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Gaming makes everything better. I love setting a challenge, working to hit it, and always striving to reach that next level. So, why not take that ethos and apply it to more than just Fortnite? I wanted to know — could I gamify self-improvement, and boost more than just my Gamerscore? By making a small change to unleash my true potential, I wanted to see if I could level up my entire life.

That was the challenge I set myself when I signed up for StackSkills Unlimited Online Courses.

As the name suggests, StackSkills Unlimited is a totally unlimited subscription to thousands of eLearning courses — and with just one simple payment, the subscription lasts for life. That means you get access to top-rated training on a huge variety of self-improvement topics, forever. No wonder it’s loved by users across the world.

I decided that, thanks to its one-time low payment, StackSkills Unlimited was the perfect way to take on my challenge. Elearning is the latest big trend in leveling up your life and with good reason. With the latest innovations in online learning, you no longer have to quit your job and enroll in enormously expensive college courses to learn a new profession or attend night school to learn a new skill. Now, you can take high-quality courses in your own time, on-demand from anywhere. Everything is ready to stream from desktop or mobile — whether you’re traveling or in the comfort of your own home. I don’t know about you, but that’s how I like to take on my gaming challenges.

Here’s how I leveled up my life, all with just one service…

I trained for a six-figure career

Perhaps the most exciting thing about the courses available on StackSkills Unlimited is the variety of topics you can boost your skills in. Naturally, I headed straight to the ones which had the potential to make me the most money — what else would you do in a game situation?

With tons of different coding courses to be discovered in the StackSkills, I started with “C# Basics for Beginners: Learn C# Fundamentals by Coding” which I’ll be able to follow up with more C# courses, like “C# Advanced Topics: Take Your C# Skills to the Next Level” in order to finally learn to write clean code and start an exciting new career as a developer. The average salary for a C# developer in the US is over $112K, with that rising to $180K for top jobs — so this seemed like a worthwhile investment of my free time.

The career possibilities opened up by the library are near-endless, too. We’re talking game development, IT skills, design and more. Whatever your dream job, you’ll likely find training for it on this service. My LinkedIn profile is looking miles better already.

I built my own mobile game

With courses ranging from making games for iOS and Android, to HTML5 development, to JavaScript 3D game development with Unity, it's a gamer's playground. If you’ve always wanted to make your own video game, StackSkills has the course to walk you through it.

I turned my attention to “HTML5 Mobile Game Development for Beginners”, and followed that up with “HTML5 Mobile Game Development by Example – Veggies vs Zombies” a step-by-step practical course that showed me exactly how to build my own playable mobile game. Creating a game has always been a dream of mine, and finally, it’s not only something I’ve achieved but something I can continue to build on and become more skilled at. All by tinkering with it for fun at the weekend.

I got in shape

I told you this library was versatile. Leveling up my life isn’t just about my resume, about sitting at my desk or even making more money. It’s about making self-improvement changes that are sustainable and can be implemented for a lifetime – just like the course subscription.

I took this to include my health and fitness, too, by taking the course “How To Lose Weight Fast." Through this online course, weight loss specialist Joey Emont walked me through everything I never knew about nutrition, and weight loss, as well as building strength through expert-designed workouts. Plus, I was able to fit into my schedule by streaming on my commute to work each morning, for an added dose of morning motivation.

I stepped up my side hustle

Not only can having a side hustle bring you in serious streams of extra income, but it teaches you invaluable lessons in entrepreneurship, branding and bottom lines. The StackSkills library is packed with useful skills to implement into your side hustle and start making real cash with. I took the course “10 Shopify Dropshipping Strategies That Make Me 6-Figures” to build on my eCommerce understanding, and combined this with the course “Facebook Ads & Facebook Marketing Mastery Guide 2020” to drive more traffic — and sales — to my lucrative new business. And yes, I’m actually making money from it!

So, is it worth the hype?

In three words: yes, yes, yes! The hype is real: StackSkills Unlimited has earned an impressive 4.5 out of 5-star rating from its users on TrustPilot. As one recent reviewer explained, “I love that there is a variety of skill sets I can learn from on my own schedule. Being able to have access to all these courses in one bundle is of huge value for me.”

It’s also loved by critics, with glowing reviews from the experts at Engadget, who said that the "StackSkills Unlimited plan offers a lifetime access to over 1,000 courses that will help you get promoted, change careers or start a side hustle." Meanwhile, reviewers at PCMag sum it up as, "Lifetime access to StackSkills Unlimited empowers you to discover your potential."

After my experience with the service, I couldn’t agree more.

Especially when you take into account the cost. I’d previously weighed up the benefits of courses that cost thousands of dollars to enroll in, individually. Lifetime access to StackSkills Unlimited is usually $1,495, but right now, and for a limited time, you can get the same subscription for just $35.40 when you enter the code VIP40 at checkout.

Not only does this one-time payment give you access to more than 100 curated courses from over 350 top-rated, world-class instructors, but new courses are added monthly, too. For side hustles, resume boosts and new interests to explore, you’ll never have to pay for another course again.

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I’ve loved working with computers since I was a little kid. I remember learning some basic code in middle school, but my interests never developed because I spent all of my time playing sports. That obsession lasted until I was in college, where I found myself studying business and playing for the school's baseball team. Those were a fun four years, and then they ended, and I didn’t get drafted, and sports took a backseat.

I went on to work in various sales-related companies for the next decade, and I absolutely hated every minute of it. While I was using and selling electronics, softwares, and programs on a daily basis—neither myself nor the people I was selling to had any idea how any of this stuff actually worked. Having observed this oddity and having it bother me for years, I finally decided one day to change industries and pursue something that spoke directly to my interests.

The Essential Programming Languages

I decided somewhat blindly that I wanted to be a programmer, and I didn’t really have the slightest clue how broad of an ambition that was. I also blindly applied to some junior developer positions, just to see what I was lacking. Everyone kept asking for knowledge of Java, C#, and Python. The more these languages popped up, the more I realized that I had to actually learn one of them.

While researching ways to learn programming languages from home, I came across The Premium Python Certification Bundle. It was heavily discounted and promised to, “strengthen your programming career and up your earning potential.” Considering I didn’t quite have a career yet, I figured there was a lot in there that I could learn. So, I bought it—all 10 courses and 875 lessons.

Learning Python From Home

I’m not the most DIY person and have always had trouble relating to those friends who seem to be able to teach themselves anything on YouTube. So, buying these remote education courses was somewhat intimidating, or at least it was until I actually dove in.

My novice self felt rightfully taken care of from the first course, which is The Complete 2021 Python Course. This gave me my first insights on how to create programs, apps, scripts, and even games with Python Programming. Focused on introducing the students to the ins and outs of Python, this course really set the stage for me. There were lectures not only on the language itself, but also on how the software development industry generally works, different roles on a typical team, and there were even tips on landing Python Programming jobs without a degree. This was a fantastic introduction to the bundle and my venture. I rated our instructor Juan E. Galvan, an amazing entrepreneur who founded Sezmi SEO, 5/5 stars for this course, and his total average is 4.5/5 stars!

From there, I was all in. I dove into Python 3: From ZERO to GUI Programming and began getting familiar with Python 3. It was in this course that I developed my passion for gaming development, and exploring how Python’s tools and libraries could be used to create an endless variety of ideas and adventures. I also studied scientific programming and web development in this course, and I felt very comfortable navigating the content despite my limited experience.

Throughout the rest of the bundle, I learned a lot more than I recount in this article. One highlight was learning about the intuition and implementation of each advanced level Python concept in Python AdvancedConcepts. Being able to make real-time advanced applications using advanced level concepts in that course really set me on a path of growth. I also studied advanced data types, real-time stream processing, and how to code with Python 2021.

Finding A Job

I spent around 3 weeks going through the 91 hours of instruction included in The Premium Python Programming Certification Bundle. That was included with a lot of curious exploring I did on my own after getting through a specific lecture, lesson, or course. I was fascinated, hooked, and now ready to seek employment.

I took a Python Programming Certification exam with the Python Institute and gained my Entry-Level Python Programmer Certification. From there, I began applying to the multitude of junior developer jobs out there. Also, my time spent studying Python sparked my curiosity, and I began to dive into Java, C#, and even more programming languages. Not only was I genuinely intrigued and captivated by this education, but I was also making myself a more valuable hire every single day.

The first job offer I got from this whole effort came from a gaming company, which I was ecstatic about. As I mentioned, while taking the course Python 3: From ZERO to GUI Programming, I fell in love with the idea of programming games. And here I was, no longer in sports, no longer in sales, and working in a new field that I absolutely loved.

I’ve been in programming ever since, and it’s both the most invested I’ve personally been in work and the best I’ve done financially in my life. For those who are looking for a jump in careers or to start the long process of becoming qualified for programming positions, I could not recommend the path I took more. Not only was I introduced to Python Programming in an easy-to-understand, digestible way, but I was also able to go through the process of working out problems and building programs during my studies. The convenience of doing this all from home was a lifesaver for my family—I was able to get up early and get in a good chunk of work before getting my kids ready for school every morning. Also, the money I saved doing this instead of a more expensive bootcamp came in real handy while I was job hunting.

With all of the courses' retail value added up, The Premium Python Programming Certification Bundle is worth $2,000. When I signed up, I got it on sale for just $29.99. Right now, if you use code VIP40 at checkout, you can get the whole bundle of courses, lectures, and valuable information for just $17.99. Not bad for an investment that can turn your life around, just like it did to mine.

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The first time I saw someone use sign language was, without a doubt, in a local production of The Miracle Worker. I don't remember it precisely, but I know I saw The Miracle Worker, and I know they perform sign language, so it had to have been then. As a kid, I thought it was a cool story but I didn't know anybody personally who was hearing impaired, so I never considered learning American Sign Language (ASL).

It wasn't until adulthood that I realized how valuable ASL really is. A friend of mine was studying to be an occupational therapist and, on the side, had decided to learn ASL because it was extremely useful for communicating with non-verbal patients. Seeing her use it in action reminded me of my own failure to be able to communicate with my grandmother in the final months of her life, spent in and out of consciousness in a hospital bed with a tube down her throat. I could say what I wanted, but she had no way of talking back.

In the years since then, ASL has experienced a major renaissance. Hollywood movies like A Quiet Place and CODA have shone a light on the deaf community. Today, ASL is one of the most widely used languages in the U.S. and is the fourth-most studied second language at American universities. There are up to 500,000 ASL users in the U.S. and Canada, most of whom use ASL as their primary language.

But learning ASL isn't just a useful way to communicate with the non-hearing community, it has a huge range of benefits that I wish I knew about earlier in life.

The benefits of learning ASL

Helps babies communicate better and sooner

Millennial parents have made it cool to teach babies sign language before they can talk. While that's certainly practical, there are also long-term benefits. According to the Amerian Sign Language University, babies as young as eight months can sign words and imitate signs from their parents, allowing kids to communicate much more easily with their parents.

In a 2003 study, one researcher found that giving parents and children this early method of communication led to increased trust and understanding in the parent-child relationship.

ASL leads to higher reading levels and cognitive benefits

Another benefit is that ASL-learning kids have been shown to have higher reading levels and a 15-20% improvement in their vocabulary compared to peers. They've also been shown to have higher test scores.

Kids who are ASL native signers have also been linked to higher IQ scores. According to Cal State University research, adults who were exposed to ASL at an early had heightened reasoning skills and had an IQ of 12 points higher than their peers. That study also showed that ASL-learning babies spoke much sooner than their non-ASL controls.

If you want your kids to succeed in school, teaching them ASL at an early age is a great place to start.

ASL introduces you to the deaf culture and community

As previously mentioned, Hollywood has made some inroads to bring deaf culture into the mainstream, but there's nothing quite like immersing yourself. If you're learning a new oral language, the best way to do it is to go to a country and start speaking. It's the same when it comes to learning ASL.

ASL improves your peripheral vision and reaction time

One cool, surprising benefit of learning ASL? You'll gain the peripheral vision and reaction time of Spider-Man. Okay, maybe it's not that good, but according to a University of Sheffield study, ASL users really do have better peripheral vision and reaction time than non-signing peers. Because it's such a visual language, you have to be more alert, causing your "visual field response" to improve over time.

Additionally, you'll also learn how to read facial expressions, body language, and lips better than ever.

ASL helps you become a better listener

Not only will ASL make you a better visual observer, but it will have benefits in your hearing life as well. Since communicating in sign language requires so much focus and concentration, you get into the habit of making eye contact. You read people's faces and body language better, allowing you to better read subtext and increase your emotional intelligence. All of that makes you a better listener which, in turn, will make you a better team player and leader.

How to learn ASL

We've covered why you should learn ASL, but how do you do it when you're so busy all the time? You don't have to go anywhere or make any extra time in your schedule. You can learn on your own time, at your own pace with The All-in-One American Sign Language Bundle.

This 13-course bundle includes nearly 30 hours of beginner-friendly training taught by Intellezy Learning (4.4 out of 5 instructor rating). Intellezy uses online videos and quick reference guides to educate and empower individuals on a huge array of important topics. They've been recognized by top educational influencers like eLearning Journal and The Craig Weiss Group because their dynamic, task-focused videos help you learn new skills quickly without overhauling your life.

In this bundle, you'll get familiar with the history and origin of deaf education and oralism before learning basic ASL alphabet, colors, animals, and more. You'll learn how to use ASL for day-to-day situations and expand your vocabulary to include basic business-related terminology and expressions. From there, you'll delve into more focused courses, including adjectives, colors, animals and numbers, personality question and answer, action verbs, emotions, pronouns, fingerspelling, and more. Before you know it, you'll be signing like a pro and be able to use ASL in your everyday life.

Why wait any longer to learn ASL? Right now is a great opportunity to do so because The All-in-One American Sign Language Bundle is on sale for a limited time during our VIP Sale for just $20.99 when you use promo code VIP40 at checkout.

Prices subject to change.

Capcom has announced that Monster Hunter Rise for PC (via Steam) will be released on January 12, 2022.

Announced during Tokyo Game Show 2021, the Steam version of the game boasts a number of updates to the original Switch version: 4K resolution support, high-res textures, uncapped framerates, optimised keyboard and mouse controls, voice chat, and ultrawide 21:9 display support.

A demo for the PC version of the game will arrive on October 13, giving you a look at what's to come. The demo will include online multiplayer and offline solo play, allow use of all 14 weapon types, and include two tutorials. After the tutorials, three quests are available, against Great Izuchi, Mizutsune and Magnamalo.

Released as a Switch exclusive in March, we awarded Monster Hunter Rise an 8/10 review, saying that it "mixes classic Monster Hunter ideas with some of World’s best improvements and a whole bunch of clever new mechanics of its own."

After leaks suggested the game would eventually get an improved PC release, Capcom confirmed that the game would get a PC release. "“We received a lot of requests for a PC version of Monster Hunter Rise, particularly from overseas players, and so we have decided to develop a version for PC," said producer Ryozo Tsujimoto at the time.

Rise will receive a "massive expansion", Sunbreak in the summer of 2022 – the PC edition will receive it at the same time.

This article was updated after publish with new details provided by Capcom.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

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Call me old fashioned, but this whole streaming thing has been simply unattractive to me since the start. Now, I don’t mean any disrespect to Netflix, or Hulu, or Amazon Prime, or HBO Max, or Peacock, or any of the other providers in this crowded and active field. I just spent the majority of my adulthood watching television with a cable subscription.

I like sitting down on the couch, picking up the remote control, pressing a button and seeing what’s on. I like watching a lot of live sports. In the fall it’s football and baseball playoffs, winter brings basketball and hockey, and the spring restarts the season of our nation’s pastime. I’m also a news watcher. The weather report is my favorite thing.

My kids moved out of the house and never even subscribed to cable. They have these things called smart TVs, and they look at a screen filled with all of these apps and choose what to watch on-demand. If they want the weather or to watch a sports game, they go online. I don’t know how to find anything online. And I’ve always liked my cable provider, at least until about a year ago when they raised prices on me.

Cable Became Too Expensive

After holding out for years, I finally started listening to my kids about getting a smart TV. They told me that I could save a ton of money on more affordable subscriptions, and that I would be able to stream from my phone, and choose what to watch from all of these apps. I told them that I don’t want a bunch of apps. I wanted just one. I’m a simple man, and that’s just how I felt at the time.

They told me about all of the providers listed above, but all of them felt limited and lacking in the live programming that I’d grown to love so much. Frustrated, my children soon gave up on helping me find a cable programming alternative. Luckily, I soon brought my dilemma to an old friend who recommended SelectTV to me. I checked out this link they sent me, saw some exciting details and a ⅘ star rating by verified purchasers, and so I gave it a deeper look.

The Streaming App That Has It All

Right off the bat, this sounded like the solution I was looking for. Designed to place all of a viewer’s entertainment in one place, SelectTV is a streaming app with 150+ live channels and access to an extensive library of TV shows, movies, live events, and more. Upon purchasing SelectTV, a local HD antenna was shipped to me for free, so that I could access my local channels. I found the fact that this was included to be a real charm.

This was the first digital hub I found that had my sports programs and live news all in one place. My friend showed me a link that I was able to use to subscribe to SelectTV, and from there I discovered so much.

First off, when I got my lifetime subscription to the SelectTV Streaming App, it was on sale for only $99.99 (reg. $478). And right now, it’s on sale for an additional 40% off at just $59.99 with code VIP40 at checkout. So, if you’re in need of a new content provider, that’s something to consider.

My subscription made it easier than ever to find interesting television shows and movies. Now, I’ve discussed how I can sometimes feel overwhelmed by having too many apps or links at my disposal. So, if I knew that SelectTV was managing over 2 million new links every day, I might have been scared away from signing up. However, searching for something to watch with SelectTV’s comprehensive digital media guide makes the process so simple. And I’m never stuck scrolling endless rolls of titles and thumbnails that have nothing to do with what I’m looking for.

My kids have visited and have used my SelectTV Streaming App since I’ve subscribed, and they’re also fans of its high performance. Each of them found that they spend less time searching and more time watching when using this app, as opposed to their previous streaming providers. After just a few visits, both of my kids purchased their own lifetime subscriptions to the SelectTV Streaming App.

You’re Never Missing Out

Some people ask me if I’m worried about missing out on all the hot new shows that come from other streaming providers. But what they don't realize is that SelectTV is an aggregator that collects and organizes millions of movies and TV shows from a variety of streaming providers. It simply just puts them all in one place while offering over 150 live channels, so you can still just plop onto the couch and see what’s on.

It’s been a lifesaver for me. I love TV, but I’ve also always felt overwhelmed by all of the different apps. SelectTV is the perfect platform to help someone like me bridge the gap, and with it I’ve finally been able to cut that cable cord and join the future. I have to admit, while I’m no champion video game player, I do feel young and hip, and I believe my children and even their children would agree.

Not only do I have an effective, modern streaming app that works with all of the major smart TVs, smart phones, and tablets—I’ve also discovered some of the coolest shows out there since subscribing. Now I’m well versed in the comedic worlds of iconic programs such as: Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, and Friends. I’m also always keeping up with the newest and hottest movie releases, and doing so without stress, because SelectTV offers the best prices on video on-demand movies. From Oscar favorites to cinematic classics and hidden-gem indies—I’ve been introduced to a wealth of fantastic films through SelectTV. This is all without sacrificing my live sports or my news.

Don’t miss your chance to get a SelectTV Streaming App: Lifetime Subscription for just $59.99 (reg. $478) with code VIP40 at checkout.

Prices subject to change.