#low-stakes-gameplay

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Games
fromKotaku
1 day ago

Cyberpunk, League Of Legends Games Suggest TCGs Are Having A Moment

PAX East 2026 featured a shift from video games to trading card games, particularly a TCG based on Cyberpunk 2077.
#board-games
Poker
fromBusiness Matters
4 days ago

Why People Love Taking Chances: From Holiday Deals to Game Shows

Taking risks triggers excitement and dopamine release, motivating behavior through the anticipation of rewards.
Video games
fromKotaku
3 days ago

Stormgate Adding Offline Mode After Server Provider Ditches It For AI

Stormgate will lose online multiplayer access due to server provider acquisition, prompting a shift to develop an offline mode.
fromKotaku
6 days ago

Dimension 20 Is Finally Doing A Vampire: The Masquerade Campaign

Dimension 20 has primarily used Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition across its campaigns, with occasional side quests using other systems. The main cast has only deviated from D&D for the sixth campaign, A Starstruck Odyssey, which utilized an unofficial Star Wars system.
DC food
fromwww.bbc.com
1 day ago

Power-washing, pool-cleaning and mowing: Why millions are playing games about mundane jobs

"We want to make the Graham Norton of video games," says Kirsty Rigden, the chief executive of Brighton-based FuturLab, which makes PowerWash Simulator. Aspiring to emulate a talkshow host who has a reputation for being affable rather than for setting pulses racing is perhaps an unusual ambition for a gaming studio.
Games
Board games
fromKotaku
1 day ago

Puzzle Spy International Deserves To Be Played By Way More People

Puzzle Spy International offers a collection of 11 engaging puzzles with a light story, ideal for solo or cooperative play.
Video games
fromGamesBeat
4 days ago

Inside Clix Gaming's creator-powered business strategy

Cody 'Clix' Conrod is launching Clix Gaming, a brand and business centered on his success as a top Fortnite player.
fromKotaku
1 week ago

RPGs Lead To The Strongest 'Post-Game Depression,' Study Finds

The study, published in the Current Psychology journal, was conducted by researchers from SWPS University and the Stefan Batory Academy of Applied Sciences, who set out to measure the 'sense of emptiness that arises after completing a deeply immersive game.' Post-Game Depression, or P-DGS, was measured across two separate studies, with a total of 373 participants.
Mental health
fromwww.engadget.com
2 days ago

Apple Arcade just got two indie gems

Dredge+ is the complete edition of the game, with all released DLC content. This is pretty much a perfect video game that combines fishing with bone-chilling horror.
Board games
fromVG247
3 days ago

The Petit Planet beta is coming back with new updates, but you still need to hope for an invite

Petit Planet is the studio's take on Animal Crossing, though with a few interesting ideas of its own. The game's most recent test took place all the way back in November, but its next big test isn't far off.
Games
#rec-room
Games
fromFast Company
4 days ago

Rec Room is shutting down, despite the popular game reaching over 150 million users. Here's why

Rec Room is shutting down in June due to unsustainable profitability despite having over 150 million players since its launch in 2016.
Video games
fromEngadget
4 days ago

Rec Room, a Roblox-style VR game, is shutting down

Rec Room is shutting down due to profitability challenges despite having over 150 million users.
Games
fromFast Company
4 days ago

Rec Room is shutting down, despite the popular game reaching over 150 million users. Here's why

Rec Room is shutting down in June due to unsustainable profitability despite having over 150 million players since its launch in 2016.
Video games
fromEngadget
4 days ago

Rec Room, a Roblox-style VR game, is shutting down

Rec Room is shutting down due to profitability challenges despite having over 150 million users.
Video games
fromKotaku
4 days ago

Marathon Cracks Down On Cool Exploits To Make Things Fair

Bungie has removed the slide-canceling exploit in Marathon to maintain balanced gameplay and has updated the Outpost loot area.
fromwww.businessinsider.com
6 days ago

Meet the three-time world Sudoku champ behind LinkedIn's daily puzzles

"It's definitely a conversation starter," said Snyder, a three-time world Sudoku champion and an author and editor of more than dozens of ebooks such as 'The Art of Sudoku' and 'The Art of Puzzles.'"
Board games
Games
fromEngadget
5 days ago

BOXROOM lets you build a cozy game room for your Steam library

Customize a virtual space to showcase your game library with personalized furniture and game displays.
Video games
fromKotaku
4 days ago

Hope For A New Open World Lord Of The Rings RPG Is Surging

Warhorse Studios may be developing a Lord of the Rings game, but conflicting rumors and industry challenges create uncertainty.
fromKotaku
1 week ago

I Can't Stop Playing This Terrible Game, So Maybe It's Good?

Timber Rush is about numbers going up in the crudest way imaginable, a clicker game that barely even features clicking, in which you move your woodcutter side to side as increasing numbers of increasingly silly logs fly around the screen.
Games
Video games
fromEngadget
1 week ago

Beat-based dungeon crawlers, card-battling soccer sims and other new indie games worth checking out

Albatross Interactive is developing Terminal War, a 4v4 shooter inspired by the canceled Factions mode from The Last of Us.
#crowdfunding
Board games
fromBoard Game Quest
2 weeks ago

Top 10 Solo Board Games for Every Kind of Gamer

Solo gaming is rapidly evolving, with many games now including solo modes or automata, enhancing the tabletop gaming experience.
Relationships
fromwww.mercurynews.com
1 month ago

Asking Eric: Their choices for game night are so cringey

Accept others' preference for simple games or bow out; use nonverbal tactics and classroom strategies to command attention despite a soft voice.
fromBoard Game Quest
2 weeks ago

Everbound Review

Everbound uses an 18-card construct to fill out the crew of a pirate ship. You start with your Captain and a twinkle in yer eye. And presumably a ship. Yarrrr. You'll take one of two actions per turn. Draw: Take a card from the Dock. Recruit: Play a card from your hand by paying its icon cost.
Board games
Video games
fromKotaku
3 weeks ago

I Miss When Multiplayer Games Weren't Changing All The Time - Kotaku

A patch increasing gunshot volume in Marathon created a more aggressive multiplayer environment, prompting nostalgia for older games that remained static after release rather than undergoing constant balance changes.
Board games
fromKotaku
2 weeks ago

Slay The Spire 2: Tips And Tricks For Getting Started

Slay the Spire 2 is intentionally harder than the original, with significantly increased enemy damage scaling, particularly in Act 1, requiring adaptive deck-building strategies rather than predetermined builds.
#board-game-crowdfunding
#roguelike
Video games
fromMedium
3 weeks ago

The calm and charm of cosy games in a chaotic world

Cosy games have become a major cultural movement, with titles like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley selling tens of millions of copies by offering players safe, peaceful worlds without failure states or time pressure.
fromEngadget
2 years ago

The best board games to gift and play this year

This is for that friend that finishes the Wordle in three tries and solves the purple clues first in Connections. League of the Lexicon reminds me a bit of Trivial Pursuit - players or teams take turns asking everyone questions from a double-sided card with answers on the back. Questions come in five categories and cover synonyms, word origins, spelling, definitions, archaic words, grammar, linguistic trivia and more.
Books
Board games
fromwww.theguardian.com
3 weeks ago

Less respawning, more re-rolling: six of the best board games based on video games

Video games increasingly adapt into physical board games, with successful examples like Company of Heroes 2nd Edition and Slay the Spire translating digital mechanics into tabletop experiences using dice, miniatures, and cards.
Video games
fromKotaku
3 weeks ago

Marathon Has Replaced Nightreign As My Multiplayer Obsession

Marathon functions as an action roguelike disguised as an extraction shooter, combining procedural RNG, run-based gameplay, and permanent gear loss with the liberating design philosophy of traditional roguelikes.
fromBoard Game Quest
3 weeks ago

Shallow Regrets Review

Shallow Regrets is an 18-card wallet game that is easy to transport, teach, and set up. All players start with 0 fishhooks, so they should be aiming to catch fish whose card backs show small shadows, indicating that those fish require 0 hooks to catch, in the early-game.
Board games
Board games
fromBoard Game Quest
3 weeks ago

Top 10 Influential Years in Board Gaming History

Board gaming history is evaluated by identifying the most influential years, with only pre-2016 years qualifying due to requiring nearly a decade to assess impact.
UX design
fromMedium
2 months ago

Escaping AI sludge, Figma Make prompts, UX for board games

AI-driven workflows have produced homogenized products, making brands sterile; designers should prioritize craft and delightful MVPs to solve user problems and differentiate experiences.
Business
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

December board game update

Planet Money Board Game released an updated near-final prototype for public testing after incorporating listener feedback.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

Why Bluffing Isn't Always Just "Harmless" Fun

Bluffing is a widespread psychological tactic that escalates from opportunistic signaling to organized deception, enabling scams and fraud by exploiting trust and cognitive biases.
fromhttps://www.arogyayogaschool.com/blog
2 months ago

Why Short Play Sessions Beat Long Grinds In Modern Game Design

Games did not suddenly become "worse." Games adapted. Attention got tired, schedules got tighter, and competition for free time turned brutal. A ten-minute gap now has to fight against messages, videos, and endless feeds. In that environment, long-form sessions still exist, but short sessions often win because they respect reality instead of demanding a perfect evening. That shift is visible everywhere, from mobile puzzlers to competitive titles and even casino-style experiences where a quick crore win feeling is part of the appeal.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

I don't like organised fun, but Dungeons and Dragons is my shining nerdy light amid the darkness | Patrick Lenton

I wish this was a one-off blip in my regimented friendship schedule, but all through 2025 I played the world's slowest game of message tennis. I'd invite a pal for dinner, only for the world to turn, the seasons pass, grey hairs gather at my temples, before a date was finally locked in. This sentiment seems to be common among my circle.
Relationships
Board games
fromBoard Game Quest
4 weeks ago

Top Ten (Unexpected) Board Game Side Effects

Board gaming hobbies produce unexpected psychological effects including reality distortion, media immersion, and travel fantasies beyond anticipated expenses and space concerns.
fromKotaku
1 month ago

Highguard Dev Says The Shooter Is Too Sweaty For Casual Fans

3v3 duos is always the sweatiest version of anything like battle royale, objective modes, wingman, you know it, I name it. It requires such a high intensity of communication with your team, and team play, that it doesn't leave much room for casualness. I think that was the biggest thing that turned a lot of players off Highguard.
Video games
Board games
fromBoard Game Quest
1 month ago

Dawnmaker Digital Review

Dawnmaker combines city-building and deck-building mechanics in a campaign-based game where players upgrade a lighthouse by gathering resources through card play and constructing buildings to progress through increasingly difficult missions.
Board games
fromBoard Game Quest
1 month ago

Crowdfunding Campaigns of the Week - 3/2/26

Multiple crowdfunding board game campaigns are available, including Lion Dancers, Almighty, NPC Rivals, and One Card Dungeon, each offering distinct gameplay themes and mechanics.
fromBoard Game Quest
1 month ago

MicroMacro: The Home Game Jigsaw Puzzle Review

MicroMacro: The Home Game Jigsaw Puzzle is a 500-piece puzzle that utilizes the same art style as all other MicroMacro titles. The puzzle depicts a socc....errrrr, a football game, as well as the neighborhood surrounding the stadium. It is "just" a puzzle; however, there is more to it after you complete it. There are forty-two hidden objects to find (think Where's Waldo?), as well as two cases to solve, like other MicroMacro games.
Board games
Video games
fromWIRED
2 months ago

Board Is Tabletop Tablet Gaming-but With Physical Pieces

Board is a physical-digital hybrid gaming system aimed at children, offering varied launch titles, mixed family reception, and uncertain future content pricing and durability.
#co-op-games
Video games
fromGameSpot
2 months ago

The Best Co-Op Games For Four Player Game Nights

Four-player co-op offers an ideal balance for multiplayer sessions, delivering diverse cooperative experiences that reward communication, coordination, and teamwork across varied game styles.
#roblox
Board games
fromGameSpot
1 month ago

The Best Co-Op Card Games For An Argument-Free Board Game Night

Co-operative card games emphasize teamwork and shared problem-solving, offering variety from deduction and storytelling to trick-taking and party styles for families and adult groups.
Board games
fromABC7 Los Angeles
1 month ago

Embracing board games as a winning strategy for digital detox

Long Island's tabletop gaming expo celebrates handcrafted, tactile board, card, miniature, and role-playing games, highlighting physical interaction and indie creators.
Video games
fromwww.gamespot.com
2 months ago

Arc Raiders Now Features "Aggression-Based Matchmaking," Dev Confirms

Arc Raiders now uses aggression-based matchmaking that groups players by PvP or PvE tendencies in addition to skill and party size.
Board games
fromBoard Game Quest
1 month ago

Most Anticipated Board Games of 2026

World Order offers an accessible, thematic Eurogame simulating 2010 international relations with asymmetric factions, standardized gameplay, and a viable 2-player, 90-minute variant.
fromGameSpot
2 months ago

A Valheim Player Is Filling His Server With Dollar Generals To Mess With His Friends

Greg's friends started popping up soon after, with user Paladin Posting sharing a screenshot of the same building with the caption: "WTF is a Dollar General. Why is it in my Valheim server." Another user, Woman Mage, also shared a view of the building from a different angle with the caption "this is just absurd."
Video games
Board games
fromBuzzFeed
1 month ago

27 Games You'll Pull Out For Every Family Or Friends Game Night

Wavelength and Jenga are accessible, conversation-starting party games suitable for family and casual gatherings, offering simple rules and broad player ages.
Board games
fromBoard Game Quest
1 month ago

Top 10 Boss Battler Board Games

Tabletop boss battlers that allow attacking the boss from round one emphasize immediate cooperative combat, positioning, pattern manipulation, and varied high-stakes mechanics.
Board games
fromBoard Game Quest
2 months ago

Orbit Review

Orbit is a 2–4 player racing game where players manipulate eight moving planets and limited propulsion to visit all planets and return to their home planet first.
fromBoard Game Quest
1 month ago

Peninsula Review

Peninsula uses a deck of 30 icon cards (or 24 if you are playing solo) with icons for each of the landscape features you will be placing on the island. Each card has two icons separated by a river. In competitive play, the active player selects the icon they want to add to their island. The remaining icon on the opposite side of the river is used by the other players.
Board games
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