Author: kaicjohn

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Everything you need to know about Ghost of Tsushima’s new update: Legends.

Ghost of Tsushima Review – Sucker Punch Delivers Their Best Game To Date |
Credit: Sucker Punch

The proud do not endure.

Ghost of Tsushima has captured the hearts of many players, including myself and is a heavy favorite for Game of The Year. GoT has smashed records, in it’s first three days of sales the game sold more than 2.4 million copies, making it the PlayStation 4’s fastest-selling first-party original IP.

Besides the great combat mechanics of the game, Ghost of Tsushima does a masterful job of creating an immersive environment. The game offers players the chance to explore and take their time, doing so leads to seeing how visually breathtaking the game is. From temples, vast flower fields and waterfalls surrounded by statues of the Buddha, it is very easy to get lost in the world Sucker Punch has created. Below we will explore some of the other ways GoT has been able to capture its players.

Never knew I was a poet

Scattered across the island of Tsushima are scenic spots that host a haiku-composing mini game. This is a great way to relax from all the combat the game offers, giving players the chance to reflect on the story.

Ghost of Tsushima: All Haiku Locations - Push Square
Credit: Sucker Punch

Photo mode

Players took approximately 15.5 million photos in Ghost of Tsushima in the game’s first 10 days of release alone. Across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram fans continue to share photos they’ve captured on their journey.

What does the fox say

Another very popular feature in the game is the ability to pet the playful foxes you encounter when discovering Inari shrines. Players have really enjoyed this feature, almost 10 million foxes have been petted in game.

How to pet a fox in Ghost of Tsushima | AllGamers
Credit: Sucker Punch

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends update

Just when we thought our experience with GoT was over, the games developer Sucker Punch, has released a huge DLC entitled, Legends. The best part about it? it’s free. Looking at the amount of content this DLC offers, the fact that is free can not go unstated. This update introduces Legends mode, a 2-4 player online cooperative experience where players are able to choose between 4 distinctive legendary warrior classes, the players then embark on missions based on Japanese mythology.

Here’s a breakdown of the four legendary warrior classes players can choose from.

Samurai

Definitely the most offensive class of the group, the Samurai also serves as the tank, dealing high damage and staying in the midst of battle. This class will probably be most popular among players due to its accessibility and moveset.

Class ability: Hachiman’s Fury, attacks with a flurry of quick strikes. Great for crowd control when overwhelmed.

Ghost Of Tsushima: Legends Classes
Credit: Sucker Punch

Assassin

Ghost Of Tsushima: Legends Classes
Credit: Sucker Punch

For players that want to strike hard and fast while sneaking across the battlefield. This class requires patience and the ability to react fast to enemy movement.

Class ability: Shadow Strike, allowing you to teleport across the battlefield to directly strike between 3-5 enemies

Hunter

Ghost Of Tsushima: Legends Classes
Credit: Sucker Punch

As I practice archery recreationally, choosing this class was a must for me. There is something unequivocally satisfying about being able to hit a target from across the map. The Hunter class focuses on proficiency with the bow, offering a difficult but rewarding playstyle compared to the other three classes.

Class ability:  Eye of Uchitsune, allows players to unleash multiple arrows aimed towards the enemies head.

Ronin

Ghost Of Tsushima: Legends Classes
Credit: Sucker Punch

The Ronin is a supportive combat role that balances close range swordsmanship and healing allies. As missions progress and get harder, having a Ronin in your group is essential. Another added bonus in this class is you’re able to summon a spirit dog that will fight alongside you, players can also pet the spirit dog… guess you could say mans best friend?

Class ability: Breath of Izanami will revive any downed teammates when activated.

Something for everyone

For those that are not interested in Legends mode, Ghost of Tsushima also added a highly requested new game+ in which players can replay the campaign on a harder difficulty while keeping all learned techniques, gear items and cosmetics acquired in their previous playthrough. The new game+ also adds a new vendor for armour and new haiku’s players can compose.

What would be your pick for Game of the Year?

What class would you choose in Legends mode?

Let us know in the comments and if you’re looking for a people to play Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Mode with be sure to join our Facebook group and Discord server:

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/4qMFYHA

Facebook: https://bit.ly/2TdjN0M

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/kaicjohn/status/1318378766624804864?s=20

References:

Playstation. (2020, July 24). Ghost of Tsushima 2.4 Million. Twitter. https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/1286632240949219331?s=20

Playstation. (2020, July 31). Ghost of Tsushima Photo Mode. Twitter. https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/1289223064157163521?s=20

Gerblick, J. (2020, August 1). The foxes in Ghost of Tsushima have been petted almost 10 million times. GamesRadar+. https://www.gamesradar.com/ghost-of-tsushima-foxes-petted/

Terminology:

New game+: unlocked upon completion of the game, allows the player to start a new game while carrying over things (skills, cosmetics, currency) from the previous playthrough

Playthrough: playing a game from start to finish.

GOTY: game of the year

GoT: acronym for Ghost of Tsushima

IP: intellectual property

DLC: downloadable content

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The NBA’s social bubble

basketball court
photo by neonbrand

Taking the game to a new level.

No other league has pushed its social media platforms like the NBA has, a report done by the MVPindex found that during the 2018-2019 season the NBA’s collective social media footprint increased by 132%. This is impressive growth considering that in 2017 the NBA already had the highest engagement among sports leagues on a global scale. As the bubble did not allow fans to be the arena, the NBA needed to keep fans interested. Social media accounts across the league prioritized engagement by doing:

  • Virtual sweepstakes
  • Q&A’s
  • Giving fans more behind the scenes access and promoting player Youtube channels
  • Creating virtual stands for fans to be court side

Since the start of the NBA bubble, players have seen follower growth on their social media platforms with Lebron James, Tyler Herro and Damian Lillard leading the way.

The league is also having great success on Weibo, China’s biggest microblogging app. Between September 25th 2019 to February 25th 2020 the total collective growth across all teams and the NBA’s main account is more than 6.94 Million. During the coronavirus pandemic the Philadelphia 76ers tripled their social media production and seen a 100% growth on the Weibo platform. Over 300 million people play basketball in China, The NBA will continue extend its reach.

Standing tall

Before the NBA season restarted many players took to social media to voice their opinions and participated in the worldwide protests that occurred after the senseless murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. As the league is predominately black, it should come as no surprise that players wanted to use their platforms to inform, educate and raise awareness. The majority of players come from communities in which racism and police brutality is still prevalent. When the season resumed players opted to have social justice messages on the back of the jerseys instead of having their last names, a simple but effective way to promote social concepts, the messages included:

Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names, Vote, I Can’t Breathe, Justice, Peace, Equality, Freedom, Enough, Power to the People, Justice Now, Say Her Name, Liberation, See Us, Hear Us, Respect Us, Love Us, Listen to Us, Speak Up, How Many More, Group Economics, Education Reform and Mentor

https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1300271692565094400?s=20

Leading by example: The NBA’s COVID-19 response

On March 11th, the NBA suspended its season due to the coronavirus pandemic, although many understood it was a necessary precaution, it left a lot of fans and players restless. The NBA immediately started exploring ways the season could resume. After four months of preparation and discussion, on July 30th the organization, partners and players came together to start the NBA bubble; allowing 22 teams to play in an isolated environment at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. The NBA’s plan to complete the season was radical and innovative, strict rules and regulations were in place from start to finish.

  • Players were tested for COVID-19 everyday
  • Players were not allowed out of the bubble (unless due to emergencies)
  • No one else was allowed to enter (only family members could join during the playoffs)
  • Teams stayed between three different Disney hotels.
  • 22 teams made up of 322 players

172 games were played over the course of three months and the NBA had zero positive cases of COVID-19. The success of the bubble has not gone unnoticed with many fans taking to social media to show appreciation for the effort.

Do you think you’d be able to manage in a bubble away from your family for three months?

Do you think the NBA will benefit long term from becoming such a social media driven league?

Feel free to let me know in the comments and connect with us down below!

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/kaicjohn/status/1316187408275329024?s=20

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3iUrpjl

References:

Braughton, D. B., & Lombardo, J. L. (2019, July 22). NBA Sees Big Increases In Social Media, Brand Value In ’18-19. Sports Business Daily. https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2019/07/22/Media/MVPIndex-NBA.aspx

Dixon, E. D. (2020, May 28). Philadelphia 76ers triple social media production during Covid-19 suspension. Sports Pro Media. https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/philadelphia-76ers-nba-social-media-weibo-china-coronavirus

Sports Business Daily. (2017, July 17). Social study: How leagues, teams stack up. https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2017/07/17/Research-and-Ratings/Social-charts.aspx

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It’s time we use video games as an educational tool.

I told my parents I was onto something!

Two Boy and Girl Holding Game Controllers
Photo by Jessica Lewis from Pexels

One of the most prominent discussions during the pandemic has been about remote learning for kids. Parents have been worried about the quality of education their children are receiving, with most working from home, trying to keep a balance between work and keeping their children on track can cause a stressful environment for both parties. A lot of schools across Canada are now open with protective measures but as we deal with the second wave of COVID-19 we need to be prepared for the possibility of school’s shutting down again. Whether you’ve decided to have your children stay at home or go to school this fall, the learning experience students are accustomed to is very different, we need to be proactive with keeping young students interested and engaged. Video games could do just that.

Gaming allows the brain to have constant stimulation and that has cognitive benefits such as decision-making, emotional regulation, and visual processing ability. Video Games continue to evolve with richer stories that promote inclusion, social skills and world building. In 2019 the video game industry contributed $4.5B to Canada’s economy and with gaming becoming more accessible, it is time we use technology to benefit young students.

Other cognitive benefits:

  • Organizational skills
  • Multitasking skills
  • Memory
  • Coordination

Starting to become a trend with educators

When school’s closed down, teachers began looking for alternative ways to keep students engaged. In Montreal, history teacher Kevin Péloquin had travel plans to Greece with his grade 10 and 11 students but due to Covid-19 causing travel restrictions, the trip was cancelled. Instead of relying on just online textbooks to teach, Péloquin decided to have his students play Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. The game has an education mode, taking students on a virtual tour of Ancient Greece, the students then used what they had learned in-game for their reports. Other games teachers have started to use in class have been Civilization V, Minecraft and Roblox, these games offer players the chance to express their creativity while also learning. As teachers continue to reach out, game developers are offering educational versions of their games and creating networks for teachers to communicate ideas, collaborate and give feedback.

Benefiting students with special needs

Video games are a great tool for students with special needs, I have seen the benefits firsthand, as it is an experience I am currently navigating through with my 11 year old brother that is on the autism spectrum. Video games can offer colourful and imaginative environments that can intrigue and capture young minds. In the case of my brother, he sometimes struggles with face to face interactions and is not always aware of social cues, which leads to awkward moments in communication. Playing games like Club Penguin and Roblox gives him the chance to practice and improve on communication with less intimidation. Individuals on the spectrum also sometimes get frustrated when they’re not able to complete a task due to mistakes, video games can help mitigate the stress. Games are designed for players too make errors; it’s apart of the fun. 

Boy Wearing a Black and White Virtual Reality Goggles
Photo by Jessica Lewis from Pexels

Good things are done in moderation

In order for students and educators to utilize this tool correctly we must do so in moderation. Gaming can have educational benefits but it is essential not to overdo it. Video games are apart of our society and the industry will continue to grow, how we plan to use it is up to us! Below are statistics from a 2018 study done by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada.

Teen Gamer statistics from 2018 study via THEESA
Kid Gamer statistics from 2018 study via THEESA

Here are a few games worth checking out that can have educational benefits:

Roblox: Offers free resources to teach students of all ages real coding, game design, digital civility, and entrepreneurial skills.

Club Penguin: Promotes reading, writing and communication skills.

Minecraft: Focuses on problem-solving, collaboration and creativity.

Civilization V: Provides students with the opportunity to think critically, consider and evaluate the geographical ramifications of their economic and technological decisions.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey: Allows students to take virtual tours and learn the history of ancient Greece.

Fall Guys: Promotes decision making, puzzle solving and visual memory.

Do you think video games should be implemented into the education of young students? Would you have any concerns?

Have video games had any educational impact on you?  

Let’s continue the conversation, comment down below and connect with us on social media!

https://twitter.com/kaicjohn/status/1313155720272064513?s=20

References:

Entertainment Software Association of Canada. (2019, November 18). Video game industry contributes 4.5B to Canada’s economy. THEESA. https://theesa.ca/2019/11/15/video-games-contribute-to-canadas-economy/

Entertainment Software Association of Canada. (2018, September 13). Essential facts about the Canada Gaming Industry [Statistics]. Https://Theesa.Ca/. http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/ESAC18_BookletEN.pdf

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Emergency Meeting! Let’s Talk about Among Us.

Among Us on Steam
image via Steam

Jump on the hype train if you haven’t already.

Among Us is a social deception indie game made by InnerSloth Studios. The games concept is easy to understand, it gives players the role of being a crewmate or an imposter. Crewmates have to complete tasks on the ship and vote off imposters, while imposters have to kill all of the crewmates without being discovered. Players can only communicate after a body is found or an emergency meeting is called, accounts of the things you were doing during the round will be called into question, so be ready! even if you’re not an imposter your story has to match up or you could be voted off the ship. Heed my advice; do not stutter. During these intervals the game truly shines, creating an environment of intense gameplay filled with laughter, tension and enjoyment.

Among Us had very humble beginnings. In its first year of release (2018) its highest player count in a day was 19, in the last 30 days Among Us has peaked with 388,385 players and has reached 1.5 million concurrent players across Steam, iOS and Android.

Here we can see the progression of Among Us’s popularity just on Steam alone.

Image via steamcharts

The Conquest of Twitch

Among Us has amassed 40 Million hours of watch time on Twitch, currently making it the most popular game on the platform. With Among Us logging high watch time hours and click through rate, the Twitch algorithm continues to promote it. Famous streamers such as Ninja, Shroud and xQC have also helped the game flourish but that doesn’t tell the full story. Due to the style of gameplay of Among Us, you don’t need to showcase amazing skill for it be a great stream. Somewhat like a reality show, the game relies on the personalities of the players either coming together or clashing, which makes for very entertaining content. Viewers have also played a role in its success on Twitch, often sharing their opinions and suspicions with the streamer they’re watching.

Image via: twitchtracker

Among Us has found a home in Meme Culture

As the following for Among Us continued to grow, Twitter and Reddit were flooded with memes. Twitter account @amongusclipsooc , created in July of this year has been able to gain over 200k followers just by posting memes of the game, similar accounts have also emerged. The flood of Among Us content on the platforms have given it free advertising while also creating a very active and engaging community.

One of the most popular memes to emerge has been Emergency Meeting. It is an in game feature that lets the players know that something just went down, usually causing mass panic and some pretty funny moments. It’s popularity has grown outside of the game too, not only does it capture what 2020 has been like but it can even be used for the daily things we might encounter, PS5 preorders dropping? your crush just texted you? TikTok is about to be banned? Emergency Meeting!

Among Us - a player has triggered an Emergency Meeting
Image: InnerSloth

Alexa, play it wasn’t me by Shaggy.

Image
image: amongusclipsooc

With InnerSloth studios announcing that Among Us 2 will release sometime in 2021, what would you like to see in the sequel? and do you believe Among Us is here to stay or will the hype die down? Comment down below.

Connect with me on twitter!

https://twitter.com/kaicjohn/status/1307795755932028928?s=20

Looking for people to play Among Us with? join our discord! We have over 80k members!

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/8xhfWRp

Sources:

  1. SteamCharts: An ongoing analysis of Steam’s concurrent players chart (N.D)

Among Us: https://steamcharts.com/app/945360

2. TwitchTracker (N.D)

Statistics and chart: https://twitchtracker.com/games/510218