Engadget: Google is testing a way to start streaming games from search results. “One thing that will help bolster adoption of cloud gaming is by making it as easy as possible to fire up a game. To that end, Google is testing a way to start playing something with a single click from search results, even if it’s not on the company’s own Stadia platform.”
Chrome Unboxed: How to create your own indie game for free on your Chromebook using Godot. “For those of you who are interested in getting into game development and only own a Chromebook, I’m starting a series of posts which will show you how to use different software and web applications to begin dabbling in the world of indie game dev. These will mostly be teaching you what options are available to you and how to get them up and running.”
Input Magazine: Dior’s debut digital clothing arrives through Gran Turismo 7. “Dior is revving up for its first digital clothing project. The luxury label has partnered with racing game Gran Turismo 7, one of the longest running franchises in the gaming world, to bring its styles to the virtual world. The digital collection was designed by Kim Jones and will include avatar skins and a customized vintage car.”
News@Northeastern: The Future Of Historical Tourism Is On Your Phone. “In Malden, Massachusetts, history always sits just beneath the surface–sometimes all it takes is a cell phone to uncover it. That’s the premise of ‘Chronosquad,’ a new augmented reality game that takes players on a guided historical tour through the streets of Malden, a small city north of Boston. It’s an unconventional way to expose the city’s 373 years of history, but one that cities and tourism companies are now using to attract tourists in the age of COVID-19.”
University of Montreal: Video games: posing in 3D. “What’s the best way to get 3D characters in videogames to look real and expressive? Two computer scientists at Université de Montréal have come up with answer: use simple bitmap sketches to make their poses more lifelike.”
PC Gamer: Google denies rumor that Stadia is shutting down. “Google has formally denied a rumor that its Stadia(opens in new tab) gaming service will soon be closed down, saying that it is still ‘working on bringing more great games to the platform.’” If I were Google I’d say the same thing no matter what my intentions were. You can always abruptly cancel it and cite “extraordinary market conditions” etc. Who can gainsay that?
CNET: Google’s New Multiplayer Doodle Game Celebrates Petanque. “Google’s latest multiplayer game is set to appear on the company’s search page on Sunday and pays homage to Petanque, a sport similar to bocce and lawn bowling. Invented in the South of France in 1907, Petanque is a leisure activity played by friends, as well as a competitive sport played around the world.”
Gamerant: Rumor: Google Stadia May Be Getting Shut Down. “Google Stadia hasn’t been as successful as the Internet super-giant wanted it to be. While the game streaming service did end up getting its foot in the door for a little while, it hasn’t been making waves since its release, and many have theorized that Google would end up scuttling the service entirely in the relatively near future.”
US Department of State: Gamers Around the World Celebrate Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage at the United With Ukraine Game Jam. “This videogame development competition was organized by GovTech Poland, in cooperation with the Cultural Heritage Center from the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Over two days, the jammers, representing 22 countries, came together virtually, and in person, to create working prototypes for new video games that celebrate and support Ukraine’s cultural heritage.”
Washington Post: Popular block game ‘Minecraft’ says no to NFTs and the blockchain. “Mojang Studios, the Microsoft-owned developer behind the wildly popular procedurally generated sandbox game “Minecraft,” announced Wednesday that NFTs and other blockchain products would not be supported by the studio or allowed in the game.”
Brunel University: National Gallery creates immersive experience for families on Roblox. “A magical augmented reality family trail at the National Gallery has been adapted into a free at-home experience for Roblox, the global online platform connecting millions of people through shared experiences. The Keeper Council is a family-friendly experience launching this summer where aspiring museum ‘keepers’ from all over the world learn about the Gallery’s paintings and curate their own art collections.”
New York Times: Fighting a Brutal Regime With the Help of a Video Game. “Opponents of the coup in Myanmar have flocked to a new online game that lets players shoot virtual soldiers while raising money for the real-life resistance.”
MakeUseOf: 5 Sites Where You Can Download Old PC Games for Free. “Modern gamers have an unrivaled bounty of free games. Many of the most popular online games use the free-to-play model to entice users. There are free games on Steam, in your browser, and on your smartphone. However, you don’t always want the latest AAA title or free battle royale. You want to scratch the nostalgia itch. Luckily, there are a host of websites dedicated to precisely this: the love and preservation of old games. Here are the best sites where you can download old PC games for free.”
Mashable: ‘Heardle Decades’ lets you guess all the ’80s and ’90s bangers . “Heardle Decades takes the song-guessing Wordle variant to make individual music guessing games based on songs from the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. It’s not an official Heardle offshoot, so has nothing to do with Heardle’s new owner, Spotify, but it plugs into the streaming site.”
WIRED: How I Accidentally Broke My Doomscrolling Habit. “AS READERS OF this column know, there’s no shame in a mobile game. Despite the fact that at one point in my not-too-distant past I’d been embarrassed about my consumption of corny phone games, Merge Mansion captured my soul and in the process transformed my relationship with mobile gaming and social media. Tuning in to Merge Mansion made it possible for me to tune out doomscrolling.” Currently on level 3125 of Kitten Match and not ashamed.
