Progress

I've not made much progress, but I have come up with a new topic that I am going to stick with. The main idea of my topic is video games and different age groups. I will research what kind of games middle aged people play vs. the younger generation of viddeo gamers. I also conducted an experiment over the weekend and discovered that young people like myself tend to suck at the older generation of games such as, Super Mario, Mrs. Pac Man, Donkey Kong, etc. And that the elder generation are very good at these games. Also vice versa, the elder generation suck at next generation games and the new generation are really good. Dr. Smith has also given me a few pointers and I think I'm going to enjoy this topic.

Exploring Topics

For essay five I am not realy sure what my topic but I have thought of a few topics. One topic I have considered is writing about WWII based video games and how they affect the people playing them. Also what adults think about their children playing them and if they affect a childs decision to join the army. Another topic I have thought about is writing about an adventure game called The Legend of Zelda and how it makes people who play it feel about themselves. There are a few more topics I have thought about of, but I am not to sure right now what to research or write about.

Field Trip Report

On the trip to the video game and toy stores I did not really learn much because I already know many things about video games. I first went to Toys R' Us woth Dereck, Nermin, David, Matt, and Oridany. I went into the lego section. I noticed how expensive some of the Legos were and I went into the Barbie house which were also expensive. I noticed how women were portrayed as well with the babie dolls. Then we went into the childrens section which had a lot of funny looking toys. Then we went to Gamestop which obviously has a lot of video games and I played the drums on the games Rock Band which I have never played before. It wasn't really fun because I had to play with my hands since there were no drum sticks. I also played a football game (not Madden) but I don't know what it was called which I thought sucked because I didn't know the controls. The next stop was The Complete Stratigist which had a lot of board games, cards, and graphic novels. I noticed a lot of board games were also video games. Also there were funny looking boad games like this one that had something to do with zombies. I didn't like this place because the only board games I like are Chess and Checkers. I also found it funny that the guy in the store seemed a little to be a nerd. There were some cool looking graphic novels though which I do like because of the images, but that's about it. Overall it was cool because I got to look at video games on video games all day.

The Cluster

So far I have learned a few things this semester such as how to write a little better. I read a little of the Keys for Writers. I also learned about the MLA fromat which I never knew about before. Everything has been somewhat difficult and challenging for me. The most challenging thing so far for me is the mid-term. I have no idea how I'm going to write 7 pages on my topic which is John Lennon. Also the citation thing is also very difficult for me. I don't even have power point on my home computer either to make my presentation. I am looking foward to the project for my Eng 101/103, but not my American Film Class mid-term.

Response to Gee Article

I think the "Gee" article was very interesting. I agree with many things stated in the article about how students should learn in school. I too think education in school should be fun and students should have the ability to customize their curriculum.  If students could choose how they learn something it would be more interesting and make more kids want to learn.  I also agree with what he says about the risk taking.  I think it's true if we were allowed more chances to fail, it would help us maintain a better understanding of what we did wrong.  This would help us do better the next time around like when you fail at defeating a boss in a game.  All subjects taught to students should not only be given to them in facts, but students should be allowed to experiment much like the article said with Biology.  For example, when students learn science or math they should do experiments so that they can have a hands on learning experience.  This will help students become more familiar with the subject.  I also think video games are teaching us without us realizing it.  I play a lot of strategy games like The Legend of Zelda, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, etc.  These games have a lot of puzzles and problems you must solve to advance.  Over the years these games have really helped enhance my problem solving skills and I am now really go at puzzles.  Also when I was around 8 years old I learned a new word from a video game.  The word was simultaneous, which I learned from a game called Sonic Adventure.  The game gave me instructions to press two buttons "simultaneously" and I didn't understand what to do.  I used logic which I developed from playing games like this and figured it out on my own.  

Game, Play and Simulation

The word play can mean different things. I think the word play means to interact with someone or something for a purpose. I believe that purpose can be to learn or have fun. I think the definition of game is similar to play. I think a game is an object which allows you interact or play with other people . When I think of the word play I usually think of people running around joyfully, but when I hear game I think of sports or kid games like tag and jump rope. These two words are very similar to each other nad to simulation as well. When I hear simulation I think of video games like Pacman, Super Mario, and Sonic the Hedgehog. I think a simulation is a computer generated game that you can also play and interact with. In a simulation you can also interact with other people or with the game itself. Play, simulation, and game are very similar and are closely associated with each other in many ways.

The Matrix

The Matrix film was very exciting and unique. The idea that everyday life was not the real world, but a simulation called "the Matrix", really made the story interesting. Also I think a lot of thought was put into the story and the film it self. There were a lot of little details in the film that I found interesting in the film. For example, I noticed a lot of homages to the story of Alice in Wonderland as stated by Dr. Smith. One scene the main character Neo was told to follow the "white rabbit" which was very similar because in Alice in Wonderland she followed a white rabbit into a hole. When Neo followed the rabbit this began his introduction to the real world. There were also some homages to the story of the Wizard of Oz as well. For example, the character Cypher says to Neo, "buckle up Dorothy, 'cause Kansas is going bye-bye". Also when Neo is trying to get out of the Matrix he refers to the Tank as Mr. Wizard. I also discovered in egyptian mythology Morpheus is the God of dreams.


The film also had many philosophical ideas which can leave the audience to question topics in real life. I questioned things such as life and really made me question reality. It also made me question if everything around me is real or the truth. Ever since I saw the film before I watched it in class I have also questioned religion and reality. I think this is a very good movie to show people to help them become more open minded to new ideas. In my opinion I feel most people are afraid of seeking another truth and this movie also showed that with the character Cypher. Cypher would have rathered that he stay in the Matrix than stay awake in reality and i think his character represent people who are afraid to face the truth. Overall the movie was excellent and the story was incredible. This movie really made me open my mind and think a lot more than usual.