Free book for boys and reluctant readers

Minecraft Adventures - Books for boys

Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices

Choose your device

KindleiPad/iPod/iPhoneGoogle Play (Android Tablets)nookkoboRead Online

US$8.99 Paperback

Shop LocalAmazon-USAmazon-UKAmazon-Canada

Get Reluctant Reader Book News from Stone Marshall

We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe.

Click here to learn more

Be sure you get your bonuses, send an email to Stone@StoneMarshall.com and say Hi, or add Stone@StoneMarshall.com to your address book now. Gmail users, make sure your entry is confirmed. Add email from Stone@StoneMarshall.com to your Primary Tab. This video explains it well. https://stonemarshall.com/email-from-promo-to-primary Don't have an email address? Get gmail here, free.

Reading is important

Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.
–Maya Angelou

Most adults would agree that reading is important, but many kids detest reading. Video games, devices, and TV are preferred entertainment and escape. They provide instant gratification. Reading takes time. For some kids, reading isn’t engaging.

had this same problem with my son, so I solved the problem.

The classic stories I remember enjoying as a kid don’t interest my son and his immediate attention span. If he doesn’t enjoy the story from page one, he will not read further.

Minecraft Adventures - Books for boys

So how did I get my son to read?

I showed him how much fun it is to get sucked into a story.

Your book is amazing I can’t stop reading it
– Joseph Young via twitter

Contemporary and Classic titles alike don’t interest many kids. Don’t worry, the love of reading is learned. We need a starting point. We need that one book that is just as engaging on the first read as the fifth, just like a really great movie that kids want to see again and again. A positive association with reading will make kids want to read more.

A love of reading is cited as the number one indicator of future success. My son didn’t have the desire to read. He didn’t care about the books I chose to read to him, and was overwhelmed with the selection at the library. I want my son to succeed, so I had to do something. Since we struggled to find books he cared to read, I wrote one. An epic saga about the things he loves. I put it in a world he loves and addressed the issues he faces in his life.

I just love your books I’ve been reading them over and over again.
-Carson via twitter 

But it’s a video game book

Don’t worry; it’s not a book about video games, nor is it a game strategy book. Flynn’s Log is a hero’s journey that takes place inside the Minecraft world that today’s kids know and love. The protagonist, Flynn, naturally flows through Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (builds shelter and tools, learns what to eat and discovers a digital friend) and faces questions about his destiny. He learns important life lessons about friendship, integrity, and trust. Flynn’s Log is good for kids without being boring.

Thank you so so much for the free ebook. My son loves Minecraft now with this book I can get him to read to me.
Jennifer Wilkins

Start your son or daughter on journey today, reading Flynn’s Log 1: Rescue Island. Free on available these devices and apps.

Minecraft Adventures - Books for boys

Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices

Choose your device

KindleiPad/iPod/iPhoneGoogle Play (Android Tablets)nookkoboRead Online

US$8.99 Paperback

Shop LocalAmazon-USAmazon-UKAmazon-Canada

Why is Flynn’s Log 1 Free?

My son loves reading — finally. If you have experience with a reluctant reader then I know your pain and I want to help. I’ve seen thousands of kids transform with this book. My readers, who don’t usually read books during the summer, couldn’t put Flynn’s Log 1 down.

Good book I thought I would never read a book on my summer but I feel I’m gonna finish it soon
– Multigamer 47 via twitter

Let this book change your kid’s life too. You have nothing to lose and an avid reader to gain.

Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.

–Frederick Douglas

I am giving away Flynn’s Log 1 free because I want to give you a risk-free way to hook your reluctant reader.

Please and I mean PLEASE, WRITE MORE! I absolutely love it! They’re outstanding books.

-Devon123321 via twitter

What are Books for Boys?

I spend lots of time with teachers and parents. I hear parents ask, “How do I get my son to read? Do you have books for boys?”

I wrote the Flynn’s Log series for my son, and this book is interesting for boys. However, the series is a non-stop read for both boys and girls, especially those who are interested in Minecraft.

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.

—Dr. Seuss

What are you waiting for?

You have nothing to lose!

Minecraft Adventures - Books for boys

Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices

Choose your device

KindleiPad/iPod/iPhoneGoogle Play (Android Tablets)nookkoboRead Online

US$8.99 Paperback

Shop LocalAmazon-USAmazon-UKAmazon-Canada

News for Parents of Reluctant Readers

Get Reluctant Reader Book News from Stone Marshall

We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe.

Click here to learn more

Be sure you get your bonuses, send an email to Stone@StoneMarshall.com and say Hi, or add Stone@StoneMarshall.com to your address book now. Gmail users, make sure your entry is confirmed. Add email from Stone@StoneMarshall.com to your Primary Tab. This video explains it well. https://stonemarshall.com/email-from-promo-to-primary Don't have an email address? Get gmail here, free.

INSIDE COALCHELLA, THE MINECRAFT MUSIC FESTIVAL THAT HAD BRANDS EVERYWHERE (SORT OF)

Think of it as all the fun of an outdoor music festival without the crowds—or the outdoors.

In late September, nearly 3,000 people logged on to their Minecraft accounts and got ready to party. The world-building video game has been often used to create larger than life sculptures, buildings, and artworks, but internet-collective Thwip Gang had bigger ideas.

After hosting a Minecraft-based “Birthday Party” for one of their members back in May, the Thwip Gang got to work organizing a full-scale concert completely within the gaming platform. With no more promotion than a few tweets on the organizers’ personal Twitter pages, Coalchella drew in 27,000 listeners over its 8 hours across various streaming platforms. (“Coalchella” because in Minecraft one mines coal, among other minerals. Just go with it.)

The free festival required nothing more than a Minecraft account to attend and drew some big name headliners like ANAMANAGUCHI and Electric Mantis. The musical lineup came together somewhat serendipitously—in an interview with the blog Melting of Age, one of Coalchella’s creators and Thwip Gang collaborator, Umru Rothenberg said, “It was a very random process of just asking whatever friends came to mind or saying ‘this person would be cool’ and checking if anyone was mutuals with them.”

After entering, festival goers arrived at the stage of their choosing — REDBLOCKS or BEDROCKS — and tuned into a livestream on the broadcast audio website Mixlr. Just like IRL, when the performer’s avatar took the stage, the crowd of block people burst into life and the music started. The digital attendees then started dancing and the in-game chat flooded with commentary about the concert.

As if a full-scale two-stage concert “venue” isn’t enough, the Thwip Gang also scattered brands and logos thoughout the virtual site. An IHOb restaurant, a giant Bass Pro Shops Pyramid, and an overhead IKEA blimp were among those featured. Only there was a catch: None of the brands knew their logos were being used for the event — they were mostly plastered around Minecraft as cultural touchstones.

Ad Age reached out to some of the brands referenced in the festival. Stephanie Peterson, head of communications and merchandise at IHOP said, “We’re thrilled that our fans got in on the fun and took it to a new level, creating an epic virtual IHOb restaurant in Minecraft.” A spokesperson for Bass Pro Shops added, “Virtual worlds are interesting but our primary goal is to inspire everyone to get outside and connect with nature.”

At this stage at least, the advertisements are mostly tongue-in-cheek—but having actual sponsor messages is not completely out of the question—and now they have proof-of-concept.

“What will always be most important to me is…that [brands] are not influencing, openly or otherwise, what I am experiencing in any way,” says co-organizer Robin Boehlen, “We can coexist with brands without them becoming controlling.”

Co-organizer Braden Wolfe adds “preserving that [grassroots] presence is really important to what we’re trying to accomplish; creating a universally accessible music event free of region or monetary restriction.”

None of the artists actually paid (or were paid) to play. “All of our impressions were purely organic and the results are a testament to the importance of putting forward unique, inclusive ideas,” explains Max Schramp, one of the festival’s organizers.

Here’s a sample of some of the buzz surrounding the event:

Rothenberg was thrilled by the response and contributed the success of the event to the Internet’s ability to bring people together, both physically and virtually. “Most of us grew up with the internet as a major part of our lives and personally some of my best friends are people I met on Soundcloud and Twitter. An event like this where so many of us from all over the world could hang out together alongside our favorite artists in a virtual space is a literal dream for this kind of community.”

Dota 2 card game Artifact’s beta quietly delayed and shortened

Artifact, the Dota 2 digital card-collecting game, is still on target for its launch date at the end of November, but its planned beta period is going to be shorter.

An invitation-only somewhat public beta had been planned for this month. Users who either got a code or signed up to request access are saying (via PC Gamer) they have gotten emails saying the beta is now on Nov. 19, 2018; Artifact is due to launch in full on Steam on Nov. 28, 2018.

“We have added Artifact to your [Steam] account but we have a bit more work to do before letting everyone in,” said an email in a screenshot posted in the game’s subreddit. “Right now we’re planning for that to happen on November 19.”

Artifact got its first public showing at PAX West in Seattle. Fans have gotten beta keys at events this summer (such as The International tournament) and from Valve community relations representatives over social media.

It is currently in a closed beta right now with much tighter restriction on access. The game will launch on Linux, Mac and Windows PC for $19.99. A version for Android and iOS devices will come sometime later in 2019.

The dream of DisneyQuest is dead

In 1998, Disney launched the original DisneyQuest. The five-story, 100,000-square-foot space at Walt Disney World housed an arcade and remote-controlled cars, but it also contained some of Disney’s earliest work in virtual reality.

With Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride, players zoomed down a virtual recreation of Agrabah’s streets. With Ride the Comix, players lived out what it would be like to jump into a superhero comic book. Other attractions — like the cars — weren’t strictly VR, but many dabbled in augmented reality.

These were elaborate experiments, with hardware costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and headsets referred to internally as “gator vision,” due to the front sticking out like an alligator’s head. The headsets were so heavy they had to be suspended from the ceiling, and the high-end Silicon Graphics computers used for the software quickly raised the costs.

“At the time it was very expensive to do virtual reality anything,” says former designer Aaron Pulkka. “Since Disney was willing to apply the resources to buy the very best supercomputers to run [VR] and to build, internally, the very best head-mounted display for comfort […] it seemed like it was a very unique place to actually explore this space that was otherwise not something you could do at home.”

DisneyQuest was about more than just virtual reality, but for many who worked there, it presented an opportunity to work on these projects that felt ahead of their time.

“We knew the equipment was too expensive to be practical,” says one former employee who asked not to be named because their current employer hasn’t permitted them to do interviews, though they are no longer at Disney. “But the goal was to buy our way into the future, to learn about VR 10-plus years before everyone else.”

WHAT IT WAS
It’s important here to distinguish between “DisneyQuest,” the buildings and initiative, and “DisneyQuest,” the rides and attractions that went inside them. While not technically responsible for DisneyQuest itself, Disney had created a VR studio that ended up designing the majority of these attractions, with outside contractors designing out the rest, and Imagineering ultimately installing them.

Jesse Schell joined Disney the VR studio in 1995 as a show designer after seeing the initial Aladdin ride that was installed at Epcot Center in Disney World. “The VR studio was very focused on creating virtual reality attractions for the parks,” Schell says. “That was very much the vision.”

Another group within the company — headed up by Joe DiNunzio as strategic project lead — had a different idea, however. The pitch was simple: a chain of location-based entertainment centers in every major city. And, according to Schell, they wanted the studio’s VR work to play a significant role.

“They were pitching that, and they were looking at what we were doing with Aladdin as a kind of prototype to prove out the technical effectiveness and the consumer appeal of this sort of thing,” Schell says. “These two things were sort of going on in conjunction.”

MAKING A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL
DisneyQuest’s design, described by many speaking for this story as a “theme park in a box,” meant that space was at a premium. These spaces could only ever house so much, relative to Disney World’s 40 square miles. VR meant each ride had less of a footprint than other attractions, so by staying small, VR allowed the DisneyQuest model to imitate the functions of much larger rides.

“Without [VR], it would have been hard to imagine a scenario under which you could create those kind of immersive experiences,” DiNunzio says. Larger attractions at Walt Disney World or Disneyland can handle thousands of people an hour, but the smaller space of something like DisneyQuest just can’t deal with that sort of throughput without using things like VR.

“Disney, in its park division, builds these giant things, but it takes a continent or half a continent to support each one,” says Joe Garlington, interactive creative director for DisneyQuest. “And that means if you’re not above a certain level of affluence, you may not be able to see it, or may not be able to see it very frequently — may have to save up for half a lifetime to go to one of the parks if you live in Boise or Chicago or someplace where you’re not near a park.”

So, the question was, could a smaller version of the Disney experience be created? Was there a way to distill the magic, to capture that lightning, in a building-sized bottle? “Theme parks are about immersions in stories,” Garlington says. Traditionally, that’s accomplished through scale. Given the limitations with space and time, the team decided this immersion would have to come through interactivity instead. Which meant it would need some pretty slick tech.

“The idea at DisneyQuest was to use absolutely cutting-edge technology and hide it as deeply as possible,” says Larry Gertz says, the executive show producer for DisneyQuest. In other words, Gertz’s job was to preserve the magic of Disney by designing around bulky or otherwise unsightly gadgets in such a way that folks wouldn’t even realize it.

Though the vision of the VR studio was initially to create location-based attractions specifically for the parks, the small group — Schell estimates there were between 15 and 25 staff at any given time — quickly fell in line with DisneyQuest’s mandate of regional destinations. “Even though there was still kind of a desire to find ways to do things for the parks, the rallying cry became, ‘Hey, let’s make DisneyQuest succeed,’” Schell says. “So basically the whole VR studio was thrown behind the DisneyQuest effort.”

The idea was that Disney’s Imagineering division, which included the VR studio, would create attractions that would appear in each DisneyQuest location, with rides swapping out every couple years. So DisneyQuest Chicago would look much like DisneyQuest Philadelphia — which was planned but never went anywhere beyond a hole in the ground — and it meant that there’d be no need to create and build brand new physical rides; much of that effort could simply be duplicated via software.

“THE REAL MAGIC OF THAT MOMENT WAS WHEN YOU HAD THE 3D GLASSES ON AND YOU STEPPED ON THE BOAT, AND IT FELT LIKE YOU WERE ON A BOAT ON WATER BECAUSE OF THE PNEUMATIC MOTION BASE”
“Theme parks are about mass production of entertainment,” Garlington says. In other words, he says, they are about getting butts in seats.” If DisneyQuest was to be a theme park in a box, one major problem was figuring out how to do “mass” on a smaller scale — which is where the interactivity of the rides came in. But that caused its own share of problems. “Interactivity is code for personalization, and mass personalization sounds like an oxymoron. So how do you make it not be one? That was what we were exploring in DisneyQuest.”

As an example, Garlington points to the virtual Pirates of the Caribbean ride — a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) attraction and the one and only major attraction swap to ever occur at DisneyQuest when it replaced a Hercules ride Garlington “hated with a passion.” Sure, Pirates had the usual trappings and theming, like wallpaper and a couple set pieces, but the actual ride itself couldn’t possible mimic the size and scale of a normal attraction. The designers had to do something else.

It used a series of screens and projectors to produce 3D in a manner inverted to what might be considered traditional. Specifically, it gave the appearance of depth rather than having images jump out at the viewer. But Garlington and crew went a couple steps further.

“The real magic of that moment was when you had the 3D glasses on and you stepped on the boat, and it felt like you were on a boat on water because of the pneumatic motion base, and you looked out into what should have been a tiny booth,” Garlington says, “… all of a sudden you were out on a giant ocean, there were ships, you were fighting ships, and the virtual world that we put you physically into was the immersive tool that we used.”

The ride allowed four in the group, but there were six guns. This meant there was always one captain and up to three gunners. The design intentionally had folks move across the deck — which was moving — by getting them to focus on one side before having ships come at the other. All of this conspired to make folks feel like they were really there, according to Garlington.

This sort of trickery would have been relatively easily repeated across installations. But when DisneyQuest Chicago faltered after opening, the plans for the double-digit number of locations were dropped. It wasn’t that Chicago wasn’t making money; it simply wasn’t making enough to be viable.

SO LONG, CHICAGO
In 1999, Disney launched the second DisneyQuest in downtown Chicago, the first of what it hoped would be 30 “location-based entertainment destinations” outside Disney’s parks. In addition to typical Disney branding from films like Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin and Hercules, the location held a number of virtual reality, or otherwise augmented, rides. That included the likes of Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride, CyberSpace Mountain, Virtual Jungle Cruise, Ride the Comix, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold and other physical rides. The Aladdin ride and Ride the Comix are the two that fit the strict definition of virtual reality, but the folks at Disney’s VR Studio had their fingerprints all over these experiences even when they didn’t specifically design their concepts.

Just over two years later, the Chicago installation closed in 2001. Reports at the time cited a lack of broad family appeal as well as the theme park-like payment model — too expensive as a one-time fee with no way for à la carte entry — as reasons for the closure. Disney never opened another DisneyQuest.

“We have concluded that the expected returns on the investment required to achieve DisneyQuest’s cutting-edge technology standard in a stand-alone environment will not meet the company’s financial requirements for this type of business,” Randall Baumberger, senior vice president of Disney Regional Entertainment (the umbrella under which DisneyQuest operated), said at the time of DisneyQuest Chicago’s closure. In other words, Disney thought it’d be a lot more successful than it was.

Sixteen years later, the original DisneyQuest location closed. It ceased operating the night of July 2, 2017, to make way for an NBA-affiliated attraction. The building that once housed DisneyQuest was eventually demolished months later.

This sort of theme park slotting, with old rides or buildings making way for new attractions, isn’t uncommon, but this specific instance marked the death of several early VR rides and experiences — likely permanently. Some may be shelved, sold in parts, or just plain scrapped, but the end result is the same: They’re gone.

Why DisneyQuest failed exactly, why it didn’t make the magic amount of money for there to be a whole chain of them around today, isn’t officially known. Disney declined to answer any questions about the matter. There’s even a burgeoning industry of location-based VR kiosks for malls and movie theaters right now. But some of those interviewed offered their own opinions as to why it didn’t work out.

“THE WHOLE ATTITUDE OF THE COMPANY CHANGED”
“The business clearly failed, because it didn’t thrive,” DiNunzio says. “It didn’t expand to 10 and then 25 units. It didn’t deliver profit targets that were part of the plan. So, you know, on any reasonable measurement, it did not meet its objectives.”

But people liked it, he said, and the concept was strong. Even so, enough people just didn’t visit for whatever reason. Because he left before Chicago closed, he isn’t privy to the exact problems or decision-making process.

Several people speaking for this story blame the corporate attitude toward the project. “The whole attitude of the company changed,” Gertz says. The trend of location-based entertainment died down, and the interest in that trend from Disney management died with it.

The Chicago location closed, the rest were nixed before they moved into any sort of production, and the one single remaining DisneyQuest in Florida continued to exist in a limbo of sorts where Disney never added anything innovative or on the same level as its original lineup. Once Disney decided not to move forward, convincing management to continue to make new rides was all but impossible, because it only made sense financially if they were in multiple locations.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT’S OVER
Gertz last visited in 2010. “It was sort of sad because it was well-worn, and nothing had been updated — they did replace the carpet,” he says. “It was still operating nicely, people were still having a good time, but the designer always looks at it with pristine eyes.” Now it’s gone too, and exactly what happens to the remains of what was pioneering VR work isn’t clear. Even so, the tech was showing its age by the time the Florida location closed. “You could do more robust imagery today with an Xbox,” Gertz says.

“Some things I think get discarded, some things get put in an archive, and who knows,” Schell said. There’s really no telling where the attractions might end up. For example, he previously bought bits of the remote-controlled cars from DisneyQuest on eBay after it was dismantled.

“When Chicago DisneyQuest got dismantled, for example, I know there were people who made sure to collect and save a lot of the pieces and parts for posterity/decoration,” Schell said when we spoke before the closure of the final location, “and goodness knows what will happen when they close Florida DisneyQuest.”

DisneyQuest – Buzz Lightyear flying above the floor
A look inside DisneyQuest Larry Gertz/Disney
That doesn’t mean that DisneyQuest’s footprint at Disney is completely gone, however. The perspective and the technology and the approach that was used was applied subsequently to other venues, though none of the rides were duplicated elsewhere.

“The legacy that [DisneyQuest and the team that built it] provided to the Disney theme parks is the beginning of things like Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters and Midway Mania and other interactive attractions that got implemented in the theme parks,” DiNunzio says. “A lot of that came from the team that developed the attractions for DisneyQuest.”

DisneyQuest might be gone, but it certainly isn’t forgotten by the people who made it what it was. They’ve moved on to other jobs and ideas, but both Gertz and Garlington think the world of what they created together with more than 300 other people.

“I was with Disney for 20 years,” Gertz says. “In that 20 years, I never worked on a project that was more exciting, more creative, more innovative, with a better team, with a better attitude, and with an exceptionally wonderful outcome. It was far and away the best project I have ever worked on, in part because of the results of the project, but mostly because of the incredible talent, dedication, and congeniality of the team. We are still friends, and I think that says something.”

It was a big gamble, and it didn’t work. Not all gambles do. Disney continues to experiment, and Garlington specifically points to the new Star Wars attractions as effectively pursuing the spirit of what made DisneyQuest special all those years ago.

“We felt like we were inventing a new world,” Garlington says. “You want to slay dragons; you don’t want to step on cockroaches, right? And it felt like we were out there slaying a dragon.”

Minecraft held a virtual music festival last month, and called it Coalchella

Most of us know how expensive music festivals can be, and that’s seemingly the thinking behind the hilariously named Coalchella event, a free-admittance music festival hosted in a Minecraft server. Where better to host a free music festival than in the world’s second-most popular game?

Many artists and organizers made the event possible

After a successful 450-guest birthday party for a Minecrafter who goes by Max, his friend Sam, came up with the name Coalchella, a funny spin on the name of the ultra-famous Coachella yearly festival in California. Sam, along with the help of another friend named Robin, organized the get-together as well as coordinating with the many DJ’s and musicians who participated by lending their talents to the occasions soundtrack.

“Reaching out to artists was based almost entirely on including people in our communities instead of focusing on trying to get the largest names.” —Robin

Despite the careful organization of the crew, difficulties still arose. As many as 900 guests showed up to the event within the first few minutes—twice as many as the entire guest count of the birthday party it was based on. The team didn’t expect such a large volume, so, expectedly the server suffered the consequences.

Luckily for them, the folks from the famous Hypixel server lent their expert hands and moved the event to a new server spun up during the event. In the end, the participants had fun. As for the Coalchella 2019,

“The only thing to do now is to make it even bigger. We have solid plans for another event early next year, and when it happens, you will hear about it.”

Will you be participating next year? Let us know what you thought of the event down below.

Mojang announces Minecraft: Dungeons

At Minecon today, Mojang announced a new role-playing game set in the Minecraft universe. It’s called Minecraft: Dungeons.

Due out next year on Windows PC (no word yet on other platforms), the game is being developed at Mojang’s home base in Sweden. It’s an overhead-view dungeon crawler, populated by monsters and familiar figures from the Minecraft world. Players can take on the world alone, or as part of a four-person group. Visually, the world is an enhanced version of Minecraft’s familiar landscape of blocks.

Minecon is an annual digital presentation to Minecraft fans and the modding community. Other announcements today included a 2019 Minecraft update called “Village and Pillage,” which introduces new people into the game. Some of the new villagers are nice, including such noble professions as librarian, butcher, cleric, cartographer and fletcher. Others are not so nice, such as barbarians who launch attacks on villages.

New modification tools were also unveiled, allowing modders to create expanded mobs and worlds. These include new ways to control mob spawning events, as well as new animations.

BLACK OPS 4 MERGES FORTNITE AND PUBG INTO THE BEST CALL OF DUTY IN YEARS

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is as impressive as it is anomalous. The game contains very little that hasn’t been done first by others, but it approaches those features in a way that’s so polished and unique that it doesn’t really matter if they’re particularly original. It also lacks a single-player mode, marking the first ever modern COD game to strip itself of a story campaign — and it’s become more focused and fun as a result. Black Ops 4 could have been a mismatched jumble of ripped off game elements, but developer Treyarch has instead reinvented the franchise in a way that may have lasting effects on how people play Call of Duty well into the future.

To be fair, the narrative around COD was one of lowered expectations. For a while, it’s seemed like publisher Activision and the small army of developers it employs to make COD games each year had simply run out of good ideas. The series remains a best-seller as new installments continue to make gobs of money from its diehard fanbase. But starting roughly around 2014’s Advanced Warfare, COD began to stagnate creatively, forcing its creators to turn to increasingly unrealistic and far-out ideas. Jetpacks and exosuits? Sure. Cybernetics and AI? They went there. Space warfare? Why not.

CALL OF DUTY STAGNATED CREATIVELY YEARS AGO, WHEN ITS CREATORS RAN OUT OF GOOD IDEAS
By the time Activision announced that last year’s entry would return to WWII — after a particularly vocal online backlash against the sci-fi Infinite Warfare — it seemed like the franchise had hit a dead end. Meanwhile, innovation in online multiplayer games was changing everything.

Bungie’s Destiny opened up all new avenues for treating shooters like persistent, online services. Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Siege delivered unprecedented levels of strategy and customization through its use of a robust class system. Blizzard’s Overwatch completely rethought the competitive team-based shooter, creating a global phenomenon and e-sport almost right out of the gate. And perhaps most importantly, PUBG and Fortnite helped establish battle royale as the new, hottest genre in the industry.

And now there’s Black Ops 4, a game that takes elements from all of the above and remixes them in a clever way to create the most cohesive, forward-looking COD game in a long time. It’s still very much COD at its core: the game is brutally fast and overtly militaristic, and it’s designed solely for the hyperactive teenager in all of us. (Sometimes it feels like it’s primarily for those that are literally hyperactive teenagers.) But setting aside its aesthetics and the untouched core game design, Black Ops 4 is a creative and fascinating deviation from the formula. It is no surprise that the title is topping the Twitch charts in its first week, giving mainstays Fortnite and League of Legends a run for their money and keeping the competitive community in thrall. Casual players seem to be returning in droves, too.

The mode feels vibrant and dynamic, and just playing a handful of hours this past weekend was enough to hook me in a way that feels reminiscent of my first few Fortnite and PUBG sessions. The big difference I’m seeing with Blackout — and what I think will help it stay relevant to a uniquely large audience that doesn’t typically like battle royale games — is the skill gap and the necessary tools it takes to win.

PUBG matches are long, arduous, and can end in a flash if someone gets off a couple lucky shots from half a mile away. You can often die without ever seeing it coming, and in situations where you simply couldn’t have done much of anything about it. Many newcomers to the game, even when it first launched last year, found it hard to secure just one kill per game, let alone make it to the final circle and win. And because the matches are so long, practicing is hard and improving your play takes serious time and effort.

Fortnite, on the other hand, now relies almost entirely on your ability to build structures and sharpen your aim until it’s lightning-fast and accurate. Epic continues to add zany new items like a structure-destroying ATV, deployable fortresses, and invisibility stones to mix it up. Yet unless you master the core skills of building, quick aiming, and maneuverability, you’re unlikely to ever win a Fortnite game as the average player is much more skilled than they were six or even three months ago.

BLACKOUT HAS A MUCH MORE ACCOMMODATING LEARNING CURVE THAN PUBG AND FORTNITE
Blackout is a different story. Sure, the best of the best will always be able to aim better, move faster, and out-maneuver their enemies. But the playing field feels more level, and not just because the game mode just came out. By its very nature, combat in a COD game is more flattened — it’s easier to kill and get killed in almost every situation. That gives less skilled players an opportunity to beat opponents and even secure victories by playing smart and getting lucky.

I can of course see the player base getting better at moving around the map, using strategic positions, and relying on the most effective firearms as the mode matures. But the learning curve here is much more inviting. Blackout is like playing a standard first-person shooter, but in a different context and at bigger scale. That’s a whole lot easier to manage than building structures out of thin air or maneuvering an environment for 20 minutes without seeing a single opponent.

There’s also a lot of room for the mode to grow. Treyarch plans to add new modes, vehicles, and items that shake up the combat and change how players get around. Even right now, players are finding ways to take out opponents with basketballs, the tomahawk projectile, and by crashing vehicles into another. Over time, there’s a good chance Blackout can become the more polished and accessible version of PUBG, yet with Fortnite’s willingness and capability to constantly evolve.

While Blackout has certainly dominated the narrative around Black Ops 4, the standard multiplayer remains largely intact and refreshing. Now, players choose not just between a set of custom loadouts, but also special subclasses that grant you abilities and a more powerful ultimate-style ability, like you’d see in Destiny or Overwatch, that charges up over time. These existed in Black Ops 3, but Treyarch is leaning harder into them here, adding new specialists and letting a lot of the late-match combat revolve around strategic ability use.

Those abilities also have heightened importance considering game modes are now more objective-based and not simply about who kills more of the enemy team. Control, Hardpoint, Heist, Search and Destroy, and Domination outnumber the traditional kill-or-be-killed modes, of which there are just three. It’s clear Treyarch is encouraging players to try the objective-based modes by giving them prominent placement in the featured list. Attached to the mode is the same progression system we’ve come to expect from COD, but with even more unlockable cosmetics, weapon skins, and other vanity items to keep players hooked and fixated on goals and milestones, including the ever desirable prestige emblems you get from maxing out your level and starting over anew.

A lot of the changes you’ll recognize as the influence of Rainbox Six Siege, with little bits of Destiny and Overwatch sprinkled in. But no one element feels so prevalent that it dilutes the core COD experience, which is still about running around as fast as you can and racking up a high kill count while (hopefully) achieving an objective for your team. Players who’ve liked past COD games, especially the recent ones, will still find this one enjoyable, while those lapsed players that maybe haven’t played since the Modern Warfare or Black Ops 2 days should be able to acclimate just fine with a few hours of practice.

IT’S HARD TO THINK COD FANS WILL PURCHASE ANOTHER GAME IN THE SERIES UNLESS IT HAS BATTLE ROYALE
Rounding out the experience is a revamped Zombies mode, which sends wave after wave of AI-controlled undead at you and a team of strangers or friends. There are now two distinct storylines to Zombies, Aether and Chaos, that have different maps and characters, and it’s clear the mode is designed to stand in for a traditional campaign as the story is fleshed out through dialogue and secret cutscenes locked behind Easter eggs. It’s a far cry from the Hollywood-style stories COD has delivered in the past, but Zombies should, for most people, get the job done and scratch the single-player itch.

It’s too early to tell how big Blackout will become, or what the future of COD will look like next year, when it’s developer Infinity Ward’s turn to release the next entry as part of the franchise’s three-year development cycle. But Black Ops 4 will have an undeniable and outsized impact on where this series and the genre it dominates goes in the future, if only in cementing the battle royale mode as a must-have for any big-budget online shooter.

We might see the return of a story campaign next year, while Zombies fades into the background until it’s Treyarch’s time to shine again. But I can’t see COD fans eagerly buying another entry unless it does everything and more that this game has accomplished, Blackout included. For a franchise that’s older than many of its players and hasn’t stopped annually releasing a game since the PS2 era, that’s quite the accomplishment. And while Black Ops 4 might not be a Fortnite killer, it’s certainly proved that the sluggish, risk-averse shooter industry can still take a big leap when it wants to.

Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers are 30 percent off at Newegg

Normally priced at $79.99, you can get a pair for $55.99 with the offer code EMCEPRR37 used at checkout. At the time of writing, Newegg offers a few different color options to choose from, including blue, gray, red, or the red and blue controller combo that comes with some consoles.

Picking up an extra set of Joy-Con is something that most Switch owners will eventually do, or have already done (at full price, no less), and discounts on the controllers are rare and rarely this good. The Switch celebrates couch co-op and playing with or against friends, so you’ll be glad to have a few extra Joy-Con laying around once Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches in December.

Updated at 2:22PM ET, October 22nd: Newegg’s stock of Joy-Con controllers has sold out, and a company spokesperson shared with The Verge that the short-lived offer code has expired.

Minecraft is getting a dungeon-crawling spinoff next year

The Minecraft universe is set to expand once again. Today at Minecon, developer Mojang revealed a new dungeon-crawler set in the blocky universe. Called Minecraft: Dungeons, the new experience is described as “an all-new action-adventure game inspired by classic dungeon crawlers, where you’ll constantly discover new weapons and items that will help you defeat a ruthless swarm of new-and-nasty mobs. You’ll fight or flee through canyons, swamps, and — of course — mines!”

Dungeons is, naturally, set in the Minecraft universe, but it looks like it will offer a more structured experience than the sandbox building game. You can explore solo or play with up to four friends. It seems like a pretty natural extension of the best-selling Minecraft, which is no stranger to spinoffs, including the narrative-focused Minecraft: Story Mode. Minecraft: Dungeons is expected to launch next year on PC.

Next Major ‘Minecraft’ Update Populates Villages, Then Attacks Them

“Minecraft” launched nearly seven years ago, and with 144 million copies sold, still shows no sign of slowing down both in terms of sales and development.

During this weekend’s Minecon Earth 2018 event, Mojang announced the coming of another major update to the game.

The Village and Pillage update will populate the villages of the game’s Overworld with a slew of new and classic villagers. And to keep things interesting, the update will also deliver “pillagers” and their beasts to attack those freshly housed villagers.

The villages and those in it will all look and act differently depending on what biome they’re located in, said Jens Bergensten, lead developer at studio Mojang. The game will also add a few new professions for villagers.

“The pillage part of the update is that the village will be under threat from a new group of villagers, evil villagers,” he said. “They will raid in groups with pillagers and a new monster like a new miniboss.”

The major update is set for a release next year, but this holiday Mojang will be adding stray cats and pandas to the game. Pandas, Bergensten said, will bring with them bamboo forests and the ability to harvest bamboo and create scaffolding with it.

“We recorded real pandas in China to help create these,” he said.

‘Minecraft’ for Apple TV Is No More

Apple TV’s version of “Minecraft” will no longer receive updates or support, The Verge reported Thursday.

Sadly, Microsoft pulled support on Sept. 24, stating in a pop-up message on the Apple TV version of the “Minecraft” app that “We’re grateful to the Apple TV community for their support but we need to reallocate resources to the platforms that our players use the most.”

That few appeared to notice until now seems to prove that Microsoft made the right call.

For anyone who already purchased the game for the Apple TV, they can still play but won’t receive the support that other versions have. As such, Microsoft is issuing full refunds for anyone who purchased the Apple TV version in the last 90 days.

“Minecraft” is still a wildly popular title on other platforms, particularly among young players. The game could be seeing its first signs of diminishing popularity, though, as the playerbase for “Minecraft” actually experienced its first decrease this year, according to market research firm Interpret.

“‘Minecraft’s’ share of all gaming time by kids age 6-12 has dropped 5% since [2017], although it still commands a hefty 13% of total game time,” according to Interpret.

This could be in part to the increasing popularity of “Roblox,” which also attracts young players who like to build games and play already-created games within the “Roblox” community.

Plus, the ever-increasing popularity of battle royale game “Fortnite” can’t be discarded, which has become so popular with young players that some parents are even hiring “Fortnite” tutors to help their kids improve.