From ancient Buddhism, to iconic manga hair, to Keanu Reeves: a PC Gamer Causality Chain™

Causality Chain is a series at PC Gamer exploring the unlikely links between history, culture, and videogames. And ocassionally hedgehogs.

BioWare veteran says Baldur's Gate 3 was such a great sequel because it didn't try to be too much like Baldur's Gate 2

Mark Darrah was a programmer on the original Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2, along with Neverwinter Nights and Jade Empire, and served as executive producer of the Dragon Age series from Origins through Inquisition before leaving in 2020—and coming back in 2023 to kick in on The Veilguard. He knows a thing or two about BioWare RPGs, in other words, and speaking to FRVR he said he also knows why Baldur's Gate 3 was such a great sequel—so great that it has overshadowed the games that came before it, made mounts of money, and is still among the most popular games on Steam three years after release.

Even with an $80 price tag, 'Grand Theft Auto 6 will be an incredible bargain,' Take-Two boss says

After letting the speculation machine run wild for months, Take-Two announced in June that Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch with an $80 price tag for the basic, missing-some-stuff edition. That's a lot of money, especially when you consider that most people will feel compelled to lay out the extra $20 for the Ultimate Edition, which promises "an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story." But Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick reckons it's actually a heck of a deal for what you're getting.

Trump Begs Supreme Court to Rescue His Precious Ballroom

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The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that construction must stop on the president's vanity project

There’s a concept in sports called “working the refs.” Basically, it means whining, moaning, and complaining so that you get better calls. Maybe some wheedling, maybe even some good old-fashioned palling around. The only times it’s really, truly effective, however, are when the refs are already on your side, for reasons fair or foul. 

What To Watch This Weekend: New Shows And Movies To Stream On Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV And More

What to watch this weekend.

Credit: Hulu / HBO / Apple

Twisted serial killers out for revenge. Rivals for the throne finally clashing arms in an epic battle for the future of the kingdom. England’s favorite American football coach, taking a new team under his wing. These and many other TV shows and movies await your viewing pleasure this weekend, and this list has them all.

2 ‘Absent-Minded’ Habits Of Highly Intelligent People, By A Psychologist

Losing track of small things is sometimes the price of paying close attention to something bigger.

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Absent-mindedness has a bad reputation. It gets filed alongside carelessness, disorganization and not really trying, and the people who display it often apologize for it as though they’d been caught slacking. The assumption underneath is that a sharp mind should be sharp in every direction at once — alert to the conversation, the calendar, and the name of the person approaching.

Olivia Rodrigo Debuts ‘Pretty Sad’ Songs at Sweltering Brooklyn Surprise Show: Concert Review

The announcement dropped on a pulverizingly humid Thursday afternoon in New York City: just a few hours later, an Olivia Rodrigo surprise gig would take place at Brooklyn’s intimate, 1,100-capacity venue Warsaw. The expected mad dash for tickets — only available at the venue’s box office — ensued, with fans lining up in heat that was technically 91 degrees but with a “real feel” of 105. But of course, the venue was packed long before the 8 p.m. showtime, even though it was just as hot inside.  

These Recently Retired LEGO Sets Are Still Available at Amazon, But Not for Long

The best time to buy a LEGO set is usually right before it retires. It's around this time that retailers start offering discounts to unload older stock and make room for newer builds. But if you miss that window, the next best time to buy a set is right after it retires. You're unlikely to find any sort of discount, but you can often still find popular sets at MSRP outside of the LEGO Store.

A Man Is Trapped Inside a Netflix Billboard Above Sunset Boulevard

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Call it Netflix and still.

A man is seemingly trapped inside a Netflix billboard above Sunset Boulevard.

The potential traffic-stopping (or perhaps even accident-causing) sight is a marketing stunt for the streamer’s new thriller The Last House.

10 Screenshot Hacks Every Mac User Should Know

While third-party screenshot apps are excellent on the Mac, Apple has steadily improved its default tools. Today, the Mac's built-in screenshot utility is good enough for most people. You can, of course, use it to take screenshots, but you can do so much more, such as record a video of your screen, or even create professional screencasts. If you find yourself taking screenshots on your Mac, these are the 10 best hacks you need to know.