Dispatch is a superhero workplace comedy where choices matter. Manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who to send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships, and your own quest to become a hero.

Dispatch is a superhero workplace comedy where choices matter. Manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who to send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships, and your own quest to become a hero.

The Fall of Mecha Man | Dispatch – Episode 1: Pivot

First Day on the Job | Dispatch – Episode 2: Onboard

Someone’s Getting Cut | Dispatch – Episode 3: Turnover

Blonde Blazer or Invisigal?? | Dispatch – Episode 4: Restructure

Bar Fights and Secret Identities | Dispatch – Episode 5: Team Building

Keep Up | Dispatch – Episode 6: Moving Parts

Invisigal Reveals the Truth | Dispatch – Episode 7: Retrospective

It All Comes Down to This | Dispatch – Episode 8: Synergy

Dispatch is a superhero workplace comedy where choices matter. Manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who to send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships, and your own quest to become a hero.

Dispatch is a superhero workplace comedy where choices matter. Manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who to send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships, and your own quest to become a hero.

Dispatch is a superhero workplace comedy where choices matter. Manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who to send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships, and your own quest to become a hero.

Dispatch is a superhero workplace comedy where choices matter. Manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who to send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships, and your own quest to become a hero.

Dispatch is a superhero workplace comedy where choices matter. Manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who to send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships, and your own quest to become a hero.

Dispatch is a superhero workplace comedy where choices matter. Manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who to send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships, and your own quest to become a hero.

Dispatch is a superhero workplace comedy where choices matter. Manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who to send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships, and your own quest to become a hero.

Big Hops is a fresh and froggy action platformer where you’ll tongue-swing, free climb, and plant veggies to build paths forward. You play as Hop, a young frog kidnapped from his home by a mysterious spirit named Diss. To get back to your family, you’ll need to gather Airship Parts scattered across the Red Desert, Open Ocean, and Shattered Mountain—all while getting roped into Diss’s strange, important job.

Pragmata is an all-new science fiction action adventure with its own unique hacking twist! It is the near future, and protagonists Hugh and his android companion Diana, must work together as they make their way through the cold lunar research station!

PowerWash Simulator is back, bubbling with fresh locations, soap-erior equipment and splashy features. Effortlessly transform soiled surroundings into clean, serene scenes, solo or with pals. Satisfaction is a spray away!

Featured games include Marvel’s Wolverine, Saros, Deus Ex Remastered, Crimson Desert, Code Vein 2, and more!

Featured games include Pragmata, Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, Street Fighter 6, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, and more!

Featured games include Super Mario Galaxy & Super Mario Galaxy 2, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Pokemon Pokopia, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, and more!

Featured games include Bubsy 4D, Denshattack!, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction, Absolum, Swords of Legends, and more!

Featured games include Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, Once Upon A KATAMARI, Octopath Traveler 0, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, and more!

Directed by: Matt Shakman
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Science Fiction / Adventure

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is easily the best version of the Fantastic Four that we’ve seen on the big screen. The cast is great, the score is absolutely wonderful, and the decision to set it on an alt-universe Earth with a retro-futuristic aesthetic allows it to stand on its own in the MCU with no prior homework required. It gets to be both a little campy at times to match its 60’s Jack Kirby comic book origins, while also creating very real and relatable stakes for the family and their world.

The Fantastic Four is known as “Marvel’s First Family.” They’re a group of four astronauts who acquired superpowers after being exposed to cosmic rays during an adventure in space. This origin is wisely told in the form of a flashback montage for those unfamiliar with the story without wasting precious screentime for those who know these characters well. First Steps begins 4 years after their cosmic incident, where the team is already well established as public figures and a loving family of four that’s about to welcome a fifth.

The chemistry between the cast is thankfully the strongest part of the movie, with some of the best moments just being conversations between them. Pedro Pascal is forced to tone down his usual charm to portray Reed Richards, whose intellect often conflicts with his emotional understanding. Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm serves as the story’s emotional center and foundation of the team. Ebon Moss-Bachrach brings a warmth and heart to Ben Grimm, and though I had my initial doubts with the choice of Joseph Quinn for Johnny Storm, he delivers the expected, though somewhat tempered, attitude of the Human Torch. Even Galactus, a character whose appearance could come across as too goofy to adapt, is perfectly executed here. His size and presence are often terrifying, made even more so by the vocal talent of Ralph Ineson.

Unfortunately, for everything it does right, there are a few aspects that keep First Steps from really reaching the next level. Ben Grimm is the most likeable member of the team, but probably has the least amount of screen time. They introduce an arc for him, but it doesn’t really go anywhere satisfying. They start to play with the idea of hero worship and public perception, but that too gets quickly resolved in favor of the larger story. A quick backstory is established for Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer, but the resolution of her arc lacks the emotional punch it could’ve had. In regard to the action, there’s a decent amount of sequences that look cool, but they generally lack any standout moments that’ll truly “wow” you. Even The Thing’s inevitable shouting of his catchphrase doesn’t inspire the cheers that it should.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a solid entry in the MCU, and fortunately one that stands on its own. Sporting an incredible cast, score, and aesthetic, it’s only slightly hindered by unrealized potential in certain aspects.

Fallout stars Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, and Walton Goggins. Athena Wickham of Kilter Films also executive produces, along with Todd Howard for Bethesda Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks. The series cast includes Moisés Arias, Sarita Choudhury, Michael Emerson, Leslie Uggams, Frances Turner, Dave Register, Zach Cherry, Johnny Pemberton, Rodrigo Luzzi, Annabel O’Hagan, and Xelia Mendes-Jones.

SERIES SYNOPSIS

Based on one of the greatest video games of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. Two-hundred years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind—and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Commentary (exclusive to the physical release)
• Animated Content – A step-by-step career walkthrough with a focus on what really matters, produced by Vault-Tec executive Bud Askins.
• Becoming The Ghoul – Award-winning actor Walton Goggins plays not one but two central characters in Fallout. This in-depth look highlights the dichotomy of The Ghoul and Cooper Howard, and their long journey from past to present.
• Console to Camera – The Fallout universe has a rich legacy with tens of millions of fans around the world. Go behind-the-scenes of Prime Video’s new series and explore how and why, after nearly three decades, it was the perfect time to make the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. leap from game to screen.
• Creating the Wasteland – The VFX team for Fallout breaks down the various ways, mostly practical, they brought the Wasteland to life.
• Inside Season One – Go inside the making of Season One.
• Meet the Filmmaker (and fanatic) Jonathan Nolan – Todd Howard and Bethesda Game Studios waited over 25 years to find someone with the ‘Profile’ to bring their iconic universe to life.
• Prosthetics & Makeup Gone Nuclear – Let’s face it – when it comes to Prosthetics and Makeup design in Fallout, Gore and Ghouls go hand-in-hand.
• Safe and Sound – Composer Ramin Djawadi and the team behind the sounds of Fallout reflect on the many musical notes of Season One.
• Set Your Sets on 2296 – Inside the cinematography and production design for Fallout, and how Jonathan Nolan and team achieved a very specific (and unforgettable) look for post-apocalyptic Los Angeles
• The Costumes of Fallout – Costume designer Amy Westcott and the Fallout producers unpack how they brought the Fallout factions to life.
• Welcome to the World of Fallout – An atomic past creates wild new futures. The cast and filmmakers of Fallout discuss the unique tone, characters and vast world of the post-apocalyptic sci-fier, based on the beloved video game franchise.
• Writing for the Wasteland – Showrunners Geneva Robertson Dworet and Graham Wagner describe how they created the ultra-unique tone of Fallout.

Directed by: James Gunn
Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Science Fiction / Adventure / Action

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Superman is ultimately a James Gunn movie through and through, so if you’ve enjoyed his past projects, chances are you’ll enjoy this too. True to a James Gunn movie, on the negative side it’s a little overstuffed with too many characters at times, while on the positive side it’s just as frequently overstuffed with heart.

David Corenswet is possibly the most “human” and grounded Superman we’ve seen on the big screen, often wrestling between his desire to be kind and do the right thing and the seemingly inevitable consequences of making those choices. He cares about everyone and everything, going out of his way to save every life he can, no matter how big or small. While we spend only a brief time with Ma and Pa Kent, their influence on Clark’s beliefs and life choices are immediately evident.

Rachel Brosnahan embodies all the vulnerability and ambitious focus we’d want in a Lois Lane, who does everything she can to get to the truth regardless of the risk to herself. Nicholas Hoult’s version of Lex Luthor is brains over brawn, making him a formidable foil to the Man of Steel. He walks a fine line between his overconfident brilliance and his insecure jealousy. There are many other side characters throughout the movie and each one gets their moments to shine. James Gunn’s scripts tend to excel at dedicating just enough time to a full ensemble cast, and that’s no different here. Jimmy Olsen gets to be his usual comic relief self, but also serves the plot in a very important way. The Justice Gang of Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific each have distinctive personalities and relationships with Superman, and I have no doubt Mr. Terrific will quickly become a fan favorite. Even Metamorpho, as small as his role is, has a story arc that’s completely satisfying.

And of course we have to talk about Krypto the Superdog. Gunn has stated that the original script didn’t include Krypto at all, but the adoption of a rescue dog of his own changed the shape of the story. Of all the side characters, Krypto might have the biggest role, and I can’t imagine the movie without him. Most dog owners will probably agree that his depiction as both the best little guy and the most chaotic nightmare is incredibly accurate. Krypto gets not only some of the most memorable moments in the movie, but his relationship with Superman also enhances how believable they each feel.

If I had any complaints with the movie, it’s that I’m still not completely sold on Superman’s costume as it feels a bit boxy at times, and the head-on camera during some of Superman’s flights wouldn’t be my first choice, but those are pretty minor complaints. If this is the tone we’re setting for the future of the cinematic DCU, I’m very excited to see what comes next.

Disclosure: A free copy of this product was provided by Keymailer.

Step into Grandma’s slippers and wreak havoc in this physics-driven comedy where nothing stays under control—and that’s exactly the point. Fart, flop, and fumble your way through a home that refuses to behave.

Get Grandma, No! on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2362680/Grandma_No/

Announcements included Frostrail, Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, Outbound, Speedrunners 2: King of Speed, The Alters, Over the Hill, Rematch, Ikuma: The Frozen Compass, Duskfade, Katana Zero, and much more.

Announcements included a release date of June 5, 2024 for the Nintendo Switch 2, as well as game announcements for Mario Kart World, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, The Duskbloods, and Donkey Kong Bananza.

Directed by Dave Green, Coyote vs. Acme stars Will Forte, John Cena, Lana Condor, and Tone Bell. The live-action/animated hybrid film centers on Wile E. Coyote as he takes legal action against the Acme Corporation for the countless faulty products that have hindered his relentless pursuit of the Road Runner.

Gareth West, CEO of Ketchup Entertainment, said: “We’re thrilled to have made a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to bring this film to audiences worldwide. COYOTE VS. ACME is a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern storytelling, capturing the essence of the beloved Looney Tunes characters while introducing them to a new generation. We believe it will resonate with both longtime fans and newcomers alike.”

Last year, Ketchup Entertainment acquired the rights to The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, saving it from a similar fate.

Rob Logan [Twitter | Twitch]
Pumpkinberry [Twitter | Twitch]

The Wrestling Role-play Adventure

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Support The Adventures of PB and Rob by becoming a backer on Patreon or Fourthwall.

PB and Rob talk about the cats’ medication situations, No Man’s Sky, how wrestling is like role-playing, Riven, and lots of Star Trek.

Discussion topics:

• No Man’s Sky
• Pro wrestling talk

What we’re watching/playing:

• Riven
• Unsolved Mysteries
• Sweet Tooth
• Star Trek: Enterprise

Other links:

• Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder
• Wrestling Isn’t Wrestling
• WrestleMania XL: Behind the Curtain

The opening moments of Batman: Caped Crusader give you every impression that this is going to be a faithful animated adaptation of the Dark Knight. The ominous silhouette of a member of the rogues gallery, mobsters whispering about the urban legend of a bat taking out their peers, and a smoke-enshrouded fight where Batman picks them off one by one. It would be easy to think that we’re seeing an extension of Batman: The Animated Series due to the reuse of Bruce Timm’s art style, but the show makes sure to quickly separate itself when we see one mobster shot and presumably killed by another, something the network censors of the previous adaptation wouldn’t have allowed in a kids’ show.

Continuing forward, the differences become even more clear. This is not Batman: The Animated Series, nor is it trying to be. This series has much more in common with 2022’s The Batman than it does the beloved 90’s cartoon, though it doesn’t directly take place in that universe either. Gotham City feels like a smaller location set somewhere around the 1940’s. You won’t see people talking on cell phones, or even a computer in the Batcave. Some character interpretations and designs feel very faithful to their comic book counterparts, while others are completely new takes.

Let’s start with Batman, voiced by Hamish Linklater. Batman here is very cold, emotionally isolated, and utterly detached from those around him. He even refers to his surrogate father as simply “Pennyworth,” an indication of where their current relationship lies. I’m very picky about Batman voices, and Linklater is turning in a solid performance here, if a little monotone. His Bruce Wayne is slightly more upbeat in a forced way, but not quite distinct enough for my liking. I don’t blame the performance solely on Linklater though, as it seems to perfectly suit this version of the detective’s personality, a bit monotone and flat. Perhaps it’s because we’re seeing a Batman earlier in his career who’s focused more on the mission, but this take on the character lacks the humanity felt in Conroy’s beloved Dark Knight.

As for the rogues, there are some significant changes made that are likely to upset fans who were hoping to see more accurate interpretations of the villains they’re familiar with. A female version of The Penguin has been reimagined as a cabaret singer/mob boss, Catwoman is a fallen-from-grace socialite who steals to regain her lost fortune, and Harley Quinn is a psychiatrist who uses extreme treatments with her patients, often speaking more calmly and controlled than her unmasked, public persona. It’s a far cry from the chaotic, bubbly Harley who originated in Batman: The Animated Series.

I don’t mind reinterpretations, as long as they’re justifying the change by doing something more interesting than would’ve been possible with the source version. For example, in Batman: The Animated Series, Mr. Freeze was reimagined from a character that was a simple thief into a tragic figure with a completely new backstory. He’s now seen as a major player among Batman’s villains and a fan favorite. This, unfortunately, is never the case with these new rogues. The Penguin could’ve just as easily been a man in the same role, Catwoman being a spoiled former rich kid takes away any sympathy we would’ve had for her, and Harley’s change just makes her a lot less fun and unpredictable. Instead of acting as a contrast to Batman in the same way the Joker does, her supervillain persona is as dark and monotone as Batman’s is. Likewise, Harvey Dent is a bit of an arrogant jerk throughout the first season, making his inevitable transformation far less tragic.

Let’s pivot to talk about some of the high points of the series. Bruce Timm’s familiar art style is a welcome inclusion, even if the animation feels a bit stiff at times. The score is moody and fantastically matched to the tone of the show. There are also a few standout episodes among the bunch. The first, “And Be A Villain,” sees the Basil Karlo version of Clayface in a Hollywood murder mystery, while “Nocturne” explores a supernatural character who’s abducting orphans. The reimagining of Barbara Gordon as a working lawyer instead of a college student also brings something new to her character. She becomes a central player in this series, and her new role allows an exploration of the dynamics between the law, justice, and vigilantes through her relationships with Harvey Dent, Jim Gordon, and Batman.

Ultimately, Batman: Caped Crusader is trying to build its own universe with its own interpretation of the mythos, and I can’t say that it’s unsuccessful in doing that. There is a very clear mood and tone to the show, but between Batman being as two-dimensional as he is and the downgrades made to what’s largely considered the greatest rogues gallery ever, I can’t say that I had a lot of fun watching it. I’ll definitely tune in for Season 2 (which has already been ordered) to see how things evolve, but at this point my expectations have been tempered.

All 10 episodes of Season 1 of Batman: Caped Crusader release on Prime Video on August 1, 2024.

Katie hadn’t seen Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, but now she has. Hear her thoughts in this episode.

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Follow Katie Peters on Twitter and Twitch

Katie hadn’t seen Ringu or The Ring, but now she has. Hear her thoughts in this episode.

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Follow Katie Peters on Twitter and Twitch

Rob Logan [Twitter | Twitch]
Pumpkinberry [Twitter | Twitch]

The Haven Adventure

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Support The Adventures of PB and Rob by becoming a backer on Patreon or Fourthwall.

PB and Rob talk about Rob’s new kitten, a podcast returning, stories from FanExpo Boston, and watching fireworks with friends.

Discussion topics:

• Rob’s new kitten Haven
• Manhunter vs. Red Dragon discussion tease
• The Deep Dive podcast returning
• FanExpo Boston stories
• Watching fireworks with friends

What we’re watching/playing:

• Sugar
• Dark Matter
• Eric

Katie hadn’t seen Highlander, but now she has. Hear her thoughts in this episode.

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Follow Katie Peters on Twitter and Twitch

Katie hadn’t seen Mission Impossible, but now she has. Hear her thoughts in this episode.

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Follow Katie Peters on Twitter and Twitch

Rob Logan [Twitter | Twitch]
Pumpkinberry [Twitter | Twitch]

The 4 Years Later Adventure

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Support The Adventures of PB and Rob by becoming a backer on Patreon or Fourthwall.

PB and Rob talk about some unfortunate losses, PB’s dad getting arrested, aliens, storm chasing, a new job, and a new kitten.

Discussion topics:

• Rob’s dad passed
• PB’s dad got arrested
• PB’s crazy neighbor
• Rob’s car incident
• Aliens
• Storm chasing
• Rob’s new job
• An update on Gotham and a new kitten coming soon
• Update on goals set during our previous episode

Other links:

• Ryan Hall, Y’all
• Gotham’s new bird feeder and stand

Katie hadn’t seen Thelma & Louise, but now she has. Hear her thoughts in this episode.

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Follow Katie Peters on Twitter and Twitch

Katie hadn’t seen Clueless, but now she has. Hear her thoughts in this episode.

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Follow Katie Peters on Twitter and Twitch

Katie hadn’t seen Jacob’s Ladder, but now she has. Hear her thoughts in this episode.

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Follow Katie Peters on Twitter and Twitch

Katie hadn’t seen Predator, but now she has. Hear her thoughts in this episode.

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Follow Katie Peters on Twitter and Twitch

Quest Master is a dungeon maker inspired by the classics that first made us love dungeon crawling. Unleash your imagination, alone or in local co-op, to make dungeons full of puzzles, traps and monsters. Upload them for others to explore and challenge yourself with other players’ creations.

Get more information on Quest Master: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2094070/Quest_Master/

AcornBandit [Twitter]
BoosterGreg [Twitter | Twitch]

Endgame

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Book One Cover Art by Mirggles!

The Littlelands region is brimming with strange characters and magical landscapes to discover if you know where to look, for a big-headed little youngster like you every moment exploring, growing berries, searching for buried treasures, or walking through these lands can be an epic adventure.

Get more information on Littlelands: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2083660/Littlelands/

Follow Littlelands on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Littlelands

Katie hadn’t seen Weekend at Bernie’s, but now she has. Hear her thoughts in this episode.

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Follow Katie Peters on Twitter and Twitch

Big Boy Boxing is an energetic Boss Rush game inspired by Punch-Out!!, featuring fluid gameplay, wacky comedy, special abilities, stylized hand-animated pixel art, and a retro banger soundtrack!

Get more information on Big Boy Boxing: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1680780/Big_Boy_Boxing/

AcornBandit [Twitter]
BoosterGreg [Twitter | Twitch]

Skeletons in the Closet

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Book One Cover Art by Mirggles!

Katie hadn’t seen The Crow, but now she has. Hear her thoughts in this episode.

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Follow Katie Peters on Twitter and Twitch

AcornBandit [Twitter]
BoosterGreg [Twitter | Twitch]

Turning the Tides

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Book One Cover Art by Mirggles!

This might have a little something to do with expectation vs. reality. Like Captain America: Civil War, Secret Invasion is named after a well-known storyline from the comics. However, the series never reached the heights of its comic book counterpart, as the tense tale of paranoid espionage we hoped for ended up being a muddled exercise in testing how long viewers would stay tuned before bowing out.

#5 – The Marvels

Hopes were high for the debut of Ms. Marvel on the big screen after the success of her series, and to her credit, Kamala Khan was the bright spot of this movie. Unfortunately, the shortest movie in the MCU ended up feeling rushed, never leaving enough time to properly explore the relationships between Carol and Kamala or Carol and Monica. Pair that with one of the most boring villains from Marvel Studios and you end up with a movie that never reaches its potential.

#4 – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

When I think of the prior two Ant-Man movies, I think of street level action and humor. Unfortunately, Quantumania throws a wrench in that formula. Sure, there are a decent amount of laughs, but the scale gets much larger, resulting in this entry in the Ant-Man franchise losing a lot of its charm. Kang makes his big debut, which should have been more exciting than it was, reducing the next “big bad” of the MCU to another disposable villain.

#3 – What If…? Season 2

Like the first season of What If…?, there are highs and there are lows, depending on the episode that you’re currently watching. While there are definitely some fun concepts to explore here, What If…? continues to be bogged down by its desire to create a connected plot through a lot of the season. I’d prefer that they ditch the connected plot and start exploring more outlandish ideas.

#2 – Loki Season 2

Season 2 of Loki had a lot to live up to after a stellar first season. While the first half of it dragged a little slower than I cared for, the latter half picked up and concluded with one of the best visuals we’ve ever seen in an MCU project to date. I also can’t talk about Season 2 of Loki without bringing up how great Ouroboros is.

#1 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Guardians 3 is perhaps the only project from 2023 that felt like it delivered on everything that we used to expect from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It honored the journey of a group of characters we’ve grown to love while also making us laugh, cry, and keeping us engaged with its many needle drops and action sequences. It even had one of the most interesting antagonists in the MCU that we’ve seen in awhile. More of this please, Marvel.

AcornBandit [Twitter]
BoosterGreg [Twitter | Twitch]

Out of the Past

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Book One Cover Art by Mirggles!

AcornBandit [Twitter]
BoosterGreg [Twitter | Twitch]

When Extremes Meet

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Book One Cover Art by Mirggles!

In the world of gaming, where precision and split-second decisions can make all the difference between victory and defeat, paying attention to every detail is crucial. However, one often overlooked detail with a significant impact on gamers is blue light exposure. This is something especially important for gamers engrossed in epic role-playing adventures like Baldur’s Gate 3. In this recently released immersive game, players create and shape their character, delve into intricate storytelling, and engage in turn-based combat within a detailed fantasy world. While fun, this can often lead to extended gaming sessions, with a play time totaling 43 hours.

According to Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a contributor to the Harvard Health Publishing blog, prolonged gaming has resulted in many gamers suffering from vision problems such as eye strain, which can lead to headaches and poor concentration. This article explores why, for avid gamers, understanding and mitigating the effects of blue light on their eyes and overall well-being is not just a matter of comfort but a crucial component of optimizing performance and long-term health.

The advent of longer video games

The website How Long to Beat is a crowd-sourced catalog of how many hours players spend on thousands of different games. Based on the site’s overall breakdown of every game that’s been submitted on the platform, the average time it takes to finish a video game is 18 hours and 17 minutes. However, for open-world games like Baldur’s Gate 3, the average sits closer to 39 hours and 18 minutes to complete. In fact, its predecessor, Baldur’s Gate 2, can reportedly take up to 88 hours of gameplay to get through the main story and side content.

Generally, games require more and more of the players’ time. In an article by the Washington Post, Brendan Keogh, a researcher at the Queensland University of Technology, said the biggest game-makers aren’t interested in just selling copies of the games — they’re interested in holding players’ attention. Ubisoft, the studio behind Assasin’s Creed, has made the newest installment of the game more than four times longer than the original version released in 2007. At the same time, a recent report to investors highlighted the increase in overall engagement while also noting that players are spending more money on the game’s additional content.

Effects on gamers

According to UC Davis Health, constant exposure to blue light emitted by devices over time could damage retinal cells and cause vision problems such as age-related macular degeneration. It can also contribute to cataracts, eye cancer, and growths on the clear covering over the white part of the eye. There is also a valid scientific basis for the idea that blue light interrupts sleep since research consistently shows that light of any kind suppresses melatonin, and blue light may do so to an especially extreme degree.

Moreover, studies show that continuous computer gaming for even just four hours results in convergence or the ability to turn the two eyes inward toward each other to look at a close object; accommodation disturbances or a problem in maintaining accurate, comfortable focus, particularly with near work; and increased physical and ocular discomfort. In terms of mental health effects, a group of researchers from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland established a link between frequent binge gaming and lower life satisfaction, sleep quality, and more major depression and social anxiety disorder symptoms.

How gamers can address these effects

To help reduce eye strain, gamers who wear prescription glasses must ensure that their prescription is up to date. For this, Oakley has gaming-specific glasses that come in a range of styles like the black, square-framed Holbrooks or the transparent Ojector frames, which are uniquely optimized to attenuate light from OLED and LED screens with blue light filtering technology. This technology is designed to reduce 30% of LED blue light within the 400-500nm range to help the eyes stay comfortable during long gaming sessions.

The American Optometric Association also suggests practicing the 20/20/20 rule in between matches. Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Keeping artificial tears or lubricating eye drops like Visine on hand can alleviate dry eyes and redness, as well. This provides both temporary relief and further protection for strained eyes.

Ultimately, as with many other activities that have potentially harmful effects, moderation is the key. Most of the damaging effects of gaming can be improved or avoided altogether by limiting the number of hours spent in front of the screen and by engaging in healthy activities like exercising or socializing in the real world.

Article contributed by Walter C. Brown