If you feel out of the loop about all things gaming, you've come to the right place.
Set aside a few minutes and catch-up on some of the biggest news to hit the gaming community throughout May.
The Mana Bar Brisbane Closes
As of the 24 May, the world's first cocktail bar created by gamers for gamers, The Mana Bar Brisbane, has closed its doors. Following the closure of The Mana Bar Melbourne in August 2014, this was a particularly painful blow to gamers in Australia as we lost another reason to turn off their PCs and consoles and leave the house. The Mana Bar cofounder, Guy Blomberg, said the bar became a great community space that he hoped would leave lasting memories for those who visited and enjoyed it.Twitch Bans Adult-Only Games
Twitch has moved away from their case-by-case handling of games with mature content and has banned the streaming of all A-O rated games. However, these bans will be based on the USA A-O rating, which means that games like GTAV are still safe to stream.GST Coming To Steam
It's been confirmed, we will have to pay GST on top of all Steam purchases. Though this not be implemented until 1 July 2017, all digitally purchased goods will have GST applied to them. Will it deter you from buying digital versions of your favourite game?Nintendo's E3 Plans
Nintendo has announced their plans for this year's E3 along with the resurrection of the Nintendo World Championships. This once popular and awaited event has been generating buzz ever since word of its return came out, but it might not be the shining diamond we all had hoped. Limited to the United States only, with just eight qualifying events before the big finale, the event will see competitors compete for the highest championship mode score in the Ultimate NES remix on the Nintendo 3DS.Oculus Rift Release Date
You can get your hands on the retail version of the virtual reality headset that is on every gamer's wish list (almost). Despite what has felt like an excessively long wait, Oculus has taken their time to work-out several bugs in their hardware while improving the overall build of the Rift. Keep your ears open during the first part of 2016 for your opportunity to have your very own Rift shipped straight to your door.FIFA 2016 Includes Women's Teams
EA Sports has announced a groundbreaking addition to their next edition of the much-loved game. Playable international women soccer stars will be available with FIFA 2016. Players can choose between Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Sweden and USA. Will this make you finally pick up a copy of FIFA? Or is it just a novelty for those who already play?Blizzard's Heroes Of The Storm International Tournament
That's right – the game that still isn't quite out of beta already has its own tournament in the works (but, let's be honest, we're not surprised). Aptly named The Road To BlizzCon, and with over $1.2 million in cash up for grabs, there's no doubt this is going to be a heated contest.World Of Warcraft Account Bans
While we're on the topic of Blizzard, let's talk about the 100,000 World Of Warcraft accounts that have been banned for six months. Blizzard has cracked down on 'cheaters' in the World Of Warcraft universe, temporarily banning any user who has been using bots for any part of their in-game experience. Though this may seem harsh, the temporary bans do show a relaxed attitude from Blizzard's permanent banning of the past.H1Z1 Bans
Blizzard isn't the only developer that has been trying to rid their game of cheaters. The creators of open-world zombie survival game H1Z1 have jumped on the ‘ban-wagon’ by permanently banning almost 25,000 players for cheating. However, with some of the banned players begging to be let back in, stating they only cheated because everyone was doing it, Daybreak president John Smedley stated banned cheaters might have a possible line of redemption. If you have been banned from H1Z1 and can't fathom life without running around in a zombie wasteland, a simple apology on YouTube (without any personal details) tweeted at the devs could win you a pass back into the game.Guild Wars 2 Ban
This month's best/ worst ban award goes to Guild Wars 2. After weeks of terrorising other players while using various cheats, a Guild Wars 2 player has had their character stripped and thrown off a ledge by devs, ArenaNet. Though this may feel like retribution for the plethora of players this cheater has been harassing, could it be a little too far? Public humiliation may make a giant statement, but many gamers are questioning its necessity.{youtube}bqfUi9DzBuo{/youtube}
Now that you're caught up on all the gaming news from, tell us what you think about the spate of gaming bans in the comments below. Did Guild Wars go too far? Do cheaters owe devs and other players an apology? Let us know what you would have done!
