Heather Newman has been a gaming and tech journalist for 20 years, with columns running in more than 75 newspapers and sites nationwide and a few more overseas. Her copy of Zork came in a baggie, she scored a (single, lousy) point against Fatal1ty in Unreal Tournament, and she exclusively broke the release date for the original World of Warcraft.
Lately she's been playing far too much bad strategy, pondering the crowded holiday release calendar for hidden gems, and discovering the secrets of how Candy Crush level 65 was designed to crush you. Read about how Warcraft helped get her a day job, in the Wall Street Journal.
Heather joined the GamesBeat crew in part because of the VentureBeat/GamesBeat ethics policy: after two decades as a professional journalist, a site that cares this much about doing it right feels like home.
Stories by Heather Newman
Blizzard experiments with 5-player raids for World of Warcraft
Legion is World of Warcraft’s best expansion ever
The Girl and the Robot delivers a short but charming experience
World of Warcraft guide: Here’s your Legion to-do list (updated)
Warcraft fans should watch for these Easter eggs in the movie
Overwatch developers’ guide: How to win without shooting
With Stellaris, Paradox finds the sweet spot between 4X and grand strategy
Hearthstone 101: How beginners tackle Standard and Whispers of the Old Gods
Blizzard’s execs eye mobile as their next winning game strategy — but not virtual reality
Mad Catz designed the R.A.T. 1 gaming mouse to break apart (CES video)
Psychonauts 2 met its $3.3 million crowdfunding goal today, 11 years after the first game
Smart smoke alarm battery lasts five years, won’t chirp, and messages you or ADT when the alarm goes off
Customers now wary of security holes in connected devices, survey finds
Ronda Rousey in World of Warcraft? Nope — meet Rhonda Cox
Overwatch’s team gives a behind-the-scenes look at Blizzard’s first new series since 1998
A Very Special Holiday Interview with (fake) Devolver Digital CFO Fork Parker
Just Cause 3 impressions: Bugs mar what could be a tremendous Grand Theft Auto-at-war game
For the gamer who has everything: custom-designed wood console covers
Heroes of the Storm designer guides us on how to win with Greymane and Lunara
iOS downloads soar 23% higher in October for popular apps even as advertising costs rise
World of Warcraft exec: We do things now we would’ve shot down 10 years ago
Check your email: Overwatch launches its first stress test this weekend
Heroes of the Storm designer: Tips for winning with Cho’gall, the new 2-player Ogre
World of Warcraft: Legion may let players try level 100 characters before they commit to them
World of Warcraft’s Patch 6.2.3 and anniversary have meme-tastic Thunderfury and new mounts (update)
Today’s tiny World of Warcraft news: Gnome hunters
Overwatch impressions, Part 3: the three new BlizzCon heroes
World of Warcraft: Legion’s Demon Hunter class — the complete starting experience
World of Warcraft players, your bag space problems may soon be over
Blizzard is willing to risk making a Warcraft movie because of director Duncan Jones
World of Warcraft: Legion at BlizzCon 2015 — new cinematic and details
Need for Speed reboot offers fun, even if its always-online is just crass commercialism
Overwatch first impressions, Part 2: all the defense heroes, all the tanks
Overwatch first impressions: all the maps, all the support, & all the offense
Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition offers tremendous additions but also some annoyances for console players
Activision Blizzard creates new esports division on the eve of BlizzCon’s championships
FIFA, Metal Gear Solid V score in the top 5 of September’s digital download revenue rankings
Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate nails zip lines, not the story — and finally gets women right
