January 2010 Archives

Farmville is a game that is addicting. I, like Cody, Love Farmville. Integrating games with social networks is a fast and easy way to introduce a game to thousands and millions of people. Games that integrate into social networks like farmville attract a huge numbers of players because people are always looking for something new and exciting to do on their network. I began playing Farmville only because I would get bored and have nothing to do and I saw it on facebook. I became addicted to the game and played it every single day.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/indie_viral_games/#comments

Throughout the class we have looked at how video games and computer games can be used for entertainment and as an educational tool. We have talked about connecting with games and our frustrations with some games. Some people have brought up how media is portraying video games in a negative light, now lets talk about how video games can bring a family together and be a positive tool instead of a negative one.

Most video games have a mulitplayer option, allowing for people to play and enjoy the games together. Video games such as Guitar Hero, Wii Sports, and others like these games, are not the violent games that the media potrays as a bad thing. These are the video games that are not talked about often and are used as a game that interests all ages and brings family and friends together.

 Here is the link to my video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGKVOArPocQ

Works Cited:

Family Wii Tennis- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6Dv5mitc5s

Family Trainer (Wii)- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su98QFzQJf8

Wii Dance- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KebggvjlLos&feature=related

Dr. Dennis G. Jerz and Peter Jerz-  http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/adventure_gameplay_video/#comments

Alysha and Kayla Alaimo

Guitar Hero- http://www.youtube.com/user/guitarherogames?blend=1&ob=4&rclk=cth

 

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/student_presentations_1/

 

The last week of class has been full of excitment and entertainment. We were able to devlope and lead a discussion regaring and article we were allowed to select from the Williams and Smith book. While working on a research paper we developed videos and different online presentations, which I had never done before. Here is a look at some of the things I have done in the final week.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/modding.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/wilson.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/grimes_with_susan.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/the_game_of_scratch.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/eladhari.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/discussion_questions.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/research.html

 

Jeremy, Jessie, and I had a little conversation going on my blog regarding the topic of Modding. Modding is something I am familiar with because it is in all of the sports games. I am a huge sports game player so this subject was very interesting and relevant to me. Jessie was also to directly relate to what I blogged about because she had played on fo the games I mentioned, Tiger Woods Golf.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/modding.html

 

While commenting about the discussion Cody helped lead for the class I was commented by Cody himself relating to what I had said. I have a lot of repsect for game devlopers and I was commented by Susan saying she had the same respect. This blog also recieved a comment from Jessie, who made a nice comment on Indie games.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/wilson.html

 

Susan's discussion questions were greated and I was able to relate what I was saying to something Cody said earlier in his blog. Jessie, Susan, and I all agreed that kids are way to excited to begin playing the game and they are not worried about the TOS agreement. This was a great discussion because the topic had never been brought up in class or to me before.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/grimes_with_susan.html

 

The game of Scratch was a great concept for teaching kids about computer programming. Jessie and I agreed this was a great way of learning while Susan also agreed adding that the game could apply to a wide range of ages.  

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/the_game_of_scratch.html

 

I was able to choose the topic "The Player's Journey" for my peer lead discussion. I had never done anything like this before so it was a fun and exciting new experience for me. I enjoyed having my peers comment on their own blogs regarding the questions I presented about the article.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/eladhari.html

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/portfolio_3/ 

 

 

 

I look at modding as being able to create different levels or modifying the current ones. This happens a lot in sports games. A game I have talked about before is Tiger Woods Golf. In every version of Tiger Woods you are able to create your own golf course and play tournaments on that course. In most sports games you are allowed to enter into a manager modd and begin creating a team as well as a venue for your team to play in. In NCAA football a gamer is able to create a player and do different drills to improve the stats of this player. The gamer is then able to put his player onto a team he created and begin attempting to win a National Championship with this team. Modding is very popular in sports games because it gives gamers something extra to look at and always leaves some excitment in the game no matter how long you have played it. This is why I love sports games so much because they allow you to build your own franchise and make you feel like you are running a college program, or the creater of an amazing golf course.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/modding_machinima_and_motion_c/#comments

I have never made my own game but I think it would be a very fun and interesting thing to do. I have a lot fo respect for people who can create their own games and make them a success in the video game culture. I personally think that the video game industry is worse off now that the techonology to create cutting-edge gaming experiences isn't available to everyone anymore. Over the past few years cutting-age gaming experiences has made people come to expect that they will always be getting this experience. Now that it is not available to everyone anymore, I think it is frustrating people because they are still expecting the best of the best. http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CodyNaylor/2010/01/01-20-10_discussion_wilson.html

 

When first looking at TOS contracts I notice the length of them such as the MyUville example. http://www.myuville.com/terms-of-use The lenght of these contracts is always the first thing that makes myself and others disinterested in reading these. I do not have the patience to read and understand the entire contract so I usually do not.  Also when these TOS contracts are opened kids are wanting to play the game so bad they will only skim the contract if even look throught it at all. While trying to read MyUville it was much harde to read than I had expected (most likely because I have never actually read a TOS contract). I had to reread some things becuase I could not fully understand the phrases and vocabulary used throughout the agreement.

I think players' should have ownership over player generated creations. The player is after all the one generating these creations so they should belong to the player throughout the game. Also as Jeremy said, "Afterall it's only virtuaL porperty."  http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JeremyBarrick/2010/01/el_250_grimes_with_susan.html

These creations are not reality and only exist in the game. These creations sould be owned by the played and the industry should not be able to control that was created by someone else and is not reality anyway.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/SusanCarmichael/2010/01/online_gaming_contracts_for_ch.html

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/reading_3_tba/#comments

It is interesting to me that this is designed to introduce kids  the basics of computer programming. We have talked about how games need to be interesting and help us connect for the game to be productive and successful. Scratch uses colorful blocks as bits and pieces of programming code that will only fit together in a certain way. This helps the kids become more engaged and interested in this. Elementary kids like coloring books and puzzels and scratch incorporates both of those. This helps kids look at scratch as a "fun" game instead of learning, which they are doing. This also teachers kids a very complicated thing in a very fun and simple way. I wish i had been able to experience this when I was younger.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/scratch_unleashing_the_creativ/#comments

Video games can take us out of the real world and put us into a fictional universe where anything is possible. We as humans will still use our real life experience to solve problems in video game experience. It is only natural that we relate to previous experiences to help solve our current problems.

"In relation to us as humans it is not uncommon to ask ourselves what we would do in a critical situation."

Look at the last mulitplayer game or team oriented game you have played and think about the quote. Throughout the game do you respond to situations as you would in real life? Flight or fight? How does your response during the game reflect you as a person?

Look at the diagram at the bottom of page 174, which player would you consider yourself?

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/reading_4_tba/#comments

Academics may chose to ignore single player games because they do not offer the same experience as mulitplayer games. Mulitplayer games offer more interaction between people as well as with the game. While playing mutliplayer games people are directly interacting and with each other and creating a different experience within the game.

I think console loyalty is a very interesting and real thing. Some people become so attached to a certain console that they will stay with that console no matter what comes out. I know I have done it. I have continued to stay with Playstation over the years and would never think of switching to XBOX or anything else.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JessicaKrehlik/2010/01/taylor_discussion_intro.html

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/reading_2_tba/#comments

The Atari Video Computer System was one of the most popular systems around in 1985.

In 1985, Mitchell gave Atari 2600 consoles to twenty families and found that most families used the game systems as a shared play activity. Instead of leading to poor school performance, increased family violence, or strained family interactions, video games were a positive force on family interactions, "reminiscent of days of Monopoly, checkers, card games, and jigsaw puzzles" (Mitchell, 1985, p.134).

http://www.gamestudies.org/0102/squire/

Crowther made colossal cave to play with his daughters.

• "The year was 1972. Crowther, an amateur spelunker distraught over a recent divorce, wanted to create a game that he and his kids could play on the computer together. He whipped up a computer text simulation of the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky"

http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/1/2/000009.html

 

http://reeveslib.setonhill.edu:2053/ehost/detail?vid=9&hid=107&sid=6dbade56-599f-4b53-9762-c4d8979b9fcd%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JmxvZ2lucGFnZT1sb2dpbi5hc3Amc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl#db=afh&AN=20060292#db=afh&AN=20060292#db=afh&AN=20060292

"Results About one respondent in 10 skipped at least one meal every week for either television viewing or computer game playing. Weekly meal skipping for television viewing occurs more regularly in boys and first-year students, but particularly in teenagers who view 5 h or more daily (15% of the sample). The category of teenagers who play computer games four times a week or more (25.3% of the sample) is at increased risk of meal skipping; those who play more than four times a week are 10 times more likely weekly to skip a meal."

 

Van den Bulck, J., and S. Eggermont. "Media use as a reason for meal skipping and fast eating in secondary school children."   Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics 19.2 (2006): 91-100. Academic Search Elite. EBSCO. Web. 14 Jan. 2010

 

 

During the course of the second week we have been looking at gender, storytelling, and of course video game iolence continues to come up in disucssions. This week has helped us begin looking into our final project as this class enters its last week. Here are some week 2 topics.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/playing_with_people.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/when_game_deigners_create_vide.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/i_liked_how_he_said.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/serious_games.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/wii_fit.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/if_games.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/williams_and_smith_1.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/fatworld_and_just_getting_fatt.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/finishing_up_laurel.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/utopian_entrepreneur.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/classic_choice-zelda.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/drafur_is_dying.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/columbine_tragedy.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/further_analysis_of_civilian_c.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/case_study-first_reaction.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/laura_craft.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/the_pac-man_dossier.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/colossal_cave.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/continuous_paper.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/the_players_realm-if.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/storytelling_in_computer_games.html

 

After my initial first reactions of some games I continued playing them and looked at the game a little deeper.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/further_analysis_of_civilian_c.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/columbine_tragedy.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/drafur_is_dying.html

These games had an interesting initial reaction but the games became much more than just a "fun" game once you began playing longer and looked at the game more.oticed that

There is one entry I had that developed into a little discussion board between Jeremy and I. this discussion was mostly about personal experience with what I had written in my blog.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/playing_with_people.html

I feel as though one of my best works is when I blog about IF games. Throughout this clas I have shared my frustration about IF games and the ability to play them. In this blog i express the same type of frustration but I also talk about some "fun" I had with the games.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/if_games.html

 

 

 

 

When game deigners create video games they want them to be realistic and engaging. The more realistic a game the better a gamer can conect with the game. As we have talked about before the more gamers can connect with a video game the better the game is and the better success the game will have. As shellie says in her blog, http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MichellePolly/2010/01/good_idea_or_bad.html, When children play games they take that with them and bring that into real life. This is why video games have ratings on them. The ratings are telling parents what age limit these games are appropriate for. I think as we are progressing as a socitety there are much more games that can be used as learning tools for our chilrend.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/squire_jenkins/#comments

This is a very interesting and creative thing to do to get students emotionally involved in something. http://jerz.setonhill.edu/weblog/2003/11/1873/

As we have talked about with video games, getting people emotionally involved is the best way to get their full attention and ingaged in what is going on. By getting students emotionally involved in the work they are doing you are much mor likely to get the very best of the studnets.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/reading_1_tba/#comments

I liked how he said, "this is not about delivering games to people, it is about delivering learning systems and learning communities The video also comments about how to include gender and how do you recruit girls in gaming. This shows that there are people that are not just worried about making money and delivering the next big hit to people. It is a focus to creat video games that will increase learning as well as inlude both males and females.

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/james_gee_on_games_and_learnin/

 

Serious games are becomign much more mainstream. "One major factor is that numerous studies have documented the effectiveness of games as educational and training devices, and
they've been used successfully for years."  http://blogs.forbes.com/digitaldownload/2006/10/the-serious-business-of-serious-games/

As the population begins to get older more and more Adults have grown up with video games in their lives. These video games have influenced some people in ways that make them want to keep gaming "embrace games" Games can be very helpful and education while still being "fun" at the same time. 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/education_and_games/#comments

We as a society are looked at as somewhat out of shape and overweight. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE50863H20090109

People do not have the time or the energy to actually drive to the gym and work out. Well how about walking to your video game system and working out? Wii Fit is a game that can help you lose weight while still having fun. Now not all of the games in Wii Fit will cause you to lose weight but the game does have workout programs on it. http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4684168_wii-fit-work.html. This article explains how Wii Fit works and how you can lose weight while playing a video game! Wii Fit has multiple games that include exercise including training workouts in yoga, balance based workouts, aerobic exercises and muscular training workouts. You can do things likejogging or push ups on the balance board which are tracked by the game.

 I wonder if you already have to be in decent shape to be able to performe these exercising tasks in the game? Can people who are not very athletic and overweight play this? People are always looking for that quci fix, is this that kind of game?

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/open_choice/#comments

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/game_nolan.shtml Hitchhiker was fun for 5 minutes untill I tried to walk outside my room and the game ended. There was of course a reason this game ended but I did not like how it just ended and I lost. the game did not give me another chance to reenter the room and the game never told me I could not leave.This was frustrating and I did not like it.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/if/canon/eliza.htm

Eliza was more entertaining like talking to a computer than fun as a game. I once again started to become frustrated with the responses of the game because I would get the same repsonse for two very different questions.

http://parchment.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/parchment.html?story=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ifarchive.org%2Fif-archive%2Fgames%2Fzcode%2FLostPig.z8

Lost Pig took a little tim to get used to. Once I had figured out the basic commands so I could continue through the game it became more interesting and fun. the game seemed to capture my imagination as I picture grunk walking around looking for this pig. I became aprat of this game I felt and assumed grunk as myself. I just wanted to capture this pig.

 

I chose to continue playing Lost pig because I felt a connection to the game and felt invested in the game. I was in the middle of a pig hunt I could not stop playing now. I had fallen into this hole and somehow ended up in the same place as the pig. It could not be this easy I thought as I typed in my command to "grab pig". Of corse it was not this simple and the pig ran away from me into another room. The frustrating part became when I felt like I was going in cirlces while chasing this pig. The pig would run from me. well grunk, into another room. I would enter that room and the pig would ran back to a different room. I could not catch this pig.

 

http://www.avclub.com/articles/lost-pig,7283/ This review on the Lost Pig did something i payed no attention to. The review noted the things grunk was saying that he was seeing around the room. I however, did not pay as much attention to these as I should have. I did notice the different doors and where grunk saw light but my main concern was to grab the pig before I did anything else. This was my downfall during the game and most likely why it became frustrating to me.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/if_games/#comments

 

The four characteristics that are central to the gaming experience is the reason we buy video games. As a gamer I want a game to be able to transport me to a compelling virtual environment. I spend every day in the "real world" environment  and video games can cause for an escape to the real world.  Without games being intensely engaging we will not continue to play them. I can become bored very easily and created a game that keeps my attention is essential. Identification between myself and my characters really helps me connect to the game and makes me feel a part of it instead of just playing it. Interactivity is also inportant. If i am playing a game and I make a move I need the computer/game to interact with me and respond to my move.

These four elemnts of a game run together. With one of the 4 items you are mostly likely to get the second and then the third and lastly the fourth.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/delwiche/#comments

Dr. Jerz mentioned how you can select what kind of meal you want to eat but the game never says you have eaten a meal. This never explains what is actually going on to the person playing the game and can cause huge frustration and confusion. http://jerz.setonhill.edu/weblog/permalink/fatworld-review/

It is interesting how some aspects of this game may simulate real life. The exercise min-game does a good job of letting your player move much quicker once it has exercised. Just as in real life the more a person exercises the more stamini they will have and can move quicker for longer periods of time.

It is somewhat of disapointment that this game was not better suited for a fun an adventures game while helping teach kids and educational lesson. I  wish this game could have been less frustrating and a lot more fun and compelling

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/jerz_fatworld_review/#comments

 

I would love to research and explore the game of Assassin's Creed II. The game was brough up during Ex. 2 Game Review and it got me extremley interested in this game. I have never played Assassin's Creed I, so I have no prior history of this game.

http://turnitin.com/pr_read_frameset.asp?r=28.3098284891945&svr=11&lang=en_us&aid=8543759&oid=119854205

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/project_proposal/#comments

"In other words, who we are is the product of both the stories we hear and the stories of our lives." Who we are today has been ifluenced and changed by the stories we have heard from our family, our friends, our culture, and the ever so influencial media that surrounds us. We establish values and morals from stories we have heard from our paresnts about right and wrong. I never really thought about this before I read this quote but it is definitley the truth.

Another quote that directly relates to the first one is, "Change the stories, and you change how people live." Think about that for a second. What if while growing up your parents had told you stories about them stealing or commiting crimes?  Would this make you think it maybe be somewhat acceptable to steal, or at least it is not as bad as what people say?  Now must of us would say that they would still never steal or think that this action is acceptable but maybe that is because we already know what is acceptable. "Change the stories, and you change how people live."

The last quote talks about the media. This quote is an example of what some of us have talked about, the media does not portray the good things but only the bad.

"The news doesn't talk about the fact that your taxes are the bridge that didn't collapse, the kid who didn't rob the 7-11, the person who didn't freeze to death in a doorway. Hard to see, hard to sell, so to speak." The news doesn't comment about things that go according to plan, they only bring to our attention the ways we failed at something. Like video games the media does not talk about the educational games we have looked at so far throughout this class. The media does not talk about how Civilization can help teach a student about the different governments in the world  in a fun easy to learn way. The media will only report about a school shooting that happened because the schooter was playing a shooting video game. The media can portray video games in different lights both good and bad, yet they only choose to report on video games in a negative light.

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/laurel_59-108/#more

"There is no business value in social responsibility; it will not raise your stock price or increase your revenues."

Princess Zelda is not the classic damsel in distress such as Princess Peach like Susan talked about.  http://blogs.setonhill.edu/SusanCarmichael/2010/01/stereotypical_princess_peach.html

My first reaction of this game, http://www.darfurisdying.com/, was that it is another social and cultural problem that is occuring in other lands. The instructions to the game alone made me not want to play it. I chose to be Jaja, the little boy who is only 12 years old. I do not want to watch a little boy get killed while he is trying to bring back water for his community. Also I decided to get caught right away to see just waht the actualy punishment was. It is terrible to see what this boy will face from being captured while he was trying to get water for his family. This game is a great educational tool for people today to see how a real world crisis can actually effect people. The game was somewhat interesting while you were forging for water but other than that I did not find the game to keep my ineterest for very long.

http://www.digiactive.org/2009/08/01/serious-games-darfur-is-dying/..In this article it talks about the imnpact the game has had on people in our country. This game has generated a huge response from people and this in turn has made people reach out to our authority figures and ask them to help in this situation. As I said this game was proven to be a huge educational aspect for our country today. It is helping get the word out about the serious conflicts going on in other parts of this world.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/case_study_darfur_is_dying/

I have never heard of this video game and I am glad I have never played it. After watching the video, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-846592551728203166#, I was very surprised to see someone would actually make a game that was about a terrible tragedy. Although this game can show people who awful it is to do something like this it could also show students different ways to carry out their own plans of doing something as terrible as columbine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Columbine_Massacre_RPG!, This article talks about how the game was listed as one of the possible motiviating factors of the shooter after the 2006 Dawson College shootings. This game only increases the surrounding media about how video game violence is bad for our youth and out culture. 

 http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/case_study_super_columbine_mas/#comments

 

As I continued to play this game I noticed more and more that I was watching the civilians take off their clothes to reveal they were a terrorist. This surprised me a great deal and then got me thinking of our current situation in the middle east. It is very difficult to determine a civilian from a terrorist during this war and has caused many civilian deaths.

http://www.unknownnews.net/casualties.html This websites states that at least 849,845 people have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq since thw war on terror has begun. this is a very high number that I am sure none of us knew or even payed attention to. This game shows us just how difficult it is and how hard it must be on our soldiers to execute their duties while only taking the lives of the terrorists.

http://www.newsgaming.com/games/index12.htm

 http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/case_study_september_12/

 

My first reaction of this game is that it is horrible. At first I thought I was shooting a gun so I carefully aimed at what looked like to be a bad guy or terrorist and fired. Then a missle came shooting out and destroyed a building and everything around it including innocent people. When the noise from the explosion died down you could hear a women crying. This made me not want to play the game at all. Then I wanted to see if i could only hit the bad guys. After a couple successfull attempts and multiple failures I decided to stop playing because I was feeling awful everytime I killed an innocent person and the women started to cry.

http://www.newsgaming.com/games/index12.htm

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/case_study_september_12/

I never really played these games with Laura Craft my older brother was into them. I used to sit around and watch him play and as guys we bothe never really looked at her as being a sexual image. Like Susan I looked at this charatcer as a female who was very smart and could kick some ass and beat up most of the guys. http://blogs.setonhill.edu/SusanCarmichael/2010/01/would_the_real_laura_croft_ple.html

I do agree with Leslie when she says that the cover of NextGen demonstrates how immature the gaming culture can be. http://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguez/013750.html. It is a shame that the cover of NextGen is using sex to sell instead of looking at the game in a more professional manner. However, this does go back to the marketing strategy of our culture. "Sex sells" and NextGen is trying to sell their product.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/rodriguez/

 

First off I did not even know it was possible to obtain a perfect score in Pac Man. I love the game and have played it many times before but did not know you could achieve a score of 3,333,360. Also like Susan I had no idea this game was developed with the ideas all coming from a childrens book. This is remarkable to me that the game of Pac Man was completley developed from a childresn book

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/SusanCarmichael/2010/01/pac-man_ghost_hunters.html

I think it is pretty funny that the reson the name was changed from "Puck Man" to "Pac Man" was to avoid kids from vandalising the game and changing the P to an F. I had no idea baout the different modes that the Ghosts enter during the game. It was also interesting to find out that Pac Man is only at 80% during the first 5 levels then speeds up untill level 21. You would think to make the game more difficult as you increase levels Pac Man would be full speed then continue to slow down as you progress through levels. I also did not know Pac Man slows down when he eats something. The time he slows down for is so small it is impossible to recognize but just enough for a ghost to capture him. It is very important to understand the maze and how the Ghosts operate through the maze. This is a matter of life and death.

http://home.comcast.net/~jpittman2/pacman/pacmandossier.html#Introduction

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/pac-man_dossier/

I was amazed to hear that the games was based on a real cave in Kentucky. "Real locations in the cave and several artifacts (such as an iron rod and an axe head) correspond to their representation in Crowther's version;" This is very impressive that Crowther was able to input real locations and artifacts that were actually in the cave. This makes the game much more personal because it is based on something real.

The article mentions alot how the game was overlooked very often and when the game was mentioned it was misdated. Again when the game was overlooked when the New York times stated that Zork was the first adventure game.The game was also misrepresented when Crowther's original was refered to as Colossal Cave and Woods expansion was refred to as Adventure. This showed the games as 2 seperate and different exapmles of IF.

http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/001/2/000009.html

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/jerz_somewhere_nearby_is_colos/

It amazes me that people were able to produce thse games (spacewar, sketchpad, NLS, and Grail) were all developed between 1962 and 1968.

Like susan pointed out today we as gamers are always looking for the best graphics and the best new system.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/SusanCarmichael/2010/01/gaming_on_paper.html

 We are usually very disapointed in a game that may have less than great graphics or a not so great story line. We forget that as the article talks about games used to be on paper and deal with enter punchcards. We forget that we are lucky to have the games and the graphics that we do today. As a society we do not appreciate the amazing things we have today and we take for granted what we are given to play with and enjoy.

"Clearly, significant computer creativity did happen by means of paper interfaces." This was the earliest form of noted creativity within video games and was groundbreaking. This set the stage for bigger and better things.

http://nickm.com/writing/essays/continuous_paper_isea.html#e3

 http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/montfort_continuous_paper/#comments

 

I really like how he explained exactly what IF is. Before this class I had no idea about text based games and IF. I wish I would have read this as soon as I got the book so I knew a little more about IF than I did at the begning of this course. This section is very helpful to those who do not know much about IF.

I find it amazing that D&D inspired the creation of a number of text games. It is even more amazing to me that in the 1970s it was mostly male high school and college students that were creating this game. It is incredible to me that high school and college students were creating text based games back in the 1970s. I also like that this chapter includes Zork as an example simply because we as a class have already talked about Zork so I know something about the game.

The chapter also talks about how men use computers much more than females. This is why games today are focused more towards men and include violence and other things that are more focused toward men. This is not a discrimination it is a simple fact. If men use computers more than women the video game companies are going to create video games that are more focused toward men. This is a simple marketing strategy that will bring in money for the company and keep the company alive.

There is a comparison between IF and traditional text that says If is not any more interactive than traditional text. It goes on to say how Whelan only examines specific complaints instead of looking at how readers view broader IF concepts. I believe IF is much more interactive than traditional text simply because you are typing commands and trying to solve things. This makes people much more engaged traditional text. The more a person is engaged and the more a person feels connected by typing the commands, the more likely the person will enjoy the games and continue playing.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/keller/

 

"Creators in all media have a social obligation to be responsible with their creations." Koster also goes on to say that all media influence there audience. Being responsible and ethics go together very nicely. It is a person's responsibility to abide by and follow the ethics of our society. If creators can become more and more responsible with their creations then some of the negativity surrounding violent video games may calm down a little bit. People will see that video games have become more responsible with their story lines and plots.

"If you took out all the sex and all the violence, you wouldn't have very many movies, books, or TV shows." This is an interesting point by Koster because there is so much negative media surrounding video games that involve sex and violence. As most marketing people say, Sex Sells! Our culture is surounded by sexual advertisments. It is not just video games that focus of sexual and violent aspects I believe it is our culture as a whole.

"Games do need to push at the boundaries." This is such a simple yet such an important quote in my mind. Video games need to continue to push the boundaries of our culture and of our imaginations. Fantasy games are so much fun because they push the boundaries outside our natural world and force us to explore the impossible. Pushing the boundaries allows us to maybe escape from the world as we know it and explore other options in video games and in life. It helps us think outside the box.

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/koster_160-223/#comments

 

My first impression of 9:05 is that the game may recognize more commands than Adventureland. This may be incorrect as the game goes on but that is my first impression. This game also recognizes short cuts like "I" for inventory. This also shows me this game is more advanced and possibly less frustrating than Adventureland. Throughout the videos of Peter playing both games, I have really noticed how beneficial it is to have someone there to talk to about the game and express ideas to.

It is somewhat commical some of the things you are able to type into the game while knowing the game will most likely not recongnize the command. As these texts games progress they seem to become more and more fun. The frustrating part is the begining of the game where you are trying to figure out what commands the game will and will not recognize. However there are still some instances that I found frustrating just watching the video. When Peter was driving the car and the games asked him if he would like to take the ramp. He replied yes and then the game said the ramp was out of service. He then typed in drive and the game asked him what do you want to drive? Simple things like this would become frustrating throughout the game. Peter is obviously driving the car since the game asked him if he would like to drive on the ramp.

Dr. Jerz mentions how Peter made assumptions throughout the game. It seems in text games such as this one it is very important to not make assumptions and just play the game as Dr. Jerz mentioned he did. By not making assumptions we are leaving an endless amount of possiblities for the game and this in turn would make it more fun while playing.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/905_gameplay_video/

 

It is very interesting that this game was created so that Crowther, who created the game , could play it with his daughters. Most of us know our parents are always looking for ways to connect with us and find things to do together. I think it is pretty cool and interesting that Crowther took that desire to connect with his daughters and used it to create this game so he could play it with his children. 

This game can be very frustrating when it comes to typing in the commands. As you see in the video when Peter typed in "Go to forest" the game didn't recgonize it. When Peter changed it to just "Go forest" the game reconginzed the command and it worked. The reaction that peter displayed when the command worked is one I noticed myself doing a lot while playing the game. The frustration factor of this game is also why it can be so fun and rewarding. It is exciting when a simple command such as "Go forest" works and you can progress into the game.

As Susan mentioned most of the games we have looked at have made the class appreciate the new technology we have. I would have to say although I did enjoy this game, This example still makes me appreciate the technology we have today. I am not very patient when it comes to some things, Which is not a good thing in video games, and because of that fact I do not know if I would be able to enjoy this game as much as others would. http://blogs.setonhill.edu/SusanCarmichael/2010/01/frustrating_adventureland.html

I agree with what Dr. Jerz said to his son about llaying these games with someone else and talking to someone else is something that helps get your ideas going. Sometimes these games become frustrating or you have a mind block and you cannot figure out what to do next. Talking to someone helps regenerate the flow of ideas and can be very helpful in figuring out how to complete the task at hand.

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/adventure_gameplay_video/

  

 

Before reading this I had no idea who Scottt Adams was. The introductinon by Dr. Jerz alone makes me extremley impressed with Mr. Adams and the influence he has had on the computer game industry. While text based games, that do not tell you how to fix the response so it works, can be frustrating sometimes it appears as thought this game was simple enough to respond to easy commands. Also as Dr. Jerz mentioned you could type in "Bleep you" and the computer would simply tell you that the command was inncorrect. Something such as that would make the game commical in a way where you may not get frustrated. I know if I was frustrated with a game and typed "Bleep you" and just got an incorrect command response I would most likely laugh about it to calm down my frustration.

I also agree with what Jeremy said in his blog about how playing this game with the audience was probably much easier than playing it alone. I feel like games such as this one would be much more fun playing it with others so you could yell commands at each other and conitue to help each other as the game progresses. http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JeremyBarrick/2010/01/el_250_jerz_and_adams_primitiv.html

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/if/adams/index.html

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/jerz_and_adams_storytelling_in/

Before talking about some thoughtfull quotes from the chapters I was wondering how many of us actually take what we learn in video games and apply them to real life situations? Is it just me or have others never really thought of video games as somethign to teach us real life skills and techniques?

In chapte 7 Koster says, "This is what games are for. They teach us things so that we can minimize risk and know what choices to make." As this class has continued to move along I have become more and more aware of how games are teaching us life skills and helping teach us what choices to make. I never looked at video games like this and Koster is also saying the same thing, video games help us know what choices to make.

Koster again touches on the aspect of video games influencing life in chapter 8. "Games are for offering challenges, so that you can then turn around around and apply those techniques to real problems." The aspect of applying video game knowledge to real life is a very common and reoccuring theme throughout the book. I would love to know how many people have really thought about video games as a place to learn things and apply them in real life. I have personally never been in a real life situation where I have consciously thought about a technique I learned in a video game to solve my problem.

In chapter 9 Koster says, "Games, at there best, are not perscriptive. They demand that the user create a response given the tools at hand." Creating a response given to the tools at hand is another thing that occurs in our every day life. We wake up every morning with a plan for what we are going to do for the day. That plan does not always go accordingly and when something goes differently than expected we must respond with the tools we have.

 

 http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/koster_110-139/

As this being my first online class and blogging experience I am very hopefully this si the right way to complete this portfolio. It has been a long and interesting week of blogging and having the online experience. Welcome to my portfolio for EL 250 Video game Culture and Theory.

 

Coverage:

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/sample_entry.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/response_to_case_study.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/a_new_art_form.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/indy_returns_again.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/call_of_duty_review.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/doom_changed_my_youth.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/mystthe_game_i_never_played.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/pac_man_is_a_great_game.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/what_is_fun.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/compare.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/guitar_hero.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/mystery_house_frustrating.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/technology_is_amazing.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/rouge_gameplay.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/williams_and_smith.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/theories.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/fun_is_well_fun.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/koster_x-47.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/fun_from_chapters_4-6.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/how_to_take_technology_for_gra.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/zork-the_unnamed_game.htm

lnteraction:

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/williams_and_smith.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/what_is_fun.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/response_to_case_study.html

 

Discussions:

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/theories.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/mystery_house_frustrating.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KeithCampbell/2010/01/compare.html

 

Xenoblogging:

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CodyNaylor/2010/01/koster_x-47.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CodyNaylor/2010/01/koster_48-109.html

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JessicaKrehlik/2010/01/wrights_theories.html

 

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/portfolio_1/#comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is very impressive this game was finished and ready to play in just 6 months. It is also amazing how big of a hit this game seemed to be at least through MIT. We as a culture today are always looking for games with better graphics and more realistic simulations. This game had no graphics and was a simple command game. Also the game was a hit for a full 4 years. Now must of us will still play games that are 4 years old but I believe we do not play with with regularity and games that are 4 years old are not top sellers. I also like how they explain Zork as a game that people felt they could connect too because it was almost like talking to another human. When you would type in a command the game would listen and respond back to the command. I think this is a huge reason why Zork was so successful. People enjoy games they feel like they can relate too and connect with.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/case_study_zork/#comments

 

It was so interesting in the first video how at about 50 sec. into the trialer the man begins to talk about how it captivated people to see text entering computers and making sense. I think we take our technology and computers for granted. I never think about how we are so lucky to have the technology and computers we have today. Computers are pretty much a neccesity in our time now and some people just expect to have computers.

I do not know much about Interactive fiction but just creating interactive fiction sounds very interesting and like a lot of work. It combines both wiriting and programing just to create the game. I like how in the middle of the second video he begins to talk about a game 4 students and researchers created. I like how he uses this exapmle because It helps me relate just because I am a college student. Also when I think of video game creators i always think of profesionals and people who are out of college. It is kind of cool to think about someone your age creating a video game.

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/get_lamp/#comments

``Nonetheless, we have fun mostly to improve our life skills.`` This quote is from chapter 4 and I think it is a very valiable way to look at the way we play games. I have always looked at playing games as strictly ammusment for myself and my friends, never to improve life skills. This quote made me look at the way I have played games differently and it did make me realize a lot of the games I have played have increased skills I use in every day life. I think this is essential for games to continue to do this for us.

 

In chapter 5 Koster syas, ``Delight stirkes when we recognize patterns but are surprised by them.`` As Koster had said earlier our brain is deisgned to recognize patterns. I feel like there are few moments in which we are in true delight. Our brains are very good at recognizing these patters and predicting what will happen next. We have all watched movies in which we can figure out the ending without all of the cluse. This is because our brain has recognized patters throughout the movie and we have come up with our own conclusion.

 

Chapter 6 Koster explains, ``It is equally clear that different people bring different experiences to the table that leaves them with differing levels of ability in solving given types of problems.`` Koster also goes on to talk about how this means that it is almost impossible for a single video game to appeal to everyone. The fact that we all have different experiences involved with video games is what has made these blogs so interesting over the past few days. This quote is a perfect example of what we have been doing over the past few days. Agreeing and disagreeing on things when it comes to the games we have talked about so far during this week.

 

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/koster_48-109/

Chapters 1-3 were very interesting and surprisingly not a bad read. These chapters do talk about being bored and I am usually bored when I read text books but this was not as bad as I was anticipating.

In chapter 1 Koster says ``I also have plenty of experiences where I stare at something and simply don`t get it. He then talks about how when this happens he usually just turns away. I am the exact same way most of the time when it comes to things I stare at and cannot understand. I will just become frustrated and bored and I will turn away. If i am unable to relate to something or understand something I will become bored easily and turn away.

Koster explains in chapter 2 how noise is any pattern we dont understand. I think music is a perfect example of this. Most of the music I do not enjoy listening to i relate to just noise. Most of the time this is becuase I do not understand the beat or melody and just dismis the song of genre of music. I think most of us could say this is true with music. Once we finally are able to understand the patter of the music we can appreciate the music more.

In chapter 3 Koster talks about how games are puzzels to solve, just like everythign else in life. This is completely true with whatever is occuring in our life. Take an everyday situation for example like getting up and getting ready for class. This sounds like such a simple task but it is still a puzzle we must solve. What time do I get up, do I shower then eat or eat and then shower, etc. The simplest things we do in life are still puzzels we must solve day in and day out.

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/koster_x-47/

Wright is on the right page when he talks about games being of academic interest. More and more people are wanting to become video game designers, or like me just know more about video games in general. Every time I play a new and fun game I wonder, how was this game made, or who and how was this storyline created. Other than this class, I have never seen a class offered that had to do with video games. Maybe this is because of what Wright said about having very few teachers who understand games well enough to teach them.

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/wright_and_koster/

Dr. Jerz mentions how most studens arrive at college looking into a mirror and asking how things relate to or affect us. I  know when I arrived at college I was looking into a mirror. I always asked myself how is this relating to me or how am i benefiting personally from this. It took a little while before I began to stop looking at things strictly through the mirror sense.

It is very difficult to create a opinionated paper and have it be veiewed as academically sound or factual. I have experienced this first hand when wirting papers for some of my writing classes. Teachers always tell myself and other students not to write I think, or I believe, because then the paper sounds opinonated. The readers then begin to look at the supporting arguments as strictly opinionated instead of factual arguments.

Beth Anne is completley correct in saying that theory is all about developing our own ideas. Creating a theory about something and looking further into it will help us create and help establish our ideas about subjects like poliics and other things. Looking at other peoples theories is key to establishing our views. Trying out other peopls theories will help us evaluate our own theories and either correct them or conitue on and make our own theories stronger.

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/theory_and_games/

 

"Professionals and scholars that work with and within the computer industry are also partly responsible for the spread of negatively-biased information about games and gaming"-Williams and Smith. It then goes on to talk about a book that Kelly wrote on massively multiplayer online games.

"An American youth allegedly kills himself after being spurned by a female online player.."

It further explains that Kelly was not trying to emphasize this event and others but to explain this event due to a culture in digital games. 

By talking about this event it gives the media and other sources a lot of ammunition on the video game world. As cody said "The media typically reports bad news.." Although Kelly's book is trying to explain these tragic events and give reason to them, the media does not care about that and will only report on how video games cause another death. This is terrible that the media will disregard everything else except for the negative part, which will in turn, bring more lawsuits against video games and people will continue to try and get certain video games banned. Proffesionals and scholars that work within the computer industry should be trlking about positive aspects of video games to try to shed a new light on violent and other styles of video games. There are many people in this world who play violent video games and they do nothing bad, maybe that should begin to be reported instead of only the negative aspects of video games.

 

 

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CodyNaylor/2010/01/bad_news_sells.html

 

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/williams_and_smith/

Honestly after watching just the video I have no idea what that game is or what it is about. Has anyone played this game and can give me some more insight on it. After reading the link that Dr. Jerz provided us with I gained a little more knowledge on this game and how it works. It does remind me of games that are more popular now that involve leveling up before you can fight certain people and looking for certain objects to help you level up and become more powerful. I would like to know if anyone has played this game what they think of it personally. http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/rogue_gameplay/

It is amazing to see the technological advances we have now, compared to what people were dealing with awhile back with systems such as atari. It was interesting to hear how do to some glitches in the programing it may be impossible sometimes to beat the game because of the fact that the yellow key may be hidden in the yellow castle. It is also funny hearing how Atari would not allow the games creators to get credit for the work they had down and the games they had created. Atari is a piece of video game history but I do not know if I could handle trying to play a game like that,

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/atari_adventure_gameplay/

This game would be very frustrating having to go through anf type each command out. Also it seems as though you really have to take this game one step at a time. As it first showed you could not say enter house. You have to say climb steps for the game to really begin. I am an impatient gamer and this would be a very annoying game that I would stop playing after a few minutes. I am not a fan of any style games such as Mystery House, strictly because I feel as though this game requires you to do every little thing such as climb the steps instead of just entering the house. Games like this would cause me a great deal of stress and frustration and cause me to give up very early.

Guitar Hero is one of those games that I am not very good at. Ok, not very good at is an understatement. I have no musical ability and have never played a musical instrument in my life. I am always extremely hesitant to play this game with my friends and especially with my girlfriend.

As I walked downstairs at my girlfriends house I saw Guitar Hero sitting out already set up. Immediately I wanted to turn around and go back upstairs but of course I was dragged down and forced to be a part of the game.  I began to watch as my girlfriend and her sister played. They began on easy and were only playing 3 out of the 5 cords on the guitar. The speed was relatively slow, definitely manageable for a beginner who has never played.  As the game continued to go on, more and more people began to come downstairs and watch Guitar Hero. It was as if people heard the music and automatically knew what game was being played, so they came running. I was asked if I wanted a turn and considering I was with my girlfriend and a bunch of her family, whom I didn't know very well, I of course wanted no part in this game. I knew I would go up there and make a fool of myself and look like a loser in front of everyone.  After a few turns I was finally convinced to take a turn and at least try the game.

I just knew I was going to make myself look like a fool. I took the guitar and began to look for a song I recognized and at least knew the beat too. Finally I found a song I felt confident in, selected easy and began to play it. Wow, not so bad I thought, as I calmly and coolly breezed through the beginning of the song. The more I played the song, the more I felt confident and actually started to enjoy myself. I finished the song and passed the guitar on to someone else. After they had played I immediately asked for it back. I wanted to play again. I of course kept the difficulty level on easy, but as I continued to play the game became more and more fun. Eventually you could not get the guitar out of my hands. I was begging people to let me play again and again. It was addicting and a lot of fun to play and even to watch others play. This is a great game to play with your friends because it is not only intense and fun to play, but it is a lot of fun to sit around and watch your friends play too. You can have competitions throughout the game to beat each other on certain songs or just continue to play until you have master songs that were once difficult.  Guitar Hero is a great game for anyone and it does not take a lot of musical talent to be able to play. I mean I figured it out.

 

As Dr. Jerz said the review by Ajami is much more about the facts of the game. It gives you a run down of the game and is very helpful to those consumers who are reading the review and thinking about purchasing the game. The review by Ajami does not try to get the reader emotionally attached to the game. The review explains how the geam progresses and how it is both similar and different from the previous 2 games. Ajami helpes readers knew what they will be facing throughout the game, as well as, how your character will develop as you pass through certain stages of the game.

The first 2 words that you read on Shanahan`s piece immediatly hit you like a ton of bricks. Those two words together are not socially exceptable in our culture today and they immediatly cause different feelings and emotions running through your body. The style of writing by Shanahan gives you a much more real feeling and brings back memories of watching the movies and seeing the events unfold in front of you. Also throughout reading this there is a much more personal feeling. I feel like this was written to me and for me, to help me personally throughout the game. The personal feeling I have gotten from this review makes me want to play the game much more than the review by Ajami. I feel as though I am already attached to the game and my character.

I think new game journalism will benefit much more from having reviews such as the one Shanahan wrote. It is much more valuable to a customer or a reader because the review seems much more personal instead of being so structered and planned out. I would much rather hear about a game from a friend than from a magazine. Shanahan`s review seems more as if the review is coming from a friend or at least someone you can relate too. 

The word fun is such a simple word, yet from the readings and other blogs, I have noticed that fun is a much more complicated word and has many different meanings. However, no matter how we each interpret the word fun i can say with almost certanty that we all agree the word fun directly correlates with happiness. I agree with Koster in a sense that we may lose interest in a game when we realize all the game has to offer. However, I believe once we have found all that a game can offer there are ways to continue to make them fun. That being who you play with or different rules you may establish to creat a greater challenge.

There is also something about a game being to challenging and difficult. At least to me, sometimes I become frustrated and upset while playing a game which is difficult for me. This factor alone will make the game not fun and uninteresting to me. A good example for me would be Rock Band. I have never played anything musical in my life. I am awful at this game and do not enjoy playing it or want to play it when my friends bring it out. I do not mind watching people play Rock Band but when I am offered to play I will always rufuse bcause of the simple fact that I am not very good, so it is not fun.

Pac Man is one of my all time favorite games. I, like many others, have been playing this game since we were young. It is very simple to play and does not take a lot of skill to complete each level. It is very interesting how Dr. Jerz explains that Pac Man encodes survival values of the nomatic lifestyle. Ì have never thoughout about the game Pac Man in such a way. This lecture opened my eyes to how simple games can really teach you things about life.

I have never before played Myst and after watching the video I am some what glad I never did. I do not have much insight of the game so that may be part of the problem why I am disinterested. 5 min into the video and I still had no real clue on what the game was about or what I was supposed to do. This is one game that I would not have been interested in.

First let me start off by explaining Doom did not actually change my youth but it did give my older brother some amunition to scare me with. I was 3 years old when Doom came out so naturally I did not play the game and my parents did not even want me to watch my older brother play the game. Considering the fact my parents didnt want me around the game and my brother could play it naturally made me want to be around the game as much as possible. This however, was not the best idea.

After the first time I snuck into my computer room to watch my brother play it I had nightmares for a few days. I was not at all used to seeing anything like the game Doom and it made me scared. Once my brother found out I was scared because of Doom he decided to use that against me and scare me at night. As i continued to get older and realize the game was not at all scrary I became a big fan of Doom.

I began playing Doom and once I sat down to play I could not be torn away from the computer. Doom was the first game I played that involved first person shooting. I would have to say that because of Doom I have become a big fan of first person shooting games as I have gotten older.  

Call of Duty (COD) is a World War II-first person shooting game. The creators of this game have made sure to include all the WW II themes as well as adding many more things to keep players interested in the game. The first thing I noticed on the review for COD is that the review noted that some of the members that composed this game had also helped composed another game that has been noted to be very good (Allied Assault).  Another thing I noticed in the review, is that as the review was talking about how good the game was, the review made sure to let the readers know that in some words were to strong to describe this game. "Call of Duty's distinguishing features, by and large, can't be considered innovations--that's too strong of a word". The review does a good job of explaing how realistic the game is when it comes to being shot and killed, or shot and wounded. The action in COD isbrings back the arcade like theme to gaming, which is very attractive for gamers today.

The game also has a directional display on it so the player is aware of where he or she is taking fire from and where the enemy is. Also the review describes the type of weapons that are used throughout the games and calls them authentic to the WW II theme. This helps make it more realistic, which is what people are looking for. This review was very well writen and explains all of the details and important pieces to make a game great.

 

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/callofduty/review.html

One of the main differences between the article by Rothstein and the article by Richard's is the fact the Rothstein is not focused on just the game the Myst. He opens with talking about the Myst but then Rothstein begins to move into the different types of systems that are begning to emerge, as well as different games and genres of games. Richard's however, focuses mainly on LEGO Indiana Jones 2.

Rothstein also talks about the future of gaming and really various his topics to cover all aspects of gaming. Rothstein's article mainly focused on facts about the Myst and other gaming systems. He talked about how people are always wanting bigger and better systems and he continues to talk about those systems in certain ways. Richard's takes the more personal and direct route in his article by specifiaclly talking about LEGO  Indiana Jones 2. Also as I read Richard's article i feel like it is more of an opionated article instead of factual.

Both articles are very interesting and beneficial to read. However, I personally enjoyed the article by Rothstein more because it covered a wider area of gaming and was much more factual. Also Rothstein's artical brought me back to when I was younger and enjoyed playing the older games and older systems.

This article was a very interesting read and gave me some new insight into this game. I have heard of this game and my older brother played it when we were younger but I have never played the game itself. This article gave me a personal view of why my brother might have enjoyed the game and why the game was so interesting to him.

 It is so interesting to read an article like this that is so old. This article talks about the new gaming sytems and how they are souped up. The article is talking about the segas and the different Nintendo systems. Back then those gaming systems were the new and improved thing that every youth and teenager wanted to have. Now we have the technology for the PS3 and the XBOX360, just to name a couple. These gaming systems have really changed the gaming world today by introducing better graphics, better stroylines, and even the chance to connect online and play games against people in a totally different country.

Creating games in which a "communtiy" is built was a huge advantage to video designers. I remember when i would play such games where even my parents were in the room watching us play and being involved in the game. Creating games like this also helps with monotring how much or what kind of video game a child may play at home (one of the class discussion topics). Creating games that get everyone involve creat more faimly time while still allowing the children to be happy and continue to play video games.

Beth Anne's article was very interesting and a good choice. The debate between violence in video games and childrens actions will always be an on going debate and one that is a good debate to have. I feel as long as games continue to have ratings on them then there is no real problem with violent games. It is the parents responsibility to montor what their child is playing and how much violence may or may not be appropriate for the child. This is a very interesting topic and I am glad Beth brought this up.

 

Matt Takacs article was one i personally liked because i used to play that game when i was younger so I can directly relate to what the game is about. Also 3D graphics are very interesting to me and I had no idea Doom was such a technological advance in video games. I would enjoy talking more about this subject.

This is my first online course and my first blogging experience. The videos were very helpful in getting me started with this. Hopefully it wont be to difficult throughout this course.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL250/2010/01/intro_to_shu_weblogs/#comments