games Archives

Let the games begin

🎉 Here’s what you need to keep the good times rolling.

Level up with a gaming controller ($56) that’s fast and smooth.
A Toniebox speaker (30% off) tells kids’ bedtime stories and more.
Help your child learn to swim with a back belt floater (18% off).
Fetch! This oddly shaped dog ball ($8) bounces in some cool ways.
Watch your cat chase this laser cat toy ($25) in random directions.

🧸 Catch ’em all: Toss your kid’s stuffed animals into a hanging net ($29) for later.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

Teens trading hacks for clout: The FBI says criminals are recruiting kids on Discord and video games into “The Com,” an online world where a hack gets you street cred. Thousands are caught up, some just for bragging rights, thinking it’s all fun until someone knocks on the door with a badge and felony charges. Parents, talk to your teens.

100,000+

That’s how many accounts Chess.com bans every month for cheating. Turns out a lot of people need engine assistance to lose with dignity. With 20 million games played daily (13,000 per minute!), the site’s 30-member Fair Play Team is part detective squad, part digital janitor and very busy. No rookies allowed.

📚 Turn “da-da” into data: Get your kiddo ready for the future (and AI) with these 30 free STEM resources. The list includes apps, games and classes to teach youngsters stuff like coding, aeronautics, mathematics and, yes, data science.

You gave a game. They gave a nightmare: Nearly 400 families are suing Roblox, claiming the company ignored predators stalking kids. One mom says her 11-year-old was groomed on Roblox, lured on Discord, then raped by a 20-year-old pretending to be 15. He’s in prison now. If you’ve got kiddos, this is your nudge to check in. Ask your kids who they’re talking to online, not just what games they’re playing.

🏈 Benched: Before you get all excited that Yahoo Sports is launching a free, ad-supported streaming channel about sports, know the fine print. They’re shows about the NFL, NBA, MLB and more. Nope, not the actual games. Let me tell you, there’s such a gap between men’s and women’s sports. The difference is nuts! 🥜

🕶️ Talk to the wrist: Meta’s new smart glasses, called Hypernova, are coming in September for about $800. They’ve got a tiny screen in the lens for things like texts, maps and photos, no phone in hand. You control it with a wristband that reads your gestures like magic. It’s all fun and games until you swipe left on your grandma.

Mario gets friend-zoned: Nintendo just hard-launched emotional damage by announcing Mario and Peach are “just good friends.” This, despite years of flirty kisses, wedding attempts and Nintendo itself calling them a couple in past games. Peach watched him fight Bowser and still said, “Thanks, bestie!” Guess saving someone from 500+ castles only gets you a LinkedIn endorsement now.

🎮 Play more, pay less: The Steam Summer Sale is on now until July 10. Perfect for scoring deep discounts on the games you’ve been eyeing. You’ll need a free Steam account to save. No account? Don’t use Steam? No problem, Amazon’s got plenty of hot gaming bargains happening right now.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

🎮 Set Fortnite parental controls: Worried your kid’s spending too much time (or money) on Fortnite? They are. Log in to their account at the Epic Games portal. Go to Parental Controls and set a PIN. From there, you can limit playtime, control who they chat with and require the PIN before any in-game purchases are made.

$38 billion

That’s how much Saudi Arabia is pouring into gaming. Basically the Thanos of gaming via Savvy Games Group, the kingdom controls 40% of the global esports industry and big chunks of ESL, Scopely, Nintendo, EA and more. When your gaming strategy includes Red Bull partnerships and a sovereign wealth fund, you’re not playing games when it comes to games.

📚 Books to bucks: Got shelves of old novels, DVDs or video games? Free apps like BookBuddy (iOS) and Libib (Android) make it easy to sell them. Scan the barcode, and the app stores it in a catalog. From there, create a listing on eBay, Facebook Marketplace or wherever you flip.

Deal with bullies: Your kid will run into rude or mean people online, especially in games or group chats. Show them how to mute or block the person. On Discord, they just need to right-click the bully’s name or profile and hit Block. Let them know it’s private and their other friends won’t know.

2.4 billion

That’s how many times people visited Zillow in just three months. Why? Because daydreaming is cheaper than buying. Only 4 million homes were actually sold last year, but that didn’t stop everyone and their mom from house-hunting from the couch. Zillow’s not just a listing site; it’s the new social media, where “cozy” means claustrophobic and “as-is” means “run.” When it comes to board games about buying real estate, Hasbro really has the Monopoly.

🎮 Kids and online games: When they play games online, they’re chatting with strangers since no friend request is needed. Anyone in the lobby can talk using a mic. Make sure they know not to share personal info and to never agree to meet up in real life. Too many wackos are behind the screen.

10

That’s how many NFL stars could make up Team USA’s Olympic flag football roster in 2028. The NFL just gave its blessing for players to suit up for the red, white and blue. Get ready for Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Tyreek Hill to turn the Games into a glorified Pro Bowl.

$50 an hour

What Meta’s offering people to record their smiles, small talk and movements. It’s part of Project Warhol, a push to build super-realistic digital avatars. One day, your 3D clone could pop into VR meetings or games. The catch? You’ve got to be 18+ and head to their Pittsburgh lab starting in September.

Paying to unplug: What happened to self-control? Folks are dropping thousands to stay at places like Grand Velas Resorts in Mexico for a digital detox. No phones. No TV. Instead? Board games, snorkeling and outdoor activities. Most guests go crazy in the first 24 hours … but adjust by day three.

$29.99

The monthly price of ESPN’s new all-access streaming app. It comes with access to all ESPN live games, documentaries, fantasy sports and enough studio programming to make you forget you haven’t gone outside since football season started.

May 26, 2026

That’s when the Grand Theft Auto VI launch got pushed to. Gamers weren’t the only ones crushed; Wall Street took shotgun on the joyride. The developer’s stock fell 7% on the news. Now basically a full year away, Rockstar Games swears it’ll be worth the wait. (Cue flashbacks to every other delayed launch ever.)