All posts by Marco Santana

I was a tech journalist for more than 10 years. Now, I'm writing about the things I have built a passion for in that time.

NBA 2K League draft: Magic Gaming has ‘unfinished business’ as 2020 season approaches

Magic Gaming feels it has unfinished business, a year after finishing one slot out of the postseason.

On Saturday, the squad starts its journey toward the playoffs at the NBA 2K League’s draft in New York City.

Head coach Jonah Edwards said the third year for the league will be crucial.

“It’s vitally important,” he told The OVG. “We are a growing league. We have done a good job of finding ways to evolve, even expanding internationally this year.”

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Mayhem creep up 2 spots in ESPN’s 1st Overwatch League rankings since 2020 debut

The Florida Mayhem (1-1) couldn’t break the top half of the 20-team league in the first rankings released after the squad split a pair of matches in Philadelphia this weekend.

But their performance against the Philadelphia Fusion (2-0) and Houston Outlaws (0-2) did push them up two spots from No. 15 to No. 13 in ESPN’s coaches poll this week.

Continue reading Mayhem creep up 2 spots in ESPN’s 1st Overwatch League rankings since 2020 debut

Florida Mayhem fans “light it Up” for new squad in season opener

A complete overhaul of Florida Mayhem’s roster in the Overwatch League paid off, at least on opening night.

The last-place team from last year on Saturday busted out of the gates strong, comfortably sweeping the Houston Outlaws in their season-opening match.

However, the excitement was quickly doused on the second day, when the Mayhem were swept by Philadelphia Fusion.

Continue reading Florida Mayhem fans “light it Up” for new squad in season opener

Tampa Bay Lightning brings NHL 20 tourney to Full Sail

WINTER PARK – An 18-year-old Montreal Canadiens fan took home the top prize in an NHL 20 esports tournament hosted by the Tampa Bay Lightning at Full Sail University on Saturday.

Samuel Landry, playing under the handle Canadiens27, swept a best-of-three series from one of the best players in the world to nab the $2,500 top prize.

He defeated Erik Tammenpää of Finland, the top-ranked-player in the world last summer, 6-3 and and 7-3 in consecutive games.

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‘Age of Empires, ‘Tomb Raider’ vet helps game firms be careful of cultural insensitivity

Kate Edwards has made a name for herself advising some of the biggest video game titles to make sure they are culturally sensitive.

It’s a challenge that video games face more frequently as storylines become more realistic and set in actual societies – or even made-up ones.

“Not everyone will interpret a historical event in a game the same way, especially when dealing with historical events,” said Edwards, who has consulted on games like “Star Wars: The Old Republic,” “Dragon Age” and “Mass Effect” to make sure the storylines were sensitive. “There are different sensitivities in different markets. I help them walk through some decisions.”

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Video game speed-run experts raise $250K for charity in 2 days, aim for much more in Orlando

P.J. DiCesare has some tricks up his sleeve that he shows off when he speed runs Mega Man 7.

For instance, using a variety of weapons on Spring Man – rather than the villain’s greatest weakness, the Slash Claw, exclusively – can save up to 4 seconds on your time.

It’s one of the ways the Rochester, N.Y., native finished the entire game in 41 minutes, 30 seconds, on Dec. 18, marking the second-fastest time ever recorded on the game. He also set the record for quickest to finish the game with 100 percent completion on Dec. 15.

“Every time you leave an area, you start to think, ‘Where can I have sped it up,’” DiCesare, 30, said after he finished the game in less than 50 minutes during the charity fundraiser Games Done Quick, which this year for the first time was held in Orlando. “I just like the mental simulation.”

Continue reading Video game speed-run experts raise $250K for charity in 2 days, aim for much more in Orlando

Speed runners, indie games and Otronicon: the January events to put on your calendar.

A month full of video game events will start early as speed runs, student workshops and gaming tournaments come to Central Florida. It starts tonight when independent video game community Indienomicon kicks off its 2020 schedule with a monthly meetup.

The schedule will then keep video game fans busy this month. Here’s a rundown of 3 big events coming this month, followed by a list of other events to keep on your radar.  

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RIT wins Hearthstone college title at Full Sail

A team from Rochester Institute of Technology in New York took home the fall title in the collegiate championships of Hearthstone, a tournament held at Full Sail University earlier this month.

The online digital collectible card game from Blizzard Entertainment has grown in popularity and drew the top four teams to Winter Park.

In Hearthstone, players build a deck of digital cards that are based in the popular World of Warcraft universe.

Players and teams use cards from their constructed decks to battle those of their opponents, with specific traits of the characters in the card determining who comes out on top.

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Full Sail to host Hearthstone college title meet

The college championship of Blizzard’s esports competition of Hearthstone is coming to The Fortress.

Full Sail University and Blizzard officials announced Friday that the school’s dedicated competitive gaming venue would host the event in Saturday, Dec. 14.

The finals will be played on the newly released Descent of Dragons expansion, which launches Tuesday.

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