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6 Games You Didn’t Know You Could Spend Your Whole Life Playing

by Stone Marshall | Jul 30, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized | 0 comments

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Role playing games (RPGs) are already known for requiring large amounts of time to complete them. Usually, most people wouldn’t give an RPG the time of day if it doesn’t exceed 20+ hours. But once in a millennium, gamers are graced with a game that exceeds all expectations by completely dominating their every moment. One such game was released in 2011 under the title The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Skyrim has managed to become one of those games people just can’t put down. It’s open ended structure, and non-stop flow of quests enthralled almost everyone who took the time to play it. To make matters even more dire, mods happen to be a thing on PC. If you look at Skyrim now with a few mods in effect, it becomes a totally different game. New areas, races, abilities and so much more have been created to expand upon the game Bethesda built all those moons ago.

This game still manages to draw hours of playtime out of fans with every new addition. Bethesda managed to build a beautiful huge world with a magnificent lore that has managed to create a truly amazing time sink. After trying it out for yourself, you may find out first-hand just why this game steals your hours, but you can be rest assured that you won’t regret it.

Minecraft

Minecraft is one of those games that exploded into popularity seemingly out of nowhere. This game that allows you to build almost anything you can imagine in a magical world has accrued millions of fans. It’s hard to look on YouTube and not trip over 100 videos of individuals playing this game. There is just something about the game that causes people to sink hours upon hours into its blocky goodness.

Maybe it’s the randomly generated open world that draws people in. Perhaps it’s the feeling of figuring out how to build that one thing that nobody else can build that keeps gamers coming back to scratch that itch. Or maybe it’s the fact that Minecraft can be played on almost every platform available. You have a PC, home console, handheld, or smart phone? Chances are if you do you have the ability to play this time consuming game.

Whether you’re sitting at your desk or on the porcelain throne, you can pour hours into building your castle for no real reason other than pure fun.

MOBAs

Multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) are those games a large group of gamers just can’t quite put their finger on. It’s not that the fun component of the game is confusing, after all, everyone knows that competition is fun. And it’s not the characters that puzzle people. Some use heroes while others place you into the sandals of ancient deities in order to wreak havoc upon your opponents. It just might be that each match can be relatively short and the games are pretty repetitious.

But, since when did repetition mean that something can’t be fun and devour all of your precious hours? MOBAs may have a pretty set-in-stone formula but they can be highly addictive once you get the hang of them. Heck, even the Twinfinite team has found itself in the clutches of Smite as each match leads to the desire of more god vs. god mayhem. The game just grabs all of your attention with its simple to learn but difficult to master mechanics.

While many are still trying to figure just why MOBAs became such a time sink millions of others are currently devoting large portions of their days to this game phenomenon.

Simulations

Simulations are an odd bunch. That’s not to say that the games are bad in any way, mind you. They are often very detailed and provide realistic mechanics that you just can’t help but marvel at. The thing is that most popular simulations are pretty mundane things that you could possibly do in your real life, but that has never stopped anyone from pursuing one of the many sims available to gamers.

For instance, take a look at Euro Truck Simulator. You will spend tons of hours in this game just following the laws of the road. The beautiful farm land and architecture you may pass during your travels are just an added bonus to the endless driving you will do. If you take a look at The Sims you will notice a similar situation, all you do is live… literally. You get a job, you develop relationships, eat, sleep, and many other everyday activities.

There is just something about watching simple things unfold in the virtual world that creates one of the ultimate time sinks. Will you live to 100 years old in The Sims? Will you make it to your destination in Euro Truck Simulator? The only way to ever know is to pay in hours of your time.

MMOs

The massively multiplayer online game (MMO) is one of the original time sinks in gaming. Create your avatar, choose your path, and set off in huge worlds with tons of monsters to defeat. Join a clan to make new friends, or even make one yourself. Choose to become the strongest in the world or max out your level without ever harming a single soul. These games throw you into entirely new worlds where you can make a name for yourself.

Being able to accomplish amazing feats with friends and strangers alike is an amazing thing. Whether it’s slaying a powerful dragon, or just gathering tons of people to do silly things it’s easy to see the appeal of MMOs. Losing hours of time playing a game with people from all over the world is one of the best things gaming has to offer. MMOs might be a time sink, but they are definitely one that’s well worth the sacrifice.

Grand Theft Auto IV on PC

You may have looked at the title of this section and wondered why only the PC version of this huge franchise was singled out. Everyone knows that Grand Theft Auto is one of the best selling franchises in gaming and gamers on all platforms sink tons of time into any game in the series. And you’d be 100% correct in saying that Grand Theft Auto IV could be considered a time sink on any of the other platforms it was made available on. But none of the other versions have the replay value that the PC release has.

One thing this game has on PC that puts it above the rest is mod support. You can put almost anything into Grand Theft Auto IV on PC. Wanna play as a horse driving a Mercedes Benz? Go right ahead. How about as one of your favorite superheroes so you can fly around Liberty City ruining the lives of it’s many citizens? You can do it all at the expense of your productive hours.

Grand Theft Auto IV manages to transcend the addiction that surrounds the game on consoles by become an even greater time sink on PC. If you need someone to thank just look to the individuals who spend lots of time making super creative mods.

Are there any games that you find yourself spending tons of time playing? Feel free to share.

Minecraft Dolphins Guide: Can You Tame and Ride a Dolphin in Minecraft?

Can you tame a dolphin in Minecraft? This is a question that many players are asking right now with the most recent Oceans update. With such a vast underwater world to explore, there are so many new options for players to check out like dolphins. This has many wondering if you can tame them.

Considering that you can tame horses, dogs, and the like, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to know you can tame a dolphin in Minecraft. But can you really do it? And how do you do it if so? We are going to answer that question and more in this guide.

Can You Tame and Ride a Dolphin in Minecraft?
So, can you tame a dolphin in Minecraft? The answer is, unfortunately, no. It is not possible (as of right now) to tame and ride the dolphins, which is unfortunate as it should definitely be an option. However, that isn’t the end of the story, thankfully.

While you can’t tame a dolphin in Minecraft, you can feed it some food and it will indeed do something great for you. Unfortunately, it won’t let you ride it right now. It will lead you to some buried treasure in a nearby shipwreck or ruins underwater. This is a great new feature.

But what do you feed the dolphin in order to do that? Well, you feed it a piece of raw cod and you’ll be good. Interestingly enough, one way to get a piece of raw cod is by killing a different dolphin. Sort of a morbid way to do it but it works. Unfortunately, there are no plans to make it possible to tame a dolphin in Minecraft but that could change in the near future. Especially if fans let Mojang know that is what they want in the game

Fortnite Petition Asks For Option To Thank Bus Driver Before Jumping

by Stone Marshall | Jul 29, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized | 0 comments

We’ve seen some interesting petitions pop online as of late, from Marvel fans wanting James Gunn rehired for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to getting “Weird Al” Yankovic to perform at an obscure music festival in Yellowknife. But it looks like Fortnite fans have their own little campaign going on, asking for one simple thing — to say thank you to the driver of the Battle Bus.

The petition, which can be found here, was put together by Kody Keddie and is asking Epic Games to “add the ability to thank the bus driver before jumping out of the battle bus in Fortnite.” Thus far, the petition has over 6,000 signatures.

“Since I was just a boy I have always loved jumping out of the battle bus”, the petition reads. “But all this time I have felt something was missing. And that thing is the ability to thank the driver of the battle bus, he or she is truly a great person and they provide us a great service, I think it is time we can truly appreciate thair (their) service, don't you agree?”

As silly as this all sounds, some fans are dedicated to getting such a feature put into the game. One even went as far as to note, “I cannot sleep at night knowing that a bus driver is forced to drive that battle bus 24/7.” Another chimed in, “This battle bus driver has changed lives is all I’m saying.”

Epic Games hasn’t said a word about the petition yet, but, um, can’t players just go and thank him anyway? Just say “Thanks!” before diving out of the Battle Bus? Or maybe gesturing to them as they land on the ground with a dance of some sort? Why does there need to be an “official” way to thank them when they can pass on their praise as it stands?

Maybe some folks just need that “Press X to pay tribute,” like you did in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare all those years ago. Who knows, maybe Epic Games is giving it some consideration. Or maybe they’re just adding cooler things to the game, which we’re even more cool with.

If you’re interested in signing, head over here to see the petition.

Fortnite is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, mobile and PC.

(Hat tip to GamesRadar for the scoop!)

So Far In 2018, Japan’s Most Downloaded Nintendo Switch Game Is Minecraft

Minecraft isn’t only popular in Japan, it’s also popular on the Nintendo Switch.

Minecraft is the most downloaded game on Nintendo Switch in Japan during the first half of this year, according to lists Nintendo published today.

Here are the top five for package and download versions. Note that Nintendo did not release download figures.

5. Mario Tennis Ace

Released: June 22, 2018

4. Splatoon 2

July 21, 2017

3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

April 28, 2017

2. Kirby Star Allies

March 16, 2018

1. Minecraft

June 21, 2018

And here are the top five download-only games.

5. Arcade Archives vs Super Mario Bros.

Released: December 22, 2017

4. Overcooked: Special Edition

October 12, 2017

3. Stardew Valley

January 11, 2018

2. Human Fall Flat

December 28, 2017

1. Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition

May 12, 2017

Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

Fortnite Battle Royale Tournament Hosted By Ninja Becomes Overnight Success

by Stone Marshall | Jul 28, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Last month, it was confirmed that Red Bull was hosting a special Fortnite event hosted by streaming sensation Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, with teams coming together to prove their worth against the competition. Now that the event is concluded, it looks like it’s become a huge success.

The event, hosted by Blevins and Ben “DrLupo” Lupo, continued to find a huge streaming audience over the course of the evening, with 150,000 viewers tuning in throughout the evening (with the event running all the way through this morning), with at least 100,000 watching concurrently. (That’s not a huge surprise, considering Ninja’s massive following on Twitch.)

The event, which was held on the 99th floor of Chicago’s Willis Tower, brought together 200 of the best Fortnite players around, scoring points on a system that would eventually give the victory to Trevor “Funkbomb” Siegler and Nate “Nateehill” Hill, aka Team Exploit.

“This is our first big tournament and to win it is amazing,” said Nateehill. “We knew we were good and now we just have more confidence, we’re ready for the next one.”

Payouts were somewhat minimal, at just $1,125 each for the top winners, but that was mainly due to the rules applied by Epic Games when it comes to third party competitions. Still, the players were thrilled to take part. You can watch the awarding in the video below, posted by the ESPN Esports Twitter account.

On top of that, a secondary challenge, one in which players took on Ninja and Lupo directly, resulted in earning bonus points over the course of the evening. But Ninja explained that it was the interaction with the fans that truly made the evening something special.

“I wouldn’t have a career if it wasn’t for the Fortnite Community,” said Ninja. “I had so much fun playing with one of my best friends [DrLupo] tonight and meeting all my fans. There was some top talent in this tournament.”

So, with its success and huge audience, could Red Bull be returning to Fortnite territory soon? The company didn’t say anything just yet, but we’ll see what gets announced over the next few months.

Fortnite is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC and mobile devices.

The Walking Dead: The Final Season Isn’t Necessarily Telltale’s Last Game With the Series

For a while now, Telltale Games has been teasing the conclusion of Clementine’s story in The Walking Dead: The Final Season, which is set to debut in just a few weeks. However, just because this episodic series has a huge emphasis on closure doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the end of the story.

During a recent livestream over at IGN, Telltale creative director Kent Mudle was asked if this five-episode arc would truly wrap everything up. But…it doesn’t quite look that way.

“This season is the end of Clementine’s journey, and that’s as much as I’ll say on that,” he said.

So what does that mean? The trailers have indicated a finish of sorts, but it looks like it’s just Clementine’s wrap-up. There’s a good chance that, considering it’s beneficial for both parties, Telltale’s relationship with Skybound will continue for more stories.

But which direction could they take? Could we see more of Lee’s side of things before the initial season of The Walking Dead began? Could Michonne make a return? Could another character from AMC’s The Walking Dead make their debut? There are possibilities galore.

For the moment though, Telltale is focusing on finishing up Clementine’s tale, and rightfully so. These new screens tell quite a bit, and soon we’ll see even more gameplay from the Final Season.

Here are the game’s features in case you missed them:

Emotional, Gut-Wrenching Story – See Clementine’s journey through to the end. As she builds a new life, you will have to grapple with new types of choices and live with the consequences as AJ looks on, learning from your every move.
More Control, More Tension – A new over-the-shoulder camera system, greater freedom to explore detailed environments, and scenes with unscripted combat capture the fear of living in a world overrun by the undead and create the most engaging The Walking Dead game yet.
Striking New Visual Style – The all-new Graphic Black art style rips the ink from the pages of the Eisner Award-winning comic book series and brings the world of The Walking Dead to life like never before. Supports 4K resolution and high dynamic range on compatible devices.
The Walking Dead: The Final Season debuts on August 14 for PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One. There’s a good chance we’ll see it on Nintendo Switch and mobile devices down the road as well.

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