Let’s skip the pleasantries. You all know the drill. Welcome one, welcome all, to another daily gaming news round-up from the one, the only, We Got This Covered. In our last round-up, we tackled ongoing Overwatch 2 technical issues (again), an exciting announcement from the Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared creators and a shocking (but not really) discovery that Overwatch Tank Hero D.Va was among the most popular searches on Pornhub — because where else would she pop up. Speaking of ‘among’, in today’s round-up, we’re mentioning the massively successful online survival game Among Us, as well as the Black community’s response to racism in gaming and taking a deep dive into the fundamental science behind video games, including their impact on children.
As always, we’re left spoilt for choice with fascinating stories in the fast-paced gaming world. Pause those games, save those files and discard those snacks. We’re going in…
Black gamers are taking a stand against racism in gaming
Unfortunately, online abuse or virtual bullying has become a consistent issue within the gaming sphere, specifically targeting minority groups such as BIPOC and the LGBTQ+ community. Hoping to tackle the rampant racism, BIPOC gamers founded Melanin Gamers back in 2018 and in July, launched a project known as ‘The Watch’, designed to flush out racism in gaming servers, forums, and other such communal areas. According to Metro, Melanin Gamers are calling on influential developers like Activision and Blizzard to instigate real accountability in-game for anyone reported to be discriminating against the BIPOC community.
Also asking for support from fellow gamers, ‘The Watch’ has released a video campaign to encourage anyone passionate about stamping out racism to join the resistance. Annabel Ashalley-Anthony, Founder of Melanin Gamers, stresses the prevalence of racism and the peer pressure involved that feeds the toxicity:
“Racism is prevalent in gaming because individuals can hide behind the mask of anonymity. If they say something, and there are no consequences, then they will say it again and again. Also, if they join a game that has a toxic culture, even if they didn’t necessarily speak like that, they will begin to assimilate to fit in.”
Studies suggest video games have been linked to premature heart attacks in children
In other gaming news, scientists are saying that gaming can kill children with undiagnosed heart issues. How, exactly? According to experts, multiplayer games such as Call of Duty are the biggest triggers for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias in youths. In a report published by the journal Heart Rhythm, according to Sky News, lead investigator and specialist Dr. Claire M Lawley said:
“Video games may represent a serious risk to some children with arrhythmic conditions; they might be lethal in patients with predisposing, but often previously unrecognised arrhythmic conditions.
Children who suddenly lose consciousness while electronic gaming should be assessed by a heart specialist as this could be the first sign of a serious heart problem.”
After conducting a study consisting of 22 cases, multiplayer war gaming was found to be the most frequent cause of cardiac arrest. In many cases, the children losing consciousness led to the diagnosis of many unchecked and untreated heart conditions within their families. While it’s been more common for children to experience severe health issues during competitive sports, these studies have indicated that gaming might not be the safe alternative that it was thought to be.
Sussy impostors will soon be able to sabotage in first-person as Among Us VR draws near
For anyone yet to purchase a VR headset, now is the time. Moving on from the more weighty news, VR fans will be ecstatic to learn that the release date for Among Us VR — originally announced back in April — is drawing near. On Nov. 10, the crewmates and impostors alike will be putting their teamwork to the test and backstabbing their friends to their heart’s delight — all from an immersive first-person perspective.
Inspired by the party game Mafia and science-fiction horror film The Thing, Innersloth’s Among Us released back in 2018, just in time for the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic that kept many countries indoors for the majority of the outbreak. It wasn’t until 2020 that Among Us received international recognition after many well-known YouTube gamers and Twitch streamers started playing it. Right now, they’re still working out the kinks, but Among Us will soon be among us.
That’s all for now! Stay tuned for another dip in the gaming news pool.
