Get Your Game On: Still Reeling from the Jacksonville Mass Shooting

Welcome to GYGO! This week’s post was a hard one to write, so I’m going to dive right into it.

Content Warning: This post contains discussion of the shooting at a Madden tournament on August 26. 

Mass Shooting at Madden Tournament Takes Three Lives

Out of respect for the those involved and our readers, this report will not contain nor link to any footage or sound from the event.

On Sunday, August 26th there was a mass shooting at a Madden event in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the first of four qualifier events for the EA sponsored Madden Classic Series, and was being streamed live on Twitch at the time of the shooting. Twitch has since removed the video, but unfortunately versions of it are still being circulated online.

Jacksonville sheriff’s department confirmed three people died as a result of the shooting, including the suspected shooter. Families, teams, and fans took to Twitter to mourn Eli Clayton, a 22 year old Madden player known as “TrueBoy”, and Tayler Robinson, a father and competitor who went by “SpotMeplzzz”—both fatally injured.

There were 11 people wounded, nine from gunfire. All are reported to be in stable condition. All employees at GLHF, where the tournament was being held, were confirmed safe. The suspected shooter is believed to be a competitor at the tournament, who acted alone.

I usually like to add my own personal takes to the news I report, but this week I’m largely without words. Instead I have two tweets I haven’t been able to get out of my head since the incident, and some advice.

Talk to your kids about what they see online. At this point it’s impossible, and inadvisable, to monitor every piece of media they consume, but you can at least be there for them when they need context.

Don’t let yourself become so desensitized that this violence seems normal. Keep fighting for reform in America, or people will just keep dying.

DONTNOD Reveals More Info About Life is Strange 2

Content Warning: The trailer below contains depictions of fictionalized gun violence involving police.

In an interview with Eurogamer, Life is Strange developers DONTNOD revealed quite a bit about the upcoming Life is Strange 2‘s setting. What seems really intriguing to fans of the first game is the departure from the fixed setting of Arcadia Bay. Life is Strange 2 instead takes place on the road, with two brothers running from the law for unknown reasons.

The developers have stated that they wanted to move away from their comfort zone with Life is Strange 2. Co-director Michael Koch told Eurogamer, “Instead, we wanted to think about something which would allow us to tackle a completely different subject matter and themes.” Personally, I’m happy to see that the series is moving forward and taking risks.

Cyberpunk 2077 Releases Gameplay Footage Amidst Controversy

Cyberpunk 2077 has finally released gameplay footage of their current build. I am incredibly excited for the game, but recent transphobic comments on Twitter, as well as homophobic slurs seen in the gameplay preview, leave me wondering how far they’re pushing the boundaries of the genre. I’m all for painting a gritty, dystopian future with regards to class, but maybe think a little bit beyond the cultural climate of today when it comes to marketing.

In other news…

• Modders have found yet more secrets hidden in Bloodborne‘s code.
• Spider-Man, while not yet released, won the Best Console Game for PS4 at Gamescom!

• Blizzard has revealed the name of the newest map in Overwatch, Busan! Also… a new short!

Games Bleat

Welcome to Games Bleat! I’m Joesph, just your average, everyday games warlock. I’ve pacted with the capricious rulers of the Fey Wilds so that I can bring you new games and deals as a cantrip once per week! I’ll start off with the deals this week:

PC I, Hope $8.49 Battle Chef Brigade $11.99 Kingsway $4.99 The Guest $2.99 Last Day of June $9.99 Children of Zodiarcs $10.79 Westerado: Double Barreled $7.49 The Müll Littoral $1.00 Micro Sprint $0.64 SoulSet $11.89

Xbox NieR:Automata BECOME AS GODS Edition $37.49 Okami HD $13.99

Nintendo Hacky Zack $8.99 The Sexy Brutale $9.99 (check out our mini review!) The Flame and the Flood: Complete Edition $7.49

Also, the Humble Gaming Digital Tabletop Bundle.

And now for some new games.

First off is The King’s Bird, a momentum-based platformer that requires precision skills to master its gliding mechanics. I love a game willing to tackle a textless narrative, and the focus on gliding through stunning visuals really reminds me of Journey, albeit much less floaty in its movements.

Next is Little Dragons Café, which I’ve had on my watch list for months. This adorable game has you farming and cooking up dishes in the café, all while raising a dragon that will wake your mom from her eternal slumber. To be honest, I’m a little fuzzy on the details between, but that’s half the fun of a new game, isn’t it?

Finally I have Molecats, a game about moving the environment to save half-mole half-cat hybrids from certain doom. The puzzle mechanics strike me as an interesting twist on games like Lemmings, where you have to focus on environmental control rather than manipulation of characters. Also, it looks kind of cute in its own way.

Anyway, that’s it for this week’s bleat. I have to go recover my spell slots, but I’ll catch you next time for more eldritch deals!