar. Had Jerry and Mike noticed me there, they might…

Bully—one of Rockstar’s best games—comes to PlayStation Network today, with Midnight Club 3 and Red Dead Revolver

You Can Hire a Lawyer for the Little Guys of Game Development

Of course backing an independent game developer’s Kickstarter is one way for a gamer to support that sector—albeit game-by-game. Benefactors looking for a broader approach might consider this project currently on Indiegogo: Pro bono legal assistance to independent game developers. In addition to helping the little guys battle bogus copyright and takedown claims, New Media…

See This Cute Little Boba Fett Cosplayer? Zynga is Killing Him

I knew it was coming, but I didn’t want to believe it was true. As part of the great Zynga Facebook game purge of 2012, which has already claimed Treasure Isle, Fishville and Mafia Wars 2, my little friend here will be terminated come December 30. His name is Back, named after my long-standing, often…

You’ve Seen BioShock Infinite‘s Beginning. Here’s Something Vague, Non-Spoilery and Encouraging About Its Ending

You can now watch the first few minutes of March 2013’s BioShock Infinite online or read about the game’s first four hours in a preview we published a couple of weeks ago. But BioShock beginnings are not the kinds of things BioShock fans have precedent to fret over. BioShock endings? That’s another story. Ken Levine…

Sleeping Dogs Goes for the Full Bruce Lee with Today’s Zodiac Tournament DLC

In Sleeping Dogs, you could get a outfit that was basically what Bruce Lee wore in Game of Death. And lead character Wei Shen kicked ass in a way that paid homage to the martial arts icon. Now, the next big add-on for Square Enix’ open-world hit goes even further into the funky world of…

Fantastic Caribbean Adventure The Journey Down Makes Sweet Music on iOS

Skygoblin’s lovingly handcrafted point-and-click adventure The Journey Down hasn’t been ported to the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. No, it just sort of wandered in, bobbing its head to some sexy jazzy reggae, and made itself right at home. With its exquisite hand painted graphics and its singular Afro-Caribbean setting, The Journey Down is one…

Nintendo’s TVii Finally Launches Tomorrow, but Lacks Some Features

After a monthlong delay, Nintendo’s TVii service for the Wii U arrives in North America tomorrow, but some features touted earlier this year still won’t be on board when the service launches. Notably, it won’t support Netflix or TiVo subscriptions, nor will it allow users to program or access content stored on DVRs. Netflix and…

The HeroClix TabApp Superhero games are now playable on Samsung and ASUS Android tablets, just in time for Christmas.

Is Shawn Fonteno the voice actor for Franklin in GTAV? This GTAForums thread makes a decent case. Judge for yourself.

BioShock Infinite‘s First Five Minutes Feel Very Familiar, Very Awesome

If you don’t want to know how to get to Columbia, then watch no part of this video, which Irrational Games released just this morning. It’s the opening to BioShock Infinite, a mostly cinematic sequence that is plainly an homage to the opening of the original BioShock, which we’ve included below if you want to…

Gears of War and Erector Make One Hell of a Co-Op Team

While snapping together plastic bricks will always hold a special place in my heart, sometimes I crave a more complicated building toy – something that requires an allen wrench and several dozen tiny little screws. The Gears of War King Raven Erector set fits the bill nicely. Let’s build it. The King Raven is one…

Borderlands 2 Gets So Much Right, But Gets One Thing Very Wrong

Borderlands 2 is funny, smart, and gorgeous. The controls are tight, hooking up with other players is a dream, and the PC port is one of the best I’ve ever seen. The Torgue campaign is hilarious and memorable, just like previous campaigns. It seems like the game’s hitting all the right buttons. My cursor hovers…