The Hot & the Cold
News
Innovation in Accessibility This year, the Game Awards will be introducing an award that will recognize innovation in gaming accessibility. The event will take place on Thursday, December 10th.
Dontnod’s Tell Me Why Dontnod’s newest game features the first transgender playable character from any major studio. The developers worked with GLAAD, a LGBTQ media advocacy group, to create an authentic portrayal of a trans man.
Mario 35th Anniversary Super Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy hit the Nintendo Switch. While exciting, Nintendo only provided a limited release window and did very little to polish the games. And many ask, where is Galaxy 2?
Games or Groceries? With so many new game reveals for new consoles, one can’t help but notice the $70 price tag which seems to have become the norm. If a game costs as much as a trip to the grocery store, then there may be a problem.
Hogwarts Legacy The RPG takes place in the Wizarding World during the 1800s. While the game looks great, it is announced on the heels of J.K. Rowling’s toxic tweets towards trans people. It will take a lot to justify supporting this one.
8
OCTOBER 2020 | LEVEL STORY
Games & Online Harrassment Hotline In recent years, the games space has revealed itself to be more and more toxic. From abusive and sexist behavior in the workplace to harmful rhetoric toward marginalized groups from big name streamers, the time has come to say enough is enough. Enter the Games and Online Harassment Hotline, a text-based hotline that offers emotional support and resources for people in the gaming community. This not only includes developers but streamers, competitors, and players. The initiative was started by Anita Sarkeesian with the help of Christopher Vu Gandin Le. The hotline works to “ensure that anyone who experiences such abuse can reach out...whether it’s just someone to talk to about what they’re going through or referrals to other resources to help them protect themselves or take legal action.” 1 The hotline also hosts live Twitch streams where they bring on various guests to talk about topics in the games space. Past conversations have focused on accessibility in competitive esports, getting started in games writing, and holding leaders accountable. The hotline is active from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific Time Monday through Friday. To use the hotline, text SUPPORT to 23368 from anywhere in the US.
Junub Games: Spider-Man Gets Games for Peace a New Face Salaam is a mobile game from Junub Games that follows a refugee who must flee a war torn region. It comes from Lual Mayen, CEO of Junub and who was once a refugee himself. In Arabic, salaam means peace and peace is what Junub aims to promote in the mindset of their players. “We will humanize displaced people by putting players in the shoes of a refugee forced to deal with daily hardships,” 6 they write. Learn more about the game’s release at junubgames.com.
Insomniac recently revealed one big change coming to Spider-Man Remastered - our hero’s face. Ben Jordan was cast as the new face model to better match voice actor Yuri Lowenthal’s facial capture. Fan reactions have not been the best. Although Insomniac’s Creative Director Bryan Intihar offered words of reassurance, the decision still feels perplexing. The character is unrecognizable and the choice undermines the integrity of the original look. Not to mention he now looks like a Tom Holland rip-off.
