Welcome back, friends! It's Wednesday, which means it's time for another WIRED Games newsletter. It's been a while since I asked you all what you like to see here, so if you have input, reach out at games@wired.com! What would you like to see more of? We can't reply to every message we get, but we do read every message. And speaking of hearing your voices, this week's edition is all about some incredible new voices in games that, just watch, in a few years will transform the industry. From indie devs to gamers blazing a trail for their communities, here's a quick look. First of all, closing out Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is Esther Mollica, telling us all about the first Asian character she encountered in gaming that wasn't a ridiculous, horrible stereotype: Grace Nakimura, from the Gabriel Knight series of games. Finally, she explains, a character in a game that she can identify with, whose identity isn't reduced to someone else's tropes about her ethnicity. It's a great read. Also a great read is Clément Girardot's chat with the team at Studio Ziwe, a small game dev house in Kenya that's working on an incredible game and story. The game is called Usoni, which means "future" in Kiswahili. In it, climate change has turned the tables on global migration: Europe is now a nearly uninhabitable hell, and Africa is where everyone's trying to escape to. The game is ambitious, and I can't wait to see what the developers do. As more people around the globe try their hand at building games, great stories are sure to emerge. A case in point is the team at Skrollcat Studios in Vietnam, whose game, Hoa, we discussed last week. Speaking of gamers who are doing their own thing for their communities, don't miss Grant Stoner's piece highlighting some of the disabled streamers who are using Twitch to build communities and make gaming more accessible than ever. You might find some new streamers you'll love watching. (I know I have!) On the same topic, Carlo Pasquale has a great rundown of how more accessibility options only make games better. He highlights some great options baked into games like Minecraft Dungeons and Outriders that you may not think of as accessibility options, but they are, and you may have come to rely on them. Finally, don't miss Swapna Krishna's Casual Gamer column this week, all about how playing Mass Effect again, now that the remaster is out, has been incredible for her mental health. If you played it back in the day, there's a lot about the remastered version to love, and if you're like me and never played through the series when it was new (I know, I know, I'm sorry), it's a great time to dive in. Now then, we're going to try and get some rest before the deluge of game announcements between now and E3, which is next month. There'll be a ton of news, and we'll be ready for it. I hope you will be too! I'll see you next week. 🔎 The power of a non-stereotypical Asian character in gaming. Grace Nakimura is her own person. She has her own goals and dreams, she can hold her own compared to her counterparts in the Gabriel Knight trilogy, and she's never, ever, reduced to a stereotype. That's why Esther Mollica loves her so much. 🌍 The long journey of Usoni, an African postapocalyptic game. Kenya has become a bit of a tech and development hub in East Africa, and that includes game development. The folks at Studio Ziwe have great ideas and big ambitions, and a global audience willing to hear their stories, now more than ever. ✊ Meet the disabled streamers who are transforming the industry. Grant Stoner introduces us to three great streamers who are using their platforms and communities to create a home not just for disabled gamers, but gamers of all kinds who just want to play together, without limitations and without being challenged because of who they are. 🕹️ More accessibility options only make games better. Carlo Pasquale knows a thing or two about accessibility options in games, because their existence can make or break a purchase for him. But when a game does it well, and those options are baked into the gameplay, they're great for everyone, not just people like him. Here's why. 🧠 Replaying Mass Effect is good for my mental health. This week's Casual Gamer column has Swapna Krishna explaining to us why we should all replay Mass Effect, now that it's remastered and out. And I, for one, wholeheartedly agree, although I'm jealous of Swapna's awesome helmet. 🖥️ Want a better PC? Try building your own. Sure, it might be difficult to find a good graphics card, but if you're planning to build a new PC anyway, or maybe you found a good way to get your hands on a GPU without breaking the bank, our Gear team just updated their PC building guide with new components and prices. |
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