Logo for Byte Magazine at Ball State University

Hot Takes




One lesson I have learned from my six favorite teen dramas

I watch teen dramas because they offer so much more than just a TV show to watch—they offer a lifestyle. They make you feel like you are living the character’s lives with them as they teach you lessons about love, strength, weakness, friendship, forgiveness and life in general. I have compiled a list of lessons that I have taken away from my top six favorite teen dramas; working my way up to my favorite lesson.



Students from the Ball State University Singers organization take off during the 2019 Ball State University Bed Race Oct. 18, on Riverside Ave. Bed races have been a Homecoming Week traditional at BSU since 1980. Kyle Crawford, Byte File

Ball State prepares for Homecoming Week in a new format

Nearly 14 months removed from the last Homecoming Week, Ball State is preparing to hold the annual event again April 26-May 1 with some significant changes. Other than the obvious rescheduling of Homecoming from the fall semester to the spring, the 94th annual week-long event will be held in a hybrid virtual and in-person fashion.


‘Batman: Arkham’ games ranked (Console releases)

The hugely popular Batman: Arkham franchise is one of my favorite video game franchises (alongside Uncharted and The Last of Us). I’ve been a fan of Rocksteady and Warner Bros. Games Montreal’s titles since I was 13, as they provided the ultimate experiences imaginable for me to become Batman. Now, while all of the Arkham series games are good at the very least, some are better than others. (Note: I will only be ranking the console releases. Therefore, I will not talk about the handheld entry Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, which came out on the Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita.)



Big Monkey Fighting Radioactive Lizard: The good, the bad, and the disappointing

Everyone likes a good movie, but what exactly makes a movie good? That’s definitely a topic for debate. A movie can easily be so bad that it’s good. One example being The Room which is objectively a horrible movie, but that attribute is what makes it so entertaining and elevated it to a cult classic. Sadly though, not all bad movies get this honor, like Cats— which is just plain bad. A simple way to find both objectively and subjectively “good” movies is to check both critic reviews and audience reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives you both for a reason. So, why in the world am I talking about this? Big monkey fighting radioactive lizard, that’s why. Godzilla vs. Kong for those of you who didn’t immediately get it.



Celebrating Drew Barrymore’s illustrious career

Cunning, beautiful, and the ultimate survivor of the horrors of fame, actress Drew Barrymore has had quite the acting career now at 46 years old. On April 13, Barrymore got candid with actress Demi Lovato about Lovato’s struggles with fame and being in the spotlight at such a young age. Barrymore mentioned she could relate to Lovato’s recent documentary Dancing with the Devil, which detailed the young actress’ time in and out of rehab and how she reclaimed her sobriety after a scary overdose in 2018. With a career spanning nearly four decades, Barrymore has come close to some devilish misfortunes herself, but what makes her life so tragic and inspiring at the same time? The answer comes with Barrymore’s deep ties to Hollywood starting at such an early age.


Wrapped Up S1E10: An electronic panic reaches the White House

Welcome back to another episode of Byte's news podcast, "Wrapped Up"! In this episode, Blake Chapman reports on President Biden's meeting on semiconductor shortages, the new live-action Gundam, and Sony's new investment in mobile gaming. Tune in for all this and more on this week's episode of Wrapped Up! Host: Blake Chapman Edited by: Blake Chapman Graphic by: Emily Hanes


‘My Hero Academia’ Season 5, Episode 4: “Make It Happen, Shinso!”

Despite the slow-developing story arc, this episode held many attributes contributing to the character growth of less developed characters in the My Hero Academia universe. However, it only added to the growing anticipation for when Deku will finally square off against Shinso again. Minor characters receive more depth to their personality, and we start to see a growing relationship between the distant Shinso and Class 1-A. All of which establish a starting point for more teamwork and well-developed interpersonal relationships in the future, impacting their journey as heroes and overall character growth.