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Te Mana Motuhake o Communist New Zealand? (Design: The Spinoff)

Raising red flags: Another misrepresentation of Māori in video games

How did a Tūhoe flag become a symbol for the Communist Party of New Zealand in a video game made in Sweden?
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By Dan Taipua | 23rd September, 2025
Guest writer
Jason Momoa in A Minecraft Movie

Review: A former Minecraft superfan’s verdict on A Minecraft Movie

Does the new movie adaptation do the beloved video game justice?
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By Thomas Giblin | 4th April, 2025
Guest writer
Reading sections of the Bible, with footnotes and historical context, is a key part of Brother Zac’s channel (Image: Screenshots/The Spinoff)

Meet the Whanganui gamer who’s teaching people about the Bible on Twitch

'Abraham's the frickin' man!'
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By Shanti Mathias | 10th February, 2025
Contributing writer
Spark Game Arena Live (Photo: Sam Brooks)

Spark’s inaugural gaming festival was for the kids, and kids at heart

Did Aotearoa's largest gaming festival live up to the hype?
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By Sam Brooks | 11th September, 2024
Contributing writer
Daytona Taputu aka Broxh_. (Source: Red Bull)

The most popular Māori on TikTok

What happened to Daytona Taputu, the 'Bob Ross of carving' on Twitch?
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By Liam Rātana | 17th July, 2024
Ātea editor
Is it Pikachu? Is it Electabuzz? No, it’s a Pal, nothing to do with Pokemon whatsoever…

The surprise gaming hit of 2024 is… Pokemon with guns?

It's taken the gaming universe by storm, selling millions of copies over the weekend. But what the heck is it?
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By Sam Brooks | 22nd January, 2024
Contributing writer
The colourful cast of Baldur’s Gate 3, which might be the best Western RPG for years. (Image Design: Archi Banal)

Review: Baldur’s Gate 3 dramatically levels up the Western RPG

Why reinvent the wheel when you can just make the best wheel possible?
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By Sam Brooks | 22nd September, 2023
Contributing writer
From left to right: Path of Exile and Mini Metro, both developed in New Zealand, and the winning team from Te Matatini in 2023.

An investment in Te Matatini and the gaming sector is an investment in arts and culture

The public knows that arts and culture is more than the ballet and the orchestra. Budget 2023 showed the government is catching up.
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By Sam Brooks | 23rd May, 2023
Contributing writer
The PSVR2, in all its dubious glory. (Image Design: Archi Banal)

Does the PSVR2 finally make VR worth the plunge?

VR gaming has come a long way with the new PSVR2 console – but is it worth putting down the controller and putting on a helmet for?
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By Sam Brooks | 23rd March, 2023
Contributing writer
Image: Archi Banal

I am a full-time Twitch streamer – this is what I do

One of the other biggest misconceptions as a woman in gaming is that your job is to just sit there, look pretty, and get paid.
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By Guest Writer | 18th March, 2023
Guest Post
One little cartridge changed gaming forever. (Design: Archi Banal)

How GoldenEye on Nintendo 64 defied the odds and redefined gaming

If you played it enough, the phrase 'Licence to Kill, slappers, Oddjob' is probably etched somewhere deep in your brain like a wake-up phrase for a sleeper agent. 
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By Sam Brooks | 6th January, 2023
Contributing writer
Image: Tina Tiller

Jonah Lomu Rugby is still the greatest rugby game of all time

Demented moles. Ballydown Park. Laksanasompong. Will there ever be another rugby game as good as this?
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By Jamie Wall | 2nd January, 2023
Contributing writer
Jesse Austin-Stewart, the sound artist behind Music for PlayStation, which turns the Playstation5 DualSense controller into a music-making device. (Photos: Supplied, Design: Tina Tiller)

The sound artist democratising music with a PlayStation 5 controller

It's literally good vibes.
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By Sam Brooks | 25th November, 2022
Contributing writer
A Nordic crocodile attacks Kratos in God of War: Ragnarok.

God of War Ragnarök marks the end of a gaming era

It's the year's most anticipated blockbuster game, but will it meet fans' mammoth expectations?
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By Sam Brooks | 8th November, 2022
Contributing writer
Guybrush Threepwood in a duel in Return to Monkey Island, the best installment in the series in over thirty years.

Return to Monkey Island is a return to point-and-click greatness

Fans of the series have been waiting a long time – 31 years, to be exact – for this game.
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By Sam Brooks | 7th October, 2022
Contributing writer
One little cartridge changed gaming forever. (Design: Archi Banal)

How GoldenEye on Nintendo 64 defied the odds and redefined gaming

'Licence to Kill, slappers, Oddjob.'
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By Sam Brooks | 25th August, 2022
Contributing writer
A few of your wacky colleagues from the delightful new game Two Point Campus.

Two Point Campus lets you be the vice-chancellor

Escape your boring real-life admin with the fun virtual admin of running a fantasy university.
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By Sam Brooks | 17th August, 2022
Contributing writer
Yes, you play as this cat. Yes, it’s delightful. (Image: Sony, Design: Tina Tiller)

Stray is much more than just a cat simulator

The new video game that lets you be a cat is even more enjoyable than it sounds.
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By Sam Brooks | 19th July, 2022
Contributing writer
Viva La Dirt League (Photo: FIRST)

The secret to Viva La Dirt League’s success

On the power of three, post-club cuisine and more.
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By FIRST | 8th June, 2022
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Rudeism, with his homemade Fisher Price controller. Yes, it works. And yes, he can beat you in a game with it. (Image: Tina Tiller)

This streamer made a controller out of a kids’ toy – now he’s using it to beat Elden Ring

'I do feel bad for people whose asses I kick online with my weird controllers sometimes.'
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By Sam Brooks | 13th May, 2022
Contributing writer

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