Friday, March 29Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Tag: gaming

Toxicity and the Darker Side of Gaming Culture
Culture & Literature

Toxicity and the Darker Side of Gaming Culture

Games have always been a way to escape reality, but unfortunately some take that escapism too far. The anonymity of online gaming presents a shroud of misconceived ‘free speech,’ which many take advantage of to spout abuse at others. Unity found that 7 out of 10 players say they have experienced some form of toxic behaviour in online gaming communities. Toxicity can include, but is not limited to, sexual harassment, hate speech, threats of violence and doxing. Of course, there’s a fine line between banter with friends and toxic behaviour. Spurring someone on to play better may be fine, but if hate speech becomes involved this is where the toxic culture rears its ugly head. Unity found that women were less likely to engage in voice chats, and that when they did the toxic sexism put them...
Civilization 6 And Learning About Climate Change
Science & Technology

Civilization 6 And Learning About Climate Change

I think Civilisation 5 is tied with Animal Crossing as one of my most played games. I have put around 400 hours into Civilisation 5 and most likely 100 hours in Civilization 6. I love the series and importantly its recent DLC adds another element to the game that is an important modern issue.  The Civilisation games are an empire-building, turn-based strategy game. You take a pick from over twenty historical nations and leaders. You then lead your nation from the Stone Age into the Information Age. While growing your empire you also progress to your ideal victory; will you dominate the world with your army or your religion, or be the first space fairing nation, or will you be elected as the world leader? The choice is yours.  To add to the micromanaging of building and e...
Life is a Battlefield
Science & Technology

Life is a Battlefield

It is undeniable that there is a need for diversity and equality in anything created in the modern day. However, there is still a question as to whether this holds in the recreation of historical events that were dominated by white males. This debate has been forced back into the public's attention after the release of the trailer for DICE’s upcoming Battlefield V. Promising to be the most realistic World War II first person shooter game, Battlefield V is said to allow gamers' to explore “unseen locations and untold stories”, creating the most genuine representation of the gritty realities of the war. Consequently, when the trailer first premiered with the inclusion of female soldiers the creators received a lot of backlash. Some fans of the previous Battlefield games took to the intern...
Magic the Gathering Grand Prix London
Science & Technology

Magic the Gathering Grand Prix London

On 26 January, the Magic the Gathering Grand Prix 2018 arrived in London, hosting artists, traders and tournaments throughout the weekend. Magic the Gathering was created by Richard Garfield as the first trading card game published in 1993 by ‘Wizards of the Coast’. The game can be played by two or more players in multiple formats within two categories: constructed and limited. In 2015 the MTG community consisted of over twenty million players from 13 years plus and continues to thrive through a multinational market. The London Excel arena hosted gamers from around the world turning up to play in tournaments, meet artists, and buy, trade or sell cards to a large range of vendors. Simon George, a magic player from Norwich who attended the event, stated, ‘I had a great time, sadly I was n...
A Year Of Gaming In 2017
Science & Technology

A Year Of Gaming In 2017

What better way to wade into the new year than by taking a seat atop the imaginary mountain and looking back on the gaming world of the last year. In terms of an overall outlook, 2017 was one great year for the industry, but not without its low points. Let’s take a look at both the upsets and the glorious moments. Some unexpected ventures Let’s get the negatives out of the way first, shall we? Sadly, certain titles of 2017 failed to live up to their hype, falling victim to the infamous loot box and micro-transaction plague. While the situations are being revised, the community’s thoughts surrounding the monetisation depth of titles like   Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and Destiny 2 are ones which, are fearful of the future. Going into 2018, let’s hope the combined voice of the players and...
Online Gaming: Redefining Social Interaction
Science & Technology

Online Gaming: Redefining Social Interaction

Over the last two decades, the world that surrounds the gaming industry has expanded undeniably, often leading the way in social and technological developments. Often, there has always been a negative stigma associated with gaming and young people, where people feel that playing video games deprives you of social interactions. In today’s society, the phrase ‘social interaction’, has a complex definition, particularly with online gaming communities providing their own take on what it means to express yourself socially. So, does gaming really have an effect on mental health? Online gaming communities are paramount to exploring this question, with multiplayer gaming being at the very forefront of the games industry, its social impacts are hard to ignore. Millions upon millions of people sh...
MCM London Comic Con: An Event Round Up
Science & Technology

MCM London Comic Con: An Event Round Up

MCM Comic Con Expo 2017, a place for gamers, cosplayers and pop culture lovers to let their hair down. If you have never heard of it before, MCM is the place to celebrate nearly everything surrounding pop-culture, from bagging yourself some exclusive memorabilia to dressing up as your favourite anime character. The expo was in the London Excel arena this October and here is a quick round-up of the event! If its merchandise you’re looking for, then MCM was the place to be, everyone had something to offer, from international conglomerates to the individual market sellers. Most notably, Game had their own pop-up store, selling all your favourite titles, console accessories and brand merchandise. Funko, the makers of the popular Pop-Vinyl toys, also had a professional set up, with exclusive...
PC Gamer Weekender 2017 – Review
Features

PC Gamer Weekender 2017 – Review

The PC Gamer Weekender has appeared once more and was something of a surprise success. The marketing for the event was ever present and something Insanity Radio 103.2FM assisted with. However, the event’s success was due in part to the large amount of games on show, as well how well it was run with different talks and discussions occurring at regular intervals. The organisation of the event was done in way where you could weave in and out of different areas with ease, allowing you to know where certain places were and how to get to them. There were several virtual headset demos on display. I had the chance to try out the 'Killing Floor: Incursion' which is a game taking place in the Killing Floor universe and is a side story of sorts. However, they used the Oculus in way that allowed yo...
Clannad: A story about family
Science & Technology

Clannad: A story about family

*DISCLAIMER, HEAVY SPOILERS FOR CLANNAD VIDEO GAME AND ANIME FRANCHISE* The first thing you may notice about this video-game-turned-anime-franchise is that the word 'Clannad' has its origin in the Irish Gaelic word meaning “family”. This would initially surprise as most Japanese franchises are either written in one of the many Japanese alphabets or in English. But the idea of family is something that is vital to understanding Clannad, as it not just about biological family or even the inner circle of friends you keep, but the community that the show takes place in. In terms of the games and the anime, this means that your purpose as the character Tomoyo Sakagami is to help people in different situations and certain arcs, in what is known as a 'visual novel'. This type of game is not see...
London Anime Game Con Feb 2017
Features

London Anime Game Con Feb 2017

London Anime Game Con has once again started the convention season off for me in 2017, and with a huge bang. The event was perhaps one of the best organised I have ever had the privilege to attend and, to my knowledge, the very first comic con-style event that the Orbital has had the pleasure of covering. I was able to enjoy this convention as, again seems like a first for me, it was sold out on the Saturday, something I had never seen happen in the number of years I have attended. For those that don’t know what London Anime Game Con is, it's an event that focuses more on providing people an opportunity to meet friends new and old, allowing them to have a fun few days out in London. Often this involves playing various arcade machines as provided by the Heart of Gaming, or listening to t...