‘Modern Warfare III’ fails to live up to its original legacy

Share: Following a successful prison break from a Kastovian gulag, a former terrorist is let loose unto the world. The danger of another World War looms heavy over everyone’s heads and leaves one question… where is Makarov?  “Modern Warfare III” picks up hot off the heels of last year’s “Modern Warfare II,” and follows Task Force 141’s attempts to stop Vladimir Makarov and his Konni Group from instigating a global conflict between the East and West. The game also includes a few supporting characters from …

Hey! Hollywood! Leave those games alone!

Share: While by no means a new trend, recently there has been, it seems, a heavy focus of directors and producers trying to push the envelope, bringing games that should stay games into the movie realm. Enter “Five Nights at Freddy’s” specifically, the latest in a long line of video game adaptations and yet another video game brought into the real world. Despite the few rare examples that have grown to be way better than expected, it still shows that these games should stay as …

‘Mortal Kombat 1’ refines fighting but leaves everything else fatally unfinished

Share: The latest installment of Netherrealm Studios’ “Mortal Kombat” franchise is out a mere four years after “Mortal Kombat 11” was released, rebooting the series yet again by literally taking matters back to square one. As is typical with a new “Mortal Kombat” game, fan expectations were high when the development team announced the title only four months before its release, with many unanswered questions over what would be so different from 2011’s “Mortal Kombat” reboot. Now that the game is out, the supposed fresh …

‘Starfield’ launches players into stellar journey

Share: Following an announcement in 2018 and a few setbacks, “Starfield,” the latest RPG game by industry powerhouse Bethesda Game Studios finally landed in gamer’s hands.  Instead of re-releasing another port of “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” for the millionth time, Bethesda has instead opted to make an entirely brand new title. This time around, “Starfield” sends players to the far future and opens the floodgates to an immersive fictional version of our galaxy that is just begging to be explored. True to most Bethesda …

New Mario Bros. movie is a warp pipe to the mushroom kingdom

Share: The Mario franchise has come a long way from a simple Donkey Kong arcade game. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” does a fantastic job of displaying every aspect of the Nintendo universe, from the comedy to the animation, to the soundtrack, there was no visible weak spot.  Recently after quitting their steady plumbing job, Mario and Luigi,who are played by Chris Pratt and Charlie Day, test their luck and attempt to start their own plumbing company. With hardly any success and limited external support, …

Video games and porn is crippling a generation of young men

Share: Video games have been around for a long time and they are bigger than ever. With the popularity in esports, streaming, and social media, gaming is a new market in the economy.  In 2011, psychologist Philip Zimbardo led the case that excessive gaming is bad for social interaction and can be used as a form of escapism. Kids lose interest in sports, music and academics to focus on gaming. While some are successful, many are pitted into this extreme 14- hour day of video …

Video games, its culture, needs to patch itself to be respected

Share: The Grand Theft Auto franchise is one of the most notorious examples of video games that give the hobby a bad reputation. It has a lot of what people find problematic with gaming; Violence against women, overly sexual themes, drug use, and the modern problem of children (both actual and adults who act like children) shrieking obscenities over their mics. Follow:

Courier Convos: Blizzard Entertainment’s Backlash Snowballs

Share: Courier staff members Ryan Huynh and Tim Wu join the party and react to the ongoing backlash video game developer and publisher Blizzard Entertainment faces for penalizing a tournament winner over his broadcasted stance on the Hong Kong protests. The group also discusses the effectiveness of boycotting the company’s games and the new symbolism an Overwatch character has due to recent fan art. Follow:

Video Games, Death Threats, and Sexism: Why #Gamergate was never about the death of the gamer culture

Recently a number of people, mostly females and their supporters, have come under attack from “hardcore” gamers. This isn’t anything new; female gamers and those who work in the gaming industry have always been on the receiving end of hate mail and slurs. However, the #Gamergate scandal has opened the world of gaming communities to the wider media and it is apparent that sexism is still alive and well in gamer culture.