Matthew Lang

Though there have been some dips since then, interest in the game has, overall, grown. Star Wars Battlefront 2 reached a new all-time concurrent player peak — 35,892 players — on June 22, with a consistent 20,000 people online at any given time. And these numbers are just for Steam; the game is available on consoles and Windows PC on EA’s proprietary launcher, but concurrent player numbers are not easily available there.

— Star Wars Battlefront 2 Is More Popular Than Ever Thanks To A Dedicated Fan Community

I’m not really surprised that this game is still going strong. Despite the rocky start EA had with the loot box system, the game has remained a popular choice. I still play it weekly. Maybe it’s the fact that I am a huge Star Wars fan, but games like Fortnite and Overwatch haven’t remained on my radar, and it’s been a long time since I played either of those games.

My favourite game of all time has been polished up for the PS5 and will also soon be released on the PC as well. This might just fill in the gap before the HBO series begins.

EA is bringing Colin Kaepernick back to Madden. Starting today, Kaepernick will be available as a QB who can be added to any team in Franchise mode in Madden NFL 21, which was released in late August. He can also be selected in the game’s Play Now mode.

— EA adds Colin Kaepernick to Madden NFL 21

You can play as Kaepernick! That’s all I need to know.

Sony has revealed their new DualSense controllers for the PlayStation 5. A familiar look for the controller with the button layout, but what stuck out for me was the two-toned design.

Now, let’s talk about the colors. Traditionally our base controllers have a single color. As you can see, we went a different direction this time around, and decided on a two-toned design. Additionally, we changed the position of the light bar that will give it an extra pop. On DualShock 4, it sat on the top of the controller; now it sits at each side of the touch pad, giving it a slightly larger look and feel.

— Introducing DualSense, the New Wireless Game Controller for PlayStation 5

I look forward to getting my hands on these when the PlayStation 5 is released.

With the help of Claire Barlow from the University of Cambridge and John Durrell, a specialist in superconductor engineering, The Verge’s Lewis Gordon goes through the components and materials that go into the Playstation 4 and go over their impact on the environment.

They start with the console’s top lid, which is made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). This is, in fact, virgin plastic and isn’t made from already recycled plastic. From the lid alone, there is a huge cost in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide that is produced from only manufacturing the lid of the console alone.

Let’s hypothesize that the 511 grams of ABS spread throughout the machine are actually virgin plastic. How might it have been produced? This is where things get trippy. Like almost every form of plastic on the planet, ABS is made from petrochemicals that are derived from petroleum, the fossil fuel we commonly refer to as crude oil. The substance materialized over millions of years as fossilized organisms like zooplankton and algae were covered by stagnant water and further layers of these dead animals and plants. Try to imagine not only how slow that process is (geologists call this “deep time”) but also the near-instantaneous speed at which the oil was extracted from the earth. Now consider its carbon residue just sitting in the atmosphere, slowly helping make the planet hotter. As I stared at the plastic, these head-spinning thoughts flashed through my mind.

— The environmental impact of a PlayStation 4

Materials such as gold and tin are used on the circuit board of the console. While only a small amount of of these materials are used, the mining process means that vast amounts of water are needed to mine the gold as well as the use of chemicals to make the gold easier to mine. If you think your console only contains a small amount of these materials, then consider the fact that Sony has sold over 100 millions units of the PS4 since it’s launch. Now you start to realize just how much goes into mining the gold for these consoles.

Low-cost thinking extends to the limited use of more expensive metals. Occasional pieces of gold materialize on the main circuit board where various components are held in place by a tin-based solder. When it comes to the open pit and hard rock mining, the extraction methods responsible for some of the world’s gold (as well as the copper and neodymium found in the machine), there’s the actual blowing up of the earth. But enormous quantities of water are also required for mineral processing, dust suppression, slurry pipelines (to transport minerals in remote areas), and, last but by no means least, employees’ needs. Another extraction process called cyanide leaching sprays the toxic chemical over mined ore to dissolve the gold, thereby making it easier to extract. This comes with its own ecological and health risks if the cyanide leaks into the local area. Each method is grim for the environment where metals are often scattered diffusely throughout the rock.

— The environmental impact of a PlayStation 4

Finally, there’s the lithium-ion battery in the console’s controllers. It too has a damaging impact on the environment.

The PlayStation 4’s 8.9 billion kilogram carbon footprint leaves out other environmental impacts like pollutants that don’t end up in our carbon-soaked atmosphere. Take the controller’s lithium-ion battery, the same kind of chargeable technology powering electric cars. Lithium is produced by drilling holes into salt flats — usually found in massive crater-like lakes — and pumping brine to the surface. The important bit, lithium carbonate, is subsequently extracted through a chemical process. In recent years, pollution from the extraction process has led to the death of animals and crops, severely impacting local communities in countries like Argentina and China. The lithium that makes our controllers wireless is just another material that scars not only the landscape but the lives of those who call it home.

— The environmental impact of a PlayStation 4

This piece by Lewis Gordon really hits home the cost of technology on the environment. The manufacturing impact of technology devices isn’t going to change overnight. With such a huge market, I wonder if it would take pressure from consumers to make any kind of difference. I certainly would consider other environmentally friendly options if they become available.

As for running costs, we have two PS4s at home. I play for a few hours a week, and my eldest son probably plays for longer, but my wife and I encourage him to take breaks. We have a smart meter at home where we can monitor just how much energy we are using, and we always try to reduce our demand for energy, but it’s not easy. Especially during the darker months of the year where we don’t really go out that often.

Can we ever get to a point where we can balance the demands for technology so that they don’t impact on the environment?

As much I want to get my grubby post-apocalyptic mitts on this game, I’m prepared to wait another few months.

“At this point we were faced with two options: compromise parts of the game or get more time. We went with the latter, and this new release date allows us to finish everything to our level of satisfaction while also reducing stress on the team,” he continued.

— The Last of Us Part II has been delayed until May 2020

Taking an extra few months to finish off the game properly is a better way to go and I’m sure many fans of the game will agree.

In an age of multi-player online games like Overwatch, Fortnite and Call of Duty, I’m glad Naughty Dog are investing heavily in a single-player campaign game and are taking the time to deliver something that should at least equal its predecessor.

Philadelphia Fusion, the city’s Overwatch League team, are having an e-sports complex built that will become the team’s home ground. Effectively, their home stadium.

But an arguably even more important milestone happened earlier in the week — and it took place across the street. On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Fusion — the city’s OWL team — held a groundbreaking ceremony for Fusion Arena, a $50 million e-sports complex that will eventually become the team’s home ground.

— After the Overwatch League grand finals, the league prepares to finally go global

Who would have thought e-sports would reach the heights where team’s are having statiums built?

American government officials have finally taken their shot at video game lootboxes. Specifically, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri announced his intention to introduce the “The Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act” to the US Senate.

This is the culmination of slow-burning anti-lootbox sentiment that’s bubbled up from the gaming community over the course of the last year-and-a-half. Ever since games like Battlefront II and Middle Earth: Shadow of War took lootboxes and in-game purchases from just “occasionally-overpriced bling” to “pay-to-win garbage,” those who regulate fair trade have begun to sit up and take notice.

— American senator pleads for children’s protection in anti-lootbox bill

Pay to win games on games consoles received a massive backlash from gamers and I think that games developers have taken notice of this.

Overwatch gets it right, with its loot boxes that can only reward you with cosmetic changes. I hope games like Overwatch can get to keep their lootbox system.

Pay to win games on mobile devices is an entirely different beast though. Games on mobile devices frequently use pay-to-win tactics through in-app purchases as a way of making money on free games. It’s these games that I hope to get targeted through this bill.

There’s one other consideration as well. Games are sold with ratings on them which indicates the age with which the content of the game is aimed at. If you decide that your kids are okay to play games that have a much higher age rating on them, then, in my eyes, you are also responsible for ensuring that your kids know the do’s and don’ts of that games lootbox system.

“Lucasfilms Games.” To quote an old master, that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time… a long time. It’s the original name of LucasArts, the legendary studio that developed games in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, as well as several of the great 90s adventure games. To make a long, messy story short, LucasArts was acquired by Disney in 2012, and was reduced to a skeleton the following year. For all intents and purposes, it was dead… until now.

— Disney bolsters Lucasfilm Games for a bright Star Wars future

LucasArts made some fantastic games back in the day. I remember spending many hours on my desktop PC playing the X-Wing and Tie Fighter games.

I’m sceptical about what Disney is looking to make with the new rebranded LucasArts studio, Lucasfilm Games. Only because Disney being the large company that it is, doesn’t ensure guaranteed success. They’ve had a good run with the Star Wars franchise though so it will be interesting to see what comes of this.

As with these other platforms, the idea behind the iOS app is to let you enjoy your PS4 titles without having to sit in front of your TV (so you can let your family watch a show, and pick up where you left off on your phone). Your game will be streamed to your mobile device, and use on-screen overlay buttons to control the action. Unfortunately, unlike with Android, you can’t pair a Dualshock 4 controller to your iPhone or iPad for use with this app.

— You can finally run PS4 games on your iPhone or iPad with Remote Play

I’m on the fence with this one. While the idea comes from good intentions, not hogging the television for your gaming, it leads me to think how often I’ll need to chase my oldest off his iPad and iPhone. That’s only when he has a iPad or iPhone that can support the remote play though, as I think his devices are too old for this.

I normally relay gaming news and updates to my oldest, but I think I’ll let this one slip under the radar for as long as I can.

A massive milestone for the team shooter. 30 characters to choose from and still going strong.

Blizzard’s team shooter Overwatch is hitting a major milestone today with the official unveiling of Baptiste, the game’s 30th hero. Baptiste is a support character described as a “combat medic” who uses an array of gadgets to aid his team in battle. That includes a device called an immortality field that prevents nearby allies from dying, healing grenades, and Baptiste’s ultimate ability, described as “a matrix that doubles the damage and healing effects of friendly projectiles that pass through it.” The reveal follows a few days of teasing, including a short trailer yesterday.

— Overwatch’s 30th hero Baptiste is here to shake things up

Fortnite might be stealing the spotlight across the globe, but for me, Overwatch is a better and more enjoyable game to play. At first, I was sceptical about the game. As I watched my son playing it, I couldn’t make out what was going on. I succumbed though, and now I’m a long-term fan of the game.

Games are facing an exciting time. With continual updates, games can now have a longer shelf life. Sounds excellent and while Blizzard is executing this plan nicely, there are others that I think aren’t doing so well.

Fornite might be a worldwide sensation, but I think it’s already under-attack from copycat clones. How long can they fend them off?

EA started launched Star Wars Battlefront 2 late in 2017 and quickly found out that their loot box monetisation was very unpopular with gamers as well as the progression system. I don’t think the game has recovered since then. Sure it’s an okay game, and yes I did buy it, but I definitely think it has had its day. It seems that every other week there’s some kind of points promotion to get people to play. And don’t get me started on the unlimited heroes in a game.

Blizzard though has slowly improved the Overwatch game since it’s release and remains as enjoyable as it was on the day that I first played it.

Will we get to 40 characters in the game? That might be a push, but I’ll keep on playing and being a fan in the meantime.

According to philosophy professor Jordan Shapiro, parents should embrace the technology that their kids are using and not worry so much about the time they are spending on it.

“Your job as a parent is not to stop unfamiliar tools from disrupting your nostalgic image of the ideal childhood, nor to preserve the impeccable tidiness of the Victorian era’s home/work split. Instead, it’s to prepare your kids to live in an ethical, meaningful and fulfilled life in an ever-changing world,” he writes. To do this, he argues, families and schools must embrace technology, including gaming, to prepare kids for an uncertain but determinedly digital future.

— A philosophy professor argues kids should use more technology, not less by Jenny Anderson for Quartz

As a tech-loving parent of two boys I know full well the impact of technology on our family. We do have a few ground rules when it comes to technology. No devices at the dinner table, no devices during movie nights and at least one night a week spent reading instead of gaming. Sure there are times when even I think that the boys have spent too much time on their games consoles and so we’ll huckle them off, and we’ll do something else.

Mostly it’s all about balance in our house, but I definitely lean towards allowing them to spend a bit more time on their games consoles. I remember spending whole weekends playing my games consoles and computers as a kid, so I’m in the camp that video games are not a bad thing. We also have more creative and educational games available. Minecraft anyone?

Maybe I’m a bit more forgiving in this respect because my oldest and I have started gaming together online recently. It certainly helps in the competitive matches in Overwatch to have a player you know to communicate with. We just need to get Drew to practice a bit more, and we’ll have a solid trio to play as online!

The sequel to Alto’s adventure is coming soon. This will be one sequel that I know won’t disappoint.

Amazing how people have put Minecraft to such a creative use.

via kottke.org

Looking forward to the sequel to Alto’s Adventure.

Games on my phone are a rarity but Alto’s Adventure are the types of game that make it.

Finally some real news about The Last of Us sequel. As you might know from reading this blog I’m a huge fan of the first part of this game. The gameplay, the story and the characters were all such a refreshing change. I’m playing through the first part of the game again and I’m almost done. Might have to give it another walk through before the release of part two when it comes.

The Rogue One movie is coming out soon and so is the last expansion pack for Star Wars Battlefront.

For the first time an expansion pack will feature content not from the original trilogy. Of course Rogue One is set just before the beginning of A New Hope so it’s as close as you’ll get to the original trilogy.

Star Wars Battlefront has been a real joy to play over the last year. Enough game play variety to keep you interested, great graphics and source, and lastly of course it’s Star Wars.

Games like this don’t come along very often but when they do you find yourself playing for hours at a time. Great fun. I can’t wait for the new expansion pack to come out.

via Electronic Arts

I can’t say that I’m exactly thrilled to see Sony releasing a console so soon after the release of the PS4. It is good to see though that all future games for the PS4 and PS Neo will be compatible and you will be able to play on the PlayStation Network regardless of which console you will own.

That move is one of several that Sony is reportedly making to keep PS4 and PS4 Neo owners on an even keel. The company’s documentation reportedly states that there will be no Neo-only games, owners of both versions of the console will continue to use the same PlayStation Store, and publishers are barred from offering special features or downloadable content to owners of one type of console. Crucially, players of both the original PS4 and PS4 Neo and will be able to play alongside each other on PlayStation Network.

— Sony’s upgraded ‘Neo’ PS4 will reportedly have smoother games and better graphics by The Verge

Star Wars Battlefront just keeps getting more and more awesome. Can’t wait for November.

This brought back a few memories.

Despite their unique preferences and stylistic tendencies, all of the module authors I spoke with agree that there’s a difference between being a good Dungeon Master and writing a great adventure. A Dungeon Master should be concerned with creating a seamless and engaging narrative for their players. An adventure writer, on the other hand, needs to produce modules that will motivate those DMs, capturing their imaginations while leaving them room to embellish, adjust, and alter as desired.

— Total Party Kill - The Architects of Dungeons & Dragons by Wills Plummer

I had a short spell (groan) as a DM but I didn’t have a full grasp of the rules at the time. Enjoyed my time as a player though.

Wired answers the question in 8 bit. Funnily enough, the number of possible worlds is similar to the number of planets generated in No Man’s Sky which is 18 quintillion.

No Man’s Sky has high expectations. With a game universe composing of billions of planets, it is set to change the world of gaming. I for one can’t wait for its release.

The universe is being built in an old two-story building, in the town of Guildford, half an hour by train from London. About a dozen people are working on it. They sit at computer terminals in three rows on the building’s first floor and, primarily by manipulating lines of code, they make mathematical rules that will determine the age and arrangement of virtual stars, the clustering of asteroid belts and moons and planets, the physics of gravity, the arc of orbits, the density and composition of atmospheres—rain, clear skies, overcast. Planets in the universe will be the size of real planets, and they will be separated from one another by light-years of digital space. A small fraction of them will support complex life.

— World Without End by The New Yorker

The entire kingdom of Westeros created in Minecraft. Amazing.

via kottke.org

This is just a quick hat tip to The Last of Us on the PS4. I’ve been playing this game for the last few weeks and after playing a series of disappointing games like Destiny and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, it’s great to see gaming being taken in a different direction. The game itself was brilliant, but not only that it was backed by a great story, believeable characters and a game that didn’t rely on an arsenal of weaponry.

Highly recommended.

I wrote about IAPs last month and now after seeing this, I will no longer support games developers who trade a fair business model for greed.

Well on the app stores at least.

It’s been bugging me for a while now, but you may have noticed the number of games on Apple’s App Store that are free. There’s quite a lot of them actually, but some of them are not in fact free despite their price.

There’s a growing trend now of games that are utilising the In-App Purchases (or IAPs from here on in) ability in apps to subsidise the fact that the game is free to install. It’s a freemium model really. Give the game away and then charge for extras. I first noticed it on the game Kindgom Rush, but this game can easily be completed without the need to purchase any of the additional characters that the game offers.

In other games though, the list of IAPs is there as an assist to players to finish a level or the game. Candy Crush Saga and Bad Piggies are two such examples of games in the App Store that employ this model. The purchases are enough to make think they’re a one off, but I suspect that this is not the case with many people. Considering that King’s (creators of Candy Crush Saga) monthly revenue was allegedly once reported to be half a million dollars a day, it’s easy to see how those little purchases can add up given how popular the game is.

Here’s the problem I have with IAPs.

I have two sons, a one year old who is too young to talk, never mind understand the value of money, and one seven year old, whose life revolves around technology.

I limit my oldest to the number of games he can have on his iPad and the amount of time he spends playing them. Nothing wrong with that. What’s troubling though is the amount of times he has asked for IAPs for games from me. I’ll let him make IAPs for the games he really likes but not on a frequent basis. Also, all his IAPs come out his own pocket money. It seems that a growing number of games are adopting an IAP purchase to unlock new features or get new addons. To an adult it’s easy to say no. To a kid it’s not so easy.

Like all trends though, today’s hot new game is always going to end up the next day’s old news. Which means that the money you can spend on IAPs for games, can be wasted if that game is no longer played with. It’s not a major problem in our house now, as our oldest is extremely limited to the IAPs he can make. How annoying would it be though to spend so much money on a game for it to be deleted and never played again?

Mobile game developers have no obligation to only producing one-cost games, but it would be nice to see some of these game developers move away from the IAP model.

I grew up in an era where the computer game was a one off cost. You paid for the game and then you played it as often as you like. Console games are getting more and more expensive, but they are getting better and better, and most games offer hours of entertainment for that one off cost. It’s an investment, but one that I think works very well, especially when you have kids that love gaming.

Thankfully companies producing games for the Microsoft and Sony games consoles are still following this model for the next generation of console games, but how long before we start seeing even these games adopting an IAP model?

I’m not sure that will happen to the level it’s happening in mobile gaming, but I know one thing. I’m more wary now of those ‘free’ games that are topping the charts and proving to be hits with the kids. Even though they’re listed as free, I know that for most of them, they’re not really free.

The console war has begun for the next generation of gamers, but choosing between either of these consoles as my next gaming platform has still left me mostly undecided. In a games shop, I even asked one of the staff what they thought of the specs and which one they would buy. His answer, “buy both”, is hardly the best answer you’re looking for when you’re an occasional gamer.

Currently I have an Xbox 360 with a handful of games. I don’t play very often and I certainly don’t have the time to co-ordinate myself enough to play online against friends and family, but I do like sitting for a couple of hours each weekend and working my way through a few games.

The first consideration is my oldest son. He likes playing a few games on the Xbox 360 including his favourite game, Minecraft. Most of the games he does play are usually available on both consoles and there will be a version of Minecraft available for the PS4. However, what other titles are there on the PlayStation that are suitable for him to play? Mostly the same titles that he’s played on the Xbox previously, so I’m not concerned about availability of suitable games for him.

There’s very little between the two consoles in terms of specifications, but having had previous experience with the Kinect, I would have to say that I wasn’t completely enamored with it. There just hasn’t been enough games for it since its release. Yes, there’s all the usual fitness and dance games but that’s not the games I play.

If I had to choose between the two, I would choose the PlayStation 4. Simply out of curiosity really, nothing else. I’ve had a an Xbox for a couple of years now, might be time to try the other camp. Still I’ve got a few months to think it over before I commit to a purchase.

When the Xbox Kinect first appeared, I was all over it like a rash.  I was a big fan of Nintendo’s Wii before hand, so the progress to a controllerless mode of game play seemed like the next best move for my gaming preferences. I bundled all my Wii stuff together, put it up for sale and used the money to purchase an Xbox Kinect. A couple of years later and it seems that the Kinect has not lived up to my expectations.

When the Kinect first came out I expected games my favourite games to embrace the Kinect technology and provide a different way of playing these games rather than bashing away at a controller and some buttons. This wasn’t to be the case. Since the Kinect’s launch there has been very little big titles launched and so for the last year. Our Kinect sensor has just sat there under the television doing nothing. Another piece of abandoned technology.Until games can be controlled by your thoughts and eyes, I think that gamers and game publishers will continue to favour the hand held controller over any current controllerless technology.​