Shortie

I'm actually quite surprised it took them this long to realize that it's an issue to be honest in terms of financial and emotional harm to children. Overwatch was one of the worst for loot boxes I remember and I have teens myself that like to play Overwatch. Luckily I am the one who is in charge of what they spend on their games so I was able to curb them when it came to buying loot boxes on the game but it really was gambling when you think about it due to the fact you were paying for something not knowing what you were going to receive. It makes sense now though why they removed them in Overwatch 2 and found other ways for you to get in game items, at least now you know what you are getting and what you are paying for and it's less than a gamble.

I agree that when you look at this from our point of view where we were not the ones receiving the turkey fryer it does seem funny but I can only imagine how frustrated the recipient was when they were expecting something else and not what they received lol. I guess these kind of mistakes do happen from time to time and as long as the company is able to fix the issue without too much delay it's all good in the end.

Animal Crossing New Horizons springs to mind when you say a game you can not die in. In Animal Crossing you can't really die. You can go missing on an island and need help getting back or you can get stung my bee's, stung by a scorpion or bitten by a spider but you then get taken home to recover and get any medicine needed to recover from that but you do not die in the game at all.

I can't say that I have really had a game this year that I feel was a total flop for me but to be honest I have pretty much stuck with games such as Apex Legends, Destiny 2 and Fortnite, all of which have updates quite frequently that keep the game fresh and fun to play. This has lead me to buy less games throughout the year and I can't say there has been any bad updates for each game I have played frequently this year either.

This sounds awesome and I really do hope that it becomes an actual thing and not just something they talk about, work on and then it flops. I have always said time and time again that with animals, much like humans they can suffer with depression and anxiety and something like gaming can always help with that much like it can with us humans. I think it would be cool to see a tablet specifically made for dogs that was dog proof with games that they can play. Super excited to see where this goes.

This is not a huge surprise for me to be honest as I kind of expected that Microsoft would jump on the price increase as other companies have done. I guess the one thing will Microsoft is they have the Game Pass option in which some new games will come on there to play day 1 in most cases for a subscription fee each month and again that is their way of making gaming inclusive for everyone so it's a choose for the gamer whether they want to pay the hefty $70 or whether they would rather go the subscription route.

This is amazing to see! I love that Phil Spencer really does want gaming to be accessible and for everyone and with all the ideas he has much like this one again he is going to ensure that everyone no matter what platform will be able to play a game and not be left behind. Gaming really is about being included no matter what platform you play on and with cross play and cross platform now being a thing as well, you no longer have to have access to all consoles to be able to play with friends or family on another. Phil Spencer is amazing and I honestly can not wait to see what else he has in store for the gaming community.

This is perfectly normal when you get to being an adult and you have other things that need more attention than maybe buying a bundle for a PS5 console. I myself have been in the same boat with the Xbox Series X where they have been in stock but I have sat back and thought about it and whether I would justify the purchase and every time my adult self would kick in and say no it can wait. There will always be more times for you to jump on the purchase when you are able to and maybe even at some point a bundle that would suit you. You definitely did the right thing not jumping the gun.

When someone mentions to me about a broken game on release the first game that comes to mind is Cyberpunk 2077. I remember there was so much hype for this game when it was announced at E3 and everyone was looking forward to it's release and when it released it was a broken mess. I myself didn't purchase the game on release but from what I hear from people who did, they were not happy at all and it really was a broken mess from the start. I am not sure if they ever fixed the issues that plagued the release but I believe by the time they did, it was a little too late for some.

I do still have friends that I met when gaming online back in 2008 - 2009 but I wouldn't say that I know them in person but more so still over the internet and over gaming. I met a group of people when playing Rainbow Six Vegas 2 a while back and some of them I do still speak with on occasion but due to their lives they don't tend to game as much anymore which is a shame. Now I tend to spend more time just playing games with my other half and my family so don't tend to meet many people now online gaming like I used to.

It sure seems to be a fad that fell off quick, makes you wonder if it was because Nintendo didn't really do as much as they could have done using amiibos and so they just slowly let them phase out as like I say, even though I still see them for sale, I barely see anyone mention them anymore like I used to. Wonder if they would ever consider trying to bring them back again at some point? I liked the idea behind them.

I haven't taken a good look in the eshop for a while now on the Nintendo Switch but did they ever enforce this? I remember the last time I took a good look in the eshop I was seeing games for cheaper than $1.99 so this can't have been implemented yet when I looked. I can understand why they would want to do this though as many good developers could lose out on possible sales if people who go really cheap for games that didn't have half the work put in as some do would just take over and they would get lost in the crowd over cheaper prices. It's a good idea on Nintendo's part for sure!

I would definitely jump on the OLED if you are wanting to grab a Switch now. I don't see Nintendo myself releasing anything anymore upgraded any time soon and with there not being any announcements or even rumors at the moment of anything further from Nintendo, you could be waiting a long time for anything. If you are serious about jumping on the Nintendo Switch now go for the OLED.

I have quite a few games downloaded to my Nintendo Switch at the moment. When I first got my Switch I really did think I would have issues building up a good list of games that I would have on my Nintendo Switch but finding deals for games as helped me build up my list. So far at the moment I have these games on my Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing New Horizons Super Mario Tennis Aces Just Dance 2023 Nintendo Switch Sports Super Smash Bros Pokemon Unite Overwatch 2 Among Us Apex Legends That is just to name a few that I can remember right now but I know I have more as well.

Due to the price of VR headsets I haven't as of yet been able to jump into the VR world even though I am quite curious how it is and would love to experience it. I know with VR you do need to do a lot of standing but one thing I did hear about VR was that it can cause motion sickness in people who suffer with it. Being someone who does suffer with motion sickness this had me wondering if I would even be okay using a VR headset, I would love to be able to experience it but if it would end up making me unwell it would be best to avoid it.

I honestly didn't even think that meditation would be something that could be done through VR but it makes perfect sense. I myself don't tend to do any kind of meditating but I do know that it can help so much with relaxing and also with stress and anxiety and really should be something I look into but I haven't done so yet. It's a shame that VR headsets and getting started with VR is still so expensive at the moment as I could see many benefiting from something like this especially when stress and anxiety are such a big problem for so many. It's cool that things like VR can not only be for gaming but also for things like meditating.

Being that VR is so popular still at the moment, this would be one great reason for Google to get into the VR market and bring out their own VR headset. Who knows, maybe Google could be the one who makes one that is a little more affordable for those wanting to get into VR gaming but haven't done so yet due to the price of them at the moment. I know my youngest has asked quite a few times about us getting a VR headset but due to the price, I have been put off doing so at the moment. If someone could come out with a more affordable bundle that would be a game changer I feel.

At the moment the games I have on mobile that I do play often are as follows BTS Island Apex Legends Call of Duty Stumble Guys (bit like Fall Guys) Rocket League Sideswipe These are games that I keep on my mobile and when I get a minute or if I am out and about waiting for say transport or someone these tend to keep me occupied.

I believe it will still be a big thing for years to come if I am honest. More and more people take games like Apex Legends and Call of Duty quite seriously and will often take part in tournaments on mobile for these games. I feel that if developers keep updating and releasing games on mobile especially ones that people like to take part in tournaments on then mobile gaming will continue to thrive. Not just for people who like to play in tournaments but for those who enjoy mobile gaming on the go as well.

I myself don't mind mobile gaming but it's not my first preference. I like how mobile gaming is an option if I am on the go and would like to play a game say if I am travelling somewhere or if I do not want to be sat in front of my set up at that time. I love how mobile gaming is evolving now especially with things like Xbox Cloud Gaming and the ability to use your controller with your phone. It means I can now play games that were normally difficult on the phone itself with a controller and enjoy the experience.

I honestly didn't realize there was an app called Blackout Bingo if I am honest. I absolutely love to play bingo and have often played it though other ways such as through Pogo years back with their versions of Bingo. Unfortunately when it comes to bingo I can become quite addicted to it real quick so I don't tend to play as much as I used to otherwise I will get hooked. The fast paced bingo games are great but if they are too fast, I get myself lost an confused 🤣

Yes, I remember kids being hyped on Candy Crush and then the elderly started playing it and kids started to steer away from it. I know both my mum and my grandma used to play it a lot when it was on Facebook which was where I started playing it and then I think it went to an app, or it could still be on Facebook as well, I haven't checked if I am honest as many apps now seem to be on the stores for easy download and access through your phones game service.

This is pretty amazing and definitely something I would be up for being released. I agree, it would be nice to have something show on the LCD display that told you the battery life left as well as what device it is paired to. Maybe even some kind of alert on the LCD display when the battery is getting low to alert you to charge or change the batteries would be cool as well. Maybe like a mobile phone, it tells you the percentage of charge if you charge the controller. This is really interesting though and I will be looking out for a release if and when they choose to release it.

I can't say that playing a game has ever helped me explain things in real life to be honest or not that I can think of anyway. I have played games that have helped me understand things in real life a little more due to seeing or hearing about it in the game and being that I played the game and games tend to stick in your mind it was something that stuck in my mind and when something comes up I can refer to what I heard or saw in a game to understand it better. It is interesting though to know that people can take games and use them to allow others to understand a condition they have so that people better understand them.

Games in my opinion are supposed to pull you into the story I feel and that is why I feel most of us play video games and story based games. It's like when we watch TV or movies, the story line pulls us in and we feel emotion when something happens. It's perfectly normal for that to happen and I would never say it's unusual or weird to feel that way. The last game I remember feeling any emotion for was Destiny 2 when they killed Cayde 6 off, it was completely unexpected and because I had followed the story so far, it was a big shock.