‘A place that made sense’: Minecraft is 15 years old and still changing lives
When my son, who is on the austim spectrum, was struggling, this classic game opened up his world. It continues to help lonely, isolated people find ways to connect and belong
July 2022
Neopets security breach: users’ data reportedly stolen
Virtual pet site launches investigation but has not confirmed the scale of the alleged breach, amid reports hacker has taken database with user details
April 2022
Other lives
Finley Scholefield obituary
Other lives: Musician and creative producer of games and apps
March 2022
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands review – a teen psycho dungeonmaster, goblin revolts and lute-shredding
This fun D&D-infused cooperative shooter treads a line between fourth-wall prodding and juvenile, with unicorn queens and hi-tech weaponry
November 2021
‘The popularity just didn’t wane’: Bethesda’s Todd Howard on 10 years of Skyrim
Still played by millions, Bethesda’s 2011 fantasy RPG has become a touchstone in the video game world. Game director Todd Howard reflects on its development and legacy
April 2021
‘In the game, I knew myself as Hannah’: the trans gamers finding freedom on Roblox
37m people use the gaming platform every day in search of adventure – and for teenagers exploring their gender identity, it is also a place of liberation
November 2020
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin review – slay demons … and cultivate rice
This unusual take on virtual farming has you battling demons – when you’re not tending to rice paddies
May 2020
'It’s a way to live out fantasies': how Animal Crossing became fashion's new catwalk
The biggest video game of lockdown has become a new home for fashion lovers where avatars can dress in Prada, Off-White or Sports Banger hoodies
September 2019
No Man's Sky Beyond – a childhood fantasy realised
As a Star Wars generation kid, the VR experience of this almost made me tearful: it’s beguiling and transporting
March 2019
IndigenousX
I turned my Torres Strait Islander culture into a video game
Rhett Loban for IndigenousX
You are not just an observer of Torres Strait culture, but immersed in it
October 2018
Get real! Behind the scenes of Red Dead Redemption 2 – the most realistic video game ever made
Red Dead Redemption 2: three hours with the most anticipated game of the year
January 2018
The Inpatient review – atmospheric virtual-reality chiller
PlayStation 4’s prequel to horror adventure Until Dawn is a bleak tale of psychological stress that quickly becomes a haunted house fairground ride
September 2017
Where's the curtsy button? I test-drive the online Jane Austen role-playing game
Jane Austen’s works have been given the World of Warcraft treatment, but with dinner parties instead of dungeons – and gossip instead of guns. Our writer ties on her virtual bonnet and goes hunting for a suitor
May 2017
Farpoint review: an embryonic and limited virtual reality experience
Developer Impulse Gear has made an earnest attempt at a VR version of Halo, but the game, and its strange PlayStation Aim Controller, fall short of the target
January 2017
Video games for a more human new year
New titles for 2017 suggest a greater accent on the moral challenges of our troubled times
December 2016
Why the future of VR is all down to touch control
Can virtual reality move beyond immersive experiences to tell stories?
November 2016
Spam filter
Oculus miffed: when VR is so immersive you fall flat on your face
Google Daydream View review: comfortable mobile VR headset with limited compatibility
