gaming

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Gamer Gets 15 Months for 'Harmless Prank'

But Casey Viner's prank got someone killed

(Newser) - An Ohio gamer upset about a $1.50 bet while playing Call of Duty: WWII online was sentenced Friday to 15 months in prison for recruiting a prankster to make a bogus emergency call that resulted in the fatal shooting of a Kansas man by police, the AP reports. Casey... More »

US Teen Wins $3M at Fortnite World Cup

'This is life-changing for him,' says mom of Kyle Giersdorf

(Newser) - Pennsylvania 16-year-old Kyle Giersdorf plays 8 to 10 hours of Fortnite a day, but his parents aren't complaining: Giersdorf, better known as "Bugha," won a record-breaking $3 million Sunday at the inaugural Fortnite World Cup at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, USA Today reports. The contest... More »

'Gaming Disorder' Now an Official Illness

Industry groups want UN agency to reconsider

(Newser) - Video game addiction is now officially a disease. The World Health Organization added "gaming disorder" as a modern disease in its International Classification of Diseases at the 72nd World Health Assembly on Saturday, CNET reports. The UN health agency's fact page on the disorder describes it as "... More »

Coming Soon: Nation's First Esports Arena

$50M arena to be built in Philadelphia

(Newser) - The US has a lot of sports arenas, and now it's about to get its first esports arena. Comcast Spectator is building the nation's first video gaming arena in Philadelphia, Philly.com reports. The arena will be home to the Comcast-owned Philadelphia Fusion , a professional esports franchise competing... More »

Is Google's Latest Move the Future of Gaming?

Introducing Stadia, Google's game-streaming platform

(Newser) - Google on Tuesday unveiled a video-game streaming platform called Stadia, positioning itself to take on the traditional video-game business. The platform will store a game-playing session in the cloud and lets players jump across devices operating on Google's Chrome browser and Chrome OS, such as Pixel phones and Chromebooks,... More »

Fortnite Streamer Gets the Shock of a Lifetime

For ExoticChaotic, it really comes in handy

(Newser) - A Fortnite streamer was stunned earlier this week when a pretty big donation appeared on his screen, Kotaku reports. The streamer, known as ExoticChaotic, can be seen on his Twitch feed : "What a minute," he said Tuesday when he saw the number. "That can't be right.... More »

Before Shooting, Gunman Was Eliminated in Tournament

But police are not speculating about a motive in Florida killings

(Newser) - Police have identified the shooter at a gaming tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, Sunday as 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore. What they don't know is what prompted Katz to open fire in the "Madden 19" qualifying tournament, fatally shooting two fellow competitors and wounding nine others before killing himself.... More »

Before Shooting at Gaming Tournament, a Chilling Sight

Red laser dot appeared on competitor before gunfire began; 3 dead, including gunman

(Newser) - The details from Sunday's mass shooting at a gaming tournament in Jacksonville, Fla., have begun to settle: Police say a gunman killed two people and himself during the video game competition within a riverfront entertainment venue called the Jacksonville Landing, reports the New York Times . At least nine others... More »

WHO's Newest Mental Health Disorder: Obsessive Gaming

But parents shouldn't freak out just yet

(Newser) - The World Health Organization says some obsessive video gamers may actually have an addiction. In its latest revision to a disease classification manual, the UN health agency said Monday that compulsively playing video games now qualifies as a mental health condition, per the AP . WHO said classifying "gaming disorder"... More »

Excessive Gaming About to Be an Official Disorder

World Health Organization to declare it as such

(Newser) - Habitual gamers, the World Health Organization is worried about you. In its upcoming International Classification of Diseases, the WHO is adding something called "gaming disorder," reports New Scientist . A draft makes clear that the label would apply only to those whose habit consumes their lives to an extreme... More »

He Makes a Decent Living as a D&D 'Dungeon Master'

'Wired' profiles New York City's Timm Woods

(Newser) - Like a lot of kids, Timm Woods developed an intense fascination with the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Unlike a lot of those kids, the 30-year-old Woods is now making a living at it as an adult. Wired profiles the Brooklyn resident and his unusual profession: that of a "... More »

Two Ways Video Games Affect a Man's Sex Drive

They have less interest, but less of a common problem, too, says study

(Newser) - For guys who game, researchers have good news and bad news. The good news is that guys who play video games "chronically," which at least for the purpose of one new study is defined as more than an hour a day, are less likely to ejaculate prematurely than... More »

Gamer Dies 22 Hours Into Marathon Stream

Brian Vigneault, a 35-year-old father of 3, was on Twitch at the time

(Newser) - It started as just another day at the office for Brian "Poshybrid" Vigneault, a 35-year-old gamer known to spend multiple days in a given week live-streaming himself playing the game World of Tanks for 20-plus hours straight. This time, however, the Virginia Beach father of three got up to... More »

This T-Shirt Got a Video Game Actress Fired

South Korea dealing with its own GamerGate

(Newser) - A South Korean actress' voice won't be heard in two video games after people complained about a T-shirt she wore bearing an offensive slogan: "Girls do not need a prince." Not offended? Neither is the feminist network Megalia. Splinter group Megalia4 sold the shirts to fund lawsuits... More »

Women and Men Equally Strong Video Gamers

Nearly half of the gaming population in the US is now female

(Newser) - The hostility toward women gamers that was laid bare in 2014 during the GamerGate controversy extends to the stereotype that female gamers are inferior to their male counterparts. So researchers at the University of California, Davis , decided to track thousands of players in two multiplayer online role-playing games and compare... More »

Now Gamers Will Be Drug Tested, Too

After big-name player makes Adderall boast

(Newser) - If you still have a hard time buying the notion that gamers are professional athletes, maybe this doping scandal will help. The Electronic Sports League plans to conduct random drug tests at future tournaments after a big-name player 'fessed up, reports the Wall Street Journal . Anything off-limits to more... More »

Man Dies in 3-Day Gaming Binge as Others Play On

The 32-year-old in Taiwan suffered 'cardiac failure'

(Newser) - Just a few weeks into the new year and a second death blamed on binge video-gaming is being reported in Taiwan. A 32-year-old identified only by his family name Hsieh was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead after workers at an Internet cafe in Kaohsiung City went to check... More »

Amazon's Big Buy: Site for Watching Video Games

Twitch brings together millions to view broadcasted gaming

(Newser) - Amazon just bought the fourth-largest source of online traffic in its second-biggest purchase ever, the Wall Street Journal reports—but you may never have heard of the service in question. Twitch is an online channel that offers video gamers a chance to watch each other play. Amazon reached a deal... More »

PlayStation, XBox Services Hacked; Tweet Points to ISIS

Sony exec's plane diverted over threat

(Newser) - Multiple major gaming networks faced technical trouble this weekend, and reports suggest hackers are to blame. Sony's PlayStation Network was down yesterday; Microsoft's Xbox Live and Blizzard's Battle.net were among other services apparently affected, the BBC reports. Meanwhile, a Sony executive was threatened in the air:... More »

Nintendo's Way Behind on Gay Rights

Critics weigh in as company apologizes for game's straight-only relationships

(Newser) - A Nintendo game's failure to allow gay relationships is prompting a hard look at the video game industry, which critics say is stuck in the past. Studies show that players can form powerful bonds with their in-game avatars, and these virtual relationships are tied to self-esteem, writes Mark Griffiths... More »

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