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Get weekly gaming news with our newsletter The XP Drop

Get weekly gaming news with our newsletter The XP Drop

Sick of doomscrolling on X or YouTube, trying to catch up with the latest gaming news and reviews throughout the week? Well, we've got the answer for you.
We're Chris Harper and Liam Ryder - two passionate gamers with a mission: to make gaming news as digestible and as fun as possible so that you can get the information you need every week thanks to The XP Drop.
The internet can be a busy and overwhelming place to get the information you need, so we've decided to launch a fun and informative Substack and newsletter to build a community of gamers who are as passionate about gaming as we are.
Each week, we'll send you entertaining content, fascinating journalism and fun round-ups of what's happened each week in the gaming world - whether that's a review round-up, essential stories from the gaming world and cool videos we think everyone should watch.
That's not all - we want to involve you. Yes, you, sitting right there with the controller in your hand. We want you to send us your thoughts, videos, Twitch and YouTube streams so we can build a community here at The XP Drop.
Who are we?
Chris Harper is a 31-year-old journalist working for national news and affiliates. He's been a gamer ever since his dad bought him a PlayStation at the age of 10.
Ever since then he's been hooked. From PS5 to PC, he has played most consoles and is a big PC gamer and hopes to share some of his passion with readers.
Liam Ryder first picked up a games controller aged 4 with an introduction to Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Mega Drive II. Fast forward 30 years and he's owned every Nintendo console since the SNES and is also a proud Xbox Series X owner.
Liam's love for gaming has crossed over into his experience as a journalist for local, regional and national news titles. Just don't ask about his Football Manager saves…
What will you get if you subscribe to The XP Drop?
Subscribing to The XP Drop means you'll be able to get access to other great content. We're planning a weekly podcast as well as instant up-to-date stock alerts and deals on games and products you might struggle to find elsewhere.
We're also going to be publishing original content like first-person pieces, reviews and more that we can drop into your inbox throughout the week.
And depending on what happens, there might even be more on the horizon! Sign up below to The XP Drop absolutely free and let us know what you would like to see on the Substack.
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Battlefield 6 beta isn't for two days but 9,000 people are already in the app
Battlefield 6 beta isn't for two days but 9,000 people are already in the app

Metro

timean hour ago

  • Metro

Battlefield 6 beta isn't for two days but 9,000 people are already in the app

Thousands of Battlefield 6 fans have pre-loaded the beta and seem to be spending a lot of time tinkering with the settings. Given how much of a letdown Battlefield 2042 wound up being, EA and the many studios tasked with making Battlefield 6 need to do a lot to win back fans' favour. So far though, Battlefield 6 is making a good first impression, with its multiplayer gameplay reveal and promises of no wacky crossover skins. Even Call Of Duty fans seem eager to jump ship. It's far too early to tell if Battlefield 6 will achieve EA's very lofty player count targets, but at the very least the upcoming beta has captured the attention of over 9,000 people on PC. We don't just mean over 9,000 people have signed up to participate in the beta; we mean over 9,000 people opened the app and apparently just sat there waiting for it to start. The first beta doesn't begin until August 7, for those with early access, and then August 9 for everyone else, but pre-loads did go live Monday afternoon, on August 4. According to player data from SteamDB, it didn't take long for 9,463 people to get the beta installed in preparation, though the fact that SteamDB even has this data means thousands of people chose to open the beta, rather than just install it and leave it, even though it doesn't do anything yet. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Well, that's not entirely accurate. You can adjust the beta's settings and as someone has shared on the Battlefield subreddit, there's a lot for you to tinker with, including graphics settings, aiming sensitivity, and pre-sets for controllers and keyboards. Even at time of writing, there's still about 3,800 people in the beta, meaning either new players have jumped in to sort out their settings after the early adopters left, or players are keeping the beta open in excited anticipation. More Trending Unfortunately, there's no way to check if anything similar is happening with the versions of the beta on the Epic Games Store or EA's own PC app, or the console versions on PlayStation 5 and Xbox. EA also hasn't said anything about how many sign-ups the beta has received, although it will most likely brag about player counts once the beta goes live… assuming those thousands of excited fans stick around. Despite all the positive buzz so far, the beta itself will be the first real indicator for how popular Battlefield 6 will be. There are already plans for a second open beta from August 14 to August 17 and, if the first one's a hit, word of mouth could make the second even more popular. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Battlefield 6 pre-orders are live – here's everything you need to know MORE: Battlefield 6 is already better than Call Of Duty in terms of one major feature MORE: Battlefield 6 battle royale map leaks alongside new gameplay videos

'I went to meet America's most inbred family and one thing from that day haunts me'
'I went to meet America's most inbred family and one thing from that day haunts me'

Daily Record

time5 hours ago

  • Daily Record

'I went to meet America's most inbred family and one thing from that day haunts me'

Mark Laita, a photographer and filmmaker, first met the Whittaker family in Odd, West Virginia, five years ago and has been back multiple times since to document their lives The documentary filmmaker who brought the so-called " America's most inbred family" into the public eye has shared insights from his initial encounter with them. ‌ Mark Laita, the man behind the lens, first documented the Whittakers of Odd, West Virginia, five years ago and has since returned to provide updates on the family, which he posts on YouTube. ‌ The Whittaker family's history of inbreeding began when the offspring of identical twins Henry and John intermarried, leading to multiple generations of inbreeding and severe disabilities among their descendants. ‌ Laita recounted gaining access to the family was challenging due to the protective nature of their neighbours. However, he managed to visit their home with the help of a local police officer. On an episode of the Koncrete Klips podcast, the filmmaker described his approach: "We came around to this road, which turns into a country road, which turns into a dirt road.", reports the Mirror US. ‌ He continued: "Then we come to this trailer and then a little shack on the other side of the road. And there's these people walking around and their eyes are going in different directions and they are barking at us." Laita likened his inaugural meeting with the Whittakers to a scene straight out of the suspenseful film Deliverance. He said: "One guy, you would look him in the eye or say anything and he would just scream and go running away, and his pants would fall around his ankles, and he would go running off and go and kick a garbage can. And this would happen over and over. It was out of control - the craziest thing I have ever seen." ‌ Initially, the family was hesitant to engage with Laita, but he gradually gained their trust by offering to take photographs for them to use at a relative's funeral. He later returned to create the 2020 film 'Inbred Family - The Whittakers'. Laita acknowledged the difficulty in communicating with them but has since produced several videos for his YouTube channel, Soft White Underbelly, showcasing their lives. The videos bear titles such as "Christmas season with the Whittakers", "The Whittaker family cemetery", and "The Whittakers go to the state fair". Over time, Laita has received varied reactions to his videos, with some viewers branding him an "exploitative b******" while others praise the content as "incredible". He conceded that his work could be seen as exploitative but argued that exploitation is a common aspect of life, stating: "It feels exploitative but I think it's good for us all to know that these things exist. The hotel I'm staying at, they're exploiting my need for sleep. The restaurant I ate breakfast at is exploiting my hunger. Everything is exploitative. Photography and video are especially by nature exploitative."

'I met America's most inbred family and one thing still haunts me'
'I met America's most inbred family and one thing still haunts me'

Daily Mirror

time5 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

'I met America's most inbred family and one thing still haunts me'

WARNING - DISTRESSING CONTENT: Mark Laita made a documentary on the Whittaker family in Odd, West Virginia, known as 'America's most inbred family' The documentary filmmaker who cast light on what has been dubbed " America's most inbred family" has shared insights from his initial encounter with them. ‌ Mark Laita, the man behind the lens, first visited the Whittakers in Odd, West Virginia, five years ago and has since returned to document their lives, sharing updates on YouTube. ‌ The Whittaker family's history of inbreeding began with the offspring of identical twins Henry and John intermarrying, leading to generations of inbreeding and consequent severe disabilities among many descendants. ‌ Laita recounted the challenge of gaining access to the family, as locals were fiercely protective, however, he managed to accompany a police officer to their residence. On the Koncrete Klips podcast, the filmmaker described his approach: "We came around to this road, which turns into a country road, which turns into a dirt road.", reports the Mirror US. He explained: "Then we come to this trailer and then a little shack on the other side of the road. And there's these people walking around and their eyes are going in different directions and they are barking at us." Laita likened his inaugural visit with the Whittakers to a scene straight out of the suspenseful film 'Deliverance'. He said: "One bloke, you'd catch his eye or utter a word and he'd just shriek and bolt, his trousers tumbling down to his ankles as he'd leg it and boot a dustbin. This happened repeatedly - it was mental, the maddest thing I've ever witnessed." ‌ Initially, the family were reluctant to speak with Laita, but he gradually earned their trust after offering to snap photos for a dead relative's coffin. He returned later to shoot Inbred Family - The Whittakers in 2020. He admitted it was "tough to get through to them" but has since produced clips for his YouTube channel, Soft White Underbelly, chronicling their existence. ‌ The footage bears titles such as " Christmas season with the Whittakers", "The Whittaker family cemetery", and "The Whittakers go to the state fair". Laita revealed over time, he's faced divided reactions from viewers regarding his content. He noted some brand him an "exploitative b******" whilst others consider the footage "incredible". He acknowledged his work was exploitative, though argued it was inescapable in life, saying: "It feels exploitative but I think it's good for us all to know that these things exist. The hotel I'm staying at, they're exploiting my need for sleep. The restaurant I ate breakfast at is exploiting my hunger. Everything is exploitative. Photography and video are especially by nature exploitative."

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