early years Archives

AppWizard

May 10, 2025

The next ‘Minecraft’ could come from a Niagara College student

Conor MacNeill, a game development professor at Niagara College, highlights the excitement of students presenting their capstone projects at the Welland campus library. The game development program has grown from about a dozen graduates to a large community, now including collaborations with Brock University. Students are now creating VR games, a significant development compared to the program's early years. First-year student Mark Lampman and fourth-year student Dante Bell showcase their projects, with Bell's team, Slugworks, presenting a game called "Green Thing from the Planet Jupiter." This game features a competitive chase between a green alien and a cat, requiring significant time commitment from the team. The GDLaunch event has evolved, with students actively promoting their games through various marketing strategies. Approximately 25 alumni attended, many looking to hire graduates. The gaming industry is expected to grow through 2027, providing promising opportunities for students. After GDLaunch, 64 graduates attended the Level Up Showcase in Toronto, where their game won second place for Achievement in Audio. The event attracted around 5,000 attendees, showcasing the innovation and dedication of the students.

AppWizard

March 22, 2025

Valve CMO threatened the company would walk away from games if it didn’t own the rights to Half-Life—’It wasn’t an idle threat—we weren’t going to take on all of the risk to make other people rich’

Monica Harrington, a founding member and the first chief marketing officer of Valve, shared a pivotal moment from the company's early years during her presentation at the 2025 Game Developer's Conference. She realized she had not fully understood key aspects of the agreement with publisher Sierra regarding the distribution of Half-Life, which prompted her to initiate a legal fight for the Half-Life intellectual property rights to ensure Valve's long-term success.

AppWizard

February 26, 2025

Excellent throwback mod Team Fortress 2 Classic is coming to Steam later this year

Valve has released The Team Fortress 2 SDK, allowing players to create new experiences in the TF2 universe. A notable project, Team Fortress 2 Classic, aims to recreate the game's early years and will be available on Steam. This mod includes features like a character inspired by VIP mode, reverse-engineered pre-release weapons, a four-team mode, and new gameplay mechanics. Eminoma, the developer, has plans for ongoing updates, including new weapons, modes, and characters, although a specific release date for Steam has not been announced.

TrendTechie

February 18, 2025

Фильм «Муфаса: Король Лев» вышел в онлайн-кинотеатрах и попал на торренты

The digital premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King" occurred on February 18, following a two-month theatrical run that grossed 7 million at the box office. The film is centered around Mufasa's early years and includes characters like Scar, Rafiki, Zazu, and Sarabi, narrated from the perspective of Kiara, Simba's daughter. It has a 57% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 6.7 on IMDb, with mixed reviews from viewers. The film has also appeared on torrent sites in high quality and dubbed in Russian.

Winsage

February 6, 2025

Bill Gates says, “I thought I was one mistake away from death.” — Microsoft’s success and his billionaire status didn’t really arrive until the late ’90s

Microsoft's 50th anniversary is approaching, prompting reflections on its history. CEO Satya Nadella admitted that discontinuing Windows Phone was a strategic misstep. Co-founder Bill Gates revealed in a 1995 retrospective that he did not feel confident in Microsoft's success until around 1998, eleven years after its public debut. Microsoft established itself alongside tech giants like Apple during its early years. By 2025, Microsoft became one of the most successful companies globally, significantly boosted by investments in artificial intelligence and a partnership with OpenAI, achieving a market capitalization of over a trillion dollars. Gates identified his greatest mistake as missing the opportunity to dominate the mobile market, resulting in a potential loss of 400 billion dollars due to mismanagement and antitrust challenges. Gates remains connected to Microsoft, providing insights despite stepping back from daily operations for philanthropy.

TrendTechie

December 19, 2024

Нового «Ведьмака» слили на торренты на русском языке

In late November, a new addition to the Witcher saga by Andrzej Sapkowski was released in Poland, titled "Perkrestok Voronov" (originally "Rozdroże Kruków"). The novel was initially available only in Polish, but a Russian translation by Alexander Svistunov appeared on torrent sites within a month, accessible in various electronic formats through his Boosty account. The story follows a young Geralt during the early years of his journey as a monster hunter, specifically between the ages of 18 and 20. An official release of the book in Russia is still uncertain.

AppWizard

October 12, 2024

Immersive version of Minecraft videogame makes world premiere in Plano

The film "The Apprentice" explores Donald Trump's early years, focusing on his relationship with mentor Roy Cohn during the early 1970s. The Trump Corporation faced legal challenges related to the Fair Housing Act at that time. Cohn's courtroom tactics influenced Trump, leading him to seek Cohn's advice on various matters, including tax negotiations and a prenuptial agreement. The film illustrates how Trump's character developed through Cohn's mentorship, particularly through three key rules: attack relentlessly, deny everything, and claim victory. The narrative transitions from the 1970s to the 1980s, showcasing a role reversal between Trump and Cohn. Sebastian Stan portrays Trump, while Jeremy Strong plays Cohn. The film aims to highlight that Trump's controversial traits were rooted in his past, and it is currently being shown in theaters.

AppWizard

August 27, 2024

The Olympics may be over, but I’m still going for 40-year-old gold in the first licensed Olympic games

Pasokon Retro highlights the early years of Japanese PC gaming, focusing on Konami's Hyper Sports trilogy released for the MSX platform between 1984 and 1985. The trilogy features digital versions of athletic events, allowing players to engage in sports without physical risks. Despite the limitations of the MSX, the games offer an engaging experience that requires mastery of mechanics, with events like diving and archery testing players' precision and strategic thinking. The trilogy emphasizes dedication and practice, capturing the essence of competition and the joy of improvement in a nostalgic gaming experience.

AppWizard

August 1, 2024

MrBeast ‘scammed’ contest winner, still hasn’t paid her winnings

Lauren Vi Pham claims that MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, owes her ,000 for winning a collaborative video contest titled "Minecraft's Got Talent" in 2020. She participated by performing her single "I'm a Simp," and while one judge, Alex 'Quackcity' Maldonado, paid his share of the prize, neither MrBeast nor another judge, Dream, has compensated her. Vi Pham launched an online petition for her earnings, expressing that the prize money would help her family financially after her father's passing. She has received support from the online community regarding her claims. MrBeast has acknowledged past mistakes related to inappropriate language used during his early career.

AppWizard

July 22, 2024

A look back at 8 versions of classic action RPG Hydlide reveals how PC ports can preserve—or lose—the soul of a game

Hydlide was a groundbreaking "Active Role Playing Game" released by T&E Soft in 1984. The game set new standards in the gaming industry and was considered the Elden Ring of its day. It was an open world action RPG where players had to figure out how to survive using only a sword, shield, and wit. The game was ported to various computer brands in Japan, with each version carefully adapted to fit its new home. The Sharp X1 version of the game, released in 1985, was considered the most advanced version of the game in the '80s, but it lost some of the magic of the original due to changes in gameplay mechanics. The 2001 Windows remake of Hydlide returned to the familiar flip-screen wandering and striking, staying true to the original game rather than trying to reinvent itself.