All posts tagged: video games

Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad Star in Sequel

Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad Star in Sequel

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Angry Birds Movie 3 trailer reveals that perhaps not everyone sees an empty nest as a bad thing. Paramount Pictures is set to release the latest film from the animated franchise on Dec. 23. Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Rachel Bloom and Danny McBride reprise their voice roles for the new installment in the series that includes 2016’s The Angry Birds Movie and its 2019 sequel. The Angry Birds Movie 3 follows Red (Sudeikis), a temperamental cardinal who attempts to save the world while raising three youngsters, alongside the help of his pals Chuck (Gad), Bomb (McBride) and Silver (Bloom). The feature is based on the popular video games from Rovio Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sega. “I’m a professional, full-time parent,” Sudeikis declares in the trailer. “It’s my new job.” Rounding out the voice cast are Emma Myers, Walker Scobell, Marcello Hernández, Tim Robinson, Lily James, Keke Palmer, Anna Cathcart, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Nikki Glaser, MrBeast, Salish Matter, Psalm West, Sam Richardson and James Austin Johnson. John Rice helmed the film from a script by Thurop Van …

Can video games help us better understand quantum mechanics?

Can video games help us better understand quantum mechanics?

Published by skeptic

Quantris is a quantum spin on a classic game Quantum Native The blocks keep falling. A pale yellow square awkwardly lands on a green block shaped like the letter “z”. Next to them stands a pillar made of smaller turquoise blocks. We’ve all seen Tetris, you can probably picture it. But there is a strange block nearby, its white border seemingly confining only empty space. From the game’s instructions I know this shape is in a quantum state of superposition, an odd mix of existing and not existing in the world on my computer screen. Can this help me? To figure that out, I have to observe it. A tiny black square marked with an eye falls from the video game sky and hits the there-and-not-there block. Having been observed, it blinks into existence, bringing my stack of blocks perilously close to hitting the ceiling. There was an equal chance for the observation to annihilate the block – to find it non-existent after all – but I was unlucky. One more shape lands on the …

After More Than a Decade of Waiting, ‘GTA VI’ Is Finally Around the Corner

After More Than a Decade of Waiting, ‘GTA VI’ Is Finally Around the Corner

Published by skeptic

It’s the end of an era for marveling at all the stuff we got before GTA VI. The game is officially, truly, really, finally something people can pay actual money for. And it’s bound to be a biggie. Grand Theft Auto VI is poised to be the single highest-grossing entertainment property of all time. That would be a feat, but not one without precedent for the series. Its predecessor, GTA V, sold $1 billion worth of copies in the first three days after launch and has since shipped 230 million copies. Adding on the money generated by the microtransactions players pay out in Grand Theft Auto Online, the game has garnered its publisher, Rockstar, and parent company Take Two Interactive nearly $10 billion in the 13 years since it was released. That might all be dwarfed by the sequel. The game is scheduled to release on November 19, but preorders start today. The standard edition of the game costs $80—the highest base price for a video game on console ever. On top of that, there …

Retro video game therapy helps stroke survivors regain arm movement

Retro video game therapy helps stroke survivors regain arm movement

Published by Jenni Sidey

A familiar challenge follows many stroke survivors long after the emergency has passed. The ability to move an arm, reach for an object, or complete simple daily tasks can remain limited for years. Now, a new study suggests that a simple, game-based therapy may help restore lost movement in a way that feels both engaging and effective. Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a retro-style video game paired with a wearable device to help retrain arm movement. The results show that this approach can significantly improve function, even in people who experienced a stroke many years earlier. Participants used the system mostly at home. This allowed them to practice far more than traditional therapy programs. The increased repetition appears to be a key factor in their recovery. A New Direction In Stroke Rehabilitation Stroke remains one of the leading causes of long-term disability. Many survivors continue to struggle with arm movement months or even years later. Myoelectric interface for neurorehabilitation (MINT) paradigm and Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) diagram. (CREDIT: Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair) …

QAnon, Crosswords, and Knowledge-Based Videogames: The Aesthetics of Inquiry

QAnon, Crosswords, and Knowledge-Based Videogames: The Aesthetics of Inquiry

Published by Jenni Sidey

Some people think Hillary Clinton and other high-profile Democrats were part of a satanic cult drinking the blood of children at a Washington, D.C. pizzeria. It’s tempting to say that people who believe this are stupid. However, we repeatedly see otherwise normal and intelligent people falling down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. One way this happens is by conspiracy theories exploiting the psychological appeal of finding hidden meaning in the mundane. This element is key to the aesthetic appeal of activities like puzzles and videogames, where we uncover hidden secrets and interactions. Movements like QAnon abuse this appeal in service of dangerous beliefs. Various activities and artistic media involve inquiry—working stuff out. Usually, it’s clear what you’re meant to do. In a detective novel, you have to work out who the murderer is. In a sudoku, you work out which numbers go where. A crossword clue like “Capital of Latvia (4)” has an obvious solution, even if you don’t know what it is. But sometimes, you have to inquire not only into content but …

Streamer IShowSpeed Is Gen Z’s ESPN

Streamer IShowSpeed Is Gen Z’s ESPN

Published by skeptic

In the days leading up to the 2026 World Cup, the streamer IShowSpeed—one of the most watched people on the planet, who occasionally moonlights as a rapper—released the music video “World Cup (Champions),” a song about flexing national pride where he mentions all 48 teams. As with everything the 21-year-old born Darren Watkins Jr. does, the video was instantly everywhere. The song racked up over 7 million views on YouTube in under 24 hours. The internet rushed to christen it as the anthem of the tournament, even though the World Cup already has one. FIFA, following a ridiculous outpouring from fans and perhaps realizing the massive instant exposure he could bring, added the song to its official album. That is the power of Speed—a one-man, always-on media network. Speed started posting on YouTube as a teenager in 2017. But it wasn’t until the Covid-19 lockdowns, in 2020, that the Cincinnati, Ohio, native committed to streaming full-time. His passion for soccer, particularly his admiration for his favorite player, Cristiano Ronaldo, shaped his earliest broadcasts, where he …

Thordur Palsson to Direct ‘Dead by Daylight’ Film Adaptation

Thordur Palsson to Direct ‘Dead by Daylight’ Film Adaptation

Published by Daniella Wilson

The feature film adaptation of the hit horror video game, Dead by Daylight, has found its director. Thordur Palsson (The Damned, The Valhalla Murders) has been tapped by Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Behaviour Interactive, the largest Canadian gaming studio, to helm the project. The announcement came during Dead by Daylight’s 10th anniversary celebration in Montreal’s Old Port. “There is no better moment than the tenth anniversary to share this news. Thordur is the filmmaker we trust to carry Dead by Daylight from the screen you play on to the big screen you watch in theaters,” Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse Atomic Monster, said in a statement. James Wan, founder and CEO of Blumhouse Atomic Monster, added, “Thordur understands that the terror only lands if you care about who’s running, and The Damned proved he can make you feel the walls closing in. That is exactly the instinct this film needs on screen.” The film’s plot details haven’t been revealed, but the video game centers on a crazed killer whose goal is to hunt …

The Other Major Soccer Event of 2026? The Shake-Up in the World of Video Games

The Other Major Soccer Event of 2026? The Shake-Up in the World of Video Games

Published by skeptic

This year will go down in history for being not only the first World Cup with 48 teams on the fields of the United States, Canada and Mexico, but also the year in which Electronic Arts’ dominance in the world of soccer video games was shaken. The industry is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, and the result is games that are more varied than ever before. It is no longer a matter of just playing whichever version of EA Sports FC you like best. Now there are four big contenders vying for your time, each with a different strategy and a specific audience in mind. EA Sports FC 26: The Champion That Doesn’t Let Its Guard Down EA Sports FC 26 has shown that it didn’t need the FIFA name to remain a moneymaking machine. At its launch in late 2025, Electronic Arts’ game ranked number one in sales in 16 of the 17 major European markets, reaffirming its dominance among those looking for a premium, fully licensed experience. HyperMotion V technology has elevated realism in …

The New James Bond? In ‘007 First Light,’ It’s You

The New James Bond? In ‘007 First Light,’ It’s You

Published by Jenni Sidey

“Earn the number,” says the promotional tagline for 007 First Light, the first major James Bond video game released in well over a decade. 007 Legends—the last major release to feature everyone’s favorite martini-swilling superspy—came out in 2012. It featured the likeness of Daniel Craig, whose five-film tenure as James Bond would hit its apex later that year with Skyfall—then and now, the only 007 film to hit the fabled $1 billion threshold at the box office (though Amazon, the franchise’s newest steward, surely has its sights set on eclipsing that number). Here’s another way to think about it: When 007 Legends was published, Barack Obama had just been reelected president of the United States, and Donald Trump was still incoherently ranting about his birth certificate. Neither Theresa May, nor Boris Johnson, nor Liz Truss, nor Rishi Sunak, nor Keir Starmer had ever been prime minister. The “Brexit” referendum—which led to the United Kingdom isolating itself from the rest of Europe, no Bond villain required—was nearly four years away. The Covid-19 pandemic, which rattled the …

Horror video game gets its creepiness from a quantum computer

Horror video game gets its creepiness from a quantum computer

Published by skeptic

Quantum Backrooms lets you feel what it would be like to be stuck in a quantum computer Moth A quantum computer has been used to create a horror video game called Quantum Backrooms – and it’s available to play online. Peculiarities of quantum objects have long inspired philosophers and artists, and now game developers are getting the bug too. James Wootton at Moth Quantum and his colleagues developed Quantum Backrooms, a horror game with labyrinthine levels generated by a real quantum computer. The game draws inspiration from “the Backrooms,” a horror legend developed on internet forums that consists of moving through a series of endless rooms. In Wootton’s game, each room corresponds to the quantum state of a part of a quantum computer called a qubit, while connections between qubits correspond to possible paths between rooms. Wootton says that in this way, Quantum Backrooms conveys the feeling of being stuck in a quantum computer. The player can look in a fixed direction, but everything they aren’t looking at is constantly changing until they focus their …