UK set to clear Microsoft’s deal to buy Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard
The $69bn acquisition is expected to go ahead as revised proposal addresses regulator’s concerns
January 2023
World of Warcraft to go offline in China, leaving millions of gamers bereft
Popular role-playing game is being cut off due to a dispute between US developer and its Chinese partner
July 2022
Pushing Buttons newsletter
Pushing Buttons: do games have to be a neverending story?
Destiny, Call of Duty and other epics expect you to play not for hours but for years. This endless games monoculture isn’t just bad for players – it’s bad for innovation
January 2022
Would you play a video game for 500 hours?
Modern video games boast longer and longer playtimes – but does the idea of spending hundreds of hours on a game make you feel excited, or exhausted?
February 2021
Video game giant Blizzard celebrates 30 years with Diablo II Resurrected
The developer’s BlizzCon virtual convention announced the return of classic games including World of Warcraft – and looked ahead to future releases
December 2020
Afros in Azeroth: the quest for diversity in World of Warcraft
Sixteen years after its launch, World of Warcraft is finally introducing diverse skin tones, facial features and hairstyles. Game director Ion Hazzikostas explains why now
October 2019
'Mozart would have made video game music': composer Eímear Noone on a winning art form
The Irish composer and conductor – who’s worked with film director Gus Van Sant and on World of Warcraft – talks passionately about making game music
September 2019
Best culture of the 21st century
The 50 best video games of the 21st century
Want to build worlds, become a crime kingpin, get lost in space, or enter the afterlife? Then our countdown of the 50 best games of the era has something for you
April 2018
Viewpoint column
Ready players? Not if the game is young men doing real jobs
Patrick Collinson
A new IMF report shows some stark gender trends in European and US workforce, including one that follows virtual reality in a new Spielberg film
March 2018
Movie adaptations of video games are still mostly terrible. Why has no one cracked the code?
Games creators and writers give their theories on how an upcoming crop of adaptations could avoid the same pitfalls as Assassin’s Creed, World of Warcraft and Super Mario Bros
July 2017
Film blog
Big in Albania … countries that gave film flops a second life
The superheroes saved by Mexico, the video-game spinoff that became China’s 12th biggest movie ever, and the British comedian worshipped by a secretive communist nation. We remember the films somebody else loved
November 2016
How do you feel about your child's gaming habits?
A charity has found the amount of time spent playing online games is one of parents’ main concerns. We’d like to hear your experiences
July 2016
Success of Warcraft in China helps US open door to audience of 1.4 billion
But the huge potential rewards are also attracting Chinese investment in Hollywood businesses
June 2016
Pass notes
The Warcraft movie: one of the most successful stinkers of all time
Warcraft: The Beginning proves a monster hit in China
May 2016
When it comes to interracial romances, the movies need to catch up
Almost 50 years after Kirk and Uhura’s kiss on Star Trek, there are plenty of parts for black women - provided they want to play blue- or green-skinned aliens …
November 2015
Do you have to be a gamer to 'get' the first trailer for Duncan Jones' Warcraft?
Duncan Jones: 'Warcraft will right the wrongs of game movies'
July 2015
Hearthstone's second expansion The Grand Tourney announced
The set will boost the pool of Blizzard’s free-to-play card battler by another 132 cards to almost 700 when it launches in August
June 2015
Video game hall of fame honours Pong, Doom and Super Mario Bros.
Pac-Man, Tetris and World of Warcraft also make grade in US museum’s homage to industry rivalling Hollywood in entertainment pecking order
