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Hogwarts Legacy, by Avalanche Software, is one of the more fun RPG games of the year but there is a strong stigma around the game. Within that stigma, there are a specific group of militant extremists who believe anyone who purchases the game deserves some kind of retaliation. Sites have popped up, which we will not promote, encouraging communities to search for streamers and users who are playing the game in order to harass them. The issue is that much of the rhetoric is subjective; objectively the game was developed by a diverse team at Avalanche and WB. Playing the game is a choice that each person decides on their own what it means to them and the ability to make that choice is critical to self-autonomy. If you feel you should boycott the game then you should do so; if you do not feel it morally objectionable to play…

Fortnite is an example of a game that can appeal to the masses with ease. The gameplay is simple, over the shoulder FPS that’s simple to play with the only extra mechanic being building. The game updates itself roughly each quarter with some new mechanic or changes within the game and new ever existing plots and stories for players to follow. The ever snowballing amount of cosmetic choices give players the ability to be them within the game, even though millions and millions and millions worldwide are playing. In this current landscape you have two kinds of people out there. The ones who love the game and play it frequently and you have those who resent it, for a myriad of reasons that honestly don’t matter in this context. Both camps have a lot of people in them and both have excellent reasons for their opinions. Looking deeper than on…

Ben Affleck officially announced on Jimmy Kimmel that he is no longer playing Batman. Affleck had tried to initially write, direct, and star in his own Batman movie, but ultimately he couldn’t make it happen. The project is being passed on to director Matt Reeves, who is best known for directing Cloverfield, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes. Reeves has spoken about making a noir Batman movie that will focus on the detective skills of Batman, which I think is going to be a great, refreshing take on the character that the films have left out. But who will don the cape and cowl? I have no idea why his name has been thrown around in the mix, but there is a rumor out there that Robert Pattinson may be in line to play the next Batman. Yes, the vampire from Twilight… I refuse to live in a world where he is my…

Recently, it was exposed that Thomas Cheung, a popular video game influencer and employee of Hi-Rez Studios, makers of SMITE, Paladins and Realm Royale, was arrested in Operation Interception. Operation Interception was a sting, much like the Chris Hansen “To Catch a Predator” series, where suspects were caught soliciting sex from a minor. While innocent until proven guilty, the allegations and the evidence presented so far are very serious. Of course, sadly in our society, this isn’t a once off situation. These busts occur frequently and the work of our officers and legal system work diligently to protect society from this kind of harm. What makes this situation relevant to the gaming community is that Elvinelol was a popular influencer, affiliated with many gaming brands and ran the local Twitch Atlanta Community (not affiliated with Twitch). He attended gaming conventions where attendees of all ages gather to celebrate gaming. He…

Being a big South Park fan, taking on the absurd world of South Park: The Stick of Truth was such a blast. It was without a doubt the funniest video game I have ever played. When I heard they were releasing a sequel cleverly titled The Fractured but Whole, I knew I had to get my hands on it at some point. It has taken me a long while to finally get around to it, but thanks to Redbox, I am finally back in the cartoon world of South Park, Colorado again. And boy is it sweet. This game picks up right where The Stick of Truth leaves off. The neighborhood kids are all busy playing as fantasy, Lord of the Rings style characters until they decide that’s lame and they decide that superheroes are the way to go instead. It is up to you to help out Cartman’s alter ego, The Coon, and his friends, who are dealing with a superhero…

Throughout the history of gaming, there have been a select few technological turning points that changed the direction of video games forever. You could say they include: the introduction of arcades, the arrival of home consoles (and subsequently, the death of arcades), and the leap from 2D to 3D graphics. These advances changed the landscape of games and decided the next playing field that they would exist on. After 3D graphics, though, what is leap is left? Have they all been leapt over, or is there yet another one that will change the direction of gaming like its predecessors before? Well, to better understand the scope of things thus far, we can divide advances in gaming technology into two categories: revolutionary and refining. “Revolutionary” includes the aforementioned leaps that we just talked about; the ones that introduce a whole new level of play. “Refining” refers to the steps taken along…

Recently I heard of a story about Formula 1 Racing. There was some race between an accomplished F1 racer and an Esports racer on a real-life track. If I’m betting money on this race, I’m throwing it all on the tried and true driver, the one who has raced in the physical world. I would have lost all of my money. The Esports driver won, beating the actual driver with years of experience by 0.6 seconds – unbelievable. The training from his video game sim was so realistic; he was able to drive a real F1 car better than a serious competitor in the racing realm. How else can video games be used as training? This may sound like something from a sci-fi movie, but video games may be the key to the future. Think about how advanced video games have become. They may be able to help us in all sorts…

As has been done in the past, Electronic Arts did their yearly Super Bowl simulation, trying to predict this year’s winner. This Madden NFL 19 sim had the Rams beating the Patriots by a score of 30 – 27. Historically, the Madden Super Bowl sim has been pretty accurate. Since 2004, the simulation has been correct 10 out of 15 times, not bad for a video game. While Madden has shown to be accurate in past predictions, I am here to tell you Madden is wrong this year. As much as I would love to see my UGA boy Todd Gurley tear it up this Sunday and hoist that Lombardi trophy, I don’t see it happening. There is one thing that video games cannot replicate – determination and spirit. Tom Brady and the Patriots are determined and motivated like never before. They feel like they are underdogs and that everyone doubts them, and that terrifies me. The…

You know you have made it big when a phrase is more associated with your game than the actual meaning and Rockstar has done just that with their infamous game franchise “Grand Theft Auto”, even if the franchise wallowed in obscurity for the first two titles. The franchise exploded with the release of the third installment of the franchise and launched an entire generation of moms that condemn video games as a whole based simply on one experience of accidentally buying the game for their under aged child. Now it may seem like that really has no relevance to what the title of this leads you to believe but in fact, it has EVERYTHING to do with it. But I suppose I should take a step back and bring this full circle. Rockstar has been sued more times than you could count on two hands whether it’s protecting their IP,…