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GAMING INDUSTRY

2018 CALENDAR

REVIEWS

What’s the way in?

Keep your eyes peeled

Pay a visit to some familiar faces

Editors letter

Labels? Fuck ‘em When I was five I was obsessed with the colour pink and Betty Spaghetti. Betty, along with all of her bendy limbs, would come with me wherever I went. So would my pink, sparkly, Barbie dress.

Once I had hit nine, I played golf and lived in combats. Girls were annoying and whiney. Boys insulted you but in that ‘you smell of wee’ kind of way, not a back stabbing ‘you can’t sit with us’ way (I’m looking at you Mean Girls, so not fetch).

Anyhow, throughout my childhood and teenage years, I had conflicting styles, interests and mannerisms. Some that I would now deem pretty questionable. This led me to being bullied for who I was, and I was just being myself...so why was this a problem? There’s a lot of cunts in life, that’s what the problem is.

But maybe, it’s not their fault. The mainstream influences people into thinking other people are

‘weird’ if they’re not mundane or the same as you, instead of embracing their individuality.

Which we should absolutely be doing.

Today, you’ll see me walking into uni in Primark joggers, my boyfriend’s t-shirt and my Adidas trainers. Yes, I look like I haven’t slept for a week, but I’m comfy and I can see everybody envying me. Then the next day I’ll be sporting my pink swishy, skirt with a crop top, once again, you can see everybody wishes they could feel like fairy for a day. Sometimes I video game (a hobby assumed for men), on the other hand you could find me shopping with my trendy af nan. Golf, paint, dance etc. also followed me into adulthood, despite none of them being particularly similar in nature.

But I won’t be forced into a box, and neither should you. Be you (but don’t be a cunt, that’s not nice).

Editor

Hopeab29@gmail.com @Hb.art.ox

gameface magazine

@hopeyab

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COntents

Contents life

The whats, wh ys, wheres, whos and hows

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Reviews - Not sure what to play next? We’re here to help

9 gameface magazine

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Video game calendar - Know what to look forward to

11 Reviews

What’s with sexism in gaming? It’s time to investigate

Life

18. Sexism within gaming 21. Mario’s Peach does 12. Rise of the Tomb Raider - Lara with clothes her thang 22. Worst/funniest 14 - South Park’s Need to know messages from gaming Fractured But whole - is 8. Video game calendar potty humour your shit?

24. We talk to two 10. Gaming events for the 16- The Legend of Zelda: people who know how next year you can break into the Breath of the Wild gaming industry adventure is out there 6

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Cover Story

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21

Peach goes solo Nintendo knows what’s up

Illustrator Alex impresses with his art

Get your tech fix here Budget or otherwise

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24 Industry talk - Can you make the cut?

Art

26. Cosplay - Sophie shows off her sassy skills in the form of makeup art 28. Impressive illustrator Alex takes the art slot gameface magazine

Tech 32. Gifts for your GSM (gaming soulmate, duh) 33. Your’ latest tech

Extras 34. Like Gameface?

Suscribe bitch 36. How to be a salty gamer 38. The timeline of gaming - Past, present & future 7

Need to know

Are

Video game releases 2018 pumped

you

r Fa

Cry 5

Nin

t e nd o

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yet?

G

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of War

at St

e of Dec ay

Consoles Xbox one - PC - PS4

Consoles Nintendo Switch

Consoles PS4

Consoles Xbox one, PC

Think Cults, rebellion and man’s best friend

Think Imagination has no limits

Think Hack and slash your way through norse mythology

Think Zombies, lots of them

March 27th

April 20th

April 20th

May 22nd gameface magazine

id e r

Ra

o

man

w

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ra ck er

Sp

of the To

Consoles PS4

Consoles Nintendo Switch

Consoles PS4

Consoles Xbox one - PS4

Think Heavy Rain, robot style

Think Mario Odyssey, but dinky af

Think Webs n shit

Think Lara Croft being a sassy independent woman

May 25th

July 13th

September 7th

n Unkn o

Su

mo e k

r pe

Smash Br

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of HEa r

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m do

September 14th

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Kin

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Red

Redempti

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To eT ad r u Treas

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Detr o Be

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Need to know

Consoles Xbox one - PS4

Consoles Xbox one - PS4

Consoles Nintendo Switch

Consoles Nintendo Switch

Think Gta with horses and spurs

Think Disney characters battling darkness

Think Your childhood dream come true

Think Nintendo characters getting feisty

TBA

TBA

TBA

October 26th gameface magazine

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Need to know

What’s on near you?

Q-con What: weekend jam packed with gaming and anime When: 22-24 June Where: Queen’s University, Belfast

EGX What: Discover blockbuster and indie titles When: 20-23rd September Where: NEC, Birmingham

Birmingham anime and gaming con What: An all age event for anime and comic fans, gamers and cosplayers When: 5-6th May Where: Novotel Birmingham Centre, Birmingham

Resonate What: over 18s tournaments, workshops, expo and much more When: 19-21 October Where: Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow Play expo Glasgow What: Full of features, exhibitors, and more gaming When: 9-10th June Where: Braehead Arena, Glasgow

International Games Growth & Inverstment Summit What: The coming together of the UK’s bets gamign and tech companies When: 27th June Where: International Business festival Casual Connect europe 2018 What: Bringing together the best Europe has to offer When: 29th May Where:The Queen Elizabeth II centre, London

IP and Game content seminar What: The can and can’t for game companies When: 26th June 2018 Where: The Met Building, London

Norwich gaming festival What: A family friendly celebration of video games When: 28th may-3rd June Where: The Forum, Norwich

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Women in games conference What: Mixture of speeches, workshops etc with some of the biggest women players from the industry When: 11th September Where: University of London, London

Brains Eden 2018 What: A team of students have 48 hours to create a game from scratch When: 13th July Where: Anglia Ruskin Uni, Cambridge

Develop: brighton 2018 What: From globa lsuperstars to micro indies When: 10th July Where : Hilton Metropole Hotel, Brighton

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Reviews

Lara Croft - The Rise of the Tomb Raider South Park Fractured but Whole The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild

s

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Lara Croft : The Rise of the Tomb Raider Reviews

I’ve been following Lara since she was just a bunch of feisty pixels trying to get away from her doddery butler (who somehow gets younger throughout the series of video games, I wonder what his secret is?)

Graphics-5 Storyline-4 Characters-5 Combat-4 Ending-4

4.4/5 12

M

y grandad and I, spent many weekend afternoons battling monkeys in rainforests, locking the butler in the freezer and cheating our way through country to country alongside Lara Croft. As a 5-year-old, I was in awe of how strong and nimble-footed Lara was, and jealous of Croft Mansion, mainly because of the pool and massive freezer (imagine all the nugs you can fit in there).

Somehow Tomb Raider has gotten more exciting over the years.

I believe a lot of it boils down to the fact that graphics have surpassed our expectations, and there have been aspects added to the game to enhance our experience e.g. side missions, skill and weapon upgrades, certain controls. It’s also a nice addition that Lara crouches down when there’s enemies near, so you’re not kept on your toes for the entire game.

Narrative (SPOILERS) With a good balance of story and play time, if you’ve never played Tomb Raider before, there’s no need to worry. The plot has substantial context within it, so that newbie players can pick it up from the get go.

Lara Croft continues to follow in her father’s footsteps, Only, throughout the game, I realise that Lara is trying to prove to

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Reviews the world that her dad was right, the Divine Source is real. Lara however, has to destroy the artefact to save herself. As well as this, you learn that her dad didn’t actually commit suicide, dun dun dunnnnnn!

In terms of the ending, it heavily insinuates that this isn’t the end of Trinity and Lara’s convoluted relationship. In the final cut-scene, Lara is talking to Ana, only for Ana to be shot. The shooter then asks whether they should give Lara the same fate, however they are instructed not to for the time being. TENSE RIGHT? With little information on the new Tomb Raider game coming out in September (Shadow of the Tomb Raider), could Trinity really take Lara down once and for all (doubt they’ll succeed doe). Square Enix has released a statement saying ‘The game will be Lara Croft’s defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider’. How… enigmatic.

Rest at the campfire to upgrade Lara’s skills, weapons or fast travel

Upgrades and controls Tomb Raider has taken on the same sort of game format as Assassins Creed, which is definitely an improvement as it adds depth and substance to the game, rather than there being just one main mission to follow. With side missions and upgrades alike, you can also click in the right analogue stick, and your objectives and other interest points will light up.

In the beginning, you start off with limited weaponry (bow and arrow) and melee weapons (climbing axe). Throughout the gameplay, Lara will find different weapons that you can upgrade once you have found the parts (ending up with bows, handguns, rifles and shotguns). To find these parts, all you have to do is search the chests and boxes you find throughout your missions. You can swap out weapons of the same type in base camps that you find on your way, these can also be used as save points.

Eyes peeled for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, coming to PC, Steam, PS4 and Xbox one.

Teaser trailer released, and on the 27th of April there was a reveal event. Keep yourself posted!

To improve your skills, you have to gain XP to get skill points from doing various actions e.g. hunting, killing opposition, reaching your objective. To use up skill points, you will have to rest at a base camp and open the skill menu. Brawler (combat and healing), hunting (hunting and scavenging) and survivor (crafting and exploration) are the three skill-sets that you can upgrade. Some particulary aided me in the brawler skills section, because I’m shite at combat. So thank you Square Enix for making my gameplay that lil bit easier!

Visuals Based in Siberia, the snowy mountains look like they could have been set outside my window they’re that naturalistic (thank god they’re not tho, I could do with some summer sun soon plz England you icy prick). The wolves look like actual wolves, and if you hear the music implying that there’s wolves around (you’ll know it when you hear it) fucking run for your life. Tomb Raider has come so far, and their graphics are no exception. I’m a lover of realistic imagery, and the art team has it down to a T.

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Zipline your way through Serbia

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Reviews

South Park : The Fractured But Whole

South Parks: The Stick of Truth gained an almighty 9/10 from IGN, when it came out in 2014.

The Fractured But Whole was south of this score by a measly 0.5, but many are divided when it comes to which is on top.

Graphics-4.5 Storyline-4 Characters-5 Combat-4 Ending-4

4.3/5 14

I

am a South Park virgin. Apart from the odd time my boyfriend has put it on, or I’ve caught the tail end of an episode. I have never devoted my time to a single episode.

Why I hear you ask? I’m lazy af. However, once I started TFBW, the silly and controversial sense of humours that South Park uphold, spoke to me instantly.

Yes, I’m that girl. I was brought up to find farts hilarious, and ever since me and my friends watched Misfits when we were 16, cunt is just an everyday word.

TFBW is everything you could have dreamt your perfect childhood to be, with 18+ overtones. In this role-playing-game, you can be the super-hero you’ve always wanted to be, red Lego bricks represent lava and throw your farts (minus the pedo-priests, drunkards and constant fear of being attacked by everyone around you, it’s a bunch of lols!)

Narrative Sticking to the same style as South Park the program, you play in a third-person perspective in 2.5D. It’s your job as the new kid to assist the Coon (the alter-ego of familiar face, Eric Cartman) and the rest of the superhero squad, in battling against crime-ridden South Park. You start off in the comfort of your own home, your mum and dad have a troubling relationship, and therefore are

gameface magazine

Reviews arguing once again. Once your dad goes up to their room to eat some pot brownies, your mum is crying in the kitchen and you’re free to roam as you please.

There is a lot of interactivity within TFBW, anything that has a yellow handle can be opened meaning there’s a lot to explore. With side missions alongside the main quest, you also don’t have to stay focused on just one thing (great for a procrastinator like myself, who has gotten distracted approximately 100+ times whilst writing this review, woo).

Being a light-hearted and at times, highly inappropriate, this is the perfect game for you if your sense of humour is alike and you want something to fit in with your busy lifestyle. From being chased by an over-weight stripper, to Morgan Freeman saying to you in his taco shop that ‘they say that some farts can be so powerful they can bend time, you be careful out there’. The lack of seriousness is really quite refreshing.

Choose your class of super hero (my new kid as a cyborg)

Character modification Previously in TSOT, there weren’t as many choices when it came to adjusting the aesthetical aspects of your character, ‘the new kid’, or more commonly known as ‘douche-bag’. Even though you lack the ability to speak, and your personality is that of a potato, you can alter your appearance in many ways in this game. Whether it be ethnicity, gender, race or superpowers, there’s an option for everyone. Within the gender section, you can be either male, female or tri-gender. They claim skin colour choices can implicate your game-play, e.g. the darker skin you go for, the ‘harder’ the difficulty. Although it doesn’t actually do anything. This is just part of the humour South Park’s creators have manufactured, that replicates the satire of the TV show.

Fart your way through a strippers dance

Unlike TSOT, when it comes to the super-hero aspect of your character, there are so many customisation options. Your character sheet in the beginning is sparsely filled out, until you progress in the game and then it will start to show the stats of your performance in combat, as well as other facts such as weakness, arch enemy etc.

There is a long list of classes (Mystic, karate kid, cyborg etc.), that will affect your playstyle by giving you different powers, but you’re not limited to the abilities in just your class. Thanks to stat points, there is a ‘pic ‘n’ mix’ style when it comes to combat. Meaning you can pick and choose what ones you want. Artefacts you find around South Park, will also boost certain parts of your skills.

Combat I’m not the best when it comes to combat and fighting in video game. TFBW frankly doesn’t require much effort at all when it comes to controls, therefore perfect for me, someone who’s scared of her own shadow. You pretty much only have to press a button at a time, however compared to TSOT it’s a bit more strategic.

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Spontaneous Bootay, a stripper out to crush you with her ass...

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Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild Reviews

Being the nineteenth main instalment of The Legend of Zelda series, The Breath of the Wild had a lot to live up to...

Graphics-5 Storyline-5 Characters-5 Combat-4.5 Ending-3

4.5/5 16

F

or those of you who haven’t been lucky enough to get your hands on any of The Legend of Zelda games, you’d be lead to believe that the character Zelda, is male. I haven’t followed the series throughout the years, so up until last year I was in your shoes.

Little did I know; the title is actually named after the Princess of Hyrule, Hyrule being the kingdom at the heart of most of the games. My only complaint with this is, why isn’t the character Zelda included more throughout the game (aka make her a playable character), when she’s such a sassy, powerful individual?

She’d take Link for a ride I tell you that.

As I was essentially a Zelda ‘virgin’ up until Breath of the Wild, I can safely say I am actually disappointed I didn’t play the other games as I was growing up. This adventure RPG had me truly hooked from as soon as Link (the boy/man you are to assume Zelda is) awoke from his slumber. The lazy bitch in me was extremely jealous he was able to sleep for 100 years, and not feel slightly groggy.

Narrative It became apparent the great amount of effort and thought the creators had invested into this game. There is an indubitably strong story line, which has a mixture of game-play, and small amounts of cut-scenes that help you understand the tale. You awake in

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Reviews The Shrine of Resurrection, only to find out Hyrule’s beyond destruction. Ganon is back, the four Champions of Hyrule died inside the Divine Beasts, and now as Link, with the help of the Sheikah Slate (like an iPad, but much more impressive) you have to help save Hyrule from a complete shit-storm.

Although, instead of launching you straight into action, you are given a teaser of what lies ahead. By easing you into the survival, combat, and surrounding aspects, it doesn’t leave you confounded, and as The Great Plateau (where you start off) is at the edge of the map, you also get a 180-degree view of the road that lies ahead.

After The Great Plateau, there is so much more freedom with what you can do. What with the main, side and shrine quests, the world is quite literally your oyster. This game doesn’t come with a rule book, you can fuck off and enjoy yourself, whether that be by horseback, shield or paraglider.

Skill Level and Controls Despite being pretty shit when it comes to the combat elements of video games in general, I didn’t struggle too much. You shouldn’t let this from stopping you play the game, if your skills in this particular area aren’t strong. As you go through Breath of the Wild, the shrines will help you reinforce your fighting capabilities, and help you with the controls you’re going to need.

Disappointing End (SPOILER) Despite enjoying the whole of the game, I had bigger expectations for the ending. I’ve seen gamers online expressing the same frustration. As I’m sure you can imagine, you go onto ‘kill’ Ganon (sadly he can’t be killed, only temporarily sealed), and then you expect to be able to walk around Hyrule Castle willy nilly to your heart’s content? Well no. I’m sorry to break it to you all, but you just get a star by your save slot to say you’ve defeated him, and then you go back to before when he was STILL in the castle. I have no words.

Ganon’s inside the castle, and there’s no easy way in. The lasers are coming from all four of the divine beasts, who are there to help you save Hyrule.

Since Breath of the Wild came out in 2017, there has been two DLC packs released, ‘The Master Trials’ and ‘The Champion’s Ballad’.

They include new modes, supplies, additional story content and a new dungeon (dungeon is like the Divine Beasts in the original game).

However, you have to have completed the four beasts to be able to get access to the DLC, get moving people!

Visuals Out of all of the games I’ve ever played, Breath of the Wild’s graphic and visual elements in particular made me fall in love with it. In the beginning, you are greeted with an expanse of alluring, green hills that go on for miles. And this is just the start of it. The whole map is dedicated to four different varieties of terrain. The countryside, desert, volcano, and water. All so close together, it would climatically impossible in the real-world, but in Hyrule this facet adds to the unique beauty of it all. The graphics are realistic, yet also artistically beguiling. This is yet another feature, that benefits in regard to the freedom a game-player is given. Without this, you wouldn’t be able to scout out all of what Hyrule has to offer you. To the designers, you’re fucking legends.

(Look out for the Zelda fan-art on pinterest, there’s some beautiful interpretations!)

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Pray to the statues located around Hyrule, if you have enough spirit orbs from the shrines, you can increase your stamina or health allowance.

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life

The what's, wh ys', who's and how's

Words + Illustration - Hope Bullen

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life

T

he world of video gaming was introduced to me at the pint-sized age of 4. I used to eagerly watch my grandad punch in cheats for Tomb Raider, however if I remember rightly, cheats were used due to us being a pretty shit duo back in the day when it came to Lara. We swindled our way through to many destinations, with just a pair of pistols and a flare to protect us. I’m sure many other early Lara Croft fans can relate when I say this, locking Winston in the freezer was always a favourite past-time of mine (not only did he piss me off, he also comes across as quite the pervert). Crash Bandicoot was, and still is a favourite. Whether that be the original, Cortex Strikes Back, Warped, Crash Bash or Twinsanity. Either way, Playstation one games were mine and my Grandad’s jam.

When I reached the ripe old age of 6, my uncle comes along with his PS2 and it blew.my.fucking.mind. The graphics, the design, the way it stood up all by itself. This machine was revolutionary. The only thing was, that the games I liked the most were probably not best suited to somebody who was small as I was. Enter Rock Star’s Grand Theft Auto Vice City and San Andreas, aka my nan’s worst nightmare for years to come. This game gave me the freedom any little girl could have wanted. I went shopping with CJ, took him to a strip club, got him 3 different girlfriends who conveniently lived on different islands and drove around in fancy ass cars. Forget the violence, the bad graphics and the swearing (my nan turned down the volume so I couldn’t hear ‘you motherfucking fools’ or ‘homie you trying to fuck with me’), I didn’t see or hear any of that. I was just a girl having the time of her life.

Fast forward to now. VR is real, robots will probably take over the world one day, and video game characters look just like us. Gone are the days where Lara Croft’s boobs look like two pyramids stuck to her chest. The internet has transformed gameplay; one player games can now be played with people the other side of the world.

The game I play the most (Rocket League) can be played in duel

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“Why should it

matter if someone is born with a tunnel of love or a pock et rock et ?” mode (1 vs 1), doubles (2 vs 2), standard (3 vs 3) or chaos (4 vs 4, it has other game modes also). Thus meaning I’m always playing with at least one other person over the web. Once I got invited to a party with two other guys who had their headsets on, but I didn’t put mine on. Simply because I feel that I could have got abuse for being a girl gamer, or disregarded as a gamer at all because of my gender. It shouldn’t matter, but gender stereotypes make these things matter.

I haven’t even been emotionally abused online for being a gamer, but because video gamers are standardised as being male, I sometimes feel as though I don’t ‘fit in’. Sadly, I’m most likely not the only person to feel this way. If we look back to the Gamergate ‘movement’, misogyny took over. People that supported it (known as ‘gaters’), were positive that it was solely for the ethics of journalism. However, it was noticed that many used it as a platform to shoot down video game developer Zoe Quinn and ruin the career she worked so hard for. It is believed this started happening because a rumour circulated that she cheated on her then boyfriend, Eron Gjoni, with five different guys, a rumour he started on his blog. He must have been pretty disgruntled, as this ‘post’ went on for 10,000 fucking words (did he really have nothing better to be doing?) Not only did he accuse Quinn of

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life cheating, but of getting into a relationship with a journalist within the gaming sector, who then would write nice things about her games. Talk about a jealous thunder cunt (if anything such as a thunder cunt did exist, I’m sure his storm of rage and covetousness would equate to that). Gaters also didn’t like the idea of people talking about how women should have a more respected place in gaming, both in games and as gamers. Conveniently, Quinn is also a prominent voice in the gaming world for equality, for genders and minority groups (aka not white and male members of society).

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games that have this element involved, and it definitely wouldn’t stop me from playing something I thoroughly enjoyed. But that doesn’t mean developers shouldn’t grow up, and realise that the world of gaming is so much more than tits and bare bum cheeks. They should look at the overall picture, aka don’t just design your games to suit horny, white males. If I could write an open letter to the professionals that overlook women as part of their market, I’m sure if the sentence ‘you’re losing money’ was presented to them, they’d soon do something about it.Why should it matter if someone is born with a tunnel of love or a pocket rocket?

For all the people reading this, that either is a girl gamer, knows someone who is, or simply wants to be one. You fucking go girl/boyfriend (#Equality). Don’t let anything or anybody try to stop you, as this could lead to a life time of happiness. If I didn’t start playing video games as a fouryear-old kid, my life wouldn’t be as I know it today (I’d probably get a lot more done though). I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my grandad for introducing me to pretty much all my hobbies as a kid (apart from shopping which came from my nan and aunty, I’d like to say it’s your fault I spend too much on clothes) that have followed me into adulthood. You the best x

Still besties, and both love a good ol’ splash of pink. Not much of a tan differnce either, ha.

stand toge s u t t In 2015, 48% of gamers were women. Women gamers should be able to speak up and be heard. Use the hashtag ‘#WomenGamersUnite’ to potentially get featured on our Insta.

r he

Correct me if I’m wrong, but saying that only boys/men game is getting a bit old hat now. Parts of the gaming industry, have manifested this notion by objectifying or disregarding us as a gender at all. By putting men in clothes and women in, well nothing, they thought they could deter us. In 2014, PC Gamer reported that 50.2% of the gaming population were actually women. To think of females as the minority in this day and age, would be naïve. I don’t agree that women should be scantily clad, whilst a guy stands there in his armour, without even a small hint of penis (not that I’d like to see a hint of penis, but you know, equality doesn’t hurt anybody). On the other hand, I’ve played

Grandad and I saying ‘fuck you’ to gender norms (you can tell he felt pretty in this, just look at that smile)

Le

This aspect most likely antagonised the poor souls even further, leading them to send threatening hate mail. Quinn’s address, email, phone number etc. also got leaked, meaning she had to move out of her home as she feared for her safety.

Even though it is assumed that this is what started off Gamergate, there are many other cases of women getting harassed.

What I see, is a group of ‘men’ getting riled up because a woman is doing better than them, despite them supposedly being the lead demographic for videogames. It pisses me off that a woman’s sex life, whether the rumours are lies or the truth, can conceivably ruin their life, when it 100% shouldn’t do. If a guy in the limelight slept with a few girls, the whole male gaming community would climb to their rooftops and shout ‘fuck her right in the pussy’ in unison.

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life

o matter how long you’ve been a fan of Nintendo’s Mario, you can confidently say you know how the story ends, right? Mario smashes, fires, and ices his way through some of the craziest shit you’ve probably seen, to rescue his one true love, Peach. BARF. In the latest Mario game (released onto Nintendo Switch in 2017), Super Mario Odyssey, you find yourself waving your hat through cities, deserts and desserts attempting to save Peach from her impending doom (aka marriage to Bowser, that bogey coloured, wank-stain you can’t seem to get rid of).

You get to the church on the moon, if that isn’t too over the top for you, Bowser has collected different items for the wedding from each world in Odyssey and all the guests are people he’s stolen from…WTF, talk about over the top guys. After the big fight scene, Mario saves Peach and it’s happily ever after. Or not. As Mario and Bowser are assaulting her with flowers, vowing to win her love, she shouts 'enough' (in a kind of ‘fuck off ’ way) friend zones them both, and goes on an all gals holiday with her fabulous, floating tiara friend. Talk about girl power, aye?

Moral of the story, even if you play the damsel in distress in every relationship you’ve had and wear the same outfits all the time. You can turn this around.

Peach did, and now you can find her basking on roof tops in the sun, drinking sex on the beach and has a different outfit for every place she visits. What bad-ass bitch.

Peach is also known as Princess peach toadstool. She was first seen in super mario bros in 1985, and before 2016 had appeared 61 times since then. gameface magazine

formerly known as the 'damsel in distress' character, although in 2005 got her very own game. In super princess peach roles are reversed, and mario needs saving .

SHe didn't move until 1988, they believed it would have been too complex. But in 2007, was in forbes' 'most wealthy fictional' list.

23 and a billionaire?

Yes please!

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The mean, weirdly nice and just plain fucking weird Send in your gaming messages to gameface@ editorial.co.uk with a chance to get featured in the next issue!

“Eat a dick”

o

“Are you an intellectual that coexists in an environment surrounded by morphing humming birds called

wtf?

“you drive like a black man from Africa, who’s never seen a car.”

“Fuck you, you suck, fuck off prick” followed by: “Oh fuck you’re level 1,we cool bro.”

Joyeicals?”

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“Dicks out for Harambe”

“Getting “will you marry me?” while playing online pool is always fun.”

“You’re not a girl, you’re clearl y an old man pretending to be a girl. Girls aren’t good at games, if you’re a girl you’re cheating.” gameface gamefacemagazine magazine

life

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life

But instead of standing here, let’s do something about it. Runaway is ‘an independent game developer and publisher’ based across the pond in New Zealand. Their games are based on nature and tend to be vibrant, as well as relaxing

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?

Currently, around 42% of women populate the gaming community (hip fucking hooray, females have finally started to be recognised as gamers), although only 22% of the gaming industry personnel are women according to Runaway. Hey, there could be many reasons for this right? You can’t force women to work in a sector that they don’t want to work in after all. Maybe they don’t have enough information about it to want to work in that environment, or perhaps they’re put off by the male to female ratio.

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In the run up to International Women’s Day, they started a campaign to get as many people as possible using the hashtag #GirlsBehindTheGames. This was so that women in the gaming industry could be celebrated, and show that they are out there, even if they don’t normally get recognition.

Perchance even get other women inspired.

I spoke to recruiter Tara Coote, who specialises within virtual reality, augmented reality, AI unity and robotics development. As well as David Smith, the founder of Women in Games and CEO of Interactive, who recruit women and minorities, to get their insight as to how you can get into the gaming industry, no matter what gender, race or age you are.

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Tar

Coote

Specialist in VR | AR | AI Unity, UE4, Robotics Development, Helping Revolutionary Technology Companies

H

aving a varied background in sales, it looks like Tara has found her feet in recruiting. Although, being a recruiter for gaming isn’t quite as black and white as it may seem. An eager gamer herself, she’s always on top of the latest tech news, and has ventured into the world of coding and programming in her spare time (I know right, she makes us procrastinators look like right slobs). When it comes to her passion and excitement for the industry, the sky really is the limit.

When it comes to placing women in the industry however, Tara finds they’re few and far between. Within the last year that she’s been a recruiter in this sector, she’s only placed five women. Most of them being either front end positions i.e. technical artists, or junior unity developer positions. I asked why she thought this might be and her reply was, “I think women need to be recognised for their coding skills, not just their artistic or producer skills.

I do think job specs should be written slightly different as well”.

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What Tara meant by this, is that when companies are looking for people to join their workforce, they tend to masculinise their pronouns. If I went to apply for a job, a big turn off for me would be ‘he should have this, he should be able to do this’ etc.

Hello people, we’re in the 21st century here?! And there’s this thing called plurality, use it.

"I think women need to be recognised for their coding"

On the brighter side, it is so refreshing seeing recruiters actually want the best for their candidates. Tara explains “And when I place these developers, they are normally really excited and thankful for getting them a chance to work at such an exciting company. So I am lucky in that way.” It makes me realise I shouldn’t be tarring everybody with the profession with the same brush. Keep going Tara, you’re paving the way.

Tara’s top tips for employment

1sts in relevant degrees e.g.

AI robotics development or game development rarely stand out to companies.

You need to have set yourself up asa LTD company and apply for contract work. So you can say that you have worked commercially on games, and have examples of coding and actual games on your CV. Freelance oppurtunities are out there. Companies look for help on finishing games, and if you’re good you could get a permanent role.

Founder of Women in Games WIGJ & BAME Games | Organiser of 6 European Women in Games Conferences | CEO of Interactive, Recruiting Women and Minorities in Games

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eet David, the founder of Women in Games. A not for profit organisation for women in video, mobile, online games & eSports. Despite not being female himself, David understands that for a workplace to thrive, it needs to be diverse.

Thus meaning, different nationalities and genders should be a part of the team.

With decades of experience in hiring, David started WIGJ because he wants to help women and minorities into gaming

“women were finding it difficult to get jobs and progress because of their gender” industry professions. (This being said, it’s still extremely important that men apply for gaming roles.) “I had worked finding people jobs in the games industry for 12 years, before I realized that some women were finding it difficult to get jobs and progress because of their gender”, he claims. As no one seemed to be doing anything about it in the UK, and the percentage of women in the industry was set pretty low (6% according to statistics in 2009,

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roundabout when WIGJ was born), David pulled his finger out and started pathing the way for women who couldn’t get themselves a job because of the gender they were born as (fucked up don’t you think?)

As for how to get into the industry, David has pretty much the same advice as Tara.

Experience, experience, with a sprinkle of experience. Even if you’re making your own game on the side of the job you’re currently in, it all adds to the pile. Although, he also suggests being as qualified as possible.

And finally, social media is your BFF. By building your industry contacts online, this could then lead to collaborations and potential jobs for the future. Look out for the WIGJ network on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. If you need any inspo, also check out the WIGJ ambassadors who come from all corners of the gaming trade.

Live in the UK? Have a keen interest in gaming? The European Women in Games conference is taking place on the 11-12th of September at the City university in London. Their headline sponsor is Facebook and they’re all extremely pumped to see you all there. To all the students out there, there is also a limited amount of FREE tickets going spare. Keep your peepers open!

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Illustration Alex Vincent

"A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage"

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Alex Vincent

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nter Alex. A 24-year-old illustrator undergrad who kicks ass at drawing.

When he’s not putting pen to paper, he’s training hard at the gym or making good use of Southampton’s extensive night life. And before uni he used to teach fitness classes, such as boxercise and circuit training.

No pot noodles for this guy.

Alex isn’t at university to get pissed every night on half a bottle of Tesco’s finest potato juice. He remembers drawing even before going to primary school, and is now working towards a Bachelor Honours in illustration in Southampton. “As for why I enjoy it, I just find it to be a relaxing distraction, when it goes well anyway!”. And when it comes to what he enjoys drawing, it’s animals vs mythological creatures, which we can see he does so skilfully. I admire artists like Alex so much. One because I would never have the patience to keep at a painting for too long without wanting to throw it out the window.

Two, because I would never be able to produce something so unequivocally flawless.

Top | Digital painting on the mythological creature Manticore.

Bottom | Digital painting of Jason Vorhees from the friday the 13th movies.

Right | digital painting showing an alien invasion.

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As I’m sure you can imagine, I was delighted when he agreed to create a unique piece for Gameface. Why Link and not Zelda I hear you ask; after all this is a female gaming magazine? Well, as an avid Pinterest trawler (I get lost amongst the fan art, home décor and hair goals) I often wade my way through hundreds of different interpretations of Link. Each and every one of them is beautiful in their own distinctive ways. Alex’s Link included.

Whereas, perhaps Zelda doesn’t get drawn quite as much due to her lack of appearances in the games. Maybe Zelda can be for a future issue, eh? Tag #ZeldaAppreciationIssue with your artwork for a chance to be featured in our next issue!

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“Drawing’s something i’ve always done. i’m not exactly sure when i started or why, but i’ve been doing it since before i was even in reception, so it’s kind of ingrained in me.” gameface magazine

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Lara Croft

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With ‘The Shadow of the Tomb Raider’ due to be launched on September 14th 2018, actress and makeup artist Sophie Moore did her thang.

Name: Sophie Jennifer Moore Age: 21 Occupation: Freelance MUA & actor Fave video games: “Fave game is actually an old PC spy game called ‘No one lives forever’, which is set in the 60s. Obv I’ll always love game series like Tomb Raider, Uncharted, I’m a big fan of 3rd person action/adventure...I’ve played GTA V through about 9 times! Really like the way some games have a butterfly affect, where you can play them over and over again and get different results (e.g. Heavy Rain, Until Dawn).”

Video game dislikes: “I’m not a big online multiplayer kinda gal. I’d always choose a solo campaign or story mode over listening to kids with headsets.”

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ou may have noticed that Lara has taken the spotlight a little bit in this issue. She’s such a powerful, independent women who’s been in my life since I was small, so I thought why the fuck not!

Sophie Jennifer moore has always experimented with makeup, but only in the past couple of years she has created a business from it. Being a passion of hers, it doesn’t really feel like work at all. Alongside being an actress, they make the perfect pair.

If you look at her instagram, you’ll see why I got her to do a Tomb Raider look for me. This year, she entered the the NYX Face Awards with ‘annihilation’. A mesmerising piece that included 3D flowers, extreme black contour and sparkles. Something Soph describes as ‘flower power, but with a dark twist’. Every halloween she does a different look for each day of October, and her skills with SFX shine through Sophie based her Lara on the ‘The Rise of the Tomb Raider’, creating this makeup was relatively simple compared to past looks.

All that was needed was brown paint for the dirt, fake blood (pretty self explanatory), some bronzer (for dose cheekbones) and fake lashes (because lashes). Something easily replicated at home, or a cheeky last minute ‘scary’ halloween idea. The world is your oyster.

For more inspo, follow Sophie on Instagram at Sophiejmoore.

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Want access to Gameface as soon as it’s out? Look no further my lovelies. Get an annual subscription for £39.99, meaning you get two print AND digital copies for free! Along with your magazine print and digital subscription, you will also be able to get 50% off at our Etsy shop (see page 35 for info on Etsy shop). Much love gamers - get subscribing! x

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Lover of illustrations, quotes and prints?

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We’re here to help. Our Etsy is the one stop shop for all your artsy desires. Prices can range from as little as £5 (for our smallest sized prints) to £100 (larger prints). Why are our prints so fantabulous, I hear you ask? They can be 100% custom made especially for you fuckers.There’s nothing too crazy, weird or even normal that we’re not willing to draw for you, even if it’s not to do with gaming.

For more info, search for us on Etsy under the name ‘Gameface illustrations’.

We’ll be waiting.

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HOW TO

You know when you just want to have some down time playing your favourite video game, and then you remember that that the internet is full of cunts? Well the most probable reason for them being that way is either they have severe issues and just want to see the world burn, or are inept in playing said game so take it out on everybody else. Enter the salty gamer (e.g. somebody who is bitter as fuck because they don’t win or knows that they are substandard). If you decide you no longer want to be easy to get along with online, here’s a few tips on how to be that dick.

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ur d yo f an rn of ot it Tu ole m n t sh ns ‘I’ ha ’. co ay ng t ore s i ay ym pl an

Shout ‘fuck you’, ‘die’ or anything else remotely racist/ sexist/offensive down your mic when you or your team loses.

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Throw your controller at anything.

Turn console back on once you realise you’ve got nothing better to do.

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HOW TO

Use profanity to insult teammates for being naff, despite you having the lowest kills.

one very o be e l l Te o do t et g tt wha er, and gry t t a e e n b mor ey do n e ev en th ld wh you to u t o a y h w and . m e e s th ll lo sti

Thr of y ow you our rT you windo V out Wh r mum w ont o e you n she s ’s car. hou say it t for givi ’s her f s at ng b ault you irth to .

Realise you’ve just broken the only thing that gives you pleasure in life.

Got an y salt y stories of your own? Use the hashtag #saltyour faves get featured on our twitter.

Words and illustration Hope Bullen

Find something else to be angry about, and repeat.

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COntents WII U

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playstation 4 xbox one nintendo switch With how far we have advanced in technology over the past 50 years, how far can we go in the next 50? VR is just the start.

WHat’s next?

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