From the apocalypse to the environment: the latest in gaming

More from this Series

• ‘Walking simulators’ offer a thoughtful alternative to combat and conflict

  Titles such as Call of the Sea are a natural home for visual and narrative innovation

  
• Why is a game full of bugs released?

  The glitches that have blighted titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 are symptomatic of deeper problems in the industry

  
• Games were a lifeline in 2020

  This was a year when quarantine brought new players to gaming, while games of the highest quality were launched

  
• Why co-operation can be the key to great gaming

  Some of the most satisfying games are played alongside people, not against them

  
• Cyberpunk 2077 maker Marcin Iwinski: ‘The only thing we have is our reputation’

  The co-founder of Polish games developer CD Projekt Red talks about going from underdog to big player under pressure

  
• How architecture is helping game designers build new worlds

  The two disciplines are growing ever closer

  
• Does cyberpunk’s vision of the future belong in the past?

  The arrival of new game Cyberpunk 2077 presents an opportunity for the genre to evolve

  
• Is gaming finally becoming accessible to disabled players?

  For people who live with a disability, many games are unplayable — but the industry seems to be waking up

  
• The futuristic visions of multimedia artist Lawrence Lek

  The film-maker on melding video games, music and political theory — and exploring our anxieties about a changing world

  
• Why do gamers keep going back to Grand Theft Auto V?

  A next-gen re-release is proof of the game’s enduring popularity — and reveals much about the gaming industry

  
• City break without the travel: the allure of the urban video game

  The London of ‘Watch Dogs: Legion’ shows how games can draw on our emotional connection to familiar places

  
• Is virtual reality the way forward for museums?

  With the V&A hosting a VR press view for ‘Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser’, the technology seems to offer real potential

  
• Why platform games such as Crash Bandicoot are as popular as ever

  Developers have used the constraints of the format to display their artistry and invention

  
• ‘Hades’ brings the ancient gods to lusty, vengeful life

  The game has become a sensation thanks to its wit, design and dialogue

  
• Why there is more to role-playing games than escapism

  Series such as Final Fantasy offer immersive experiences like no other medium

  
• Gaming needs to level up LGBTQ characters

  Queer and trans representation in video games is rising but still all too rare and simplistic

  
• Have the console wars ended in a truce?

  The once-fetishised hardware of gaming is being rendered redundant by mobile and streaming services

  
• The real problem with the military-entertainment complex

  From targeted recruitment to games used to treat PTSD, the ties between warfare and commercial gaming grow ever stronger

  
• Nintendo’s Ring Fit Adventure takes working out to a new level

  This exercise game for the Switch console aims to bring purpose and fun to exercise and fitness

  
• How animals in gaming went from cartoon characters to real creatures

  Today’s games give players the chance to see the world from the perspective of other species

  
• Is there a place for politics in video games?

  In-game protests are on the rise but most big developers still prefer to pretend that their products are apolitical

  
• The Last of Us Part II reviewed, plus gaming Q&A

  Tom Faber surveys the much-anticipated sequel to the 2013 hit and answers reader questions below

  
• The Dominic Cummings driving simulator and clear-sighted satire in games

  The ingenious 30 Miles to Barnard Castle illustrates how game-creation tools are empowering comedic minds

  
• Games like Jackbox bring people together in lockdown

  Digital updates of traditional parlour games inject joy and humour into online interactions

  
• How online games are becoming a new arena for live music

  Artists such as Travis Scott and Charli XCX are appearing in digital form, watched by audiences of avatars

  
• How the remake is breathing new life into classic games

  The new Final Fantasy VII Remake reimagines one of the most celebrated games in history

  
• How Sony became a player in the gaming world

  The company used canny design and marketing to transform its PlayStation into a cultural icon

  
• When the aim of the game is to create a new game

  From Super Mario Maker to a pizza parlour conceived by kids, users can become developers — with mixed results

  
• Is this the perfect game for home quarantine?

  Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers a gloriously soothing escape — but it has its problems

  
• What does gaming teach us during a pandemic?

  There are serious lessons to be learned from games that feature plagues and infections — but there’s fun to be had, too

  
• Gaming takes a leaf out of literature’s book

  Ghost story Kentucky Route Zero is part of a long tradition of games rooted in language and narrative

  
• When is a video game too difficult?

  There is a growing market for extremely tough games — but players want to feel challenged not punished

  
• Gamers get virtual access to high fashion and accessories

  Luxury brands capitalise on popularity of games by offering virtual items for real money

  
• My life as a video-game gnome mage

  ‘In World of Warcraft, I was projecting a version of myself that was free of adolescent burdens’

  
• The best video games of 2019

  This year’s favourite releases were spectacular in innovation rather than scale, from ‘Untitled Goose Game’ to ‘The Outer Worlds’

  
• Dispatch from Japan’s gaming zone

  The country’s gaming industry, a key cultural export, has undergone a slump — but there are signs of a revival

  
• Gaming’s missing ingredient: laughter

  A new game brings mirth to a medium in which humour is a rarity

  
• Jenova Chen: ‘I want to expand the boundary of games’

  The developer has pushed the medium into the realm of art by emphasising emotion

  
• The healing potential of ‘mind’ games

  Researchers are exploring how mental illnesses can be alleviated by games

  
• Game designers breathe new life into ‘death’

  Dying in games usually signals a restart — but can it be made more meaningful?

  
• Fizzing sweets and catapulting birds: the trick of casual games

  The industry is filled with mobile games that are designed to be fiendishly unputdownable

  
• Love meters and emasculating scissors: sex in the world of gaming

  Games struggle to portray romance and sex realistically — but there are exceptions

  
• Can storytelling in games reach the next level?

  The medium’s ace-card is immersion, but mainstream games often lack inventive narratives

  
• Pixels, snowflakes and Japanese scrolls: the evolving world of game aesthetics

  Gaming graphics have reached new heights of sophistication since the days of Super Mario

  
• Do video games encourage violent acts?

  Recent mass shootings have put gaming back in the spotlight — though many gamers and game-makers say it is an easy target

  
• Player 2 no longer: how games outgrew the movies

  Games have often borrowed the language of film to good effect, but the reverse has never worked

  
• When does a video game become art?

  Game makers and artists use the medium to explore new ideas and ask questions about our world

  
• Does gaming still have a woman problem?

  Real female characters are beginning to emerge on screen, at a time when women make up half of gamers

  
• Cats, cancer and mental breakdown: the unexpected joys of indie games

  As blockbuster budgets swell and big studios grow more risk-averse, indies are leading the way with innovation

  
• What’s the appeal of games that recreate mundane reality?

  Farming, driving a bus, even cleaning: simulations are an enduringly popular genre