play time
It's Play Time: Video Games and Peripherals Are on Sale
This year, holiday shipping timelines are going to be tighter than ever. WIRED will be covering all things Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but we're keeping our eyes peeled for early-bird discounts on the tried-and-true gear we love so that you can ensure loved one receives their gifts on time. This week, we found plenty of price drops on video games and gaming accessories. Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you'd like).
The Best Beginner Board Games for Adults
We spent 54 hours researching 115 board games and playing 13 top contenders with 18 people to find some of the best board games for adults. In the process, we consulted Wirecutter staffers, surveyed seven game experts and enthusiasts, and interviewed four board game experts: a clinical psychologist and neuroscience researcher turned owner of board game café The Brooklyn Strategist, a ludology professor at Columbia University, a board games and learning researcher at West Virginia University, and the team behind video-series maker The Rules Girl. Board games are for everyone, so we have picks for new gamers, more advanced players, those looking for party or two-player games, and those who prefer cooperative play to competition. This guide is a starting point to find games that are fun, interactive, and challenging, and our picks are a great introduction for anyone looking to get more into games. We didn't include old-school classics (like Monopoly) or challenging enthusiast fare (like Scythe), but our Competition section lists many other notable games. For more ideas, we encourage you to explore board game forums and to visit your local board game café, store, or bar for personalized recommendations based on your skill level and interests. Although our picks are geared toward adults, most are family friendly. If you're looking for board games designed with preschool and elementary-school kids in mind, take a look at our guide to board games we love for kids. We think these intro-level options are some of the best to show new gamers the joys of board games: They require lighter strategy and are quick to learn, but they involve enough exciting decision making to engage adults.
Video Game Addiction Fears Prompt Tencent To Limit 'Honour Of Kings' Play Time For Chinese Kids
Tencent Holdings, one of China's top game developers, said it will limit play time for some young users of the smartphone game Honour of Kings, Reuters reported. The decision was made in response to complaints that children were getting increasingly addicted to the popular game. The fantasy role-playing game based on Chinese historical characters is the world's top-grossing game in terms of combined worldwide iOS and Google Play revenue in May this year. According to reports, the game has attracted 50 million active daily users, after adding 5 million users a month since it was launched last year -- making it more popular than Nintendo's global sensation Pokémon Go in the country. Most of its more than 200 million users are in China, with the game doubling its monthly active users in the country to 163 million in the past six months.