Jul 29, 2019

Pennsylvania teen wins $3 million in Fortnite tournament

Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf celebrates winning Fortnite World Cup at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. Photo: Eric Ananmalay/ESPAT Media/Getty Images

Kyle Giersdorf, a 16-year-old from Pennsylvania, won the solo event at the inaugural Fortnite World Cup on Sunday, taking home $3 million in the process.

Why it matters: Such prizes show there is real money to be made in the booming esports arena, but lots people on Twitter on Sunday pondered whether such winnings are overglorifying the economic prospects for playing video games.

Yes, but: Jaden Ashman, a 15-year-old from Essex, U.K., finished as the runner-up in the doubles event and says his mother once thew away his Xbox after a fight. These days, though, she's OK with him being a professional video gamer.

Between the lines: Despite the big prizes in some of the top tournaments, some analysts believe the growing industry is in the midst of a giant bubble, while others say its a budding entertainment field just in its infancy.

Go deeper: Fortnite's mobile game continues to soar

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Ina Fried

Violent video games don't cause mass shootings

Violent video games — as well as television and movies — have been a frequent scapegoat for acts of real-world violence.

Reality check: It's hard to ignore the fact that video games are popular all over the world, yet mass shootings aren't common in most of those places. Naturally, that was the case put forth by the Entertainment Software Association, the video game industry's trade group.

Go deeperAug 5, 2019

Orion Rummler

Walmart removes signs and displays with depictions of violence

Texas State Troopers keep watch at the makeshift memorial for El Paso shooting victims. Photo: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Walmart has instructed employees to remove "any signing or displays that contain violent images or aggressive behavior," including those marketing violent video games, after recent mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, the AP reports.

Reality check: No scientific study has shown a connection between violent video games and gun violence. "Scant evidence has emerged that makes any causal or correlational connection between playing violent video games and actually committing violent activities," according to the American Psychological Association.

Go deeperAug 9, 2019

Sara Fischer

Vimeo launches enterprise tech business

Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Vimeo, the 14-year-old video service that started as a platform for indie filmmakers, is launching Vimeo Enterprise, a technology tool designed to help large businesses better communicate internally.

Why it matters: It's the second phase in Vimeo's two-year pivot from being a video and content company to a SaaS (software as a service) company. Last year, Vimeo launched its consumer-facing SaaS tool catered towards providing video professionals with high-grade video creation tools. Thursday's launch is catered towards large businesses.

Go deeperAug 1, 2019