One week to go before BlizzCon! Last week we covered off the state of Overwatch, Starcraft and Diablo in the lead up. This week we cover off the rest of the best.

The biggest event on the annual Blizzard games calendar, Blizzcon, is right around the corner. So to kick off The Scrapyard, we’re taking a close look at all six games in the stable to think about the year so far and what we expect from the big show.

Every digital art form has its breakthrough moments, when the right experience arrives at the right time to show us what’s possible and inspires many others to chase their lead. Beat Saber, quite simply, is the rhythm game we needed to show just how wonderful a virtual reality game experience can be – without the need to just translate things we’ve already seen on 2D screens into a 3D world.

When you’re mainlining a TV show in an epic weekend binge session, do you want some ads thrown into the mix? Ars Technica reports that Netflix has been trialling ad inserts between episodes of TV shows – and those who’ve spotted the ‘test’ are furious.

The beauty of sport is that it doesn’t matter your language, you can share a love for the competition that transcends communication barriers. Today, I was reminded that esports do the same thing. And that emotion and fan energy is the glue that binds us in that moment.

It’s been a long promise of smart, powerful handheld devices. That soon we would be unshackled from the need to carry large screened laptops everywhere and instead possess one device to rule them all.

Life moves pretty fast. And so does this legendary vehicle straight off the set of Ferris Bueller – and it goes under the hammer next week!

Feeling like you’re on FB and the ‘gram a little too much? Would you like to check your usage – and set limits to remind yourself to do something else now and then?

We’ve all dreamed of owning a family robot, but so far it’s been toys that spend most of their time in cupboards, or it’s been vacuum cleaners. Vector looks like yet another robot toy for kids, but looks can be deceiving. Take that toy you’re thinking of but make it a permanent presence that can autonomously hang out on your desk or kitchen bench, and act a little like Amazon’s Alexa to boot.

How do suburbs and neighbourhoods get their names? That seems to be changing in the age of Google Maps, according to an amazing story at The New York Times.

Last week a fire rocked World of Warcraft. It was an epic act of petulance, strategically foolish. It seemed bizarrely out of character for a beloved anti-hero, and damaged the honour of half the game’s player population. In the heat of the moment, it’s been hard for many players and fans to accept. The game has thrived on nuanced reasoning that keeps the Horde and Alliance opposed while both feel justified in their animosity. But this was different.

This week we’ve explored the technicalities and the teamwork that has worked to develop World of Warcraft into the game it has become over its fourteen year history. Today, we ask Alex Afrasiabi, Creative Director of World of Warcraft, to point to the future of storytelling in the game.