Gaming trends show cities need to rethink how they tap into creative economy (2026-06-02T13:09:00+05:30)

City policymakers are realising creative workers don’t have to be permanently clustered together if they can collaborate as needed. Steve Purkiss/flickr, CC BY-SA Sebastien Darchen, The University of Queensland Various cities in Australia have developed creative economy policies with the aim of diversifying their economy. These policies are about attracting and retaining entrepreneurs and firms from the creative industries sector, such as the music and fashion industries. Creative economy policies were often based on the cluster concept developed by Michael Porter in the 1990s. This was the case for the creative city strategy in Brisbane and also for the more recent music industry policy in Melbourne. Brisbane has been very active in this area. The objective was to be less dependent on natural resources in the future. Planning initiatives such the Kelvin Grove Village are examples of economic development strategies based on the cluster concept that translated into planned projects. But positive steps are being taken to provide affordable spaces for creative workers. Recent research on the video game industry in Australia has shown that new technologies have greatly influenced the production of games. The industry functions as a “networked community” and not strictly as spatially bounded clusters. The use of new platforms such as the internet enables small companies to produce games from remote areas. Industry structures are changing The composition of the industry has changed significantly since 2006-07, with the closure of several development studios that focused on console games, such as Krome Studios. A variety of platforms – Unity 3d, mobile phones etc – is now available to game developers. With the shift from console games to mobile phone games, the industry has changed dramatically. The nature of the demand has changed too: consumers of video games are now looking for a quick and fast experience. Disparity Games, operating from Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, is an example of these new successful companies located outside the main cluster. The people behind Disparity Games are two video game developers working from home in an idyllic environment. The map below shows the location of video game firms in Queensland, with some of those companies operating from the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. In an interview with the author, one of the game developers explained why they decided to move their company to Noosa: After the collapse of large studios we decided to go indie. With the smaller indie companies, everyone is more supportive. We have meet-ups on marketing, technical issues, game testing. We are exchanging knowledge at those events, [so] we don’t need to be based in the city anymore to be part of the community. New technologies enable new ways of working These studios have demonstrated that self-publishing is a viable business model in Australia. Independent developers can now bypass traditional international publishers. New technologies have thus had the effect of reducing the size of video game companies and increasing their number. This is verified in Queensland, which has become specialised in developing mobile phone games. New technologies such as the National Broadband Network (NBN) have changed the way video game developers produce games and where they produce them. With the NBN, a small video game company can literally produce a game from anywhere.   Co-working spaces allow creative workers to get together only when they need to. janelleorsi/flickr, CC BY If they already have the professional connections, developers can work on the same game with different experts located in different cities. Face-to-face interactions are important, but this does not mean anymore that video game developers need to be located in the city at all times. In that sense, creative economy policies should think about flexible ways to accommodate creative workers in the city. The opening of co-working spaces in South Bank or the River City labs are good examples in Brisbane. This research shows it is time to go beyond the cluster type of economic development policies to attract and retain creative workers and firms in cities like Brisbane. Instead of planning creative neighbourhoods or districts, which are often not affordable for start-up companies, policies should aim for flexible solutions such as co-working spaces. Those are more adapted to an era in which new technologies are to a certain extent changing the geography of creative industries based on technological innovation such as the video game industry. Sebastien Darchen, Lecturer in Planning, The University of Queensland This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

‘More empowered’: how online gaming benefits people with disability (2026-05-13T11:24:00+05:30)

Christopher Hastas, Western Sydney University; Irena Veljanova, Western Sydney University; Julia Kantek, Western Sydney University, and Mick Houlbrook, Western Sydney University You are more empowered because you get to be seen for who you are. These are the words of Link*, an online gamer with disability – one of a group of 15 gamers with disability we interviewed as part of our new study, published in the Journal of Disability and Social Justice. Our study aimed to better understand what online gaming offers people with a disability. And Link’s experience highlights one of its key findings: online gaming acts as a powerful space of empowerment, largely due to participants having control over how they identify within online spaces. A diversity of gaming experiences Online gaming does have its problems. These include extremist gaming cultures, exploitative monetisation practices (including gambling-like features), and concerns about addiction. But the prominence of these narratives can overshadow the diversity of gaming experiences, including the potential of online gaming to cultivate spaces for personal growth and development. It can also allow people – especially those from marginalised groups – to creatively express their identity in a way they wouldn’t otherwise be able to. Taking a closer look We wanted to take a closer look at this in our study by focusing on the empowering impact of online gaming for people with disability – and exploring whether such empowerment extends beyond the online space into other parts of everyday life. To do this we interviewed 15 people (14 male, 1 female) online. The study focused on young adults aged between 18 and 35 who live with a disability. The positive impacts of online gaming come from the opportunity online gaming provides to connect to a diversity of people online through shared interests. One of our interviewees, Cloud*, emphasises this point: There is a lot of disabled-focused communities that have gaming channels and I think it’s great because it brings the community together. Our research found that the positive influence of online gaming on people’s lives wasn’t just confined to the online space. As Link told us: I think there can be that confidence boost, especially if you’re good at doing something particular in that game, I think it can give you that sort of translation to the real world. So, people with disability can take that confidence from online gaming into their daily lives, which is impactful. The anonymity offered in online spaces allowed participants to construct and express an identity with great control – where a space was created that highlighted other unique parts of their identity, rather than just their disability. As Mario* said: You can create your own character and just be who you want to be. This was echoed by Cloud: Freedom to express yourself and do things that you wouldn’t be able to do in the real world […] You can do whatever you want, you can feel powerful. These comments speak to the limitations people with disability experience in society while also demonstrating how powerful online gaming can be. They reiterate the importance of having agency around how you identify made possible through the anonymity that online gaming provides. As Cloud puts it: [Online gaming] has allowed me to feel like I’m just a normal human being who can interact with anyone and be a part of a community. A sense of expressing identity freely and confidently without feeling isolated and judged. Ultimately, that is empowering. Playing without limitation Notwithstanding the narratives of harm, it’s important that people with disability have full inclusion in the online gaming world in terms of access and adaptability, which includes accessible interfaces and devices. However, it is important to note that accessible options can be quite costly, especially adaptive controllers. Gaming is a permanent fixture in our lives. It can have profound benefits for people with disability by helping them construct their full identity. We should ensure people with disability can play without limitation and showcase their empowered selves. *Names have been changed for privacy reasons. Christopher Hastas, PhD Researcher, Western Sydney University; Irena Veljanova, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Western Sydney University; Julia Kantek, Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University, and Mick Houlbrook, Lecturer, Western Sydney University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Computer Games Improve Neuroplasticity After Traumatic Brain Injury (2026-04-23T15:02:00+05:30)

Credit: Axeville/ Unsplash. Patients with traumatic brain injuries who complete computerized cognitive games show improved neuroplasticity. Original story from New York University Patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) who complete computerized cognitive games show improved neuroplasticity and cognitive performance, according to new research published in Journal of Neurotrauma. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and reorganize nerve fibers that are responsible for learning and processing. The nerve fibers facilitate communication among neurons for functions including speech, memory, and problem solving. In a healthy brain, there are myriad bundles of strong nerve fibers for these functions, but in an injured brain, these fibers can be damaged and the connections can be reduced (similar to telephone wires after a heavy storm). The researchers' findings offer new insight into the brain's resilience and ability to repair itself. “This study demonstrates changes in the brain’s white matter and shows that computerized cognitive remediation in adults with chronic brain injury can induce neuroplasticity. It builds on our earlier studies showing how these computer games can improve cognition as well as change the connections between brain regions and the structure of the pathways that connect the brain regions,” says senior author Gerald Voelbel, associate professor of cognitive neuroscience at NYU Steinhardt. Researchers randomly assigned 17 adults (ages 24-56) with chronic TBI to either an experimental group that played computer games or the control group. The experimental group used the Brain Fitness Program 2.0, a computer program with cognitive games that include recalling syllable sequences, distinguishing between different sound frequencies, and recalling details from a verbal story. Participants completed 40 one-hour sessions over 14 weeks. Using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, which measures the speed and direction of water molecules traveling through the brain, the researchers found that participants who completed the games saw significant changes in neuroplasticity over time compared to the group that did not complete them. These changes were related to improvements on objective measures of participants’ processing speed, attention, and working memory. “This study reveals that the changes in the nerve fibers, such as increased strength and stability, were related to the improved cognitive ability in adults with a chronic brain injury,” says Voelbel. “This provides great evidence that the brain can change over time, even in people with a brain injury, with computer exercises that improve cognitive abilities.” Reference: Voelbel HML, Rath JF, Bushnik T, Flanagan S, Lazar M, Gerald T. Computerized Cognitive Remediation Affects White Matter Microstructure in Relation to Improved Cognitive Function in Adults with Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma. 2026. doi: 10.1177/08977151251414085 This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source. Our press release publishing policy can be accessed here. Computer Games Improve Neuroplasticity After Traumatic Brain Injury | Technology Networks

Video games seen becoming a new frontier in digital rights (2026-04-10T12:56:00+05:30)

Gaming computers await players of Boderlands 3 by 2K at E3, the annual video games expo experience the latest in gaming software and hardware in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 12, 2019. (Reuters Photo) Avi Asher-Schapiro Thomson Reuters Foundation Critical digital rights battles over privacy, free speech and anonymity are increasingly being fought in video games, a growing market that is becoming a "new political arena," experts and insiders said on Thursday. With the industry set to more than double annual revenues to $300 billion by 2025, questions about how video game operators, designers and governments handle sensitive issues take on added urgency, said participants at RightsCon, a virtual digital rights conference. In recent months, a Hong Kong activist staged a protest against Beijing's rule inside a popular social simulator game called Animal Crossing, and a member of the U.S. Congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, campaigned in the game as well. The game Minecraft, meanwhile, has been used to circumvent censorship, with groups using it to create digital libraries and smuggle banned texts into repressive countries. "Video games have become this new political arena," said Micaela Mantegna, founder of GeekyLegal, an Argentinian group that focuses on tech policy. Also, game designers have been tackling sensitive topics by creating games that involve issues such as refugees or mental illness. "Video games are a powerful way to start talking about topics that are hard to engage in real life," said Stephanie Zucarelli, a board member of Women in Games Argentina, a non-profit group. User rights can be at risk, however, of being violated, said Kurt Opsah, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group. Law enforcement can ask game companies their users' personal data, operating companies can censor game users and governments can pressure game operators and makers to remove content, he said. He cited an example of the U.S. military deleting critical comments that had been posted on recruitment channels it hosted on Twitch, a popular streaming platform. "They didn't want people to have an anti-military view on their recruiting channel," he said. Governments can apply pressure on video game companies, he said, such as the case of Activision Blizzard Entertainment that last year suspended a player from a video game competition for making political comments about Hong Kong in an interview.Blizzard is partly owned by Chinese gaming giant Tencent Holdings. Video games seen becoming a new frontier in digital rights | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Jim Carrey complains about ‘Sonic 3’: Twice the work for same pay (2026-04-01T12:08:00+05:30)

IANS Photo Mumbai, (IANS) Hollywood actor Jim Carrey has opened up about his role in the upcoming movie “Sonic the Hedgehog 3”, where he reprised his role as the villainous Dr. Robotnik. Speaking about the challenge of portraying both versions of Robotnik, Carrey says jokingly, “Until I realized I was doing twice the work for the same pay. Next time they’re going to have to throw in a Chaos Emerald or two. But I had asked the universe for a kickass franchise that would endear itself to children everywhere and appeal to the child inside all of us. And blammo, here I am, right through the Sega wormhole.” “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” is inspired by the popular video game series from Sega. Serving as a sequel to “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”, the film is directed by Jeff Fowler with a screenplay by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington and a story crafted by Casey and Miller. Carrey had earlier expressed that the film doesn’t mark his return because he never left the Sonic universe. Reflecting on his return, the actor shared, “I never left the Sonic universe! Where else would I go? The Sonic universe is all-encompassing. Only a fool would try to quantify it. I think it was Carl Sagan who said, ‘For creatures as small as we, vastness is bearable only through the collection of 50 rings or finding a chaos emerald.’ I’m paraphrasing, of course. Carl Sagan said something completely different, but I’m sure he was a very big Sonic fan, so I don’t think he’d mind.” Last month, the makers released the second trailer of the film, and it introduced fans to Shadow the Hedgehog, a formidable new antagonist whose arrival raises the stakes for Sonic and his loyal friends. The forthcoming movie is led by Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba, and Keanu Reeves. The film also features Krysten Ritter, Lee Majdoub, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Alyla Browne, and James Wolk.“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” is slated to hit theatres on January 3, 2025. Jim Carrey complains about ‘Sonic 3’: Twice the work for same pay | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Are video games art or products? (2026-03-29T20:26:00+05:30)

Are video games art or products? This tension lies at the heart of Australia’s gaming industry Zainab Darbas, Monash University In 2004, a largely anonymous team of Australian video game developers released a prototype video game titled Escape from Woomera. In this 3D adventure, the player takes on the role of Mustafa, an Iranian refugee fleeing violent repression who is being held in a virtual re-creation of the (now-shut) Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre. Mustafa is facing deportation back to Iran – which will mean almost certain death. He and the player must escape. A screenshot from the unfinished point-and-click adventure game Escape from Woomera. Wikimedia, CC BY Escape from Woomera was one of the first Australian video games ever to receive government funding to support its development. In 2003, the creators received a A$25,000 grant from the national arts body, the Australia Council for the Arts (now Creative Australia). The game itself, and the fact it was awarded public funding, were highly controversial. They sparked conversations about what kind of art the government should fund, and why. Should the goal be to nurture new artistic talent? Or to preserve Australian-made content? Or build profitable industries? A photo of the entrance of the Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre. The photo was taken in April 2003, the same month the centre was closed. Wikimedia, CC BY More than two decades on, Australia has a robust ecosystem of video game development supported by grant programs across the country. My research looked at the scope and structure of these programs and examined how they affect game developers. My findings reveal that the structures of funding programs emphasise generating profit and growing the video game industry. This is at odds with the approach taken by many game developers, who view themselves as artists, and their games as a cultural form. This fundamental mismatch is a source of tension for game developers who rely on public funding to support their work. Competing priorities of public funding I read through more than 50 annual reports, strategic documents and other materials from Australian arts funding bodies to analyse funding policies for Australian video games. The documents emphasised the economic potential of the video game industry, frequently citing growth rates, expenditure figures and returns on investment as justification for continuing to fund game development. However, they also promoted Australian video games as complex, experimental and culturally valuable. This shows how funding agencies juggle competing priorities. While they value games with artistic merit that contribute to the cultural landscape, agencies must also demonstrate that their public funding programs generate financial returns. These agencies’ economic priorities heavily influence how public funding programs are structured – which can make them seem highly formal and business-like. Company or community? This formality creates difficulties for game developers, whose work practices are often artistic, informal and adaptive. I interviewed 11 game developers to understand their experiences with public funding. They generally held positive sentiment towards the funding available to them, describing it as a “lifeline”, “fantastic” and “awesome”. Several developers spoke highly of the range of funding programs available for projects of various scope. At the same time, they had criticisms. They found the application processes for public funding overly formal, forcing them to adapt their artistic practices to a rigid, business-like structure. As one interviewee explained: If you want to go for funding, you’re talking about needing to start a company. You need to get a lawyer. People don’t know that. Tensions were particularly acute around providing diversity information. Most funding applications ask applicants to submit information about diversity, equity and inclusion in a highly formalised format. The developers I spoke to felt “icky”, “gross”, “weird” and “uncomfortable” while completing these forms, describing them as “tokenising”, “dehumanising” and “impersonal”. As one interviewee said: The language it asks you to use is so corporate, you know, and it’s like, who is this talking to? Who is this for? And the answer is always a company. I’m not a company, I’m a person. More than just products The interviewees recommended several changes funding agencies could make to improve their application processes. They could, for instance: provide example funding applications and information sessions to help guide applicants provide more feedback on both successful and unsuccessful applications allow more flexible formats for submitting the required documentation, especially for diversity information provide venue space and smaller, more accessible funding options for developers to run events for skill-sharing and community support. These changes would signal to game developers and the wider public that our public institutions value video games as more than just money-making products. Australian-made games such as Untitled Goose Game and Cult of the Lamb – which have achieved international critical success in recent years – wouldn’t exist without public funding. Yet many video game developers struggle to find options for secure public funding. And when it isn’t available, they are forced to take a chance on over-saturated crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter. It’s important that public funding programs work to support game developers on their own terms, so they can keep creating excellent games that enrich our cultural landscape. Zainab Darbas, PhD Candidate, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Zainab Darbas, Monash University In 2004, a largely anonymous team of Australian video game developers released a prototype video game titled Escape from Woomera. In this 3D adventure, the player takes on the role of Mustafa, an Iranian refugee fleeing violent repression who is being held in a virtual re-creation of the (now-shut) Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre. Mustafa is facing deportation back to Iran – which will mean almost certain death. He and the player must escape. A screenshot from the unfinished point-and-click adventure game Escape from Woomera. Wikimedia, CC BY Escape from Woomera was one of the first Australian video games ever to receive government funding to support its development. In 2003, the creators received a A$25,000 grant from the national arts body, the Australia Council for the Arts (now Creative Australia). The game itself, and the fact it was awarded public funding, were highly controversial. They sparked conversations about what kind of art the government should fund, and why. Should the goal be to nurture new artistic talent? Or to preserve Australian-made content? Or build profitable industries? A photo of the entrance of the Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre. The photo was taken in April 2003, the same month the centre was closed. Wikimedia, CC BY More than two decades on, Australia has a robust ecosystem of video game development supported by grant programs across the country. My research looked at the scope and structure of these programs and examined how they affect game developers. My findings reveal that the structures of funding programs emphasise generating profit and growing the video game industry. This is at odds with the approach taken by many game developers, who view themselves as artists, and their games as a cultural form. This fundamental mismatch is a source of tension for game developers who rely on public funding to support their work. Competing priorities of public funding I read through more than 50 annual reports, strategic documents and other materials from Australian arts funding bodies to analyse funding policies for Australian video games. The documents emphasised the economic potential of the video game industry, frequently citing growth rates, expenditure figures and returns on investment as justification for continuing to fund game development. However, they also promoted Australian video games as complex, experimental and culturally valuable. This shows how funding agencies juggle competing priorities. While they value games with artistic merit that contribute to the cultural landscape, agencies must also demonstrate that their public funding programs generate financial returns. These agencies’ economic priorities heavily influence how public funding programs are structured – which can make them seem highly formal and business-like. Company or community? This formality creates difficulties for game developers, whose work practices are often artistic, informal and adaptive. I interviewed 11 game developers to understand their experiences with public funding. They generally held positive sentiment towards the funding available to them, describing it as a “lifeline”, “fantastic” and “awesome”. Several developers spoke highly of the range of funding programs available for projects of various scope. At the same time, they had criticisms. They found the application processes for public funding overly formal, forcing them to adapt their artistic practices to a rigid, business-like structure. As one interviewee explained: If you want to go for funding, you’re talking about needing to start a company. You need to get a lawyer. People don’t know that. Tensions were particularly acute around providing diversity information. Most funding applications ask applicants to submit information about diversity, equity and inclusion in a highly formalised format. The developers I spoke to felt “icky”, “gross”, “weird” and “uncomfortable” while completing these forms, describing them as “tokenising”, “dehumanising” and “impersonal”. As one interviewee said: The language it asks you to use is so corporate, you know, and it’s like, who is this talking to? Who is this for? And the answer is always a company. I’m not a company, I’m a person. More than just products The interviewees recommended several changes funding agencies could make to improve their application processes. They could, for instance: provide example funding applications and information sessions to help guide applicants provide more feedback on both successful and unsuccessful applications allow more flexible formats for submitting the required documentation, especially for diversity information provide venue space and smaller, more accessible funding options for developers to run events for skill-sharing and community support. These changes would signal to game developers and the wider public that our public institutions value video games as more than just money-making products. Australian-made games such as Untitled Goose Game and Cult of the Lamb – which have achieved international critical success in recent years – wouldn’t exist without public funding. Yet many video game developers struggle to find options for secure public funding. And when it isn’t available, they are forced to take a chance on over-saturated crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter. It’s important that public funding programs work to support game developers on their own terms, so they can keep creating excellent games that enrich our cultural landscape. Zainab Darbas, PhD Candidate, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Nvidia’s new AI tool is giving female game characters a makeover (2026-03-27T10:57:00+05:30)

Sian Tomkinson, Edith Cowan University Nvidia’s new AI tool is giving female game characters a makeover – and gamers are pushing back: Last week leading chipmaker Nvidia announced DLSS-5 (Deep Learning Super Sampling), a new artificial intelligence (AI) rendering tool it describes as a “breakthrough in visual fidelity for games”. The software takes low-resolution images and uses AI to upscale them, adding what Nvidia calls “photoreal lighting and materials”. The tool is designed to make video games look more photorealistic, but the examples Nvidia chose to show off the technology revealed something unexpected: the AI doesn’t just makes images sharper and glossier, it also makes characters significantly more conventionally attractive. The growing backlash is about more than makeup. It points to a broader anxiety about what happens when AI is given control over creative decisions – and whose idea of “better” gets encoded in the algorithms. A ‘beauty filter’ for games? Nvidia showcased the technology using Grace Ashcroft, the protagonist of the recently released Resident Evil Requiem. Before-and-after comparisons showed the software changing her hair colour, adding defined eyebrows, lip tint, and facial contouring. Some gamers quickly labelled it a “beauty filter”, criticising the way it applies what looks like heavy makeup and reshapes her face to be more conventionally attractive. The choice of Grace to showcase the technology is worth examining. Resident Evil Requiem features all kinds of monsters and gritty characters, and Nvidia could have used any of them. The decision to highlight a young, conventionally attractive female character and then make her more glamorous feels pointed. Representation of women in games has been a flashpoint issue for years. Female characters in games are poorly treated Historically, female characters in games were depicted as either helpless and weak, or as sexualised objects secondary to a male lead. The 2000s brought more varied female characters, but attempts at greater diversity triggered a fierce backlash in 2014 during the Gamergate harassment campaign. Women and minorities in and around gaming were targeted with abuse, doxxing, and threats of rape and death. The debate has continued since. Some players were furious at the muscular depiction of Abby Anderson in The Last of Us: Part 2, claiming her physique was unrealistic and demanding she be made more conventionally attractive. DLSS-5 adds a new dimension to this debate. Rather than designers making deliberate choices about how characters look, an algorithm can quietly override those choices in a particular direction. Looksmaxxing game characters The specific changes DLSS-5 made to Grace’s face also echo the manosphere’s looksmaxxing trend. Originating in incel communities, looksmaxxing is built on the idea that certain facial features are biologically more sexually desirable to women, prompting some men to pursue techniques that alter their own faces to increase their “sexual market value”. Seeing a piece of software automatically apply similar logic to a female game character raises uncomfortable questions. Gamers have noticed, and many are responding with humour. The software has been mocked as “yassifying” characters, with one widely shared meme applying the same treatment to God of War’s hulking protagonist Kratos, complete with blue eyeshadow, pink blush, and plump lips. The joke lands because it makes the gendered absurdity obvious. This reaction mirrors how some gamers once responded to criticism of Aloy, the protagonist of 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn. After complaints that Aloy was “woke” for not wearing heavy makeup or conforming to conventional beauty standards, some gamers sarcastically created “unwokified” versions of the character to make the same point in reverse. Bad news for game designers, too A second, distinct complaint about DLSS-5 is that it undermines the artistic choices of developers. Rather than simply sharpening what is already there, the software uses algorithms to alter textures and lighting. The results can have that familiar AI aesthetic: glossy, smooth, bright and generic. A dark, gritty game like Resident Evil Requiem can end up looking like a luxury skincare ad. In at least one case, in EA Sports FC, the filter changed a real-life player’s likeness so dramatically they became completely unrecognisable. The future of game visuals – and who controls it It is worth noting that DLSS-5 can genuinely improve visual quality in many games, enriching environments and bringing older character models to life. Nvidia has also pushed back against critics, with chief executive Jensen Huang insisting DLSS-5 is not a filter and that developers retain control over how it is applied. But the backlash reveals a real tension. Many players objected to Nvidia selecting a young female character and using AI to make her more conventionally attractive and sexualised. Many others objected to AI overriding the deliberate creative choices of game developers. Both concerns push against the same force: tech companies’ drive to deploy AI as broadly as possible, and to define “better” visuals on their own terms. Sian Tomkinson, Media and Communication Scholar, Edith Cowan University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Mobile Games Designed to Help Save Dying Aboriginal Language and Culture (2026-03-14T13:15:00+05:30)

Screenshots from the Nyiyaparli living language project app – credit, supplied by Nyiyaparli Widi An Australian Aboriginal community with only 8 fluent speakers left has launched a mobile phone game to help reconnect their youth with the tongue of their ancestors. The game allows you to help preserve a wetland nature reserve where the community lives, with almost 100 words and phrases in the Nyiyaparli language. Numbering around 400 community members, the Nyiyaparli hail from a remote region of northwest Australia in an area called the Pilbara. There, as happened in so many other lands across the Commonwealth, indigenous children were placed in English-language institutions and the connection with their lingual heritage was severed. Once widely spoken across the Pilbara, the pressure of assimilation into European culture and the spread of larger neighboring Aboriginal languages has proven almost fatal to Nyiyaparli. The Karlka Nyiyaparli Aboriginal Corporation (KNAC) which manages the common welfare of the community launched the Nyiyaparli Living Language Project in 2022 in an attempt to save their dying language. But the KNAC didn’t look to the past for inspiration, rather, they leveraged the present. “The cultural working group decided that you’re never going to take phones away from kids,” said the project’s executive producer Simon Te Brinke. “Why not give them something that can help them learn?” Despite their remote location and rich indigenous heritage, Nyiyaparli children seem to be as immersed in games like Minecraft and Fortnite as anyone else. Te Brinke decided to try and utilize that existing interest: to go with the flow, rather than try to convince them to put their phones down. The game puts you into the role of a junior ranger in the Fortescue Marsh Nature Reserve which the community manages. The game contains 90 Nyiyaparli words, spoken aloud by community elders who know how. “Players have to collect cultural objects as they navigate their way through each of the locations,” Mr. Te Brinke told ABC News. “As they collect, they hear sounds and words actually spoken in Nyiyaparli. So it’s reinforcing the language.” The game has won several awards that included large cash prices which will undoubtedly help the project expand its efforts. A digital language center is in the works, with the aim being to build on the foundations established by the phone game. Apps and games are being used to help revive other Aboriginal languages too. A storybook app that teaches science concepts was designed by a man from the Goldfields region of northern Australia, who’s one of only 3 people who speak Ngalia, a dialect of a more widely spoken Mantjiltjintjarra, that’s featured in the application. Kabo Muir worked with his brother Talbot, another speaker, to compile a dictionary of Ngalia words, which benefits from the fact that it’s similar to the surrounding tongues in the region. The next step to preserving it, he says, is innovation.The Mamutjitji Story app centers around a native insect species called an antlion, and how it adapts to a changing world. Play These Mobile Games Designed to Help Save Dying Aboriginal Language and Culture

The design tricks keeping your kids hooked on games and apps .... (2026-02-27T11:14:00+05:30)

The design tricks keeping your kids hooked on games and apps – and 3 things you can do about it, Chris Zomer, Deakin University and Sumudu Mallawaarachchi, University of Wollongong This article is part of a series on the great internet letdown. Read the rest of the series. Ever found yourself unable to resist checking out a social media notification? Or sending a random picture just to keep a Snapchat “streak” going? Or simply getting stuck staring at YouTube because it auto-played yet another cute cat video? If so, you’re far from alone. And if we adults can’t resist such digital temptations, how can we expect children to do any better? Many digital environments are not designed with the best interest of users in mind – and this is especially true of games, apps and platforms commonly used by kids and teens. Designers use persuasive design techniques to make users spend more time on apps or platforms, so they can make more money selling ads. Below, we explain some of the most common design tricks used in popular games, social media and apps. Decision-making made easy 🔀 Social media and streaming platforms strive to provide “seamless” user experiences. This makes it easy to stay engaged without needing to click anything very often, which also minimises any obvious opportunities where we might disengage. These seamless experiences include things such as auto-play when streaming videos, or “infinite scrolling” on social media. When algorithms present us with a steady flow of content, shaped by what we have liked or engaged with in the past, we must put in extra effort to stop watching. Unsurprisingly, we often decide to stay put. Rewards and dopamine hits 🧠 Another way to keep children engaged is by using rewards, such as stars, diamonds, stickers, badges or other “points” in children’s apps. “Likes” on social media are no different. Rewards trigger the release of a chemical in our brains – dopamine – which not only makes us feel good but also leaves us wanting more. Rewards can be used to promote good behaviour, but not always. In some children’s apps, rewards are doubled if users watch advertisements. Loot boxes and ‘gambling’ 💰 Variable rewards have been found to be especially effective. When you do not know when you will get a certain reward or desired item, you are more likely to keep going. In games, variable rewards can often be found (or purchased) in the form of “loot boxes”. Loot boxes might be chests, treasures, or stacks of cards containing a random reward. Because of the unpredictable reward, some researchers have described loot boxes as akin to gambling, even though the games do not always involve real money. Sometimes in-game currency (fake game money) can be bought with real money and used to “gamble” for rare characters and special items. This is very tempting for young people. In one of our (as yet unpublished) studies, a 12-year-old student admitted to spending several hundred dollars to obtain a desired character in the popular game Genshin Impact. The lure of streaks 🔥 Another problematic way of using rewards in design is negative reinforcement. For instance, when you are at risk of a negative outcome (like losing something good), you feel compelled to continue a particular behaviour. “Streaks” work like this. If you do not do the same task for several days in a row, you will not get the extra rewards promised. Language learning app DuoLingo uses streaks, but so does Snapchat, a popular social media app. Research has shown a correlation between Snapchat streaks and problematic smartphone use among teens. Streaks can also make money for apps directly. If you miss a day and lose your streak, you can often pay to restore it. Loss of reputation 👎 Reputation is important on social media. Think of the number of Facebook friends you have, or the number of likes your post receives. Sometimes designers build on our fear of losing our reputation. For instance, they can do this by adding a leaderboard that ranks users based on their score. While you may have heard of the use of leaderboards in games, they are also common in popular educational apps such as Kahoot! or Education Perfect. Leaderboards introduce an element of competition that many students enjoy. However, for some this competition has negative consequences – especially for those languishing low in the ranks. Similarly, Snapchat has a SnapScore where reputational loss is still at play. You do not want a lower score than your friends! This makes you want to keep using the app. Exploiting feelings of connection 🥰 Another tool in the designers’ bag of tricks is capitalising on the emotional ties or connections users form with influencers or celebrities on social media, or favourite media characters (such as Elmo or Peppa pig) for younger children. While these connections can foster a sense of belonging, they can also be exploited for commercial gain, such as when influencers promote commercial products, or characters urge in-app purchases. What can parents do? 🤷 Persuasive design isn’t inherently bad. Users want apps and games to be engaging, like we do for movies or TV shows. However, some design “tricks” simply serve commercial interests, often at the expense of users’ wellbeing. It is not all bleak, though. Here are a few steps parents can take to help kids stay on top of the apps: have early and ongoing discussions with children about ideas such as the underlying commercial intent of what they are engaging with model good digital choices of not giving in to persuasive design, such as by avoiding digital distractions yourself use trustworthy resources to help in digital decision-making, such as Common Sense Media and Dark Pattern Games. For the moment, the responsibility for managing children’s interactions with the digital realm falls largely on individuals and families. Some governments are beginning to take action, but measures such as blanket age-based bans on social media or other platforms will only shield children temporarily. A better approach for governments and regulators would be to focus on safety by design: the idea that the safety and rights of users should be the starting point of any app, product or service, rather than an afterthought. Chris Zomer, Associate Research Fellow at the Centre of the Digital Child, Deakin University and Sumudu Mallawaarachchi, Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, University of Wollongong This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.