The best game I saw was probably directioner. Not because it was the most exciting looking or visually stunning game but because of the simplicity compared to the amount of fun I was having. The game is very simple and plays kind of like Taboo. For those of you who don’t know taboo it’s a game where you get 1 word you have to describe to your partner with out saying a certain set of words. If you say the word the buzzer goes off and you lose. This edition was more favoring the 90s though which of course is the time period most of us grew up in. This was a central part of the theme of the game because they knew who their target audience was. The game brings a sense of nostalgia as you remember all the people and events from the 90s that had previously slipped your mind. It allows you to reminisce about days that are long past and relive them once again. Also like I said the mechanics of the game were extremely simple so anyone could follow along. The challenging parts happened to come at random times because you never knew when there was going to be one you just draw a blank on. I know I chose a few and the words on the card were the only way I knew how to describe it. Overall the Theme and Mechanics of the game really helped to sell me on the idea and want to keep playing.
Final blog – AMST 475
How is the fight for 15 an issue of race, gender, and class? Well to start off most of the people affected by these low paying jobs tend to be minorities, women, and of low social status. Right there gives you a pretty good idea as to why these people are trying to fight for their 15 dollars. They are attempting to break out of their low socioeconomic status by being paid more for meaningless work. It seems to me that these people have no intentions of working harder, they just want to be paid more. Most jobs in the world right now currently don’t pay 15 dollars an hour and I don’t think the fast food industry is one that should start. I believe if someone wants to make a difference and get out of poverty it is their responsibility and theirs alone. I know certain issues come up like “I can’t get a job with out an education” and “I don’t have any experience” will commonly arise but how do you get around this? The government offers services and help in aiding you in your schooling and education. Especially if you are from low socioeconomic status you have a chance of getting more funding. If fast food workers are going to be paid more for the same amount of work then why doesn’t everyone get a raise? My sister graduated with a P.h.d in psychology and can’t find a job paying more than 13 dollars an hour currently. Why should someone who is doing nothing to better themselves suddenly be paid more? Yes maybe you don’t make enough at the fast food job to survive, but that’s why you go out and change it if you don’t like it. You may be bound by certain constrictions but not to the point where you can do absolutely nothing. I think fast food jobs shouldn’t be something you try to make a career out of but instead a mindless job for the youth of america. Constantly cycling out as the old ones mature and move on to a real career to make real money. The workers shouldn’t just be handed this money, they should have to earn it. I know places like subway have a training course they offer online called subway university that aims to make their employees better and well rounded at their job. I think courses like this should be offered for people who want to make a living out of a fast food job, and will only receive the 15 dollars an hour if they manage to pass all the courses. I’m not someone who generally believes in things being handed to me. If you want something I have always been told to work harder and I can get what I want. The same goes for a low paying job, the only person keeping you there is yourself. Personally I think that the automation of fast food industries is the future. Computers don’t make mistakes like people do. The only way the computer will be wrong is if the person punching in commands accidentally hits the wrong button. Computers are faster and more efficient than humans at most things so why shouldn’t they be brought in to do such a task? Like I said the work is mindless so why not have a mindless machine completing the tasks. Workers are constantly going to be replaced by automated processes, it’s just how the future is going to work. What we are going to need more of is people who know how to operate and handle such machines. People will be able to study and learn these jobs instead of the boring mindless ones and contribute in a way that can earn them a decent living.
DTC 375 Freestyle
Since we are given the opportunity to do a freestyle blog this week I decided I would talk a little bit about Bogost. Quite frankly I’m not a fan of him or his books. Not for the fact that I don’t enjoy video games, but because the assumptions and jumps he makes to ideas sometimes are very hazy and have the weakest connections. In the snapshot chapter he offers a little bit of background history on the camera and how it turned into a cheap mass produced item for everyone. It allowed the snap shot to come alive. He then makes a connection to video editing software being more available and then even game creation. Why was the snapshot part even important? Couldn’t he have just started off saying why and how video games and the creation software for them has become more available instead of making nonsensical connections? He seems to be trying to make this subject seem more intellectual than it really is. His chapter about texture kind of changed my mind though. Bogost stated that “go reminds us that the physical world – games included – have texture.” He explains how he used to play the game on the computer and then receives a physical copy of the game as a gift. He presents the ideas of texture and how they come into effect with the game itself to make a whole new experience. I think there is merit to this simply because being able to feel something physically does change how you perceive it. When you see a shiny rock you may think it will be smooth and light, but you may come to find out when you pick it up it is heavy and coarse. Texture plays a large part in the human life through both site and touch and are important factors to remember. Proper use of texture can take a gamer out of his living room and put them right in the middle of a swamp or desert. It can really help make you feel you are a part of the game and interacting with it. The more I read from Bogost the more I start to see his way. I still don’t agree with all the connections he makes and believe he could start off telling his point and then showing some other examples of things that have had similar patterns. His section on kitsch items showed me a lot though. Such games like flappy bird or Apple season utilize simple controls yet people seem to love them. Of course flappy bird doesn’t offer the intricate backgrounds as some games, but it utilizes the simple 1 button tap to play the game. You physically can’t get any more simple or less creative than this. I really enjoyed the section on relaxation and how playing games tends to be a lean forward activity while watching tv and sitting around is a lean back. The “zen” games as he calls them like Wild Divine aim at more than just playing the game they take a whole new approach. Wild divine isn’t really even a game in my opinion. The goal is to control your heart rate and basically be healthy to report you your biofeed back. It’s basically an app that helps you stay in control of your body while you “play”. I enjoyed most of the chapters from Bogost, but would like to see more clear connections.
Blog 375
Bogost starts off this chapter by saying ”Pranks are a type of dark humor That trace a razors edge between amusement and Injury”. This statement hits really close to home because of the fact that it explains pranking in the best way possible. Where do we really draw the line between what is a prank and what is just cruel or mean? The line is so thin it is almost impossible to see. The only way we know a reaction to a prank is simply by how a person takes a joke. They may either react in a calm and happy manner laughing about the simple joke, or they may become infuriated and start yelling. If that victim Later retaliates It counts as a form of social bonding, not that of spite. The way one percieves the joke means what kind of reaction you will get, pranking the wrong person could put you in a tight spot you won’t like. Bogost states that these pranks help immerse us in the game and form a stronger bond with it. Does the same hold true for social relationships? I’ve found that the people I joke with the most tend to be the ones I’m closest to. Does playing pranks and joking back and forth help to deep end and stengethen our relationships? I for one believe it does. It helps us to get to know one another and form deeper relationships by sharing what is funny and even finding out what is not. When you figure out the things that are not funny you are learning even more about that person at the same time creating a stronger relationship.
Blog 10 – AMST 475
Globalization is pretty much the phenomena of the entire world being able to have equal opportunity and access to everything around the world. This is attainable through the power of technology allowing anyone in the world to be anywhere at any given time. Today globalization effects us in many ways. First off it makes jobs available to anyone in the world from where ever they are. A man in India can effectively work from that country while working for a company say in the U.S. In fact many companies do this, and it’s calling outsourcing. Many call centers take this approach and will outsource american work to factories or corporations in India or China who will do the work for a fraction of the cost. While it seems this process is helping out the big corporations, which it is, at the same time it is allowing people to work who weren’t able to before. Even though the pay may be minimal they are able to now obtain a job and have a source of income which is a big step for some.
My personal thoughts of Made in China were pretty much the same as when I began. It’s well known that workers in china are mistreated and payed very little for the hard work they put in. Their economy and culture is very hard working though and they do the hard jobs in order to provide. Although in some cases like making mardi gra beads it does get to feel a little unjust. Some of the workers would work up to 18 hours a day, and some not even sleeping. The workers can lose pay for a day if they are caught talking which seems extremely harsh. The conditions are unworkable and anyone in the U.S wouldn’t be able to handle that style of work. The U.S should produce their own products but then again nobody would be willing to work for that little of pay. Most goods for the U.S market are produced in China, Malaysia, Japan, and other foreign countries where labor laws are usually a little more lenient. Overseas investors are usually glad to accept american money because they are the ones who will profit from it. Doing business with a large country like the U.S provides them with large profits, while they continue to pay minimal wages to over worked employees. U.S customers are usually willing to purchase these products because they are cheaper and we live in the country of disposable items. We would rather buy a hundred of an item and throw it away instead of buying 1 good thing.
DTC 375 – Stock Blog
“Most cultures exhibit a particular configuration or style. A single value or pattern of perceiving the world often leaves its stamp on several institutions in the society.”
For today’s blog this quote really stuck out to me. I was asked to describe a particular online community and the way they interact, speak, and acknowledge one another. The culture I stumbled upon was a blog called topmommyblogs.com. This sights culture is based on, you guessed it, being a new mommy or a current mommy. The culture of this website is centered on the focus of being the best mommy you can be and doing what’s best for your child. The mommy’s are very supportive and build a loving and care free sight to try and help out in any ways they can. They share recipes for making delicious, nutritious meals for you and your baby whether during pregnancy or after. They share stress easing tips and ways to avoid depression while being a new mommy. There is a whole sub forum dedicated to this because depression is evidently very common in women after giving birth. As well as recipes they share information regarding certain products that you would use for your children. A lot of them seem to like to go the natural route and not use anything with chemicals or harmful components to children. The entire community is based on helping mothers be the best they can be. You don’t always see blogs like this, most of the ones I run across happen to be about video games or some T.V show. I think this community and it’s culture are very unique and important because they are providing a great service to everyone. They build a supportive community that is virtual so it can be accessed at any time and no mother has to feel alone at any point.
Blog 8 AMST 475
The google bus is a transportation system used in downtown San Francisco to transport wealthy tech individuals to and from work on a daily basis. They use these buses to extend the work day by several hours as well as try to cut down on traffic by carpooling more members. Housing activists seem to think that these busses are serving people who are driving up rent and displacing lower income families. The busses are seen as a large part of the gentrification process happening in San Francisco. As well as displacing people bikers and pedestrians have complained about the busses blocking and crowding several pathways and roads with their large size. Some fear that the busses into an expensive luxury community for the silicon valley while others see it as the privatization of transportation. They fear the areas becoming luxury communities because it seems where the bus stops are put the rent in those areas seem to increase. I wouldn’t think it would be any different if it was a regular bus compared to a google one because if it is a low income area people are going to want to use the bus. They are more then likely not going to have a car being in a poor neighborhood so yet, the house closest to the bus stop would be the one I would pay the most for. Because these shuttles were not paying to use the stops that the city had provided they are now in a hefty legal battle. Some saying that the busses owe over 271 million dollars in past fees for illegally using the cities stops unlawfully. The races being mainly afflicted by these busses are the poor mainly latino and black populations who can’t afford cars or other luxuries. The busses are effectively taking away from these people not allowing them an equal opportunity by driving up the prices around the areas. Technology is the entire reason all this is happening because the busses are there to suit the needs of the IT and technical crowds working for these companies. They are usually higher up well off classes who could easily afford a car and gas to work every day. Yet this service is only offered to them and not the lower income people. Why are the needs of the rich being more accommodated for when the poor can barely get to work, or feed their family. Why not make accommodations based on these peoples needs? because they are a lower class and we see them as inferior. They need to work there way up into what we have. I don’t believe that’s right I think everyone should be given equal opportunity to reach the same goals. Some are given a head start in life by being rich and stay rich because they are accommodated for with things like the Google bus while the poor have nothing and are stuck in a never ending cycle.
Blog – DTC 375 – 3/12/14
You know back in my day we didn’t have all this fancy technology that did everything for you. I know you’re starting college next semester little Jonny so I thought I’d share some of my experiences with you. Way back when I was at WSU we had these crazy things called teachers that stayed in the class with you to try and educate you. Back in my time they thought this was the best way to get things done. The teacher could show you hands on examples, answer questions, and provide examinations for the class. They did all the grading as well and decided the outcome of your fate entirely. They would direct all the course material and some would even make classes mandatory by having attendance. Of course back in my day we needed that after all the drinking the night before, we had to have something to motivate us to get to class otherwise we would sleep all day. Now you kids just get to open up a laptop and watch a 45 minute video on a lecture. It’s not fair you know that? You kids have it so damn easy. Back in my day we used to walk uphill both ways to class in the pouring snow. Now you little shits don’t have to do anything but sit down and use your world wide free wifi to do work anywhere at anytime. Privileged little bastards. I hope they bring back calculators so you shits can learn how we had to calculate things back in the day. We didn’t have any of this fancy technology that solves as you write. Of course this taught us how to actually solve an equation, something you kids will never know how to do with out technology. Pretty soon when the older population dies off you kids will have no idea how to do anything by yourselves, and when the technology goes, so will you. Sorry little Jonny did I space out again? Go play out in the nebula outside I’m tired of you.
DTC 475 – Blog 6/7
During Stefana Broadbent’s TED talk she gave a new way to look at technology. She explained that technology is not quite the distraction from the real world as people are making it out to be. Yes people are spending more time on their phones and computers but at the same time they are building relationships. In fact she claims the relationships you build online or through technology are more secure, safe, and intimate. Technology may pull you away from the real world when you are glued to it but it also opens up new doors for relationships. The man who is working night shift can call his girlfriend at 11 at night to wish her good night, or the baker who starts his day at 4 am can move away from rolling dough to give his wife a call who is just starting her day. Technology opens doors for people in a way we haven’t been able to before. It allows us to form relationships by giving us that constant connection. By feeling that person is always around even it is just from a simple “I love you” over the phone you feel that connection and it builds and becomes stronger.
Today technology and getting rich on the internet have gone hand in hand. Many new start up companies have formed by creating their one big idea and selling it all over. For apple of course it was the ipod and Iphone bringing in millions a year in profit. All these companies living in the era of the new internet are out to make a profit and don’t care what stands in their ways. Foxcon one of the largest technical component providing companies builds most of the chips and processors involved in technology today. Specifically I know they provide for the apple corporation producing their state of the art Iphone. Foxcon is a company that will work anyone willing to the bone paying them the most minimal wages. They over work them and don’y pay them for the overtime while giving them poor living and working conditions. When you see things like this it’s hard to continue looking at technology the same way Broadbent does. She is saying technology is bringing everyone closer together and making things better, but is it really? When you take a look at the bigger picture you see that all this technology is bringing upon corruption and greed as well as hurting people in the process. Are the millions of chinese workers being exploited really forming healthier and more fulfilling relationships because of this technology? not by a long shot. In the bigger picture it seems a lot more damage is coming from technology then it really is helping. From her perspective where she has a well paying job and is in a country that provides well for her it is completely different. For the chinese worker as well as all the other silicon sweatshop workers their story differs entirely.
http://www.globalpost.com/passport/correspondent-call/091119/silicon-sweatshops
Blog Post – DTC 375 – E-BOOKS
In today’s world as a college student nothing has made my life easier than E-Books. Before E-Books I was lugging around at least 4-6 textbooks and some minor novels everyday to class. Now I know most of you won’t really see this as an inconvenience but when you add in a laptop + school supplies and then to top it off live in Pullman you can probably feel my pain. That’s quite a haul everyday uphill and can be very tiresome. Well not anymore because of my super awesome tablet I decided to buy. Best purchase ever. I can find just about every book imaginable with my kindle app and download them straight to my tablet. I can store all those books in one easy lightweight tablet and not have to lug each individual one around. I never have to worry about forgetting a book or missing a reading because I constantly have my tablet with me, as well as my books now. I keep up to date on readings from my classes and can even take notes and highlight important sections for when I need to discuss in class. I can highlight a section and flip around easily to find what I wanted to talk about. Best of all it’s in a digital environment which is my favorite. I like technology which is why I moved into a DTC major. I like using it, learning about it, and most of all creating it. I believe it will over take more and more things today like even writing which seems to be becoming a dead technology. In class today you see a lot less people using paper and pencil and instead using a laptop or even a tablet. I know in my classes I use my tablet and an app called ever note. It allows me to keep a notebook for each class I have and take notes on it. With the functionality increase of swype I am able to keep up with my teachers in class and take great notes. I can even take pictures of slides if I want and not even have to write. I can just flip through them later if I’m feeling particularly lazy. Even today younger students are being started off using technology I never would have thought of when I was a kid. They are trying to increase educational systems by providing I-pads to young children to help enable learning. I think it is a good idea to start them young because they get used to the technology and start to learn it and how it works. That way when they grow up they are already used to a computer environment which is what our society moves towards more and more every day. If you don’t start learning computers early you will fall drastically behind everyone else in the working economy.
King Arthur 