Squid Game is not a subtle show. It is impossible to misinterpret its very obvious message that the games are bad, and people should NOT be driven to such desperation by a merciless capitalist system that they will murder each other for rich people's entertainment. I would not be the first to point out that there is some conflict in the fact that we, the viewers, are watching all these competitors get killed for our entertainment, but still: despite the violence, despite the shock value, there is no ambiguity around the narrative intention. In this spin-off video game from Netflix, by contrast, the games are not bad. They are supposed to be fun.

Gone are the days when free games equated to ropey puzzle games and knock-off clones of games that had a price tag. These days, courtesy of in-app payments and the ease of offering both a sample of a title alongside its full-fat version, there are actually plenty of great games to play without spending a dime. Following the continued success of titles like Fortnite, the level of quality across mobile, PC and consoles has never been higher. Put your card away, and consider this your starting point. At launch, many of us assumed Genshin Impact was a tenuous Zelda: Breath of the Wild copy with impressive anime graphics and not much else.

The creators of the popular online game "Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout" have a new home. Epic Games, the company behind "Fortnite," announced Tuesday it has acquired Tonic Games Group, part of a larger plan to create a metaverse where players congregate online to socialize, play games or attend events. The game, available on PC and PlayStation platforms and launching soon for Nintendo Switch and Xbox, features rotund characters wobbling around in a series of obstacle courses and challenges. Similar to the "Fortnite" battle royale,"Fall Guys" games typically start with 60 players and end with one final winner. Epic said it will continue investing in the game to make it "a great experience for players across platforms," in a statement released Tuesday. Buying a new TV?:Beware these five myths This purchase, says Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney, is part of its larger plan to invest in building a metaverse where players get together virtually.

Unlike most other forms of entertainment, video games weren't hit as hard this year. Sure, the big live events like E3 and EVO were cancelled, but gaming is an activity enjoyed by most at home. That means the majority of big releases -- like Doom Eternal, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and Final Fantasy VII Remake -- were able to go on as scheduled. With live sports and movie theaters shut down, lots of people who normally wouldn't consider themselves "gamers" turned to the medium for entertainment and solace. And the games they played weren't always the big action-packed AAA titles.

Gaming never went out of style, but in 2020, it evolved from a fun hobby into an essential lifeline. Staying sane isn't easy when you're stuck in isolation for months on end. You can only watch so much Netflix before your brain starts dripping out of your ears. Games provide more active experiences that can help you forget that you've been staring at the same walls for weeks, letting you explore far-away virtual worlds or hang out with friends in multiplayer lobbies. In 2020, gaming became vital.

There were two major console launches--the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X--as well as big titles like Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the Final Fantasy VII remake, and Cyberpunk 2077 (we said big, not good!). Slate staffers recently convened to discuss what they played to pass the time in lockdown, what games surprised and disappointed them, and how many hours they honestly spent in Animal Crossing. Karen Han: I don't think it's out of line for me to say that this was the biggest year for games in recent memory, not just because of new console launches but because I feel like, thanks to the pandemic, we had a lot more time on our hands to be playing games. Is that fair to say, at least for this group? Daniel Schroeder: I think you're spot on. Before this year I never had chunks of time big enough to descend into and obsess over a new game like I like to. This year I was able to sort of keep up!

The lockdown boom in video games has put the spotlight on the global success of British game makers, attracting the attention of deep-pocketed US giants looking to snap up valuable pandemic-proof businesses. Electronic Arts, the California-based global gaming giant, announced a surprise £945m bid for Codemasters, the maker of Formula One racing games. EA's offer, which has been recommended by the Codemasters board, is almost £200m more than that tabled last month by its rival Take-Two Interactive, the maker of games including Grand Theft Auto, which is expected to rejoin the bidding war with a sweeter deal. The gaming industry has proved to be a coronavirus winner, with tens of millions of consumers looking for relief from lockdown boredom and Britain's pedigree ensuring excited investors sent stocks soaring. Industry veterans are not surprised by the latest boom, pointing to Britain's history of creating world-class games The handful of UK game developers that are listed on the London stock market, including the Warwickshire-based Codemasters, have all experienced share price surges of more than 100% this year.

"The Last Of Us Part II" leads the way in nominations for The Game Awards. The Sony PlayStation 4 exclusive game, released in June, earned 10 nominations Wednesday for the annual "Oscars" for video games. This year's ceremony will be held Dec. 10 and broadcast live from studios in Los Angeles, London and Tokyo. Collecting eight nominations: "Hades," a PC game also released for the Nintendo Switch in September. Another PlayStation game, "The Ghost of Tsushima," released in July, earned seven nominations.

Fat little jelly beans playing a neon-coloured version of the cult classic gameshow Takeshi's Castle might not sound like the British answer to the craze that is Fortnite, but tens of millions of people have downloaded the London-made hit Fall Guys in less than a month since its release. "When you're designing games you want to give people an experience they've never felt before," says its lead designer, Joe Walsh. "And for us, it was a middle-aged slightly unwieldy Japanese businessman, on the sideline of a giant obstacle course that he has absolutely no right attempting." The resulting game is a joy. Like its predecessor, it sees a huge number of players competing in ever-smaller numbers to be the last one standing; similar too is its explosion in popularity, becoming the most downloaded game on Sony's PlayStation Plus (PS) online service ever, beating Fortnite on Twitch, and gathering celebrity fans too: Manchester City's Sergio Agüero scoring a goal in one of Fall Guys' minigames provided an early boost, as did F1 driver Lando Norris.

The video game Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout started out as an easy-to-play online multiplayer game for everyone – kids, parents and players of all ages. But now six months into the coronavirus pandemic, the cute, colorful addition to the battle royale genre – think Fortnite – has provided a salve to social isolation and an escape from the constant barrage of bad news. More than 2 million players have bought the game for PCs on Steam video game marketplace since its release Tuesday. The buzz is hot with this one. While it's not an apples and oranges comparison, consider that Taylor Swift sold and streamed the equivalent to 846,000 copies of her new album "Folklore" in the first week, according to Nielsen Music. Fall Guys has been out less than a week.