Logo for Byte Magazine at Ball State University

Reality Check




Threatening the theatre: How acting majors are coping with COVID-19

With COVID-19 cases still high across the nation with nearly 50,000 new cases in the last 7 days, individuals from all walks of life are having to alter their schedules and plans. Coming back to Ball State University this fall has demonstrated that there will have to be a new normal for everyone. It is currently unacceptable to embrace a friend, walk around without a mask, or congregate in large groups. Even though the average person may miss these small gestures, some Ball State students do not have time to dwell on them as their entire academic lives have been turned upside down. One major that has had to do a lot of adapting for the recent semester is the acting major.


Sjokz: A Voice for the Gaming Youth

To many Esports fanatics, Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere is someone many people—especially women—look up to. Whether it be her large presence and voice within the gaming industry or what she signifies for their professional ambition, Sjokz has paved the way for many young voices in the gaming industry who wish to fill her big shoes over the past 20 years.



History of Scream

Fall marks the time of year when Americans go to haunted houses, carve pumpkins, and curl up on the couch with a bucket of popcorn while walking horror movies. One of the horror flicks that should be at the top of every list is Scream. The film is like lightning in a bottle.  It combines horror and comedy while having clever commentary on horror films woven throughout. With an all-star cast including Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Jamie Kennedy who have created some of horror's most iconic characters, the film was able to go on to be a success both critically and financially. But how did this iconic film, not based on any previous source material, begin in the first place?



CovenS7E1 - Validating Femininity in Athletics

Welcome back, witches, to another season of the Coven! Bubbling in the cauldron this week is the controversy engulfing the World Athletics Association and South African Olympic runner, Caster Semenya. Semenya has a condition called Hyperandrogenism which causes higher levels of testosterone. This has caused raised questions surrounding gender identity and regulations surrounding athletes with sex development disorders. What makes a woman a woman? How is this justified through science or societal means? Find out all this and more in this week's episode of The Coven! 



Top 5 Cormac McCarthy novels

Going back out into the real world can be scary, with businesses beginning to reopen, and this awkward transition period the world is in. If you find yourself in need of another reality, fall in love with one of the most passionate and well-written authors of our time. 


“Mulan” is nothing more than a cheap knockoff

It is a viewing experience that while you can, fortunately, rewatch as much as you want, there is no reason as to why you would. With a lack of charisma that made the original so magical and not enough new content to hold its own, Disney has done the impossible: made an adaptation as bad as The Last Airbender.