The casual game i played was Bejeweled:
http://free-online-games.nu/bejeweled.html
The only valid move is to swap adjacent gems to make three or more gems of the same color line up horizontally or vertically. When that happens, you earn points, the lined-up gems disappear, the gems above them fall and the extra space is filled with random gems. Once this has happened, there may once again be three or more gems lined up, in which case the process is repeated. This is called a "cascade". The game ends when there are no valid moves.
The game is quite enjoyable for the first 10 or 15 minutes, until the moves become harder to find.. then it starts to get boring and more and more tempting to just quit.
There is quite a lot of concentration required as you need to find a move that will make three or more gems of the same colour line up horizantally or vertically. When you get further into the game, the moves you can make become fewer and fewer so a lot of concentration is needed, this also adds to the immersive aspect of the game as well.
I think this game is aimed at anyone and everyone, there is no specific target, hence the term 'casual game'
The immersive aspcet of the game is not emotional, just a side effect of the concentration required in playing the game
The game is easy to learn, but hard to master.. you need to know what moves to make and always be one step ahead, because one move could prevent you from making another move, and then effectively end your game.
Their is no narrative in the game, just instructions to begin.. after that you're on your own
There is no social interaction to the game either, its a one player puzzle game.. usually people like to play these games by themselves anyway.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Miss Bimbo
Ok, so i registered for the latest moral panic.. 'Miss Bimbo', this game reminds me of neopets.. except its a 'bimbo'
The game is not very enjoyable, whilst i feel it puts an interesting spin on the virtual pets genre, it still is basically a virtual pet game, which i find boring and tedious as in effect you're not actually playing a game, you're merely clicking different things. Not to mention the whole point of the game is to be skinny and underweight, whilst some people would say it is funny, its poking fun at quite a serious problem among young girls.
The concentration required in the game is quite minimal as nothing drastic changes over the time you're playing, you're given goals you have to achieve at the start. I was given these goals:
1 Change your drab hairstyle to become a popular blonde with cool pigtails!
2 Rent your very own apartment. Bout time you got your own pad Goal Not Achieved!
3 Register yourself on a training course and get an exciting new job
and these are the stats of my bimbo:
Your Bimbo : bw1269
Thirst : 0 % Hunger : 0 %
Happiness : 99 %
Weight :127.6 Lbs
The target weight for your bimbo is 127 lbs, and ideal height is a slinky 5 ft 6 inches
My apartment
1 000 Bimbo Dollars
0 Bimbo attitude
The game is obviously aimed at girls, which could be the reason i didn't enjoy it. However i cant really see girls enjoying it either as it's a bit stupid
The game is not immersive at all, in fact ts hard to feel involved as you cant even relate to the game.
The narrative of the game is just text on your "my bimbo" screen, which tells you what to do, youre goals etc
There is not a huge amount of social interaction, however you can compare top scores etc with all other members of miss bimbo, which adds some form of social interaction to the game
The game is not very enjoyable, whilst i feel it puts an interesting spin on the virtual pets genre, it still is basically a virtual pet game, which i find boring and tedious as in effect you're not actually playing a game, you're merely clicking different things. Not to mention the whole point of the game is to be skinny and underweight, whilst some people would say it is funny, its poking fun at quite a serious problem among young girls.
The concentration required in the game is quite minimal as nothing drastic changes over the time you're playing, you're given goals you have to achieve at the start. I was given these goals:
1 Change your drab hairstyle to become a popular blonde with cool pigtails!
2 Rent your very own apartment. Bout time you got your own pad Goal Not Achieved!
3 Register yourself on a training course and get an exciting new job
and these are the stats of my bimbo:
Your Bimbo : bw1269
Thirst : 0 % Hunger : 0 %
Happiness : 99 %
Weight :127.6 Lbs
The target weight for your bimbo is 127 lbs, and ideal height is a slinky 5 ft 6 inches
My apartment
1 000 Bimbo Dollars
0 Bimbo attitude
The game is obviously aimed at girls, which could be the reason i didn't enjoy it. However i cant really see girls enjoying it either as it's a bit stupid
The game is not immersive at all, in fact ts hard to feel involved as you cant even relate to the game.
The narrative of the game is just text on your "my bimbo" screen, which tells you what to do, youre goals etc
There is not a huge amount of social interaction, however you can compare top scores etc with all other members of miss bimbo, which adds some form of social interaction to the game
Gender and Gaming
I do not agree that games consoles are for males only and females have no access to them in the home. I have a sister and when i asked her what her opinion was, she said she likes to play games, her favourite to play being Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Mario Kart.
She is not a dedicated gamer, but when she wants to play games she has no problem as my Playstation 3 is in the living room, so she has access to it at anytime, and she also has a Nintendo 64 in here. In fact i would say she has had more access to gaming growing up than i did, due to me having a console before she was born, so she always had an option of playing one.
However the console did belong to me, i would never mind letting her play it and if she had of wanted a console my parents would not have minded buying het one.
She is not a dedicated gamer, but when she wants to play games she has no problem as my Playstation 3 is in the living room, so she has access to it at anytime, and she also has a Nintendo 64 in here. In fact i would say she has had more access to gaming growing up than i did, due to me having a console before she was born, so she always had an option of playing one.
However the console did belong to me, i would never mind letting her play it and if she had of wanted a console my parents would not have minded buying het one.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Newspaper Headlines
Newspaper Headline that could be used to encourage moral panic for Grand Theft Auto IV
"GAMERS STEAL, DEAL AND KILL FOR THRILL"
Newspaper Headline that could be used to encourage moral panic for Call Of Cuty 4
"OUR CHILDREN ARE FIGHTING WARS... FOR FUN"
"GAMERS STEAL, DEAL AND KILL FOR THRILL"
Newspaper Headline that could be used to encourage moral panic for Call Of Cuty 4
"OUR CHILDREN ARE FIGHTING WARS... FOR FUN"
Violence in Computer Games
As a young teen I enjoyed violent video games, for what they were.. games. I did not see them as anything to do with real life, just something for enjoyment or recreational purposes. The violent games included Grand Theft Auto, Tekken, StreetFighter, Smackdown, Goldeneye etc.
I would not have a problem with my child playing any of these games, however i can see today that more games are a lot more realistic than the games i played back then, but i still cant see how this would affect young people as long as they are thought to seperate their real lives from their gameplaying.
There have not been any video games that have disturbed me by the violence, granted some of the violence is quite graphic, but i can determine what is real and what is not. If i was to watch someone being shot i would be disturbed and preferably not have wanted to watch it in the first place, but when i see violence on a computer screen i do not get disturbed by it as i know its not real, it is not one human being inflicting pain or violence on another human being, its computer characters they have no feelings or emotions they are just doing what the computer is telling them to do.
I do think that live action sequences and the more common use of actors in video games does make the game more lifelike and could influence people as you can be disturbed by violence in a movie. However you could also argue that the actor could separate you from the game, as you are playing as someone else, not yourself.
I would not have a problem with my child playing any of these games, however i can see today that more games are a lot more realistic than the games i played back then, but i still cant see how this would affect young people as long as they are thought to seperate their real lives from their gameplaying.
There have not been any video games that have disturbed me by the violence, granted some of the violence is quite graphic, but i can determine what is real and what is not. If i was to watch someone being shot i would be disturbed and preferably not have wanted to watch it in the first place, but when i see violence on a computer screen i do not get disturbed by it as i know its not real, it is not one human being inflicting pain or violence on another human being, its computer characters they have no feelings or emotions they are just doing what the computer is telling them to do.
I do think that live action sequences and the more common use of actors in video games does make the game more lifelike and could influence people as you can be disturbed by violence in a movie. However you could also argue that the actor could separate you from the game, as you are playing as someone else, not yourself.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Americas Army
Ok, so for this week i had to play Americas army.
To my surprise i actually quite ennjoyed this game, and it is surprising because i am not the biggest fan of first person shooters.. mainly because im crap at them and would rather play pro evo(hint hint caroline)but yes, american propaganda aside i thought this was a relatively good first person shooters, however dont take my advice to heart as its well known im not an expert on these types of games.
Obviously there is a fair amount of concentration required, due to you not wanting to be shot in the head, even when you think that theres no one around, there could be someone about to snipe you in the head.. so yes concentration is required, however the concentration required helps you get immersed in the game, which then contributes to the enjoyment factor.
I think this game has two target markets, firstly obviously then being the first person shoot enthusiasts, however i also think this game has a lot of american nationalism to it and could possibly have an interest withing the american nationalists, i.e. right wing... *cough* rednecks *cough*
The game is quite simple to learn, with the basic first person shooter controls on the keyboard and mouse, however some people are better at these games than others, and im not one of them
The games narrative is not so good, i dont think it helps the game in any way
The social interaction of the game is the same with most first person shooters, over a network!
To my surprise i actually quite ennjoyed this game, and it is surprising because i am not the biggest fan of first person shooters.. mainly because im crap at them and would rather play pro evo(hint hint caroline)but yes, american propaganda aside i thought this was a relatively good first person shooters, however dont take my advice to heart as its well known im not an expert on these types of games.
Obviously there is a fair amount of concentration required, due to you not wanting to be shot in the head, even when you think that theres no one around, there could be someone about to snipe you in the head.. so yes concentration is required, however the concentration required helps you get immersed in the game, which then contributes to the enjoyment factor.
I think this game has two target markets, firstly obviously then being the first person shoot enthusiasts, however i also think this game has a lot of american nationalism to it and could possibly have an interest withing the american nationalists, i.e. right wing... *cough* rednecks *cough*
The game is quite simple to learn, with the basic first person shooter controls on the keyboard and mouse, however some people are better at these games than others, and im not one of them
The games narrative is not so good, i dont think it helps the game in any way
The social interaction of the game is the same with most first person shooters, over a network!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
National Treasure 2 Games
Ok, so this week i had to play games from the film National Treasure 2. I actually found most of the games to be quite disappointed, not that i expected much in the first place. However two of the puzzle games weren't bad, and two of the action games weren't bad either, the curse of isis, and the racing game in london were both enjoyable for five minutes, which is what they lasted. Obviously they are not going to make very long games as all these games are, are promotion material for the movie National Treasure 2.
The concentration requred in the action games is not much, as they are generic run and jump or accelerate, decellerate games. The puzzle games require quite a lot of concenration. In one of the puzzle games you had a keypad and a set of boxes laid out like the keypad, then the boxes would light up in a sequence and you then had to type the sequence in order onto the keypad.
The games are obviously aimed at the same people the movie is aimed at, which is kids, id say 5-12 year olds, however the puzzle elements can be a bit harder so perhaps they are aimed at a higher demographic
There is no skill really required to play the game, you will pick it up on the first go
The narrative is only a guide to how to play the game at the start of the game, there is no voice over or anything like that
All the games are one player, so there is no social interaction involved.
These games have nothing to do with treasure hunts, they are all just basic games that are being associated with the National Treasure franchise
The concentration requred in the action games is not much, as they are generic run and jump or accelerate, decellerate games. The puzzle games require quite a lot of concenration. In one of the puzzle games you had a keypad and a set of boxes laid out like the keypad, then the boxes would light up in a sequence and you then had to type the sequence in order onto the keypad.
The games are obviously aimed at the same people the movie is aimed at, which is kids, id say 5-12 year olds, however the puzzle elements can be a bit harder so perhaps they are aimed at a higher demographic
There is no skill really required to play the game, you will pick it up on the first go
The narrative is only a guide to how to play the game at the start of the game, there is no voice over or anything like that
All the games are one player, so there is no social interaction involved.
These games have nothing to do with treasure hunts, they are all just basic games that are being associated with the National Treasure franchise
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
game playing time this week
this week i played guitar hero 3 for about 2 hours, and prove evolution soccer 08 for about 2 hours, all on saturday night.. before i went out
arcade games
First game i played was pacman, i used to enjoy this game a lot when i was younger, but now i just find it boring. The game does require a lot of concentration, as you have to make sure you dont run into the ghosts, and collect all the coins or whatever it is he eats. The game is also quite immsersive as you can find yourself playing it for ages, just to get the highest score. The main point of the game, is to eat all the coins, and not get caught by the ghosts, i think this game is generally aimed at anyone. There isn't really any emotional involvement, except for when you press a direction and pacman decides not to go in that direction so you shout a load of abusive words at him, but thats about it.. The game is easy to learn, all you need to know is how to use the directional buttons, and there is no Social Interaction involved in playing the game, as it is one player.
Second game i played, was donkeykong. Where you play as mario, trying to save the princess from Donkey Kong. The game is still quite enjoyable for about 20 minutes , but then it gets old. There is a lot of concentration required, because you have to avoid the barrels donkey kong throws, whilst trying to make it up the ladders to the princess, i think this game is aimed at younger people, but older people may also enjoy it as it is so simple and easy to get into. The game is quite immersive, however i dont think you get too emotionally involved, yoy may do if your younger though. The game is very easy to learn, all you need to use is the directional buttons and the jump button. There is no social interaction because it is only one player.
The final game i played was street fighter 2. The embedded version, is not the one i played but i put it there to give you an idea, in case you dont actually know what its like (but you should). This game is still enjoyable today, whether your fighting your way through to Bison (the boss) or you are playing against another person. There is obviously a lot of concentration required as you are trying to beat your opponent, whilst trying to not get beat yourself, and the game is quite immersive too as everyone has their own favourite character, mine being Ryu/Ken. I think the game, when it came out would have been aimed at teens, mainly boys due to the violence. The basics of the game are easy to learn but you need a bit of practice to learn all the special moves and be pretty good at the game. There is social interaction in the game, as there is a two player mode.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Technology And Modern Society
Do most people like technology?
Do they like its influence on their lives?
Do they realise the extent of its influence?
I think most people under the age of 40 like technology, and use it in their day to day lives. There is however a huge generation gap, between people who i think would be pro and anti technology. For example my mum has only just grasped the idea of the mobile phone and still would rather ring you, than text you. Another example would be my nan who whenever gets a new TV or stereo gets me to set it up for her because she claims she doesn't have a clue, but i think its because she is scared and doesn't want to mess it up by doing the wrong thing, where as someone my age would just take the thing out of the box and set it up without thinking of the consequences. So in conclusion I do think most people like technology, but some older people may be scared of it
I think most people like the luxury of technology, i.e. toaster, microwave etc. As these make their lives a lot easier, but technology can also have a negative impact. Like for example when i first joined bebo i was on it all the time, wasting hours where i could have been doing work, or something other than being on bebo! Another thing that was discussed in class was that peoples puntuality seems to suffer aswell, i.e. people will not arrange to meet each other at a specific time or place as they can text them when they are on their way etc. Another thing is that kids today seem to spend more time watching tv and playing games rather than playing sports outside, which was all we seemed to do when i was a kid. So i think in general, technology can have a great influence on peoples lives making easy work of time consuming chores such as washing dishes and clothes, cooking etc. But on the other side of things, peoples social skills are suffering aswell
I dont think people do actually realise the extent of its influence. I can review how technology is affecting peoples lives, but these people living their day to day lives with the huge use of technology do not realise how much the technology they are using is influencing their lives. Business men, dont appreciate their laptops, mobile phones etc but if they were taken off them for a day, i bet that they would then realise the extent of technologys influence on their lives, but this just doesnt go for business men, as most people today use mobile phones, and if they didnt have their mobile phone they would realise they cannot contact anyone and nobody can contact them, so by just one person not having their mobile phone on them, it can affect a lot more.
Do they like its influence on their lives?
Do they realise the extent of its influence?
I think most people under the age of 40 like technology, and use it in their day to day lives. There is however a huge generation gap, between people who i think would be pro and anti technology. For example my mum has only just grasped the idea of the mobile phone and still would rather ring you, than text you. Another example would be my nan who whenever gets a new TV or stereo gets me to set it up for her because she claims she doesn't have a clue, but i think its because she is scared and doesn't want to mess it up by doing the wrong thing, where as someone my age would just take the thing out of the box and set it up without thinking of the consequences. So in conclusion I do think most people like technology, but some older people may be scared of it
I think most people like the luxury of technology, i.e. toaster, microwave etc. As these make their lives a lot easier, but technology can also have a negative impact. Like for example when i first joined bebo i was on it all the time, wasting hours where i could have been doing work, or something other than being on bebo! Another thing that was discussed in class was that peoples puntuality seems to suffer aswell, i.e. people will not arrange to meet each other at a specific time or place as they can text them when they are on their way etc. Another thing is that kids today seem to spend more time watching tv and playing games rather than playing sports outside, which was all we seemed to do when i was a kid. So i think in general, technology can have a great influence on peoples lives making easy work of time consuming chores such as washing dishes and clothes, cooking etc. But on the other side of things, peoples social skills are suffering aswell
I dont think people do actually realise the extent of its influence. I can review how technology is affecting peoples lives, but these people living their day to day lives with the huge use of technology do not realise how much the technology they are using is influencing their lives. Business men, dont appreciate their laptops, mobile phones etc but if they were taken off them for a day, i bet that they would then realise the extent of technologys influence on their lives, but this just doesnt go for business men, as most people today use mobile phones, and if they didnt have their mobile phone they would realise they cannot contact anyone and nobody can contact them, so by just one person not having their mobile phone on them, it can affect a lot more.
Gameplay
This week i actually played NO games, apart from the ones required for this subject.. which was no enjoyable
I guess its due to my busy social life.. HA
I guess its due to my busy social life.. HA
Avalon..
This game should be called Avalong, because of the annoyingly long tutorial at the start..
Anyway, never before have i played a game, and thought of how much i miss graphics, my god it was boring, time consuming and i dont see typing as fun.
I signed up and went through the registration etc, by the way my character is called 'Mrbatman' yes i know its a stupid name, but i got frustrated that every name i typed was not available. Anyway, the tutorial basically consisted of you reading a load of text, and then typing words like 'Nod' when prompted to do so. Then you go on a quest for a poster, which all you do is follow some guy and find a poster, then bring it back and type success and your level is updated to stray.
I then still hadn't fallen asleep, so proceeded to do the next mission, which was find the centre of some temple, and kneel in it.. after i finished this i closed the window and i doubt Mrbatman will ever go back to avalon.
So in conclusion, i think avalon shows just how important the visual aspect is to a game, as when you are depending on text it can get very frustrating!
Anyway, never before have i played a game, and thought of how much i miss graphics, my god it was boring, time consuming and i dont see typing as fun.
I signed up and went through the registration etc, by the way my character is called 'Mrbatman' yes i know its a stupid name, but i got frustrated that every name i typed was not available. Anyway, the tutorial basically consisted of you reading a load of text, and then typing words like 'Nod' when prompted to do so. Then you go on a quest for a poster, which all you do is follow some guy and find a poster, then bring it back and type success and your level is updated to stray.
I then still hadn't fallen asleep, so proceeded to do the next mission, which was find the centre of some temple, and kneel in it.. after i finished this i closed the window and i doubt Mrbatman will ever go back to avalon.
So in conclusion, i think avalon shows just how important the visual aspect is to a game, as when you are depending on text it can get very frustrating!
Neo Pet Update.. Yes he's still alive
Species:
Lupe
Health:
10 / 10
Mood:
content
Hunger:
not hungry
Age:
95 hours
Level:
1
Lupe
Health:
10 / 10
Mood:
content
Hunger:
not hungry
Age:
95 hours
Level:
1
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Virtual Pet
I have a virtual pet, on Neo Pets
Name: RexMcLovin
Species: Lupe
Health: 10 / 10
Mood: content
Hunger: bloated
Age: 0 hours
Level: 1
Name: RexMcLovin
Species: Lupe
Health: 10 / 10
Mood: content
Hunger: bloated
Age: 0 hours
Level: 1
Friday, January 25, 2008
Monopoly
So today i had a thrilling game of monopoly (the original, none of this star wars monopoly crap!), with three other people..
The game is very enjoyable, and you often find yourself believing you are a big business man/woman who is rich and can buy or sell anyone of your mates. The target is simple, bankrupt everyone else. However there is a point in the game, where it seems like its going no where i.e. you take money off your friends for landing on there houses/hotels and then they land on yours etc etc.. However there is a very simple strategy in monopoly, buy a collection of the same colours, and as many as you can, the last two streets is where the most money is to be made. Whoever does this the best, usually ends up the winner, and of course luck plays a major part in the game, as it does in any game involving a dice.
This game is aimed at anyone, and i dont say that loosely. Anyone can enjoy this game once they have learnt the rules, and it is easy to master.
The social interaction in this game is a huge part of it, you have to play with other people. There is no other option unless obviously you play it on the computer, but for this week i had to play a board game making the social interaction unavoidable (unfortunately). And as usual, when there is social interaction, there tends to be arguments and conflict and this game was no different. The amount of cheating and trying to get one over each other made the game frustrating as everyone wants to win, the game could actually be used to show peoples greed.
Anyway towards the end of the game you find yourself getting bored as it does last quite a long time, which is unfortunate considering how much time you have put into setting up your business empire, but after approximately two hours, there were two players left who decided the winner would be who ever had the most money and property, which was a fair compromise, and it ended up that there wasnt much in it either.
So at the end, i think the outcome of the game, reflected who played the best, as it usually does.. so, thats all for now!
The game is very enjoyable, and you often find yourself believing you are a big business man/woman who is rich and can buy or sell anyone of your mates. The target is simple, bankrupt everyone else. However there is a point in the game, where it seems like its going no where i.e. you take money off your friends for landing on there houses/hotels and then they land on yours etc etc.. However there is a very simple strategy in monopoly, buy a collection of the same colours, and as many as you can, the last two streets is where the most money is to be made. Whoever does this the best, usually ends up the winner, and of course luck plays a major part in the game, as it does in any game involving a dice.
This game is aimed at anyone, and i dont say that loosely. Anyone can enjoy this game once they have learnt the rules, and it is easy to master.
The social interaction in this game is a huge part of it, you have to play with other people. There is no other option unless obviously you play it on the computer, but for this week i had to play a board game making the social interaction unavoidable (unfortunately). And as usual, when there is social interaction, there tends to be arguments and conflict and this game was no different. The amount of cheating and trying to get one over each other made the game frustrating as everyone wants to win, the game could actually be used to show peoples greed.
Anyway towards the end of the game you find yourself getting bored as it does last quite a long time, which is unfortunate considering how much time you have put into setting up your business empire, but after approximately two hours, there were two players left who decided the winner would be who ever had the most money and property, which was a fair compromise, and it ended up that there wasnt much in it either.
So at the end, i think the outcome of the game, reflected who played the best, as it usually does.. so, thats all for now!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
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