Dylin Maust's Blog

Like other students, I do feel that McGonigal creates a utopian world that directly conflicts with realism.  Games have a place in the world today, but they don’t serve to eliminate poverty.  They won’t save our future.  They can’t lessen our dependence on oil.

Take, for example, an EVOKE mission that McGonigal references.

URGENT EVOKE: Food Security

More than a billion people go hungry every day. This week, YOU have the power to change at least one of those lives. Your objec­ tive: Increase the food security of at least one person in your com­ munity. Remember: Food security isn’t about providing temporary help or a single meal. It’s about long-term solutions to hunger and food shortages.

Note how she makes the distinction, “it’s about long-term solutions to hunger and food shortages.”  She is forgetting one of the critical components of games, a definition she relies so heavily upon in other chapters–voluntary participation.  Surely, not everyone is going to want to do this, no matter how admirable it may be, and providing long-term solutions is not feasible without the participation of millions of people around the world.

Games can make certain chores easier and more fun, but Klavan describes how “the problem of evil, and the presence of death all guarantee that life will remain its old tragic self no matter how many copies ‘Call of Duty’ sells.”

via Review of McGonigal.

“Meanwhile” has several different traits of a game as defined by McGonigal (rules, a quasi-goal, and voluntary participation), however, as Jessica points out in her analysis, it really is limited by its pre-scripted outcomes:

However, isn’t one of the things that makes games so appealing their ability to give players a choice.  Right now, I’m questioning the extent to which “Meanwhile” gives players a choice in the fullest sense of the word.

But this really makes me question, how much of a choice do gamers really have?  I feel like a lot of games take the same approach, they present themselves like there are a lot of possibilities, but often end up as a linear structure.  For example, in the Grand Theft Auto series, one can complete quests in a pretty random order, but at the end of the game, it doesn’t matter that you completed quest C before quest A, you still get Outcome A–the only outcome.

However, the game was pretty innovative, and I feel like we will see a lot more games of its kind popping up on the App Store.  I particularly enjoyed the incorporation of comics, and I could see a game built on these principles and concepts (the map concept Jessica mentioned in her blog) as an excellent teaching game for younger kids.

via Meanwhile.

The Video Game Culture and Theory class investigates what defines the words “game” and “fun” and uses video games as a lens to look at video game and outside culture.  For the past couple days, the students have been investigating new games journalism and interactive fiction, to name a few topics.  We have also looked at Pac-man in-depth, and synthesized, analyzed, and evaluated information according to Bloom’s Taxonomy.  In this portfolio, I will reflect on previous work in various dimensions–depth, interaction, discussion, timeliness, and coverage.

Depth
Entries with depth demonstrate insightful analysis and complex thinking.  An entry that displays depth goes above and beyond to connect concepts to cultural phenomena.  I put a lot of effort into responses–effort that can be seen in each comment’s depth.  I really like to make sure I include enough detail to support my argument.  In a recent article, which I believe is my best work of the course, “The $160,000.00 Game,” I investigate the similarities between education and games.  Drawing from McGonigal’s Reality is Broken, I analyze education as four components that comprise games, citing specific examples from college experience.  I then reflect on the blog post, urging readers to make their own connections, asking readers, “what other aspects of life can be defined as games?”  The reflection really cemented what I had learned throughout that particular blog post.  What else is a game?  I feel like that question could provoke thorough discussion.

In another blog post, I examine how switching game modes made me grok a game again.  To set the stage, I described, in depth, my skill level at FIFA 12.  I then noted that I hadn’t played the game in weeks–it had lost its appeal.  But Koster’s A Theory of Fun, and a new game mode called “Virtual Pro” renewed my hope in the game.  With new challenges awaiting me, I ended up cheating to unlock accomplishments, something I don’t particularly enjoy doing, but it felt so right.  Finally, I analyze and evaluate the post, giving me new insight on the topic, by questioning how any kind of addiction, no matter how innocent, can ruin a good thing. 

Interaction
Interaction involves responding to peers, citing their work, and discussing it.  In Ex. 3 Progress Report Forum on Moodle, I respond to Jessica’s proposition, adding my own personal experiences on video game addiction.

In another example, I encourage DJ to participate in an interactive fiction game.  I demonstrate that I had similar issues with IF games, but that I enjoyed the balance between difficulty and simplicity that 9:05 offered.

By interacting with peers, one learns to question one’s own ideas and analyze games through different lenses.  It also encourages other students to try new things.

Discussion
Discussion involves putting effort and insight into forum posts and blog responses.  Did one’s comment generate a lot of responses?  Did one revisit earlier posts and continue the conversation?  In Ex. 4 Progress Report Forum on Moodle, I take the time to reply to each thread and offer additional insight.  I share my own technique of exaggeration in new games journalism to Jennifer, and encourage further discussion from Jessica.  

In another forum blog post, NGJ Proposal, I propose investigating the differences in games that has one distinct character portrayed in both youth and adulthood, specifically, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.  Although I chose to examine another topic for my NGJ paper, the question brought discussion and valuable insight into my next topic, especially from Dr. Jerz, who made me rethink my proposal.

Timeliness
Timeliness is reflected in submission times.  Did one post last minute, effectively ruling out other peers’ responses, or did one post early to encourage discussion?  I actually enjoy working on assignments for this class, and I feel like it is evident in my blog posts and comments.  In fact, I submitted Ex. 4 New Games Journalism nearly 24 hours before it was due.   This allows Dr. Jerz to quickly grade the assignment and relay feedback to me so that I can improve homework that I am currently working on.  There are only a couple instances when I didn’t complete an assignment on time.  For instance, in the Narratology vs. Ludology debate, my most-overdue post “Not Always Narratives” was posted at 1:54 PM, only four hours after the due time.  However, this is an exception, not the rule, and the content demonstrated depth, rather than a half-assed attempt to turn the assignment in on time.

This timeliness encourages other students to respond early and takes the pressure off of last-minute entries.  I feel like it helps, and it’s nice when other students reciprocate.  I didn’t complete every assignment on time, because it is difficult to maintain this extreme level of focus and devotion, I did exert extensive effort (alliteration, anyone?) and I feel that it shows.

Coverage
Coverage refers to completion of assignments and blog posts.  I have completed every assignment, usually well before the due date.  There are some exceptions, but the posts do not lack depth.  In addition to this, I always use the “Blog Me” button and post my blog’s URL on the assignment page to create a two-way link.  This simplifies grading, and I’m sure it saves a lot of time.  I also have incorporated outside sources to entertain, question, or offer insight.  For example, in “Know Your Memes,” I include links to three different images that urge the reader to question.  In “Somewhere Nearby is a Colossal Cave,” I include an interesting caving narrative that supports ideas relayed in Colossal Cave Adventure–the freedom and exploration of caving combined with the suffocation of granite boundaries.  It is important to entertain and draw information from outside sources.

via Participation Portfolio 2.

I found myself agreeing with Juul throughout the article.  Games just aren’t the right medium for story.  However, expertly crafted games can and do fit the narrative structure he proposes.  For example, the Metal Gear Solid series uses flashbacks and flash-forwards to give the player a sense of time.  It also uses cut scenes to develop characters and story and generate interest in the plot line.  The game series emphasizes story, rather than game mechanics, puzzles, and shooting, which can be seen in its complex plot.  Additionally, it is linear, something gamers don’t particularly desire, but it supports the narrative definition.

However, I do think that other, non-story games can be interpreted as narratives.  For example, imagine a multiplayer war game where the attackers’ objective is to place bombs and destroy two points, while the defenders fight to maintain control of those areas.  Now, imagine spectating it and one could see the story unfold:

“The attacking team demolishes a building early, allowing them to exert maximum force on the only remaining bomb site.  With only a limited number of remaining troops, however, the team must patiently and cooperatively approach the second bomb site.  Two snipers are posted up on the hill, with eyes on the perimeter of the building.  Support troopers roll in on tanks and armored jeeps, mowing down enemies in their wake.  The attackers secure the building and begin to plant the bomb, with defenders lagging behind.  What’s this?  A defending sniper plows forward from the horizon, the only member of his team to survive.

‘Bomb planted,’ the game announces.

The lone sniper rushes toward the bomb site, hoping to catch a few enemies off-guard, when out the corner of his eye, he spots a reflection.  He hits the dirt immediately.  Pow!  An oncoming bullet whizzes over his head.  Quickly but steadily, the defending sniper eliminates the opposing snipers.  He now has just 30 seconds to defuse the bomb, but there are tanks in the way!  How will he get past?  He stealthily creeps up behind the ignorant attackers, placing C4 on each tank and escaping quickly.  The tanks go up in a fiery explosion.  With no remaining enemies to stop him, he now just has to defuse the bomb to win, but time is not on his side.

’5 seconds remaining,’ the narrator announces just as the sniper reaches the bomb.  He works quickly.

’3..2..1..   Bomb defused.’  The sniper is now a hero.  He succeeded, against all odds, and won the battle.”

Now, know that this sort of thing doesn’t happen all the time in a war game, like  Battlefield 3, but it can happen, and when it does, it’s epic.  A story like this deserves to be re-told, and you can bet that the person acting as the sniper told all his buddies.  The story has characters, a goal, time, suspense, and action.  What more could you ask for?

Oh yeah, often these games have spectator modes, so one can just watch as the action unfolds.  Once in a while, one will catch a gem like the aforementioned story.  It’s almost like a movie…almost.

via Narratology vs Ludology.

In this assignment, I examined how memes encourage discussion between gamers and the “outside world.”  Have you ever searched for “do a barrel roll” on Google?  Try it.  If you have a Facebook account, you’ve probably seen friends posting about it.  Basically, it rotates the page 360 degrees, imitating a barrel roll (actually an aileron roll, but I disgress).

Cool, huh?  But where does it originate?  In Starfox 64, a popular video game for the Nintendo 64, Peppy encouraged Fox to “do a barrel roll.”  The gaming world has not let the phrase go, still citing it often.  In fact, the phrase is so popular, it has become a meme, or “an element of a culture or behavior that may be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, esp. imitation.”  A meme often acts as a template, with one key joke or phrase holding myriad ideas together.

Check out the following memes.  Do they appeal to you?  Do you have a background with games, or do they appeal to everyone?

Meme 1

Meme 2

Meme 3

They all have different messages, but the underlying theme is the same, “do a barrel roll.”  What does this say about memes and discussion outside the gaming world?

via Ex 3: Gaming Culture Presentation.

SuperBetter is all about using “positive emotion and social connection” to meet health goals or recover from illness and injury.  Basically, one turns recovery and health goals into a game with five main missions.

My goal is to gain fifteen pounds of lean muscle mass.  Read on to discover how I apply SuperBetter to reach my goal.

“Mission #1: Create your SuperBetter secret identity.”
I am Superman, capable of bending barbells and throwing heavy weights around.

“Mission #2: Recruit your allies.”
Supergirl observes Superman in the gym, ensuring that he doesn’t drop a weight on his throat while bench pressing and spotting heavy squats.

“Mission #3: Find the bad guys.”
Superman has several enemies.  He must fight the likes of soda, candy, and sugary foods.

“Mission #4: Identify your power-ups.”
Superman uses CytoSport CytoGainer to gain lean muscle mass, along with chicken, fish, and a generally healthy diet.  Additionally, Superman should drink more water to stay hydrated.

“Mission #5: Create your superhero to-do list.”

• Bench press maximum–225 pounds
• Be at gym by 8:00 A.M
• Attend gym 5 days a week
• Don’t stop a set early until I can’t do another repetition

Introduction:

McGonigal notes that all games share four traits—a goal, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation.  With this definition of a game, I can vehemently argue that college is a game.  One can evaluate education as a game by investigating education’s relation to the four traits.

 Goal:

“The goal provides players with a sense of purpose.”

It forces hard work, demands focus, and rewards participation.  In a university setting, the goal is a diploma.  Although it is just a piece of paper, it symbolizes effort, intelligence, and collaboration.  University students complete a myriad of homework assignments, submit in-depth research papers, and perform difficult laboratory experiments.  So, the student proverbially rescues Princess Peach, as the diploma formalizes years of hard work and dedication.

Rules:

 “The rules place limitations on how players can achieve the goal. By removing or limiting the obvious ways of getting to the goal, the rules push players to explore previously uncharted possibility spaces. They unleash creativity and foster strategic thinking.”

 In other words, a university doesn’t simply allow a student to pay four years worth of tuition, walk into the computer lab, and print a Bachelor’s Degree of Science with the student’s name on it.  No, the student must follow rules to achieve the goal.  A university establishes many rules to foster creativity and get students “thinking outside the box.”  A basic rule, plagiarism, punishes students for citing others’ work as their own.  One may reference it to make connections, but one may not simply copy it word-for-word (or even paraphrase it) and pretend that it’s his or her knowledge.  This rule places emphasis on research and skills development.  Another rule, as seen at Seton Hill University, forces students to adhere to a strict credit schedule to meet requirements.  One must meet a total credit requirement, a major-specific credit requirement, and a core credit requirement.  If the student fails to meet any of these expectations, he or she does not receive a diploma, and must enroll in further courses to fulfill the requirements.  By adhering to strict credit requirements, the student must often enroll in courses out of his or her comfort zone (e.g. a computer science major in a sculpture class, a mathematics major in a creative writing class, or a literature major in a calculus class) in order to “[unleash] creativity and [foster] strategic thinking.”

Feedback System:

“The feedback system tells players how close they are to achieving the goal.”

The feedback system is one that most students can identify with.  Institutions define grade ranges that reflect a student’s overall progress on tests and homework assignments.  In many cases, an ‘A’ is 90-100%, a ‘B’ is 89-80%, a ‘C’ is 79-70%, a ‘D’ is 69-60%, and an ‘F’ is 59% and below.  An ‘A’ is excellent and generally tells the student, “Keep it up!”  A ‘B’ is ok, but it leaves some room for improvement.  A ‘C’ says, “Dude, you need to spend more time studying.”  Lastly, ‘D’s and ‘F’s question, “Did you even come to class?”  The feedback system is a valuable tool, allowing students to reflect on progress and make adjustments.  Professors may also express feedback verbally or via written notes.  A statement like, “Dylin, can you see me in my office after class?” can indicate a potential problem.  Illegible red scribble marks on tests saying “APPLY YOURSELF” serve as a wake up call, and smiley face stickers (they’re so cute) shouting, “Good job!” urge the student to continue his or her good habits.

Voluntary Participation:

 “Finally, voluntary participation requires that everyone who is playing the game knowingly and willingly accepts the goal, the rules, and the feedback.”

 Buying into my theory that education is a game, one must look at different levels of education as different levels of games.  Pre-school is simple, it establishes rules for playing.  The next level, kindergarten, develops elementary skills, like drawing stick figures, writing one’s name, and speaking sentences.  The student then moves on to elementary school and high school, in which the difficulty of puzzles progressively increases.  United States’ federal and state government dictates that students should at least reach this point, or earn a GED or equivalent degree.  However, one can choose to move on, entering college and subsequently graduate school.  The student doesn’t have to—he or she can simply move on, enter parenthood, choose a career, or stagnate.  By paying tuition, filling out forms, and signing paperwork, however, the student makes an intelligent decision to continue education.  He or she can attend orientation, where the goals, rules, and feedback are laid out more informally.  The student can choose to leave at any time, or he or she can embrace the opportunity and challenge his or herself.  By voluntary participating, students are able to play together in a “safe and pleasurable environment.”

Summary:

After investigating McGonigal’s four traits of games—a goal, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation—one can clearly define education as a game, as it contains all the necessary elements.

How many people can make this connection?  I’m sure the number is limited to the people who read the prompt, and those who are deeply involved in the study of games, of course.  After investigation, though, it seems so clear.  Education is a game.  It has a clear goal.  There are rules.  A feedback system tells students how close they are to the goal.  College is voluntary.  But one usually does not make these connections before reading the prompt.  That, in itself, provokes discussion.  How many other aspects of life can be defined as games?  Is employment a game?  Is pet ownership a game?  Is reading a book a game?  Is sleeping a game?  Is duct tape a game?  Are scissors a game?  Is drinking a Capri-Sun a game? Dr. Jerz’ prompt, with the aid of McGonigal’s textbook, “Reality is Broken,” urges readers to investigate aspects of life that seemingly go by without thorough inspection.

via McGonigal 1.

I sat down to play the three IF games, excited for a new experience.  I had my girlfriend to aid me, so it was two brains vs. a game genre that we had never played before.  We played “Lost Pig” first.

It would have been helpful to draw a map so that we knew where we were going.  It was a little overwhelming–there were so many directions and rooms to explore.  After traveling west, Grunk heard a noise, so we took that as a cue to “listen.”  There it was again, the sound came from the northeast.  We ordered Grunk to follow, eventually falling through a hole and making way to the fountain room.  The pig was there!  We ordered Grunk, “get pig.”  No success.  Again, we repeated the command.  A different message.  Again, another message.  Finally, the pig ran away.  We used the pig to explore different rooms.  We found a statue room, a shelf room, and a closet, and heard a noise while in the closet.  We listened, it sounded like snoring.  We found boxes, yet we were unable to open them.  We tried hitting them with a pole, we tried throwing them, we tried pushing them.  Nothing worked.  Yet it said the box did not require a key.  We found various items that we didn’t know how to use.  We eventually became frustrated and gave up.

Afterwards, I decided to look at the walkthrough to see where I had gone wrong.  It re-assured me that I wouldn’t have solved this complex puzzle.  I was way off, and the feedback system didn’t tell me so (unlike in “9:05″ which I explain below).

Next up was “Galatea.”  Although it wasn’t on the Frotz game list for some reason, I followed the link on the assignment page and attempted to find an online version to play. However, my web browser just sat at a blank page no matter how many times I refreshed it.  I’ll have to get back to this one.

Finally, I got my hands on “9:05.”

I thought I was doing everything right.  I completed the morning routine and drove away down the interstate.  I got off the second exit and went to where I worked, or so I thought.  I signed a form, went to my supposed boss’ office, and got sentenced to life imprisonment!  That was a bit of a surprise.  Apparently, I wasn’t Hadley.  After this devastating blow, I wanted to continue, so I chose to extend this game’s time allotment.

The second playthrough, I was more attentive to detail.  I made sure I took my soiled clothing with me, rather than leaving it on the floor.  That’s evidence, man.  I took my watch too.  I got in the car, traveled down the freeway, passed the first freeway on-ramp.  I passed “Loungent Technologies” and took the second on-ramp.  I did it.  I got out of Las Mesas with a new TV, DVD player, stereo, wallet, and car.  Hooray for robbery and murder!

“9:05,” as noted by creator Adam Cadre, purposefully forces specific commands.  It emphasizes this so that one have that specific mindset.  What player would really think to check under the bed for a corpse?  What player would smell the bedroom leading to that grim discovery?  What player would check the trunk for the equipment missing from the house?  The game tricks the player into thinking as the homeowner from the very beginning.  I’m interested to see what other possible outcomes there are for this game.  If one leaves the soiled clothes on the floor and drives away, do the cops eventually find the murderer?  Is there any exploration to be done at “Loungent Technologies?”  Maybe the murderer could find more money in the office.  It’s really cool to see the deep level of exploration in these games.  Although I’m not very good at them, I find it interesting.

In that light, it’s always useful to evaluate information, in-game or not.  You never know for certain until you investigate.

via IF Sampler.

First and foremost, I thought it was really cool that the game was based on a real location.  Those familiar with the area would certainly have an easier time navigating the game.  Crowther and Woods went to great lengths to ensure that this game accurately represented the Colossal Cave, including artifacts found in the real cave, geographic features, and evidence of human activity.  The text paints a vivid picture–it is art.

What struck me the most, though?  After watching Dr. Jerz’s and his son’s playthrough of 9:05 (I believe), Dr. Jerz notes that, with the IF genre, there generally aren’t maps to follow.  With new, modern games, one can easily view a map by pressing the ‘m’ key.  It really enforces exploration.  In other games, like Call of Duty and Battlefield, maps can show great detail.  They can show geography, like mountains and water.  Often, they even display enemy locations, which certainly isn’t realistic.  Other games, like Age of Empires and Diablo II, incorporate maps shrouded by a fog, leaving details invisible until the user explores them.

I came to realize that a map (or lack thereof) is a very important aspect of a game.  It gives players guidance.  It encourages exploration.  In IF games, players even draw maps for reference.  How will one know where to go if one doesn’t know where he or she has been?  Koster even notes that one must study two hours backwards for every one hour they look in the future, or something like that.

With that being said, in life, one must also map out their world.  Keep track of accomplishments; it will certainly help one’s future.

via Somewhere Nearby is Colossal Cave.

The Pac-Man Dossier is the most in-depth look at any video game I’ve ever seen.

Pittman describes the three modes of ghost travel–chase, scatter, and frightened.  Although I hadn’t played the game too many times, cause I don’t particularly enjoy the game, I never even caught on to this notion of enemy behavior.  I just thought that the ghosts attempted to follow Pac-man and effectively corner him.  Pittman continues, actually characterizing each ghost:

“Blinky: The red ghost’s character is aptly described as that of a shadow and is best-known as “Blinky”. In Japan, his character is represented by the word oikake, which means “to run down or pursue”. Blinky seems to always be the first of the ghosts to track Pac-Man down in the maze. He is by far the most aggressive of the four and will doggedly pursue Pac-Man once behind him.

Pinky: Nicknamed “Pinky”, the pink ghost’s character is described as one who is speedy. In Japan, he is characterized as machibuse, meaning “to perform an ambush”, perhaps because Pinky always seems to be able to get ahead of you and cut you off when you least expect it. He always moves at the same speed as Inky and Clyde, however, which suggests speedy is a poor translation of the more appropriate machibuse. Pinky and Blinky often seem to be working in concert to box Pac-Man in, leaving him with nowhere to run.

Inky: The light-blue ghost is nicknamed “Inky” and his character is described as one who is bashful. In Japan, he is portrayed as kimagure, meaning “a fickle, moody, or uneven temper”. Perhaps not surprisingly, Inky is the least predictable of the ghosts. Sometimes he chases Pac-Man aggressively like Blinky; other times he jumps ahead of Pac-Man as Pinky would. He might even wander off like Clyde on occasion! In fact, Inky may be the most dangerous ghost of all due to his erratic behavior. Bashful is not a very good translation of kimagure, and misleads the player to assume Inky will shy away from Pac-Man when he gets close which is not always the case.

Clyde: The orange ghost is nicknamed “Clyde” and is characterized as one who is pokey. In Japan, his character is described as otoboke, meaning “pretending ignorance”, and his nickname is “Guzuta”, meaning “one who lags behind”. In reality, Clyde moves at the same speed as Inky and Pinky so his character description is a bit misleading. Clyde is the last ghost to leave the pen and tends to separate himself from the other ghosts by shying away from Pac-Man and doing his own thing when he isn’t patrolling his corner of the maze. Although not nearly as dangerous as the other three ghosts, his behavior can seem unpredictable at times and should still be considered a threat.”

*Breathes heavily*  That’s a lot of information to take in.  And that’s just the summary of each ghost!  Pittman continues, describing how each ghost reacts in chase mode.  For example, Blinky aims directly for the tile Pac-man occupies.  Pinky, on the other hand, aims for a tile exactly four tiles away, in the direction that Pac-man is headed.  Inky uses a “complex targeting scheme” that draws off of both Pac-man’s and Blinky’s locations.  Lastly, Clyde switches between scatter mode and direct targeting depending on Pac-man’s proximity to him.

After reading this complex breakdown of ghosts’ targeting schemes, I thought, “Pittman must have invested a lot of time into studying those ghosts.”  Like I said before, I thought the ghosts just moved about randomly.  I didn’t know they had different modes of operation.  I didn’t know each ghost had its own way of tracking Pac-man.  Yet Pittman knew all of these things, and he deduced mathematical algorithms for several ghosts’ tracking schemes.  He even determined that Pinky and Inky suffer from code overflow errors, causing them to track Pac-man differently when he is moving upwards.  That is nuts!

From this assignment, I realized that every game element can be broken down and investigated.  A user playing Pac-man for the first time, with no real knowledge of the different ghosts’ tracking mechanisms, will not make it too far.  However, present that same person with the Pac-man Dossier, and he or she will have more success.

This same logic can be applied outside of Pac-man.  Imagine that you, an artist, just landed a new job in a digital 3D modeling work environment.  You can draw well, but you have no experience using a computer to create three-dimensional models.  You open Autodesk Maya, a popular software for this line of work, and your brain becomes overloaded:  ”What are all these buttons?  What do they all do?  And what are all these toolbars that plague the screen?  How do I create a simple sphere?”  Your drawing skills are useless without first familiarizing yourself with the environment.  One could read the manual to examine characteristics of each tool, how altering properties effects different shapes, textures, and lights.

It is important, in every discipline, to familiarize oneself with unknown entities.  It encourages development and fosters growth.  Whether it be in gaming or outside life, study is the key to success.

via Pac-Man Dossier.