Overthinking Games runs every other Monday, and is an opportunity for Malindy Hetfeld to take something about a game and think about it too much. This week she looks at how Moonlighter makes the inventory really count.Games have, by and large made us into an insatiable, entitled bunch. We’ve come to expect to be able…

One of the great online gaming paradoxes is the group-finder, a feature intended to bring people together that often does the opposite. It’s a mainstay in online games, a one-size-fits-all solution to the ever-present social gaming problem of “How do I meet people and progress?” Functional, accessible and a little impersonal, the group-finder makes connecting…

In just a year, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, 27, has become the multimillionaire face of Fortnite, the impossibly popular battle royale video game in which up to 100 players are dropped onto an island to fight to the death, with only one emerging victorious. A former competitive Halo player, Blevins plays Fortnite for 10 hours a…

Players (and officials) still cling to the pregame rituals they think will bring them success on the field. ImageCreditDaniel SulzbergIn the N.F.L., where the wait between most games is a long, charged week, tales of eccentric pregame rituals in the final jittery moments before kickoff have become a fabled part of the sport’s lore.If, for…

Magnus Carlsen confessed to nerves after holding on for a high-wire draw with Fabiano Caruana on Thursday in the marathon 10th game of their world championship showdown, which left the best-of-12-games match in a 5-all deadlock with two contests remaining. The 27-year-old champion from Norway, playing with the black pieces, weathered Caruana’s novel deviation from…

To root for the former home team or not? It’s a question for which there is no right answer, especially in a laid-back city on the ocean.ImageThomas Powell, front, with Johnny Abundez at Cali Comfort BBQ near San Diego, still a popular spot on Chargers game days.CreditCreditSandy Huffaker for The New York TimesSAN DIEGO A…

Dec 13, 2018Tim BontempsESPN OAKLAND, Calif. — The Toronto Raptors had just completed an evisceration of the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena on Wednesday night — doing so without Kawhi Leonard — when Kyle Lowry was asked about his team’s performance.But even on this night, Lowry wasn’t satisfied.”I’m sure we could…

Kotaku Game DiaryDaily thoughts from a Kotaku staffer about a game we’re playing.  Some games’ post-release plans are stingy, others generous, some comically convoluted. And then there’s the seven-part plan for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, an awkward game that is now getting some awkward expansions.On paper before release, it all seemed pretty good. Shadow of…

When all is said and done, all of these retro consoles that have appeared recently are the same. They are simply an emulator wrapped in a pretty box with nostalgic controllers. Because of that, there is a lot of options when it comes to hacking or modding them because the software is so basic. The…

We can’t even pretend to enjoy these anymore. Photo illustration by Slate Read Slate’s complete list of the 40 Best Family Games. A Deranged Superfan’s Guide to Making Monopoly Fun H_NGM_N IS _CTU_LLY F_N Murder for Kids: A Defense of Clue While assembling our list of 40 essential family games, we spent a lot of…