Game News 2.0

JimBurnley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121973929#Comment_121973929

No Deek or Boozer??!! Hell, i'd even take Skizzo over whatever the hell Shadowheart is

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121974563#Comment_121974563

Definitely Kratos wouldn't compare to the likes of Mario, Sonic, Lara Croft etc, but I would think as you get further down the list, the clueless mother or sports jock is barely going to know someone outside of the top ten regardless. My mother isn't going to know Miner Willy, Doom Guy, Master Chief…. nor would most of my relatives or some friends who have no interest in gaming. They might twig them as a video game character, but that alone doesn't signify iconography, because again show them a render of Kratos or Nathan Drake and they might still say "That's a video game character".

But of those two as an example, Kratos stands out, and I think even for those who are only gaming-adjacent, if they saw Kratos they're more likely to think "Oh, that's the guy from that game with the thing" rather than the likes of Nathan Drake, Ellie, Kiryu, Arthur Morgan etc who while iconic to people who know videogames, to outsiders could nearly be any character from any game.

I mean you say in a post previous that you might include Gordon Freeman, but aside from the cover art of the game he's not even a visible character in it.

sniper_samurai

And in other news Roblox defends their use of voluntary child labour as being a gift.

https://twitter.com/eurogamer/status/1775885024874643712?t=CDdZCJxJCqLcMysW55ZXpQ&s=19

PixelPlayer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121974684#Comment_121974684

Children have always worked to earn a few Bob until recently. I'm not that old and even in my childhood I had a paper round, did odd jobs (tidying Gardens, mowing lawns) and into my teens working in supermarkets and shops.

Is this any different? Let the kids earn a few bob ffs what is the problem? And some of them are earn quite a few few bobs.

Kids nowadays, I tell ya!

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121974815#Comment_121974815

There's case here for exploitation though as the percentage Roblox gives to creators is tiny compared to what they take and they also greatly reduced that percentage a few months ago. I think it's good kids can make money off it but there is definitely child labour exploitation going on here that needs to be sorted out in court.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121974815#Comment_121974815

Yes but your paper round wasn't cultivated and manufactured in such a way that you felt psychologically compelled or corralled into doing a paper-round, taking more routes or so on. And I'm also guessing your "employer" didn't take a significant cut of your few bob when you returned from your rounds.

These gaming environments are as manipulative as anything a Vegas casino can come up with - but even Vegas doesn't or can't aim their psyops at children.

Also, love how these anecdotes really betray users' ages hehe; paper rounds! My goodness do those even happen anymore?

PixelPlayer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121974903#Comment_121974903

Absolutely my paper round had pressure to take on more routes. I even took on extra rounds and sub let them out to other kids. I also had a manager who most definitely got a much larger percentage than me.

A paper round was the OG entrepreneurial job, don't knock it 🙂 I'd see something like Roblox in a similar way. Anyone knocking a kid who has the wits about them to earn some money on Roblox need to relax a little I think. Not everything has to be abuse or exploration. Of course there is a chain of people profiting from it. This is life, you can't mollycoddle it.

Yeah paper rounds are pretty much gone now I think. I am showing my age a bit, but they're not that long gone 😀

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121975329#Comment_121975329

Just because it was fine back then doesn't mean it was right and also doesn't mean it's right now. There's a corporation making absolute bank on the naivety of kids to make content for them and giving them less and less for their contributions. I can tell you there's no kid making thousands on Roblox creations.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121975329#Comment_121975329

Again, big difference between some local newsagents negotiating with a kid, and a giant corporation that has industrialised psychological Skinner Box manipulation of its audience. And "if it was good enough for me..." logic tends to fall apart as an argument quickly enough;

PixelPlayer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121975649#Comment_121975649

There is nothing naive about a kid earning pocket money. It demonstrates their resourcefulness, initiative, entrepreneurship and teaches valuable lessons as they learn to become an adult. Before you say it, no I do not advocate child abuse in any form. Yes there are adults in charge, yes there are adults profiting from it. This is business. This is life. The kids participating are smart enough to realise that, no doubts about it.

PixelPlayer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121975682#Comment_121975682

There is nothing about my argument falling apart. I've been pretty concise I think and to summarise my argument as "it was good enough for me" is nothing more than a toxic attempt to shut down an argument because you have nothing intelligent to counter with.

Sorry to everyone else warching. I'm done making my point. Back to gaming.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121975750#Comment_121975750

I meant to phrase it more akin to Retro, in that the whole "I had suffered/slaved so so can the young" is weak sauce. There's no equivalence to draw between some ad hoc arrangement with a local business (who couldn't hire you officially anyway. Cos you know, Child Labour Laws) and the industrial, calculated manipulation executed by corporations operating in a legislation free environment.

I don't see it as some glorious digital manifestation of the Free Market, but a crass manipulation of minors for the gain of corporation's and/or CEOs. God knows AAA gaming has problem enough nickel and diming grown adults, doing the same with a provably more malleable and vulnerable demographic is grotesque.

pixelburp

The peerless PMG did a great deep dive on Roblox and its mechanics re. children and those young users; fairly even handed deep dive into the whole thing.

https://youtu.be/_gXlauRB1EQ?si=C2UXKxx8wVZwlkOH

https://youtu.be/vTMF6xEiAaY?si=PuUzCibngsYTmd5O

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121975711#Comment_121975711

There's a naivety about how much your time and work is worth especially to people that have no qualms about exploiting and not just when you are a kid. I learned that the hard way and only realised when I was in my thirties. You said pocket money, and these kids are pretty much getting paid pocket money for work that is making the company thousands of millions. Worse still they are pretty much being paid in what is basically company scrip.

It used to be that actual companies could exist making Roblox content and they have all left because they made the payments so low it is t worth it and they know they can pray on kids and their naivety and in most cases would be abusing the fact that they have spectrum conditions. I'm sorry but that's really **** even if it might not be technically illegal.

Mr Crispy

I guess I need to do all the things I planned for next year immediately. Slay the Spire 2 is coming to early access in 2025.

https://youtu.be/fsWNkTY_Ydk?si=L2OzxMMnNo6J0WIM

Zero-Cool

Broken Roads is out today, the Fallout 1 meets Mad Max meets Disco Elysium game. One review or so far with a 4/10. I was really hoping this would be good.

Zero-Cool

Shadows of Doubt coming to console some time this year after releasing to PC last year. Procedurally generated detective game, looks class.

Playstation also announced some other indies coming soon including Vampire Survivors "The garlic looks like balls" :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHZXZEPaZL8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iI5-0Pjj9Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4vsaYU8fOU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hoED08qbL0

RedXIV

I'm def intrigued by the detective game there. I think a procedurally generated case structure could work really well there!

recyclops

Vampire survivors coming to ps5 is a similar to when fall guys came to Xbox its had its time and has been forgotten, dont get me wrong I was hooked on it for a while and its still my go to on a short hop flights when played on the phone.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122004781#Comment_122004781

PlayStation owners about to become crackheads for VS.

Kind of funny that VS directly rips off Castlevania for its art style but when they get a Konami tie in license it's Contra.

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122004999#Comment_122004999

There’s a fine line between ‘inspired by’ and ‘rip off’ - and Vampire Survivors does not give a solitary **** about that line.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122005039#Comment_122005039

It's weird because you can't really be mad about it. He's ripped off the art to a point where it's almost a pixel copy and yet the creator has managed to created a new unique genre out of it that's actually really good.

I mean even the absolute arsehole of a litigious multinational company that owns the Castlevania IP is so not mad about it that they are willing to partner with them.

Zero-Cool

Fallout 4 current gen free update releasing April 25th.

https://fallout.bethesda.net/en/article/4s2bXQEbpcrsdCZhUYLHAi/fallout-4-is-getting-free-updates?linkId=100000254670482&linkId=100000254670971&fbclid=IwAR1HUt5MIc2-CwFDGLXmk7NEoYH6omRtKl82gipUpArxpNLT9rD8uo2wNcg

johnny_ultimate

Ah Bethesda: continuing to ignore that the best modern Fallout game in the one they didn’t make 😇

CatInABox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122006173#Comment_122006173

I mean, yeah, I'd do the same in their position 🤣

PixelPlayer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122006136#Comment_122006136

It was a big mistake not having a remaster ready for the TV show. Anyone who hasn't played it before is going to be so disappointed. It has not aged well at all. This is welcome, but what they really needed is a TLOU level remaster.

Varik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122006417#Comment_122006417

They have a free week for 76, that's had a lot of updates since launch.

I played it a while ago and every mission line i did I looked up and most weren't part of the original game.

Potential-Monke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122006417#Comment_122006417

I thought that's what this was gonna be… disappointed to be honest. Is there any visual improvement at all, aside from 60fps support? Most sites are just regurgitating what Bethesda have said, which is very little tbh. Was gonna jump back into it, but if it's just a framerate improvement and some additional content, nah.

Mr Crispy

Word on the digital street is that this is going to be Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.

https://twitter.com/WarhorseStudios/status/1778498252104740955?t=SrFC2AarPd5KXEiHdIytnw&s=19

Zero-Cool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122007144#Comment_122007144

Man, i absolutely loved the first game but never beat it. It had brutal difficulty and i was on this brilliant quest where i got drunk with a monk and woke up with a hangover and had to say mass in his place. The mission glitched and it failed before i could make it out of the house. Reloaded a few saves and same thing so i dropped it but if this KC 2, I would absolutely reinstall to try again.

The game was so immersive, i felt like i was actually fighting for my life in every combat situation. I have all the dlc but haven't even tried it yet.