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U.S. videogame giant seeks next approval in China, despite controversy over punishing Hong Kong gamer

Nov 22, 2019
The Chinese gaming market is estimated at more than $30 billion, second only to that of the United States.
Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

Streaming video games are here. Does anyone want to play them?

Nov 18, 2019
Google's new cloud-based video game service debuts this week.
Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

New "Call of Duty" game expected to be the best-selling video game of the year

Oct 25, 2019
Realistic scenes of violence draw fans to the game that just keeps going.
Visitors wait to try out the latest version of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" during the press day at the 2019 Gamescom gaming trade fair on Aug. 20, 2019 in Cologne, Germany.
Lukas Schulze/Getty Images

Keeping esports athletes healthy is more than just fun and games

Aug 19, 2019
Health care professionals are starting to pay attention to people who play video games at the professional level.
James Heseltine, 20, takes the impact test. The impact test is a concussion baseline test that measures the 5 executive functions of the brain, including visual memory, verbal memory and reaction composite.
Evey Wilson for Marketplace

Delays plague China's video games industry

Mar 21, 2019
Chinese video game companies hit a snag with regulatory pause in the world's biggest video game market.
Hundreds of video game companies are fighting for the attention of cell phone users in China, where the video game market is worth more than $30 billion.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

Google's new cloud-based gaming platform will meet gamers where they are

Mar 20, 2019
Yesterday at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Google unveiled a new gaming platform called “Stadia.” Instead of focusing on a local console, the platform will be cloud-based and offer instant access to play from sites like YouTube, meeting both casual gamers and aficionados where they are. The company plans to launch Stadia in […]
Google Vice President Majd Bakar speaks on-stage during the annual Game Developers Conference at Moscone Center in San Francisco, California on March 19, 2019. - Google set out to disrupt the world of video games with a Stadia platform aimed at putting its massive data center power in game maker's hands and letting people play blockbuster titles from any device they wish.
JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images

Making a video game about your life

Mar 7, 2019
Catt Small's newest game puts the player in very familiar shoes — her own.
For Catt Small, creator of the game "Sweetheart," game development is about "trying to understand ways to communicate what it means to be a person to other people." 
Courtesy of Catt Small

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Was this the week Fortnite went from video game to social network of the future?

Feb 8, 2019
An in-game concert had a reported 10 million players watching - and dancing - at the same time.
10 million players watched Fortnite's in-game concert with electronic music DJ Marshmello.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Thanks to "Fortnite" and esports, computers are almost cool again

Nov 22, 2018
There's a minor resurgence in the PC market, a CNET editor says.
Gamers play “Fortnite” against Twitch streamer and professional gamer Tyler Blevins during Ninja Vegas 18 at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in April.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

What should streaming platforms do when acts of violence are broadcast live?

Aug 30, 2018
The fatal shooting in Jacksonville, Florida, makes esports the latest online arena to struggle with issues of violence.
Gamers compete at the Nvidia booth during the Electronic Entertainment Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center in 2017.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images