Google launches ‘Change the Game’ to celebrate female gamers

Whoever said gaming was just for guys?

There’s something to be said about kicking back after a long day and playing a solid video game. Letting all your responsibilities melt away while blasting aliens in the face with a bazooka or dominating your buddies in a word game is endless fun, but if you’ve ever spent any amount of time lurking around in the gaming community, you’ll know that there’s a connotation that it’s very male dominate.

This is something that Google wants to address with a new initiative called “Change the Game.”

Google partnered with Newzoo to take a look at the presence of women in the gaming space, and the results just might surprise you. The study showed that 65% of all women play mobile games of some sort, and women are actually more active mobile gamers compared to men with 43% of women playing games for more than five days each week compared to just 38% of men doing the same thing.

It’s clear that a lot of women enjoy playing mobile games, but when it comes to the industry itself, the numbers aren’t nearly as high. Google discovered that just 24.8% of workers in the gaming industry identify as either female or transgender, and likely as a result of this, only a mere 30% of women feel that games being released are made for them.

Indie games on the Play Store that feature strong female protagonists.

With Change the Game, Google is launching an interactive web experience that talks about mobile gaming and women in the United States. Alongside this, you’ll also find a new short film shedding light on the same topic and a collection of games in the Play Store that feature strong female protagonists.

Once you’re done checking out Google’s releases for Change the Game, head to the comments and let us know what your favorite game and/or female protagonist in a game is. She’s not from a mobile game, but my vote easily goes to Aloy from Horizon: Zero Dawn. What about you?

Portal Knights console game now available on Android for $4.99

The next ‘Hearthstone’ expansion is a dungeon-delving adventure

Blizzard’s free-to-play card game Hearthstone just released its third and final expansion of 2017, Kobolds and Catacombs. Like the other two content releases earlier this year, K&C adds 135 new cards and a few new concepts to shake up play. But most exciting is the new single-player mode that riffs on classic dungeon-delving tabletop adventures. Dive in now: Players get three free card packs plus a random legendary weapon to celebrate the expansion’s launch.

In celebration of #Kobolds & Catacombs launch day, Blizzard Entertainment and Hearthstone proudly present King Togwaggle’s directorial debut! pic.twitter.com/HGnP5N0KKj

— Hearthstone (@PlayHearthstone) December 7, 2017

K&C introduces a new mechanic, Recruit, which summons a minion from your deck and drops them into play. Perfect, right? So efficient! But most Recruit cards are conditional (e.g. only bringing creatures of a certain cost), so you’ll have to build your decks carefully. As mentioned, each class gets its own legendary-quality weapon, most of which have powerful or lingering effects that make them useful for far more than whacking enemies.

There are also two new card types. Spellstones are spells that increase in power after certain conditions are met keyed to your class (suffer damage as a Warlock, etc), and once powered up, can swing the game in your favor. In keeping with the expansion’s Dungeons and Dragons-esque theme, the other new cards are Unidentified Items, which randomly adopt one of four upgrades every game.

The single-player mode, Dungeon Run, will excite players who have mourned the absence of solo content after Blizzard switched to releasing only full expansions this year. Previously, they interspersed larger 135-card releases with smaller 45-content drops called Adventures that centered around player-versus-computer experiences. To make up for it, Blizzard promised to add free solo content to the new full expansions, beginning with the previous release Knights of the Frozen Throne. Whether that makes up for how much more expensive it is to keep up with the game without the far-cheaper Adventures is up to each player.

Kobolds and Catacombs is the last of 2017’s three planned expansions. When the first big content release drops next year (likely in April), it will phase out 2016’s cards from the ‘Standard’ mode of play, which only keeps the current and previous year’s cards.

Source: Blizzard

‘Mario + Rabbids’ gets a free versus battle mode tomorrow

The Nintendo Switch is quickly becoming the go-to console for games with couch co-op and local multiplayer. Need more evidence? Ubisoft is adding a versus mode to Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, one of the best Switch games available. “Each player has just three available actions per turn, and how you decide to invest them is a big part of the strategy here,” a post on Ubiblog reads. “You may be accustomed to moving, attacking and using techniques for each of your heroes during every turn in campaign and co-op, but versus is a different story.”

This sounds like more than just a tacked-on addition too. Characters start out upgraded, and who you choose for your team will affect your strategies on the (adorable) battlefield. And if you’re in a hurry you can limit battles to as few as seven turns, with time limits for each turn. The free mode goes live tomorrow, December 8th.

Source: Ubiblog

This is why you don’t look directly at a solar eclipse

Remember all that talk about eclipse glasses ahead of the full solar eclipse in August? Remember NASA repeatedly letting everyone know how important those glasses were for eye safety? Do you remember how many times you heard someone say to not under any circumstances look directly at the sun during the eclipse? Well despite all of those persistent warnings, some people still did just that and a new paper published today in JAMA Ophthalmology shows that just six seconds of unprotected viewing can cause permanent damage.

The paper focuses on a woman in her 20s who looked directly at the sun without eye protection for around six seconds during the eclipse. She said her vision became blurry and distorted just a few hours later and that she started seeing a black spot when looking out of her left eye. Three days after the eclipse, she went to an ophthalmologist in New York and subsequent eye exams showed she had permanently damaged photoreceptors in both eyes and a lesion in her left. “It remains to be seen whether the patient can recover any visual function from this region of disturbed photoreceptors in the future,” the authors note in the case study.

There’s no treatment for this type of damage but getting a good look at what exactly is affected in the eye after staring at the sun could help ophthalmologists better understand this condition. The US will see another total solar eclipse in 2024, so let this serve as a warning — the sun is no joke and you need eye protection if you’re going to look at it, eclipse or no.

Via: The Verge

Source: JAMA Ophthalmology

Facebook Live can now broadcast Messenger games

Facebook is celebrating the first year of games on Messenger by introducing new titles and a few new features, starting with the ability to livestream them to friends. If you want to show your friends list how good you are with Everwing — or how much you suck at it — all you need to do is tap that new camera icon in the upper right corner of the game screen to stream on Facebook Live. You’ll then be able to choose which audience you want to share it with before you post it like you would any other Live video. This particular feature is will be available starting today, but Facebook has another offering in store for 2018.

Early next year, you can play games with friends from within a video chat in real time, allowing you see each other’s reactions and have a deeper level of connection even if you’re not physically in one location. By the looks of things, this one will roll out title per title, since the first one slated to get it is none other than Words with Friends. It could certainly give old players who think it’s lost its luster the incentive to pick it up again… and make faces at opponents to distract them from conjuring up that winning word.

In addition, Facebook is also launching new games for Messenger next year, including Angry Birds. A new version of the physics game with unique features and modes created specifically for the chat app will launch in early 2018, followed by a few more titles like arcade-style adventure Sonic Jump by SEGA.

Sacramento Kings to build NBA 2K League training center inside arena

Now that the National Basketball Association has its own eSports initiative with NBA 2K League, it’s only a matter of time before various teams jump into the digital arena. Qualifiers start January 1st, with draft rounds planned for March of 2018 for a season that’s set to begin in May. Further blurring the lines between real and digital sports, the Sacramento Kings have just announced a new eSports training facility to be housed within the Golden 1 Center pro arena.

The idea is to have a “venue within a venue,” with a training facility, broadcast center and gamer lounge in the same place where the Kings play pro basketball. The eSports venue will have super fast connections for lag-free gaming, along with theater-style seating for tournaments and events. The professional gamers that end up on the Kings’ eSports team will be able to access the same amenities as the NBA athletes, like the farm-to-fork culinary program and an on-demand oxygen bar.

The eSports studio will also be equipped with 4K cameras and green screens to allow the gaming team to create its own content on-site, and will be linked to Golden 1 Center’s 4K Ultra HD broadcast center. The studio will also turn into a massive backstage area for touring musical acts, with a ton of video games to play and a DJ rig for musicians to mess around with. Local schools and non-profits will be able to use the complex as well, via the Sacramento Kings Foundation.

Walmart sells meal kits to challenge Amazon and Blue Apron

Walmart’s never-ending quest to beat Amazon has it venturing into unfamiliar territory: meal kits. The big-box retailer has started selling just shy of 30 meal kits (such as a Thai crab curry) from multiple brands. How much you’ll pay varies, but it’s not uncommon to pay $35 for a meal for four. There are also bundles, such as a $60 Everyday Supper pack that serves three meals for two people. The brands themselves fulfill the orders. This isn’t a subscription service like Blue Apron, but it’s helpful if you’d like a fanciful meal without hunting down ingredients. And importantly, Walmart will soon compete more directly with Amazon’s meal kits through an app tie-in.

The store chain just partnered with BuzzFeed’s Tasty team to integrate purchases into the mobile app’s recipes (shown above). At present, it’s limited to buying the cookware you need to complete a recipe (such as measuring cups or a slow cooker), but an update in 2018 will include the groceries themselves and services like grocery pickup. If you’re a kitchen rookie, you might have a one-stop shop for everything you need.

That’s potentially an advantage over Amazon’s Allrecipes pact, which can assemble the ingredients for a given meal but doesn’t offer the equipment. Not that Walmart can remain cozy — it wouldn’t be at all shocking if Amazon eventually gives you the opportunity to buy absolutely everything.

Via: TheStreet, The Verge

Source: Walmart (1), (2)

These new Honda concept mobility robots are adorable

At CES 2018, Honda is set to unveil its 3E Robotics Concept robots. These are aimed at making people’s lives easier through the use of robots, with a focus on helping those with mobility issues navigate their homes and the outside world. There are four robots in total: 3E-A18 is a companion robot designed to show compassion, while 3E-B18 is a mobility chair designed for indoor and outdoor use. The 3E-C18 appears to be a mobility concept vehicle with cargo space, while 3E-D18 is an autonomous off-road vehicle.

Additionally, Honda will feature its Mobile Power Pack World at CES, which is focused on EVs. It includes a portable and swappable battery pack for electric vehicles, as well as charging solutions for at home, out and about and during a natural disaster.

It’s incredible to think how these robots will help people, but it’s also nice to see the thought that went into their design. Too often, aesthetics are a second thought, but they are actually crucial to whether people want to interact with a device or not. Each of these robots is adorable, and they are something people who need assistance will likely want in their homes.

Source: Honda

Anheuser-Busch wants to deliver beer with Tesla’s electric semi-trucks

Anheuser-Busch just joined the list of companies that have placed an order for Tesla’s upcoming semi-trucks. In an announcement today, the beer-maker said it has ordered 40 of the trucks that are set to go into production in 2019. “Integrating the Tesla semi-trucks into the brewer’s distribution network will help Anheuser-Busch achieve its commitment to reduce its operational carbon footprint by 30 percent by 2025 – the equivalent of removing nearly 500,000 cars from the road globally each year,” said the company.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Anheuser-Busch plans to use the Tesla trucks for shipments to wholesalers lying within 150 to 200 miles of its 21 breweries and they’ll become part of the approximately 750-strong truck fleet it currently uses to ship its product. As of now, the company hasn’t decided whether it will buy the trucks, lease them or have one of its dedicated carriers do so.

Nearly a dozen companies have now placed orders for around 140 of the trucks and Tesla’s customers include Walmart, DHL and Canadian grocery store chain Loblaws.

James Sembrot, Anheuser-Busch’s senior director of logistics strategy, told the WSJ that the company spends around $120 million each year on fuel. So a move towards electric vehicles stands to have a major impact on its fuel costs, not to mention how the environment will benefit. The company is also interested in Nikola Motor Co.’s hydrogen-electric semi-trucks, which will reportedly be able to travel between 800 and 1,200 miles on one fill-up versus Tesla’s 500 mile range. “We have needs for all those types of distances,” said Sembrot.

Via: The Verge

Source: Anheuser-Busch

John Scalzi’s ‘Old Man’s War’ sci-fi series is headed to Netflix

Award-winning author John Scalzi famously chose military sci-fi for his Old Man’s War series because it was a marketable sub-genre. Lucky for us that he did, as the eventual six-book series has been a critical and commercial success. According to a report from Deadline, Netflix has just acquired the first novel with intentions to make it into a film.

In the Old Man’s War universe, set hundreds of years from now, older people are given a loaded choice. Either age and die on Earth or get healthy young bodies that are conscripted into the military to fight space aliens. Protagonist John Perry makes the obvious choice and becomes a high-octane space marine who ends up being pretty good at leading troops into battle. Of course, all is not as it seems, and Perry begins to piece together what’s really going on. The engaging story will likely make a good movie, provided it’s done right (looking at you, Ender’s Game). The film is being produced by John Shestak Productions (Air Force One, Dan in Real Life) and Madhouse Entertainment.

Source: Deadline