A post on the Antidefamation League Website calls out "extremist and hateful content" on Steam, saying white supremacist and antisemitic content in particular "is widespread" on Community pages on Valve's gaming storefront and hub (thanks Eurogamer). It says an investigation uncovered: "1.83 million unique pieces of extremist or hateful content, including explicitly antisemitic symbols like the 'happy merchant' and Nazi imagery like the Totenkopf, swastika, sonnenrad and others. This also includes tens of thousands of instances of users expressing support for foreign terrorist organizations like Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Hamas and others." The report notes Steam's public-facing content policy makes no mention of hate or extremism, and that while Steam "appears to be technically capable of moderating extremist and hateful content on its platform," this extremist content "is due in part to Valve’s highly permissive approach to content policy." Here are details on a study by the Center on Extremism:

COE found millions of examples of extremist and hateful content – including explicit hate symbols like sonnenrads and “happy merchants,” as well as copypastas (blocks of text that are copied and pasted to form images or long-form writing) shaped into swastikas – on Steam Community, the platform’s social networking space where users can connect, congregate and share content. The clear gaps in Steam’s moderation of this content inflict harm by exposing untold users to hate and harassment, enabling potential radicalization and normalizing hate and extremism in the gaming community. Understanding the extent of extremist and hateful content on the platform is key to fighting the proliferation of hate online.

Achtung! Fire up some Wagner, as Götterdämmerung is now available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, offering the promised new DLC for Hearts of Iron IV, the World War II strategy game. This is available on Steam separately or as part of the Expansion Pass 1, and either way the base game is required. The Official Release Trailer is here with a blitz of details on how this expands the focus trees for Germany and other nations while adding visual and gameplay improvements. Here's more:

Build the industrial and research foundation to survive the world’s greatest conflict In Hearts of Iron IV: Götterdämmerung. In this expansion, players can write new histories of Germany, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, and Congo. Pursue exciting new research and military options, opening new paths for devastating new weapons and dramatic raids on strategic targets.

Continue here to read the full story.

Space Trash Scavenger is out of Early Access and is now officially available offering a sandbox survival and automation game where you make your living exploiting procedurally generated asteroid fields. Paradox hasn't posted the launch trailer, so here's the Early Access Trailer from last year with a look. Here's word on the game and what's new in version 1.0:

In Space Trash Scavenger, players are employed by the megacorporation ScavCorp. Players are tasked with building and piloting a Space Rig to scavenge and repurpose Space Trash - debris left behind from an ancient galactic war - and sell it at an intergalactic stock market with dynamic prices. Each asteroid as well as the player base itself exerts its own local gravity field, which players can travel between with their jetpack and grapple gun. In their base, players can upgrade equipment, produce food and fuel, and prepare defenses against roaming alien threats.

After entering early access last year, Space Trash Scavenger has received multiple updates, including an automation update that lets players fine-tune and automate their space rig operations, and a combat update with new entities and weapons. Now, with its 1.0 release, Space Trash Scavenger introduces even more: a new biome, a creative game mode, a re-worked NPC and quest system, new manufacturing options, and more.

Continue here to read the full story.

Nightmare House: The Original Mod is now free-to-play for Windows on Steam, offering a standalone game based on Nightmare House 2, a very popular modification for Half-Life 2. This trailer celebrates the launch with a look at some of the horrors this brings, and teases development of Nightmare House Reimagined, saying this is "coming soon." The description includes these details:

Enter the haunting world of Nightmare House. This is the definitive edition of the highly acclaimed horror classic "Nightmare House 2". Initially released in 2010 as a Source mod for Half-Life 2, the Nightmare House series captivated players with its intense atmosphere and gripping gameplay.

After fighting your way through an abandoned house, you wake up in the teared down, ironically named hospital ‘Never Lose Hope’. As you navigate these eerie halls, encounter terrors and enemies, team up with otherworldly allies and try to survive the unending hordes of horrors coming your way. If you manage to pull through, you might finally escape.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Geoff Keighley on X: "Ok, here we go! Monday, the nominees for the 10th anniversary of #TheGameAwards will be revealed."

• Cozy Quest 2024 on Steam.
• Save 67% on ASTRONEER on Steam.
• Save 40% on Immortal Life on Steam.
• Save 20% on Ara- History Untold on Steam.
• Award Winning Assets - The Crown Collection (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.

• Games of Thrones' Sophie Turner reportedly in talks to play Lara Croft in Amazon's Tomb Raider TV series - Eurogamer.net.

Official patches.

• Microsoft Flight Simulator November 14, 2024 Development Update.
• Norland - Patch #26- New Map, Dynasty Tree, Knowledge Updates, and More.
• Team Fortress 2 Update Released.

• Starship Troopers: Continuum - Launch Trailer - Meta Quest and PlayStation VR2.

• Treyarch Accidentally Reverts Black Ops 6 Assault Rifles' Damage and Range Values to Launch State With Season 1 Patch - MP1st.

Official trailers.

• For Honor - Content Of The Week - 14 November.
• Old Skies trailer.
• The Rogue Prince of Persia Trailer - Major Update Launch date.
• Skull and Bones: Quality of Life Update.

• Remedy creative director Sam Lake to receive NY Game Awards' Andrew Yoon Award - Game Developer.

• WASD expo- 'Amazing showcase' for UK gaming industry cancelled - BBC.

• Xbox Accessories app now has a Trigger Calibration tool for fixing minor issues - Neowin.
• Love Too Easily - Console release reveal trailer.

• Jeff Bezos' Space Company Joins SpaceX To Win Major Phone Satellite Internet Contract - Wccftech.

• Threads grew by a Bluesky this month - The Verge.
• How to switch to Bluesky from Twitter - TechRadar.
• Bluesky apparently acted up today because of a cut fiber cable - The Verge. Check Elon's alibi.

Thanks Console General.

• Inside Snap Tap, the new hotness keyboard feature outlawed by Valve - Rock Paper Shotgun. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader DC version 2024.004.20272.
• Releasing Windows 11 Build 26100.2448 to the Release Preview Channel - Windows Insider Blog.
• Releasing Windows 10 Build 19045.5194 to Beta and Release Preview Channels - Windows Insider Blog.
• Releasing Windows 11 Build 22631.4534 to the Release Preview Channel - Windows Insider Blog.

• How AI-generated images are threatening science - The Week.
• NVIDIA Works With Cloud-Native Community to Advance AI and ML - NVIDIA Blog.

• High-severity Fortinet VPN flaw allows privilege escalation • The Register.

• Senate Democrats Are Running Out of Time to Pass a Shield Law to Protect Journalism - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).

• 40 years later, I finally beat the arcade game that financially destroyed me as a child - PC Gamer. It certainly was a quarter-eating monster. Thanks RedEye9…

Last Link of the Day: Honest Trailers - The Wizard of Oz.

It's once again time to do some cash-free shopping on the Epic Games Store, where Castlevania Anniversary Collection for Windows and Snakebird Complete for Windows and macOS are now available for free as the store's latest weekly giveaways. This works as before, so games from the promotion are yours to keep if you snag correct before next week's giveaway starts. At that point players will be given the chance to behold Beholder for free. Here's more on today's gifts:

Released as part of the Konami 50th Anniversary celebration, relive these timeless classics that helped define the platformer genre. From the Belmont clan to their extended bloodlines and allies, the Castlevania Anniversary Collection is the best first step for anyone to take into the world of Castlevania and the fight against Dracula!

Introducing Snakebird Complete: The Ultimate Snakebird Experience! Embark on an extraordinary puzzle-solving adventure bringing together hit classic Snakebird and Snakebird Primer, offering the complete Snakebird experience in a single, comprehensive package.

A post on ResetEra explains that Unreal Gold and Unreal Tournament are each available for free as Epic Games is allowing the Internet Archive to host the installers for both old-school first-person shooters. The post includes links and additional details on what led to this moment. It also curses out Tim Sweeney after praising the move, because internet. The effort to preserve these games is helpful, as they are no longer for sale, and do not even have historical listings on the Epic Games Store. So here are descriptions of these old timers from Steam:

Unreal Gold - Your prison ship has crash-landed on the fastest, sleekest, most dangerous 3D world ever created. Look around, crystal clear water shimmers, shadows dance and shift, alien architecture fades into the horizon. Discover the secret of this mysterious planet and find out what caused a peaceful race to be enslaved by vicious merciless aggressors.

Unreal Tournament is the original King of the Hill in the frag-or-be-fragged multiplayer gaming world. As the undisputed 1999 Game of the Year, Unreal Tournament grabbed the first person shooter genre by the soiled seat of its pants and knocked it around the room with its never-before-seen graphics, brutal edge-of-your-seat gameplay and a massive and varied feature list that gave gamers more than they ever expected.

The PlayStation.Blog announces LEGO Horizon Adventures is now available for Windows and consoles, offering the chance to save the world one brick at a time in this new toy-based action/adventure. The Windows edition is available on Steam with no launch discount. This is published by PlayStation, so the now-familiar caveat applies; this requires a PlayStation Network account, even on PC. Here's the Launch Trailer and here are some deets:

Journey to a distant future, where the land is made of LEGO bricks and lush nature has reclaimed the Earth. Meet the Nora tribe who live in the settlement of Mother’s Heart, and catch your first glimpse of the incredible dinosaur-like machines that roam the forests, mountains, and deserts that stretch beyond the village walls...

Join hunter Aloy as she battles to save Earth from an ancient digital demon, and a gang of sunworshippers who want to live in a world without shade so they can soak up the rays while everything burns.

Continue here to read the full story.

Software Verde announces testing is underway for Mordfield Command, a science fiction 4X strategy game. Word is that in addition to timer-free PvE gameplay this will feature a PvP mode with strict timers to cut down on waiting between turns. Here's an Official Trailer with a look at what to expect. If you want to take part in the test, head over to Steam and request access. Here's more:

Through humanity's endless pursuit of progress came artificial intelligence, our proudest achievement and a cornerstone of society - now our nightmare and the destroyer of our home. In Mordfield Command, step up as one of humankind’s last commanders and lead your forces in battle, fight against an onslaught of robots, and push back their control one wave at a time. Total annihilation of your enemies is required to reclaim what was once ours - Earth.

Discover and carefully allocate your resources as you strike a balance between developing your economy and growing your military prowess. Strategically expand your base through new buildings, upgrades, and satellite cities. Frequently assess and adapt your defensive strategy against the endless onslaught of AI combat machines closing in on your position, before turning the tides and eradicating your foes for good.

Continue here to read the full story.

Rue Valley is also kicking off a playtest today, giving players the chance to help with development of this narrative time-loop RPG in development at Emotion Spark Studio. The full game will launch on GOG.com* and the Epic Games Store, but the test is on Steam, where you can now request access. Your chances of being accepted are a little unclear, as the link to request access says, "Request access and you’ll get notified when the developer is ready for more participants," but this post calls the test an Open Alpha, suggesting all requests are being accepted. Here's a bit on the game:

Break free from a mysterious time loop! Embark on a journey of self-discovery and resilience. Delve into the enigmatic depths of the small godforsaken town: Rue Valley.

Each day feels like an uphill battle against the shadows of your own mind. Along the way, you will encounter a captivating ensemble of characters, each wrestling with their own emotional complexities and revealing hidden depths as you get to know them.

Can you muster the courage to unravel the secrets of this temporal anomaly? Can you discover the strength within yourself to rise above adversity and forge a brighter tomorrow?

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

Viva La Dirt League, FusionPlay and Team17 Digital announce Epic NPC Man - Nice Day for Fishing is the first game from the recently announced partnership to bring the videogame-inspired comedy of Viva La Dirt League to a game of its own. Based on the kind of RPGs parodied in its sketches, this will put the inexplicably popular sideline activity of fishing directly in the forefront of gameplay. The official website and Steam Listing are online with details and a 2025 release window. Cast your eyes on the Announcement Trailer for a look at the live-action VDL cinematic, side-scrolling gameplay, and retro graphics. Here's the hook:

Viva La Dirt League, FusionPlay and Team17 Digital have teamed up to bring you the first official game set in Viva La Dirt League’s world of Azerim! Bust out those fishing rods and prepare to face ultimate evil. Then take ‘em down: hook, line and sinker!

Epic NPC Man Nice Day For Fishing will have you step into the waders of Baelin, to defend Azerim and help out the beloved characters from the Epic NPC Man series. Unlock spells, fight powerful aquatic adversaries and experience the ultimate in fishing-based combat! Also, you get to collect hats, who doesn’t love a hat collection?

Continue here to read the full story.

Make some room on your keychain, as 49 Keys is now available for Windows and Switch, kicking off a "book-based" puzzle-driven horror/adventure from solo developer Michele Buonanno. The PC edition is on Steam, where it is 10% off for the next week or so. This post tells the story of the game's development and launch, and the Official Release Trailer takes a look. Here's word:

In this book-based puzzler, a captivating tale unfolds before you. Its narration blends seamlessly with the conundrums and riddles you must face.

49 Keys is a narrative-focused game that will test your wits and nerves. Peruse the pages of a Lovecraftian tale, interact with maps and solve the puzzles encountered along the way. Trace your master's footsteps to uncover the deepest secrets of the arcane, on a quest brimming with horror and magic.

Continue here to read the full story.

Dungeon Inn is now inn in Early Access for Windows and macOS on Steam, offering the chance to operate one of those establishments opportunistically placed near the entrance to a dungeon. The Official Launch Trailer takes a cozy look at what this involves, including puzzles, furries, and a soundtrack we'll describe as jaunty. Here's more on the game, which carries a 10% launch discount for the next week:

As Sara, the ambitious innkeeper, you’ve struck a deal with a dragon to open an inn right next to a mysterious dungeon that appeared near the dragon's lair. With adventurers from rival guilds eager to explore the dungeon’s secrets, your inn has become the perfect pit stop for them.

Your challenge? Keep these competing groups from crossing paths while maximizing profits. It’s a delicate balancing act, but who cares if they’re rivals? As long as we don’t get caught, everyone’s happy – especially your coin purse!

Continue here to read the full story.

NAIRI: Rising Tide has risen, and this second chapter in the NAIRI series is available for Windows on Steam. Word is: "After the events of NAIRI: Tower of Shirin, Nairi continues on her quest to save her family. While she and her companions try to overcome the many dangers of the corrupt city of Shirin, an apocalyptic prophecy threatens to devour everything." The Launch Trailer shows what to expect, showing why this feature list includes a sentence where 20% of the words are "charm" and "cute":

Features

• Experience an engaging story filled with charm, adventure and cute animals!
• Explore a large, hand drawn world full of colorful characters!
• Craft creative solutions by combining items with the new Toolbelt!
• Solve challenging brainteasers and navigate intricate puzzle-dungeons!
• Tailor your experience with new guidance and hint systems!
• Orient yourself and fast-travel with the new map systems!
• Collect coins and recruit characters for bonus artwork, figurines and lore!

Continue here to read the full story.

• The PC Gaming Show- Most Wanted returns with announcements and reveals galore this December 5 - PC Gamer.

• Humble Software Bundle- MAPS Extravaganza Revisited 2024 (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*
• Let's Get Tactical with Kalypso (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.

• Embracer PC and console sales plummet during Q2 - GamesIndustry.biz.
• Thunderful is restructuring its publishing division and cutting even more jobs - Game Developer.
• Former Gearbox Software, Bethesda Softworks, and Epic Games veterans establish Ruckus Games to develop suburban invasion multiplayer game - Gematsu.

• Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP’s sales surpassed targets by large margin, Dragami Games’ parent company reports - AUTOMATON WEST. Thanks Max.

• GTA Trilogy removes developer credit following major graphical update - VGC.

• ELDEN RING SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK.
• Mythic Quest Season 4 Premieres January 29 on Apple TV+ - Ubisoft.

Official patches.

• Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered PC – Patch 1.2.
• Immortal Life - Spirits of Jade Update is OUT NOW.
• Old School Rally - Split-Screen Mode, New Stages, New Cars, and More! - Fall 2024 Major Update.

• GeForce NOW! Thursday- ‘Farming Simulator 25’ - NVIDIA Blog.

• DIG VR - Launch Trailer - Meta Quest.

• Dragon Age: The Veilguard's impressive hair tech was built on the heads and shoulders of EA Sports FC - Eurogamer.net.
• The First Descendant devs have "important news" for fans of the RPG shooter: "A decision has been made to add the much-requested 'Jiggle Physics'" - GamesRadar+. Thanks Neutronbeam.

Official trailers.

• Atomfall - Release Date Trailer. Previously announced March launch narrowed to March 27th.
• Half-Life 2 RTX - Half-Life 2 20th Anniversary Tribute Video. I see you shiver. With anticip…
• Ice Spice Takes Over Fortnite in Chapter 2 Remix.
• JDM: Japanese Drift Master - Let’s Drift in Ichikara.
• Urban Strife - Official Release Date Announcement. December 10th.

• How Valve made Half-Life 2 and set a new standard for future games - Ars Technica. Thanks Neutronbeam.

Thanks Console General.

• Morels: The Hunt 2 - Playstation 5 Trailer.
• Nintendo Download- Building, Bit by Bit - Business Wire.
• Xbox Alpha Ring (2411.241111-2000) Update Preview Release Notes - Xbox Support.
• Xbox Alpha Skip-Ahead Ring (2411.241111-2000) Update Preview Release Notes - Xbox Support.

• Nokia buys world's largest API hub from Rapid to cash in on 5G - Reuters. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Casio's new calculator watches will take you back to 6th grade math class - TechSpot. I put mine on to celebrate. Thanks Ant.

Thanks Console General.

• The Onion wins bidding for InfoWars assets - CNN Business. Promises to keep bilking suckers. Thanks RedEye9.
• Amazon launches Temu and Shein rival with 'crazy low' prices - BBC. Now with less lead!
• Tor Browser version 14.0.2.
• Evernote version 10.115.4.

• Will the CHIPS Act survive a Trump presidency? – Computerworld. Thanks Reddit.
• The Great American Microchip Mobilization - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• NVIDIA Ranks No. 1 on Forbes 'America’s Best Companies 2025' List - NVIDIA Blog.
• World's biggest PCIe SSD immediately squashed by even bigger and faster PCIe SSD - PC Gamer.
• Paint.net v5.1 final. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.

• The First Entirely AI-Generated Video Game Is Insanely Weird and Fun - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Inside the Billion-Dollar Startup Bringing AI Into the Physical World - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Indonesia Tech Leaders Team With NVIDIA, Partners to Launch Nation’s AI - NVIDIA Blog.
• GluFormer Generative AI Model Predicts Diabetes-Related Health Outcomes - NVIDIA Blog.

• 2023 Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities - CISA. Things to watch out for when time traveling. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• More Spyware, Fewer Rules: What Trump’s Return Means for US Cybersecurity - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Google's live scam detection for phone calls is now out for Pixel devices - Engadget.

• Canada okays bypassing software locks for repairs • The Register. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.
• Meta fined €798m over 'unfair' Facebook Marketplace - BBC.
• Apple accused of trapping and ripping off 40m iCloud customers - BBC.

• Planet Coaster 2 PC Review - GameWatcher.

Well I don't know if it will help prevent my CPU from frying itself, but my recent BIOS update did unexpectedly solve a problem I had with waking up my PC. It feels like I've had issues getting my monitor to restart after going to sleep for as long as I can remember, spanning different motherboards, graphics cards, and Windows versions. These problems were not unique; as a search shows users have struggled for years with the foibles of waking PCs from sleep and hibernation, possibly in part because those are two different functions, and Windows is easily confused. Anyway, my current machine operates flawlessly, except it would frequently require me to unplug and re-plug the DisplayPort as a workaround when the monitor would not wake up. After playing with countless settings over time, I grew to believe that if this was ever to be fixed it would be through new firmware for my video card or monitor, or maybe a Windows patch or a driver update. I wouldn't imagine a BIOS update for the motherboard itself would do the trick, but it sure did, and that's making me very happy.

Obituary: Timothy West, acclaimed British actor and lover of UK's waterways, dies at 90 - AP News.

Woken-up Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Breakfast Link

• Take the ‘Death Stairs’ if You Dare - The New York Times.

Stories

• Person dressed in bear costume to fake attacks on cars for insurance payout, California officials say - NBC News.
• 2,100 Fakes Rounded Up in Art Forgeries Bust - The New York Times. Starts to make NFTs sound legit.

Science

• Minimally invasive neural interface allows brain access without skull opening - Medical Express.

Media
Thanks RedEye9.

• [1612] Master Lock Refuses to Fix This Lock?!? - Lock Picking Lawyer.
• He Thought He Was Going Crazy Until He Discovered THIS. Thanks VideoSift.
• Oz's "Wicked" Witch Has A Surprisingly Heartbreaking Story.