9 minute read
Gaming
13 GAMES COME TO XBOX GAME PASS
By Melody chan
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Hooray Xbox Game Pass subcribers, 13 games are waiting for you to pick up and play!
The new games include 5 existing games and 8 new releases that were scheduled to launch from the 15th of September. Whether you are looking for an adventurous story or a battlefield, there is something for you.
These 13 games rolled out between the 15th of September and the 1st of October. The first on the list being Flynn: Son of Crimson, an action and fantasy-packed game that invites players to devour and discover Crimson energy. Its 2D platform game mode mirrors the next coming release of an oldie, Lost Worlds: Beyond the Page.
A variety of games became available towards the end of September such as Lemnis Gate, a first-person shooting game that requires combat strategy. Debuting on Xbox for the very first time, the Lemnis Gate game director James Anderson hopes the ‘mix [of] some strategic gameplay with something a bit more pugilistic’ will resonate with players. Moreover, another game called Astria Ascending made its debut on the 30th of September. In the fantastical world of Orcanon, you play as a hero to restore peace. The Xbox Game Pass satisfies both FPS and RPG fans alike. As exciting as it sounds, Phoenix Point wraps up the collection of releases. A thrilling title similar to XCOM, operates with new mechanics and a distinctive manual aiming system. In its futuristic and sci-fi setting, players fight against alien invasions and formulate their own tactics in battle. Of course, saying hello to new games meant saying goodbye to old games. The previous releases on Xbox Game Pass including Drake Hollow and Ikenfell announced their exit. On the 31st of September, these games were no longer available to the pass’ subscribers. Drake Hollow initially released in August 2020, is favoured by those who enjoy survival and management games. It can take up to 25 hours to complete its 50 achievements. Likewise, Ikenfell, popular among RPG enthusiasts, requires approximately 20 hours to unlock all its achievements. A review critic, Heidi Nicholas explains the charms of the game, ‘the strength of Ikenfell’s story and characters, the wonderful music, all come together in a wash of cutesy pastels, magic, and a gentle sense of humour’.
The new additions did bring excitement for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, yet the halt on other great games was a tragic loss.
My all-time favourite game
By Hamilton brown
When I think of my favourite game, I think of hours spent in my room, playing The Sims 4, creating characters and little stories within the game.
The franchise is basically a lifesimulator game where you can create your own ‘sim’ and walk them through life, completing milestones like getting a job, building a house and raising a family.
However, this type of gameplay is only surface level, which makes the game so appealing to so many players. There are no rules when it comes to The Sims; players can do whatever they choose – for example, those with Machiavellian tendencies can go round causing havoc to the world, killing sims just because they can! The Sims team even encourage this, creating unconventional deaths such as being killed by a mutated plant with the head of a cow (creatively named a Cowplant).
The developers certainly have a sense of humour and have further encouraged players’ wacky interests by bringing out different expansions of the game to suit each taste. For those like me, who want to play a more conventional, world-building game, there is a pack released called Parenthood which allows deeper relationships and stories to be made between parents and children. For those with more fantastical sensibilities there is a pack named Realm of Magic where you can explore a wizarding world. One doesn’t even have to play with characters; what makes it so popular to some is its focus on building, bringing out packs which centre solely on build items.
Another reason why I love The Sims so much is down to its community aspect. Those who play it feel a sense of belonging created by both The Sims team and other players – the developers constantly listen to players, sending out polls and questionnaires to see what they want next from a pack, and they also invite YouTubers of the game to test upcoming expansions and report their experiences online.
It may seem unexciting from an outside eye, but once you start playing you get lost in the experience, something I feel is a positive sign of a good computer game.
Photo: Unsplash
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Best games for mobile phones
By Holly jackson
An often-overlooked way of playing video games is through your mobile phone. Both the App store and the Google Play store have plenty to offer for everyone, so I thought I’d take a closer look.
1. Pokémon Unite is a popular free game in which players can engage in team battles. It allows you to play ranked matches and make your way up the leaderboard. It is also compatible with Nintendo Switch meaning you can play across both platforms. 2. Mario Kart Tour is a great way to play Mario without having to spend anything. This allows you to play with friends and join in tours and features classic courses from the original Mario Kart. 3. A personal favourite of mine is 8 Ball Pool, which has been popular for years now. It enables you to play pool with either your friends or other users from around the world and climb up the leaderboard, as well as being a good cure for boredom. 4. If you’re looking for something more relaxing, I suggest Tiny Wings. This vibrant game is very simple, the goal is to help your bird fly through as many islands as possible. The soothing music can easily send you to sleep. 5. A puzzle-solving game that I would recommend is Monument Valley. This game is very visually pleasing and has a stunning colour palette, which has been greatly praised. In this game you work to rearrange the optical illusions of its architecture in order to unlock each level. 6. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is also available for mobile devices. Previously available only on consoles, its graphics have been remastered and enhanced for mobile. This game is packed with action and offers players over 70 hours of gameplay. 7. Hasbro’s classic board game Cluedo has been adapted into a popular mobile game and can be played wherever you like! You can play single player, or multiplayer to solve the murder mystery of Tudor Mansion. 8. For quiz show fans, you can try your luck at beating The Chaser on the mobile version of The Chase. This game also allows you to assume the role of The Chaser and challenge your friends or family, which could be a good addition to game night!
So, why not take a look at some of these games and see which one takes your fancy?
Photo: Unsplash
do video games encourage violence?
By adelaide cannell
The link between engaging in graphic video gaming and impulses to inflict real-life violence continues to be a debate of strongly divided opinion.
The American Psychology Association (APA) suggests that playing violent video games like Doom, Wolfenstein 3D or Mortal
Kombat indeed have potential to increase a person’s aptitude for aggressive thought, feelings, and behaviour. The researchers emphasised that violent video games were likely more harmful than violent television and movies as they are interactive, engrossing, and demand the player to identify with the aggressor. Research by Psychologists Craig Anderson and Karen Dill suggests that ‘young men who are habitually aggressive are potentially at a heightened vulnerability to the aggressionenhancing consequences of repeated exposure to violent gaming, and that even those without this predisposition are vulnerable to temporarily increased aggressive behaviour resulting from exposure.
Psychologist Dr Anderson expands that ‘violent video games provide a forum for learning and practicing aggressive solutions to conflict situations’, implying that playing violent video games appears to affect aggression through primary aggressive thoughts. This develops into longer lasting, internalised emotional responses as the player learns and practices new aggressionrelated scripts. This becomes increasingly accessible for use when real-life conflict situations arise. Researchers determine that this link perhaps arises because video games provide players with an interactive process, allowing them to create a closely affiliated identification with the often brutal and unforgiving traits of the main character.
These theories have been exacerbated by real life news stories which indicate that violent attacks of terrorism could be linked back to engagement with graphic gaming on behalf of the perpetrator. For example, the gunman who killed 22 people and injured 24 others at a Walmart in El Paso, in 2019, made a fleeting reference to video game soldiers indicating that he was familiar with video violence. The APA concluded that while there was ‘no single risk factor’ to blame for aggression, violent video games did contribute. Research from the University of New South Wales in 2018, for instance, found that those who frequently indulged in violent video games were less disturbed by violent images generally, creating a phenomenon the researcher coined ‘emotioninduced blindness’.
On the other hand, counterarguers are equally firm in their stance. Dr Mark Coulson, associate professor of psychology at Middlesex University, acknowledged ‘that exposure to repeated violence may have shortterm effects… but the long-term consequences of crime and actual violent behaviour, there is just no evidence linking violent video games with that’. He appears to observe this quite bluntly, stating ‘if you play three hours of Call of Duty you might feel a little bit pumped, but you are not going to go out and mug someone’. In support of this argument, a study by the Oxford Internet Institute last year suggested frustration born by being unable to play a game was more likely to bring out aggressive behaviour than the content of the game itself.
Possibly counter to expectation, although between them, the various studies included in the research reported a range of effects, including a small positive correlation between violence and video-game use, there was no overall conclusion in the rest, with one 2011 study finding a negative correlation. Despite the conflicting viewpoints, it is important to consider the enormous spectrum of individuals partaking in these games in terms of their psychological and emotional condition while also recognising the agency that individuals have when partaking in such activity, to determine the ‘risk’ involved. Arguably, analysis by the APA demonstrates the viewpoint Laswell’s Hypodermic Needle Model suggests about audiences, that we are passively responding in predictable ways to content we receive – in this case, violent stimulus.
In conclusion, it is important to consider our individual capacities to negotiate how we respond to and interpret such media. The link between playing video games and engaging in acts of violence appears to depend on the individual.
