By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Amazon Prime can now get these free games thanks to Twitch
6ba441ffedec0fcd36779e17cb98fd755cb4cc1f30e4501f752acdb0d2ead640
Twitch announced Tuesday that it will give Amazon Prime customers free copies of games Superhot and Oxenfree beginning Thursday. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News special workflow
Published: Mar 16, 2018, 1:59 PM
Amazon Prime customers are about to receive some free video games.

Twitch announced Tuesday that it will give Amazon Prime customers free copies of games Superhot and Oxenfree beginning this Thursday.

Then, April 1, Prime customers will receive free copies of Tales from the Borderlands and Steamworld Dig 2.

The company said it will also make eight independent games available for free. The team also launched a list of titles that will soon become available for free over the next two months.

Those games include: "Superhot," "Shadow Tactics," "Tales from Candlekeep," "Oxenfree," and "Mr. Shifty" in March and "Tales from the Borderlands," "SteamWorld Dig 2," "Kingsway," "Tokyo 42" and "Dubwars."

According to The Verge, this is the first time Amazon and Twitch are using their partnership to send out free games to customers.

Back in 2016, Amazon and Twitch announced that Twitch fans who sign up for Amazon Prime would receive free game downloads, in-game items and free Twitch watching without ads, according to WIRED. A Twitch Prime membership comes free with an Amazon Prime membership, which costs $12.99 a month or $99 a year.

However, as BGR reported, Twitch users will be familiar with this practice, as the video game streaming service offers plenty of free games to its user base.

Amazon Prime members may want to involve themselves in this process if they're not big gamers, BGR reported.

Even if youre a parent who doesnt have the time or patience to play any video games, let alone watch others do it on Twitch, you should still familiarize yourself with the service if youre already a paying Prime subscriber, according to BGR. Twitch is, after all, an Amazon property. Your kids will thank you later, even though the games offered wont necessarily be the blockbuster hits in the industry.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
93cbd7a5475cccd1cee701424125d3abaa9b4beaa58d3663208f656cbbbd7661
A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.