Diary of a Wimpy Kid

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.

Watch CBS Videos Online

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.

Product Placement in Video Games

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.

From an article on "Video Games Online":

"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.

From the same article on Video Games Online:

""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?

From Video Games Online:

"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."

Livid. But It's Just a Game..

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.

Best Remedy for Being Sick: Computer Games

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..

I Find Farmville & Cafe World to be a Complete Waste of Time

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.

DJ Hero

I really didn't plan on writing another blog on Guitar Hero. But I gotta for this one.

DJ Hero? Give me a break.

What's next. Accordian Hero?

OH WAIT. THAT EXISTS.

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:

DJ Hero

DJ Hero II

DJ Hero Encore: Rocks the 1990's

DJ Hero III: Legends of Hip Hop

DJ Hero on Tour

DJ Hero Aerosmith

DJ Hero World Tour

DJ Hero Decades

DJ Hero Metallica

DJ Hero Modern Hits

DJ Hero Smash Hits

DJ Hero 5

Who knows... O_O