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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]

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…

Stephen and Kirk are contributing to an ongoing series at The New York Times about the year in gaming. Give it a read!

War Z Creator Says His Game’s Trademark Wasn’t Suspended

Over the past few days, I’ve received tons of tips and e-mails about the trademark for controversial zombie game The War Z, which seems to have been suspended in November after a claim from Paramount, the studio behind World War Z Depending what the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office does next, the people behind The…

As An Artist, I Hope Video Games Really Do Affect People

The most important thing right now is that games don’t make people violent. That’s what needs to be said. The scientifically-sound research that supports that mostly has it covered. As an artist, though, I don’t think we can honestly say we don’t wish to affect people’s behavior with the art we make—or that it doesn’t…

‘Twas The Night Before Christmas, And All Through The House, Team Fortress Was Stirring…

Murraythis breaks out the Source Filmmaker to bring the internet a very Team Fortress Christmas. Such great animation, and the Scout was the perfect choice to play the Christmas Eve sneak. He’s such a dick Night Before Christmas… [YouTube]

There Are Reasons I Don’t Talk About Video Game Violence Much

As a writer, it’s my job to put things together, to construct a narrative out of disparate pieces. As human beings who try to make sense of the world, we all do that unconsciously: when everything is a story, the world makes sense. The stories don’t help sometimes. Hell, the stories go away sometimes. In…

Uncharted Craft Maker Is Taking Online Donations To Battle His Cancer

David Vigil has stomach cancer. He’s been fighting it for a while now, but without health insurance, the 24-year-old is having a hard time paying for the medical procedures he needs to battle his disease. So he’s turning to the Internet. Vigil, who runs a company called Vigilante Leather (and whose Uncharted-themed work has been…

Don’t Have A Christmas Tree? Hang This Donkey Kong One Up On Your Wall.

It’s like a Christmas tree, but cooler. Designed by Carlos Leituga, this tree takes the original, arcade Donkey Kong game and morphs it a little. I never realized how perfect that level is for a tree until now. It’s on like Holiday Kong [Carlos Leituga via Save Room Mini Bar]

Your Best and Worst Gaming Gift Memories

It’s Christmas morning and there are presents under the tree. You’d been pining away at that Super Nintendo for months. You start tearing away like a mad fiend at the wrapping paper and what do you find but… “Oh wow…A ColecoVision.” “It was the one you wanted, right?” “Sure Dad, sure.” We’ve all been there…

Sony ‘Employee’ Review: ‘I Don’t Have A Lot Of Confidence That Orbis Will Sell Well’

Will the next PlayStation have more of a casual focus than its predecessor? One person claiming to be a former senior manager at Sony seems to think so, posting in a Glassdoor review of the company that he doesn’t think Sony’s next-gen system, codenamed Orbis, will do very well: Take this with a healthy grain…

It May Be Expensive, But It’s Still Final Fantasy IV

While not the best Final Fantasy game of all-time (in my reality that’s IX), Final Fantasy IV was one of the first role-playing games to feature a deep, character-driven plot and introduced the world to the Active Time Battle system, adding an element of urgency to pressing one button over and over again. That’s at…

Lazlow Saved Grand Theft Auto‘s Radio Station Master Recordings from Superstorm Sandy

Lazlow Jones co-wrote the radio scripts for all the Grand Theft Auto games (save Chinatown Wars, of course) going back to III, and appears as a radio personality in all of the games. He also, evidently, has all of the master copies of the recordings. In his home. Which is on Long Island. Or, well,…