NOC Interview: Quintin Smith of People Make Games on “Roblox Exploitation”

September 6, 2021 Jamal Michel

Like many games finding a surge in popularity at the height of the pandemic, Roblox has amassed a following that could rival the likes of Fortnite with its appeal to younger audiences. However, after weeks of careful research, Quintin Smith, journalist and presenter at People Make Games, discovered that Roblox frequently, and unflinchingly, exploits young video game developers on its platform.

Animation, Television, Video Games

The VO Actors of Global Majority You Need to Know: Robb Moreira

August 30, 2021August 30, 2021 Edward Hong

Over the past three years, I’ve encountered some truly remarkable voiceover actors from the PGM (People Of Global Majority) community, so remarkable that I thought it would be a worthwhile endeavor to dedicate an article about themselves, their accomplishments, and where you can find them and do so every week. When will this end? Most likely never so as I cackle at the infinite posts this may generate, I am so very happy to tell you all that my spotlight for this week is on Robb Moreira! (Banner design once again done by the incredible VO artist/graphic designer Belsheber Rusape Jr.)

Reviews, Video Games1 Comment

‘12 Minutes’ Wasn’t Long Enough to Be Compelling

August 28, 2021August 28, 2021 Bray Lawrence

It has been four days, eight hours, fifty minutes and twenty-nine seconds since I played 12 Minutes and I’ve been perplexed as to how to write this review. Normally, this would be kind of a good thing. The moment of reflection that comes after seeing something that feels profound, provoking an introspection as to why it resonated so much doesn’t happen with 12 Minutes.

Video Games1 Comment

An MLK Exhibit Came to ‘Fortnite’ and We Had a Lot of Questions

August 27, 2021August 27, 2021 Jamal Michel

Epic Games partnered with TIME Studios to bring players an exhibit commemorating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s in Washington, D.C. The timed, 20-minute virtual experience takes place inside the sandbox builder Fortnite Creative and arrives in time for the 58th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The biggest question following the reveal of the event was, of all virtual spaces, why Fortnite?

Marvel, Reviews, Video Games

‘War for Wakanda’ is Proof Black Panther Needs His Own Game Already

August 26, 2021August 26, 2021 Jamal Michel

War for Wakanda — Marvel’s Avengers free expansion — dropped last week, and T’Challa’s exploits defending his homeland from the likes of A.I.M. and Ulysses Klaue revitalize the game in considerable ways. When Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics announced their All-Access weekend ahead of the expansion on July 31, their player count spiked to over 10,000 gamers through the weekend, well above the game’s average of around 800 since its release last September.

Gaming, Interview, Video Games

Dhayana ‘MissDeusGeek’ Sena Talks Gaming, Representation, and Women of Xbox Initiative

August 25, 2021 Jamal Michel

Representation in gaming has grown in size and in demand over the last decade, and countless gamers, content creators, and advocates believe there is still much work to be done to make the space a safer one for gamers of all backgrounds. Australia and New Zealand content creator and gaming influencer Dhayana Sena, who also goes by Miss Deus Geek, is one of those advocates whose voice is making waves.

Interview, Video Games

DevTalks: Deana Galbraith and Barbara Sotolongo of Captilight Games Studio

August 22, 2021August 28, 2021 Jamal Michel

The Nerds of Color loves us some indie games and our latest DevTalk is with a studio that looks to capture Japanese culture in organic and mesmerizing ways. Path of Kami by Captilight Games Studio is a heartwarming story about family, mortality, and culture. In it, you play as the spirit of a wolf, Kazeyo, who has passed away and sets off on an adventure to navigate trials of the Mortal World.

Interview, Video Games

DevTalks: Fabien Weibel, Indie Game Developer of ‘Haven Park’

August 21, 2021August 28, 2021 Jamal Michel

Indie game development is a precious process, especially for Fabien Weibel. The animator and game developer took to focusing on his passion project during last year’s pandemic, and after pouring hundreds of ours into the making of it he finally released Haven Park this summer. We had the chance to catch up with Fabien to talk Haven Park and also his approach to creating the Animal Crossing-like game under the conditions of the pandemic.

Gaming, Video Games

Nintendo Indie World Showcase Live Updates!

August 10, 2021August 16, 2021 Jamal Michel

Today Nintendo announced a 20 minute presentation on loads of great indie titles on the Nintendo Switch. The live presentation will take place August 11 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET and The Nerds of Color blog has you covered with live updates here!

Gaming, Video Games1 Comment

Niantic Responds After Players Boycott ‘Pokémon GO’ Ahead of Significant Changes

August 6, 2021August 19, 2021 Jamal Michel

Pokémon GO, the 2016 mobile game phenomenon that spanned the globe, is currently facing a boycott. Thousands of players, and dozens of high-profile POGO influencers, believe developers are ignoring their concerns over significant quality of life changes in-game. Over the last year, Niantic, the developers of Pokémon GO, have been pivoting and adjusting to pandemic constraints with new changes to gameplay mechanics.

Gaming, Video Games1 Comment

‘Pokémon UNITE’ Reveals First Major Update

August 3, 2021August 3, 2021 Jamal Michel

The Pokémon MOBA on Nintendo Switch, Pokémon UNITE, is set to receive its first and most impactful update since its release. The game’s official Twitter page tweeted yesterday that the update would be rolling out Wednesday, August 4 12AM PDT/ 7:00 UTC, with significant balancing changes at the heart of the update.

Marvel, Video Games

Square Enix Reveals New Outfits for Black Panther in ‘War for Wakanda’

August 2, 2021August 2, 2021 Jamal Michel

T’Challa’s influence as Black Panther can be traced back to his inception in 1966 and since then, he’s made countless appearances in film, television, animated series, and more. Some of his most iconic outfits and costumes come from the Silver and Bronze age of comic books, with memorable suits like the classic all black ensemble with gloves and boots to match featured in 1976’s Jungle Action (Vol. 2) #23.

Gaming, Video Games

Summer Got You Down? These Upcoming Feel Good Video Games Will Lift Your Spirits

August 1, 2021August 1, 2021 Jamal Michel

What if Tony Hawk was actually a bird? What kind of game choices would you make playing as a postwoman in the ‘80s? Could you use your emotions to help guide a quartet in a forest? The summer has been overwhelming for the most part for many of us — from mounting pandemic concerns, to even more polarizing political conversations, it’s easy to quickly find yourself doom-scrolling for hours into the night. Thankfully, video games like Skatebird and The Forest Quartet exist to help ease our minds out of the hubbub of the real world and into the vibes of a video game experience that really feels good.

Marvel, Video Games

‘Marvel’s Avengers: War for Wakanda’ DLC Launches in August

July 29, 2021July 29, 2021 Jamal Michel

Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix have been on a tear with news and updates regarding the new DLC for their Avengers roleplaying game. While the player base has seen substantial decline since the game’s launch September of last year, the recent news about War for Wakanda has many players understandably hyped.

Horror, Reviews, Video Games

‘Mundaun’ is a Haunting First-Person Horror Game with a Dark Story

July 28, 2021July 28, 2021 Jamal Michel

The first-person, single-player horror game Mundaun is out now for Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms. It’s a hand-drawn tale of a grandson returning to his hometown for his grandfather’s funeral but upon arriving makes a grisly discovery.

Gaming, News, Video Games1 Comment

Activision Blizzard’s Toxic Culture is Part of a Larger, Ongoing Conversation about Video Games

July 27, 2021July 28, 2021 Jamal Michel

This week, employees at Activision Blizzard plan to walkout in protest over work conditions and leadership’s poor response to workplace treatment of women — particularly women of color, transgender women, nonbinary people, and other marginalized groups, according to a Kotaku report. On July 20, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a la w suit alleging that the company cultivated a toxic and sexist, “frat boy” workplace environment, and since the bombshell news dropped, scores of former and current employees, reporters, and gaming leaders have voiced their concerns over the lack of accountability on the part of Activision Blizzard.

Gaming, Interview, Video Games

Fighting Game Legend Justin Wong Talks Gaming, Fatherhood, and More

July 27, 2021July 27, 2021 Jamal Michel

When I happened upon Street Fighter IV on the Xbox 360 in 2009, it came years after playing Super Street Fighter II on the Super Nintendo and falling victim to the cheap tactics of my cousin’s Dhalsim. I had zero knowledge of fighting game mechanics like footsies, whiff punishing, or zoning, but in 2009 I was consumed by everything Street Fighter. Justin Wong was among some of my earliest impressions of the fighting game community’s most prolific figures, clashing with FGC rivals and icons Daigo Umehara, Christopher “NYChrisG” Gonzalez, and Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi throughout the early 2010s.

Gaming, Interview, Video Games1 Comment

Flightless Studios Talks New Indie Game ‘Doomsday Vault’ on the Nintendo Switch

July 27, 2021July 27, 2021 Jamal Michel

The New Zealand indie game development studio Flightless has been hard at work expanding their library of thoughtful and rich games that combine a unique experience with an imaginative atmosphere. John O’Reilly, its co-founder and creative director, said that the studio came into the indie development landscape after working on commercial projects the last few years and realized their talents could be applied to making video games as well. O’Reilly and co-founder Greg Harding, who also works as Flightless’s technical director, have made it a point to bring their passion projects to life, with titles like Element and Doomsday Vault.

Marvel, Video Games

Christopher Judge to Voice T’Challa in ‘Marvel’s Avengers’

July 15, 2021July 15, 2021 Jamal Michel

Since the passing of legend, icon, and super hero Chadwick Boseman last year, the idea of passing the mantle of the Black Panther off to anyone else has been met with understandable apprehension. The entertainment, comic book, and pop culture world was stunned by the news of Chadwick’s passing last year after learning about his personal battle with colon cancer and countless roles and activities he committed to while battling his illness.

Animation, Video Games

‘Ayo the Clown’ Details Revealed with ‘Where’s the Pup’ Video

July 15, 2021July 15, 2021 Jamal Michel

Cloud M1, the indie studio that started as a place for 3D animation projects, has built on a foundation working on commercials and CG projects for advertising and media. While working on these projects, they soon learned how their strengths could be applied to the mobile app space, publishing games and apps for iOS specifically. As huge gamers and fans of classic gaming they created Ayo the Clown, their most ambitious game to date and the first of many games to come.

Gaming, Video Games

Nintendo Updates: Switch OLED Model Pre-Orders Go Live and More

July 15, 2021July 15, 2021 Jamal Michel

Pre-orders for the the Nintendo Switch OLED Model are live July 15 at 12PM PT, with the console dropping October 8. Despite the news, many fans and gamers have continued to call out the OLED Model for features they feel should have been included in the original Switch, from the new ethernet port, to the more durable kickstand.

Gaming, Video Games

‘Hanako: Honor & Blade’ Multiplayer Game Will Launch in September

July 15, 2021July 15, 2021 Jamal Michel

The small development team at +Mpact Games is looking to make a splash with their personal, immersive samurai multiplayer game of life and destruction. Matt Canei, Team Lead at +Mpact Games, said about their new game, “As we put the final touches on Hanako: Honor & Blade we’re reflecting on the bittersweet journey we’ve shared to honor those we have lost.”

Gaming, Video Games1 Comment

‘Pokémon UNITE’ Official Release Date + New Roster Addition, Zeraora

July 15, 2021July 15, 2021 Jamal Michel

The amazing new multiplayer online battle arena Pokémon UNITE has finally announced its official release date. July 21 the game will be dropping on Nintendo Switch and fans are understandably stoked for the new brawler. With over 20 Pokémon available to choose from, the announcement also came with a new roster addition, the Electric-type Mythical Pokémon Zereora.