XBox
Starfields is one of the biggest games of 2023 – but it’s joined other recent games like Baldurs Gate 3 in being boycotted by conservatives because of the way it interacts with gender.
The London Symphony Orchestra has performed music from video games like ‘Starfield’ and ‘The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.’
Tristan Fewings/Getty Images
The genre has long been viewed as too exclusive, too expensive and too stuffy. Thanks to video games, that’s starting to change.
The new setting for Dawntrail.
Square Enix
Some Latin American players expressed concern about the colonial role their player character will play in the story.
Bruce Webber
Mathematical models, video games and experiments with ants can all further our understanding of the dynamics of war.
Jann Mardenborough as played by Archie Madekwe.
Sony Pictures
Audiences are essentially paying Sony for the privilege of watching an extended advert.
Livestreaming represents an increasingly important part of social media.
(KnowYourMeme)
There’s more to NPC streaming than strange gimmicks. The rise of the trend showcases how gamer cultures and adult content make for lucrative bedfellows.
Activision’s Call of Duty franchise is among the biggest in the world.
Jake Charles/Alamy
Microsoft’s takeover of the gaming giant is turning into a nailbiter.
lightningreturns.
Even games with female protagonists had more dialogue from male characters.
Gameplay from the latest Zelda game, Tears of the Kingdom (2023).
Courtesy of Nintendo
Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t hand hold, with the narrative full of abstract and surreal moments that keep players guessing.
A scene from the author’s short film, We Are Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On.
More and more artists and filmmakers are exploring the aesthetic and narrative possibilities of making films inside video games. Here’s why.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Press kit
I’m a game design researcher focused on creating systems that allow games to be played by anyone. There cannot be a better example of that than The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Interviews with mothers about children’s media use during pandemic lockdowns revealed struggles with practical and moral questions about short- and long-term effects of how children are using technology.
(Shutterstock)
Policymakers, tech companies and schools should all be part of conversations about how our society is responsible for the new realities of tech in the home after COVID-19 lockdowns.
The bestselling title is already a serious contender for the Game Awards’ Game of the Year.
Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images
Despite calls to boycott the game by trans activists, the game has proved wildly popular – particularly among Black gamers.
Vampire Survivors won Best Game at the 2023 awards.
Courtesy of Poncle
Vampire Survivors distils the essence of compelling ‘just-one-more-go’ design to create an extremely satisfying game.
Nintendo and Universal Studios
The game that’s all about jumping comes alive in a film where the story is secondary to celebrating decades of Mario.
There have been numerous iterations of Tetris since the game was first introduced but the iconic shapes never change.
Downloadsource.es/Flickr
Cold war intrigue and an international legal fight were behind one of the most popular video games ever.
The portrayal of goblins in the Harry Potter universe are the product of centuries of antisemitic images and tropes.
(Shutterstock)
Historical patterns of scapegoating Jews persist into the modern day through our often unknowing and unconscious replication of images which date back centuries.
Liane Hentscher/HBO
It might have been a show about a zombie apocalypse adapted from a hugely popular game but The Last of Us managed to offer audiences a lot of novel material.
Pikachu as depicted in Pokemon Master Journeys (2021).
The Pokémon Company
Ash Ketchum is retiring from the Pokémon franchise, but this doesn’t spell the end of Pikachu.
Gameplay from COD: Modern Warfare 2.
Courtesy of Activision
There are fears that these high-level acquisitions will cause market stagnation and allow Microsoft to form a monopoly on the gaming industry.