Anime and Events

Convention season is officially cancelled. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will take place in 2021. Spring and early Summer cons are cancelling to comply with the large gathering regulations. Crunchyroll Dubbing is experiencing delays, and new Spring titles are noticeably less. Though slowed, anime production is likely to continue, as most of the production aspects can be done digitally.

Comics

The Comics Industry has officially crashed. How? Diamond Comic Distributors is the exclusive direct market distributor for DC, Marvel, and many more. Earlier this month, Diamond announced they are forced to close due to COVID-19. This has put the print comics industry in a choke hold. For the indie side, it’s “pencils down” as production screeches to a halt. For DC and Marvel however, it’s “business as usual”. The big two are expected to release comics digitally as well as utilize smaller distribution companies.

Sales will undoubtedly decrease as most print comics do not sell well online. This is due to indie web comics following a tipping model rather than a purchase model. Sites like Webtoon and Tapas allow creators to earn revenue via ads and reader tipping. And while Comixology is the digital go-to for mainstream style comics, the print format is not web friendly.

Console Wars

Playstation and Microsoft have stated there is no production delay for their new consoles Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X respectively. This news comes as a pleasant surprise as a lot of industries are experiencing delays. Current specs for both are available on this IGN chart. With most of the specs being identical, price will remain priority. We at GeekCaster speculate Playstation will remain on top due to its international consumer base.

Meanwhile, Nintendo is right on time. In addition to the Animal Crossing release, the company had a surprise mini-direct. The direct hints at a new Smash DLC character. The character will be from Nintendo’s newest fighting game; ARMS. Characters Min Min and Twintelle are fan favorites and most speculated to join. The mystery character will release in June.

TV & Film

The Entertainment Industry is floundering. Production grinding to a halt. Release dates pushed back. Films direct-to-streaming. Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are reducing video quality to conserve bandwidth as the world’s internet usage increases. Netflix is currently the least impacted, with most of it’s original titles wrapping up production just before the virus escalation. The second season of Altered Carbon aired in February. Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy is currently in post-production. The release of Disney+ in France and India is delayed, while the streaming service cuts bandwidth use by 25% in active countries.

Most noted film postponements are the Wonder Woman sequel, Wonder Woman 1984 and Black Widow. Both films feature a female lead, and both films follow the recent hype of Birds of Prey. Comic projects have finally started to focus on women in comics. Because of the virus, we have to wait a little longer.

Video Games

Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing recently shared a release date (March 20). Game Stop received a large amount of backlash after refusing to close for the releases. The video game retailer attempted to claim “essential business” status, citing their tech products as vital resources for the newly created home workforce. This did not go over well with many state and local governments, Pennsylvania even suspending the company’s business license for the state. Game Stop is set to close 300+ locations in 2020.

Blizzard servers are experiencing an increase in issues due to the surge in online play. Overatch and COD: Modern Warfare have seen an increase in wait time for online matches.

Stay tuned for updates and in-depth analysis on the topics above!

The post Corona Catch Up appeared first on .

2020 is the year of the girl gamer.

In 2019, black women gamers received a big win. We are a main playable character in the upcoming video game Deathloop. League of Legends has added it’s first black girl playable character in its 11 year history. Overwatch will be debuting their first black woman character with the release of Overwatch 2. The representation is happening!

The plan for 2020 is to keep this momentum going.

Starting with the first major Girls Only LAN party in NYC. League of Ladies is a Local Area Network (LAN) party designed to be a safe space for women gamers. Women will be able to learn and improve in various games in a safe, positive environment. League of Ladies welcomes all women regardless of age or skill level. This is your time to “git gud”.

The event will have tournaments for various fighting games (Smash, Tekken, Street Fighter, etc), and will also be live streamed on the event coordinator’s Twitch channel. Event hosts will include Player 3 of LAN Party Podcast and Frankey Smith aka Fantastic Frankey.

The Geek Caster women will be checking out this event when it happens in March, and we will definitely be talking about it in studio before and after. My personal hope, is to see more women of color in the competitive scene and in eSports in general. Developers gave us a little bit of what we wanted, but creating a larger presence in competitive gaming will definitely show how serious a demographic we are.

Anyone who would like to support can do so via the League of Ladies Kickstarter or by tuning into the League of Ladies Twitch stream in March! Tell your friends, and remember: Heroes never die.

Update: League of Ladies has been postponed until Fall 2020.

The post Attn: Girl Gamers! appeared first on .

Where are you going?

If you’re going to a party, Reinhardt from Overwatch may not be the best move. Casual or closet cosplays are best for passing out candy or movie night with friends. Taking your kids/siblings trick-or-treating? Cosplay with them! Workplaces may have policies for dressing up on Halloween, so be sure to take that into account as well. Either way it goes, plan for whatever you are doing or may get roped into doing. Bonus: Halloween events at churches usually have enough room for more complex cosplays.

What costumes do you already have?

Before you go and buy another cosplay just because it’s Halloween, consider what’s already in your closet. You might even have something you forgot about. Starting in your closet is a good way to save money (that you’ll no doubt spend on post-Halloween candy). If you decide against every costume you already have, try cosplays that you can borrow other items from. e.g., Bulma’s Bunny Suit can be used in a Black Canary cosplay or as part of a Zatanna cosplay.

How much time do you have and how time much will you need?

Ok, so technically this is two questions, but here’s why they’re rolled into one — time management is a beast. You’ll need to consider how much time you need to construct your costume, as well as how long it will take you to put your costume on. If you have the punk, leather jacket for Superboy, can you get his suit in time? You may want to do a full body Mystique cosplay, but your work schedule may insist on the JLaw version. Hair and makeup are totally part of prep and are often forgotten until the day of. Don’t forget to account for your day job!

Who are your friends/coworkers cosplaying as?

We all know cosplay is better with friends! If your holiday plans include a party with friends, coordinate your outfits. Ghibli and friends make some of the cutest, work appropriate cosplays. Knowing your friends’ costumes can help avoid multiple of the same characters (unless you’re hopping into the Spider-verse). Don’t be afraid to ask around to see what others are doing. There’s comfort in knowing you won’t be the only one to dress up!

Are you comfortable?

Speaking of comfort, are you comfortable? Comfort is key when cosplaying because there are a lot of variables unaccounted for. People may want pictures if you’re in costume in the daytime. It’s ok to tell them no. Maybe you had decided on a leggy or warm weather cosplay and Mother Nature decided to reiterate that it is indeed a windy fall. Be sure to have an extra set of clothes to change into in case of weather change, costume mishap, or if some Halloween creep makes you uncomfortable. Cosplay is meant to be fun, so place your personal comfort above all.

If you’re still unsure about what to cosplay for Halloween, try one of the Pac-Man ghosts. (I’m going as Clyde.)

The post Banshee or Bust: A Quintessential Guide to Halloween Cosplay. appeared first on .