| October happens to be my favorite month. There are a lot of reasons: It's finally starting to feel like fall, spooky stuff is everywhere, my birthday is this month, and, of course, we're getting a clearer look at the fall games lineup and the holiday shopping season. Major titles from big publishers are on their way soon, new video cards are "here" (with here in quotes because the only way to get one is to pay way too much on eBay), and we're looking at a whole new console generation and launch games to get excited about—or not, depending on how long your current game backlog is and how deep your pockets are (or aren't, as the case may be). Even so, there's plenty to talk about, so let's get started. 🚀 Welcome to WIRED Games! So here we are. This project has been a labor of love and the work of more people than you probably care to know about—but we promise to do all of them proud. Read more—and learn how to get in touch with us—here. 🎵 Meet the women who invented video game music. U.N. Squadron (known as Area 88 in Japan) was one of the first games that really captivated me. I still have my copy somewhere, but I didn't know until decades later that the woman who composed the music for it was also behind Mega Man and Magic Sword and even contributed to Shovel Knight. This story is an ode to her and the other women who invented a genre we all love and whose names have been lost to time. 🎮 Microsoft is betting on choice—not just power—to win the next-gen console wars. The Xbox has always marketed itself as a powerhouse gaming console, and the upcoming Xbox Series X and its lighter-weight sibling, the Series S, are no exception. But Microsoft has another trick up its sleeve, and Phil Spencer, head of the Xbox division at Microsoft, told us what that is and why he—and we—think it's a good play. ⚓The US military needs gamers, and it's hoping to find them on Twitch. But why? Well, it turns out gamers have a unique set of skills that every branch of the military is particularly interested in. There's even a US Navy Guide to Streamers that explains all of this—but hanging out with a US Army or Air Force streamer for hours is different than having a recruiter or ROTC program in your school, and many gamers are pushing back. 👀 Follow us on Twitch, at twitch.tv/wiredmag! Speaking of Twitch, the WIRED crew streams on Twitch pretty regularly! Follow us on Twitch to get notified every time we go live, and come hang out and play some games with us! 🔥 Subscribe to WIRED! I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you to support our work. WIRED Games—and WIRED as a whole—is only possible thanks to the fine folks who subscribe. So if you can spare a few bucks, subscribe to get full and complete access to all of our work—and to support my caffeine habit. | 
WordPress.com
