You’re probably already well aware (I mean, it’s not even Sunday yet and we’ve been seeing fantastic commercials releasing in droves including a fantastic Pokemon ad), but Super Bowl 50 is less than two days away!

If you’re anything like me (and if you’re reading Geekscape, you probably are, and I’m sorry)… you have little to no interest in the event. Unless there is booze, that is, and in that case I am VERY interested in it.

So, we at Geekscape have put together our Top 5 favorite alternatives to watching the big game!

5 – Blood Bowl

Blood Bowl Image

Blood Bowl is the Warhammer: Fantasy take on football itself. Set in the mythical land of Warhammer, it pits two players against each other in a turn based game of football. Each player chooses from a selection of fantasy races, naturally with their own advantages and disadvantages. Additionally, players can hire and level up non-fielded characters such as Cheerleaders, Assistant Coaches, and even Healers. All boost the statistics of the players on the field. The best part of the game, is where the actual BLOOD comes into play. It’s not just about moving the ball down the field, its about trying to injure or kill opposing players.

You can play Blood Bowl all old school (on the tabletop itself, painting up figures and sets). OR you can find a digital version of the game on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Google Play, Amazon Store and iOS.

For more information check out the Blood Bowl Fan League!

4 – Online Gaming (Rocket League, CS:GO, League of Legends)

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Around major events like the Super Bowl and national holidays, the online servers for A LOT of games see their populations dwindle. The casual players get all wrapped up in the festivities, and all that’s left are the die hard players.

If you really want to test your skill in games like Rocket League or CS:GO, then there is no better time than this very Sunday. You can tell your friends and family that you’re practicing for the eSports league, and that they will be watching you play League of Legends on the big screen in a few years…. Hey, a Geek can dream about more than just cartoon ponies, can’t he?

3 – Sports Related Manga

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Much like the Rule 34 of the internet (my favorite rule, if you’re curious), if it exists, there is a Manga about it. Japanese manga are so ubiquitous that essentially everyone around is able to find something they’re interested in confined to a half-inch thick book.

From titles like Prince of Tennis, King Golf, Hikaru no Go, and Initial D, you are sure to find the book of your fancy.

Check out this list of The Top 50 Sports Related Manga’s from OtakuSmash and be amazed. I never would have dreamed I be interested in fishing manga!

2 – Kaiju Movie Marathon

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If you have no interest in watching a bunch of big guys run around a field and beat each other up for a few hours, then why don’t you watch a bunch of big guys in MONSTER SUITS run around and beat each other up for a few hours!

There are so many to choose from that you don’t even have to limit yourself to just Godzilla and friends! Get some buddies, fire up the Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Torrents (not Torrents) or if you’re a die hard Kaiju fan break out those antique VHS tapes.

For a lighthearted twist on the big monster movie genre, you can snag yourself some episodes of MST3K! Their personal twist on the Gamera films always leave me in stitches.

1 – ACTUALLY WATCH THE GAME!

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Didn’t see this one coming, did you? I know this may be counter intuitive to what this entire list is about, but actually watch the game! Get some of your friends together, get some bad food and alcohol and enjoy the damned festivities. Even if you’re like me and have ZERO interest in football, there is so much to offer.

The commercials alone should be enough to attract all the Geeks. We have plenty of hilarious commercials that will be the talk of the Twittersphere (or… Facebookverse?) come Monday, and you don’t want to be out of the loop. Keep an eye out for appearances from some internet famous (it’s a thing) people like The Texas Law Hawk and Giorgio Tsoukalos. We will also see plenty of Geeky ones too. The biggest (for us geeks) is the long-awaited Pokemon 20th Anniversary ad. Yeah, we all have already seen it, but seeing it on air is going to be exciting!

Aside from the commercials, of course there is also the legendary Half-Time show. Last years Katy Perry performance literally had me smiling from ear to ear (she always does), and for the last 11 years we’ve all been hoping for another wardrobe malfunction like we had back in 2004.

If you don’t have television, or are a cordcutter don’t fret! There are plenty of free, LEGAL, options to watch the big game. LifeHacker has compiled a giant list, but the easiest is snagging the CBS sports apps on your favorite streaming platform.

SO GEEKS! What are you going to be doing come Sunday? We’d love to hear what everyone has planned!

Briefly: I’ve been meaning to try League of Legends for quite some time now. I told myself that I would play it when the Mac beta launched in March of last year… and for some reason it’s still sitting on my SSD unplayed.

After watching the League of Legends: Beyond the Rift video, which kicked off Machinima’s #LOLWEEK today, I want to give it a shot right now.

This week’s League of Legends theme is building up to the launch of Chasing the Cup, and all-new LoL competition series from Machinima.:

League of Legends fans awaiting the launch of Chasing the Cup—Machinima’s new LoL competition series—can whet their appetites with a week-long celebration known as #LoLWeek. Airing on Machinima Realm (YouTube.com/MachinimaRealm), the series of live-action and CGI-animated videos will showcase a who’s-who of League of Legends champions, including Jax, Veigar, Fiddlesticks, Ahri, Graves, Miss Fortune, Kog’Maw, Lux,Mecha Kha’zix, and Ashe. A new video will debut each day at 9:00 am PST (12:00 pm EST), all leading up to the Friday launch of Chasing the Cup on Machinima’s Twitch channel (Twitch.tv/Machinima).

New videos will be published each day, beginning with Jax vs. Veigar. Watch the amazing League of Legends: Beyond the Rift video below, and let us know what else you hope to see this week? Are you a LoL player? What’s your favourite thing about the title? Sound out below!

http://youtu.be/4QNCJQmr5gw

Briefly: League of Legends fans, you’re going to love this.

You probably remember the fantastic Skyrim fan film, Into the Void, that Machinima debuted earlier this month, right? Well they’re at it again, and this time the’ve released two incredible projects based on the ever popular (though somehow I’ve still never played it) League of Legends.

Both videos come from George and Harry Kirby, the very same geeks who crafted an impressive Dragon Ball Z live action short earlier this year. First up, on Machinima Prime is League of Legends: Blind Ambition, which delves into the past of Lee Sin, the blind monk. You’ll learn how he was blinded, watch him battle the deadly assassin Katarina, and much, much more. Take a look at Blind Ambition below, and read on for the next video!

http://youtu.be/k8UdPiZaP2U

Next up, on Machinima Realm, is League of Legends: Shadowfall, a three-part miniseries that “follows the lore of Shen and Zed, two brothers training to become ninja warriors, whose sibling rivalry turns deadly when Zed embraces the shadow powers in order to overcome his brother.” Take a look at all three episodes below, and let us know what you think!

http://youtu.be/1GxR3mQ0Inw

http://youtu.be/UUrwnc8qM-Y

http://youtu.be/thmkuB6L5rI

Machinima is certainly producing some great content these days. I can’t wait to see what comes next! Be sure to let us know what you thought of these shorts!

This is terrible.

Back in February, Texas teen Justin Carter made an albeit stupid, violent, and disrespectful joke during a match of League of Legends, stating ‘Oh yeah, I’m real messed up in the head, I’m going to go shoot up a school full of kids and eat their still, beating hearts,’  before following-up with ‘Lol, JK.’

Long story short, an individual later saw the comment, called the police, and Justin was charged with “making a terrorist threat.”

Justin Carter has been in jail since March for the comment. He just celebrated his 19th birthday behind bars, and could be facing up to eight more years in prison depending on how things go.

Justin’s father believes that Justin had no idea the implications of his words, stating: “Justin was the kind of kid who didn’t read the newspaper. He didn’t watch television. He wasn’t aware of current events. These kids, they don’t realize what they’re doing. They don’t understand the implications. They don’t understand.”

A petition to release Justin has been launched at Change.org, and currently hosts over 50’000 signatures. All of us at Geekscape implore you to take a few short minutes, and add your name to that list. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more about Justin’s absurd situation.

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Source: DailyCaller