55 h. ago ‘People always say, “I love you, Gramps”’: why these seniors love video games

Adults in their 60s, 70s and 80s represent nearly 28% of roughly 205 million US gamers and are becoming more visible in the mainstreamMichelle Statham’s preferred game is Call of Duty. It’s fast and frenetic, involving military and espionage campaigns inspired by real history. She typically spends six hours a day livestreaming to Twitch, chatting to her more than 110,000 followers from her home in Washington state. She boasts about how she’ll beat opponents, and says “bless your heart” while hurtling over rooftops to avoid clusterstrikes of enemy fire. When she’s hit, she “respawns” – or comes back to life at a checkpoint – and jumps right back into the fray.The military shooter game has a predominantly young male user base, but Statham’s Twitch handle is TacticalGramma – a nod to the 60-year-old’s two grandkids. Her lifelong gaming hobby has become an income stream (she prefers to keep her earnings private, but says she has raised “thousands” for charity), as well as a way to have ...

Politics

55 h. ago Gaming in their golden years: why millions of seniors are playing video games

Adults over the age of 50 represent nearly a third of US gamers and are becoming more visible in the mainstreamMichelle Statham’s preferred game is Call of Duty. It’s fast and frenetic, involving military and espionage campaigns inspired by real history. She typically spends six hours a day livestreaming to Twitch, chatting to her more than 110,000 followers from her home in Washington state. She boasts about how she’ll beat opponents, and says “bless your heart” while hurtling over rooftops to avoid clusterstrikes of enemy fire. When she’s hit, she “respawns” – or comes back to life at a checkpoint – and jumps right back into the fray.The military shooter game has a predominantly young male user base, but Statham’s Twitch handle is TacticalGramma – a nod to the 60-year-old’s two grandkids. Her lifelong gaming hobby has become an income stream (she prefers to keep her earnings private, but says she has raised “thousands” for charity), as well as a way to have fun, stay sharp and con...

Politics

60 h. ago Lions reject ‘Geography Six’ comparisons after more squad additions before Wallabies Test

Scotland’s Sutherland, Ashman and Graham called upLions squad on tour of Australia now features 44 playersThe British & Irish Lions have defended the decision to fly three extra Scottish players to Australia and insist it is not a rerun of the “Geography Six” saga that generated controversy in New Zealand in 2017.Rory Sutherland, Darcy Graham and Ewan Ashman have been called up to provide cover for the Lions’ final midweek game next Tuesday in between the first and second Tests. The trio’s arrival will inflate the number of Lions on tour to a whopping 44 with Owen Farrell, Ben White, Jamie Osborne and, most recently, Jamie George and Thomas Clarkson having already been added to the party. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago King Charles schedules Trump state visit for when UK parliament is in recess

Buckingham Palace to host US president during party conferences removing chance of Commons addressKing Charles has invited Donald Trump for an unprecedented second state visit in September, scheduling the trip for three days when parliament is not sitting and removing the possibility of the US president addressing parliament.Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that Trump would come to the UK from 17-19 September, soon after the House of Commons rises for its traditional break for the annual party conferences. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Cosy video games are on an unstoppable rise. Will they unleash a darker side?

Non-violent games about cooking, farming or tidying now rival the more traditional video game pursuits of shooting and fighting in popularity. So what will the #cozy genre tackle next?In 2017, a game design thinktank called Project Horseshoe gathered a group of developers together to define the concept of cosiness in video games. Games, of course, have had non-violent elements since the medium was invented. Early life simulators such as 1985’s Little Computer People, a low-stakes game in which the player interacts with a man living his unremarkable life in a house, could fit the bill; then there was the proliferation of social farming simulations after 1996’s chibi-adorable Harvest Moon.But the resulting report, Coziness in Games: An Exploration of Safety, Softness, and Satisfied Needs, is probably the first organised effort to define a then-emerging genre. The group zeroed in on three core things: safety, abundance, and softness. Cosy games (cozy in US spelling) don’t have high-ris...

Politics

8 d. ago Wimbledon star Ben Shelton's feisty footballer girlfriend who blasted BBC over famous dad

Ben Shelton's girlfriend hit out at the BBC for their commentary during her boyfriend's Wimbledon game after they called her the wrong name and mentioned her estranged father

Politics

8 d. ago Women’s Euro 2025: Spain lay down marker, Germany v Denmark and Poland v Sweden – live

All the latest news and reaction from SwitzerlandPlayer guide | David Squires’ wallchart | Mail SarahAre England missing Millie Bright at this tournament? (Along with a few others, probably: yes)It’s hard to read much into the group standings with lots of countries still having played just a single game, but Norway and Spain are the only sides who have won two from two. Germany, Sweden, France and the Netherlands can match them, though that Dutch game against England on Wednesday is really tough to call. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Life Cycle of a Moth by Rowe Irvin review – captivating story of maternal love and male violence

A daughter is brought up isolated from the world in this tender debut novel from an exciting talentIn the woodland, beyond the fence, inside the old forester’s hut, Maya and Daughter live in a world of rituals. The fence is secured with “Keep-Safes” – fingernails, Daughter’s first teeth, the umbilical cord that once joined them – to protect them from intruders. While their days are filled with chores, setting traps for rabbits and gathering firewood, every night they play a game they call “This-and-That”, in which they take it in turns to choose an activity – hair-brushing, dancing, copying – before saying their “sorrys and thank yous” in the bed they share.From the beginning of British author Rowe Irvin’s captivating debut novel, it is clear that Maya has created this life for herself and her daughter – who calls her mother “Myma” – as a refuge from the brutality of the world beyond the fence’s perimeter. Irvin’s tale switches between two narrative strands: present-day chapters nar...

Events

1 week ago Wimbledon in chaos after AI line judge bungles call against Sonay Kartal's opponent

There was drama during the first set of Sonay Kartal's round of 16 clash with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at Wimbledon on Sunday as the electronic line calling system failed.

Events

1 week ago The Gatsby of Sleaze: Diddy loved the fawning comparisons to F. Scott Fitzgerald's party

TOM LEONARD: A jury in Manhattan sensationally found him not guilty of sex trafficking his ex-girlfriends through a decades-long criminal enterprise and also cleared him of two other charges.

Politics

2 w. ago World's richest tennis star calls for major rule change after shock Wimbledon exit

Jessica Pegula was the biggest shock exit at Wimbledon on Tuesday as she was beaten in straight sets by Elisabetta Cocciaretto - but she has since called for a rule change in the men's game

Events

2 w. ago 1xBet to host private The Icons party in London during iGB L!VE week

1xBet to host private The Icons party in London during iGB L!VE week  Yogonet

Politics

3 w. ago Party host uses breathalyzer as a ‘fun game’ before calling the cops on guest who was over driving limit

The story was shared in the popular advice column, Miss Manners

Politics

3 w. ago Party host uses breathalyzer as a ‘fun game’ before calling the cops on guest for driving over the limit

The story was shared in the popular advice column, Miss Manners

Politics

3 w. ago Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez suffer another wedding setback at 15th century church that will host party for their $20m Venice wedding

The historic venue that multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos has chosen for part of his $20 million Venice wedding with Lauren Sanchez is covered in scaffolding , MailOnline can reveal.

Society

3 w. ago Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez suffer another wedding setback at 15th century church that will host party for their $20m Venice wedding 

The historic venue that multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos has chosen for part of his $20 million Venice wedding with Lauren Sanchez is covered in scaffolding , MailOnline can reveal.

Society

3 w. ago Outrage over 'distasteful' Titanic game that simulates the historic tragedy with 'haunting accuracy'

An upcoming video game based on the Titanic tragedy has been called 'distasteful' by gamers. 

Politics

3 w. ago Bereaved Scot who lost partner to drunk driver backs calls for lower blood alcohol limit

Charles Pease, whose partner Theresa was killed in a horror crash in Mull in 2015, said the move could save lives.

Events

3 w. ago Holly Willoughby shows off new look as she gives rare insight into family life

Holly Willoughby has taken to social media to show off her new look which she called a "game changer", as she shared a rare insight into her family live as a mum of three

Politics

3 w. ago ‘We’re all connected – but it’s not the connection I imagined’: Hideo Kojima on Death Stranding 2

The legendary video game designer discusses directing actors in Mexico from Japan, how Mad Max inspired his career and the unique reason why he wants to go to spaceHideo Kojima – the acclaimed video game director who helmed the stealth-action Metal Gear series for decades before founding his own company to make Death Stranding, a supernatural post-apocalyptic delivery game this publication described as “2019’s most interesting blockbuster” – is still starstruck, or perhaps awestruck. “George [Miller] is my sensei, my God,” he proclaims gleefully.Kojima is visiting Australia for a sold-out chat with Miller, the creator of the Mad Max film franchise, at the Sydney film festival. The two struck up an unlikely but fierce friendship nearly a decade ago, and Kojima says that, as a teenager, the first two Mad Max films inspired him to become a movie director and thus, eventually, a video game maker. At the panel later, Miller is equally effusive, calling Kojima “almost my brother”; the Aus...

Events