Tag Archives: players

Who Will Purchase MP3 Players in 2025? The Limits of Music Streaming | Gadgets

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wI was just 18 when I got my hands on a Minidisc player, which had seen better days in terms of popularity. While it might not have been the most “fashionable” choice at the time, I absolutely loved it. I vaguely recall picking up packs at Poundland, building a vibrant library of affordable music before Spotify even existed.


This week, as I published articles about the MP3 players that revolutionized portable audio technology, I reflected on how they ultimately overshadowed my beloved Minidisc players. To be fair, MP3 playback is merely one of many file formats supported by modern digital audio players—perhaps a more fitting term.

For a period, I sensed that music streaming didn’t quite satisfy my needs. Yes, the ability to access an entire music library at your fingertips is a technological marvel, but it also leads to “choice paralysis” akin to being a child in a candy store. More crucially, it’s not your music.

Frustration with Algorithms

While exploring modern players for this piece, I found that I’m not alone in feeling disconnected from today’s streaming landscape. Chris Laidler, office manager at Advanced MP3 Players, provided insights into the type of individuals who opt out of the streaming norm—my kind of people.

When he began his career in 2017, his customers largely comprised a niche audiophile community, “pursuing high-resolution audio as a hobby,” he shares. These were people “more invested in technology than in music.”

However, since the onset of Covid, this clientele has expanded to include more casual buyers. For some, nostalgia plays a role, but there are also more practical motivations.

“It liberates them from the algorithm,” Laidler explains. “They seek out music on their own terms. This also means they have a device to store the music they genuinely own, rather than subscribing to Spotify.”

For true audio enthusiasts, smartphone audio simply falls short. “Consider your phone’s size,” Raidler gestures, “which features only a small DAC [digital-to-analog converter].” On the flip side, a dedicated MP3 player offers an entire setup designed for optimal music reproduction. And yes, that includes a standard wired audio jack—take note, Apple!

Generally, some acknowledge the steep entry price, even if they appreciate the concepts. For reference, my investment landed around £650, but top-tier technology can soar into the thousands. However, don’t fret! My more budget-friendly pick, the impressive Snowkey Echo Mini at £66.99, provides great value. After a certain price point, you’re more likely chasing a specific sound signature than an evident leap in quality.

The Tyranny of Choice

Ironically, as you try to make a selection, the abundance of options can mirror the overwhelming experience of scrolling through Spotify. “At audio trade shows, visitors come equipped with notebooks, taking notes on each player’s characteristics and prices,” Laidler recounts. “Yet, when you see these same individuals returning the following year, and you ask them, ‘So, which one did you choose?’—they’re still undecided.”

Should I opt for an older MP3 player? They have limitations in terms of storage, file format compatibility, and warranties. “From a nostalgia standpoint, they’re fantastic,” says Raidler.

“I enjoy showcasing these vintage players during our exhibitions and meetings because we can’t access them easily; perhaps we should even start a museum!”

This Week’s Selection

Editor’s Choice




Is it raining at the parade? It’s not about wearing the right clothes. Photo: Cicy/Getty Images/Istockphoto

You step out into glorious sunshine only to arrive at an office that resembles a death chamber. Your inexpensive emergency umbrella keeps flipping inside out. Yes, autumn weather is back with a vengeance. How do you maintain style amidst potential downpours? Fashion writer Charlotte Gornor has all the solutions for adding a layer of sophistication to any outfit, including waxed hoods and stylish caps.

Monica Hollige
Associate Editor, Filter

In Case You Missed It…




A few replacements and a little hydration of your beauty routine can repair summer’s damage. Photo: Westend61/Getty Images

Let’s be real: Have you overlooked rinsing your hair every time you hit the beach this summer? Did you miss applying sunscreen to every part of your body before venturing outside? And are you hoping to prolong that summer glow? (All three apply here.)

Hayley Spencer’s guide offers remedies to heal your skin, hair, and nails after a sun-soaked summer. We’re especially fond of this drunken elephant scrub, which not only helps remove dead skin cells and debris that can clog pores, but also enhances moisture penetration, ensuring your skin remains hydrated and radiant. More glow, please!

Get Involved




What’s your secret to kicking off the day right—a cup of coffee or a breath of fresh air? Photo: Stephen Chong/Aramie

Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, what’s your secret to enhancing your mornings? Waking up to a radio alarm instead of your phone? An amazing cup of coffee? Some gentle stretches? Or perhaps an eye mask that grants you an extra 30 minutes of sleep? Share your thoughts by replying to this newsletter or email thefilter@theguardian.com.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Everything Rises: How Games Empower Players to Address Real-World Issues

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The demonstration opens with the success of lawyer Kuiri, who has just presented an argument in court advocating for the rivers of a fictional Indian city, Mujiris, to possess the same rights as individuals. Kuyili cites legal precedents, noting that businesses can represent themselves in court just as people do.

The thrill of this landmark triumph is short-lived, as a massive oil spill contaminates the river, igniting flames and releasing toxic smoke that engulfs nearby areas. Realizing the catastrophic impact of such pollution, Kuyili and her team embark on an investigation.

Everything Ascends is fundamentally a deck-building game centered around oral debates. To equip for crucial discussions, we initially dispatch Kuyili and her colleagues to gather insights from community members. These excursions will yield your game cards. Claim cards evoke different emotions, each holding varying credibility depending on the gathered information. For instance, if you assert that a company’s illegal waste disposal causes river pollution, you can challenge the other party; yet, if this claim lacks supporting evidence, it may be dismissed.




Oral sparring… everything rises. Photo: Speculative Agency

Initially, there’s much to grasp, but card-based interactions showcase the multitude of directions conversations can take. The Developer Speculation Agency draws inspiration from courtroom comedies like ACE Lawyers, where exclamations like “Object!” resonate! Achieving your aim is not always guaranteed here.

“Engaging in conversations involves partnering with others,” remarks Niels Monshower, co-founder and producer of the Speculative Agency. “In Dutch, we use the term gesprekspartner, which means conversation partner, emphasizing shared dialogue.”

Throughout conversations and information collection, characters expend emotional energy. This energy relies on what they can draw upon to either engage in behavioral actions or simply stay informed. “Observing the world around us brings about shared pain,” states story director Megna Jayance. “Every interaction, however, can instill feelings of empowerment, strength, and joy. Many people strive to make a difference. Don’t isolate yourself. Organize and collaborate. That’s where strength lies.”

Everything Rises isn’t confined to India. Each chapter illuminates environmental challenges in different global regions and highlights local resistance efforts. “We haven’t finalized our choices yet, but we’re considering Puerto Rico, the Netherlands, and possibly Nigeria,” shares Monshower. “The initial focus is on pollution, corporate exploitation, and corruption in local governance. Additionally, we are exploring themes like biodiversity loss, climate change, and seabed destruction due to mining.”




“Inappropriate joy”… Everything rises. Photo: Speculative Agency

The Speculation Agency is preparing a Kickstarter campaign to fund the game, aiming to include countries where the developers reside. A significant influence for the studio is Joost Vervoort, an associate professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, who specializes in the intersection of gaming and sustainability. Vervoort’s Research Group Anticiplay has already examined how to integrate climate crisis themes into the game, aiming to empower players with factual insights about climate activity.

The team identified considerable room for improvement in how games address real-world issues. “In our initial discussions, we noted two primary categories of games tackling climate change, pollution, or social disruptions: Green God Games and Toxic Wasteland Games,” notes Monshower.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/2SCawl2XRWo?wmode=opaque&feature=oembed" title="All Will Rise – Official Kickstarter Trailer | Wholesome Direct 2025" height="480" width="854" allowfullscreen="

“Toxic Wasteland Games depict an inevitable collapse as the backdrop, conveying a message of despair. Green God Games place you in the role of an all-powerful entity deciding where to position the magical machine that cleans the pollution. Hero.”

Tackling such heavy themes can be challenging, but Jayance insists that the game is fundamentally enjoyable. The team even described it as “improperly joyous.” “It’s easy to argue that feeling joy in today’s world is inappropriate,” explains Jayance, who has leveraged his position in the gaming sector for advocacy. “Yet, Joy Powers Transformation. Likewise, anger is a prevalent emotion in the game. However, as a team, we believe that hope is the most constructive political reaction to the challenges we face.”

Ultimately, Everything Rises aims to demonstrate that it’s never too late to engage in activism, despite the formidable challenges that may arise. “Our ideal outcome for the game would be if someone felt inspired to take action,” said Jayance. “Activism encompasses more than just participating in demonstrations; I hope people feel encouraged to explore their options.”

Everything Rises is scheduled for release on PC, with the date yet to be confirmed.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Elite players’ psychological profiles revealed using AI by analysts in the soccer world

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“This players didn’t show enough fights. “When you hear Pandit’s post-match reaction, you can hear a variation in the sound bite.

In an age where soccer is increasingly leaning towards data to demonstrate physical attributes, it is difficult to provide statistics that accurately show players’ psychological qualities, such as emotional control and leadership. However, Premier League clubs, including Brighton, use techniques aimed at helping them choose and recruit.

Thomas Tuchel made headlines by telling England players to communicate more after assessing their interactions in the Euro 2024 final, but counting the players and talking to each other on the pitch, showing that only a portion of the mental battles are featured.

Former Norway and Denmark top flight defender Yo Amankwa is at the heart of the push for a better psychological evaluation of players. “When you take your eyes off the ball, it’s a treasure trove of information,” says Amankwa, who also works as a critic. “You can’t just ignore the tactics and look at the psychological parts of the game and the player through this lens, and you can’t see it. It’s a subtle, nonverbal message to show whether the player is very confident, aggressive, or a bubble of his own.”




“It’s impossible to just ignore tactics and look at the psychological parts of the game,” says Yo Amanka. Photo: Shipa/Aramie

Amankwah uses the example of a player who blew a 20-yard shot into the stands, and after 45 seconds he receives a comforting putt behind him from his passing teammate. It’s a fleeting moment that may be overlooked or overlooked by fans, the media, and even the coaching team, but for a former expert, it shows a quiet sense of leadership. “I know the clues and small actions you need to learn to function effectively on the football pitch,” says Amankwa.

Over the past six years he has worked with psychology professor Geir Jordet to analyze thousands of hours of match footage from around the world, including videos of all players from the Premier League and Women’s Super League. As a result, we have a dataset containing over 100,000 unique observations. This allowed the duo to create proxy rankings for players across different types of behavior via Duo (Inside Out Analytics).

This information can show whether the defender’s emotional control is in the top 5% of the league compared to opponents and teammates in the same position. As Jordette puts it, “It’s a new world. This map gives clubs a benchmark. You can see certain behaviors and count the number of times that occur in certain situations, but most can blind you to what it means.

“It’s hard to understand the exact meaning of them, but we’re no longer blind because, for this type of behavior, in this situation, if you compare all the players of this player in this Premier League, this player is in the 90th or 10th percentile.”

Bayern Munich is one of several major clubs trying out the platform, adopting technology in his time as head coach of Julian Nagelsmann. “All departments [in a club] You put numbers on the table, but psychology isn’t,” says Max Perka, a former Bavarian psychologist. [what is happening] On the pitch. ”




Max Perka (left) and Julian Nagelsmann worked together at RB Leipzig before moving to Bayern Munich. Photo: DPA/Aramie

Following Nagelsmann from RB Leipzig to Bayern, Perka worked with Jordet and Amankwa to analyze roughly 25 Bayern games in the second half of the 2022-23 season.

After each match, Pelka blocks detailed observations of each player’s posture, head movements, and hand gestures, leaving some elements of the body language monitored by Amankwah’s analytics team to a one-page summary of the side’s psychological performance. The data was one of several information sets that Nagelsmann and his assistants should consider before choosing a side.

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“It was another variable that added to my idea of ​​choice,” Pelka says. “They could think if they really wanted a leader on their back four or if they wanted something else. [personality] option. ”


Players can also access an analysis of what Yoldett calls “the character of the game.” Perca said: [to play]. It doesn’t happen overnight, but if you have a starting point on how things look on the pitch, it’s much easier to work on. ”

Perca uses some of the techniques he employed in Munich to analyze Brighton’s players’ on-field behavior. He does not frequently monitor Fabian Hürzeler’s team, but the key board of the process is the same, with Brighton’s head coach reviewing a summary of key psychological “actions” on his part.

Jordet and Amnankwah are increasingly using artificial intelligence over manual coding, which consumed most of the pair’s time. “Soon there’s little limit to the number of teams you can analyze at any time, and we’ll actually start notifying the club about new signings in the future. “Yes, this seems like a good signature” or: “From our perspective, given these metrics, there’s a big red flag here and that’s what you might want to see.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Monster Hunter Wiles: Unveiling a New World Through Nature Documentary, Pet Lizards, and Spy Players

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m
A favorite thing about Monster Hunter is that despite its name, it often feels more like a prey than a predator. Armed with swords several times with your own size and weight, you often go beyond time to become an incredible creature in this action game. The weather will often beat you at Monster Hunter Wild next week. As storm clouds gather, the daily hunt of relatively unthreatened creatures brings you a scary lightning dragon that will eat you for breakfast. The monsters intertwined with each other, tearing them with their teeth and claws as they turn their tails towards the hill.

Over the past few weekends, players have practiced Wilds in the Beta Test, trying out exquisite character creators and several hunts against the scary lions (doshaguma) and overgrown poisonous chickens (gypseros). As someone old enough to play these games on the PlayStation 2, I’ve been distorted uncomfortably with my fingers with my fingers as the PlayStation appeared in portable during the overseas grades of Japan. Ta. What was once a hard, dense game that hid all the thrills behind the barricades of a Mushroom Rally Quest, is now fluid, charming and globally popular. The 2018 entry, Monster Hunter World, broke Capcom records, reaching sales of 203 million people.

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Ryozo Tsujimoto, the series producer and son of Capcom founder Kenzo Tsujimoto, has been with Monster Hunter since the early 00s, when Capcom’s online gaming designer. Obviously it still excites him. He is in front and center of many Wild promotions. “It’s really good to see our team play so many people playing games at the same time,” he told me at a recent Tokyo Game Show. “There are many things we can discover by watching players pick up and try out the game. It’s something we don’t see in our own tests. So we can see how players are responding. And we have some masks of the developer team at the booth.”

The main innovation in Wild is how monsters interact with each other. Previously, herbivores were Potter about herd grazing, but only the addition of the current generation consoles has been able to create a seamless ecosystem where teams meet each other and get caught up in the war on the grass. “To have the creatures travel together realistically is challenging in terms of making it look plausible,” says Wiles manager Yuya Tokuda. “If they all moved perfectly in sync, it would be a bit creepy and unconvincing as animal behavior in the pack. But if each monster was a complete wildcard like before, then it would be. It would be unacceptable to keep everything together. While each creature has personality, hitting the balance between herd and puck actions is a lot of work, and we do nothing I had to make sure not to do that.”
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Pro Players Share 7 Tips to Level Up in Call of Duty Black Ops 6 | Call of Duty

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LJust guessing, did you recently purchase Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, wander into the multiplayer mode, and find yourself being brutally beaten by hundreds of teenagers with suggestive usernames? Don’t worry. That’s completely normal. Call of Duty has always been an arcade twitchfest of the online shooting scene, but Black Ops 6 has a whole new feel thanks to its omni-movement system that lets you dive, roll, and sprint in all directions. And all weapons have been completely redesigned. As Olivia Rodrigo said, it’s cruel.

So I asked two talented professional players, Ethan “Fifakill” Pink and Liam “Jukeyz” James, for some tips. Instead of laughing and pointing at me, they agreed.

use the correct gun

If you’re new to CoD, stick with assault rifles or submachine guns [SMGs] – These are suitable for Black Ops 6’s small maps and intense engagement speed. “My favorite assault rifle” [AR] Probably Model L, but very good experts agreed not to use it, so we moved to AMES,” Jukeyz says. “The SMG is either the Jackal, which is fun to use, or the KSV, which is more difficult but way too powerful.”

Fifakill, on the other hand, recommends Kompakt 92. However, if you are a mid-range player, I think the Model L Assault Rifle is a very good option. It takes time to unlock, but it’s worth the effort – Super TTK [time to kill] and very low recoil.


Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Photo: Activision

Become a gunsmith

The Gunsmith is where you can make modifications to your weapons, which are essential to gaining an advantage in combat. “For the majority of players, it’s best to start by reducing recoil,” Fifakill says. “Focus on attachments that reduce load” horizontal Recoil – If your gun bounces up and down, it’s pretty easy to fix. But left and right makes it more difficult when you’re trying to track enemy players.”
Jukeyz prioritizes aim-down aiming speed (how quickly you can move the gun into the aiming position), but also suggests installing a vertical foregrip to counter recoil. “I also recommend Gunfighter Wildcard,” Fifakir added. “With eight attachments per gun, you get it all: better movement, bigger magazines, less recoil.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Wimbledon Incorporates AI Technology to Safeguard Players Against Online Harassment

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The All England Lawn Tennis Club has become the first to use artificial intelligence to protect Wimbledon players from online abuse.

The AI-driven service monitors players’ public social media profiles and automatically flags death threats, racist and sexist comments in 35 languages.

High-profile athletes who have been targeted online, including former US Open champion Emma Raducanu and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, have previously said they had to delete Instagram and Twitter (now named X) from their phones.

Britain’s number two, Harriet Dart, said she sometimes uses social media just because of the “hate” she sees online.

“I think there’s a lot of positives to take from this match,” Dart said after her win over British number one Katie Boulter on Thursday. [social media] But there was also a lot of negativity. If I opened the app today, I think I’d get a lot of hate, whether I won or not.”

Tournament director Jamie Baker said Wimbledon had deployed social media monitoring service Threat Matrix, developed by AI company Signify Group, which will also be rolled out to the US Open.

Baker said: “This is not something that would be found in the public domain. It’s not something that we would be shouting about, but we basically scroll through social media looking for this type of content and it means we have access to information that we wouldn’t have had access to before.”

“We’re not just going to rely on players to tell us what happened to them, but if there’s anything that we feel is of concern, then essentially our security team will step in and actually help address that.”

He said the AI-driven service is also supported by people monitoring accounts, and players can opt for a more robust service that scans for cheating and blackmail via private direct messages.

Baker, a former British number two, said Wimbledon would discuss the abuse with players and then report it to technology companies for removal or, if necessary, to police.

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Explaining how the service works, Baker said: “If there’s an issue that we feel is of concern or worth reporting, we’ll ultimately communicate with the player and then work through the next steps. The benefit of this service is that it allows us to officially register the situation with the appropriate personnel.”

“But we can’t take those steps without actually engaging with the players and their teams and finding out what’s going on.”

World Rugby also uses the service, and in April an Australian was charged after a referee and his wife received threatening and abusive messages via Facebook during the Rugby World Cup.

Wimbledon said Threat Matrix conducted an investigation, monitoring more than 1.6 million public posts from X and 19,000 Instagram comments sent to 454 players competing in various professional tennis tournaments in 2022, and found that one in four players had been the target of abuse. 546 offensive posts were identified from 438 accounts.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Players miss out when they are unaware of the real sales numbers of their consoles

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TJim Ryan, the outgoing boss of Sony’s gaming division who joined Sony several months before the release of the original PlayStation, gave an interview. Official PlayStation Podcast Last week, in honor of his retirement. He talked about his PlayStation 5 as potentially Sony’s “most successful console ever on multiple vectors,” but interestingly, he didn’t specify what those vectors actually were. did not do it. How much time did you spend playing? What will individual players spend? Sales? We’ll have to try a little harder to get past the 160 meter total length of the PlayStation 2, but so far around 55 meters have been sold.

Regarding the total number of PlayStation 2 units, this is actually the first time I’ve heard the number 2024 on this podcast, even though the PS2 was discontinued in 2013. The last official number we had for the PS2 was “over 155 million units.” ” As of March 2012, this figure is still being quoted. Sony’s own website. Ryan claims that 160 million was celebrated as an internal sales milestone, but Sony never actually announced it.Industry Analyst Daniel Ahmad I did the back of the envelope calculations. This confirms the sum, but it begs the question. Why didn’t Sony actually tell anyone how many PS2s they sold?

The gaming industry as a whole is bad at telling someone how much something sold to an actual human being. In the old days, publishers would announce the number of consoles and games they “shipped”, but this was not how many were purchased by customers, but how many were sold to retailers. All publishers are now performing Jim Ryan-esque feats of obfuscation across multiple vectors. Activision is the prime culprit year after year with its ridiculous Call of Duty metrics. That means fastest turnover, highest first week gross, most player time, and most games played on opening weekend.

Xbox hasn’t told us how many consoles it sold for over a decade. I had to look into 2K’s financial reports to find out that the PS5 beat the Xbox Series S/X two to one. Instead, Microsoft is emphasizing user numbers, subscription revenue, and “growth” (though it’s still growing in the Its growth has been somewhat lacking recently, as I pointed out as a justification for the layoffs.

The culprit: Call of Duty maker Activision is one of the worst companies to report actual numbers. Photo: Activision Blizzard

As for Steam and other digital storefronts, you never know. Steam didn’t make it easy to see how much an item sold for.Leave it to a third-party service steam spy Estimate sales by collecting data from user profiles. In some cases, individual developers may publish numbers that cannot be independently verified. Apps and mobile games are similarly mysterious, being tracked by independent companies such as: data.ai (formerly App Annie) charges huge fees for access to detailed data.

In the UK, ChartTrack was reporting accurate sales statistics for all games and consoles. He wasn’t able to do that until around 2008, when downloading games started to become the norm. In the US, NPD Group tracks both physical and digital sales, but relies on the cooperation and self-reporting of game publishers. Currently, Nintendo is one of the three game console manufacturers that publicly, regularly, and accurately. Report your own sales In quarterly financial results.

You might think, “Who cares?” What is his 5m on PS2 between friends? And it’s true that I find this lack of transparency especially annoying because I’m a journalist and I want to know the answer. But because sales are not reported, companies can spin a narrative that doesn’t match reality to please the market and shareholders. They can claim success based on the metrics that best support their story.

That’s at least interesting I would like to know how many games have actually been sold. This is a matter of historical significance and part of the history of the industry. Sales tell us about changing tastes, trends, and tendencies. And as the past year or so in the gaming industry has shown, people’s lives depend on these numbers.

It could be argued that 10 years ago, the gaming industry was in the midst of a transition towards digital sales and revenue, and many developers and publishers simply didn’t have access to accurate numbers and were still producing internal reports. . That seems hard to believe now, especially after Microsoft accidentally leaked large amounts of its own data during a lawsuit with the US Federal Trade Commission last year.

It seems absurd that we don’t know how many people actually buy the most popular (and least popular) video games and consoles in the world…and we don’t know how many PS2 units are sold. I had to wait 12 years.

what to play

Just our cup of tea…a screenshot of Terry Kavanagh’s simple and surreal ‘A Proper…

Our gaming correspondent Keith Stuart wrote about Downpour a while back. Downpour is a simple game creation software that allows anyone to create games on their mobile phone using images and hyperlinks. This week’s pick is his 5-minute wonder on the platform. proper cup of tea By Terry Cavanagh, who also created the absolutely perfect action game Super Hexagon many years ago. (This fact makes me happy.)

The purpose is simple. Make your own beer. I laughed out loud twice on the train at the many surreal endings. I found this game very amusing, but my partner’s reaction to it was even more amusing. He made tea just once, in his own very special way, and then he retired believing he had won the game.

Available on: just tap this link on your mobile phone (or Click in your browser)
Estimated play time: 5 minutes

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Keza MacDonald takes a weekly look back at the world of gaming

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what to read

Downtool…Nintendo’s Super Mario Maker servers will be shut down next month. Photo: Nintendo

  • As you may know, Nintendo will be shutting down servers for its older consoles, Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, on April 8th. In response, a group of super-skilled Mario players set themselves the seemingly impossible task of completing all of the 80,000 user-generated levels. super mario maker. Julian Benson spoke to them as the clock ticked down on this great story.

  • employees of SegaUK studios have suffered recent job losses: Publisher 240 roles reduced He worked his way across Creative Assembly, HARDlight, Sega Europe, and sold Relic Entertainment (of Company of Heroes fame).

  • bandai namco has released three games created by students from its workforce training project Free on Steam.One of them is called muddy dog And cast you as a Pomeranian who tries to confuse you as much as possible. (You may remember that Namco’s game design students were responsible for some of the better Katamari Damacy.)

What to click

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AviaGames, maker of casino app, faces allegations of using bots to compete against players

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AviaGames, the Silicon Valley-based developer of popular casino apps such as Bingo Tour and Solitaire Clash, is facing a class action lawsuit alleging users were tricked into playing against bots instead of similarly skilled human players. was woken up.

“Avia users collectively wagered hundreds of millions of dollars to compete in what Avia claims is a game of ‘skill’ against other human users,” according to a lawsuit filed Friday in the Northern District of California. .

“But as it turns out, the entire premise of Avia’s platform is wrong. Rather than competing with real humans, Avia’s computers are not competing with real humans, but rather with computer “bots” that can influence and control the outcome of games. Input and/or control the game. ” the lawsuit alleged.

The stakes are high because Avia’s products are among the most popular apps on Apple’s App Store and Android’s Google Play Store, according to the complaint.

At the time of Friday’s filing, Avia’s Solitaire Crash, Bingo Crush, and Bingo Tour were the second, fourth, and seventh-ranked apps in the casino category, according to the complaint.

“Avia’s games are games of chance and constitute an unauthorized gambling operation,” the complaint alleges.

The lawsuit, which seeks class action status, was filed by Andrew Pandolfi of Texas, who estimates he has lost thousands of dollars on Avia games. And Mandy Shawcroft of Idaho says she has lost hundreds of people.

This includes all other affected players who participate in the game using the Pocket7Games app, which can be used to access multiple casino games.

AviaGames is a privately held company based in Mountain View, California, which recently raised cash from investors in 2021 in a deal that valued the company at $620 million.

According to Sensor Tower, it has 3.5 million monthly active users.

Judge Beth Rabson Freeman said there appeared to be evidence to suggest Pocket7 was using bots.
Pocket7Games

AviaGames did not respond to calls regarding the class action lawsuit.

The player’s lawsuit follows a patent and copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Avia rival Skillz Games against AviaGames in 2021, which is still pending in court after the alleged use of bots came to light. be.

Skillz says that because AviaGames is actually a bot, it can quickly match players for its games and take market share away from Skillz, which allows customers to wait up to 15 minutes for an opposing human player. claims.

Skillz’s lawsuit against AviaGames took a turn in late May when, during discovery, AviaGames turned over nearly 20,000 documents covering internal communications in Chinese, according to court filings. Skillz translated them and allegedly found evidence that AviaGames was using bots.

AviaGames founder and CEO Vickie Chen said in an affidavit that Pocket7 does not use bots in its games.
linkedin

Skillz is seeking communications between AviaGames and its lawyers regarding the bot, and according to court filings, Judge Freeman last week set standards for viewing some of the communications that Skillz was required to turn over to AviaGames by Friday. The court ruled that the requirements were met.

Andrew Labott Bluestone, a New York City medical malpractice attorney who is not involved in the AviaGames case, said the law gives plaintiffs the right to give judges access to lawyer-client communications. He said it was rare.

“judge [who reviews the privileged information first] You must find out why a crime or fraud may have been committed. ”

If a defendant is asking how to protect themselves from charges of crime or fraud, it’s about protecting attorney-client communications. However, a judge can unseal it if the judge determines that the conversation involves fraud or facilitation of a crime that has not yet taken place.

“You need to understand that the defendant was seeking advice on how to avoid getting caught.”

If a Pocket7 player is playing a bot, they may not have a real chance of winning.
Pocket7Games

Asked last month about allegations that the company’s app uses bots, an AviaGames spokesperson responded in writing.

“The allegations against AviaGames are baseless and we are committed to supporting our diverse, growing, and very satisfied community of gamers and addressing these false claims at the appropriate time and place in the legal process. We are confident that we will prevail in this case.”

“While we are unable to comment on the details of ongoing litigation at this time, the charges brought are baseless and AviaGames looks forward to refuting these unjust and baseless accusations in court.”

AviaGames raised funding in August 2021 at a valuation of $620 million.
Pocket7Games

“AviaGames stands behind its IP, unique game technology, game design, and management team integrity. Avia provides an accessible, reliable, and high-quality mobile gaming experience for all players. We are the only skill-based game publisher that offers a seamless, all-in-one platform for

Some players have long suspected that the game is rigged. There is a Pocket7Games/AviaGames = Scam Facebook group.

“Because Pocket7Games is blocking people who are speaking honestly about their fraudulent practices, we felt it necessary to create a group to hold them accountable for their actions and warn others.” said group organizer Caitlin Cohen on Facebook.

“It’s completely cheating. After you are cheated the first time and win, you are placed in a win or lose slot after you get your score. They pick who wins in the group matches and the one-on-one games. ” Gretchen Woods said on Quora in March. “Sometimes you see common players that you’re matching up with. That’s a sign that they’re manipulating the outcome.”

Source: nypost.com