The FBI teaches teens about extremism with a game that defies logic
The FBI recently fired up a new site urging teens and other young internet people not to “be a puppet,” which in this extremely specific case requires recognizing and understanding violent extremism. Fine! Great! As incidents of extremism continue to tear lives apart lives the world over, young people deserve to understand the mindset that leads some to make tragic decisions. Then the FBI tried to make a Flash game starring a goat avoiding blocks and all logic just flew out the window.
See, the entire point of the game — “Slippery Slope” — is to learn about the justifications and mechanisms that can lead an otherwise normal person to extremism. You accomplish this by using your computer’s arrow keys to maneuver a pixellated goat through a faux-8-bit world, avoiding blocks (mountains? hills? buildings? ideas?) and dying constantly along the way. Constantly. Go ahead, try it.
The big problem — besides the fact that none of this makes a lick of sense — is that anything more than a peck on the arrow key will send the our goat friend careening to its death. Every time you die, you’re treated to example of extremist “distorted logic” like “the enemy is responsible for this injustice” or “our violent actions will result in a better future”. When you lose all six lives, and you will, you’ll get the full list of examples just so people who don’t like playing bad games will still learn something.
If we were generous, we could argue that whole bizarre thing is a metaphor for how would-be extremists eventually fall into a mindset that is as externally batshit to us as this game is. And that the inability to steer the goat represents the wild momentum that can propel a person deeper into a coercive group’s poisonous logic. What probably happened, though, is that one guy in a suit told a few guys who weren’t in suits that games are hip and they should make one. The end result is either subtly brilliant or a game design nightmare — maybe the FBI should try the straightforward approach next time.
Via: The Verge
Source: FBI.gov
Blizzard believes mobile is the future, VR taking the back seat
Blizzard may not release titles very often, but they are known for launching game-changers… literally. Franchises like Starcraft and Warcraft dominated the strategy game market, only to then release World of Warcraft and take over the MMORPG industry. What’s next?
Well, we know the smartphone boom has brought upon us a whole new way of looking at technology, which does include gaming. This is not only an activity you indulge in for hours. You can do it on your way to work, while drinking coffee or maybe even hitching a ride on the bus for a couple stops.
Blizzard loving mobile
Where does Blizzard fit into all of this? Their popular game Hearthstone has become one of the top grossing titles in the industry, and it makes them about $20 million a month, according to research firm SuperData.
Blizzard knows the importance of mobile gaming and the need to adapt to this evolving market. In an interview with Venture Beat, president and co-founder Michael Morhaime, senior vice president and co-founder Frank Pearce and senior vice president Chris Metzen talked about the future of Blizzard, and it is looking very pocketable.
See also: 15 best free Android games of 2016!
The only issue is that most other games are not exactly designed to be viewed in the smaller screen… nor are they casual. The company is bound to run into some issues, and needs to adapt its strategy to fit today’s gaming needs.
“If we were going to continue to evaluate experiences in real-time strategy, I think we’d have to figure out what that means to the current player space. [StarCraft II expansion] Legacy of the Void is great. [But] I don’t think that people want to sit down and play 45 minute missions any more. I think that space might need some reinventing.”
“I feel like there’s still a big opportunity in mobile beyond just casual games. I’m not sure we’ve figured out what that is yet.”
What will we see coming from Blizzard, aside from their Hearthstone series? We will have to wait and see. But it seems we won’t be seeing anything in the VR department… at least not for a while.
A bit about VR
You may have noticed we are pretty excited about VR here at Android Authority. It’s one of those things you have to experience to really understand. It not only seems like the next step in gaming, it looks, sounds and feels like it. Just imagine looking at World of Warcraft through a VR headset!
The guys at Blizzard can envision this, and seem to like the idea, but so far they have no plans to invest on such venture. This is sad news, but at least they are keeping their minds open to the idea.
See also: 7 best Google Cardboard VR apps and games
“Everybody’s talking about VR and wearing funny helmets. Culturally, we’re interested, and we’re watching. How rad would it be to run around in World of Warcraft and see it 1-to-1? That does appear to be the next horizon. But we’re kind of watching. It’s possible that other companies will take more tentative steps and plant their flags. I don’t think we’re quite ready to conquer all that yet.”
Wrapping up
The information is still a bit general and the company still needs to do some planning, but at the very least we get an idea of where they aim to go.
What kind of games would you like to see coming from Blizzard? Are you down for 45-minute missions? Are you itching for some more complex titles, or do you prefer them going the casual route? Maybe a balance? Hit the comments and let us know!
Rock the vote for your favorite game in the GDC awards
Want to make your voice heard in this year’s Game Developer’s Choice Awards? How about doing the same for the Independent Game Festival’s accolades? Boy howdy, you’re covered in both cases. Once again, the GDCA and IGF are opening up the floor for audience votes ahead of the 30th annual Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco this year. Winners will be revealed on March 16th and the awards will stream on Twitch starting at 6:30 PM Pacific that day.
As far as GDCA nominees go here are just a few: Bloodborne, Downwell, Fallout 4, Her Story, Lara Croft: GO, Life is Strange, Undertale and The Witcher 3. However, Until Dawn is sadly missing from the list. There’s a bit of overlap between the GDC and the IGF noms as well, but the latter also includes the likes of Cibele, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Oxenfree and That Dragon, Cancer.
So what made you cheer, cry or throw a controller last year? The GDCA and IGF folks want to know. For a peek at what the Engadget Gaming crew loved last year, be sure to check out our editor’s choice picks.
Source: GDC Awards
Fan mashup of ‘Mario Kart’ and ‘Star Wars’ is a gaming dream
If you’re like me, you spent your youth imagining what it’d be like if your favorite fictional universes got together — heck, Aliens vs. Predator and Kingdom Hearts are practically kids’ dreams made real. Well, some fans weren’t willing to keep their fantasy locked in their heads. YouTube team Dark Pixel made Star Kart, a video mashup of Mario Kart and Star Wars that’s pretty much the blend you’d hope it would be. The project (which took a year to produce) has Mario, Yoshi and crew racing Star Wars ships across a galaxy far, far away, complete with cute touches: shells replace laser cannons, getting knocked out means leaving hyperspace… and of course there’s a Death Star trench race. Frankly, we wish Disney and Nintendo would find a way to make this a proper game, even if it’s just a Mario Kart 8 add-on.
Via: CNET
Source: Dark Pixel (YouTube)
‘Need for Speed’ hits PC in March with steering wheel support
When the latest Need for Speed drifted onto consoles, racers noticed that a few features were missing. No manual transmission option? No racing wheel support? Admittedly, the game isn’t a sim racer like Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport, but both of these omissions still felt a little odd. It’s taken a while, but soon Electronic Arts will be righting a few of those wrongs. First of all, the game is coming to PC on March 17th. More notably, it’ll have manual transmission and support for “a selection” of wheels by Logitech, Thrustmaster and Fanatec. Oh, and it’ll also run with “an unlocked framerate” and up to 4K resolution. Sounds promising.
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners will get manual gear-shifting too, although it’s not clear exactly when this update will arrive. If nothing else, it’s a sign that EA is listening to player feedback and trying to support the community — which is pivotal, given the game is an online-centric experience that thrives when everyone is happily racing together.
‘Need for Speed’ hits PC in March with steering wheel support
When the latest Need for Speed drifted onto consoles, racers noticed that a few features were missing. No manual transmission option? No racing wheel support? Admittedly, the game isn’t a sim racer like Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport, but both of these omissions still felt a little odd. It’s taken a while, but soon Electronic Arts will be righting a few of those wrongs. First of all, the game is coming to PC on March 17th. More notably, it’ll have manual transmission and support for “a selection” of wheels by Logitech, Thrustmaster and Fanatec. Oh, and it’ll also run with “an unlocked framerate” and up to 4K resolution. Sounds promising.
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners will get manual gear-shifting too, although it’s not clear exactly when this update will arrive. If nothing else, it’s a sign that EA is listening to player feedback and trying to support the community — which is pivotal, given the game is an online-centric experience that thrives when everyone is happily racing together.
‘Grand Theft Auto 5’ outsold almost every game in January
Rockstar Games is reaping the rewards of keeping GTA Online fresh with things like heist missions and holiday-themed events for these past few years. Grand Theft Auto 5 was the number two selling game last month amid slowing console hardware sales, a bizarre fact considering it debuted almost two-and-a-half years ago. September 2013, to be exact. Of course, that evergreen gateway to GTA Online‘s multiplayer has also benefitted from a staggered release starting on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, later coming to PC and then PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Regardless, how crazy this is wasn’t lost on the NPD Group’s David Riley:
“This is the third consecutive January where Grand Theft Auto V was a Top 5 title. Astonishingly, the game has moved up in ranking placement from fifth place in January 2014, to third in January 2015 and to the second-best selling game in January 2016.”
In January alone, Rockstar’s (online-and-off) crime simulator outsold last fall’s heavyweights Star Wars Battlefront, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege and Fallout 4. And it handily beat out Lego Marvel Avengers, which released last month and sits near the bottom of the sales charts.
The only game it couldn’t topple was Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. But hell, when publisher Activision reports that after less than two months at retail its futuristic shooter was the top-selling console title (PDF) in 2015 even a juggernaut like GTA is going to have a hard time closing that gap. I’d be remiss to not mention that Minecraft did something similar last August, however, taking silver over GTA 5‘s fourth place finish. Still, this is incredibly rare.
The NPD Group famously doesn’t record digital sales data from the likes of Steam or PlayStation Store, but Rockstar parent company Take Two Interactive recently revealed that to date, GTA V has sold over 60 million copies worldwide across all platforms.
The average is going to be a little off considering the game sold over 11 million copies in its first 24 hours, but it’s like Rockstar has moved two million copies per month, every month, since its initial release.
Now, if only we could get some news on that single-player expansion…
‘Grand Theft Auto 5’ outsold almost every game in January
Rockstar Games is reaping the rewards of keeping GTA Online fresh with things like heist missions and holiday-themed events for these past few years. Grand Theft Auto 5 was the number two selling game last month amid slowing console hardware sales, a bizarre fact considering it debuted almost two-and-a-half years ago. September 2013, to be exact. Of course, that evergreen gateway to GTA Online‘s multiplayer has also benefitted from a staggered release starting on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, later coming to PC and then PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Regardless, how crazy this is wasn’t lost on the NPD Group’s David Riley:
“This is the third consecutive January where Grand Theft Auto V was a Top 5 title. Astonishingly, the game has moved up in ranking placement from fifth place in January 2014, to third in January 2015 and to the second-best selling game in January 2016.”
In January alone, Rockstar’s (online-and-off) crime simulator outsold last fall’s heavyweights Star Wars Battlefront, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege and Fallout 4. And it handily beat out Lego Marvel Avengers, which released last month and sits near the bottom of the sales charts.
The only game it couldn’t topple was Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. But hell, when publisher Activision reports that after less than two months at retail its futuristic shooter was the top-selling console title (PDF) in 2015 even a juggernaut like GTA is going to have a hard time closing that gap. I’d be remiss to not mention that Minecraft did something similar last August, however, taking silver over GTA 5‘s fourth place finish. Still, this is incredibly rare.
The NPD Group famously doesn’t record digital sales data from the likes of Steam or PlayStation Store, but Rockstar parent company Take Two Interactive recently revealed that to date, GTA V has sold over 60 million copies worldwide across all platforms.
The average is going to be a little off considering the game sold over 11 million copies in its first 24 hours, but it’s like Rockstar has moved two million copies per month, every month, since its initial release.
Now, if only we could get some news on that single-player expansion…
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories hits Android
The 2005 PSP classic Liberty City Stories has appeared in the Google Play Store with little fanfare. The Rockstar creation is a mobile-friendly addition to the ongoing and ever-controversial Grand Theft Auto franchise.
Although the game is open world, it’s naturally not as sprawling and detailed as its console companions. You are Toni Cipriani, outcast wise guy for the Leone family. In the time you’ve been away from Liberty City, the organized rule of the mob has become fractured as corrupt politicians, rival games, and striking unions vie for control of a city where crime is as commonplace as pizza is in NYC.
The game has gotten a few daubs of makeup applied to its face before arriving on Android devices. Its 2005 roots are still visible in some of the design elements, but extensive graphic enhancements have been implemented, and with the addition of Rockstar Social Club support, your achievements and save files will be available across platforms.
See also: 10 best 3D games for Android
If you’re even remotely interested, now is the time to act, because the game will be increasing in price once this promotion ends. This is a full game with no in-app purchases, and you can click the button below to download it to your device.
Are you a Liberty City Stories fan? If so, let us know what your experience with the game has been like in the comments! Would you recommend this game to Android gamers?
NVIDIA throws Valentine’s Day game discount party for Shield
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, NVIDIA is having a sale on six different titles from the GeForce Now game streaming service and Google Play. The list includes such romantic titles as The Park, a first-person psychological horror game set in a lonely and sinister amusement park, and This War of Mine, a brutal survival simulation game in which you must make no-win decisions that have life and death consequences on your companions while the soulless grind of the war around you whittles away your humanity and reinforces a crushing sense of one’s own meaninglessness and isolation.
Say, NVIDIA, did you recently go through a hard break-up? If you need a shoulder to cry on, just let us know. Try to remember that there are other fish in the sea.
See also: 10 best Valentine’s Day apps for Android!
Other games in the lineup include Submerged, Juju, Dustoff Heli Rescue, and Windward. NVIDIA says that the sale will run through the end of Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2016. The GeForce Now games (The Park and Submerged) are 33% off, but rest of the games, which are available in the Google Play Store, range from 50-67% off.
So if you and your loved one are looking to cozy up together and play a fun Android game or two this Sunday, consider getting Windward, the only cooperative multiplayer game on this list. If you, like NVIDIA, will be celebrating More Wine For Me Day instead of Valentine’s Day, then grab any of the other games and settle in with the comfort food of your choice instead.
Do any of the games on this list jump out at you as a good deal? Let us know which you would pick and why in the comments below! To read more, head on over to NVIDIA’s official promo landing page for this offer.
Play Submerged
Play The Park
Get Windward
Get This War of Mine
Get Dustoff Heli Rescue
Get Juju
Next: 13 best Android horror games
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