“Black Is Magic: How Magic: The Gathering Is Transforming One Teacher’s Game Club”

“…Lawton says his students are attracted to Magic for different reasons, but it’s the art that keeps them coming back. “On the cover of all the welcome decks was all white people,” Lawton said. “And then a few years later, they updated it with much more diversity. Even something like that, students were much more intrigued, you know, [they] found it much more compelling.”

I know the feeling. Kaya, Orzhov Usurper is a Magic: The Gathering card I have never owned yet it is one of my favorite cards. Not because of what the card can do—I prefer big-ass creatures more common in green mana decks—but because of who is on the card.

Introduced in 2016, Kaya is Magic’s first Black female Planeswalker. And though she is by no means Magic’s first Black female character, she is definitely the first one I had ever seen in my years of on again, off again playing, and as such she became special to me. I coveted her cards (though I have still never had the luck of opening one) and I gorged myself on her stories.

Stories, as much as art, are important to Lawton’s students. In addition to Magic and board games, Lawton keeps a few books of Dungeons and Dragons around for students to peruse.

“I’ll never forget this Black girl that came in, a freshman, and she walked in and just kinda sized up all the games and asked, ‘Y’all play D&D here?’”

Lawton, excited by the prospect of initiating a new student to the D&D mysteries, gave her the books and let her go off and do her own thing.

“She brought in her friends and they all started making characters. They made characters for months….”

https://kotaku.com/black-is-magic-how-magic-the-gathering-is-transformin-1846669868

“Every new Overwatch 2 Hero Blizzard Could Be Adding to Sequel Roster”

“Overwatch’s roster is already pretty stacked. Most recently, Blizzard added character-copying Echo as Hero 32, and Jeff Kaplan confirmed she would be “the last Overwatch hero” added to the original series release.

The developers have revealed, however, that there will be “multiple” heroes added alongside the release of the sequel title. They’ve remained relatively quiet about just how many players may be getting their hands on though.

Now, without further ado, here’s five possible launch heroes we think ⁠— and one that we definitely know ⁠— players will be getting when Overwatch 2 finally arrives in the next year or two.

Possible DPS hero Sojourn has already been confirmed for Overwatch 2.

New Overwatch character Sojourn is the only hero on this list that has already been officially confirmed by Blizzard ahead of the sequel release. The squad captain was with the team in the “Golden Age,” and has stuck around long after…”

https://www.dexerto.com/overwatch/every-overwatch-2-hero-blizzard-could-add-sequel-heroes-roster-1390212

“‘The Last of Us Part II’ Brings Queer Stories to a Pandemic-Ravaged Dystopia”

“The messages Ian Alexander has received from fans about the transgender character he plays in the new blockbuster video game “The Last of Us Part II” have been bittersweet.  The messages, telling him his performance has helped players to come out, also remind him of the representation he didn’t have when he was growing up.

“It made me think about how seeing a character like that when I was younger and coming to terms with my gender might have been so comforting and validating and how I didn’t have that,” said Alexander, 19. But he said the messages also make him “happy that I can be that for some people.”

“The Last of Us Part II,” released June 19, has been described as “groundbreaking” for being a big-budget game from a major developer with several lead characters who are queer. In addition to Lev, Ellie, the game’s protagonist, is a lesbian, and Dina, Ellie’s love interest and fighting partner, has romantic relationships with men and women.

The game’s director, Neil Druckmann, vice president of its development studio, Naughty Dog, said the addition of LGBTQ storylines in the highly anticipated game was a part of exploring new perspectives to give players a rich and diverse world.

While “The Last of Us Part II” has moved forward the needle of inclusivity and representation in video games, it has also gotten blowback from some critics and players for its storytelling choices around the portrayal of Lev. Druckmann, however, said some missteps are inevitable when you’re in largely uncharted territory…”

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/last-us-part-ii-brings-queer-stories-pandemic-ravaged-dystopia-n1233073

“Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales – An Update from Insomniac Games”

“Hi! I’m Brian Horton, Creative Director at Insomniac Games. Last week, we were so thrilled to introduce you to the beginning of your Marvel’s Spider-Man journey on PlayStation 5 – Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. This standalone game lets players experience the rise of Miles Morales as he discovers new powers that set him apart from his mentor, Peter Parker.

The reaction we received last week was nothing short of incredible. But we wanted to take a little bit of extra time to talk about the game and the trailer you saw and point out some things you might’ve missed. Take a look above.

At Insomniac Games, we’ve loved the character of Miles Morales for a long time. It started years ago, when Bryan Intihar (Creative Director, Marvel’s Spider-Man), suggested that we should have Miles Morales be a part of the same universe as Peter Parker. We sneakily introduced him at the end of our E3 2017 demo, surprising the audience when they thought the PlayStation Briefing was over.

As we continued with the Marvel’s Spider-Man universe, we knew that Miles’s origin story as a Spider-Man was something that needed its own game. Miles’s multicultural background reflects a more modern, diverse world and we wanted to give players a new story, with new set-pieces, fresh villains, and unique quests across Marvel’s New York City. This had to be a can’t-miss next adventure in the Marvel’s Spider-Man universe.

Let’s set the scene for the game a little more. It’s now wintertime, about a year after the events of the first game. Marvel’s New York is covered in snow, and just before Christmas break, a war between an energy corporation and a high-tech criminal army has broken out.

Miles’s new home in Harlem is at the heart of the battle…”

https://blog.playstation.com/2020/06/18/marvels-spider-man-miles-morales-an-update-from-insomniac-games/

“Kamala Khan Takes Center Stage in MARVEL’S AVENGERS”

“Since debuting in 2013 in the pages of Captain Marvel #14 and gaining her own solo series in 2014, Kamala Khan—aka Ms. Marvel—has become something of a phenomenon. The Jersey City teenager, known for her fangirl tendencies and her adoration of the Avengers (notably Captain Marvel) has gone from breakout comic character to fan favorite, appearing in everything from animated television shows to her own upcoming Disney+ series. So it’s not surprising that when Marvel Games recently unveiled the sixth mystery playable character in Square Enix, Crystal Dynamics and Marvel Entertainment’s upcoming Marvel’s Avengers game, it was revealed to be none other than Kamala herself.

And she’s not just there to entice players to smash with her embiggening powers—though, as Crystal Dynamics narrative designer and Marvel’s Avengers writer Hannah MacLeod noted at a press event, “these powers introduce a dramatically new element and make her combat aspiration feel so unique.” Kamala is very much the centerpiece of one of most anticipated games of the year. “She’s our games’ protagonist,” revealed MacLeod. “You’ll experience our Avengers story through her unique perspective.”

As part of a private demo session, Nerdist had a chance to play Kamala at a training level— and we had a blast. While each superhero feels unique to control and customize, being able to use the character’s embiggening powers, stretching abilities, and punching strength added a whole new level of fun to the game…”

https://nerdist.com/article/kamala-khan-marvel-game/

“Overwatch Director Says There Are Story Reasons For Saving The First Black Woman Hero For The Sequel”

“Overwatch currently has 31 playable heroes. One of them is a gorilla from the moon. Another is a hamster in a mecha ball. None of them are black women. This has led to a series of increasingly exasperated pleas from fans over the years, to little avail. Now, finally, Blizzard has confirmed the existence of an upcoming black woman hero: Sojourn. But she’s not joining the roster until Overwatch 2, a game with no release date.

Big-budget video games do not feature many playable black women. But Overwatch, at the very least, purports to care about inclusion, so for many players, it’s been baffling to see multiple genetically-engineered animals and old white guys make the cut before a black woman. Sojourn, a former member of the heroic Overwatch organization who’s poised to make a return, will finally change that. At BlizzCon, she appeared in a trailer and was officially confirmed as an upcoming hero.

Why now, though? Or really, why whenever Overwatch 2 finally comes out? Why a whole new game?  Why not sooner?  Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan said it’s because Sojourn has become a major part of the series’ story…”

https://kotaku.com/overwatch-director-says-there-are-story-reasons-for-sav-1839643276

“Spider-Women, Captain Marvel & Harley Quinn: Females Fly In The Face Of Old Hollywood Perceptions”

“Forty years ago the big holiday hit was Superman, Hollywood’s very first superhero blockbuster. Warner Bros marketed the movie by promising the sky to moviegoers: “You’ll believe a man can fly.”

Now, four decades later, that promise should be rewritten to reflect a new era of superhero blockbusters: “You better believe a woman can fly, too.”

Deadline broke the news this week that Sony is ramping up a Spider-Women film that will feature three female iterations of Marvel’s wall-crawling Spider-Man and a script by Bek Smith. The project joins a growing wave of female superhero projects in the works that will test the conventional assumption that the mask-and-cape genre is a “boys only” sector.

Skeptics would point to the all-female revamp of Ghostbusters as a reminder that gender stunts with genre properties can fall flat. But the success of Wonder Woman has been a lighting-rod moment for a female “super-empowerment” craze.  It’s been energized further by the #MeToo movement and representational politics of the moment as well as the changing demographics of the Comic-Con fan world.

The result: More than a dozen female superhero film projects are in the pipeline from Sony, Fox, Disney’s Marvel Studios and Warner Bros…”

https://deadline.com/2018/11/spider-women-captain-marvel-and-harley-quinn-females-fly-in-the-face-of-old-hollywood-perceptions-1202485612/

“Brie Larson Went As Samus For Halloween, Wants To Be In Metroid Movie”

“Brie Larson, the Oscar winning actress who will be seen next as Captain Marvel, is apparently interested in playing Samus Aran, should Nintendo ever decide to go forward with a Metroid film.

As evidenced on her Instagram page, Larson dressed up as Zero Suit Samus for Halloween this year.  After posting images of herself in costume, fans took notice and asked about a potential Metroid movie.  Larson said she hopes it happens someday. “I want to make that movie,” she wrote.

Nintendo hasn’t made any announcements about a Metroid movie, but the company is increasingly interested in taking its franchises to the big screen.  A new Mario movie from Despicable Me and Minions studio Illumination is on the way.  Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Despicable Me franchise producer Chris Meladandri are co-producing the untitled film….”

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/brie-larson-went-as-samus-for-halloween-wants-to-b/1100-6463042/

“Red Dead Redemption 2’S Black Cowboys Are Important”

“Video games shine when they tell untold stories in new ways and take chances. Battlefield 1’s dedication to personal stories and human tragedy honed into a history that’s often glossed over and glorified. In doing so, Battlefield 1’s campaign created a fascinating path that strayed away from the annual military shooter’s repetitive style. DICE shook up the standard shooter way of storytelling, and from what we’ve seen of Battlefield V, it looks like they’re going to try that again…

Few triple-A games are bold enough to mention the constant discrimination and marginalization black people endure across the globe (save for Mafia III or Watch Dogs 2). But Rockstar has the influence, tools, and, I believe, the courage to change that. Red Dead Redemption 2 is primed to help normalize conversations about race in games. The Wild West was a racially-charged, erratic environment.

It was also one of the primary outlets for black people to escape slavery during the time. They adapted to the rustic lifestyle all while being demeaned, degraded, and discredited. Even in a post-slavery society, racism was still highly prevalent.  Abolishing laws doesn’t instantly change minds…”

https://www.ign.com/g00/articles/2018/09/27/red-dead-redemption-2s-black-cowboys-are-important

“Spider-Man Miles Morales Returns in New Series”

“Miles Morales is having a huge year.  Not only is Miles a major character in Insomniac’s Spider-Man game and the star of the upcoming animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, his comic series is due for a major relaunch at the end of the year.

We can exclusively reveal that Marvel is debuting a new comic called Miles Morales: Spider-Man in December 2018.  The new series will be the first ongoing Miles Morales book not written by co-creator Brian Michael Bendis.  Instead, Exiles writer Saladin Ahmed and Secret Warriors artist Javier Garron will be charting the next major chapter in Miles’ superhero career.

We were able to talk with Ahmed via email about his and Garron’s plans for the new series.  When asked how he sees Miles’ role in the larger Spider-Man franchise, especially with Peter Parker recently returning to a more traditional status quo, Ahmed said, “For my money, Spider-Man is, at his core, a teenage hero.  In this book, Miles will be that Spider-Man: battling threats against the community and the city rather than the universe, and trying to do so while dealing with grades and bullies, family and botched dates.

This is classic Spider-Man, but very much dealing with modern concerns and realities…”

https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/09/13/spider-man-miles-morales-returns-in-new-marvel-series