Gaming
The Games Done Quick for Houston Food Bank was the best one yet
When the Harvey Relief Done Quick (HRDQ) event finally ended this weekend, it had raised over $225,000 for people affected by Hurricane Harvey. Organised at the very last minute by Games Done Quick, the event brought together the speedrunning community in a suitably speedy way, with over 300 applications within a day of the event being announced.
All of the money raised by the event is being donated to The Houston Food Bank, which promises to “provide food and supplies in the short term and for many months to come to residents in southeast Texas who will struggle to rebuild their lives”.
What made this GDQ event better for me, aside from the excellent cause it benefited, was the way in which it was presented. Before I get into that, however, here’s some context.
In recent years, Games Done Quick has grown from a small band of streamers into something much bigger. With two main dates throughout the year, Awesome Games Done Quick and Summer Games Done Quick have become blockbuster events for both the speedrun community and the Twitch viewer base. Both events take on the form of a week-long marathon, with highly skilled players striving to finish popular (and sometimes unpopular) games incredibly quickly. While the games are often played by a single person, there is usually a couch of equally skilled runners explaining what exactly is happening during the run.
While the increased level of exposure that Games Done Quick has experienced is obviously excellent for the various organizations that benefit from the donations, it has meant that both AGDQ and SGDQ have grown into huge events focused in a single location. As runners and fans from across the globe converge on this one spot for several days, it’s not uncommon to see a single runner playing to hundreds of thousands of online viewers as well as a large live audience in the same room.
This places a huge amount of pressure on runners, who often have to perform frame-perfect tricks while the world (and perhaps, more importantly, Twitch Chat) watches on.
The increase in popularity also means that rules have become more stringent, with organizers and runners butting heads over what can and cannot happen. While this hasn’t stopped excellent runs from occurring (mention Bonesaw to anyone who caught SGDQ ’16), it has meant some fans believe the fun has been taken out of the event. As expected, the number of controversies has grown as more and more people become involved.
This all changed during HRDQ. With the impromptu nature of the event making it necessary to be up and running quickly, runners were instead streaming from their own home rather than a central location and it showed. Many of the runners were more natural, the commentary was smoother and setup times were reduced from minutes to seconds. Not everyone had a webcam but it wasn’t an issue, you still had the game stream and voice chat explaining what was happening. The bloated bits that inevitably come with organizing a large scale event had been trimmed away and Harvey Relief Done Quick took on a nostalgic quality, throwing back to the humble beginnings of GDQ.
I don’t expect this to be the format going forward and honestly, I do enjoy the grander spectacle and hype moments that a big crowd in one room can create. I think it’s important however that Games Done Quick look at how successful Harvey Relief Done Quick was and how the smaller scale, more intimate nature of the event helped contribute to something a little different to what we’re used to.
While I hope that the two main events continue to grow and smash total donation records, it’d be nice to see Games Done Quick running more events throughout the year, especially if they have the same heart and quality that HRDQ had.
Gaming
Sony is reportedly engaged in discussions to form a partnership for a potential bid on Paramount
There hasn’t been much buzz lately about any new acquisitions in the world of video game intellectual property. According to a recent report, Sony is currently engaged in discussions with a well-funded partner to potentially acquire the renowned film studio Paramount, along with all the exciting possibilities that come with such a merger.
As reported in the New York Times (thanks, ResetEra), Sony Picture Entertainment is reportedly in discussions with Apollo Global Management, an investment firm, as per two sources familiar with the matter. In the past, Apollo had made an offer to acquire Paramount for a minimum of $26 billion, but their bid was ultimately turned down.
The terms of the joint bid are currently under discussion, and there is a chance that the two parties may decide against making a formal offer. Unnamed sources have revealed that Paramount is currently in exclusive discussions with Skydance, preventing any official offer from being made at this time. Investor opposition to the recent deal that Skydance brought seems to have been significant.
Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apollo Global Management, an investment firm, have been in discussions about teaming up for a joint bid to acquire Paramount, people familiar with the situation said Thursday. https://t.co/qN86H4y7Va
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 18, 2024
The potential impact of such an acquisition is immense. First and foremost, it would introduce adaptations of Sonic and Halo into the expanding media empire of the PlayStation platform holder. Following the announcement, Paramount’s stock experienced a significant 11% surge in after-hours trading.
What are your thoughts on the news? Is there a possibility of Sony acquiring Paramount? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
In the ongoing conflict against the Automaton invasion fleet, the Helldivers 2 players have successfully halted their advance. However, the situation has now reached a tiresome stalemate. Yet again, the machines refuse to take a break from their relentless pursuit of progress, with reports emerging of the Factory Striders being deployed in record-breaking quantities.
There have been reports of alleged machines that were supposedly encountered during Operation Swift Disassembly, which was just the beginning of a larger campaign. However, these accounts should be taken with a grain of salt, as they are unverified and seem to be more on the imaginative side. Factory Striders have gained a reputation as formidable weapons platforms that can produce more Automatons while enduring significant damage. If the machines are able to withstand such a relentless assault, it will be necessary to develop innovative strategies.
Factory Striders have made a resurgence on the Automaton front. These imposing, massive support dreadnoughts now threaten freedom and democracy throughout the galactic rim. pic.twitter.com/XRTPU7k71s
— HELLDIVERS™ 2 (@helldivers2) April 16, 2024
Have you come across groups of Factory Striders in Helldivers 2? Which strategies are proving to be the most effective in taking down these armored brutes? The Orbital Railcannon Strike will prove to be a valuable asset in the comments section below.
The recent release of Amazon’s adaptation of Fallout has ignited a renewed interest in the series and brought attention to the captivating alternate history that forms its foundation. Fans have expressed concern that the TV show’s events might be at odds with the plot of the Obsidian Entertainment video game New Vegas. Warning: Spoilers ahead for New Vegas and Amazon’s show!
Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard and Fallout TV executive producer Jonathan Nolan recently sat down with IGN to discuss the timeline. Howard was taken aback when showrunners Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet presented him with the surprising concept of obliterating Shady Sands, the bustling capital of the New California Republic, in the aftermath of the events in New Vegas. Howard eventually warmed up to the idea: “After discussing it, we realized that this could be a significant story moment that many things hinge upon.”
It seems that they had to make some tough decisions to ensure everything fell into place, but Howard emphasizes the importance of preserving the integrity of the Fallout timeline: “We take great care with the timeline. There seems to be some confusion in certain areas. However, all the events from the previous games, including New Vegas, did occur. We take great caution in that matter. We’re really pushing the limits here, but the explosions occur right after the events of New Vegas.
What are your thoughts on this? Is it up to par? Even though it may not have a significant impact on the overall quality of the games or show, it is comforting to know that those in charge are paying attention. We value your feedback and would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
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