Into the metal-verse: Why Avenged Sevenfold is doing virtual reality concerts

Into the metal-verse: Why Avenged Sevenfold is doing virtual reality concerts

In a nondescript Culver City warehouse, members of the metal band Avenged Sevenfold wear protective booties over their shoes to avoid scuffing the floor-to-ceiling green screen. The surroundings couldn’t be more different from their usual fire-and-brimstone aesthetics. That will soon change, of course, with the green screen swapped out for a series of fantastical concert…

Leaked document offers glimpse into how Amazon amasses influence in the Inland Empire

Leaked document offers glimpse into how Amazon amasses influence in the Inland Empire

In the first two years of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture’s existence, e-commerce giant Amazon.com was happy to contribute funds to the much-lauded Riverside facility. But this year, the Cheech hosted an exhibit that included a piece depicting an Amazon warehouse on fire. In an interview, the artist said the piece,…

This year’s most poignant and powerful narratives were in video games

This year’s most poignant and powerful narratives were in video games

We still too often talk about video games as escapes — little playthings that are big business but often considered not as serious as their media peers. And yet in 2023 the most mature, poignant and thoughtful narratives I experienced were the interactive ones — whether they tackled major topics or were simply about the…