By Sarah Belger With general elections now seeming to take place every two years, you might expect politicians to be running out of things to say and places to say them (where people are still listening). Faced with an electorate with neither the time for (nor the faith in) manifestos, the social media presence of all the main parties is more central than ever. Judging … Continue reading GE 2019: The Online Battleground
By Mike O’Brien The inexorable tide of automation is upon us, and as economists and futurologists forecast the obsolescence of human roles in the service and retail sectors, one can’t help but ask: where will it end? Is anyone among us truly safe from machine replacement? Oxford University reckons that mental healthcare professionals, detectives, and teachers can sit tight. Uniting these roles is the irreplaceable … Continue reading The Automation of… Comedy?
By Polly Denny Tinder has been sparking matches since 2012, and while many of us log into the app almost daily as a part of our social media round up, how many of us really know how it works? The past decade has seen a complete turnaround in attitudes towards online dating. Before, the sorts of eHarmony and OKCupid might have been seen as something … Continue reading ItÔÇÖs a Catch: TinderÔÇÖs predatory algorithms and the lonely hearts in the crossfire
Introduction by Mike O’Brien I’m a huge fan of Black Mirror, but it’s dripping with cynical dread about how unequipped we are to evolve at technologyÔÇÖs pace. Worse yet are the smug blogs that insist on chucking your phone in the bin, because friendship, mindfulness, parents in the landed gentry, and a two-year island sabbatical are the only basics you need in life. To that, we … Continue reading Digital Wellbeing, or: why your phone isn’t the problem
By┬áMike O’Brien Lethal League Blaze is a 2D fighting game that isnÔÇÖt about hitting each other. Instead, combatants face off in a rectangular arena where the objective is to smash a ball into each other as it ricochets off the walls at terminal velocity. Its gameplay is the offspring of a manic romp between Rocket League and Smash Bros, and if youÔÇÖre not already sold, … Continue reading Lethal League: The fighting game where you donÔÇÖt hit your opponent
By Mike O’Brien |┬áÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔ£░Ô£░ Disclaimer: 2K provided Quench with a PC copy of Borderlands 3 for review purposes. Borderlands 3 is a sci-fi looter-shooter. If youÔÇÖre not one for gaming jargon, itÔÇÖs a first-person shooter all about leveling up, travelling the galaxy, and acquiring new equipment, usually in the form of a new firearm. Developer Gearbox Software aggressively touted the promise of ÔÇÿa billion gunsÔÇÖ … Continue reading REVIEW: Borderlands 3
With so many games coming out this year, it can be difficult to keep an eye on the horizon. With┬áZelda: Link’s Awakening┬áand┬áBorderlands 3┬ákicking off this┬áthrilling quarter of games, Download is here to offer a few other picks to watch out for. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (25/10/19) By Josh Ong Having heard the desperate pleas of fans thirsty for a new addition to the Modern … Continue reading Download’s Games to Watch 2019
By Danny Brown The term ÔÇÿplanned obsolescenceÔÇÖ has been thrown around a lot these last couple years, as fears emerged that tech companies were sentencing your phone to certain death whilst rubbing their hands with glee. But is the dilapidation of your mobile malevolently planned by evil CEO overlords, or is it just half-life? Most of us first heard the term when French prosecutors investigated … Continue reading Planned Obsolescence: Do Tech Companies Decide When Your Devices Live or Die?
By Josh Ong It finally happened; Papi Kaplan delivered the goods. The long awaited and worst kept secret in gaming has finally hit the public test region. After years of competitive turmoil and volatile binary meta-switching between Dive & GOATS compositions, Blizzard has finally taken a stand on implementing changes that fall in line with their vision of the future of Overwatch’s competitive play. The … Continue reading Role Queue is here, and Overwatch is better for it
Written by Eduardo Karas and Sai
Throughout history, there have been many inventions that have changed the course of history and the lives of people. These creations are, most likely, a normal part of our lives today, but when they first appeared they were truly extraordinary. This list is by no means complete, it will just try to show how 5 things we take for granted today came to be and what were the immediate effects it had on people. So, letÔÇÖs start? Continue reading “5 Inventions that Changed Our Lives”
By Mike O’Brien |┬áÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔ£░Ô£░ Super Mario Maker 2 is a meta delight thatÔÇÖs all about creating, sharing, and playing Mario levels for all to enjoy. ItÔÇÖs a brilliant experience that turns game development into a game itself, allowing players to tinker with elements, styles, and themes from just about every mainline 2D Mario game since the NESÔÇÖ original Super Mario Bros. Chock-full of charm, splendour, … Continue reading Super Mario Maker 2 Review: A foolproof formula by fools
By Mike O’Brien Hey all, my name is Mike OÔÇÖBrien. You might recognise me as last yearÔÇÖs editor of Quench Technology. You might also recognise me as CSM 2018/19ÔÇÖs Best Critic, or, as your friends might have said, ÔÇÿthat guy in the office is wearing a coat and a turtleneck and itÔÇÖs kinda freaking me out. ItÔÇÖs eighteen degrees outside. The boy ain’t right.ÔÇÖ (He … Continue reading A message from the editor: Technology is dead, long live Download
By Alex Daud Briggs This yearÔÇÖs E3 was underwhelming. With the next generation of consoles fast approaching, itÔÇÖs clear that many developers are saving their bigger projects for next year. This is particularly apparent from Sony who didnÔÇÖt even bother showing up this year. Most of the press conferences this year were simply decent, such as Square Enix and Microsoft, with one outright poor conference … Continue reading And this year’s E3 winner is…
By Molly Govus |┬áÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà It’s safe to say we’ve all experienced that social media rush after accepting the offer from your first-choice university. Group chats for your subject, 15 different pages for your accommodation, group chats for your house, your floor your flat. It gets a bit much, doesnÔÇÖt it? This is where UniSalad fills in the gaps. An app perfectly tailored to your university … Continue reading APP REVIEW: UniSalad
By Mike OÔÇÖBrien Tucked away in the High Street Arcade at QueenÔÇÖs St is a new venue: The Arcade Vaults. With Cardiff proving a hotspot for gaming culture, I was curious about what the Vaults could bring to such a crowded space – so I had a chat with its owner, Chris Munasinha, to learn a bit more about this new challenger. Walking into the … Continue reading An Interview with The Arcade VaultsÔÇÖ Chris Munasinha
By Mike OÔÇÖBrien |┬áÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔ£░ Disclaimer: Activision provided Quench with a PS4 copy of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for review purposes. Stick to this game and thereÔÇÖs a condescending line youÔÇÖll hear ad nauseum: ÔÇÿHesitation is defeatÔÇÖ. Grating, but true. Sekiro may be a new souls-borne-kiro-like (what are we calling these now?), but try to play it like Dark Souls and you will fail. In Sekiro, … Continue reading REVIEW: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
In light of International Women’s Day, here’s a word from former Q3 Editor Sarah Thompson about what it’s like to game as a woman in today’s landscape. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ IÔÇÖve been involved in the gaming scene since I was a toddler watching my mum play Tetris whilst desperately trying to figure out why my lines werenÔÇÖt vanishing. I canÔÇÖt imagine my life without video games; what … Continue reading Women in Games: A Personal and Industrial Journey
By Mike OÔÇÖBrien |┬á Super Smash Bros is a beloved series of games about video game mascots, mostly Nintendo characters, duking it out in wacky locales and chucking each other off floating stages. You probably played it round a mateÔÇÖs house, or as a score-settler for high-school trash-talk – but itÔÇÖs actually one of the biggest competitive games around, and its community is the centre … Continue reading In Defence of Melee, or: The EVO-lution of Smash
By Rhianna Hurren-Myers Cardiff Science festival is hitting the city streets next weekend from the 28th February to the 3rd of March in an explosive celebration of all things STEM! Having previously run until 2014, with huge success, the public are invited to explore the hidden gems all over the city and bay, with a huge variety of events to suit all ages and interests. … Continue reading Why you should check out the Cardiff Science Festival
By Mike O’Brien | PlayerUnknownÔÇÖs Battlegrounds (PUBG) took the world by storm in 2017, putting battle royale on the map as the hot new gaming trend. Fortnite took it a step further, conquering the mainstream and inspiring teachers and politicians alike to floss on national television, upsetting everyone in the process. Ask anyone what the hottest new battle royale game is and theyÔÇÖll probably say … Continue reading And ‘Best Battle Royale’ goes to… Tetris?
