documentary Archives

AppWizard

May 12, 2026

City Life Org – Thousands Gather at NYC Video Game Festival to Crown 2026 Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs and NYC Collegiate Esports Champions

The 2nd Annual NYC Video Game Festival took place on May 9, attracting 2,000 attendees. The festival included esports competitions, indie game demonstrations, drone soccer, and arcade classics. The Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs Esports Finals honored student achievements, with team Hyper Pigmentation from PS 889 winning in the Elementary division, NEST+ from Manhattan winning in the Middle School division, and Tottenville from Staten Island winning in the High School division. The NYC Collegiate Esports Circuit Finals crowned The City College of NY as the League of Legends champion and Pace University as the Valorant champion, with a shared prize pool of ,000. The BOTB competition has engaged over 15,000 NYC Public School students since its inception, with a record 3,395 participants in 2026, including a 44% increase in high school submissions. The festival also featured a screening of a documentary about the Battle of the Boroughs.

AppWizard

May 8, 2026

Polygon’s Minecraft Documentary Battle of the Boroughs Teaser

Polygon has released a documentary titled "Battle of the Boroughs: The Kids Who Build New York City in Minecraft," directed by Simone de Rochefort. The film focuses on the 2025 Battle of the Boroughs competition, organized by NYC Public Schools, which encourages students to use Minecraft Education to address societal issues like housing inequality and climate resilience. The competition involves a structured process leading to the Mayor's Cup finals, where students engage in block-building to explore urban dynamics. The documentary captures the students' experiences and projects throughout this initiative. The full 40-minute film premiered on May 6 and is available for viewing. A live screening will take place at the NYC Video Game Festival on May 9, alongside competitive gaming events.

TrendTechie

April 21, 2026

Самому старому BitTorrent-трекеру The Pirate Bay исполнилось 22 года

The Pirate Bay celebrates its 22nd anniversary and continues to serve millions of users despite access-blocking attempts. When it launched, only about 10% of the global population had internet access, and content consumption was mainly offline. The oldest active torrent on The Pirate Bay is an episode of "High Chaparral" featuring Uri Geller, uploaded on March 25, 2004. The oldest active music torrent is a compilation titled Instant Hits by Gyllene Tider, and the oldest active gaming torrent is The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth. Additionally, the documentary Revolution OS, uploaded on March 31, 2004, remains available, despite the director's dissatisfaction with piracy. The oldest active torrent on the internet is a short amateur parody film, The Fanimatrix, created in September 2003.

AppWizard

April 12, 2026

1000xResist developer added a video sequence ‘out of desperation’ but now they’re bringing FMV back for their next game

Players of 1000xResist navigate through chapters with new perspectives and mechanics, featuring a transition to video footage of Hong Kong, which was incorporated out of necessity by creative director Remy Siu using archival documentary footage. The game explores the theme of convincing an AI of its humanity and utilizes full-motion video (FMV) as a storytelling tool, with the team focusing on narrative-driven games for innovation. The resurgence of FMV in gaming is highlighted by titles like Her Story and Road to Empress, showcasing diverse storytelling possibilities. Despite its niche status, Siu believes their unique approach can contribute to the genre. Another title, Prove You're Human, is set to launch on Steam, further enhancing the narrative landscape.

AppWizard

March 13, 2026

Garmin inReach Mini 3 Plus Satellite Messenger Review (Tested)

In 2018, during a thru-hike of the Continental Divide, the accidental activation of the SOS feature on an outdated Delorme GPS led to an extensive search and rescue operation in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. This incident sparked an interest in satellite communication and GPS devices. The author has since tested and reviewed various devices, ranging from personal locator beacons to advanced handheld units like the Garmin inReach Mini 3 Plus. Dean Krakel is a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist with over four decades of experience, known for his work in numerous prestigious publications. He has authored three books and transitioned from the Denver Post in 2015 to undertake a 500-mile journey along the Colorado Trail, inspiring the award-winning film The Long Haul. His fine art prints are collected and exhibited in galleries, with permanent displays in the Denver Justice Center. Dean currently resides in Crested Butte, Colorado.

AppWizard

November 18, 2025

OK, for real though, what’s the chance of a Half-Life 3 announcement happening soon? Here’s what we know

The gaming community has been speculating about Half-Life 3 for two decades, with no formal announcement yet made. However, there is renewed optimism for a new Half-Life game announcement within the next year due to several factors: the release of the VR-exclusive Half-Life: Alyx in 2020, which sets the stage for future installments; the five-year gap since the last major release; Valve's recent hardware announcements; and hints during the 20th anniversary of Half-Life 2. Gabe Newell has indicated that Valve is hesitant to continue the series without significant innovation. The potential for a new Half-Life may involve VR, but this could alienate non-VR fans. Other possibilities include a new Portal game or a spinoff set in the Half-Life universe, with the Borealis ship remaining unexplored in the lore. Newell's recent interests in deep-sea exploration and neuroscience may suggest unexpected developments for the franchise.

AppWizard

November 10, 2025

The best playable game documentary on Steam is getting a Namco-centric DLC this week, including the worst version of Pac-Man

Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is a compilation available on Steam that includes a collection of retro games, interviews, historical insights, and reimaginings of classic titles. A notable game in this collection is Yars’ Revenge. An upcoming DLC, set to launch on November 13, will add Bandai Namco’s 80s classics, including Pac-Man, Dig Dug, and Galaga, to the Atari 50 collection, marking their first official appearance on Steam.

AppWizard

November 4, 2025

URI art professor’s work featured in ‘Minecraft’video game

Travess Smalley, an assistant print media professor at the University of Rhode Island, discovered Minecraft over a decade ago and began exploring its creative potential. He has integrated his artistic expressions into the game, which has sold over 350 million copies globally. Smalley uses a "chance flower" program to generate unique art, similar to the procedurally generated worlds in Minecraft. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he developed work on a dedicated Minecraft server, creating a digital world that transforms the game into an expansive poem. His projects include "pixel rugs," generative digital artworks translated into hand-woven rugs, and "CRAWL," a video maze game featuring 512 distinct artworks. Smalley plans to release a book titled "Pixel Rugs" in January 2026 and encourages his students to use Minecraft as a medium for artistic expression.

AppWizard

November 2, 2025

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection launches to mixed reviews on Steam

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection includes the first four Mortal Kombat games, the WaveNet version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, along with an interactive documentary about the series. After its release, 55% of reviews on Steam were negative, mainly due to input lag and issues with online multiplayer. Players criticized the online experience, noting limitations in matchmaking. Developers announced upcoming updates to add features like lobbies and fix bugs, while a hotfix has already been released for audio issues. The documentary included in the collection received positive feedback.

AppWizard

October 10, 2025

Binding of Isaac dev rejects writing “safe” things, creates a strategy game where you can give cats cancer

Designer and artist Edmund McMillen has announced his new project, Mewgenics, a randomly generated turn-based strategy game featuring cats and elements of breeding simulation. The game has been in development for six years and is inspired by McMillen's experiences with real cats and the implications of breeding practices. It includes gameplay mechanics influenced by neurodiversity, such as traits like ADHD and autism affecting cat abilities. Mewgenics features a complex system with thousands of potential combinations for players. The game is set to release on February 10, 2026, on Steam.