On the video-game calendar, summers are for surprises. Compared to the first and last few months of a year, when the buzziest games receive much-anticipated releases, the summer months can seem like doldrums. But in practice, that means there's more room for last-minute announcements, indie titles (which eschew a rigid release schedule and can arrive at any time) that could steal the spotlight, and the occasional Beyoncé-style drop of a new game that you can play right away.
Quite a lot has been going on:
April was another big month for video games sales - CNET
Video Games Sales Soar to New April Record Amid Coronavirus | Digital Trends
Video game sales continue to skyrocket with people all over the world staying home to follow social distancing requirements due to the coronavirus pandemic. April was a record year for game sales, according to analyst company the NPD Group.
Game sales were up 55% compared to April 2019, reaching a total of $662 million, according to NPD Group’s latest report, with Final Fantasy VII Remake taking the spot as April’s top-selling game. This brought it up to the third highest-selling game of 2020 so far and the best-selling gaming on the PlayStation 4 this year.
Here Are All The Video Game Deals For Sony's Huge 'Days Of Play' Sale
Days of Play 2020 brings big savings on select PS4 games and accessories, as well as discounts to PS ... [+] Plus memberships.
If you're looking to re-up your PlayStation Plus membership, purchase a new game headset, or grab a few extra PS4 games for the summer you might want to wait until June 3rd.
While the company hasn't announced every game that's going to be on sale just yet—there are a bunch of ten dollar PlayStation Hits that aren't in the following list—we do have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Many things are taking place:
Nintendo Switch Sets Huge Sales Record As Video Games Soar During Lockdown
You may have heard that people have been playing a lot of video games during lockdown. We've had anecdotal data to support that so far, with increased traffic on networks, sellouts, social chatter and more. Now, NPD has some numbers for us, and they're massive. Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch all increased more than 160% compared to April 2019, and the Switch broke the Wii's record for highest year-to-date dollar sales for any hardware platform.
Sales seem to be up in all measured segments, from accessories to game cards, in-game purchases and software. The top selling game for the month was Final Fantasy VII Remake , which set a series record. It was followed by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare , lifted by the free-to-play Warzone , and Animal Crossing: New Horizons . Software increased 55% compared to April 2019 to $662 million, setting a new record for the month.
A history of sex in video games: When has it crossed the line?
Given the roots of the games industry really took hold in the seventies, sex has been folded into the medium from the very beginning. Some of the earliest console games involve pixelated depictions of sexual conquest — take, for example, the Atari 2600 game X-Man , in which a nude man navigates a labyrinth to find his paramour. That game ends with the player attempting to please the blonde woman by wiggling the Atari's joystick.
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It's worth noting that, in many of the examples of modern games that include sex, the act itself is not interactive. The player controls the character on the way there, but doesn't "take part" in the activity. There are exceptions, though — the aforementioned Kratos, the rather awkward Heavy Rain love scene, and of course the 'Hot Coffee' mod, which we'll get to in a moment.
ESRB Issues Labeling Requirement for Video Games Containing Loot Boxes | Perkins Coie - JDSupra
The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) issued a new labeling requirement for games containing “loot boxes” in April 2020. As discussed in more detail below, these games must be labeled with “ In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items) .” “Loot boxes” are common in the video game industry and refer to in-game virtual items that players can purchase with real money.
The ESRB has clarified that that this new requirement applies to games that include “loot boxes, gacha games, item or card packs, prize wheels, treasure chests, and more.” The European equivalent of ESRB—Interactive Software Federation of Europe’s Pan European Game Information rating system— introduced a similar labeling requirement for games published in Europe: “(Includes Paid Random Items)” on the same day that the ESRB guidance was published.
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