From video games to a match-fixing scandal in Ligue 1, there is plenty to choose from in this week's Long Reads.
This week saw the death of George Martin, more commonly known as 'The Fifth Beatle', and Newstalk's Tom Dunne reflects on what that loss means to music and to him.
As video games get bigger (and longer), we ask should they stop wasting our time; we take a look at movie sequels that aren't quite sequels; and Dr. Fintan Sheerin travels to Calais to go inside Le Jungle.
Inside Calais' Le Jungle: "In Europe, they do not torture me, but they still treat me like an animal"
***Some readers may find the content and images in this piece upsetting***
The publication last September of a picture of three-year-old Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi, washed up on a beach in Turkey brought home to many people the reality of the refugee crisis which, up until then, had remained distant and disconnected.
It led to the possibility for genuine engagement on a global scale, as the image was shared widely on social media. Many people were mobilised and sought a meaningful way to respond to what they were becoming aware of. Irish nurse Dr. Fintan Sheerin travelled to the French refugee camp to offer aid to its residents, but what he witnessed there was far from humanitarian.
Why more video games need to stop wasting our time
The Witness, released back in January, is an extraordinary game for a number of reasons.
There's the stunning art and world design. There's the game's mature, experimental approach to narrative. There's the sheer ingenuity of the puzzle design throughout, and the subtlety with which it communicates its rules. But perhaps above all else what impresses is its sense of purpose, showing that players and designers alike would benefit if games weren't quite so packed full of 'stuff'.
How Marseille's scandal-fueled fall from grace impacted on PSG
Given the size and importance of the city, Paris' lack of footballing influence is peculiar, and PSG are now looking to fill that void to try and turn it into a veritable cathedral of the global game.
While they may be dominating the French league since the Qatar Sports Investment group took charge five years ago, European titles are always the eventual dream for sugar daddy owners, but their other recent success took place after Marseille's infamous match-fixing scandal.
"10 Cloverfield Lane" and other sequels that aren't actually sequels
Having been made with little fanfare and announced less than two months before it was due to arrive in cinemas, 10 Cloverfield Lane has been shrouded in a cloak of secrecy.
The trailer features Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a bomb shelter, with an ominous John Goodman in tow, and it has most people questioning in how it's related to the found-footage monster-movie from 2008. However, it's not the only movie that is related to a previous iteration, but isn't quite a sequel...
Paul or John... which Beatle made Sir George Martin "swell with pride"?
It’s hard to put into words what the loss of Sir George Martin means. The fifth Beatle okay, but what does that even mean? Well, at one point in 1962 stood four men with impressive raw talent.
At another point in 1967 stood the same men, but who were now the most-feted, revered songwriters of their generation. They could not have made that journey, that transformation, without Sir George.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
