Monthly Archives: February 2020

Its official, Fable Fortune is shutting down. After only three years of running, the Fable-based card game will be closing its doors next month. In the meantime, it is no longer possible to use the in-game store.

After months of dwindling player numbers, another free game bites the dust. Youve got to wonder if giving a game away for free isnt enough to draw players, what is?

Well, perhaps the trick lies in actually offering players something of lasting value.

Fable Fortune was a free game, supposedly. You could download and start with no money involved. Then if you wanted to keep playing, you had to nickel and dime your way forward, buying packs of cards to build your collection.

Say you started out with the game when it released in 2017. Fast forward three years. The game is shutting down. Every single last penny you have spent on Fable Fortune is completely wasted. You wont even get to play with the cards youve bought.

Once those servers go down on March 4, it all disappears. Your collection and all your money gone forever. If you invested your time and money in the game, it is now wasted, which is why supposedly free games are so worthless.

The real kick in the butt here is that the people who supported Fable Fortune get nothing. Here is a game that really relied on the goodwill of a small number of people. Now that things havent worked out, those people cant even access their collections.

The developers really should give the players some options. Maybe the ability to host their own servers? That way if anyone actually cares about the game, theyd still be able to play it. The way things are, no one is going to remember Fable Fortune within a year except maybe for all those players who feel like theyve been ripped off.

This article was edited by Gerelyn Terzo.

Read the original here:

Fable Fortunes Demise Proves Why Free Games Are a Waste of Time - CCN.com

Florence, released in February 2018 for iOS devices and shortly thereafter for Android, is a 20-chapter story of Florence Yeoh, a young cellist living a routine life who meets and falls for a street performer named Krish. It wasn't a huge sellerdirector Ken Wong told Game Informer in 2019 that sales were "okay"but it was a major critical hit, winning "best mobile game" titles at The Game Awards, DICE Awards, GDC Awards, and BAFTAs, among others.

Next week, Florence's tale of "the spectacular and bleak moments of her very first love" will come to PC via Steam and GOG. It's a linear experience, and not very longthe Steam listing puts it at around 30 minutes, with gameplay including light puzzles and minigames that reflect or reveal Florence's thoughts and actions. But the story's the thing: Publisher Annapurna Interactive described it as "short, but deeply meaningful."

Florence will sell for $6 on PC (the price isn't currently listed on Steam but Annapurna confirmed it in the announcement), and will include the outstanding soundtrack that you can get a listen to on Spotify. (Do note that the track titles kind of blow the narrative arc, so if you're really invested in an unspoiled experience you'll want to stay away from that.) You can find out more about Florence at florencegame.com.

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Award-winning mobile game Florence is coming to PC - PC Gamer

The biggest census of UK games workers ever conducted has been carried out by the British games industry trade association UKIE, highlighting some of the demographics, inequalities and struggles of the UK games industry.

3,208 people working within the UK games industry responded to the census, including developers, artists, musicians and those working behind the scenes in areas such as business management, IT and marketing. It spanned everyone from CEOs to freelance workers, but it didn't include the games media industries, meaning press and influencers were not involved.

The most striking result to come out of the census is what almost twice as many people within the games industry suffer from depression, anxiety, or both compared to the national average. According to UKIE, 31 percent of respondents disclosed their mental health problems, with both junior and mid-level workers, as well as CEOs of smaller companies, reporting it more than others.

In particular, writers were most likely to report anxiety, while quality assurance workers were most likely to report depression. While more junior roles face higher rates of anxiety and depression, directors and CEOs of smaller businesses are also more likely to suffer from them as well. CEOs of larger businesses were, by far, the least likely to report both.

UKIE claims that the gradually reducing stigma towards discussing mental health could be a reason why junior workers are seemingly more susceptible to mental health problems. While junior staff have less job control and lower wages than their seniors, which could explain the rise in mental health problems, these workers also tend to be younger and may be more open to discussing their mental health than their older counterparts. UKIE notes that the results don't mean older industry workers are less likely to be depressed or anxious, they're simply less likely to be open about it.

The census also explores other demographics. Women make up 28 percent of the industry, and so are underrepresented compared to the broader population's equal split of men and women. It's also less representative than other industries, such as music and performing arts (46 percent) and publishing (53 percent), with UKIE stating that the number of women in games is "significantly below the overall UK workforce". Mental health problems are also more prevalent than for male workers, with 35 percent of women reporting anxiety and 26 percent reporting depression.

Non-binary people are better represented than the national average, however, with 2 percent of respondents saying they are non-binary, compared to 0.4 percent of the population.

Ethnically, the UK games industry is very, very heavily weighted towards White British workers. BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) workers totalled 10 percent, while White British made up a massive 67 percent. Interestingly, even though the representation of BAME workers is well below the national average, it is actually higher than a lot of other creative industries. Film, TV, video, radio and photography had just four percent, and marketing only seven.

Queer people also have a much greater presence in the games industry than in wider society, with people who identify anywhere within the LGBTQ+ umbrella making up more than a fifth of the UK games industry (21 percent). Surprisingly, more people identified as bisexual than as gay or lesbian (11 percent versus five percent), and asexuality was at one percent. This is significantly more than the national average, which puts queer people at around 3-7% of the population.

Transgender people are also more common in the games industry, with three percent of respondents identifying as trans, an increase from the one percent of the general public.

However, LGBTQ+ people of all kinds were much, much more likely to report anxiety and depression than straight and cisgender workers. Over half of the transgender people interviewed reported depression and anxiety, while lesbians, gays, bisexuals and those of other non-straight sexualities all reported higher levels of both compared to straight workers.

Finally, it appears as though the UK games industry is less responsive to working lengthy crunch hours, with only 3.5 percent saying they work more than 50 hours per week. Three quarters worked more standard working hours of up to 40 per week.

The report itself goes much more in-depth, exploring topics such as neurodiversity (only two percent of workers are Autistic, for instance) and carer statuses (22 percent of workers cared for children), and from this UKIE came up with a number of strategies to improve the games industry going forward.

The importance of diversity initiatives was stated, with UKIE encouraging the industry to work towards inclusion in everything from hiring processes to education schemes. It also hopes the industry will improve its hiring of international workers, saying it should make an "ongoing commitment" to improving recruitment, retention and support of international workers.

Critically, UKIE also stated that the games industry should be open to more research of this type going forward. Better tracking of diversity and progress in the sector is required, and it should "continue to collaborate with independent researchers to provide further rigorous and objective insight about working in games".

You can read the bullet-pointed key findings through the UKIE website, where you can also download the full, 60-page report.

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UKIE census reports that 31% of the UK games industry has depression or anxiety - PC Gamer

John Klinnert doesnt exactly remember why he decided to become a referee more than 40 years ago.

"I suppose I figured I could do better than some of the refs that I had," he said with a chuckle.

He officiated his first basketball game in 1977, and last year stepped onto the hardwood with his whistle for the 3,000th time. He works high school basketball, a few college basketball games and some football games in the fall.

That's a lot of miles and a lot of late nights.

"From Maple Grove to Moorhead, the only town I've missed is Rogers, he said. And if I go from Elk River to Moorhead on Highway 10, the only town I missed is Sauk Rapids. I can tell you some story I remember in every single town."

Klinnert is still adding to those stories. At a time when many officials quit after a couple of years, he has no plans to step off the court.

Enforcing the rules of the game was a natural progression for Klinnert, a five-sport athlete at New York Mills High School, who went on to be a coach and school administrator for 18 years. He now operates JK sports in Fergus Falls, selling sports gear.

At 72, the lanky, white-haired Klinnert is slowing down a bit, at least by his standards. He wants to be a fan when his grandchildren play basketball, so he'll only referee about 30 games this winter.

"The highest I ever worked was 93 games in a year, he said. I remember having one stretch where we worked 17 times in 16 days."

John Klinnert, 72, of Fergus Falls throws the jump ball to start the boys' basketball game between Pelican Rapids Vikings and Barnesville Trojans on Jan. 31, 2020.

Matt Mikus | MPR News

A Minnesota State High School League official said 30 games is about average for basketball referees roughly two games a week during the season, which stretches from late November to early March.

Klinnert gets paid about $125 for working two games a night, part of an ever-changing crew of three officials.

After 43 years of pounding up and down the hardwood, Klinnert insists he still gets excited for every game. He estimates hes officiated about 85 tournament finals, winner-take-all games with fans packed to the rafters and tension filling the gym like a fog.

"And when you walk out there, boy, I get the shivers even thinking about some of those games, because it's a feeling," he said.

One of those games, back in 1983, stands out. It was a five-overtime final in Crookston to decide which team would go on to the state tournament.

"Littlefork-Big Falls beat Ada, and the ball hung on the rim and fell off, he said. Otherwise Ada would have gone to the state tournament.

Like many high school officials, Klinnert does the job because he loves the game.

"Because if you're reffing only for the $100 bill, you will not last. You will not last," said Klinnert. "The day that I'm not excited to go to a game, I should call it quits."

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Fewer and fewer people are willing to make the commitment. More young officials only stay for a couple of years. A national survey in 2017 of all levels of officials in all sports found 70 percent quit after three years.

The state high school league uses a three-year benchmark when trying to recruit and retain officials, spokesperson Tim Leighton said.

Retaining the officials has become the challenge, he said. Whats happening in officiating now is there are sportsmanship issues, theres jobs, theres family, theres low rate of return in terms of the stipend you receive. Those are all things that are driving officials away. Theyre saying, This just isnt for me.

Leighton insists theres no shortage of officials in Minnesota, even though in the past year, a few basketball and football games have had to be rescheduled because no referees were available.

Long-term, I think were going to be just fine. We would always love to have more officials, but I think were always going to get the games covered, he said. I think there are enough officials to get the games covered.

Still, he admits more officials are putting limits on their commitment to the sport which can put a strain on scheduling.

There are some officials that are spoiled, said Leighton. Theyll only work boys games, theyll only work with certain partners and theyll only work within five miles of their house. Thats becoming problematic.

Klinnert likes working with younger officials, sharing tips and tricks for managing the game. He has routines for every part of the game, so he doesnt lose focus.

But he has no sympathy when a younger official complains about the long drive, or the late night.

"I tell them point-blank: Get rid of that attitude. he said. For these kids it's the biggest game in the state of Minnesota tonight. If you don't feel that way, then don't referee."

Klinnert is a throwback, and hes proud of the long hours and lost sleep.

"Old referees, on the way home we're talking about the game, he said. And young referees in some cases don't even know if they played a zone or if they played man to man. The game is over and now let's go see what's on Facebook. That's a difference."

Over four decades, he cant remember many times hes turned down a chance to work a game.

"I took off for my 50th wedding anniversary. I took that night off," he said.

But the demands of refereeing late nights, nominal pay and lots of travel can take their toll. And there are other challenges, too: Being yelled at by coaches turns off a lot of officials, and Klinnert said he sees that mostly in his younger colleagues. That observation is supported by national surveys, which have found that abusive treatment by coaches, players or fans is the top reason officials quit.

Klinnert said that might be changing. In recent years, he's seen more respect from student athletes. After games, they often thank him and his referee team for their work. In 2015, the Minnesota State High School League started a Thank A Ref program, encouraging schools to let officials know theyre appreciated.

And over the years, Klinnert said, hes also gotten a bit more tolerant of coaches yelling at him.

"Take a deep breath, he said. Sometimes you just stand there and let him let them rip you and then walk away, it's all part of the game."

Klinnert said hes never ejected a player from a game, and he's tossed out only one coach, after a last-second call during a college tournament game.

"He came out onto the court and I won't say exactly ... what he told me, but I had to evict him from the game, he said. And they had to hold him down after the game.

It was a few years before he saw that coach again, but before their next game together, they shook hands and put the confrontation behind them.

Klinnert stands by that controversial call. But he acknowledges he does sometimes blow a call. When it happens, he always calls the coach later to apologize.

For the last several years, about 15 to 20 high school officials have reached the 40-year mark.

Only a handful mark a half-century of officiating each year.

As long as his knees hold out and he still feels that ripple of excitement before every game, Klinnert has no plans to hang up his whistle.

"How long will I ref? I don't know. I tell people I'll ref until I ref my last game."

The rest is here:

'I'll ref until I ref my last game': 3000 games and counting, this official still loves the game - Minnesota Public Radio News

This story is part of CES 2020, our complete coverage of the showroom floor and the hottest new tech gadgets around.

In a packed ballroom at the Mirage hotel at CES 2020, a neon green logo beckoned me toward it like a siren calling to sailors in The Iliad. Fortunately for me there were no treacherous rocks waiting to send me to a horrible death. Instead there was just the Black Shark 2 Pro, a gaming phone with a glowing logo on the back.

Gaming phones are right at home in the flashy confines of CES, but they also signal a subtle shift in the phone market toward more niche audiences. TheRazer Phone launched in 2017, bringing with it a new category of phones built with features geared toward gaming. These features included an LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate (instead of the standard 60Hz), a top-of-the-line Snapdragon processor and a logo on the back that glowed.

In 2020, you can find a dedicated gaming mode on mainstream flagship phones such as the Google Pixel 4 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus. The OnePlus 7T and 7 Pro both have 90Hz high refresh rate screens. And there are now three phones that are built from head-to-toe for gamers: The Asus ROG Phone 2, the Nubia Red Magic 3S and the Black Shark 2 Pro.

The Black Shark 2 Pro was originally announced in July 2019, but will beavailable in the US at some point starting at $599(539 or about AU$1,030). Unfortunately Xiaomi, which makes the Black Shark, couldn't say when. The Black Shark 2 Pro is almost identical to the Black Shark 2. The major difference is that the new Pro version has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus processor instead of the regular 855 variant.

The Black Shark 2 Pro comes in a vibrant metallic blue and orange color.

The 855 Plus processor features 15% faster graphics and a CPU clock speed of up to 2.96GHz as opposed to the regular 2.84GHz speed of the 855. This means the Black Shark 2 Pro is at the top of the Android performance food chain alongside the ROG Phone 2, Red Magic 3S, OnePlus 7T, Nubia 20 and Meizu 16s Pro.

The beefy processor also means you'll be able to get the absolute best sustained performance out of your phone during long bouts of gaming. And to keep that processor cool, the Black Shark 2 Pro implements a direct touch multilayer liquid cooling system. Xiaomi claims it can reduce the temperature of the CPU by 14 degrees. For comparison, the Red Magic 3 phone has a built-in fan to keep it cool.

The Black Shark 2 Pro has a 6.39-inch AMOLED Samsung screen with a 60Hz refresh rate. By comparison, the refresh rates on the Red Magic 3 is 90Hz and the Asus ROG Phone 2 is 120Hz. But there aren't tons of Android games that take advantage of that rate.

The Black Shark Phone 2 Pro's screen has a 240Hz touch-report rate, however. That refers to the number of times per second the screen updates where you've touched. This could in theory lead to a lower latency rate. In fact Xiaomi says that the Pro has a response speed of 34.7 milliseconds, which would put it ahead of any other gaming phone.

The Black Shark 2 Pro in a Nintendo Switch-style case.

Another unique feature to give mobile gamers more of an edge is a touchscreen feature called Master Touch 2.0, which lets you resize both left and right touch zones and the pressure-sensing value. So you can have a light button touch in one game and pound the crap out of your screen in another.

Like the original Black Shark phone, there's a Sharkspace slider button that will put your phone into a gaming mode that optimizes performance, clears your phone's memory and minimizes outside interruptions.

Another wonderful aspect of the Black Shark 2 Pro is the accessories Xiaomi makes for it.

We're looking forward to testing the Black Shark 2 Pro phone. But for now, here's how its specs stack against other leading gaming phones.

Now playing: Watch this: First look: Black Shark 2 Pro impresses with performance

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Black Shark 2 Pro: We go hands-on with the gaming phone and its bonkers specs - CNET

The program will feature chefs who are considered favorite winners from past shows, Robison said.

Robison was the winner of Guys Grocery Games in October, beating three other chefs to win the $20,000 prize.

She is making her second appearance on the show, which challenges chefs to prepare a dish or a meal that uses specific ingredients or meets certain criteria. They must find and buy ingredients and prepare their food items within a set time frame.

The show is basically four chefs battling it out for $20,000 -- so its the champions round, she said. The games are always different and the themes always different, but the concept is still the same.

The show starts with four winner-chefs and one is eliminated by a panel of judges at the end of each round.

The program that airs Wednesday was taped in October, shortly after her first experience on Guys Grocery Games, said Robison, noting that it was good to be back on the program.

I was exhausted after the first one, she said, and was overwhelmed, at first, at the thought of having to go through all of it again, because it was hard and with the anxiety and all that -- and I was on a high from winning -- so I was nervous to go back.

She was concerned, too, about taking more days off from work, said Robison, who is the executive chef at Arnolds Bar and Grill in Cincinnati, Ohio.

It was an amazing and humbling feeling to be considered one of their favorite winners, said Robison, who worked in several Grand Forks restaurants, including the Royal Fork, Italian Moon and Applebees, before moving to Cincinnati in 2011 to attend culinary school.

And to be up against even more challenging chefs, that was so cool.

Robison has also appeared on TV shows, including Man versus Food and Cheap Eats, but none was quite as nerve-wracking as her guest appearance on NBCs The Today Show, which aired live Thanksgiving Day and featured celebrity chef, Anne Burrell, she said. Burrell is co-host of the Food Networks Worst Cooks in America.

I was representing North Dakota, and I made a tater tot hotdish.

She represented North Dakota, not Ohio, because she grew up in the state, she said.

Among the 50 chefs who were highlighted -- one from each state -- she was one of only six who spoke during the segment, with half of America watching, she said.

Robison, the daughter of Lisa and Greg Sheard, of Grand Forks, said she cannot say too much about the show before it airs Wednesday, because the shows producers forbid it.

Robison, who lives in Cincinnati with her daughter, Dre, 9, has used her winnings from her first appearance on Guys Grocery Games to pay off debt and to support family members in need.

She is also planning to take an aunt to Paris and her immediate family to Disneyland, she said.

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Grand Forks Central grad to make second appearance on 'Guy's Grocery Games' Food Network show - Grand Forks Herald

A caucus goer holds their Presidential Preference Card in Des Moines, Iowa, on February 3, 2020. (Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo)

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After a night of chaos, in which it did not release the results of the first-in-the-nation caucuses, the Iowa Democratic Party finally produced some numbers Tuesday afternoon. Keyword: some. At this point, thats adding insult to injury.Ad Policy

The party has been under intense pressure to clean up the mess it made of the vote tabulation on caucus night when no results were released because the party relied on a dysfunctional app and a failed backup system involving a phone hotline that left callers on hold for hours. So on Tuesday afternoon, the party released some of the results62 percent, to be precise.

If one candidate had a big lead, an incomplete count might tell us something. But, with less than two-thirds of the vote tabulated, the top two candidates were virtually tied. Former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg had 26.9 percent, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders 25.1 percent. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren was at 18.3 percent and former vice president Joe Biden trailed with 15.6 percent.

Those percentages reflect the so-called state delegate equivalents, not the actual popular vote. The popular vote, which reflects the final alignment of people who attended the more than 1,600 caucuses statewide, put Sanders ahead with 28,220 votes to 27,030 for Buttigieg, while Warren had 22,254 and Biden had 14,176. If Iowa were a primary state, Sanders would be winning. Because it is a caucus state, Buttigieg got at least a momentary bump. But that could change tonight or tomorrowor sometime soon. MORE FROM John Nichols

So all we really know is that we dont yet know enough to say who won. Mayor Pete was collecting those cherished Buttigieg has narrow lead headlines and speculation by MSNBCs Chris Matthews that he is the new star as the Sanders campaign was thanking the people of Iowa because, in their words, from the partial data released so far its clear that in the first and second round more people voted for Bernie than any other candidate in the field.

Remarkably, the Iowa Democratic Party on Tuesday evening found a way to maintain the chaos and confusion of caucus night, to create more confusion and frustration, and to very possibly foster several false impressions. Sanders strategists believe their candidate has a good chance of winning in the final count. Bidens position could actually worsenperhaps even to a point where Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar closes a roughly 800-vote gap and pushes the former vice president into a fifth-place finish.

If it were caucus night and results were being released as they arrived at the party headquarters, few people would jump to conclusions before the count was final, because built into expectations about election nights is the possibility that a reported result will be corrected. But caucus night has passed.Current Issue

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So why, after screwing everything up when it mattered most, would the Iowa Democratic Party release part of the count? Why not get the count completed and release it when everything is in order?

The answer is that they are trying to ease their embarrassment by playing a dangerous game that they hope will satisfy the media.

It wont. The Iowa partys failure is writ so large across the 2020 campaign that before caucus night had ended, a serious debate had opened up about the need to yank Iowas first-in-the-nation status. Now, the party needs to stop playing games and announcing partial results and get it done right.

This is about more than bruised egos. This is about the possibility that the headlines and not the actual delegate count will carry weight into the next primaries and caucuses and warp the race for the presidencyas the Iowa Republican Party did in 2012 when the January 3 caucus night count gave a narrow win to eventual nominee Mitt Romney over former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum. Seventeen days later, the Iowa GOP declared that Santorum was actually the winnerbut that was after he has lost the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries.

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What might have happened if Santorum had gotten the Iowa winner headline? Would he have done better in the primary race? Almost certainly. Indeed, a Washington Post headline from Tuesday, February 4 read: For Iowa, a second caucus debacle in eight years.

As Krystal Ball, the host of Hill TVs Rising, says, I cant believe they put out partial results. This is completely outrageous.

It is outrageous. And it is one more argument for ending Iowas first-in-the-nation status.

Read more from the original source:

Stop Playing Games With the Mangled Iowa Caucus Count - The Nation

Warcraft 3 Reforged has the lowest user score of any game on Metacritic, currently sitting on a 0.5. While this dubious record was previously held by Day One: Garry's Incident, a number of drive-by 10 out of 10s have pushed it up into second place, inflating its user score from 0.4 to 0.7. For comparison's sake, even Metal Gear Survive has a user rating of 1.2.

According to user bob4ever, Warcraft 3 Reforged is the "Worst remaster in the history of remasters." Meanwhile solwltar says that, "Blizzard disabled my old Warcraft 3 version and trying to force me to download additional 30gb(my game was only 2gb) , also I heard you no longer has option to play maps that had custom models like pokemon, naruto and dbz not to mention they removed custom campaigns and lan games. 0-10". And Encore 22 is upset that, "Blizzard has a paragraph in the user agreement for this game that they have exclusive rights to any custom game which is made in this game. Just unbelievably **** from one of the companies who used to be my #1 by miles. This game does not deliver on what it promises and I am not even going to start on the price (40$) on what is essentially a HD mod."

As well as complaints about being forced to update existing copies of Warcraft 3 to a new version, changes to custom maps, various bugs, and the updated EULA, a large number of players are surprised that the cutscenes haven't been updated as dramatically as the intro was (something Blizzard did mention, but only if you were paying attention to interviews they were giving at the time by which I mean waiting until five minutes into this). Some people aren't fussed by the new menus, and others expected more new dialogueBlizzard scrapped plans to rewrite the story after fans who wanted all the original voices left in complained.

After the Diablo Immortal announcement and the Blitzchung debacle, Blizzard really could have done with a win. Turns out, Warcraft 3 Reforged is not that.

The rest is here:

Warcraft 3 Reforged has the lowest user score for a game on Metacritic - PC Gamer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars have long-term plans in place to generate more revenue. They expect to break ground on an entertainment district adjacent to their aging stadium this spring and eventually hope to develop the shipyards along the St. Johns River.

Both are years from completion.

In the meantime, the Jaguars have found a short-term solution: another home game in London.

Jacksonville announced Tuesday it has reached an agreement with the NFL to play consecutive home games at Wembley Stadium next season, doubling the franchises overseas income and potentially strengthening its foothold in a market the NFL wants to expand.

Fan reaction surely will be mixed, at best.

My expectation is that it should be very positive, said owner Shad Khan, adding that he doesnt believe playing two games abroad puts his team at a competitive disadvantage. Everything were doing helps the city, helps us. And thats what you need a small-market team to do to get on competitive footing with all the big-market teams.

The Jaguars will play back-to-back games at Wembley to bolster revenue during a period of significant change within the league, team President Mark Lamping said. Dates and opponents were not announced. Jacksonville protected home games against Pittsburgh and Chicago, so those teams will play at TIAA Bank Field.

Lamping said the recent relocation of the Chargers, Raiders and Rams will move all three out of the NFLs bottom fourth in local revenue. Jacksonville remains there, searching for ways out.

Makes our path here exiting the bottom quartile of the league more challenging, but we believe achievable, Lamping said.

The Jaguars have played a home game at Wembley every year since 2013 and is under contract to do so through 2020. Khan and Lamping expect to extend the contract. Its unclear whether the next deal will include two games annually abroad.

Im a big believer in you judge by actions and not just by words, Khan said. Weve talked about possibly playing two games (in London). But were not the sole judge here or the decision-maker. I think it has to make sense for the league, which ultimately decides. But right now this is just about two games this season.

The NFL is considering moving to a 17-game, regular-season schedule under the next collective bargaining agreement, a change that could help the Jaguars and other clubs play at varying venues without penalizing fan bases accustomed to attending the same number of games a year.

Jacksonville insists playing an extra game in London will help alleviate some financial concerns while Lot J is being developed. Khan is sharing the cost of the $700 million project in the main parking lot adjacent to the stadium.

The proposal calls for an entertainment district that includes restaurants, bars, luxury condominiums, an office tower and a five-star hotel. The renovated area could revive downtown Jacksonville and position the area to host world-class events. The shipyards are next on Khans to-do list, followed by a significant stadium renovation.

Khan has personally invested more than $100 million into making Jacksonville a more feasible NFL market.

We need to continue to do more. We cant do this overnight, Lamping said. These games in London will provide us with financial benefits during a much-needed time during the transition from where we are today until we open Lot J.

Were more confident than ever that we can be the catalyst to help the Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville realize our full potential.

Jacksonville, which has failed to regularly fill its stadium over the past 20 years (15 losing seasons), more than doubles its single-game revenue by playing overseas.

Jacksonvilles ticket, television, sponsorship and stadium revenue streams are smaller than those of NFL teams in larger markets. Earning money in London helps offset some of the disparity, and the game remains a critical part of the teams long-term plan.

The franchise got extended marketing rights in the United Kingdom when it signed its deal with the NFL in 2013 and even has an office and a 50,000-member fan club in London. The Jags credit about 11% of their local revenue to playing annually abroad. They expect that number to jump significantly with two games there.

While some assume that playing an additional game in London is the next step in Jacksonville moving there, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week before the Super Bowl that hes skeptical about the logistics of having a permanent team overseas.

The issue for us still is: Can we do this competitively for the team that is based there but also for the 31 other clubs? Goodell said. That involves scheduling, it involves a lot of other matters that you dont want to compromise. And until we can get comfortable on that, I dont think well be NFL-ready in London.

With other NFL teams wanting the financial boost that comes with playing in London, Khan tried to improve Jacksonvilles position there by bidding to buy Wembley in 2018. He eventually withdrew his offer after recognizing the extent of opposition to the sale.

Khan insists the move was never intended to create a potential relocation spot, but rather a way to gain more control over American football in the burgeoning market.

Khan remains open to buying Wembley if it were to end up back on the market.

Make no mistake: Winning is the top priority, Khan said. Everything were striving to do for the franchise and the city is about winning and about building a franchise thats expected to win consistently.

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Jaguars to play consecutive home games in London next season - West Hawaii Today

Launching today for the month of February on the mymaccas app is Maccas Mini Games, which is basically a set of fun games for us to play and explore on our phones with the chance of winning instant prizes, like free or discounted menu items.

The games include:

Totes A-Maze with a goal to navigate a labyrinth made of fries;

Lucky Dip with a goal to dunk a giant Chicken McNugget into one of Maccas iconic sauces;

Mini Mini Golf with a goal to score a hole-in-one off a put-put golf tee.

One game that requires a little more skill and has VISA cash prizes on offer is the Maccas Run, which involves the player running through a McDonalds-themed course before the time runs out.

All you need to do to play the games and have the chance to win some awesome prizes is download the mymaccas app on your device, play the game and then head into your nearest restaurant to redeem your daily prize.

Looks like we wont be getting too much work done today

You can find a list of all of the possible prizes below!

More here:

Macca's Have Launched Mini Games For Your Phone That Let You Win Instant Prizes - KIIS1065