But that seems to be the wave of the future, not just in movies. But also with video games.
This article from G4 I came across (thanks to twitter), discussed how 3D is the wave of the future, it's spread to video games, and how Avatar seems to be the forerunner.
"3D is the new thing, if you're to believe the gospel of movie director James Cameron. His latest action epic, Avatar, was filmed under the premise 3D is going to revolutionize all forms of entertainment. Games are included under that umbrella. Avatar: The Game will be the first console game to support stereoscopic 3D, but it's not the only 3D game available, especially if you're talking about the PC."
I don't know, I really never saw a point.
When I was a kid, whenever my family would go: "Let's go on 3D rides! It'll be a fun adventure!" I'd go "Okay.. I'd rather go on an actual ride," (for the most part). I just don't get the thrill and excitement of a hand reaching out at me and my seat spraying water on me to give me the illusion that I'm getting splashed by water. Unnecessary..
But this seems to be the wave of the future. Movies are being released in 3D format (which I have no desire to see), and now video games are being released in 3D? Is it even going to be successful? The article continues:
"Just as 20th Century Fox is banking on Avatar opening big at the box office, Ubisoft is hoping that translates into a video game blockbuster. Ubisoft has pushed the 3D angle for Avatar: The Game since E3, giving the press its first glance at Avatar: The Game in front of a massive 3D television. The 3D was certainly impressive, but once you realized most will never experience the game that way, it's somewhat diminished. At least with the movie, most consumers can head to the movie theater."
I feel that people aren't going to want to make the transition of 2D playing games to having to get a more expensive TV or PC that's compatible with the 3D technology, it's just not necessary to have that with gaming to me.
But who knows. Maybe I'll be proven wrong in a few years.
I did hate DVDs when I was a kid. I was very content with my VHS tapes and felt that DVDs were unnecessary. Oh, how wrong I was.
I used to LOVE this show. And while browsing YouTube I just happened to find this clip:
So funny.
I wanna find out what episode this was from and the context of this clip, but it's still great on it's own.
I wonder if this is gonna be the future of virtual reality, where kicking something and getting hurt or getting crushed by a steamroller in the game, would actually happen to the player. Who knows, it's possible...
But I'd much rather play a game where I'm a sword-swinging elf in Hyrule as opposed to kicking a can..
I just finished reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and that quickly has become one of my favorite books.
Yes, it's a children's book.
Yes, I'm nineteen years old.
Don't judge.
I used to.
Working at Barnes and Noble, I have been surrounded by the books ever since I started working there. I never really picked up the books, but thought it was good that it got a lot of kids to read, even if it is a "novel in cartoons". But then my coworkers read the books, people who were my age or even older, and exposed me to the material in book three, probably one of the funniest moments in this book:
And one day recently, I was bored and decided to pick up the series. I fell in love with it.
The story basically follows Greg and his (mis)adventures in middle school. It's like.. I don't even know where to begin describing the book. I think the first page speaks for itself:
So the book has become a major success, which makes me happy because it's a great and entertaining story told in a different and fun style. And after seeing this video and how the author, Jeff Kinney, really looks out for his fans, it gave me a greater respect for him.
What I love about the character of Greg is that he's NOT a hero. He's a kid who goes through everyday problems at home and school and even though he's a wimp, he has a very high regard for himself and his potential.
But in addition, he just represents a normal kid, who doesn't want to go to military school, be on the swim team, do homework, do chores; but instead make money the easiest way possible and just sit at home and play video games.
There's several references throughout the series of Greg just wanting to play video games, all the time, but I don't have the books (yet--I actually plan on buying these instead of just reading them when at work) and this is the only reference I could find online.
Overall, I recommend this book for all ages: kids and adults can easily relate to it and it leaves a lasting impression on one wimpy kid who represents a vast majority of kids these days.
I'm currently at my friend's house, where it's me + eight guys, six of which are playing with Magic Cards and two of which are playing Grand Theft Auto. I'm playing Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (of course.) & occasionally looking up at the game as they're using a sniper rifle to blow people's heads off, throwing newspaper stands at people, and just committing other random and fun acts of violence. But the thing that was most intriguing to me is the radio option: as they were driving a helicopter around, they were playing the radio within the helicopter and "Hate" by Plain White T's came on, followed by "Bat Country" by Avenged Sevenfold and it made me remember that the Grand Theft Auto franchise made judicious use of music in the game: through the radios. Perfect Product Placement.
"As one pertinent example, take the Grand Theft Auto series, which has grown in size and stature as it has also grown in popularity, and has developed an increasing faithfulness to the form of consumerism as its fan base has grown. One continuing motif from the series, the use of in-game radio stations, has morphed from simple musical repetitions to full blown mimicry, with parodied adverts, talk-shows, and discussions. Moving from the first GTA, which contained original compositions, to GTA4, which contains three talk-radio stations, and makes use of a proportionally high number of licensed tracks by real-life bands, the GTA series is a perfect example of the increasing movement of computer games towards the 'real'. From there, it seems, it is to move into the world of consumerism."
Of course, this isn't the only method of product placement in video games: other examples include: placing real advertisements on billboards and whatnot (which is usually done through the company Massive), and placing stores that feature the products for the characters to buy. A pro of putting advertisements in video games is that they're more subtle; they're within the game and also give the effect of the video game reflecting reality with "real" products. Furthermore, advertisements are able to be changed and updated, such as putting the latest movie poster and replacing it with a movie that was released three weeks ago; and even applying specific advertisements within the games that appeals to the demographic of players (for example, a game that mainly appeals to males 18-24 may put in an in-game advertisement for Axe, whereas a game that mainly to females 13-18 may put in an advertisement for acne cream). I personally think that this form of in-game advertising and product placement is MUCH more effective than rehearsed and usually corny commercials, and this does give the effect of a game seeming more like reality when I'm playing.
VS.
I guess a con is that people feel that this kind of advertisement is more subliminal, or even that people may feel that this kind of advertising is going "too far" and should not be incorporated into video games... but product placement happens in movies and TV shows ALL the time. I love when I see specific computer brands or what kind of cars the character drives or where they go to eat.. I feel that fictional characters making a connection with products that surround us everyday help break down the wall of the movie being fictional and help me feel more connected to the movie... but that's just me.
""The Internet Advertising Bureau glowingly reported that “product placement in-game allows for complete integration of consumer products into the scenery of the game” and “plot integration...when the products play an active role in the context of the game, allowing the audience to experience specific product attributes e.g. drinking a can of Red Bull to give the character energy.” So it seems that, like film before it, the computer gaming industry is moving further into the real world of marketing, with the next generation of entertainment hoping to make a very firm use of product placement and brand enhancement."
But as you know (or maybe don't.. well now you'll learn something new about me), all of my favorite adventure games are fantasy games: Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, Mario, Sonic, Pokemon, Mortal Kombat, etc. So, in-game advertising doesn't really apply to me, since they generally advertise in games that are in present day... Like, I wouldn't see an billboard for Coca Cola or a New Moon movie poster in Legend of Zelda, now would I?
"Such motifs are a bold departure from the original explosion of the computer game industry, with the cartoonish fantasy worlds of Sonic the Hedgehog and The Super Mario Brothersseries, defining mainstream games of their time. It seems that, as technology and finances in the industry have developed, game makers have chosen to create games that are increasingly like reality; instead of using more powerful technology and greater funds for further, more in depth forays into the fantasy world, the current world's most popular games, like Grant Theft Auto, are using that power for the purposes of a kind of symmetry."
So when I got my laptop a year and a half ago, one of the applications I downloaded was Project 64, an emulator which enables me to play Nintendo 64 video games. I downloaded my favorites, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and Super Mario 64. I started playing Ocarina of Time and would play at my leisure, so I played for like over a year. I got stuck at the dreaded Water Temple because the keys on my laptop wouldn't zero in on the exact pixel I needed to hookshot onto, so then I got tired of that game and started playing Super Mario. I had a lot of fun playing that game, and my goal is to get all 120 stars. I didn't start playing Majora's Mask because I wanted to beat Ocarina of Time first. I was able to figure out how to get unstuck but still played Super Mario, and I wound up getting 104 stars.
This past weekend my laptop would not turn on, and I wound up having to take it to get fixed by getting a new hard drive. They were able to save my files, but not the files that has my saved games information.
I just lost a year and a half's progress in my video games.
...I don't plan on looking at those games for a while. Instead I downloaded Pokemon Snap! and will download Mortal Kombat 3.
I guess there could be worse things in life.. it's just a game after all.
So, since Friday, I've been lying in my bed. I've been asleep for like 32/54 hours, attempted to work at Barnes and Noble 3 1/2 hours but wound up napping at work, and was attempting to sleep for another 10 hours. I wasn't able to eat on Friday and Saturday that much, but on Sunday I mostly relaxed and watched The Powerpuff Girls and The Office on DVD. But other than that, what else did I do during my weekend of being sick? Play computer games.
I played a lot of Super Mario 64, which I downloaded on an N64 Emulator last year. I also downloaded Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time & Majora's Mask and I was playing Ocarina of Time and wanted to beat that game first before moving onto Majora's Mask and then move onto Super Mario; however, I got stuck in Ocarina of Time and started to play Super Mario. Even when I got out of the spot in Legend of Zelda with help from a friend (since using the computer keys to play these games are a lot harder to use than the joystick), I continued to play Super Mario and want to finish playing that before I go back to Legend of Zelda.
But anyway.. I started playing Super Mario 64 and am currently in a competition with Chris over who has the most stars, and of course I'm winning with 96/120 stars. I really enjoy playing this game, and it makes me kind of sad to know that I almost beat it. I have vague memories of playing it when I was a kid, but I mostly only remember my brother playing, and me trying to play but having to ask my brother for help anyway on the harder levels. But I'm basically beating this game all by myself (with help from GameFaqs, of course). But this game overall is a lot of fun and is definitely one of my favorites to play. Just sad to think that I only have 24 stars left, and I'll probably get a few more after I do this blog.
In addition to playing games on my N64 Emulator, I also regularly play games on Pogo.com. I used to play a lot when I was a teenager, but I stopped playing for a few years and when I turned 18, I remember that people who were 18+ could try to win cash prizes for cashing in "tokens" won in the games, so I started playing again. Among my favorite games on there are Scrabble (I rule at that game.), Poppit, Mahjong Safari, Golf Solitare, Sweet Tooth, and Word Whomp. I have other games that I play once in a while but those are the games that I win the most tokens in so I play those a lot more. The games range from classic board games to word games to sports games, etc; games that can appeal to all casual gamers. Most of the games are free and by winning, the player can get tokens. The player can use those tokens in exchange for a chance to win cash prizes. The chances seem very slim, but I'm very hopeful that one day that I can win some money just by playing some games. I feel that playing these games essentially aren't a waste of time as opposed to Farmville.. at least I'm trying to win some money.
So hopefully I'll be able to win some money from Pogo. I currently have 355,689 tokens, and I usually cash in for a chance to win when I'm running out of money or feeling veryy lucky. I haven't won yet though..
Situation #1: A coworker was telling me how she went to the Weezer/Blink 182 Concert and called her friend, not to let her listen to the band live via a cell phone.. no, she asked her friend to log onto her Facebook account and harvest her strawberries.
Situation #2: A friend was telling me that one time he was leaving his house to go visit his Fraternity brother in the hospital, and before he left he asked his Mom to check on his chicken--his chicken in Cafe World that is.I have never liked Farmville, Cafe World, or any of those other kind of casual role-playing games that people play on Facebook (Mafia Wars, Yo-Ville, etc). I understand that it's fun, how you can share crops with your friends, and refuse to scare crows or black sheep or whatever off your ex-best friend's farm, or go to your cousin's restaurant and eat their soup of the day to help them out... but I personally think it's a waste of time. These kind of games have no appeal to me whatsoever, so maybe I'm biased. But whenever someone asks me to borrow my laptop to check their cafe, I just make fun of them. Incessantly.
But I guess to most people, these games are appealing. Especially since their main platform seems to be Facebook, the social networking that promotes wasting time through applications and reconnecting with friends. Not to mention that parents going on facebook seems to be the new trend, so they must find Farmville and Cafe World fun.. that is, after they check the pictures that their kids were tagged in last night. According to this review on Farmville that I found, which puts Farmville in a very positive light that made me rethink my biased opinion of the game, it continually described Farmville as "fun for all ages":
"Despite the simplicity of the game, Farmville is actually very fun to play. It is perfect for the casual gamer who doesn’t have much time in a busy day to do much gaming. It is very easy to learn and even a game that a smaller child could play along with a parent. The graphics in the game are fine and do the job adequately. There is a soundtrack but it is the same song played over and over again which you may tire of quite quickly but there is a sound option button so you can turn this off." So maybe to people this is just a fun way to waste the day.
After looking up some other's opinions online, I don't have the bias that I had yesterday. Whatever, let people have fun with their games. Not everyone loves Super Mario or Legend of Zelda or Guitar Hero, so whatever. I just refuse to play Farmville, and I'm not alone.
I honestly don't know how to feel. Like, I love music. And I love that music is being incorporated into video games in order to appeal to a larger audience. I love that these video games encourage people to pursue talent and/or appreciation in music.
My only problem is..when is it gonna stop? What's going to be the border between video games and reality?
Now, there's games that encourage the player to participate in a number of different roles: from a plumber to a hedgehog to an elf to Batman to a soldier for America to basically anything. But to me, it's different when the player is just pressing a few buttons to make the character move as opposed to picking up a virtual guitar and using that as the controller. Now there's a game where the player can scratch discs and mix music? Eh..
"The makers of Guitar Hero introduce an entirely fresh and innovative way to experience music. DJ Hero features an amazing variety of music across genres – tracks that you love and reflect who you are. Using an authentic turntable controller, you will spin and scratch more than 102 songs into unique mixes and become the life of the party. Get ready for a whole new phenomena in music. ... [In DJ Hero You Can Rule the Hottest Parties: Where Guitar Hero brought gamers into the world of rock ‘n’ roll, DJ Hero brings you into the hottest scenes around. Party in venues reminiscent of real world locales from around the globe including an ultra plush and sexy Hollywood Hills style mansion to an open air beach club in Ibiza."
Not to say that I wouldn't want to play it. It looks really cool. I just wonder where the line's gonna be drawn, that's all. And I also wonder how popular this would be. Who knows, maybe it'll sell really well and they'll come out with a:
I have millions of funny Customer Service stories that I come across while working at Barnes and Noble. The majority of my tweets are ones that I text from my phone after I come across a funny customer service story. This one happened before I started tweeting, but it's one that I'll never forget and it's relevant to video games and I think it'll make a good blog.
So a while ago, I was working and I decided to do my job while on the floor and help answer the phone. Gotta, of course, start the conversation with: "Barnes and Noble, Lauren speaking, how can I help you?" which is my condensed version of the preferred pitch: "Thank you for calling Barnes and Noble, this is Lauren speaking, how can I help you today?", which I have a tendency to stutter over so I don't even bother. So the customer on the phone, a guy who's probably my age, goes: "Yeah.. I got a store credit the other day for returning a book and I was wondering if I could return it and get cash back instead?" and I'm like: "No..." So he goes on to say that he had no use for a store credit, and doesn't want to buy books. So I try to be patient and suggest that he get something for someone else, like a gift since Christmas is coming up. He of course did not want to hear that. So then he goes, "Well, do you guys sell video games?" "No." "But you do online, but it won't let me use the store credit online." "Yeah, 'cause you gotta use it in the store." ['cause you know how on gift cards they have the 4-digit security code? It didn't have that on the store credit so he couldn't use it at all online.] So by then he was very frustrated, and said something about how he has no desire to buy books and hung up. Whatever.
So that got me to thinking: how many people, teens especially read for pleasure anymore? Besides the Twilightphenomenon, and miscellaneous other popular teen or fiction books we get in like the Sookie Stackhouse Seriesor other books that were made into movies like The Time Traveler's Wife, I hardly see kids come in asking for a good book to read. I mostly get asked for recommendations from adults. But what are the majority of kids doing instead of reading? Reading isn't so much the most fun recreational hobby and more. I think kids have more fun with other forms of entertainment, like going to the movies or playing video games. Who reads books anymore?
I think there's several reasons for this. It's rare that kids are required to play video games, if anything they have to play typing exercises in school. However, for books, kids are required to read at most six books in one summer. Doesn't shed the most positive light on reading, right? I feel that when people are forced to do something, they feel obligated to do it and aren't enthusiastic about doing it, or possibly don't want to do it at all or would rather rebel against it. That theory can apply to anything, but I feel like it applies to kids reading books: many kids today would only pick up a book because it's required for class, not so much for themselves. But for video games, kids aren't generally required to play and society tends to look down on gameplay so video games have become an excellent source of recreation.
But is that so bad? Video games have proven to be more beneficial for development that people once thought. I found a really good article on Books vs. Video Games that I pretty much agree with, written by Richard Clarke:
"I would say reading encourages people with active personalities to be thoughtful, realistic, and careful about the way they solve problems and deal with obstacles – but neither games nor books really offer both benefits. I’m convinced that books can allow for a passive acceptance on the part of the reader. Note those who devote themselves to genre fiction – the typical romance novel fan, science fiction nut, reader of books found in Barnes and Noble’s humor section, and Oprah Book Club Member. These are often unhealthy and passive personalities who simply read and accept words on a page. They are not asked to act on these words, nor are they asked to quibble with them. Meanwhile, the gamer questions everything. Game developers can vouch for the fact that gamers are a quibbling bunch, finding constant fault with design and gameplay decisions. Meanwhile, in the game world, they are asked to make choices about everything from how they win a race, to how they overcome a boss. They are asked to decide what is right and wrong, and whether that even matters. Here’s the difference between games and books: games ask questions, while books give answers. Games present an opportunity to devise our own solutions, while books sit us down and explain what we should have done."
I agree that games overall are very interactive, where the player chooses what to do and either wins or loses based on that decision; whereas, in books, the reader reads what's on the page and makes analysis and draws conclusions just from that. I don't know if I agree with the "books give answers" part, because books usually call for critical thinking and analysis, depending on what's being read.
For me, books and video games are a good source of recreational activity for me. It all depends on my mood, which I would prefer doing. If I feel like being alone and just relaxing and do something to pass the time, I'd rather read. If I feel like being alone while still being in control and have fun, I would rather play video games.
As for other people, I feel like video games are the preferred form of recreational activity. But will the day come when books are no longer required and books become obsolete? Who knows..
This happens every week. After I write a blog on something [that I'd like to think came out good] I wonder what I'm going to write for next week. And I have no idea and then out of nowhere, I get an idea. This week is no different.
I was driving in Eltingville and I saw that the Blockbuster on Amboy Road and Richmond Avenue was closing and they were trying to get rid of all their merchandise. Yesterday, I drove by and I saw that the store had been closed for good, and it was really weird to see all the shelves empty and whatnot. I am not surprised. Besides the parking lot being atrocious, I feel like no one wants to pay (when they could buy and own it) to rent a movie (when they could rent it for free from the library), or even rent it for cheaper on Netflix or just watch it online for free. The same goes for video games.
When I was a kid, I'd occasionally rent movies with my family that I had no desire of owning. When I got older, I'd go to to Blockbuster and I usually wouldn't want to rent movies, I'd rather buy and own them. Then, when I started playing video games, I'd rather buy the game instead of just rent it for a few days and have to bring it back. I'm not the type of person who would want to play a game for three days straight and then never look at it again; I play games on my own time, a little bit each time. Renting a game would not be convenient or fun for me, so I never did it.
I'll never forget, I wanted to play a Mortal Kombat game and I went to Blockbuster because it was more convenient for me to get to since it was right near the train and I didn't have a car at the time. And I was just in the mood to play Mortal Kombat--I have always loved playing that game and I just felt like fighting, not play a game with this long adventure, or play Guitar Hero, I just wanted to play Mortal Kombat. So I went to the store and asked if I could buy the game and they said they didn't have it, and they didn't even have the game to rent it. Ugh, I was so annoyed. So I wasn't able to fulfill my desire to play Mortal Kombat and I was sad.
I used to play Mortal Kombat when I was a kid with my brother, and yeah, I know, the whole "violence in video games" probably had an effect on me but I don't care. I love playing games for competition and Mortal Kombat basically a competition to the [virtual] death of the opponent. Among my favorite characters to use are: Sonya, Jade, Sindel, Kitana, Sheeva, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Johnny Cage. I played mostly Mortal Kombat on Sega Genesis, the Mortal Kombat Trilogy on N64 and Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance on PS2. I hardly remember the gameplay because I have played the game at all in at least three years, but I remember playing it and becoming determined to beat the boss, and enter the codes for the cool fatalities.
So, I'm not surprised that Blockbuster has gone away. I think it's only a matter of time before the whole company shuts down due to competition (Best Buy, Gamestop, Internet) and lack of items in stock. And the fact that you had to have the card or else you couldn't buy or rent anything was really annoying.
But now I wanna play Mortal Kombat. I gotta get that game somehow.
So one of my favorite shows is South Park. I don't watch it because of the immature humor; I think the writers touch on many pop culture or social trends and make good observations on it. I know I wrote a blog on Guitar Hero & included South Park's take on that popular video game in their episode Guitar Queer-O, but I recently realized that South Park focuses on video games for many episodes. And it makes sense; the main characters are four fourth-graders.. what else would they do with their time?
The first reference to video games is during the Chinpokomon Episode, from Season 3. This episode came out during the Pokemon fad, and the whole episode was just great in showing how this fad affected kids. This part shows how Kyle is always one step behind: when everyone was into the Chinpokomon dolls, he never even heard of the fad. Once he got the dolls, everyone started playing the video game. The writers from South Park twisted the fad further by saying that the Japanese were using the fad to brainwash kids to bomb Pearl Harbor.. o_O
This is from Season 5, the Towelie episode. In this episode, the boys get a new video game and are excited to play it. They play for hours, and do nothing else..at all... I like this clip though because of the excuses the boys come up with to just continue to play the game.
This one's from Season 9, The Losing Edge. This episode is great because the boys are in the Little League Tournament, but none of them want to play "this boring game"; they just wanna stay home and play video games. The boys think that if they just win and finish this game, they'll finally be done with this game. They're in for a rude awakening.. Furthermore, these clips show how the parents are having a much better time at the games, but Stan's father keeps getting the urge to fight other parents.
This one's from Season 9, Best Friends Forever. This one was really good; the B-story was about how Cartman was absolutely determined to get the new Sony PSP, as shown in this opening sequence.
This one's from the same episode, showing Kenny with his PSP. I like this clip because it shows how sometimes people wind up playing video games, all the time; especially when it's a handheld.
This one's from Season 10, Make Love, Not Warcraft. One of their best episodes, and I don't even like World of Warcraft. In this episode, all the boys play World of Warcraft [and Stan's dad was complaining about how Stan is just on his computer and should socialize with his friends, but Stan is actually socializing] but keep getting killed by this one guy who has absolutely no life, and the makers are worried that this is the end of the world... of warcraft. One of the best aspects of the episode is the use of animation of the actual game.
This one's from the same episode. Here, the boys are determined to level up and beat the guy who keeps killing them. To them, they're sitting at their computers and doing something that matters. To the rest of the world, they have no lives at all.
This clip is from Season 10, Go God Go I. This episode begins with Cartman impatiently waiting for the Wii, which sets off the entire episode. The second part of the clip contains the B-story, about the theory of evolution which is irrelevant to this blog; but the opening sequence is really good so that's why I chose this one.
So these clips are the ones I remembered. There's probably ones that I forgot about, but I think these clips show a nice balance of different kinds of video games and the extremes and lengths the kids go to in order to play the games. Sometimes they extents are exaggerated, of course, but I think it reflects how many kids play video games: this generation finds video games more appealing that other forms of entertainment.
I don't feel like writing about Guitar Hero. Instead I'll talk about one of the like ten console games I played religiously: Kingdom Hearts.
How did I hear about Kingdom Hearts? I think my brother introduced it to me, saying how I'd like it because it incorporates Walt Disney into the video games; and don't judge I love Disney =P But to me, this game is basically like Legend of Zelda + Mickey Mouse. Of course I'd love it.
So when I got that, I was in high school, and depending on my mood I'd either play Kingdom Hearts, Guitar Hero, or Mortal Kombat on PS2. Kingdom Hearts mostly, of course. I got into it right away: I obviously loved the Disney characters and that whole sub-plot with the Disney movies representing different worlds but I also loved the Final Fantasy characters (even though I never played the game before) and fighting and the whole adventure sequence. Oh, but I hated the Gummi Ship. Most retarded thing ever, EVER created. Then they tried to jazz it up in KH II, no it's still just as stupid. I could never sit there for hours & customize the Gummi Ship, which I only get through to go to the different worlds then warp to the different world right after that. Ugh.
But I digress...
I'll never forget, one day my brother and I are playing the game, I think we were trying to get one of the trophies from , and we're having fun and my mother comes in, and scoffs at the TV and says that we need to "stop playing violent video games" and come in to eat dinner. And I'm like -__- what. This is Disney. It's not a violent video game. You let me watch Disney ever since I was a kid, and there is a certain degree of violence and violent themes in the movies, but it's Walt Disney. Everything has a happy ending. The guy gets the girl, the kid becomes king or whatever, and the bad guy dies. In Kingdom Hearts, Sora is in love with this girl, then goes on a quest to find and save her, runs around with Donald & Goofy and "fight" bad enemies, called "Heartless" and perform magic on them to kill them, and when the Heartless die, Sora doesn't get showered in their bloodshed, no he gets like orbs for health or exp. points or whatever. It's not a violent video game; I don't think it's affecting my psyche or toleration of violence.
It annoyed me because she gets annoyed that I like watching the Saw movies & I need to stop watching violent things. How can she classify Kingdom Hearts as something violent??
It's just a thought I had. I don't think Kingdom Hearts should be classified as something violent, but I think the rating says it has mild violence. The game appeals to teenagers; I think I'm able to handle playing the game at age seventeen.
The tone of this article was highly negative, basically saying that the dynamics of this game are absurd and wondering why anyone in their right mind would play. Like.. the game does not teach one how to play a guitar.. it doesn't have strings or an actual fretboard.. just buttons you press in sync with the music. Also, the article makes a good point by adding: "And there’s no room for genuine creativity, as there would be with a real instrument ... Since the sequence and timing are provided by the game software, you don’t really even need to know the songs. There’s no need to strategize ahead (as in chess); no need for big muscles (as in basketball), and no need to bluff past one’s opponent (as in poker). Few games demand less of the player; I suspect monkeys could be trained to play, and know for a fact that robots can cruise through Guitar Hero on Expert." And that's completely true, the only thing I can get out of the game really is better hand-eye coordination. So why do I continue to play?
Why does anyone play any game? Why do people play Grand Theft Auto, whose main objective is to cause crime. I feel that many people turn to these games for escapism. When I first started to play Guitar Hero, I knew that it wouldn't help me play an actual guitar, but I enjoyed playing the game and I still do. These games help me get a sense of rhythm, and expose me to more music that I wind up downloading. I feel like this article is attacking people who turn Guitar Hero into an obsession, and feel like they're actually playing an instrument, whereas they're just playing a game. The article also discussed how absurd it was to listen to these songs in front of a television where they can get the CD's and listen to them, so I feel like the writer of the article is more conservative and doesn't necessarily realize that our generation will listen to music through any medium, and the gamer generation would love to listen to this music by playing it. Maybe the writer feels like because he grew up listening to this music and is now seeing it tainted through video games, that he is unwilling to accept the new trend. Just an assumption..
The article concludes with this theory, which I'm on the fence with agreeing with: "Games like Guitar Hero set up one of the most potent illusions of temporal contingency I’ve ever seen: if the player presses the button at the right time, the computer plays back a recording of a particular note (or set of notes) played by a professional musician. The music itself is potent and rewarding – Keith Richards really knows how to bend a note -- but the real secret to the game is what happens is that fact if you miss the button, you don’t hear the note. The brain whirrs away, and notices the contingency. When I push the button, I hear Keith Richards; when I fail to push the button (or press the wrong button, or press it late), I don’t hear Keith Richards. Therefore, I am Keith Richards! It’s not simply that you hear the songs (which bring pleasure) but that the game skillfully induces the illusion that you yourself are generating the songs. You aren’t paying $60 to hear the songs; you’re paying $60 to trick your brain into thinking that you are making them. Your conscious mind may know better – and realize that it’s all just a ruse – but your unconscious mind is completely and happily fooled. Is that worth $60? If you want to feel like Keith Richards, the answer is surely yes."
So I don't know.. I think the writer was looking too much into the game. I don't play "Paint it Black" on Guitar Hero thinking "Oh my god! I'm Keith Richards! I'm sitting on my couch playing Guitar Hero on my plastic controller but really I'm a ROCKSTAR!" Na.. I play because it's a game that I enjoy playing: one that combines music with video games. But that's just me.
About a week or more ago, Jackie Castellano & I were in Best Buy, because I had to buy DVD's. While I was shopping, Jackie saw that they were promoting the new Batman: Arkham Asylum game on a flatscreen TV, so shoppers could come up and play the game right by the entrance. The game looked really awesome, and the fact that I love Batman and that whole franchise only got me more interested in the game. The premise of the game, according to the website is: "The inmates of Arkham have been set free - and it's up to Batman to bring order to the chaos and take back the Asylum." While playing, we noticed that the graphics were really impressive, the missions and tasks that needed to be done were interesting and fun, and so on. All around it just seemed like a really cool game, and we were only playing for like a half hour. Well, Jackie was playing; I was watching.
Anyway! While we were playing we started to get harrassed by children -__- First this one kid comes up, and starts pulling the controller cord from Jackie asking, "Can I play now??" And Jackie's trying to be polite and be like, "It's my turn..." Go away kid!! Then as Jackie was fighting the monster, another kid strolled along and was like "Is that the Hulk??" First of all, the monster was pink, not green; not to mention the fact that Marvel & DC Comics are COMPLETELY different companies, go away child, you know nothing. Then he kept telling Jackie that she needed to beat up the Joker, when in the mission she was actually required to save the guards.. Stupid kids. It was so annoying. Jackie and I left Best Buy grumbling about how much we hated children. But that's not really the point of my blog, it's just a funny story.
What I kindof want to know, do those terminals where they put new or popular games on display--do those actually help sales? Or do most people just come in to play them all day then go home? I for one usually don't like to play games in public places like that, with strangers watching me and children harassing me (playing at a friend's house is different). But do people try out a new game they have never heard of and then proceed to buy it from there, or do they play it after hearing about it, and would have bought it regardless of playing it at the store? It's just a thought I had.. But I do enjoy watching people play games in the store and make a fool out of themselves; that gives me amusement. I just wonder if they're necessary, is all
So it's Friday night && I'm lazy and didn't feel like going out. So I stayed home and I figured, what better way to pass the time than to play Super Mario 64, and when I got bored from that, I decided to do some homework; meaning I write a blog about the best video game, imo [in my opinion].
The best video game means different things to different people. To some, it may mean the game that remains a timeless classic through the generations. To some, it may mean the game that encouraged players to expand their mind. To some, it may just mean their personal favorite game and what they spent their paycheck [or their parent's paycheck] on. But to me, that question means the game that had somewhat of an impact on culture and revolutionized the way we play video games. And for me, that's Guitar Hero.
I first played Guitar Hero summer of 2005, and I was at a friend's house and her and her little brother were playing Guitar Hero. Some songs that I liked were on the list so I wanted to try to play. And it was really confusing at first [of course, on easy]. I've never even really played a real guitar before, so having to strum while holding down the colored buttons was confusing and hard to coordinate [and I would like to think I'm good at multitasking]. But shortly after, I went out and bought Guitar Hero I and the "guitar" and played it. And I didn't really have a life during that time, so playing Guitar Hero took most of my time. I was determined to be good, and be able to play my friends who were already on the medium level (I couldn't imagine using the weak pinky to hold down a note; let alone move my hand around for the hard & expert levels). So when I felt like playing, I would play each song, on easy, until I got five stars. And when I did that, I played all the songs again on medium until I got five stars. Then I played them all on hard and only got five stars on the songs that I really liked and could truly tolerate listening to several times in a row. And I believe around this time Guitar Hero II came out, which just meant extra practice for me and exposure to more really good songs that I never heard of [thanks to this game, among my all-time favorite songs are: More than a Feeling (Boston), Infected (Bad Religion), Can't You Hear Me Knockin' (Rolling Stones), Crazy on You (Heart), and Welcome Home (Coheed & Cambria) -- songs that I will have probably heard at some point in my life, but playing these songs over and over again caused me to love them]. After I would play all those songs on Hard and some even on expert, Guitar Hero III came out and even though I didn't own that game, I was always able to play it with a friend, and at this point I was better than most people I played against, even though I wasn't that great. Over the past few years, I got to play Rockband (I'm OK at vocals, atrocious on drums, and pretty good at bass), and the several other Guitar Hero released--except Beatles Rockband -_- .. Looking back, this game provided me with better hand-eye coordination, better appreciation for music, and my inability to play an actual instrument.
Now, here's my problem with the game.
When I would first explain the game to people and how great it was, I basically described it as "DDR but with a Guitar", meaning that like in DDR, when the player is "dancing", for Guitar Hero, the player is "playing the guitar". But they really aren't. It's just a game. But people sometimes take this really seriously, and become determined to beat "Through the Fire & Flames" on expert.
Like, is this what our society has come to-where kids just sit at home and instead of actually picking up a guitar and jamming with friends, they pick up a controller and sit on the couch while the virtual crowd rocks out to the gamer "playing"? At a show, if they guitarist is sucking and about to be booed offstage, they cannot use "starpower" to win the crowd back. It doesn't happen. I ask people all the time if they can actually play a guitar, after I see them five-star a song on expert. More than half the time the answer is no (myself included.)
I really think South Park addressed the issue perfectly. Critics can say whatever they want about the show; it's crude and they constantly cross the line, but they usually make a point in doing so. Such is the case for "Guitar Queer-O".
So not only does this episode discuss the difference in generations, but makes an excellent points. The kids are not playing the Guitar, it really isn't that impressive. They're playing a video game. It's great the video games have advanced so much over the years so that kids can pick up a video game controller shaped like a Guitar, but it isn't the real thing.
So who's the real winner? Who truly deserved the five stars? The original creators of the concept; for currently being billionaires while I went broke for buying the game and console.
But I can't deny that this is the best game ever, because it completely revolutionized the way our generation looks at music & video games. Maybe the conglomeration of the two will be good in the future; maybe it will be the end of actual musicians existing. Who knows.
So after the summer off, I'm back to blogging, many thanks to my class Video Games & Gaming for requiring motivating me to get back to it. I was gonna blog about media stuff I did over the summer but just never had the time to, unfortunately.
This blog is going to focus on Video Gaming, what games I play, what games I don't play; what games I love, what games I hate; what games other people play; what games have affected other forms of media, and so on. I have some ideas but I'll basically be writing about whatever topic related to video games that I feel like.
So let's see. I don't consider myself a serious gamer. When I have extra time or money, I'll usually immerse myself in some other form of media, like watching a movie or TV or reading or something like that. But when I'm in the mood to just relax and not think too much, I play video games. I'm gonna try to think back at what video games I remember that I have played over the years:
-Tetris; Gameboy
-Sonic the Hedgehog: Sega Genesis
-Aladdin: Sega Genesis
-Harry Potter 1, 2: Gameboy Color
-Pokemon Blue, Red, Yellow: Gameboy Color
-Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Time, Oracle of Ages: Gameboy Advance
-Super Mario 64: Nintendo 64
-Mario Kart: Nintendo 64, Wii
-Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Nintendo 64
-Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: Nintendo 64
-Mortal Kombat: Nintendo 64, PS2
-Super Smash Brothers: Nintendo 64
-Pokemon Snap: Nintendo 64
-Sonic Adventure 2: GameCube
-Dance Dance Revolution: PS2
-Guitar Hero 1, 2, 3: PS2
-Kingdom Hearts 1, 2: PS2
-Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
-Rockband: xBox
-Wii Sports: Wii
-Wii Fit: Wii
-The Sims: PC
-and millions of others on the computer from websites. Mostly:
-Pogo: Poppit, Scrabble, Mahjong Safari, Word Whomp
So those are the games that I remember playing and the ones that I have played the most. See, I told you that I'm not a serious gamer; I play certain games religiously but I don't buy too much into the franchise. Future blogs may focus on some of these specifically. But I hope you enjoy my blog on Video Games for Fall 2009.
One of the biggest culture phenomenons for the millennial generation was, and still is, the Harry Potter series, hands down. Those who refused to read them at first, myself included, was most likely at some midnight release party at a Barnes and Noble for the newer books. Those who find the books childish and immature most likely only read the first two and never saw how the last books have progressed tremendously and the plot lines have become both relate-able and insightful. Those who ban the book for discussion of witchcraft obviously don't know the meaning of the word, fiction. For me, the Harry Potter books have inspired me to write and read again, while the movies have inspired me to make better movies, although the last two ones make me wonder if I would be able to one day.
I recently saw the trailer for the sixth movie and I am beyond excited. I haven't been able to reread the series since the release of the seventh book in summer 2007, but seeing this movie makes me want to read them again. I was discussing with Chris how the movies in addition to the books definitely progressed over time. The movies are different because different directors worked on the films, and movie buffs like Chris and myself can clearly see a different mood for each of them. In preparation for the sixth movie, I decided to go back and watch the trailers and compare all the different elements of each of them.
You can definitely notice the brightness of this film. A lot of scenes were shot outside, and I don't think there was one rainy day, except the scene where Harry finds out he's a wizard. And why should it be dark? Little eleven year old Harry is a wizard, going through trivial problems like fighting the school bully and facing three-headed dogs, not a big deal. Compared to the others, this film tries desperately to be dark and suspenseful but fails; but it does not mean it's a bad movie. The same thing happened in the book. But these are necessary in order to set up for future installments. Also, this movie (especially the preview) contains a lot of fluff from the books that future directors abandon (flying, Quidditch, the moving staircases, the Fat Lady portrait, and so on). Just goes to show how cute and innocent this movie is so that they can afford to put in the fluff, whereas future films have much better plot lines to worry about. Also, for being eleven year olds, or however old the kids are, they aren't horrible actors, but you will definitely be able to see a progression. I remember some scenes are awkward because they're still so young, but I am not one to talk. I'm almost nineteen and I'm a worse actor than the three kids put together. The last line suggests foreshadowing, 100%: "I think it is clear that we can expect great things from you". When this movie was made, only the first three books were released, so audiences had no idea of the stuff Harry would go through in future books. Which also makes me wonder, what would the films have been like if they waited until the last book was released? How different would the script be, since the screenplay writers would know how the series ended and could include more instances of foreshadowing and leave out other parts. Just a thought.
Now, this suggested a trend where the films would be released once a year, to reflect that the books are one year apart from each other. Back then, I was happy that the second movie came out so soon, but now I realize it's worth the wait. I realize now how much time movies take to make, especially in-depth movies like the later installments. 'Cause let's face it, the first two books were good for setting up the material and the deeper plots for future books, they weren't good for that much else. They only needed a year to make. Except they should have spend more time on the Whomping Willow scene, that was disappointing.
Just like with the first one, it relies on the brightness and humor to make the trailer. This and the Sorcerer's Stone are truly children's books, until you get tot he part where a giant snake is in the school's pipes and a dark wizard corrupts and innocent girl and a ghost haunts the bathroom she was killed in. But again, this movie had good foreshawing: "Don't worry, I will be around [to save the day]". This can be applied to every book though. Maybe it's not really foreshaowing since it's common sense that Harry is the hero and will prevail through anything and everything.
Now, why did they keep Snape's line: "Open to page three hundred ninety-four", seems completely irrelevant to me. He has much better lines that could have been used. That bothered me when I first saw it, and it bothers me now. Now, notice the different director. Right away you can see a change, though, with the dark purple clouds around the Warner Brothers Logo. Radcliffe has become slightly more convincing in his deliverance of lines. He hasn't gotten there completely yet, but he's working on it. His "Expecto Patronum" was pretty good though. Also, I actually like the Michael Gambon as Dumbledore as opposed to Richard Harris. I find him more convincing as Dumbledore, but that's just me. There are two trailers that rely on different music. This one has bright, optimisitc music closing it while the other one has a chorus sinigng "Something Wicked This Way Comes". I was annoyed by the song then, and I still am. It helps with the pacing and it technically fits, but I find so stereotypical of witchcraft and I didn't think that Harry Potter series had to include it. For the bright music that was in this trailer, I think it helped the bridge of going from innocent and bright and happy tones of the film to dark and serious and depressing that the next films will bring, just like the third book was the bridge and was my favorite. And of course they had to throw in Hermione punching Malfoy. Everyone was looking forward to that.
Again with the dark Warner Brothers logo! But it worked! First of all, there was still some fluff in this trailer. You would think they learned by now to get rid of the fluff. Like, I find the part of Harry asking Cho to the dance unnecessary for the trailer. Like, I guess it shows Harry's growing up, but we don't need to see that in the trailer that's supposed to get audiences excited for the film. But of course they had to throw in Ron dancing with McGonagall, which drew all teenage girls who have a celebrity crush on Rupert Grint and his cute scenes like that. Also, I just found that their interpretation of Sirius in the fire was weird. It did not say that Sirius was part of the logs and ashes, it said he was part of the fire. That would have been so much cooler. Not to mention the absence of the Quidditch World Cup; major disappointment. But enough with my complaints. There was a lot of stuff that looked really good, like Voldemort's rising, the Dark Mark, the dragon and underwater scenes, and so on. And of course this film built up suspense for the next three films with the final line, "Everything's going to change now, isn't it?" Yes, Hermoine Granger, everything will change.
Welcome back to your appearance in the trailer, Hagrid! We missed you since the first film! Glad to see you've matured since the "I shouldn'ta told ya that" bit. So yes, Hermoine Granger, everything has changed--even the director, and this director will be here until the end. But this director did a damn good job of fulfilling the suspense that the first two movies set up for and the next two led up to. When Cornelius Fudge is like Big Brother, you know these are not just children movies anymore. When I get the chills from seeing Voldemort at the train station, you know this is not just a fanstasy movie. A shorter trailer, TV Spot I guess, had Snape training Harry for Occulens, he says "If Voldemort invades your mind, you would not last two seconds", Harry replies (acting skills have increased) "I'm not weak!", Snape replies, "Then prove it!" Ah, foreshadowing! Most likely unintentional, but I still love it. Also, it's cute that we finally see a kiss in these trailers. I've noticed how in most trailers, there's a shot towards the end with the suspenseful music that the hero hooks up with his girl. And here's Harry, leaning towards Cho to give what looks like is an innocent kiss. It's adorable.
I am so excited. These trailers look so good. They looked so good that I put them both up. The first one that shows how Dumbledore met Tom in the memory was amazing. Extremely well done, especially the tag line "to know the future, return to the past". Nice connection. Now, compare Dumbledore telling Tom that he's a wizard to Hagrid telling Harry that he is a wizard. That shows the difference not only of the hero vs. the villian, but the first movie vs. the sixth movie. I love the juxtaposition though, and I wonder if that was intentional. If it was, kudos. Also, not only was the music perfect with the action, but little ten year old Tom Riddle did an amazing job. Sorry Daniel, Rupert, and Emma, but little Tom Riddle was a better actor than you all put together. And not to mention that crazy cut sequence of Voldemort and Tom Riddle, amazing! Now, this last like, "Did I knwo that I just met the most dangerous dark wizard of all time? No." Epic! Well done, Michael! I do not think Richard Harris could have done that as good. Now for the second one, we are introduced to Slughorn, which was not what I expected when I was reading the books, but we'll see how he does. Ron is once again cute, and his best lines must be included to get his fan club to see the movie. Harry even had a funny line in this preview, where he's all "But I am the chosen one". A few years ago, he was pissed that he was the chosen one. But now he's proud of it, cute. So, this transition of the six movies and the four directors was completely necessary, and I feel like the sixth movie is only leading up to the final installment, which will be split up into two movies. I am beyond excited. Now I wanna watch them, and read the books too. If only I had more time..
My name's Lauren. I'm an nineteen year old college student and I'm trying to figure out what I want to do with my life while trying to enjoy life as much as possible. I seem to be doing alright thus far.
I started playing Ocarina of Time and would play at my leisure, so I played for like over a year. I got stuck at the dreaded Water Temple because the keys on my laptop wouldn't zero in on the exact pixel I needed to hookshot onto, so then I got tired of that game and started playing Super Mario. I had a lot of fun playing that game, and my goal is to get all 120 stars. I didn't start playing Majora's Mask because I wanted to beat Ocarina of Time first. I was able to figure out how to get unstuck but still played Super Mario, and I wound up getting 104 stars.
...I don't plan on looking at those games for a while. Instead I downloaded Pokemon Snap! and will download Mortal Kombat 3.
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