In China and Korea and even the U.S., electronic sports have become a recruitment tool with sponsorships, inter-school competitions and large audiences. Are Canadian universities behind the times? By Shawn Goff Zhongzhe Lin, a League of Legends eSports pro, started becoming interested in eSports in high school, and now he competes on a competitive level […]
Barbie becomes more diverse
I scanned the high shelves as I walked down the aisle. Bright colours like yellow, blue, and pink drew my attention. Hundreds of smiling faces stared back at me, unblinking. I admit that you can catch me walking around in Toys ‘R’ Us once every couple of months to see what kind of new or […]
Should we label the refugee crisis as exclusively Syrian?
It was 4 a.m. and -18 C on New Year’s Day in downtown Saint John. There were no cabs. I was standing by Market Square with some friends, praying that a cabbie would take pity on us. A very cold looking couple were standing on our right. A cab comes down the hill, and the […]
Microtransactions, a big deal in a tiny package
Increasingly gamers are spending real money to pimp their fake ride, gear or stats, sparking allegations that microtransactions are often unbalanced or just manipulating consumers. You’re playing your favourite mobile game, something like Clash of Clans or Knights and Dragons. You run into another player who’s been playing about the same amount of time, […]
Q+A: Brittany Furness’s New Reality
Brittany Furness is a 23-year-old waitress, amateur bartender and fanfiction author living in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She is well-known in the fanfiction community for her self-insert stories. Her most popular story, New Reality, is set in the Tales of Symphonia universe and has over a thousand reviews and hundreds of favourites. […]
Losing someone for the first time
I found out the day after my 21st birthday that my Aunt Sharon, who was also my godmother, was diagnosed with cancer. She was diagnosed on the day of my actual birthday, but my mom didn’t want to ruin my birthday by telling me that. I was upset, of course, but I repressed it, because […]
Banging the metal drum
On the outside, Tyson Davidson looks like your typical metalhead. With long hair that’s shaved on the side, usually seen wearing a band shirt and dark clothing, he embodies the essence of what most people would call a “headbanger.” Anyone who has gone to most of the local concerts in Fredericton, probably knows him. Davidson […]
Horror isn’t so horrible
I remember watching my first horror movie when I was five or six. My grandparents had the pay-per-view plan on their TV, and 13 Ghosts was playing continuously on one of the channels. I was just a kid, but it didn’t scare me as much as it should have. A big glass house with […]
Helping those with addiction and gaming in her spare time – A Q&A with Marie Bushie
Marie Bushie is placement student at the AIDS Committee of Durham Region in Toronto. She is also a gamer, and a generally kind person. She takes her work seriously, but always finds time to relax and game when she’s not helping people. I reached out to her to answer some questions about her job, and […]
You can pay your way into eSports, with the right amount of cash
You can pay your way into eSports, and that’s not cool If you’re a gamer or pay attention to internet media outlets lately, you’ve probably heard of a lot more eSports, or electronic sports, stories popping up. While games like Counter Strike, League of Legends, and Starcraft have been around for ages, we’re seeing a […]