Best of Gaming — October 2025

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    Article
    Avatar of gamesindustryGamesIndustry.biz·33w

    ESA: 48% of video game players are women

    A global survey of 24,216 weekly gamers across 21 countries reveals that 48% of video game players worldwide are women, with women outnumbering men in 10 countries. Mobile devices are the preferred gaming platform at 55% overall, particularly among women at 64%. Players cite fun, stress relief, and mental stimulation as primary motivations, while 77% believe gaming improves creativity and 76% say it enhances problem-solving skills. Half of respondents report that gaming has directly contributed to their professional or educational development through technical or behavioral skills.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·34w

    Juicy UI For Pixel Art-Style 4X Game Made With Godot

    PLVS VLTRA is a turn-based 4X strategy game built with Godot featuring an economy dashboard that visualizes complex financial data through line graphs, pie charts, and detailed breakdowns. The game integrates UI design with gameplay mechanics, where the dashboard reflects player decisions made through a Laws & Policies system and Imperial Cabinet interactions. The project demonstrates how data visualization can serve as both an informational tool and strategic gameplay element in indie game development.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·30w

    AI-Generated "Game Concepts" Become the Laughingstock of the Internet

    An AI CEO's demonstration of AI-generated game concepts sparked widespread mockery across the gaming community. The demos featured severe technical issues including inconsistent perspectives, hallucinations, shapeshifting environments, and bizarre physics violations. Despite claims of being work-in-progress, the showcases united gamers of all backgrounds in criticism, highlighting ongoing resistance to AI-generated gaming content following similar controversies with ARK, Minecraft clones, and other projects.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·31w

    Metropolis 1998 lets you design every building in an isometric, pixel-art city

    Metropolis 1998 is an isometric city-building game in pre-alpha that offers granular control over urban design. Players can zone areas SimCity-style, place pre-made buildings, or design structures room-by-room with custom furniture and layouts. The demo is available on Steam and Itch.io, with early access planned between Q4 2024 and Q2 2025. The interface requires exploration to master, but the level of customization appeals to detail-oriented builders who want complete creative control.

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    Article
    Avatar of omgubomg! ubuntu!·31w

    SuperTuxKart 1.5 Released with Improved Graphics + More

    SuperTuxKart 1.5 arrives after 3 years of development as the final 1.x release before version 2.0. Key improvements include enhanced graphics with better Level of Detail settings and shadow mapping, frame rates up to 1000fps, 200% supersampling support, and a new benchmarking mode for testing performance. The release adds 3 new soccer fields, 3 egg hunt tracks, improved UI with favorite marking and search functionality, granular audio controls, and numerous bug fixes. Available for Windows, macOS, Android, and Linux.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·31w

    GOG Has Had To Hire Private Investigators To Track Down IP Rights Holders

    GOG.com faces significant challenges in game preservation beyond technical issues, including tracking down intellectual property rights holders. The company once hired a private investigator to locate someone in the UK who had unknowingly inherited game rights. Similar challenges led to the creation of Nightdive Studios when its founder purchased System Shock rights from an insurance company. GOG suggests that removing DRM from older games would ease preservation efforts, though industry adoption remains unlikely.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·29w

    Dev Accidentally Calling Game "Sh*tty Dungeon" Led to Extra Wishlists

    An indie game developer accidentally mistranslated his game's title to 'Sh*tty Dungeon' in Japanese using machine translation tools. The error went viral on Japanese social media, resulting in a significant increase in Steam wishlists. The developer embraced the humor but eventually changed the name to something more appropriate, while the game itself received positive reviews from players who appreciated its nostalgic gameplay and humor.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·30w

    PUBG Creator's New Survival Game Will Be Released in November

    Prologue: Go Wayback!, a single-player open-world survival roguelike by PUBG's creator, launches in Early Access on November 20 for $20. The game features three modes: the default survival challenge to reach the Weather Tower, an endurance mode with limited resources, and a free exploration mode. Players can customize runs through game settings, use a map editor, and save progress. The creator acknowledges the game's high difficulty may polarize players.

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    Article
    Avatar of collectionsCollections·30w

    Valve's Update to Counter-Strike 2 Causes Market Value Drop

    Valve introduced a Trade Up Contract system in Counter-Strike 2 that lets players exchange five Covert-quality items for rare knives or gloves. This change increased availability of previously scarce items, causing the in-game cosmetics market to drop $1.7 billion in value. High-value items like Butterfly Knives fell from $16,000 to $12,000 as traders sold off inventory. The update sparked debate between traders upset about profit losses and players who appreciate more equitable access to coveted items without relying on market speculation.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·33w

    As Microsoft lays off thousands and jacks up Game Pass prices, former FTC chair says I told you so: The Activision-Blizzard buyout is 'harming both gamers and developers'

    Former FTC chair Lina Khan criticized Microsoft's post-acquisition actions following its 2023 Activision Blizzard purchase, pointing to massive layoffs (over 11,000 employees), studio closures, game cancellations, and multiple Game Pass price increases as evidence the merger harmed both gamers and developers. Khan's comments vindicate the FTC's original concerns that the acquisition would reduce competition and lead to worse outcomes for consumers, despite Microsoft's promises that the deal would benefit the industry.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·30w

    Over 47% of Stop Killing Games Signatures Have Already Been Verified

    The Stop Killing Games initiative has verified 47% of its 1.4 million signatures, meeting thresholds in 15 EU countries with Germany and France expected to follow. The movement is engaging with European Parliament members, national governments, and industry experts to address game preservation and prevent publishers from rendering purchased games unplayable. Early verification shows a 97% validity rate, making the required one million valid signatures likely achievable.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·33w

    This Indie Developer Bought a $100 PC to Optimize Their Game

    An indie developer purchased a $100 PC with minimal specs (Intel Core i3-3217U, 4GB RAM) to optimize their chess roguelike game after receiving performance complaints. Testing on low-end hardware helped identify bottlenecks like Vulkan rendering issues on integrated GPUs and cursor lag in Software mode that weren't apparent on mid-tier systems. This pragmatic approach ensures the game runs smoothly on a wider range of hardware configurations.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·30w

    Check Out This Scary Life Sim Co-Created by Celeste's Pixel Artist

    Neverway is an upcoming pixel-style psychological horror RPG that combines life simulation and action elements. Developed by Coldblood with art by Celeste's pixel artist and music by Disasterpeace, the game follows Fiona as she searches for a nightmarish reality while managing daily life, building friendships, and engaging in top-down combat. The game features over 10 characters with unique personalities, friendship-based power systems, and customizable combat mechanics. Release is planned for 2026.

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    Video
    Avatar of techlinkedTechLinked·31w

    Steam is Popping OFF Right Now

    Steam reached 41.6 million concurrent users, more than double from five years ago. OpenAI restricted generating videos of Martin Luther King Jr. after complaints from his estate, while Meta rolled out AI photo editing features. The Pope called for global AI regulation cooperation. Apple is cutting iPhone Air production due to poor sales, and Samsung reportedly halted work on the Galaxy S26 Edge. Google Workspace launched new plans targeting Microsoft 365 customers. Uber introduced a program for drivers to earn money by completing AI training micro-tasks. PayPal's blockchain partner Paxos accidentally minted $300 trillion in stablecoin before burning the excess.

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    Article
    Avatar of gamesindustryGamesIndustry.biz·33w

    The Drifter wins Game of the Year at Australian Game Developer Awards 2025

    Powerhoof's point-and-click adventure game The Drifter won Game of the Year at the 2025 Australian Game Developer Awards, along with awards for art, narrative, and sound design. Massive Monster received Studio of the Year, while Witch Beam's Tempopo won for music and accessibility. Epic Games' Antony Reed was honored with the Adam Lancman Award for industry advocacy, and Adelaide developer Aiden Gyory received the Rising Star Award for community support and education initiatives.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·34w

    Check Out This Pixelated Windows XP-Inspired Game Demo

    Jesse Snider showcased a Unity-powered first-person platformer shooter called Cursing, where players navigate a pixelated world inspired by Windows XP. The game features pixel art created with Aseprite and Crocotile, placing players inside the iconic Serenity wallpaper and Windows XP interface elements. A playable demo is available on itch.io while the game remains in development.

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    Video
    Avatar of techlinkedTechLinked·30w

    What Has Valve Done??

    Valve's Counter-Strike 2 update crashed the in-game economy by $1.75 billion by changing trade-up contracts. Microsoft released Copilot updates for Edge browser with AI-assisted multi-step tasks and introduced Mo, a new visual assistant. Xbox faces pressure for 30% profit margins, leading to price hikes and the announcement of Halo coming to PlayStation 5 in 2026. Apple may disable app tracking transparency in Europe due to regulatory pressure and is developing tools to help users migrate from iOS to Android. Memory prices are rising up to 30% due to AI demand affecting RAM and SSD costs.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·31w

    Roguelike Horror Shark Dentist Received New Gameplay Trailer

    Shark Dentist, a roguelike horror game by Alice Games, showcases new gameplay footage featuring dental procedures on dangerous sharks. Players must manage sedation levels, handle dental tools, and navigate randomized events while treating thrashing patients. The developers have been working on core mini-games including tooth drilling mechanics, interactive lab elements, and narrative cutscenes. No release date has been announced, but the game is available for wishlisting on Steam.

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