By Malaki Lingg, The University of Texas at San Antonio

The beloved ‘Harry Potter’ series has some unfortunate connections to bigotry and antisemitism.

By Kirsten Kalebich, Arizona State University

What is it about older video games that make people want to keep playing them?

By Evan Tsuei, Westmont College

The Super Mario movie raises some questions about big stars being cast for animated film roles over professional voice actors.

By Kirsten Kalebich, Arizona State University

It’s a cutesy spooky game, perfect for those who aren’t quite up to the horrors of the spooky season.

By Christian Simon, Kutztown University

The newest trends in scary video games appear to be aimed at an extremely youthful group of players, leading to some discontent among older gamers.

By Christian Simon, Kutztown University

The franchise’s recipe for success is instead a fast track to failure.

By Cassandra Jenkins, Temple University

The update introduces players to a new region, the final of the seven elements in Teyvat, an array of new characters and much more.

By Christian Simon, Kutztown University

One of Sony’s greatest mascots has hibernated for far too long.

By Janey Schmidt, Columbia College Chicago

Are you a cheater if you use one? Or is it all fair and square?

By Christian Simon, Kutztown University

Monolith Soft’s latest and greatest game should serve as an example for all roleplaying games.

By Christian Simon, Kutztown University

Consumer-ready headsets are here, but the games available disappoint even the most casual of users.

By Kirk Chamberlain, Marist College

After years of cash grabs, the gaming corporation might finally get a taste of its own medicine.

By Christian Simon, Kutztown University

Joel and Ellie’s story defined a whole generation of video game narratives.

By Christian Simon, Kutztown University

It’s time to bring this animation legend back into the spotlight, despite the concerns of long-time fans about his new role.

By Emily Elizabeth Louie, American University

After Microsoft announced its newest acquisition, the long-standing video game company found itself back under the microscope. No one was happy with what they discovered.

By Janey Schmidt, Columbia College Chicago

The arrival of the system’s newest sports game offers some nostalgia for fans of the classic Wii Sports collection.

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

The popular developer proves that solo development success is possible with his video game based on Harvest Moon.

By Jordan Oulela, University of Texas at San Antonio

As the release of its spiritual successor, The Quarry, draws near, it’s time to see how the 2015 title raised the stakes for immersive gameplay.

By Joy Young, Chapman University

The 32nd anniversary of the beloved game is a celebrated milestone by all gamers, old and new — so what makes the card game revered after all this time?

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

Many big names are deciding to opt out of renewing contracts with the streaming giant and transitioning to YouTube Gaming.

By Joy Young, Chapman University

Can an old favorite bear the weight of new excitement, or will a revamped franchise be destined for ‘game over’?

By Janey Schmidt, Columbia College Chicago

The popular battle royale game has fun and exciting additions in-store with its newest update.

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

Classes about the gaming industry can teach a variety of skills like marketing, storytelling and coding — so why aren’t more colleges offering them?

By Maximilian Padilla-Rodriguez, Florida Atlantic University

The annual expo’s recent announcement reflects its years of difficulty in surviving the modern gaming industry.

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

Video games are supposed to be fun for all, so why are people with disabilities not being considered?

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

All gamers have a reason to game, and Quantic Foundry’s test can reveal those motivations.

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

Even as the video game company struggles under the weight of multiple civil lawsuits, more still needs to be done to pressure the gaming industry into addressing ongoing sexually discriminatory business practices.

By Maximilian Padilla-Rodriguez, Florida Atlantic University

From Space Invaders to Undertale, this genre boasts a varied history of influential video games.

By Jordan Oulela, University of Texas at San Antonio

The new survival horror game promises that this year at summer camp will be unlike any other.

By Janey Schmidt, Columbia College Chicago

While the game’s limited features turn some players away, others choose to see it as an opportunity to git gud.

By Maximilian Padilla-Rodriguez, Florida Atlantic University

Livestreams offer audiences the ability to directly interact with entertainers, providing an opportunity for more creative uses of this technology.

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

This year’s presentation announced a lot of exciting future plans for the franchise.

By Jordan Oulela, University of Texas at San Antonio

Poor adaptations have become the norm, but HBO brings the production value that could make the upcoming series a success.

By Myles Allan, University of New Haven

The popular video game makes it a point to represent everyone in its audience, no matter their race, gender or sexuality.

By Maximilian Padilla-Rodriguez, Florida Atlantic University

19 years after its initial release, this game remains a masterful hybrid of genres, unlike any other.

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

While the franchise is primarily targeted toward children, grown-up players want something just for them. Here’s why that’s probably never going to happen.

By Maximilian Padilla-Rodriguez, Florida Atlantic University

By differentiating itself from its predecessors, this game raises questions about how it could lead the franchise in a new direction.

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

They’re extremely rare and fans of the game are on a mission to find them.

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

The accessibility of electronic entertainment like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley has expanded what it means to be a member of the gaming community.

By Trinity Crompton, Molloy College

With a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, this Netflix fantasy series is undeniably fantastic, but what exactly makes it so great?

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

Although romance simulations are mainly considered as games for men, the variety in the genre is immense and there is truly something for everyone.

By Daniel Reed

Which is the best?

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

As issues like misogyny and discrimination continue to inflict damage on the gaming community, this game developer is working to combat the toxicity.

By Megan Heenan, Nevada State College

Finally, fans of the video game franchise get a true cinematic adaptation that brings many of its most iconic moments to the silver screen.

By Jenna Amore, Oakland University

The pandemic caused people to dust off their Nintendos and start a good ol’ bowling match, but will the classic game reach newer consoles?

By Xochitl Menjivar, San Francisco State University

Players are reconsidering buying future games in the franchise after its recent disappointing, bug-filled release.

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

The unique medium allows storytelling to affect us deeply and make statements about our world in new ways.

By Jenna Amore, Oakland University

Trick your friends with new player roles, compete to win achievements and purchase cool accessories in the game’s newest version.

By Peyton Conner, Indiana University

As these gaming and sports memorabilia continue to appreciate in value, it is crucial to consider whether this new market is taking away fun from younger generations.

By Mai Senser, Virginia Commonwealth University

Dust off your Switches! The recently announced Version 2.0 of the beloved video game promises everything players have been waiting for.

By Jenna Amore, Oakland University

The creators of the beloved game series Life is Strange have created a new game with the first-ever playable transgender protagonist. While many are singing its praise, the majority of critics have not been kind in their reviews.

By Jayni Nielsen, Pace University

By Alice Han, Pepperdine University

While the anticipated game possesses clear similarities to other games within the Nintendo franchise, it will be introducing many new aspects to enrich the player’s experience.

By Daniel Reed

After years of anticipation, the long-awaited game proved to be a big disappointment.

By Alice Han, Pepperdine University

While the video game console has received plenty of hype from both its company and gamers alike, it may not be for everyone.

By Daniel Reed

There are many benefits of gaming in these modern times where almost everything we do is online. Let’s see what benefits gaming offers. Read more.

By Zach Spangler, University of Michigan

The transition to inexpensive titles has divided consumers and signals an ongoing trend within the gaming industry.

By Ian Linn, Oberlin College

This year’s disappointing new video game releases and hardware promotions provide further evidence of the conference’s slow decline.

By Alice Han, Pepperdine University

Two years after the release of the video game’s first teaser, Nintendo dropped a second trailer that unearths more of its features.

By Amiri Rivers-David, Pomona College

Popular shooter games can be either fun or frustrating, but that depends on the differing standards of each subgenre.

By Diamond Sears-Allen, Borough of Manhattan Community College

The only thing greater than the game’s premise of a boyfriend rap-battling foes to reach his girlfriend is the supportive and creative fandom it has cultivated.

By Amiri Rivers-David, Pomona College

The military shooter defies expectations and deceives players by having them be complicit in the actions of its main character.

By Justin Spencer, University of Texas at San Antonio

The 2021 film has its faults, but overall it does a great job of showing viewers what their favorite otherworldly fighters would be like in real life.

By Justin Spencer, University of Texas at San Antonio

By Amiri Rivers-David, Pomona College

While all games provide some sort of escape, there’s nothing quite like the adventures you can experience from the more easygoing ones that encourage exploration.

By Diamond Sears-Allen, Borough of Manhattan Community College

The newest installment in the Nintendo game series is not the best JRPG on the market, but it offers familiar gameplay for veteran fans and fresh twists for newcomers.

By Diamond Sears-Allen, Borough of Manhattan Community College

New design options and seasonal items make the charming Nintendo game more exciting to play now than ever before.

By Amiri Rivers-David, Pomona College

Historically subscription-based and expensive to create, these multiplayer online games are being outpaced by other, cheaper and more profitable genres.

By Brandon Li, Vassar College

The esports franchise has made a string of questionable decisions to remove talented players from its League of Legends team which, over time, have led to a decline in the organization’s prestige.

By Amiri Rivers-David, Pomona College

Tilt — the process of a player becoming increasingly frustrated with a game — can provide great insight into sunk cost and American entertainment.

By Brandon Li, Vassar College

More than one team has fired the professional League of Legends player for misbehavior, but he always manages to get another shot at redemption.

By Diamond Sears-Allen, Borough of Manhattan Community College

The Phantom Thieves gang is back to steal players’ hearts in the latest installment in the Japanese role-playing game franchise.

By Justin Spencer, University of Texas at San Antonio

After decades of silence, the video game series has released an exciting and violent preview for an upcoming action film.

By Brandon Li, Vassar College

The professional League of Legends player has persevered in the face of much backlash throughout his long career.

By Diamond Sears-Allen, Borough of Manhattan Community College

Many games within and outside the franchise will let daring players slay beasts and go on quests ahead of the newest installment’s March 2021 release.

By Amiri Rivers-David, Pomona College

With its reward system, various character skins and community and competitive aspects, ‘addicting’ doesn’t even begin to sum up this game.

By Brady Fitzgerald, Immaculata University

Perhaps the most beloved video game in the franchise, this 2006 release whisks fans into a universe of dreams they won’t soon forget.

By Alex Luna, University of California, Berkeley

The much-anticipated CD Projekt Red game is finally here, but last-gen console users are stuck with terrible glitches and no one knows who to blame.

By Emily Davies, Solent University

From the ‘Game of Thrones’-esque Yes, Your Grace to the revolutionary Cyberpunk 2077, here are some games worth checking out from this year.

By Alex Luna, University of California, Berkeley

As the hit franchise nears its quarter-of-a-century milestone, there are many steps Game Freak can take to bring this beloved series to the next level.

By Emily Davies, Solent University

Minecraft servers like HermitCraft use YouTube to provide entertaining content for all ages, but it isn’t always fun and games.

By Sammi Looi, Baruch College

In such chaotic times, playing games that involve the end of the world feels appropriate.

By Sammi Looi, Baruch College

Gacha games have players trading real money for in-game currency and gambling on randomized items. This new, wildly popular game is bringing more attention to the genre.

By Brady Fitzgerald, Immaculata University

While some alterations simply change your character’s skin, others can alter the layout of the game — and developers are taking notice.

By Summer Brotman, University of California, Los Angeles

The game of deception is easy to learn but difficult to master. Here’s how to avoid being killed — or if you’re playing as an Imposter, how to get away with eliminating your friends.

By Sammi Looi, Baruch College

This new co-op psychological horror computer game lets you work with a team to track down specters. Just keep your sanity levels up and watch those motion sensors.

By Brady Fitzgerald, Immaculata University

What started as a simple indie strategy horror game quickly evolved into a cornerstone of modern pop culture.

By Chris Dang, University of California, Riverside

Multiple protagonists? Multiple cities? The much-anticipated but highly mysterious GTA VI could be another record-breaking installment of the controversial series.

By Chris Dang, University of California, Riverside

YouTubers, Twitch streamers and even Kentucky Fried Chicken have already jumped on the new game’s bandwagon.

By James C. Loftis, University of North Texas

Since the popular game was removed from the App Store, Epic Games has been waging a legal battle against Apple that has fans worried for the future of their favorite game.

By James C. Loftis, University of North Texas

Especially now during a pandemic, gamers shouldn’t take for granted the social benefits the act of playing with their friends provided.

By Mitchell Tanaka, Chapman University

Compared to other art forms, video games remain relatively unexamined. These three YouTube creators, however, are working to change that.

By Mitchell Tanaka, Chapman University

Ubisoft’s upcoming addition to its popular series continues its allusions to historical and modern-day issues that have helped define the controversial franchise as a whole.

By Mitchell Tanaka, Chapman University

The unfortunate circumstances of quarantine feel oddly relevant to Hideo Kojima’s new title in a way that totally changes its meaning and purpose.

By Chris Dang, University of California, Riverside

Rocksteady’s critically-acclaimed franchise supposedly ended in 2015, but all indications point to another installment on the horizon.

By McKenna Uzelac, Columbia University

Whether you choose Kirby, Peach, Bayonetta or Dark Samus, who you select as your fighter speaks to your personality.

By Luke Gair, Sewanee: The University of the South

COVID-19 delivers a harsh blow to the popular restaurant and entertainment center, but is it the only reason for the establishment’s failure?

By Luke Gair, Sewanee: The University of the South

Countless franchises create characters an audience will admire. What happens when a player is forced to question the motives of a beloved protagonist?

By James C. Loftis, University of North Texas

After several changes and updates, the sci-fi game about exploring alien worlds is finally delivering on what it originally promised, and more.

By Janella Tibbetts, Framingham State University

The second video game based off of the popular anime series ‘My Hero Academia’ has been released, but what have they improved?