Quiz
Which video game giant did Microsoft have its eye on in 2020?
Nintendo. This is one of the astonishing revelations that were made last month during the hearings of the Federal Trade of Commerce (FTC) in the United States, which looked into the takeover of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft. Another project that did not come to fruition: offering Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service on… Sony’s PlayStation.
The October Crisis in video games
IMAGE PROVIDED BY STUDIO CHIEN D’OR
Mixing “the horrific universe of HP Lovecraft”, the atmosphere of the film Jacob’s Ladder or games silent Hill, October Nightmares is a “cosmic point & click” game in the making.
Quebec may well be a hotbed of developers, but it is very rarely the setting chosen for video games, a mission given to Studio Chien d’or. After the very gripping game The whispering valley, the independent studio is now tackling the October crisis. Mixing “the horrific universe of HP Lovecraft”, the atmosphere of the film Jacob’s Ladder or games silent Hill, October Nightmares is a “cosmic point & click” game whose Kickstarter campaign was launched this Monday.
When Google shows the way
PHOTO PROVIDED BY GOOGLE
The Pixel 8 Pro even has an integrated thermometer to take, although with questionable precision, the temperature of the baby bottle or your tea.
Google’s Pixel phones have their fans, and the very recent Pixel 8 Pro allows us to better understand their attachment. Here is a phone updated before other brands, fast and bright as ever, with a few reserved functions. And it even has an integrated thermometer to take, although with questionable precision, the temperature of the bottle or your tea. And the photos, as is the Pixel’s trademark, offer an impressive level of detail.
An indestructible robot
PHOTO DAMIEN MEYER, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
In the crosshairs of the authorities of seven countries for months, including France which announced its dismantling at the end of August, the Qakbot network is still active, the cybersecurity company Cisco Talos announced this week.
Qakbot, a malware network using more than 700,000 infected computers, doesn’t want to die. In the crosshairs of the authorities of seven countries for months, including France which announced its dismantling at the end of August, it is still active, the cybersecurity company Cisco Talos announced this week. This is because they found a number of emails associated with this network (a “botnet” in the jargon) which carries out permanent phishing campaigns hidden in so-called financial documents. These trigger ransomware, at worst, or a Trojan horse infecting the computer.
Qakbot, a malicious network using more than 700,000 infected computers, is still active despite takedown operations in seven countries.
Playing makes you happy
PHOTO NATHAN WEBER, THE NEW YORK TIMES ARCHIVES
According to a large global survey, 47% of gamers believe that video games help them stay connected with friends and family.
What do the main stakeholders, the players, think of the effects of video games? A vast global survey of 13,000 of them, including 1013 in Canada and 182 in Quebec, is unambiguous about their benefits. Quebec players, in line with the others, believe 66% that video games make them “happier”, 75% “less stressed”, and 76% believe that they provide them with intellectual stimulation. 47% even believe that games help them stay in touch with friends and family.