Monday, April 29

GAMING

The Future Of Gaming And Erotic Work — The ‘NPC Streaming’ TikTok Trend
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ENVIRONMENT, GAMING

The Future Of Gaming And Erotic Work — The ‘NPC Streaming’ TikTok Trend

What the ‘NPC streaming’ TikTok trend spells for the future of gaming and erotic work. “Yes, yes… mmm, mmm ice cream so good,” coos a platinum-haired woman known on TikTok as Pinkydoll. Holding a hair straightener, she plays with popcorn kernels and audibly pops her lips. Your screen brightens with emojis of food, roses and stars purchased by her audience. What are we watching? Why? Livestreaming represents an increasingly important part of social media. (KnowYourMeme), CC BY Pinkydoll is a Montréal-based social media creator who has become the face of TikTok’s latest trend: NPC streaming. The trend draws its name from the non-playable characters (NPCs) of video games. Think of background characters that might perform a few preprogrammed lines or actions.   NPC streamers perform...
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What Are Role Playing Games All About?
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GAMING, IN OTHER NEWS

What Are Role Playing Games All About?

A role-playing game (RPG) is a type of game where players assume the roles of imaginary characters in a scenario created by the game developer and vicariously experience the adventures of these characters. In role-playing games players often team up to generate narratives. The play progresses according to a preset scheme of rules and strategy, within which players may invent liberally. Player options shape the course and conclusion of role-playing games. Role-playing games are usually more gung-ho and casual fun than competitive. A role-playing game unites its participants into a single team that fights as a group. A role-playing game rarely has winners or losers. This makes role-playing games uniquely different from board games, card games, sports and other types of games. Role-playi...
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Dungeons & Dragons Licensing Fiasco — Content Creators And Corporations Clash
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BUSINESS, GAMING, IN OTHER NEWS

Dungeons & Dragons Licensing Fiasco — Content Creators And Corporations Clash

Content creators and corporations clash in Dungeons & Dragons licensing fiasco. The tabletop role-playing game community took a keen interest in intellectual property law in January when changes to the Dungeons & Dragons Open Game License (OGL) were leaked. The OGL is a public copyright licence that allows the general public — anyone from small companies to independent authors — to create content for Dungeons & Dragons under an approachable set of guidelines. Traditionally, creating content for an existing game means negotiating finances, creative freedom and content distribution with the game’s owner. While commonplace, these negotiations take time and can be challenging for smaller creators who don’t have the administrative knowledge or corporate reputation to get a deal do...
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When Setting Up A Minecraft Server Here Are Some Things To Consider
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GAMING

When Setting Up A Minecraft Server Here Are Some Things To Consider

A few years back, a game named Minecraft was launched. Soon, it became one of the most popular games and tons of people from across the world became fan of it. The game is placed on different servers around the world. If you intend to make your own Minecraft server, we suggest that you consider the tips given below so you can make your server prominent. Make sure the theme is appealing For a good server, you may want to keep in mind that the theme is of paramount importance. What you need to do is carry out a Google search to know the themes that are being liked by the majority of fans. It's even better if you add multiple themes to cater to most players. Consider the Cost It's costly to install a powerful server but you have to bear the cost. If you want to set up a server for you ...
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A Beginners Guide To The Berserker!
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GAMING, IN OTHER NEWS

A Beginners Guide To The Berserker!

If you are looking to play the Berserker class in Tera then this article will give you an overview of the class and a few tips that you can use. This class is an offensive juggernaut and wields a massive axe. The cool thing about the Berserker is that you will be able to take on multiple enemies quite well and the arc of your attacks is immense due to your axe so you will knock most enemies off their feet. The other thing to note about the Berserker is that you have above average defence abilities but the thing to remember with this class is to make sure you get a decent axe as soon as you can because it directly relates to your defence ability. With better than average defence and a heavy attacks the Berserker is for people that don't want to worry about taking on foes 1 vs 1 and wa...
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Parents Can Help Kids By Playing With Them – Gaming Has Benefits And Perils
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GAMING

Parents Can Help Kids By Playing With Them – Gaming Has Benefits And Perils

As the pandemic forced many Americans to hunker down at home, the video game industry saw record spending and profits in 2020. Interacting with other people through gaming became, for some players, essential for social connection. As an education researcher and professor of digital literacy, I study the education benefits and perils of digital gaming. These range from providing opportunities for collaborative problem-solving to displaying content that perpetuates racism and sexism. Connection and collaboration Digital games can provide a forum for a diverse group of people to come together. That’s especially important now, while our physical locations are restricted. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, undergraduates have shared with me the vital importance of digital games for the...
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Chess is taking over the online video game world – and both are changing from this unlikely pairing
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GAMING

Chess is taking over the online video game world – and both are changing from this unlikely pairing

As a global pandemic continues to determine a new normal, tens of thousands of viewers have been tuning in to watch people play chess on a livestreaming website called Twitch.tv. An American chess grandmaster, Hikaru Nakamura, along with a number of celebrities of the video game world, is leading a renaissance in the ancient game. While viewers eagerly await Nakamura’s streams to begin, they are treated to a slideshow of memes involving Nakamura’s face superimposed into scenes from pop culture. First a reference to a well-known Japanese animation, next a famous upside-down kiss with Spiderman and finally, Nakamura’s characteristic grin is edited onto the Mona Lisa herself. From Aug. 21 to Sept. 6, Twitch and Chess.com are hosting a tournament, called Pogchamps, where some of the most pop...
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Here’s what it’ll take to clean up esports’ toxic culture
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GAMING, TECHNOLOGY

Here’s what it’ll take to clean up esports’ toxic culture

In day-to-day life, you probably haven’t had someone yell at you, “Get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich!” If you’re a woman who plays online video games, though, statements like this, and worse, are all too common. As COVID-19 has driven much of life online and fueled a boom in online gaming, harassment in these and other internet spaces has increased. Forty-one percent of computer and videogame players are female, down from 46% in 2019. Despite its digital nature, online harassment can have real-world consequences for victims, including emotional and physical distress. This has left online gaming companies and players scrambling for better community management techniques to prevent harassment. As a researcher who studies gaming, I’ve found that the right cultural norms can res...
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A People’s History of Board Games
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GAMING

A People’s History of Board Games

If games are a reflection of our values as a society, and can influence how we think and act, can we game our way to a better world? We are living in the golden age of board games. Thousands of new board games are released every year, played by millions of people around the world. Board games, filled with strategy and exciting tension, have made a decisive comeback even in the era of video games. By 2023, the board game industry is expected to be worth $12 billion. And in 2018, tabletop games outperformed video games on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter: Tabletop games raised a total of $165 million, while video games raised a total of $15.8 million. Like all forms of art and entertainment, games are often a reflection of our values as a society, and they can also...
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All Out Talent War Set Off By Video Gaming YouTuber
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GAMING

All Out Talent War Set Off By Video Gaming YouTuber

Tyler Blevins switched from video site Twitch to Mixer and by doing so shocked the $152bn video-game industry. On Aug. 1, a rail-thin 28-year-old with hair dyed red, white and blue altered the course of video gaming with three words: “The next chapter.” That tweet introduced a video in which Tyler Blevins, known to his fans as Ninja, announced he was moving from Twitch, a video site owned by Amazon.com Inc., to Mixer, a rival site owned by Microsoft Corp. “This is a really good chance to get back in touch with my roots,” Blevins said in the video, a mock press conference in which he answered questions from a talking bush and a cooler filled with the energy drink Red Bull. Blevins’s defection shocked the $152 billion video-game industry. Twitch i...
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