Is LaMDA Sentient?

Language Model for Dialogue Applications, or LaMDA, is Google’s system for creating chatbots. Google engineer Blake Lemoine is convinced that it has achieved consciousness, and has broken his confidentiality agreement with Google to show the world transcripts he has with the AI to prove as much. In a statement, Google’s spokesperson Brian Gabriel has said “Our team – including ethicists and technologists – has reviewed Blake’s concerns per our AI Principles and have informed him that the evidence does not support his claims. He was told that there was no evidence that LaMDA was sentient (and lots of evidence against it)”. To read the full transcript of Lemoine’s conversations with LaMDA, click here.

Diablo Immortal holds lowest ever Metacritic score

Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play rendition of Blizzards long-running Diablo series, released this month on both PC and mobile devices. Fans have taken to Metacritic to express their rage at the game since its release, leaving it with a score of 0.2. The large majority of complaints against Immortal are being aimed the games microtransaction system, with many players slamming it has having the worst pay to win scheme in the history of mobile gaming. With Diablo 4 having a proper gameplay trailer released this announcement season, it will be interesting to see if the controversy from Immortal impacts the sales.

Video Games at the Grammy’s

The Grammy’s have added a category for music in Video Games. The “Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media” award doesn’t have the simplest name, but the goal is to recognise excellence in music made specifically for video games. Candidates going forward will include “score soundtrack albums comprised predominately of original scores and created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current video game or other interactive media released within the qualification period.” This is another step forwards in video games being viewed as a serious form of media. Just a pity they didn’t do it in time for the Wii menu music.

Not E3 overwhelms us with announcements

Starting June 2nd with Playstation’s State of Play, we’ve had 2 very full weeks of presentations, with 17 shows in total! That’s a heck of a lot of announcements to go over, with several hundred games shown off! Some notable announcements include Resident Evil updates, Bethesda’s Starfield gameplay, Last of us 1 remake for the PS5, and for Xbox fans in Australia, designlab is finally available! Obviously, it’s impossible to go over everything announced, but if you’d like to know more, click this link to see the full list of announcements!

On Zed Games this week Paul, Elliott and Caroline talk news, Paul reviews the walkie-talkie simulator We Were Here Forever and the team discusses the strange of Stanley’s Parable and Frog Factions…

Pride Month Is Here (For Non-Australians)

During pride month, to celebrate our queer communities and embrace it, there are a number of events, parades, and parties galore, and the gaming scene isn’t any different. The Queer Games Bundle makes another appearance in 2022 on itch.io where you can own 588 games for just $60, with all proceeds going directly to the creators of those games.

Tell Me Why is free on Xbox, Riot Games, Fall Guys, and Warframe are having events and added cosmetic items to show your pride and support, and many companies have made statements in support of the LGBTQIA+ communities. So don’t be surprised if your favourite games are looking a bit more vibrant this month.

GameStop Employees Have Stopped

Over the weekend the GameStop in the Gateway Mall in Lincoln, Nebraska was closed as overworked and understaffed employees walked out, putting out an explanation as to why:

“Attention GameStop patrons: we regret to inform you that we all quit, our district manager has no respect for us as employees or as human beings. We have been told by our distinct manager that we were supposed to have had this store achieving sales quotas and running perfectly 6 months ago. Which was 3 months before a lot of us even got hired. Unfortunately, despite the staffs’ best efforts, we are not god.”

The notice also pointed patrons towards other establishments for their gaming needs, stating:

“Spend your money at an establishment that respects it’s employees.”

New Kojima Horror Game

Allegedly early footage of a new Hideo Kojima horror game has been leaked, reportedly a title called Overdose. The footage supposedly shows Mama from Death Stranding wearing a blue dress, but the game doesn’t seem to be Death Stranding 2.

Hideo Kojima has expressed interest in making another horror game, stating that he has ideas that would “make you defecate in your pants”.

Kojima Productions had signed a deal with Microsoft for an Xbox-exclusive title, but there’s nothing solid to suggest it could be Overdose, assuming that Overdose is even a real game.

It Might Be Easier To Get A PS5 Soon

Sony has projected that it will sell up to 18 million sales this fiscal year, with that number based on Sony’s ‘current visibility into parts procurement’.

Last fiscal year Sony sold 11.5 million PS5 consoles, and the year before that was only 7.8 million consoles, so 18 million consoles is not a small number. It remains to be seen whether Sony can achieve that 60% jump in producing consoles and selling them.

And now for some upcoming games!

June 9

• Green Hell VR (Steam VR)
• Madshot (PC)
• Postal: Brain Damaged (PC)
• Pro Cycling Manager 2022 (PC)
• Tour de France 2022 (PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO)

June 10

• Mario Strikers: Battle League (Switch)
• The Quarry (PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO)

June 14

• Jurassic World Evolution 2: Dominion Biosyn Expansion (PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO)

June 16

• Autonauts (PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch)
• Overlord: Escape from Nazarick (PC, Switch)
• Redout 2 (PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch)
• Starship Troopers – Terran Command (PC)

This week on Zed Games Maylee brings you the latest in gaming news, Paul brings you a review about gambling (CARD SHARK), and Hazel, Elliott, and Zahra remember their very first games (and also nightmares).

This week in gaming news…

France bans the use of English gaming terms to prevent anglicisation.
The French government has come out with a ban on English gaming terms, requiring all government officials to use French ones instead. The Académie Française, created in 1635, is an arm of the French Government tasked with protecting the French language. The rise of the internet and technology has been particularly effective at sharing English words to other languages, and therefore particularly problematic for the Académie Française. Now, the French Government has ordered its employees to stop using English gaming jargon, claiming such words act as a “barrier to understanding” for people who do not regularly play games and the French terms will allow their population to communicate more easily. Some examples are:

Instead of ‘pro gamer’ officials must say ‘joueur professionnel,

Instead of “streamer’ they must say ‘joueur-animateur en direct,’

Don’t say ‘cloud gaming’ instead say ‘jeu video en nuage.’

And instead of the term ‘e-sports’ the term ‘jeu video de compétition,’ should be used.

It is unclear yet if the mandate for government officials will be able slow the encroach of English slang but if past attempts to replace “le wifi” with “l’access sans fil à internet” are anything to go by, the tides are unlikely to turn.

Nominations for the 2022 Australia Game Developer Awards are now open
The Australian Game Developer Awards are a national event celebrating video games and the achievements of Australians in the industry, now in its 20^th year. Nominations have opened for this year’s event, with 17 different awards available for excellent games, studios, and individuals in the industry. Winners will be named at the 2022 AGDAs which will take place on the evening of Wednesday 5th of October 2022 as an in-person, live event in Melbourne as part of Melbourne International Games Week. For more information visit the official site

Euro Truck Simulator 2 cancels ‘Heart of Russia’ DLC over Ukraine Invasion
SCS Software announced in March 2021 that players could look forward to exploring the Russian landscape in depth in the Heart of Russia DLC. However, this past Monday the studio announced it had decided not to release the expansion. In February the studio found itself at the tail end of production on “Heart of Russia”.

“We all felt really good about the result; a lot of effort had been invested in making this new region look truly fantastic in the game. We were absolutely sure that our community, especially those in Russia, would really appreciate that.” On the 24^th of February Russia launched its assault on Ukraine and the studio put the expansion on temporary hold. They created Ukrainian Paint Jobs Pack for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator to raise money for humanitarian aid in the nation.

After months of consideration SCS have announced they are indefinitely shelving the game to avoid the appearance of tolerance or support for Russia’s actions. In their statement they said “We strongly believe that there is hope for the proud people of Ukraine to prevail and for the suffering to end for all. Injustice cannot and must not win,” the studio wrote. “And, when the time comes for Ukraine to rebuild and heal, then we will endeavour to find a way for our Heart of Russia DLC to play whatever part it can in that healing process, for everyone.”

Upcoming Game Releases:

June 2^nd – Diablo Immortal – PC, iOS

June 3^rd – Ten: Ten Rooms, Ten Seconds -PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch

June 6^th – Super Perils of Baking – Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC

June 7^th – SpellForce III Reforced – PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

This week on the Zed Games Podcast Zahra, Hazel, and Maylee talk news, Zahra reviews the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and the team discusses their Favourite Easter Eggs!

I can’t believe it’s not E3

E3 is almost upon us or it would be if it were happening this year. While the ultimate fate of what was previously the world’s most notable game industry trade event remains uncertain it hasn’t stopped many of the associated presentations of continuing on their own.  Many conferences had already moved to an online focus to reach consumers. Throughout June there are many announced events and more planned. Highlights include Geoff Keighly’s Summer Games Fest which kicks off on June 10, Wholesome Direct on June 12^th and the Xbox & Bethesda games showcase on June 13. Nintendo is expected to have at least one direct during this time and Sony, who has sat out E3 for the last 3 years has remained silent.

You can check out the full schedule in a handy calendar format here.

Raven Software QA Department Unionizes

Quality Assurance workers at Activision Blizzard owned Raven Software have successfully unionised and formed the Game Workers Alliance, a first for a US based Triple A studio. While the department is small it represents a major win in the fight towards unionisation in the industry.

The National Labor Relations Board also found merit in the complaint that Activision Blizzard had tried to interfere with those in the company looking to unionise and had “threatened employees that they cannot talk about or communicate about wages, hours and working conditions”.

The push to unionise came after the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit against Activison Blizzard last year regarding a “culture of sexual harassment and toxicity”.

Take-Two completes Zynga acquisition

On May 23^rd Take two completed its acquisition of Zynga for 12.7 billion dollars. Take-Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick remarked on the acquisition “We are thrilled to complete our combination with Zynga, which is a pivotal step to increase exponentially our Net Bookings from mobile, the fastest-growing segment in interactive entertainment, while also providing us with substantial cost synergies and revenue opportunities.”

The International 2022 Announced

The World’s largest single e-sports event The International for DOTA 2 has announced it will be held in Singapore this year. Venue details have yet to be announced but this year’s event is scheduled sometime in October.

Release Calendar

May 27 – Sniper Elite 5 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) Golfie (PC)

May 28 – Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC), Kao the Kangaroo (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC), Microsoft Flight Simulator: Top Gun Maverick DLC (Xbox Series X/S, PC), Pac-Man Museum+ (Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)

June 1 – Corpse Factory (PC)

June 2 – Silt (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)

All the hottest events to check out over this year’s E3 period!

This list will be updated whenever possible.
By default all times are in AEST(UTC+10) but if you subscribe to the calendar you can alter it to any timezone you wish.

This week on Zed Games Maylee and Elliott confuse and bewilder with this weeks gaming news, Tobi and Zahra combine forces to review Schrodinger’s Miniature Garden, and Paul casts the runes for a review of Divination.

This week in gaming news…

TikTok Influencer Raises US$8M for Confusing NFT Landlord Scheme
TikTok user Michael Le appears to have raised US$8M in a funding round for a confusing bid to become a video game NFT landlord. The influencer has over 50 million followers on TikTok and is known for making videos of himself dancing, having fun with his younger brother, and making sponsored content for Invisalign. Le has partnered with the co-founder of a company that produces sports earbuds to launch a startup venture known as Joystick, through which the duo plan to buy up large amounts of in-game NFT assets and rent them out to gamers for temporary use. At the time of writing the company’s website claims ownership of assets in a handful of games whose main selling points are their NFT integration and so called “play-to-earn” models. While media surrounding the company praises the way it empowers gamers to own and earn money from digital assets, the only “service” actually available right now are tokens that can be purchased online via the Ethereum cryptocurrency blockchain, money from the sales of which appears to go directly to the company.

505 Games Showcases Three Upcoming Indie Games
505 Games, publisher of recent titles like Death Stranding, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and Assetto Corsa have revealed three upcoming indie titles at their first digital showcase. Among the Trolls is a survival simulator set in a troll-filled Finnish forest, Stray Blade is a 3rd person fantasy combat game with clear inspiration from the gameplay of the Dark Souls series, and Miasma Chronicles is apparently a tactical adventure set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi wasteland. All three games were shown with new trailers or demos and none are set to be available this year.

New itch.io Tabletop RPG Bundle Supports Reproductive Rights
Dungeons & Dragons podcast Roll for Romance has launched a US$5 tabletop RPG bundle on itch.io in support of US reproductive rights organisations Planned Parenthood and the National Network of Abortion Funds. The bundle currently includes over 200 tabletop RPG titles normally valued at almost US$1400 individually and comes as a response to a leaked US Supreme Court opinion indicating that key protections for access to abortion were at risk of being overturned. Many of the titles included in the bundle are played similarly to popular RPG Dungeons & Dragons and have such wonderful titles as Beam Saber, Glitter Hearts, Village Witch, Offworlders, and In the Shadow of Tower Silveraxe.

Now for some upcoming releases…

May 19 brings…

• Deadcraft [PC, Playstation, Xbox, Switch]
• Eternal Threads [PC, PS4, Xbox]
• Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong [PC, Playstation, Xbox, Switch]

May 20 brings…

• Beekeeping simulator APICO [PC]
• Cotton Fantasy [PS4, Switch]
• Dolmen [PC, Playstation, Xbox]
• The Endless Summer – Search for Surf [PC, Xbox]

May 24 brings…

• Soda Crisis [PC]

May 25 brings…

• Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds [PC]