Gaming

Gaming is a colloquial term that generally refers to the act of playing video games, or sometimes tabletop games. Those who enjoy gaming are often referred to as “gamers,” though many people who enjoy video games actively choose not to identify as such. Surveys indicate that around 65 percent of adults in the U.S. play video games in some form, which can mean on a dedicated console, on a personal computer, or on a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet. Gaming as we know it today has evolved greatly over time. Going back to the 1970s, it was largely done in arcades, but consoles like the Atari 2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System popularized home gaming throughout the 1980s, and it has remained popular to this day. PC gaming goes back to home computers in the 1980s such as the Commodore 64, but the advent of Windows in the 1990s and digital marketplaces like Steam in the early 2000s brought PC gaming to where it is now. Handheld gaming devices like the Game Boy made gaming portable in the early 1990s, but those have given way to smartphones, with the iOS and Android app stores full of incredibly popular and lucrative games. Some of the biggest companies in the gaming industry today include Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Valve, Activision, and many more.

More Gaming - Page 113


Valve's big swing with Steam Deck is a hit, but it's not a home run
Valve's Steam Deck, a portable handheld gaming machine. It's turned on and the screen is displaying a portion of someone's game library.


'Elden Ring' is out, and so is this company for the day
Two characters from "Elden Ring" ride toward each other on a plain.

Why are so many people saying 'Wordle' is harder now?
Wordle on a phone in front of the logo for the New York Times


Sony's PlayStation VR2 headset sure looks like a VR headset
An angled front-facing photo of the PlayStation VR2 headset and its PS VR2 Sense controllers.



'Horizon Forbidden West' tips: How to use motion controls and why you should
A screenshot from "Horizon Forbidden West". Aloy hides in tall, red-tipped grass as a large, woolly mammoth-looking "Tremortusk" walks by. It's nighttime and the sky is lit up by a bright full moon and a sweeping starscape.

'Horizon Forbidden West' review: I just want to be a tourist in this visually arresting world
A screenshot from "Horizon Forbidden West." Aloy glides far above the ground as she holds a high-tech glider above her head. In the distance, the sun shines in a cloudy sky and a city skyline is visible on the horizon.

Embrace chaos with 'Quordle', the four-at-once 'Wordle'
A partially completed

The iFixIt Steam Deck teardown reveals a simple solution to stick drift
Steam Deck device

'Cyberpunk 2077' just got a huge next-gen patch — grab a copy for 50% off
'Cyberpunk 2077' gameplay screenshot



21 of the best video games for couples
A girl and boy play video games together in a dark room

'Horizon Forbidden West' reviews are in. Here's what critics said.
Aloy shoots a bow and arrow in the game "Horizon Forbidden West."

The Super Bowl of medieval football: A brief history
A man crowd-surfs upside down while trying to catch a painted football.


A 'Wii Sports' Switch comeback and a parade of remakes set off a wild Nintendo Direct
A screenshot of the tennis game in 'Switch Sports'. A separate window in the bottom right corner of the frame shows a person playing the game.

Play on PC with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — it's $5 off
Person playing Xbox games on a gaming laptop


You can now play 'Wordle' on an original Game Boy, because why not?
The game Wordle appearing on a Game Boy screen


Peloton would be so much better if it let you stream stuff like Netflix and Stadia
A close-up of a Peloton stationary bike's pedals. The bike is in use in this shot and the pedals are blurred by the motion.
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