Competitions
Critic’s Notebook
The Cruel Abstraction of “Beast Games”
On a competition show made by the YouTube sensation MrBeast, the people are faceless and the challenges are vicious.
Culture Desk
How “Battle Royale” Took Over Video Games
With a simple, ingenious formula, a Japanese novel has inspired some of the most successful games in history.
Personal History
With Father-and-Son Writers, Who Gets to Tell the Family Story?
A relationship reconsidered by reading between the lines.
The Sporting Scene
The Great Bridge Boycott
At a recent tournament, thirty teams refused to compete when faced with the prospect of playing against Fulvio Fantoni, a notorious Italian player who has been accused of cheating.
The New Yorker Documentary
A Young Female Boxer’s Recovery and Rise
“Team Meryland” follows a teen-ager’s journey from the Watts housing projects to the Junior Olympics.
Dept. of Agriculture
Fire-Eaters
Work for Hire
Piano Man
Letter from Oslo