#fortnite market place

[harrytaylorluke]

Livestream: Matt Sturniolo.

- fluff

- kissing

Summary - you come over after work, exhausted, needing comfort.

Limerance - Yves Tumor (Song I listened to whilst writing it)

AN - wrote this at 3am, don’t really remember writing it. Just done a very brief check for spelling errors, it’s pretty short.

💞 ily take care of yourselves 💞

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Pushing the front door closed, you kick your shoes off, running a hand through your hair with a sigh. You take a deep breath, something you’d done in the car multiple times to try and decompress after work whilst you were still on your own. The house had a cool warmth spreading throughout it, windows open as the sun set gently after a long, hot LA summer day.

You’d appreciated the pink and oranges swirling in the clouds as you pulled up to your boyfriends house. Honestly, these were your favourite parts of the day. After working a job where the majority of the workforce relied on you not fucking anything up, you liked the deep breaths you were allowed once you left.

You knew Matt had meetings in the morning and was working on the marketing for his newest project in the afternoon, but those rarely ran past six ish. It was now coming up to half eight, so you knew exactly what he’d be doing.

With an overly large bag of wing stop in one hand and your keys, bag and coat in the other, you walked through the boys apartment. You could hear the most noise coming from one room, Matts. A faint shout from Chris about a “fucking idiot” who was “shooting at anything” told you all you needed.

Pushing the door open with your elbow to see Nick sat on Matt’s bed and Chris stood over Matts shoulder. The man you’d been desperate to be in the safe arms of again ever since pulling yourself out of them at 6am that morning, sat at his desk. A brown ‘fresh love’ hoodie and grey sweatpants adorned his body, his hair messy from pulling at it for the last hour or so.

“Y/n” Nick shouted excitedly as you came into view, dragging the last letter of your name out slightly.

“Hey y/n” came from Chris, earning a brief look up before getting his head back into the (seemingly very intense) game of fortnite Matt was playing.

“Hey guys” you puffed out, another sigh, insinuating you’d had a rough day. Placing the bag of wing stop near Matt’s bed to which both Chris and Nick started unpacking. Graciously shouting a few thank you’s and joking ‘i love you’s.

“Hey baby” Matt said as you approached him, after throwing your belongings down on the bed. You checked if the stream is paused before collapsing onto his lap. His arms wrap gently around your waist, your arms tucked around his neck.

He cradles you, humming as you embrace each other.

“I missed you” you breath out, needier than you’d realised. His soft scent of cologne and body wash radiating from where your head was, pushed into the crook of his neck.

“You have no idea” he says, squeezing you closer to him as you tuck your legs up slightly. Both taking deep breaths, happy to be around each other. The both of you had been working a lot lately, rarely getting to spend time like this. The faint sound of Nick and Chris laughing, arguing and munching is heard with the games lobby music playing.

I feels like it’s just you two for a minute, you’ve felt the most relaxed and safest you’ve felt all day. Even if your underwear was riding up, you’re tights had been itching you and your bra was digging into your ribs.

“How’s the game going” you say quietly into his neck as he rubs his hand up and down your back.

“It’s okay, we’ve been playing for hours now so I’m about done” he says with a slight smile on his face. “Thank you for bringing food home, you didn’t have to we could have ordered it” he says gently again. He could tell you were exhausted, the way you melted into him the second you saw him and your first words being ‘i miss you’.

“That’s okay” you say, sleepily, wanting to drift off right there. “If you’re sure you’re done, could we maybe put a movie on”.

“Of course sweetheart” is all he said, “I’ll just finish this off and we’ll pick one out”. You hummed in agreement. Matt didn’t want you to move, but you usually didn’t just lie on him whilst he streamed. Sometimes in a video or two you’d fallen asleep on him when you’d all gone on road trips, but rarely.

“Baby, im gonna start the stream again”

“Could I stay here” you whisper, moving your hands from around his neck to curl into yourself, another going around his waist.

“That’s okay with me if it’s okay with you” he says, grabbing a blanket to put over you, as you’re skirt had rolled up slightly, before starting the game again.

Chris and Nick come back over, handing you some food to eat every now and again. Whilst Matt somehow multi tasks eating, gaming and making sure you’re okay every five minutes.

You lie against his chest, munching what’s left in your mouth, eyes closed, before you start to drift off slightly.

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Matts love language was undoubtedly physical touch, if you were there he was touching you. Not in a sexual way, in a loving way. Holding hands, playing with your fingers, rubbing your arm, drawing shapes on your skin. Anything.

When the low hum of his computer died down and the room was quiet, Nick and Chris back in their own rooms for the night, and matts hand stayed rubbing against your thigh, you felt… content.

You peal your eyes open slowly, your skirt now around your waist with the blanket pulled up to your chest, still on Matts lap.

“Hi honey, should we get in bed” he asks, sweetly, as you stretch your arms out.

A ‘mhm’ leaves your mouth, getting up slowly and walking to get some clothes. You decide on one of his t-shirts and an old pair of pyjama shorts. Strolling to the bathroom and removing your makeup. Matt joined you to brush his teeth, standing behind you with one hand wrapped around your waist, pulling you into his chest.

The low hum of the song playing on your phones has you swaying gently, Matt jokingly singing a few words through his toothpaste.

You stand there together for a few minutes, your back pressed against his chest. It’s domestic, peaceful and lovely.

Getting changed together, speaking a few words, both getting tired. You both tidy up the mess made from the night before slipping into the cold bed.

His warm bedroom lamp illuminates his side of the room, as you both lay facing one another. The clock reads 11pm, realising they must have played a few more games after you fell asleep.

“I missed you today, more than you know” he says, inches away from your face, one arm resting under his head, the other drawing circles on your arm.

“I missed you too” you say back.

“I missed everything about you. It’s different when you’re here. It’s fun but.. it’s calm, it’s like my head goes quiet” he says, still drawing soft doodles on your bicep.

“I know what you mean” you say, with a slight, tired smile. You knew what he meant, you tried not to think about him during the day, never really texting him or you’d end up wanting to leave work.

“You’re like home” you whisper, quietly. He smiles.

You move forward kissing his cheek and nuzzling yourself into his neck. He wraps his arms around your waist, kissing your head.

You sit like this for awhile, breathing each other in. There were times when you were animals, desperate and horny for each other. There were times when your stomach hurt from laughing so hard. There were times you could murder one another out of anger.

And then, there were times like this, the peace, the quiet. The unmatchable love that bounced between the two of you, it went quiet, it absorbed itself into each one of you.

The summer rain had started pouring whilst you slept in his arms, battering and storming outside, it was a safe haven.

Matt lifts your chin gently, a smile of appreciation on his face as your lips gently come together. A sweet, loving kiss that both of you had so desperately needed without knowing it. Your last one being so brief, with a whisper of “goodbye, I love you” after, closing the door on the half asleep boy.

Your hands moved up over his neck, your leg resting over his hip and his under your leg. What you liked to call the ‘koala’. His arms wrap around your waist, chests pressed against each other as you kiss.

You’re so impossibly close, so connected, like you’re souls are slow dancing.

Your heads turn as your lips melt together, pushing yourself up to get any closer. His hands are soft against you, your tongues are gentle in one another mouths. Slow, loving kisses that take their time. Your lips appreciating each other.

The rain fades out, eventually you rest yourselves in the other arms, peaceful, happy and inevitably, taken over by sleep.

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#matt sturniolo smut #sturniolo fanfic #sturniolo smut #matt sturniolo #matthew sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #the sturniolo triplets #fanfiction #fanfic #fluff #smut #christopher sturniolo #nick sturniolo

[jeff-from-marketing]

Hey it's been a hot minute, I'm gonna go off about Helldivers 2 for a bit, because the whole thing fascinates me.

Funnily enough it's not even the actual game itself that truly fascinates me, as great as it is. I do genuinely think that, while not perfect, it's a very solid game that knows what kind of experience it wants to deliver, and does a fantastic job delivering on it. The Starship Troopers-esque satire is hilarious, and I love how much the gameplay reinforces that satire through things like reinforcements canonically being a whole new Helldiver sent into the meat grinder, and that the mission still counts as a celebrated victory even if you never make it back alive. I could even talk about how the objectively clunky system for calling in orbital support is actually a positive for the game, but only this game and the type of experience it's selling.

But none of that is what fascinates me about this game so much. Because y'see, I played the first Helldivers game, and it was also a great bit of fun! It's actually why I was interested in the second one to begin with. But I also know that the first Helldivers was not a very wide reaching game, none of Arrowhead's games have been. They've not done poorly by any means, they're still in business and have been for over a decade now. But they've always been fairly niche affairs. Until now. To really sell the picture, I wanna rattle off player counts for their previous games:

Magicka in 2011, Arrowhead's first big game and published by Paradox, had an all-time max player count of 11,727 players according to SteamDB. I don't believe it was on any other storefronts, but I could be mistaken. A quick wikipedia visit tells me that the game sold roughly a million units over a year which, again, not bad! Especially for a game that is admittedly fairly unusual, but is a lot of fun!

The Showdown Effect in 2013, which I only just found out about right now after double checking my numbers, had a all time high of just 3,284 according to SteamDB, and is now delisted from Steam. Though apparently there's a remake from another company happening? There's a lot less info on this one in general.

Gauntlet in 2014, this one I do know a bit more about since I also played this one. A remake of the original 1985 game, and was a good bit of fun as well! This one is trickier to get an accurate player count reading, because it did have a PS4 release and those are harder to find numbers for. Regardless, it was also on Steam, so therefore I can use those numbers at least, which gives me a max consecutive player count of 12,730. I don't know how much PS4 factored into this.

And now we get to the real interesting one: Helldivers 1. Again, this is tricky because not only was it on console, but it was actually on console before it was ever on PC, which heavily skews numbers. SteamDB has the peak at just 6,744, but this doesn't sit right with me. I've seen estimates of 50k people around the place, some say 35k, but never a solid source. It's also very difficult to search atm because of how much Helldivers 2 is blowing up. Speaking of...

So Helldivers 1 is their most popular game, and I'll be generous and say that the 50k count is the accurate one. So surely Helldivers 2 can't be that much more- oh I'm not even going to pretend, you already know what's going on here. The game has reached ~450k concurrent players just on Steam alone! And the game also exists on PS5, and if I recall correctly: there's official statements saying that the player counts are roughly equal with each other. That means a peak of ~900,000 individual players. To illustrate how bonkers batshit insane that is, motherfucking Fortnite has a current consecutive player count of roughly one million.

Let me reiterate: a game that came out of basically nowhere with little marketing, from a small studio with only about 100 employees, is rivaling the juggernaut that is fucking Fortnite. That is insane.

As someone who has played all of Arrowhead's previous games besides The Showdown Effect, this is bonkers. There's a reason the sentiment was "there's no way to have predicted this" when the servers were at their worst, because look at the previous data! How is anyone supposed to predict a sequel to a niche game (from a company very few people have heard about) to get a ~1800% increase in max player count? Their initial server capacity was 250k, which would've been very optimistic if you were just going by Helldivers 1 numbers. But then that wasn't enough. And then 360k wasn't enough. And then 450k wasn't enough. We're now at 700k server capacity and just finally getting things under control. This game just exploded in a way no one could have reasonably predicted. And I have no idea why this is the case either.

I'm not saying it's not deserved; it absolutely is! Like I said, game is great, and there's not even any shitty business practices I can bitch at this time! It's just so sudden and out of nowhere that it baffles me. Such a small percentage of these players would've even heard of the first game, let alone played it. It didn't have a massive marketing campaign, this is pretty much all spread through word of mouth, which is insane in its own right. It's not even like the game is entering an untapped market, it shares its existence with games like Deep Rock Galactic, Vermintide, Darktide, the actual Starship Troopers game, probably some others I'm forgetting. And yet, despite all of this, it breached containment something fierce. I don't have a big conclusion to make from all this, I'd love to be able to say "oh people are just getting tired of Triple A- oh I'm sorry, Quadruple A gaming and this is a breath of fresh air" and it is that, as was Baldur's Gate 3, but I'm not naive enough to think that's the main reason. Not when so many other great games continue to go undiscovered, and so many people still end up buying whatever the next big Triple A thing is. It's a great game to play with friends, and there's a lot going for it and a lot of charm, but such is also the case for the other games I already listed in this paragraph and they don't see the same popularity.

Whether it's just dumb fucking luck, or a really oddly specific set of circumstances at play that I can't see, I'm just dumbfounded and flabbergasted. But I'm not exactly gonna complain. It's fun getting sent into the meat grinder to spread Managed Democracy, and I'm glad the game is doing as well as it is, though I do hope that the devs get to have a bit of rest once the dust finally settles a little bit.

#helldivers #helldivers 2 #seriously if they ever need to update the example sentence for the word “unprecedented” this would be a solid candidate #this has genuinely kept me up at night before just thinking about how wild it is compared to all of Arrowhead's other games #let alone compared to just Helldivers 1

[salted-caramel-tea]

ok lets get into the creator league stuff (local essay andy is back)

I mean first and foremost what Is the creator league

its an esports tournament ran by eFuse and presented by Mr Beast. its designed as this kind of interactive league allowing fans to play with and for their favourite creators. their trailers on instagram claim that theres gonna be a full years worth of content, however Mr Beasts recent video claims the event will happen across a 10 month time frame.

so the ting that makes this event 'special' is that the creators are not listed as players in the event but as 'team managers'- which is where the creator pass comes in. Each creator has a 'pass' that allows you as a fan and viewer to join their team and participate in the league events. Each pass costs around $20 and from what ive read I believe you can only sign up to participate on behalf of one player.

obviously for reasons of fairness, not everyone who buys a pass will be able to officially compete- there is a limited number of spaces on each team and the places are won via an open qualifier Fortnite tournament where they will also be competing for a $50 k prize- although im yet to find any comment from creator league or any articles on how this money is split. But don't worry even if you don't qualify youre still entitled to a free box of mr beasts chocolate should you buy a pass before September 9th. yey.

so what's the problem with this.

I mean first of all. creators arent even required to play. they can fully just let their team do all the work in every event which might work for people like Vinnie Hacker I guess. This might be a way to try and 'even the playing field' by not giving creators with gaming backgrounds any advantage, however it makes the marketing of 'playing with your favourite creator' a little meh. also as a viewer, id be more interested in watching an event that my creator was an active participant in than just watching my streamer watch other people play on their behalf.

the other huge thing that everyone is really waiting to hear about in this post is the nft situation. so recently the narrator of the creator league announcement video, brycent, conformed that the passes are nfts to be minted on the blockchain operating system Near Protocol. so obviously people are extremely concerned about this discovered involvement in NFTs and crypto currency.

so I went to investigate the website to see what its looks like when you purchase a creator pass and unsurprisingly there is no mention on nfts anywhere. The passes are sold on mynt.gg , which according to their faqs is a 'first of its kind marketplace looking to evaluate esports through community' just have a look actually

so no mention of the passes actually being nft purchase here's . if we go to the check out as well this is what we see for the descriptors

so . people who are purchasing this have no way of actually knowing they are purchasing an nft. you also need an account to add a pass to your basket and im not willing to make an account so im unaware if at any time during the payment process people are made aware of what they are purchasing. its listed and discussed more like a membership than anything, and in a way it is there are benefits to it, however with no information as to what people are actually buying its extremely sketchy and a literally misleading purchase perhaps a scam even . since the fact that they've just purchased an not isn't listed anywhere on mynt.gg prior to purchase. and after going through a few more articles .

so theyre definitely trying to hide it from you. as mentioned you need an account to purchase anything. and you only get to know what youre purchasing if you go through the TOC, which most people don't read lets be real.

it's worth noting as well creator league is the only collection available on mynt.gg at the minute, it seems like this entire business was started FOR creator league.

after reading through the faqs again I want to correct myself and say that yes you can buy more than one pass, but only for one creator. so this seems to me like a pay to win scheme.

im not going to go super in depth into this bit bc its a topic that has already been discussed in detail but obviously a lot of people are not happy with the inclusion of nfts because of their environmental impact, the secrecy and dedication to hiding this fact that the company is involving crypto in the event itself is a little weird if u ask me. oh yeah theres been reports on twitter too that they have been blocking and deleting replies to their posts that accuse them on using crypto.

so theyre lying to you as the viewer about what they are and what youre purchasing. but it seems like theyre lying to the creators too.

again. crypto and nfts is not mentioned anywhere at all. not in the trailer, not on the website not in any announcements . only discovered when people were paying for passes bc they wanted to support their fave creators.

recently one of the listed creators Connor CDawgVA released a twitter statement conforming that he was completely blindsided by the fact that there was cryptocurrency involved in the event- if u haven't seen his tweet here

so this raises the question were creators told about their involvement with Near, or was it written using jargon that people unfamiliar with crypto would not pick up on.

CEO of TAMU Esports Dylan Liu also weighed in on the creator league misleading their creators as well here's his statements too

this isn't everything Dylan has had to say hes done a lot of discussions with people on blockchains and of the event itself as someone who has known about the event for a while, id recommend checking out his twitter if you have time he goes into depth about how much funding theyre getting from near and way more issues with creator league than I have time to explore rn .

but it really does seem that the Creator League and eFuse have gone out of their way to try and hide the fact that they are using cryptocurrency from everyone possible. This is a marketing scheme to try and trick people into buying into their market- and if you google Near Protocol right now you see that they are declining so they actively need more people to buy into their schemes.

investors are leaving Near right now. Theyre tricking people into buying into their organisation. At least thats my understanding of it im not hugely knowledgeable about crypto.

I have a headache lets just wrap this up

this is super sketchy . as of right now CDawgVA is the only creator to have withdrawn from the event, but I hope a lot of creators follow suit. its unknown to us the details of their contracts but from what we know of the event they have done everything to hide the genuine content of creator pass purchases from the viewers- making a lot of people rightfully angry that the event is trying to pull the wool over fans eyes. hiding tweets and refusing to acknowledge their involvement in crypto programmes to the point where its unclear if people like Mr Beast and any of the participating creators are aware of it is super suspicious activity. Especially with how vague their promotions have been on the event, very little information has been available on their instagram and I think it was yesterday that we actually got some kind of timeline of the event. its supposed to start like next week and so many people are still so unsure of what is actually happening in the event or what prizes theyre actually getting if they participate. there has been no redeeming quality in the way that this event has been conceived and executed and I really do hope to see that the event is cancelled or that creators start to speak out against the way that the event is being run and support the fans who feel cheated and blindsided by the organisers . I will say I do not believe any of the creators willingly involved themselves in a cryptocurrency scheme, it's all just too sketchy . and no I did not proofread this nor can I be bothered to .

#creator league #sapnap

[mariacallous]

Europe changed the rules of the internet this week when the Digital Markets Act took effect, holding the biggest tech companies to tough new standards. Now the world is waiting to see which giant will be first to fall foul of the law. One of the architects of the DMA says Apple is a strong candidate for the first formal investigation, describing the company as “low hanging fruit.”

Apple has faced intensifying pressure in recent years from competitors, regulators, and courts in both Europe and the US, over the restrictions it places on app-makers who must rely on its App Store to reach millions of users. Yesterday Apple terminated the developer account of Fornite publisher Epic Games which has challenged the company in US courts and recently announced its intention to launch a rival to the Apple App Store.

German MEP Andreas Schwab, who led the negotiations that finalized the DMA on behalf of the EU Parliament, says that makes Apple a likely first target for non-compliance. “[This] gives me a very clear expectation that they want to be the first,” he tells WIRED. “Apple’s approach is a bit weird on all this and therefore it's low hanging fruit.”

Schwab is not involved in enforcement of the DMA. That’s overseen by the European Commission, which has already demanded “further explanation” as to why Apple terminated Epic’s account and is evaluating whether this violates the DMA.

“Apple’s approach to the Digital Markets Act was guided by two simple goals: complying with the law and reducing the inevitable, increased risks the DMA creates for our EU users,” says the company in a statement sent to WIRED by Apple spokesperson Rob Saunders. Apple has said on its website that alternative app stores carry the risk of malware, illicit code and other harmful content.

The DMA’s rules that aim to “break open” tech platforms require Apple to allow iPhone users to download apps from places other than Apples’ official App Store. The Epic Games Store, announced in January, intended to be launched by the Fortnite-maker Epic, would have been the first alternative app store to take advantage of the new system.

Apple tells WIRED it had the right to terminate Epic’s accounts according to a 2021 California court ruling. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has been a vocal critic of what he styles as Apple’s “app store monopoly” for years, although in January the US supreme court denied a request to hear the latest episode in a lengthy antitrust dispute between the two companies in a victory for the smartphone maker.

The DMA went into force at midnight on March 7 in Brussels—3 pm in Silicon Valley. From that moment, six of the world’s biggest tech companies—Apple, Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and TikTok’s Beijing-based owner ByteDance—must comply with a suite of new rules designed to improve competition in digital markets.

In addition to Apple having to allow outside apps, Microsoft Windows will no longer have Microsoft-owned Bing as its default search tool; users of Meta’sWhatsApp will be able to communicate with people on rival messaging apps; and Google and Amazon will have to tweak their search results to create more room for rivals. Companies that don’t comply with the new rules can be fined up to 20 percent of their global turnover.

The new rules should cause the European internet to “change for the better,” says Schwab, a center-right MEP. “To allow more openness, more fairness, and most of all more innovation and therefore new services—that’s the idea.”

Schwab’s comments add to a recent chorus of criticism targeting Apple. The EU’s antitrust chief, Margarethe Vestager, told Bloomberg earlier this week that the DMA will initially focus on sorting out big tech’s app stores. “I think it’s important you can have more than one app store on your phone,” she said on Tuesday.

Following Apple’s removal of Epic, the tone in the hallways of the Commission had become more urgent. “Under the #DMA, there is no room for threats by gatekeepers to silence developers," said Thierry Breton, the EU's industry chief, on X on Thursday, apparently referring to allegations by Epic's Sweeney that Apple had blocked the company's account because of the CEO’s critical Tweets. “I have asked our services to look into Apple’s termination of Epic’s developer account as a matter of priority.”

Flexing the DMA’s powers on Apple’s App Store would advertise how the law can improve life online for the general public, Schwab says. “I think the App Store would be a good example to show what we want to achieve with the DMA,” he says. “They will just see more apps and they will like these apps.”

Giving people choice over where they get mobile apps by requiring Apple and Google to permit alternative app stores on devices is seen as a key pillar of the DMA. In addition to giving users more choice, app developers will also gain more opportunities to to innovate, increasing competition, says Schwab. “With alternative app stores we can make markets a bit broader.”

[mildredpxq57482]

The Last Word Water Gun Fight Guide

Got your ears on? Can't you hear me? This phrase is used when someone replies that they are not receiving transmission properly or their radio is not working. While police officers are called bears, if they are spotted in an unmarked automotive by a trucker, that trucker will let his fellow drivers know that there's a plain wrapper just forward. Schneider trucks can be seen in almost every state. These trucks acquired their title from their vivid orange shade. While it helps different vehicles see the truck, most truckers prefer to poke fun. Before automobiles, passenger automobiles were horse drawn stage coaches. The trucking business uses this term to establish tour buses on the street. As truckers talk with one another, they can let others know what is on the highway forward. The hammer lane most of the time refers to either the far left lane or the passing lane on a highway.

The Manual could earn a commission when you buy via hyperlinks on our site. Summer is the time of 12 months that lots of people look ahead to. The times are warm and lengthy. For out of doors activities, there's a protracted and never-ending checklist. Grilling, camping, and operating outdoors in the sunshine are nice starters. But for most, it means enjoying actions involving bodies of water. Summer means it is time for spritzes, swim trunks, and some water fights. One by no means grows out of such things, especially when you will have high-notch tools and it's scorching outdoors. This sort of battle is enjoyable, refreshing, and a healthy approach to fight your friends. So why don't you invite your family or greatest buddies over (it's also a enjoyable workforce-building experience, taking a look at your corporate world) for a water Orbi Gun match this summer time? Indeed, they are going to be desperate to get on the battlefield with you. Modeled after the blaster in the web video game Fortnite, this Nerf water gun replicates the precise type and colors, solely this one you can hold in your actual rattling ha

In 14 US states, there are already schools through which some teachers carry guns. Before they can be armed in the classroom, teachers in a type of states, Ohio, undergo a three-day coaching course. An estimated four hundred extra teachers have gone by way of that coaching there this yr. I joined the newest group of Ohio teachers attempting to qualify to hold a gun within the classroom. There were simulated eventualities the teachers have been put by way of in which they could be anticipated to make use of their weapon. This is how these situations unfolded. On a cold day deep within the southern Ohio countryside, I stood ready outdoors a pretend college building next to a trainer with a replica gun. He was nervous, ready for the situation to begin, wondering what sort of scenario he must deal with. For security causes, we are not allowed to name the teachers who may return to their classrooms armed but this trainer was a softly-spoken faculty principal who felt he could not ask members of his staff to carry guns if he did not carry a weapon himself.

Shoot-A-Way received began promoting to Ohio high school groups. However, as technology advanced and players' wants developed, they expanded to selling to coaches nationwide. Soon, excessive schools throughout the nation and nearly every college group had the Shoot A Way Gun basketball taking pictures machine in their gym. It was a no brainer for any coach, at faculties and faculties all over the place. The shooter catches the ball, places up 3x as many photographs per hour as they might on their own, and focuses on the remainder of their game after. It is the efficiency of being a Kentucky player having a coach rebound for you, without needing to play in school. For almost 20 years Shoot a Way and John Joseph had been the most innovative basketball product on the market. Then, GRIND re designed the taking pictures machine. Now players and coaches can stand up extra photographs at college, college OR of their driveway. By engineering the product for portability, The GRIND Machine might be simply transported and set up in any location.

You sound like someone who likes to plan. You also sound like someone confronting the fact that some things are tough to plan. I don’t think family life ends up being about equal share; I think it's extra a matter of equitable share. If one father or mother is working eighty hours every week, it stands to cause that the parent who works 40 hours will find yourself selecting up some slack. I’m not saying this is honest-it’s merely a reality. It’s simple to really feel irritated about all the time being the one to pay the electric bill or schedule the dentist appointments, and it’s positive to feel cautious about such a lopsided division of labor. But I feel it’s additionally essential to do not forget that it might really feel fairly different than it sounds to you now. You’ll be older, in a special place in your life, hopefully fortunately ensconced in a relationship sturdy enough that you’re not apprehensive about holding score, and aware of the truth that family life is all the time shared endeavor.

[aikos-filibuster]

For Fun or For Funds?

or " Are gaming communities becoming less about play and more about monetisation?"

A Personal Note

Entering my early 20s, I reflect on my early days of being exposed to the idea of gaming, I remember watching Disney Channel and during their breaks, they advertised the Disney Channel website where you could play flash games based on the cartoons being aired. I asked my father about it, and he beckoned me to the study room where our old family computer was. He opened up Internet Explorer and hopped on the Disney Channel website. That was the beginning of my personal relationship with gaming. Then it led to my father buying me a PlayStation 2, a major turning point as it allowed me to experience real gaming on a dedicated platform. Back then, gaming was simple as its main purpose was escapism, where you would come home from school or work, hop on your computer or console and forget about the day’s worries for a while. There was no such thing as subscriptions, content locked behind a paywall, or using real money to earn you an advantage over your opponents or to enhance your experience in general. And casual gaming was what it meant on the tin; it was a casual activity where you did not put much thought into it and was merely something to pass the time. Times have changed, and the only time you see gaming mentioned in the mainstream is of how much money was won by an Esports team and how famous you can get from gaming competitively and I personally can make a case that “Mammon” has even entered the realm casual gaming.

Gaming communities: A new cash cow?

The first culprit of the monetisation of gaming communities is the rise of professional gaming. More and more you see games that are tailormade to be played at tournaments and you’d rather watch other people play and win millions rather than to play the game yourself. The rise is popularity for games such as CS:GO, Fortnite, League of Legends, and most recently Valorant where you specifically train to play in Esports tournaments in the hopes to win money places profit over fun. It is not to play competitively, it is stressful, and the desire to win big pushes some to even abuse substances to keep themselves awake to get more hours of training just to hone their skills just for that littlest edge over the competition because the dollar sign is such a powerful drug in of itself. One just needs to look at how lucrative this new burgeoning market can be as in 2021, the global esports revenues totalled up to over $1.6 billion dollars, and looking at the geographical information, over half of that was generated by China and North America. I believe a lot of this monetisation and commercialisation of gaming communities comes from coverage of gaming by the mainstream media. Before the advent of esports as we know it, mainstream media painted gaming communities as sort of men who refused to grow up and continued to play with toys instead of spending time “normally” like watching television or taking more “conventional” interests like being a sports fan or going to your favourite musician’s concert. Instead, these gamers keep up to date with the latest gaming news. How odd! Now that events like the COVID-19 pandemic have changed the world’s attitude to gaming communities and what they do, suddenly the market has experienced unprecedented growth in the past 3 years. Now we see even governments paying close attention to what happens among gamers, seeing it as an opportunity for youths to specialise in to bring pride to their state, being recognised as a legitimate sport alongside field and track. The commercialisation of gaming has made the communities appear as mere customers to investors and even gaming developers. They saw how much money they can make, and now their as bold as ever in throwing money onto the growing money pile that is the gaming market. I remember a time when my mother scolded me for playing video games, asking sarcastically how much money I make. Now she sends me headlines about an esports team winning millions in a recent tournament. Funny how opinions can change so sharply. Now we even see the rise of film adaptations of video games, where Hollywood executives who have never held a gaming controller decide to make a film cash grab by taking advantage of the nostalgia of gamers they looked down upon decades ago.

Still for fun?

In conclusion, the statement that gaming communities are becoming less about play and more about monetisation can be quite interesting to answer, and to give it an answer, I would give a simple yes. Gaming communities will feel the changes in the environment that they hold so dear. They would be lying if they say they had not seen the massive cashflow into and around the games they love, and for some, it’s a given due to the nature of the games they build communities around. The more honest gamers will tell you they know the corporations who invest in the games see the communities as generic customers and a source of revenue, and the companies that churn out their games have become bold in their attempts to maximise their profits, sometimes at the cost of the soul and effort that used to be put into creating cult classics like we saw in the days of yore of gaming.

References

#mda20009 #esports #gaming #communities #week10

[mechanicalinertia]

Okay, but seriously, there is no reason Bubblegum Crisis couldn't work again. Toei needs to recognize this and not just use super-established AIC IP's like Megazone and Tenchi. Those franchises are both ones that have no room to expand. An animated Bubblegum Crisis threeboot, on the other hand? It can be done.

Like, look, think of it this way. What's the three word elevator pitch? "Anime Cyberpunk Superheroines". These are all things people are separately goo-goo ga-ga about right now. Okay, maybe not superheroes so much anymore, but that's more a byproduct of the superhero-producing studios oversaturating their own market, I think the taste for superheroes that Gen Z and Generation Omega (the Fortnite generation?) has developed in their formative years will last a good long while. But anime just keeps getting bigger and bigger internationally (okay, Shonen Jump anime keep getting bigger and bigger but still), and cyberpunk aesthetics are kind of cool right now. So that's three big magic words.

It gets better, though:

Anime is comparatively cheap to make compared to your average superhero blockbuster: the Heaven's Feel movies, which were nonstop Ufotable-quality animation, were what, thirty million US each? That's peanuts for a big Western studio - the latest Indy flick apparently cost an order of magnitude more than that. Have Toei and some other company throw down twenty-five million each and you will have a very good looking anime movie, and then all you have to do is market the shit out of it the way you would a 'real' movie. And then you're a) saving money while making sure the movie still looks good (I refuse to believe there's enough CGI in the world to make BGC live-action look right) and b) showing something that is at once novel and yet familiar to a growing demographic.

BGC's relative obscurity is kind of a double-edged sword, you know? I don't get why so many studios insist on going after the big IP's, the ones that have legions of seething fanboys who have already convinced themselves that Hollywood will miss the point of their beloved franchises. Brand recognition is, in this case, kind of dangerous, because then there's more things people like that you could conceivably fuck up. (I mean, one easy way to not fuck up, say, Ghost in the Shell, is to not have the Transformers screenwriter write the script for a far more high-concept film, yeah? Jesus, what was Paramount thinking there?) BGC, though... I say this even as part of the fanbase, there just ain't enough of us to find the idea of an adaptation distasteful. BGC will feel new both to anime fans and to non-anime fans, relying solely on its bottled-lightning setup and a spattering of self-consumptive 80's nostalgia to succeed.

Actually, now that I think about it, you could market this to an R audience instead of a PG-13 one. Enough kids will have grown up on Iron Man and other Marvel flicks to like superheroes but maybe want something a little more mature in a few years, right?

It's like... you know how there's that Saint Seiya movie out right now? It's a fool's errand, trying to adapt something like that to live-action and then banking on the East Asian / Latin American market to carry it (it opened at #8 in Japan of all places). If nothing else, though, it shows that Toei is interested in marketing the IPs under their belt to a worldwide audience... so why not BGC?

Okay, so they could hire idiot writers and fuck it up royally. But there's a lot of factors that could make BGC work as a big honkin' PROPERTY.

#bubblegum crisis #screed #sound and fury told by an idiot signifying nothing

[dislifeismid]

Hello hello!

Can I request like anything for Xie yuzhi. Bc I don't know why but i like him.

Yeah, i placed him in 'all' but there's controversy about him because of how young he looks in his reviews at least [with some people going EW YOU SICKOS HE'S A BABY and others being 'why do yoou guys assume every short person is a child' to 'aww' to thirst. He's just very controversial in there] His model babifyes him lots :/ sigh i hate how the models turn the originals into soft marketable fortnite characters. I mean Lynn is so badass and then her model's face is ☺️

Uhhhhhh i dunno. I'll see. I don't wanna get hatecrimed because people are babies who think short ppl are immediately 12. I might switch him to sfw only section. I see why you like him- i talked about him in one post. He's double sided which is a cool character trope. He acts like a mischevious lil evil spirit so that's cool. I personally like how he switches from the cutesy prankster personality into a serious fighting spirit once he pulls out his weapon. He's definitely an interesting guy mentally speaking. As i mentionned i always try to base my stuff on the original illustrations not the models because of how changed they are sometimes :/

#xie yuzhi x reader #.thoughts #.answered

[quocanhh55]

WEEK 9: GAMING COMMUNITIES, SOCIAL GAMING AND LIVE STREAMING

1. History of video games

Video games are interactive digital games that are played on many platforms, such as smartphones, computers, or consoles. They mainly feature one or more players participating in a virtual environment, controlling characters to accomplish objectives, overcome challenges, and meet goals in the game.

The history of video games began in the 1950s - 1960s when programmers started creating basic games and simulations on early-aged minicomputers. A remarkable example of them is Spacewar!, which was designed by the students of MIT in 1962. The game depicts a simple space combat scenario, where two players control spaceships and engage the battle in a 2D space environment.

Thanks to SpaceWar! and other early-aged video games, the foundation for the industry of gaming had been laid. In 2005 and 2006, Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PlayStation 3, and Nintendo’s Wii kicked off the modern age of high-definition gaming (Editors 2017). These days, video games are being more and more developed with modern technologies, 3D dimension environments, stunning graphics… Newer control systems and family-oriented games have made it common for many families to engage in video game play as a group. Online games have continued to develop, gaining unprecedented numbers of players (University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing 2016). The most remarkable of them are League of Legends, FC Online, Fortnite… With a huge number of players, high-resolution graphics, and competitive gameplay, they dominated most game markets in many countries and opened a new environment for gamers to show off their abilities.

2. The culture of gaming

Since the gaming industry began to develop, it also formed the culture of playing video games. It consists of the popular attitudes, behaviors, and practices that surround gamers and their communities. One of the most popular stereotypes about gamers is that they are considered to be mainly young people, white or East-Asian, and predominantly males. According to the Entertainment Software Association’s 2018 recent report, 45% of gamers in the U.S. are female. However, among core gamers, males dominate, making the female statistic somewhat misleading (Fu n.d.). Sexism and inappropriate behavior towards females are commonplace. Players appear to conform to stereotypical masculine norms and tend to maintain a male-dominant hierarchy.

Besides the dominance of males in old stereotypes about video games, the culture of nerd and geek is also another remarkable stereotype. Gamers are mainly seen as nerdy, lazy, and unattractive. They are also considered not to have stable study or job occupations, most of the time focusing on video games. The view from the society to them is mainly negative as they are seen to have no beneficial contribution to the community. However, on the other hand, those people are highly welcomed in gaming communities, who share with them many similar interests and behaviors.

3. Gaming communities

Since the birth of video games, players have always been looking to find like-minded people. From the first pixel adventures to today’s multiplayer online worlds, gaming communities have played a huge role in transforming games from mere entertainment to true cultural phenomena (Games 2023). These communities mainly take place in online games environments or social media such as Steam Community, Discord, Reddit… A number of them can also bond together by performing real-life activities. There have been gaming events which are hosted to showcase technologies and connect gamers such as Gamescom, Taipei Game Show, DreamHack… In Vietnam, these occursions are becoming more popular as they can be hosted locally with a small number of gamers in local gaming centers or huge tournaments in arenas. Communities of reputable games such as Gunny, League of Legends, and FC Online are the main contributors to the shared environment. A number of them also take part in community movements such as MixiGaming. In 2020, the group donated about 200 million VND to build bridges for a remote mountainous village in Cao Bang province and used the residue funds to give bicycles to children with difficulties traveling to their schools. These activities improved the image of gaming communities in many people, influencing them to change their thoughts about gaming culture.

4. Live-streaming in gaming culture

The donations of MixiGaming mainly come from live streaming sessions of Do Mixi, a reputable gamer in Vietnam. He conducted live videos and publicized all the received money to maintain transparency of the fund. Live-streaming is also an attractive point not only for him but also for many gamers. Video game live streaming is a kind of real-time video social media that integrates traditional broadcasting and online gaming (Li, Wang & Liu 2020). In recent years, the online broadcast industry has developed rapidly with the emergence of various live-streaming platforms, such as Twitch, YouTube, Douyu, Huya, and so on. In 2016, Twitch and YouTube Gaming had more than 470 million regular visitor members in 2016 (more than 50% of gamers in the US, Europe, and Asia Pacific). In recent years, the market for this type of gaming media has even increased more sharply, making it an ideal market for many streamers. From these live-streaming sessions, communities are formed around them as the streamer attracts several viewers. They can make a great contribution to other content of the live streaming channels, whether to give suggestions for the next video or be on stage with the streamer. The phenomenon gave birth to many communities and improved the influence of gamers, making live streaming a lucrative market and developing the gaming industry as well.

References:

1. Editors, H com 2017, Video Game History, HISTORY, viewed 21 March 2024, https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/history-of-video-games#modern-age-of-gaming. 2. Fu, D n.d., A Look at Gaming Culture and Gaming Related Problems: From a Gamer’s Perspective, viewed 21 March 2024, https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/gaming.pdf. 3. Games, BG 2023, Gaming Communities: The Rise and Impact of Gaming Communities on the World of Video Games, Medium, viewed 21 March 2024, https://bggames.medium.com/gaming-communities-the-rise-and-impact-of-gaming-communities-on-the-world-of-video-games-1fec152f649f. 4. Li, Y, Wang, C & Liu, J 2020, ‘A Systematic Review of Literature on User Behavior in Video Game Live Streaming’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 9, p. 3328. 5. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing 2016, 10.2 The Evolution of Electronic Games, open.lib.umn.edu, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing edition, 2016. This edition is adapted from a work originally produced in 2010 by a publisher who has requested that it not receive attribution.

#mda20009 #digital communities #swinburne #week9 #gamer #gaming community #livestream #gaming culture

[faint-kitten]

So about Fortnite taking over everything...

by: Faint_Kitten.

I play fortnite. I like doing the challenges, I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.

But I have messy feelings about fortnite having only gotten into it last month. Like…I could do a 2 hour video essay just talking about my feelings.

It's a polished fun game, like there's a reason I enjoy playing it. There's a reason it got popular and there is a definite charm to it's core battle royale, and playing as your favorite characters.

But also like…why did they add Festival mode? To sell music, but the record industry and artists want their cut…so they sell tracks for 5 bucks a pop and the battle pass is seperate from the festival pass and it's twice as much with half the rewards. So to get all the battle pass content you're spending like 30 bucks.

Why did they add rocket racing? To sell car shit.

Why did they add lego? To sell lego kits.

Why did they do all of this? Because they have the fucking money to, they (like amazon) conquered their market and they're trying to move into every other place because when you get that big, there is no other way to make MORE money and achieve that infinite growth without finding other markets. Its like "Oh we cornered this market, we can probably take that one too."

Fortnite is a game I have a lot of fun spending time in, and I'll be honest: Someone there cares about art and talent they're making crazy cool shit. The Solid snake event was made by someone who loves Metal Gear.

Fortnite is a really fun game I like spending a few hours in and getting new skins but it's run by a company that talks to other companies and goes: Yo you got a thing laying around people like to buy merch of? Sell it here.

Companies have things they hold the rights to, and their entire shebang is to try to make money off of something they already own. Companies look at influencers and go "how much reach does this have."

Fortnite is the gross fuck bang of these two ideas. It's the biggest widest influencer on the planet and it promises to sell whatever the fuck you have or are advertising on it's platform.

And somewhere in all of that, are teams of artists who come up with lore for the island, and skins based on new characters and they have enough money to make polished versions of their ideas, like the fact the pick is a mechanic, but they also have several different picks, and different animations for each one.

They have a fencing foil that has it's own animation and draws from the scabbard on the character's hip. They have a sword this season, and when you swing it there's a brief pause between each swing, like your character is holding form, that gives it this weird majesty.

Fortnite doesn't need to GIVE that much of a shit about animations like this, but it has the money to and SOMEONE in that company makes cool shit like that and gives it away for free.

It's a fucking weird enviornment. But we're seeing Epic games do what a lot of massively successful companies do: they reached a limit to the "infinite growth" they could get in their market and are trying to move into other games and other mediums. The same way google and amazon tried to get into gaming, or a fast food chain will decide: we sell chicken…what if we start selling pancakes for breakfast?

It is a core game and experience I enjoy, but everything around it is PURE evil. It feels like you're at the worlds best chuck e cheese having fun, but the windows are 2 way mirrors and executives are outside with their hands suspiciously in their pockets drooling waiting for you to crack and waiting to see which of their shitty little arcade games you start spending the most money on.

[fallonbartlett66]

'world's Most Expensive Videogame' Presently Free To Play However Only For A Brief Time

One of the key aspects that units cash making apps apart is their inclusivity. These apps sometimes do not require any specific skills or prior expertise, making them accessible to a broad vary of customers. This implies that virtually anybody with a smartphone and an internet connection can potentially leverage these apps to earn money. By eliminating conventional obstacles to entry, money making apps create opportunities for individuals from all walks of life to complement their revenue or discover new incomes avenues. If you’re someone who enjoys enjoying simple but addictive games, Boodle might be the proper money-making app for you. With its user-friendly interface and a variety of game choices, Boodle makes incomes money by way of gaming each straightforward and pleasant. A lot of games like Clash of Clan, PUBG Mobile, Fortnite, etc. have in-app purchases and there's no restrict on how a lot cash one can spend on them. But that doesn’t imply Apple’s iOS is lagging behind in phrases of dear apps. Every second you both get nearer to death or nearer to prosperity and evolving to the next level of play. The graphical interface could be very easy, and it'll run perfectly fine on low-cost telephones. Either way, the necessary a part of choosing your game is to take a glance at its tags, game critiques, and watching some gameplay footage before absolutely shopping for into the sport. Part of the hit Bloons TD smartphone collection, Bloons TD 6 is the fruits of the franchise. Combining the great components of all previous games as properly as adding its extras and improvements, TD 6 offers you one of the most satisfying tower defense games of all time. With its user-friendly interface and seamless gameplay, Spades Cash offers a truly immersive experience for players of all talent ranges. The game became a massive business success because of hundreds of thousands of hard-core fans around the world. We’ll also take a look at the most expensive online game ever sold. Brazil is a beautiful marketplace for Canadian video gaming studies. Given its giant population offering a robust participant base of all ages, with a particular preference for casual and mobile games, the online game market is good for Canadian small and medium size studios. Brazil’s place as a regional powerhouse also facilitates access to the rest of the Latin American market. Launched in 2011, the QSFFStats is developed for the hardcore soccer followers on the market who want to keep themselves up to date with the stats for all passing leagues and upload play-by-play stats by through email. The app offers nothing important when it comes to functionality, which is shocking given its expensive price ticket. It will simply sit on your personal home display displaying “Most Expensive Android Widget” so that folks viewing your house display screen know how rich you would possibly be. Since Google has set an higher limit for the way much an app or a game could cost on Play Store, you won’t discover anything over $400. most expensive game on play store They simply assume that means because they don’t know the time and effort developers will hold whereas making these apps. Maybe next yr video games will be good again but me, I actually have my doubts. In the meantime I’m more than pleased to while away my time making good on good intentions whereas I await the discharge of the only good video game ever, Maddy Thorson’s Earthblade. Globally we downloaded nearly 300 billion mobile apps in 2023, based on Statista, and greater than half of them had been games. That’s up nearly 50 billion app installs from the earlier — an almost 20% increase in mobile app downloads — and we might be in for a further leap in 2024.

#most expensive game on play store #most expensive android games #most expensive mobile game in the world

[44gamez]

Unleash the Suicide Squad power against Justice League. Buy now!

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League on PC & PlayStation 5  Buy Now for only 57,39$

Batman: Arkham Metropolis is my favourite sport of all time. By no means earlier than had a licensed sport felt so refined with its taut story, fluid fight, and unbelievable set items. I typically return to it as a reminder of simply how particular the sport is, from its opening sequence the place you stroll as Bruce Wayne into Arkham Metropolis, to the surprisingly emotional ending. Since that sport launched 13 years in the past, it’s been a considerably turbulent interval for developer Rocksteady Studios. Arkham Knight adopted in 2015, upping the ante with next-gen visuals and a driveable Batmobile. It was a massively enjoyable sport that will not have been as finely tuned as its two Arkham predecessors however was a satisfying, if bloated, conclusion nonetheless. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QHZxzTPsco&t=2s Then, issues went quiet. Rumors continually cropped up of Rocksteady helming a solo Superman sport, however 5 years handed with no information on the way forward for the Arkham universe till the primary cinematic trailer for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launched in 2020. Every part regarded good for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, till they very all of the sudden didn’t. Combining two delays, a tough State of Play showcase, and all of the hallmarks of live-service churn, I used to be skeptical when diving in for this assessment. Is the completed product a worthy successor to Batman’s best video-game trilogy?

Picture Supply: Rocksteady Studios Effectively, within the easiest phrases, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a sport affected by an id disaster. In my time taking part in by way of the primary story and dipping into endgame content material, you may virtually see the ‘inventive variations’ between Rocksteady’s preliminary imaginative and prescient and the games-as-a-service fingerprints that have been doubtless mandated by higher-ups within the wake of the live-service growth because of Fortnite’s success in 2017. It’s a sport that always contradicts itself, assured as ever in its storytelling however constrained by the live-service pragmatism that leaves it feeling far much less seamless than it should. The premise is one which’ll be immediately acquainted to anybody who has seen both of the earlier Suicide Squad motion pictures or dipped their toes into the eponymous comics. Badass ARGUS director Amanda Waller unites a crew of historically evil characters, below risk of loss of life, to do her bidding and save the world. This time round, after all, it’s the Justice League they’ve received to take down, after intergalactic dictator Brainiac (historically Superman’s big-bad) possesses our heroes. Whereas the ten hours or so it’ll take you to roll credit largely dive into narrative locations you’d anticipate to go, the story is definitely one of many sport’s best strengths. The choice to discover this narrative route is a daring one which’s inconceivable to not admire. Rocksteady spent years listening to followers pine for a extra expanded DC universe throughout the Arkham world, and opting to take action on this morally twisted manner, with the Justice League because the villains, is a daring narrative selection. I spent years hoping a Rocksteady Superman sport would materialize, and whereas this isn’t fairly what I had in thoughts, it’s definitely refreshing to see such starkly totally different takes on these heroes in comparison with most multimedia representations.

Picture Supply: Rocksteady Studios It’s the story and characters themselves that I discovered most lovable in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Of the 4 playable characters (Deadshot, Harley Quinn, King Shark, and Captain Boomerang), it was solely the latter who I by no means warmed to all through the marketing campaign. Deadshot and Harley are specific highlights, given extra emotional arcs than we’d seen from any model of them in earlier Rocksteady video games. But all through my time with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, I couldn’t assist however ponder whether the Arkham connection was a self-imposed shackle or not. I’d be remiss to not point out fan anger on the remedy of legacy heroes on this sport, notably the late, nice Kevin Conroy’s Batman, little question amplified exactly as a result of that is the long-awaited Arkham successor after almost a decade of ready. Whether or not or not these followers have a proper to lambast a studio for having the heart to inform a daring story is a unique debate, and one by which I aspect with Rocksteady, however the Arkham label understandably carries just a few expectations. If this was akin to 2022’s Gotham Knights – set in its personal universe and never beholden to any current continuity – the bolder narrative swings right here definitely wouldn’t have been so divisive. However for the document, I appreciated that Rocksteady had the boldness to go to locations that different followers deem too far. Superhero media has a propensity to play it secure – the trajectory of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2019 places paid to that – so I’ll by no means flip down an opportunity to see these characters given totally different moralities and roles from these we’re used to.

Picture Supply: Rocksteady Studios by way of Twinfinite However it’s all the pieces that surrounds the story and characters in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League that feels muddled. Taking out the rhythmic melee fight of the Arkham video games, that is as an alternative a looter-shooter with a eager give attention to mid-air traversal and malleability throughout the open-world Metropolis. It performs superb – in truth, the taking pictures is massively satisfying, and traversal grew on me – however the sport’s construction doesn’t harness this new strategy very nicely. Missions are flat-out boring, and there’s no solution to sugarcoat it. Within the 20 or so essential story missions, all of them in the end boil right down to escorting a slow-moving automobile or killing a set quantity of Brainiac’s copy-paste goons inside a sure space. There’s nothing dynamic or fascinating, by no means something to take you without warning: it’s a chore to take a seat by way of. In these moments it’s arduous to imagine this is similar Rocksteady that produced iconic moments like Batman attending the Joker’s celebration in Arkham Asylum, or breaching the courthouse to cease Two-Face in Arkham Metropolis’s opening hour. There’s nothing important or endearing to those missions in any respect. It’s little question right down to these egregious live-service components that really feel fully at odds with Rocksteady’s strategy as a developer. Video games-as-a-service work nicely because of the familiarity of their mission construction to long-term gamers, which is clearly the angle right here, but it surely doesn’t make for enthralling gameplay. They’re fairly straightforward to change your mind off and blast by way of, however that’s not what an Arkham successor ought to be. I used to be grinding by way of quests not for the enjoyable of their design or moment-to-moment gameplay, however as a result of I cared sufficient in regards to the plot and characters to wish to see extra.

Picture Supply: Rocksteady Studios by way of Twinfinite Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a strolling, speaking contradiction. On one hand, there’s the standard anticipated from Rocksteady: beautiful visuals throughout the board, well-written characters, and a want to push the narrative boat out for comedian adaptions, whereas on the opposite it’s shackled by a GaaS mannequin that leaves you in the end feeling unhappy. I’m prepared to stay round for the long term, seeing what future months and possibly years of content material deliver to the sport, and whether or not it’s a greater finish product consequently. However Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League looks like a sport that missed the live-service boat fully, and now pays the worth as audiences not crave that long-tail strategy. Solely time will inform whether or not or not that gambit pays off, however for now, it’s a sport of two separate forces, Rocksteady’s ethos and live-service obligations, each pulling in reverse instructions. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Reviewer: Luke Hinton Execs Loads of daring narrative swings.Satisfying, senseless taking pictures. Enjoyable writing. So thrilling to see a broader DC Universe in Rocksteady’s picture. Cons Boring mission design that lacks selection. GaaS trappings everywhere. Missing the Arkham sequence’ memorable set-pieces. A way of incompleteness, counting on future updates to flesh out the expertise. Launch Date Feb. 2, 2024 Developer Rocksteady Studios Copy supplied by Writer Concerning the creator

Luke Hinton Luke Hinton is a video video games journalist at the moment working as Senior Guides Author and Affiliate Editor at Twinfinite. He has undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Journalism, Media, and Tradition, and beforehand specialised in leisure writing. Source link Read the full article

#Justice #Kill #League #Review #squad #Suicide

[unknownjpegs]

patron/deal

“You have siblings, don’t you?”

The young man pauses at the foot of the stairs, looking up at her at its crux. Jacqueline follows his path towards the exit. Beneath her skirts, she hovers centimeters from the ground.

“I do — I mean, yes ma’am, I do.”

She smiles benevolently, pats his hand several times. As the bear in the foyer opens the door for him, she thanks it.

“I could tell. You have that look about you, sweet thing. Your mother raised you all proper, I can see that much.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Xavier responds kindly. He bows a little, perhaps feeling awkward for maintaining some of the contrite energy up all the way until now, when they’re prepared to part. She’s been perfectly reasonable with him, hasn’t she? Been kind. And if not that, surely better than his prior experiences with the folk. Hag and red caps and the ilk of them all. Jack is better. She has the nice house in the upper city, and she’s not an untrustworthy medicine woman if her floors are marble. Her hair blonde and thick with taken-care of shine if graying. Her advancing age is acceptable because the wrinkles are gentle and from smiling, naturally. They’re deep but prettily painted at the corners of her eyes, her mouth. She is, to all perception, the picture of a graceful, privileged yet wisened elven noblewoman.

But Jacqueline has also spent such time around and amongst the fey. Tethering herself to the workings of the realms beyond, tethering those forces to the leash wound tight, tight tight around her dainty fist. And that tethering, to those traveled enough to see the veil waver at its silken edges, unmakes things. Reworks them. Twists awfully and sculpts ethereally.

Jacqueline is not a hag or a red cap or woad or petty, mischievous pixie. But she knows of them. She has become of them.

So when Xavier begins to wind his scarf back around his neck, his belly warm and full of tea, scones, honey lavishly drizzled atop each until the crumb soaked sticky orange, Jack stops him in his tracks. Before he can cross the threshold of her home, return to the world as he knew it previous to dealing with her, she commands him to.

“I’ll never do this again,” she promises. She assumes now that he can feel how his muscles have all tightened, locked him in place. The magic washes over his body and Jack watches it, the shimmering friction as two very different worlds rub together. “You have my word on that. Just a reminder.”

“What —“

Oh, but bless him. He sounds more confused than anything.

Jack comes to stand before him, her angular chin tilted down. This close, he must see the ring of sick magenta flaring about her irises. He might develop a touch of fey to him, in time; pink-tinged ears, freckles turned all manner of inhuman technicolor but only in certain weathers, places, lights. Funnier, stranger things than that. Frogs calling his name in the swamp, a tinkle of laughter every time a cupboard door opens by his hand.

Or perhaps, like some who deal with the folk, an indeterminate amount of time from this day, eons past his death, his bones will be found hollow and fuscia and smelling somehow faintly of clove-spiced sugar and vomit.

Jack smiles up at her new beneficiary, her friend, a comrade for whatever whimsy she’d bestow. He has a choice — he’ll always have a choice.

But…

“An admirable mission. I love a bit of revenge as much as you, young man. You best remember that.” He stares at her, eyes wet and wide and wild, cornered but sparking with that otherworldly power already. “Worry not. No harm will come to you or yours, Xavier, from my hand or a hand of my command.”

At once, her sweet smile drops. Something fanged and awful peeks out beneath the meat of her — Jack can see it reflected, if only for a second, in the reflection of his eyes. They’re a pretty shade. Matilda has a lovely satin robe about that color, she thinks. And the market is on yet another fortnite. Wonder if she’d like a pair of slippers to match?

Xavier’s terror sinks deeper when she snatches his chin.

“But be warned thus: that is graced by a heavy unless. If you find yourself too far from my approval, I will free you of the burden of my mercy. I will find each and every single one of your siblings. I will have done to them things that will make you wish you’d stood here before me, in this parlor, and slit your throat open instead.”

Xavier balks at her, then snaps his mouth shut. He nods firmly.

*

Matilda adjusts on the plush bedding, tucking long bare legs beneath her to get comfortable. She jostles Xavier, who sleeps face-first in a rose-blush mess of sheets and blankets he’d stolen from the armoire in the corner.

“We don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want. I saw how you two were earlier. Whatever happened—“

“We’re on…” he pauses, muffled voice trailing off entirely for a beat. “Well, we’re on terms, at least. Not sure if they’re good or bad.”

She pats him on the head. “Safe to say good, if your insides are still on the inside, and not glued to the outside.”

Xavier groans in disgust. “Please, why would you say — when’s Lark back? Oh, gods. I can’t deal with this much longer.”

“You’re right. I’ll tell you the story of the man who stole the butter tray from the dining cabinet, and you can be assured what was peeled from him was —“

A large hand slaps over her mouth, covering the entire lower half of her face. Matilda flashes her very best youngest sibling eyes before snapping her head away and sinking her teeth into the fleshy part of his thumb.

“Mother!”

“Madam Rhoades—Jacqueline, ma’am she bit me!”

#writing #ua #xw #jr #bg3 au

[bearpillowmonster]

I know you see Moana 2, this year no less, but really it's not all that exciting. One of the reasons Moana was so good in the first place is because it was from Jon Musker and Ron Clements, who literally made the Disney Renaissance and Moana was their last film. Plus we had Lin Manuel Miranda basically at the top of his game because this made the most name for him, only after did he get all these other hit roles to play in the music department or even acting and well, none have hit as hard, so he's apparently not coming back.

I'm not discrediting whoever takes these people's place, I'm sure they do great work, which the director was already announced and he also did Raya which...brings me to Disney's most recent track record. They just haven't been doing so hot with good movies, I think maybe Encanto actually made a splash and everything else has been received mostly poorly. So who's to say how Moana 2 will be any different.

They also announced a series of other projects that were in the works and their release dates with Inside Out 2 and rough years for other sequels and a whole frickin Disney universe in Fortnite, you think this is a joke?

But you have to realize why they're doing this, why today just all of the sudden, I mean it's just a bit odd that- OH MY GOODNESS

They're baiting you. They're trying to cover up as much as they can saying "Look, look what we have in store this year, forget all about a few hours ago and what's to come later on." It's all so obvious, it's all so planted, even talking about it makes me cringe because it obviously worked to a degree. Don't let Disney trick you, talk about how they could very well lose this battle, give them a fight.

(It was also Disney's Quarter 1 Earnings Call but it's all so coincidentally placed, tell me it doesn't have SOMETHING to do with it. They had to have known it was coming and scheduled around it or even hastily posted the stuff that should stay under wraps)

Don't give in to the shill, resist their corporate branding. I mean how blantant can it be when they flex their companies all over Fortnite, there's literally an island with Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Fox, ESPN, their flipping cruise line and Disney+, that's horrifying. How corporate can you get? Even from just a design standpoint and this is coming from a Kingdom Hearts ride-or-die, they actually take care of their worlds and properties that they choose and then incorporate it into a story without trying to straight up market to you, it's that simple, KH fans know that Disney is just the side-piece to an already delicious meal. Fortnite won't be that. It will never be that. I don't care if you can access Disney+ inside a video game to watch with your friends (doesn't that go against what you cracked down on?) I don't care what maps or characters you have and it really goes to show that they don't give a flying f- anymore.

Nintendo wanted Samus in Fortnite as well as Epic Games but Nintendo wanted it exclusive to Switch (which isn't really possible given the nature of the game) but it goes to show that they're picky about what they choose to do and they can be. Back in the day, Kingdom Hearts had to fight to even get Mickey to appear and instead we got a 2 second silhouette and it was awesome. Now they're tossing him out like candy, yeah his copyright basically expired but then we have the violence factor. You shoot people...with guns...in Fortnite. You straight up murder people then dance over their corpses which would've been the pig's behind back then, every news station would be covering it saying that it's trying to corrupt children (those darn video games at it once again) and so Mickey isn't in a fighting game. But here we are. They censored Epic Mickey so that it wouldn't look too scary. But here we are. They've given up, they'll loan out to whoever offers the money because they're weak. I know it's hard but-

Get the old regime out and bring in a new brighter future, one not so corrupted by money and corporate ideals.

#fortnite #don't let them fool you #disney #gina carano #oh my goodness #moana 2 #what a coincidence

[priyankashares]

The Metaverse Potential- A Boon for Marketers

A technology that enables the ability to create immersive digital worlds in real-time 3D, is the Metaverse. A technology that has started to erase the rigid walls of virtual and reality, is the best suited tool for Marketing, there ever was. A power to showcase, market and most importantly, the power to create experiences for any and every brand, service or product, is what makes Metaverse a one-stop solution for businesses and marketers. The Metaverse offers marketers new avenues to engage with audiences in immersive and interactive ways. Brands can create virtual spaces, events, and experiences, allowing for unique and memorable interactions. Personalized product placements and advertisements can be seamlessly integrated, catering to users’ preferences. Data collected from user interactions can refine targeting strategies. Additionally, the Metaverse enables more direct and authentic brand-consumer interactions, fostering deeper connections and loyalty.

Is Metaverse Used by Marketers till now?

Yes, a number of brands have begun to investigate the usage of the Metaverse for marketing objectives. Nike, Gucci, and Coca-Cola have all offered virtual events and experiences on platforms such as Roblox and Fortnite. Virtual fashion presentations and augmented reality try-on experiences have been tried by luxury fashion businesses. Luxury fashion labels like Balenciaga, Burberry, and Louis Vuitton were among the first to use the Metaverse for marketing and brand interaction. They’ve organized virtual fashion events, designed digital clothing and accessories for avatars, and even established a presence in virtual worlds like Roblox and Decentraland. These projects enable them to present their products in novel and interactive ways to a global audience of digitally savvy consumers. Furthermore, brands like as Decentraland have purchased virtual real estate within Metaverse platforms for promotional purposes. These examples demonstrate how brands are utilizing the Metaverse to connect with their audiences in novel ways.

Is it Just for B2C Companies?

The Metaverse’s potential isn’t restricted to B2C businesses; it also holds promise for B2B businesses. The Metaverse may help organizations interact and collaborate with partners, clients, and industry professionals all around the world by facilitating virtual conferences, trade exhibits, and networking events. Virtual environments may imitate real-world interactions, allowing businesses to showcase items, conduct demos, and engage in meaningful debates. The Metaverse can help B2B marketers by providing immersive experiences as well as chances for knowledge sharing and connection building. Some potential examples could include:

Microsoft: They have experimented with virtual events and conferences to engage with developers, partners, and customers using their AltspaceVR platform.

IBM: They’ve looked into using virtual places for meetings and events, such as Second Life and other virtual environments.

Adobe: They’ve held virtual creative workshops and events within virtual worlds to demonstrate the capabilities of their program.

Salesforce: They have engaged consumers with virtual events, exhibiting their CRM solutions in dynamic ways.

Intel: They’ve experimented with virtual product launches and technology demonstrations.

Since then, the situation has changed, and more B2B organizations are embracing the Metaverse for marketing objectives.

What Does Metaverse Encapsulate for Marketers?

Marketers can expect several things from the Metaverse:

Immersive Brand Experiences for Engagement: The Metaverse enables the development of immersive and interactive brand experiences that go beyond traditional marketing strategies. Virtual events, virtual reality experiences, augmented reality try-ons, and interactive virtual spaces can help marketers connect with customers.

Direct Interaction with Global Audiences: Direct and real-time interactions with viewers are possible in the Metaverse, enabling deeper relationships and more honest collaborations. Because the Metaverse removes geographical barriers, brands may engage with a global audience and reach new markets.

Innovative Brand Advertising & Community Building: To improve user experience, new advertising forms and alternatives can be selected and seamlessly incorporated into virtual environments. This advertising may aid in the development of brand loyalty, culminating in the formation of communities of engaged users around their products and services.

Opportunities for Personalization & Customization: Customized experiences based on user preferences can boost engagement and conversions. As the Metaverse evolves, these adaptations should allow marketers to create the virtual environment around their needs while also anticipating changes in user behaviour, platform features, and technological advancements.

Capturing Greater Market Share: Being a digital world with inter-continental accessibility would allow marketers to promote and progress their brand and its products globally, ensuring a greater market share in their industry. Metaverse would eventually create a substantial demand for their brand and its products in the global market and would also exponentially increase their revenue.

Building a Mass Market Appeal: The new-gen audience is always in search for novelty, be it in terms of brands, products or services. Technologically advanced businesses are always an attention-hogger and Metaverse being a mass appeal technology thanks to its collaborative intent, connects consumers effectively to the businesses.

Faster Brand Promotion & Growth: Being digital, the Metaverse afloats businesses globally which offers marketers the advantage of promoting their brand and its products to a wide range of consumers, resulting in faster promotion and growth of their brand.

First-mover Advantage: Early adoption of the Metaverse can help firms position themselves as innovative and forward-thinking in their sector. Being the first-mover, entails a huge potential to monopolise the market and become a market leader in the segment in a very short span.

In-depth Data Insights: Metaverse lets you understand the consumer from within. Granular data on user activity, user behavior, preferences, utilities, needs and interactions help marketers to optimize targeting strategies, understand client preferences and tap on their pain-points.

In essence, the Metaverse offers a dynamic and promising space for marketers to explore new avenues of customer engagement, but it also requires adaptability and a willingness to embrace emerging technologies.

What Should be the Immediate Step?

The immediate steps for marketers to step into the world of the Metaverse would be to understand their objectives and to get familiarized with the technology. Further, they should Choose the Metaverse platforms that aligns with their objectives, target audience, desired features, budget and accessibility. This is where ibentos Metaverse Platform shines. The platform industry-best and industry-first features like a No-Code Metaverse platform, humanized AI-powered avatars, device independence- mobile, desktop or VR and all that can be created on FREE Virtual Land. Moreover, with ibentos Metaverse Platform, you can build your own metaverse in just minutes!! So what are you waiting for, connect with ibentos today and build a staggering business empire on the Metaverse.

Experience business transformation in a different world of breathtaking immersive brand experiences at https://ibentos.com/

#metaverse #ai generated #virtualworld #technology #marketing #artificial intelligence

[angelinakraegen]

The Most Effective Water Guns Of 2023

Having the fitting water gun for any battle is vital. All water toys should not created the same, so you must find one that is the right size for you, your friend, or a family member. Regardless of which one you select, you'll be able to anticipate to have a fantastic time and to get cooled off throughout the most popular days of the yr. The first Super Soaker was created in 1982, and it shortly grew to become one of many leading enjoyable water guns available on the market. The Super Soaker uses pressurized water to create a powerful shot of water. Users of such a water gun can anticipate more accurate shots from longer ranges. Besides the look of each water gun, the Super Soaker usually holds more water before it needs to be crammed again. These water weapons are usually more accurate as nicely. During a water battle on a summer day, gamers can battle extra effectively and have extra enjoyable. Kids who use this toy could have a more enjoyable expertise than with a plastic water toy.

Inventor Emily Arndt of Lakewood, CO has created a intelligent new storage answer for play guns and ammo. When her boys were 4 and 5 years old, there could be play guns and bullets all over the house. Emily thought it could be a great thought for her sons to have their own gun secure, identical to their dad. In any case, youngsters be taught by example. Not solely wouldn't it teach them about group, it will promote gun safety. With so many gun points happening in our world, there has never been a better time to advertise this! With the Toy Orbi Gun Safe, children will learn to respect their toy guns and ammo by placing them in a protected place once they're performed enjoying with them. No longer will NERF guns and foam bullets be all around the home at the top of the day. Now not will it's a must to repurchase bullets when your baby loses them either! All toy guns, equipment, or different special objects can now be stored in one convenient space. The invention additionally promotes gun security. A passcode field will allow a child to choose their own code with the intention to get into the protected. The front door has a battery-operated LED mild. Also included are a book of stickers so a toddler can personalize their safe and a gun safety booklet written in a childs vocabulary. Able to be taught more in regards to the Toy Gun Safe? Contact us NOW for additional data or for manufacturing, retail, wholesale, distribution, or licensing opportunities!

"Is there an unlocked gun in your home?" Capacity: 15 ounces Privacy Policy When Were Water Guns Invented The gun is stored unloaded and locked up Super Soaker Twister Fortnite TS-R Nerf Super Soaker Water Blaster

Know the boundaries of gun-safety training: There are several programs supposed to teach youngsters how to safely handle a gun. While such programs could present a framework for educating young folks about gun safety, research has proven they do little to stop accidents. Ask other dad and mom if they've a gun in their residence: Before dropping your little one off at another residence, ask the parents if they've an unlocked gun on the premises. Many gun house owners aren't more likely to broadcast their ownership, so it's necessary that parents make a point to ask. Parents often talk about allergies, pets in the home or different questions on supervision, and including this query is encouraged. The ASK (Asking Saves Kids) campaign gives dad and mom ideas to start out the conversation. Be cautious of guns marketed as "childproof": Firearm manufacturers have introduced new expertise that is meant to make guns tougher for kids to operate. While these options have the potential to save lots of lives, they are not foolproof. No matter whether a gun has this expertise, firearms ought to still be properly locked away to stop child access. Explore quite a lot of healthcare news & tales by visiting the Health Lab home page for more articles. Want prime well being & analysis information weekly? Sign up for Health Lab’s newsletters right now!

There are a number of kinds of psychology programs available, together with a Ph.D. Psy.D. in clinical psychology. Ensure the program you choose is accredited by a recognized body. Complete a supervised internship: As a part of your graduate diploma, you have to to finish a supervised internship in a clinical setting. This will give you fingers-on experience in diagnosing and treating kids with psychological disorders. Get licensed: In all states, psychologists are required to be licensed. Requirements differ by state, but sometimes embody a certain variety of supervised hours and passing a licensing examination. Consider additional specialization: If you’re fascinated by working particularly with youngsters, consider pursuing additional specialization in baby psychology. This may include additional coursework, internships, or certifications. As a child psychologist, you may work in a variety of settings, including personal apply, faculties, hospitals, or research institutions. You can even concentrate on specific areas, comparable to developmental disabilities, trauma, or behavioral disorders.