Howdy, gaming lovelies! The end of summer has arrived and the impending fall is filling me with sadness. This week’s game news doesn’t do much to help either, so I’m adding smidges of light and fun. Think of them as my digital cupcake of happiness to you. So grab a cuppa something yummy and read on for the news!
Riot Games: The Quest for Equality Begins
Last month, Kotaku published an expose after a long investigation on the sexism built into the culture at Riot Games. Yup, that Riot Games, the ones who developed League of Legends. This week, Riot Games posted their plans for their “first steps” on their website. Additionally, they hosted workshops at this weekend’s PAX West for women and nonbinary folks interested in working in the game industry, which, of course met criticism on being “reverse sexist.”
We’ve listened and now we’re ready to share our next steps. We know we can’t solve these issues overnight, but we have immediate and long-term actions planned to build a new Riot that is inclusive and fair for all. Learn more here: https://t.co/XpvuwAh1TC
— Riot Games (@riotgames) August 29, 2018
Listen, I’m always happy when a company decides to take a hard look at itself and its culture. But honestly, I’ve heard promises before. Quite frankly so have those in the comments railing against “hiring a woman, just because she’s a woman” have too. Real, honest change takes hard work and time. I’ll be cheering Riot on from the sidelines, but I’m not holding my breath until their actions let me believe it.
Epic 33-player Fan-made Game of Thrones Tabletop Game
Game designer Defy Danger has released their latest game, Aegon’s Conquest, and it’s available for free at DrivethruRPG. Beware, Iron Throne seekers, that this megagame is not for the faint of heart. Thirty-three players divide into teams representing the eight lordly Houses of Westeros and even a Commander of the Night’s Watch. A mere several hours’ worth of play will help you gain the power your kingdom needs to unite the fractured Westeros.
ANNOUNCING the release of AEGON'S CONQUEST MEGAGAME! Grab this FREE gaming bonanza based off of the A Song of Ice & Fire series. This is a THIRTY THREE PLAYER team-based competitive tabletop game. The time is ripe to conquer Westeros under your banner!https://t.co/FJG82HjxGx pic.twitter.com/dA557JqKAd
— DEFY DANGER – competitive ttrpg 🐲🎲⚔️🤼🏅 (@DDEAdventures) July 31, 2018
Three Artists Detained and Denied Entry
Traveling internationally from Europe, three artists on their way to Wizards of the Coasts HQ for a concept meeting were detained and eventually denied entry over their visas. The incident originally was posted on Twitter from one of the artist’s perspective.
This is what happened:
Please don't point fingers. It's a very complicated situation and we are figuring out what exactly went wrong and why. Mostly, we are tired, scared, glad and overwhelmed. A huge thanks to your support and love. pic.twitter.com/c9hadptU8f— Titus 'ÒwÓ' Lunter (@TitusLunter) August 27, 2018
Wizards of the Coast has posted a response under their Magic: The Gathering Twitter account and has been referring gaming news organizations to it.
(1/2) This weekend, artists consulting with Wizards were unable to enter the United States. Wizards staff are in contact with them and they are currently safe and at home.
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) August 27, 2018
The Keyblade in Real Life!
After subjecting you to gorgeous LARP photos over the years, my love for props should come as no surprise. If process makes your heart go pitter patter, then I have a treat for you! Man at Arms Reforged is a working forge that makes replicas of all your favorite gaming, sci-fi and fantasy weapons. This week they added their latest build of this Kingdom Hearts‘ classic.
Other Gaming News You Can Use
- Video games as classical music
- In the name of children’s eyesight; proposed online gaming restrictions in China
- The subtle resistance of the WW2 era board game, Occupation
- Calling all London folks: Weather Factory launches Coven Club to help connect women in games
Games Bleat
Welcome to Games Bleat! I’m Kael, you local gaming alchemist, and I’m over here brewing caffeinated potions to help me recover from PAX West. Luckily for you I accidentally added some mandrake and got these fresh deals instead!
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The fumes from my alchemical experiments also gave me these visions of brand new releases!
Divinity: Original Sin 2, a turn based RPG with an engaging storyline and some strategy elements, is coming for Xbox One and PlayStation 4! I played through the campaign on PC with a friend, and I cannot overstate the joy of doing everything you can to break the game together! It’s rare to find an RPG that offers the customization of Dragon Age or Skyrim in multiplayer (though it’s just as fun to play solo, I promise).
Next is Claws of Furry, a riff on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, but with cats. A team of up to four players gets together to beat their way to their captive master. All that’s great, but what really gets me is the phrase “unlockable outfits” hidden in the description!
Finally I have Sol Hemochroma, an enigmatic visual novel about “blood, alchemy, and warm beer.” I gotta be honest, I have no idea what this game brings to the table, but it looks really cool, and I’m excited to dive into it!
Well, that’s it for this week’s bleat! I’ll catch you next time, when hopefully this this phosphor headache will have cleared up.
Community builder, artist, convention organizer, gamer, geek writer Women Write About Comics and Sidequest. Product Maven at Almost a Game. Owner, Bittenby Studios.
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