Latest news with #MarioKart
Express Tribune
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Mang0 says he's three weeks sober after Smash ban and Twitch fallout
Legendary Super Smash Bros. Melee player Joseph 'Mang0' Marquez has announced that he is three weeks sober, following a public fall from grace involving alcohol abuse. The update comes a month after Mang0 was dropped by esports organization Cloud9 and briefly banned on Twitch due to his behavior at Ludwig's Beerio Kart event on June 21, 2025. The tournament, which required players to drink alcohol during Mario Kart races, saw Mang0 allegedly harassing fellow streamers including ExtraEmily. The incident led to widespread criticism, with some fans also blaming Ludwig for encouraging Mang0's drinking. Despite this, Mang0 took full responsibility and revealed he's now banned from Melee tournaments for a year. 'I think it's fine,' Mang0 told fans during a July 21 Twitch stream. 'If you're a Mang0 fan, I'd appreciate it if no one harassed the TOs.' Marquez confessed that a few days after the incident, he drank a full bottle of gin alone and broke down emotionally. He also shared that rehab was financially out of reach after losing 80% of his income, but he's been getting support from professionals and plans to begin therapy once his insurance is reinstated. While he hasn't found AA meetings helpful, Mang0 is researching and using online resources to stay on track. 'I'm proud to say… I am three weeks sober today,' he said. 'I don't really have the urge to drink.' With a one-year ban in place, fans remain hopeful that Mang0 will return to competitive Smash stronger than ever.
Arab News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Four of 2025's top video games so far
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SoraNews24
6 days ago
- SoraNews24
Tokyo man arrested for setting go-karts on fire, follows discovery of threatening English note
Says stress from engine noise drove him to do it. At approximately 4:30 in the morning on June 21, Tokyo operators for Japan's 119 emergency dispatch number received a call from a security guard in the city's Koto Ward, informing them that a fire had broken out on the premises of a nearby business. Firefighters rushed to the scene and spent the next three hours putting out the blaze, which had been set in the parking area of a go-kart tour company, causing damage to three of the vehicles and the office's exterior walls. Thankfully, no one was injured, but investigators determined that the fire had been set intentionally. The search for the arsonist didn't take them very far, geographically speaking, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police have now announced that they have arrested a man who works in an office directly adjacent to the kart tour company's lot. 28-year-old Yuga Matsuoka (whose unusual given name means 'elegant,' ironically) has admitted to the charges, saying to investigators in his statement that 'The sound of [the kart's] engines was loud and stressful. I set the fire with a lighter.' ▼ The Koto Ward facility of Street Kart Tokyo, where the incident took place Adding an unusual wrinkle to the case is that in early May a note, written in English, was left on Street Kart Tokyo's property, saying 'As of tomorrow, stop running [the karts'] engines, If you do not abide by this, I will set them on fire.' The police are currently investigating whether or not Matsuoka was the author of the note. ▼ Video of Matsuoka being taken into custody Arson is, of course, a serious crime, and a number of commenters on the above video were quick to denounce Matsuoka's way of dealing with the situation. 'If you have a problem like this, you're supposed to settle it through talking.' 'I get that he was pissed about the noise, but I can't understand setting stuff on fire because of that.' 'Aren't you supposed to file a noise complaint with the police before you go starting fires?' However, several other commenters could strongly sympathize, even if they didn't necessarily agree with Matsuoka's actions. 'I get where he's coming from. Noise-based stress is really rough.' 'It sounds like he had a serious grudge. I bet he had to put up with the noise all day long.' 'I think we need stricter noise ordinances.' 'I want these companies to start putting mufflers on their karts,' 'I honestly think it's strange that karts can be registered for use on public roads.' 'They're a major nuisance. We should get them off the streets.' 'If you wanna go zooming around in a kart, do it in Mario Kart.' 'Japan's public roads aren't a tourist playground.' The last two comments point to a wide divide on how kart tours have become perceived in Japan. The vast majority of participants are foreign tourists, often dressed in video game or anime-inspired costumes, and while they all look to be enjoying themselves, that sense of fun often seems to override their ability to focus on driving safely, with collisions and nuisances such as kart drivers get out of their vehicles at traffic lights to snap selfies. With Tokyo residents and domestic Japanese travelers making up only a small percentage of kart tour participants, there's a growing attitude among locals that they're noisy, dangerous entertainment for ill-mannered overseas tourists. Also worth taking into account is that visiting overseas' vacationers schedules don't necessarily align with locals' leisure time, so invasively noisy go-karts can be running during what are otherwise necessary working hours for the local populace. But again, arson is no laughing matter, and Matsuoka now faces some serious penalties for his poor choice of how to deal with the problem. However, odds are he's not the only one in the area with a bone to pick with the kart tours, and hopefully the others will choose less enflamed methods of voicing their displeasure and appealing for change. Source: TV Asahi via Yahoo! Japan News via Itai News, NHK News Web, Tokyo Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, YouTube/ANNnewsCH Top image: SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Time Out
7 days ago
- Time Out
Operation Southern Slow Down is in effect this week, and here's what Miami drivers need to know
If you've got a lead foot and a South Florida zip code, consider this your official warning: Operation Southern Slow Down is back, and law enforcement is out in full force. Running now through Sunday, July 20, the annual crackdown targets speeding and aggressive driving across five southeastern states, including Florida, and aims to make highways safer during the busy summer travel season. In Miami, that means extra patrols, more checkpoints and zero tolerance for anyone mistaking I-95 for a Formula 1 track. The Florida Highway Patrol, in partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation, is intensifying efforts to curb the type of unsafe driving that contributed to 437 fatalities statewide in 2023. Operation Southern Slow Down isn't just about tickets (though last year's campaign racked up more than 62,000 of them across participating states—nearly 50,000 for speeding). It's also about education: You'll see more road safety messaging, especially around common-sense reminders like buckling up, putting your phone away and, yes, actually going the speed limit. There's also a new Florida law in effect this month that ups the ante. 'Dangerous excessive speeding'—defined as driving more than 50 mph over the limit or 100+ mph in any condition—can now land you severe fines and even jail time. So what should you do? Easy. Drive like your abuela is in the passenger seat. Slow down, plan your route and if you see someone weaving through lanes like it's Mario Kart, report them by dialing *FHP (*347).
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
GameStop's ‘Staplegate' Switch 2 Fetches $250,000 in Auction
(Bloomberg) -- It could have been a marketing mess. The Dutch Intersection Is Coming to Save Your Life Advocates Fear US Agents Are Using 'Wellness Checks' on Children as a Prelude to Arrests LA Homelessness Drops for Second Year Manhattan, Chicago Murder Rates Drop in 2025, Officials Say At the release of Nintendo Co.'s new console last month, some GameStop Corp. customers found their devices' screens ruined after an employee forcefully stapled receipts to the boxes. Instead, the video game retailer transformed the blunder into another viral moment by selling one of the damaged units for about 500 times its retail price in a charity auction. The punctured Switch 2 fetched $250,000 on eBay Wednesday, compared to $499.99 for a pristine one with Mario Kart included in stores. The lot also includes the black stapler and offending staple, 'carefully extracted and preserved.' The auction is the latest online phenomenon for GameStop, which was at the center of the meme stock craze in 2021, and emblematic of its shift from a retailer of video games to a store more focused on collector's items like trading cards. 'Basically, it turned into a collectible,' Chief Executive Officer Ryan Cohen told CNBC in an interview on Tuesday about the incident, dubbed 'Staplegate' online. The controversy occurred at GameStop's Staten Island, New York location during the midnight launch of the Switch 2 on June 5. Multiple devices were apparently damaged by an 'overenthusiastic employee' who stapled the receipts on to the boxes too aggressively, according to the company. The slip-up quickly trended online as some customers began to post frustrations about their damaged consoles. GameStop quickly replaced the Switch 2s, but the meme-savvy retailer leaned into the snafu with humor, eventually putting the infamous stapler and first console it punctured up for auction. The proceeds will go to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The auction also includes a certificate of authenticity from GameStop's Cohen that claims the now-refurbished Switch 2 'is the first known console to be officially stapled during a product launch by GameStop' and describes the stapler as 'a retail legend.' As the bidding began, Cohen said that he would include his underwear if it reached six figures and that he would personally fly the winner out to Miami to deliver the bonus item over lunch at McDonald's if the price hit seven figures. The spectacle is indicative of GameStop's strategy to become a destination for collectors and pursue community-oriented initiatives, leveraging its passionate base of retail investors. The company is focusing on growing its trading card business, such as Pokémon, while also investing in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Revenue from collectibles rose 55% in the first quarter compared to last year, while sales of hardware and software fell around 30% each. Forget DOGE. Musk Is Suddenly All In on AI How Starbucks' CEO Plans to Tame the Rush-Hour Free-for-All How Hims Became the King of Knockoff Weight-Loss Drugs Thailand's Changing Cannabis Rules Leave Farmers in a Tough Spot The New Third Rail in Silicon Valley: Investing in Chinese AI ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
