politics
Players, pros, and politicians join in protest over Blizzard’s censorship of Hong Kong Hearthstone pro
The furor over Blizzard's ban of a Hong Kong Hearthstone pro player and apparent firing of two Taiwanese commentators has only increased since its...
Blizzard bans Hearthstone esports player and fires casters over pro-Hong Kong protest
I suppose it was just a matter of time before the current Chinese political mess spilled over into gaming, but it's done so now:...
For Science: Study suggests racial stereotyping underpins campaign to blame real-world violence on video games
Academics have found a way to make the media and politicians' spurious blame of video games for real-world violence look even worse than it...
Predictably, the ESA rebuffs UK call to ban lockboxes, citing nebulous transparent lockbox plan
Yesterday, we covered the UK government’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee panel report on addictive technologies: Readers will recall that the lengthy...
Recapping the whole 38 Studios mess as Curt Schilling contemplates run for Congress
You folks remember 38 Studios, right? The studio at the heart of one of the most scandalous fiascos in the whole MMO genre? It's...
The APA rejects link between video games and real-world violence
We're probably preaching to the choir with this one, but did you know that there is still no proven link between video games and...
TV networks block Apex Legends esports tourney broadcast following mass shootings
In what is being explained as a move of "respect for the victims and all those impacted" by recent mass shooting events in Texas...
US Federal Trade Commission outlines the agenda for a lootbox-related workshop on August 7
Conversations, studies, and outright rancor over video game lockbox practices have caught the notice of several world governments as readers of MOP already know,...
Working As Intended: We’re all full up on moral panics right now, but thanks
It's no great secret that MMORPG fans fall toward the middle of the age spectrum, given the history and peak of our genre. This...
Lawful Neutral: Mr. Krabs’ Wacky Bucks and currency in online games
I used to watch Spongebob religiously. I loved the days when I could put on Nickelodeon and have Spongebob on for hours. One of...
Jordan bans PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, plans to ban Fortnite and others
The Jordanian government has announced that the country's Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) has officially banned PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. According to a report from Jordanian news...
League of Legends is blocked in Iran and Syria due to US embargo laws
The politics of the real world have impeded the possible solace or distraction of a video game. It appears that League of Legends players...
US Senator Bernie Sanders publicly offers support for game worker unionization
That dull, wooden hammering you hear in the background is the attachment of planks to platforms. With the US 2020 presidential campaign season drawing...
Lawful Neutral: Why Josh Hawley’s lockbox regulation Senate bill is dead-on-arrival
There's a special place in my heart for lootboxes and exploitative monetization, and that place is somewhere below the revulsion I feel for Martin...
World Health Organization’s gaming disorder classification causes discord within South Korean government
The World Health Organization's recent decision to recognize gaming disorder as a mental health issue in the most recent revision of its International Classification...
‘Gaming disorder’ has been officially added to the World Health Organization’s ICD-11
The World Health Organization has officially adopted a revision to its International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11) to include "Gaming...
Anti-lootbox Senator claims gaming lobbyists are getting worried; Nintendo pulls mobile titles from Belgium over lootboxes
It's a day that ends in "y" and so that means some fresh lootbox-related news to share with you fine folks!
First up is an...
US Senator takes aim at lockboxes and pay-to-win with ‘Protecting Children From Abusive Games Act’
The gamblebox issue isn't dying down any time soon, it appears. As Kotaku first reported, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley has announced he plans to...
Academics argue WHO’s ‘gaming disorder’ classification could cost South Korea billions
Over the last couple of years, we've been covering the science behind gaming addiction and more specifically the World Health Organization's attempt to insert...
Daybreak’s definitely-not-owner Columbus Nova is back in national news again
Does it ever seem weird to you when companies involved in gaming show up in big political dramas in the real world? Because it...
