The 12 Best Games on Facebook

You joined Facebook, which just proves Zuckerberg’s plan is working. Whatever it is. First, it was people tagging you. Then poking you. (Or maybe it was vice versa. Whatevs.) Soon after, your feed got the ‘Villes virus with people needing stuff. Rather than run away, you’re following your curiosity into the gaming wilds of Facebook.…

Sword Art Online‘s Second Half Isn’t Quite as Brilliant as Its First

Earlier this year when Sword Art Online hit its halfway point, I called it the smartest anime I had seen in years because of its in-depth look at the long-term effects of being trapped in a virtual reality world. This last week Sword Art Online finished its run on Japanese TV. And while the second…

Villagers Accidentally Beat Up Mobile Gamer

Lots of people play mobile games in China. The mobile game market has exploded in the last two years into a multimillion dollar industry. According to iResearch, in 2012, mobile games raked in a profit of $197 million in China, so it’s almost baffling to hear something like a young man playing on a mobile…

Chinese Man Fooled By Infomercial

China has infomercials, a heck of a lot of them at that too, covering everything from breast enlargements to helping Chinese parents make their kids taller. Every now and again, in between the snake oil remedies, an ad will run selling electronics such as tablet computers and cell phones. If you are in China don’t…

The Year In Beautiful Games

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been making cinemagraphs celebrating just a handful of some of the most visually striking games. These were games that were either creatively or technically breathtaking, that really showed off what you’re able to do with the medium. Here are some of the most gorgeous games 2012 has had to…

The New York Times year-in-review series continues with Helen Lewis discussing women in games, and Stephen responding.

GaymerCon Renamed ‘GaymerX’ in Response to Trademark Dispute [Update]

No sooner than did GaymerCon gather enough financial backing to organize its first ever meeting in 2013 did a trademark issue—something that pisses off gamers of any orientation—arise with the name. “Gaymer” has been trademarked by the guy who owns gaymer.org, and he even sent a cease-and-desist letter over to Reddit for its r/gaymer subreddit.…

The 5 Best Board Games of 2012

It’s Christmas, and we know what that means. Board games! Not the crap ones, though. 2012 saw board gaming continuing to grow from a greasy teenager into an intimidatingly gorgeous adult, with great games popping onto shelves every month like bones slotting audibly into their proper place. This was also the year that video games…

What Did You Get For Christmas?

Merry Christmas everyone! It’s Christmas day! Is it snowing outside? Is your cat currently cuddled in your lap? Are you eating pie? Whatever you’re doing, and whatever the weather is doing, let’s take a moment to share what gifts we got this year in kinja below.

A Christmas Morning Memory to Make Us Feel Really Old

The Nintendo 64 is 16 years old. Nintendo Sixty-FOUUUURRRRRRRR (the actual event) is 14 years old. And the Nintendo 64 Kids, Brandon and Rachel Kuzma, are 23 and 20, respectively. But the most bittersweet aspect of their video (which also made them a bunch of money, remember) is not the fuzzy camcorder nostalgia of feety…

I Played A Drinking Game Against A Computer

Earlier this year I read about Loren ‘Sparky’ Schmidt and Anna Anthropy’s game, Drink, and I immediately became fascinated. Get this: in Drink, you play a drinking game against a computer opponent. Yes, a computer opponent. It sounds kind of absurd, to try to out-drink a computer, I know. But, if nothing else, it’s a…

My Favorite Thing About Far Cry 3

“So what is this game?” Seems like a simple question, right? Usually there’s a simple answer: “It’s a platformer where you save the princess by jumping through deserts and oceans.” “It’s a sci-fi shooter. You blast away aliens.” “High-school simulator meets dungeon-crawler.” Far Cry 3 is a little bit harder to define. Maybe that’s why…

The Best Games for Your New Tablet or Smartphone

Look, let’s not call them prayers. Rather, you can say that your deepest desires were answered when you got a shiny new smartphone or tablet under the Christmas tree today. Sure, you’ll need it to stay on top of the ungodly pressures of modern life but, dammit, you need some good games for your tech…

We've Got Live Tech Support To Answer Questions on All Your New Gadgets

Did you get a bunch of new gear today? Got some questions about how to use it? We’ve booked 12 solid hours with a tech support superstar named Karan Shah. In the discussion below, you can ask him anything about the laptops, tablets, cameras and phones that Santa brought you this year.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Well, it’s been a fun year everyone. Have a safe and Merry Christmas, and I’ll see you later in the week when I get over my hangovers. And also how awesome this holiday gif by Vic Nguyen is. Santa [Capy Games]

The Year in Kotaku East

It’s been a long year! Can you believe it? Time has flown by. Let’s take this opportunity to look back at 2012, Kotaku East style. Reporting to you live from Asia, Kotaku East is a look at games, subculture and more—much more. Here’s a smattering of the most memorable (and interesting) stories Kotaku East ran…

This “Sex Invaders” Art Show Isn’t Quite As Naughty As It Sounds

Girls in bikinis. Classic video games. Star Wars characters. Put them all together and you get… art? That’s the formula for the Sex Invaders exhibit by artist duo The Ultravelvet Collection, currently showing at New York City’s Hionas Gallery. A press release for the show explains the thinking behind the imagery: “Video games appeal to…

Video Games Join a Century-Long Tradition of Blaming Media Violence, Says the ACLU

As bizarre as it is to read the name Starcraft in a discussion of video games’ corrupting influence, you’ve got to hand it to the American Civil Liberties Union for properly centering the discussion of What Must We Do following the Newtown Massacre. “Media violence has long been a target of lawmakers seeking a cheap…

One Assassin’s Creed III Debate To Rule Them All

Assassin’s Creed III is easily one of the most divisive video games of 2012. It was a hugely ambitious slate-cleaner for the long-running Assassin’s Creed franchise, and while it did a number of things right, it also got a lot of things wrong. Now that the three of us have completed the game, each of…

According To These Confessions, Some People Are Still Ashamed To Like Video Games. In 2012. Twenty Twelve, People.

When I originally put together the gaming-related confessions people made on Twitter before the ‘end of the world,’ I left out something curious: there were a ton of confessions about liking video games. Like it’s such a big reveal—the world is ending! What dirty secret can I get off my chest? Oh, I like video…