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Social engineering, it’s not just for breakfast anymore. Apparently, it’s not just for hackers anymore either. It looks like somebody’s been reading Influence by Robert B. Cialdini. Earlier this month at the Games Developers Conference in Germany, there was a disturbing panel given on aggressively going after gamers’ wallets. This is nothing new, however it became unsettling when the discussion turned to purposefully “exploiting human weakness". Teut Weidermann, lead designer of Settlers Online for Ubisoft’s Blue Byte Studio, explained how to make profit from the free-to-play business model....

Microsoft’s Phil Spencer has essentially confirmed Gears of War 5 during a chat with The Verge. The Xbox Bigwig mentioned the upcoming testosterone-fuelled shooter while discussing the format holder’s plans for the Xbox Game Pass. Spencer revealed that Microsoft is planning on launching games on the Netflix-style service day and date with their retailer counterparts. Not only does this include the likes of Sea of Thieves and other titles in the near future, but also those that are still some ways off, such as Halo 6 and — you’ve guessed it — a new Gears....

Once you arrive in the ruins of Duat Hall in Genshin Impact, Paimon will offer some clues. It looks like you’ll need to gain full clearance with the Scarlet Stone Slate by visiting three areas. Here’s our Genshin Impact Place of Rebirth and Place of Swallowing guide to help you with the puzzles as part of the Dual Evidence quest. Note: For more information about the game, check out our Genshin Impact guides and features hub....

New Genshin Impact codes can provide you with free Primogems, Mora, Hero’s Wit, Adventurer’s Experience, and more in February 2023. There are some semi-permanent active codes in Genshin Impact, whereas others, like livestream codes, will only work for 24 hours (and are limited) before they expire. As there usually isn’t any warning before a working code expires, it’s best to know how to redeem codes in Genshin Impact and use all active February 2023 codes as soon as possible....

With content winding down for “Beneath the Light of Jadeite”/version 1.5, Genshin Impact fans will have more stuff to do thanks to a new update. Genshin Impact’s version 1.6 update, known as “Midsummer Island Adventure,” promises more activities. These include events that let you acquire new summer-themed outfits for Jean and Barbara, as well as an adventure to help out Klee. Travelers will also encounter Kaedehara Kazuha, the first obtainable character from the region of Inazuma....

Today Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse hosted the full reveal of Genshin Impact’s upcoming version 3.0. We learn that the update, titled “The Morn a Thousand Roses Brings” is coming on August 24. It includes the massive new region of Sumeru, on top of new characters, and the new Dendro Element gameplay, completing Genshin Impact’s seven-element magical system. Two of the new characters are associated with this new element, Collei and Tighnari....

The concept of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) — also known as transforming an image of printed text into a text code — has been around for nearly 200 years in one form or another. Back in the 1850s, inventors began bombarding the patent offices with schemes for the machine that could read Latin letters. However, it wasn’t until the 1950s — in the midst of the burgeoning computer processing industry — that OCR technology really took hold....

There’s a long list of useful items that can be found and used to upgrade gear for both Kratos and Atreus, but the rarest materials can be tough to come by. If you’re having trouble with this one, we can help. Here’s how to get Pristine Dust of the Realm in God of War. How to Get Pristine Dust of the Realm in God of War This extremely rare material can only be found in one place in Midgard after the World Serpent has lowered the water level twice....

God of War Ragnarok completes Kratos and Atreus’s journey in Norse Mythology. Get ready to face multiple enemies including some of the most popular characters such as Thor and Odin. While Kratos is ready to put up a great fight against his foes, he might still need some juice. Apart from equipping impenetrable armor, one should ensure that Kratos is up to date with his weapons. Moreover, for Kratos to withstand the might of the Asgardians, he must add some extra tricks to the playbook....

Google announced its new mobile gaming subscription service today, Google Play Pass, which will offer over 350 different apps and games from launch. It is a direct competitor to Apple Arcade, the new game subscription service from Apple Inc that launched last week. Apple Arcade has just over 100 compatible games to play on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, and will be added to on a monthly schedule, like Google Play Pass....

Goose Goose Duck is what you should try if you are a fan of Social Deduction games. It is quite similar to Among Us but features much more detailed in-game elements. This includes multiple game modes and a variety of roles for characters. Apart from this, there are multiple game modes that can keep you and your squad entertained for hours. If you are new to this game, then Goosechapel is a must-try....

Rockstar has finally confirmed the existence of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition for launch “later this year”. The studio has now published a short teaser trailer for the collection and an announcement on the Rockstar Wire. An accompanying Twitter thread also reads: “Later this month marks a very special anniversary for Rockstar Games: 20 years since the original release of Grand Theft Auto III.” “In addition to carving a new path for the open world genre, Grand Theft Auto III established Grand Theft Auto as a cultural phenomenon, alongside its two subsequent—and equally legendary —entries in the series, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas....

Double Fine has announced that Grim Fandango Remastered and Broken Age are both heading to the Nintendo Switch ‘in the coming months.’ Tim Schaefer’s bizarre but much-loved graphic adventure celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, so the timing is spot on. The Mexican-flavoured title originally launched on PC way back in 1998, and was spruced up for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in 2015. Meanwhile, Broken Age launched a few years back for PS4, PC, and Xbox One, capturing the classic point-and-clink adventure games of yesteryear....

The co-op mode for Halo Infinite is at long last on its way. In fact, players will be able to give it a whirl from next month. However, there is a catch. This will just be its beta (or “flight” in the words of developer 343 industries), and not the real deal. That is still slated to come some time later this year. If you want to have a shot at this test flight, you will have to register to become a Halo Insider....

Halo Infinite’s multiplayer creative director is moving on from 343 Industries. In a tweet, Tom French said it had been a “massive honour to have been part of a game [they] loved so much” and that they “couldn’t be more proud of my time at 343”. “After over 11 and a half years on Halo, I step out of my Spartan armor for the last time today to head off to new adventures,” French tweeted last night....

We Dig Games has announced upcoming hamster racing game Hamster Race has changed its name to Hamster Playground. The change in name has been explained by the team as the game has expanded somewhat. To begin with, the title would see you training hamsters up to run through an obstacle-course like maze. You’ll own a hamster house, and put your squad of hamsters through various minigames and customise them before their races....

Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher hit the Internet hard when it released last December, and is still the most streamed series in the world. Production on season two is officially in full swing, and its star Henry Cavill has taken to social media to re-introduce fans to his favorite equine partner. Throughout The Witcher season one, Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia travels on his horse Roach, who also serves as a confidante in-between bouts of monster hunting....

Key Points: Although it took a little while, the PowerMac became the desktop computer for creative users. The design for it was much loved and also much hated. Despite what you may think, there is actually still a market for these old, not quite obsolete computers! From 1994 to 2006, the PowerMac was Apple’s flagship desktop computer tower. While the design has long since been discontinued in favor of Apple’s new Mac Pro desktop, the PowerMac was an essential precursor to modern desktop Macs....

Fortnite is one of the biggest games on the planet right now, so it’s probably not too surprising to hear it’s having a bit of a negative effect on relationships. Apparently, the game contributed to 5% of all divorces in the UK so far this year. That’s according to a press release from divorce-online.co.uk (via PCGamesN), which attributes the figure to online video game addiction, notably Fortnite Battle Royale. The site says it ‘received 200 divorce petitions since January 1 [2018] where addiction to Fortnite and other online gaming has been cited as one of the reasons for divorce,’ which works out to about 5% of the 4,665 petitions the company was involved in....

Epic Games has confirmed that its planned Account Merge feature for Fortnite has been delayed to early 2019. Writing in a post on its official website, the former Gears of War developer revealed that the feature has been postponed due to ‘ongoing technical concerns,’ and therefore wants to ensure all the bugs are ironed out before rolling out the feature. As the name implies, Account Merge will let you transfer your various items, including Battle Royale cosmetics, lifetime wins, V-Bucks, and Save the World progress, for those with multiple console-linked accounts....