Tokyo Crossing. Tokyo, Japan. By Thomas Ito [Facebook| Instagram] 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!

Death Note Cosplay!

Not the prettiest cosplay I’ve ever seen, but then, that’s half the point with Ryuk. Cosplay by Grellish, photos by Keyaroscuro

Here Is A Good Video Game Kid

Here is a note Allie’s daughter brought home from her after school care, after she used the gravest insult of all: calling another kid a “Hanzo Main”. The present might be toast, but the future is looking OK.

A Nintendo Switch Accessory For Rough Times

This is not an official peripheral—it’s a custom 3D model by The Engineer—but it’ll still be a useful add-on for your Nintendo Switch when the inevitable Punch-Out game is released. Or if you’re the type whose 1-2 Switch parties get rowdy. You can buy one and get it 3D-printed here.

Little-Known Overwatch Team Is Tearing Up The Apex Tournament With Bizarre Strategies

Before the latest season of the big APEX Overwatch tournament series started, few knew the name Meta Athena. Now people are watching their matches with balled fists and clenched jaws, wondering what sort of diabolical trick they’ll come up with next. Meta Athena is a pro Overwatch team made up mostly of high-school aged Korean…

The League Of Legends Team House That Fell Apart

Team houses have been upheld as the ideal model for professional gamers and professional teams to maintain the optimal practice environment. But over the last 24 hours, a raft of allegations have come out about the living conditions for Tainted Minds, one of Australia’s top eight League of Legends teams. Tainted Minds (TM) has been…

All Hail The Brief, Glorious Return Of The PC Demo

Demos have been gone so long there will be younger readers who never really got comfy with them in the first place, but a some news from big PC publishers this week shows that the oldest (and maybe best) way of selling a video game is making a comeback. OK, so demos never entirely disappeared—and…

Guardian Thought It Could Mess With Link

Today on Highlight Reel we have guardian lasers, incorrect models, salt, and much more! Watch the video then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Subscribe to Kotaku on YouTube for more! Skyrim –Water Bucket Challenge – iammeatwad…

Counter-Strike Players Are Skeptical Of The Game’s New Map

Yesterday, Counter-Strike received its first new Valve-developed map in quite some time. It’s called Canals, and it’s based on a (conspicuously unnamed) “historic Italian city” that is definitely Venice. The initial reaction, however, has not exactly been love at first sight. Canals, you see, is not a typical CSGO map. It’s got multiple weird routes…

Watch Us Play The Beginning Of Mass Effect: Andromeda

We’re playing Mass Effect: Andromeda over on Facebook. Check it out:

Apple’s is showcasing a ton of cool indie games in iTunes. Outstanding new releases like Ticket to Earth, Euclidean Lands, Oxenfree and Beglitched are on sale, along with an army of $.99 classics. There are far worse ways to spend a couple of dollars.

Meet The Student And Teacher Writing The Course For Dota 101

“I wanted a game that hated me.” That was how Sean Plott, also known as “Day9” in the professional gaming world, described the allure of Dota 2. Plott had made a name for himself in the days of StarCraft, where he taught players new and old how to better themselves at the strategy game. Now,…

There’s Never Been A Puzzle RPG Quite Like Ticket To Earth

One of my favorite genre hybrids just got a huge kick in the pants, courtesy of Robot Circus’ Ticket to Earth. It combines tile matching and strategic positioning in a way I’ve never seen. Available today for iOS and coming soon to PC, Ticket To Earth is an evolutionary leap forward in the puzzle/RPG hybrid…

Tell Us About Your Video Game Pets

We often get attached to animals in video games. Yesterday I wrote about my sweetest, most darling friend: Raincloud, my horse in Breath of the Wild. She’s precious, I love her, and if anything bad ever happens to her I will murder everyone in Hyrule. You all seem just as obsessed with your horses as…

Trump Plan To Defund U.S. Arts Endowments Could Impact Video Game Programs

President Trump’s proposal to slash funding for federal arts endowments may have consequences for video games. The types of federally-funded education and social change-related games projects that have received grants in the past may need to scale down or search for other funding channels. Nothing is being cut just yet, but the President’s proposed 2018…

Podcast: Mass Effect: Andromeda Doesn’t Make A Strong First Impression

We’re hopeful that Mass Effect: Andromeda will grow on us more, but the first few hours have left me and Kirk a little cold. Today on Kotaku Splitscreen, we discuss why we’ve got mixed feelings about BioWare’s latest. We talk about the week’s news (7:04), Mass Effect (33:46), and answer some reader questions (1:05:43) on…

Fire Emblem Heroes Gives Me The Structure I Need Right Now

Mobile gaming is a pitfall of crude monetizations and flash in the pan games. Most people I know have moved on from Fire Emblem Heroes. But it’s become a crucial part of my day to day. Initially, Fire Emblem Heroes provided a gateway to the other games. The bright characters and their brash personas ignited a…

Sources: Telltale CEO Steps Down [UPDATE]

Telltale CEO Kevin Bruner stepped down from his position this week, sources tell Kotaku. Bruner helped found the longrunning studio, which is best known for developing adventure games based on popular franchises like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones “Today I am writing to let you know that I’ll be stepping away from my…

Inside The Unregulated And Scam-Filled World Of Video Game Betting

Gambling on esports matches is, right now, unsafe and unfair for bettors, just as gambling on traditional sports is. As you’d expect, people are still doing it anyway; and as you’d expect, laws and regulations have struggled to keep up. The facts, neutrally stated, are simple: In the United States, esports betting—as with sports betting…