Sunday, October 30, 2011
I'm BATMAN!!!
I recently had the opportunity to play a new video game called Batman: Arkham City. It was released on October 19th, 2011 and has gained high reviews. IGN has rated the game 9.5 out of 10 and it looks to be a top contender for “Game of the year.” This is a sequel to the original hit Batman: Arkham Asylum and so far meets the expectations of gamers across the country. I have to admit I'm not a true gamer and classify myself as a part time gamer at best, I only play when I'm visiting a friend's house or a few times during the summer. I do own a Playstation 3 but mainly use it to watch Blu-ray movies. The games I normally play are First Person Shooters like the Call of Duty series. I like the excitement and perceived realism in FPS games but found Arkham City to be quite engaging. Arkham City is the 3rd person adventure game. You play Batman, Cat Woman, and Robin as you make your way through the city of Arkham dealing with crime bosses like, Penguin, Joker, Two Face, and Mr. Freeze. As a kid, I played many adventure games like Super Mario Bros and Contra but haven't really experienced a game that caught my attention like Arkham City. The graphics and game-play amazed me, jumping from building to building was seamless and smooth, the fighting moves were fluid, and the graphics were nothing short of spectacular. It's amazing how the narratives in video games have are so well integrated into game-play. The controls were easy to get used to and once comfortable they allowed me the essential experience of being Batman. The game does have sexual suggested content and I often think if the rating system needs to be re-evaluated. It's currently rated “T for teens” but I feel because of its suggestive themes and violence it should be rated something equivalent to the rating “R”. I feel that a thirteen year old is too young to be playing this game, I often think about my thirteen year old cousin playing this and it disturbs me, especially during the scenes with Cat Woman and Harley Quinn. I do understand from a marketing aspect why they would rate this “T for teens” because with a higher rating they would be limited in amount of revenue they would be making. If the game was rated higher, parents or adults of age are the only ones that would able to buy the games and although younger teens are going to the stores with adults the lower rating allows them to make the purchase directly. Apart from the rating, I really enjoyed the story and appreciate how well the developers designed the game world. One of the most helpful aspects of the game is the ability to go into detective mode. In detective mode, the game space transform into a infrared version of the surroundings. Objects that can be climbed and grappled are lit orange while enemies are lit red. The game world is well detailed and can sometimes be overwhelming, I feel the designers took this into consideration as they developed the detective mode. The cut scenes are a pleasure to watch and adds to the game-play, the graphics are amazing, and I can definitely see why this game is considered a contender for “Game of the Year”. If you are in the market for a new game, I highly recommend Batman: Arkham City. IGN rates the game 9.5 out of 10 and there are many critic and user reviews on their website.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Run For Your Lives!!!!
The Walking Dead premiered its second season last week and it didn't disappoint. If you're not familiar with the series, it's about a zombie survival narrative. The show follows a group as they try to maneuver their way to safety through the city scape. It plays at 9:00pm on Sundays on AMC. This genre has always intrigued me, I often debate with my friends what we would do first. The thought of such a scenario is scary and fun at the same time. The reason why I say fun is because we ultimately feel that it could never happen. Not at least the way most films make it out to be, brain hungry zombies that still have senses. But what if it really did happen and that's how the zombies acted? What would we all do? It's a scary thought, especially because we are so accustomed to living comfortable lifestyles, lifestyles that consists of electricity, accessible food, television, and the internet. I say the internet because it has become an essential component in our lives. I feel our society would transgress into a more farming lifestyle. Smaller communities would be formed to protect against the walking dead. In turn, the leaders of these communities would have more power and control of the members it protects. Life I feel would revert back to the familiar form of the wild west except now there's brain hungry zombies to contend with. My main goal would be to get protection, in terms of a gun or hand wielding object. I would then try to save as many family and friends as possible, then I would worry about shelter, food, and most importantly water. Once all the main objectives are complete, now you have the choice to make...do you stay and wait for the government for information or do you mobilize? I say mobilize, especially away from large cities. But what happens when a group member becomes infected? I feel the obvious answer is easy to say but when you actually go to do it, I would feel that it's harder than most people would think. Thoughts of doubt would be running wild in my head. Will there be a vaccine that could turn them back to normal? Would there be control where you can keep them safely, like in Shaun of the Dead? Ultimately, it depends on the type of zombies they turn into. I often wonder if the government would be able to survive this type of ordeal. I know it depends how it spreads but I still wonder what a world without is like. With Halloween around the corner, the thoughts run more and more through my head. I see zombies everywhere I go. I recently went to the library and heard someone moaning...maybe a student having a bad dream while napping but I found maybe daydreaming and asking myself that “what if” question. I immediately looked over my shoulder and looked for the quickest exits. Earlier this year, the CDC, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention even had a zombie apocalypse warning on their websites. The feel that the precautions citizens should make are similar to catastrophes like a major hurricane or tornado. The primary concern would be shelter, food, water, and clothes. So next time you hear that creaking noise or moan, look around and beware because a zombie apocalypse could be coming. Films like Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead, etc. have forever changed the horror genre. With Halloween around the corner, I couldn't help but write about one of my favorite genres. The Walking Dead airs on Sundays at 9:00pm and I highly recommend that you set time aside to watch this remarkable series or DVR it for later viewing. I joke around about this subject but with all kidding aside, imagine the chaos and despair of a real zombie apocalypse.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
80s vs. Reality Television Shows
Good Morning America had a special running last week called “80s Week” and featured the hit television show Growing Pains. The cast members were reunited and reminisced about the success of the series. Cast members answered questions concerning romantic rumors and the personal problems that some faced. Kirk Cameron (Mike Seaver) explained how he struggled with the attention of fame and Tracy Gold (Carol Seaver) talked about her struggle with anorexia. Television shows in the 80s like Growing Pains, Mr. Belvedere, Who's the Boss, Perfect Strangers, and Family Ties instilled values and moral messages that seems absent from today's programming. Programs today are “reality” based and often have sexual themes to them. Television shows like Jersey Shore, Survivor, Big Brother, The Housewives of New Jersey are all reality shows that is fueled by manipulation and sex. It's quite evident how programming has changed, MTV stands for Music Television and now has more reality or scripted programs than they do music videos. These are the kinds of shows that get ratings and in turn program executives are churning out more and more of these programs. I often think about the sociological concerns of these programs. I would imagine it's teaching the younger generation that you too can be famous, you just have to act like an idiot or set aside your pride. Socialization is learning and internalizing the values and beliefs that is considered the norms of a culture and by doing this develop a sense of self. I feel that people that watch these kind of shows will soon inherit those moral messages of reality programming and instill the wrong values. I'm already starting to see this when out in bars, guys are fist pumping emulating the guys from Jersey Shore and women are using the word “bitches” as a term of endearment. It's amazing how much society is influenced by mass media and in this day and age of the World Wide Web messages spread faster and faster.
A positive side that television programs have had on society is the change in structure and agency, especially between institutions. The typical understanding of family structure used to be father, mother, and children. Nowadays family structure has changed and has come to mean various forms. For example, family structure now could mean single mother, single father, gay parents, and grandparents. MTV has a program called Teen Mom that showcases the life of a teenage mom, the struggles that she must deal with while balancing life at home with her parents. This program addresses the concern of teenage pregnancy and demonstrates the daily hardships. I feel that most people when lectured, without emotional connection to the subject, feel that whatever it is...it won't happen to them. I feel the series Teen Mom allows the audience to emotionally invest with the different cast members and in doing so feel for them and learn value lessons about teenage pregnancy. Show's like Will & Grace and The Ellen Degeneres Show has advanced the gay movement in America. There are more shows within the past 20 years that have openly gay cast members than ever before. This has changed the structure of family in terms of the heterosexual family members and allowed members to better understand and accept homosexual family members.
Although, I feel that the popular television programs in the 80s are far better than the popular shows in the past decade, there are positive aspects of the television shows within the past 20 years. I guess everyone yearns for better times and I can see why people like watching reality shows cause it makes them feel better about their lives but I often think about the values and beliefs these shows are instilling in their viewers.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
The Legacy of Steve Jobs
As most people know, especially those that depend largely on electronic devices, that Steve Jobs died October 5th, 2011. He was the face of Apple and most notable products like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod. He's also responsible for creating Pixar, an animation studio company most notably known for films like Toy Story. It's amazing how a product, like the iPhone, that was initially released in 2007 has changed the way people live today. I remember when my family first got a cell phone in early 2000 and remember the amount of time I spent looking at it. It was amazing that we could make phone calls anywhere we wanted. Since then times have changed and the cell phone market changed as well. The first line of smartphones consisted of a stylus that was used as a virtual pen to navigate through the functions of the phone. These phones allowed users to store not only contacts but calendars, memos, and other applications used to organize the activities in a person's life.
Along came Steve Jobs and the introduction of the iPhone. It revolutionized the smartphone market, these devices now navigated with the touch of a finger, displayed vivid color and fit perfectly in the palm of your hand. One of the most attractive features is the App Store, where users can download customized applications to their phone. For example, a student could download a dictionary app and have that services right at his finger tips. A person could download a budget app to track and manage his spending. People who wanted to stay busy while waiting for an oil change could download a number of games from the App Store. This in my opinion is the main reason why smartphones have increased in popularity in recent years.
Apple also innovated the music player market in terms of the introduction of the iPod. The iPod was introduced before the iPhone and can be argued that the iPhone was developed because of the success with the iPod. Prior to its introduction, individuals like myself would burn MP3 files to a CD and would have to carry these CDs with us. It's not uncommon to find bulky binders filled with dozens of CDs in your homes or cars. The iPod changed this process, we now can create custom playlists and have hundreds of songs loaded. The iPod changed how we listened to music and how we view mass media. I remember when I first got an iPod and the excitement I had as I anxiously waited to get home and upload all my music to it. I remember walking to school and thinking this is one of the best inventions ever. The device elevated itself from a music player to a status symbol. You were considered cool for having it. I guess this it evident in all of the Apple devices, you're either an Apple person or not.
The next product that Jobs introduced was the iPad and to be honest I never thought this was going to be as successful as it is. I always thought, “why buy it when you already have a laptop?” but now I realize that the iPad's allure is with its styling and branding. In today's society people are using computers for leisure less and less. If a person wanted to look up information or write an email, they would use their smartphones. It's small, fits in your pocket and easily accessible. Users are now accustomed to have information at their finger tips and don't want to bother getting up. This is why the iPad is so popular, it provides the function of a smartphone, minus phone calls, with the benefits of a larger screen.
Steve Jobs was the CEO of Apple and most notably the face behind these products. Within 5-10 years he revolutionized how society interacts with each other in terms of products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Although I'm sure Apple will come up with more innovative devices, Steve Jobs' place in Apple history will never be forgotten.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Fantasy Newbie
American sports fan love the game of football. Every Sunday millions of people are glued in front of their televisions rooting for their favorite teams. The hard hitting game entertains audiences just as the great gladiator games entertained through skill, strategy and aggression. The excitement a running back creates as he breaks through a hole using fancy foot work and pure aggression. Quarterbacks who place pin point accurate passes in the arms of a receiver invigorates fans across the country. The game is beloved in America and I'm just starting to understand the feeling.
I've never truly been a football fan, I've watched on occasion and understand the game but never made time to spend an afternoon watching countless games. I'd rather be out playing golf, basketball, tennis, or watch other programs on television. With the introduction of fantasy football, football is not just a voyeuristic activity anymore. Fans have fantasy football to draft and manage a virtual team. Most leagues are organized with an entrance fee and players have the potential to make money by the end of the season. My friends have tried to get me into it but I never gave in. I'm not a gambling man so that incentive never really interested me. I also feel that in order to do well, I would need to research and stay up to date on player statistics and this was not something I was willing to do. A good friend of mine recently tried persuading me again and this time I gave in. He allowed me to manage one of his teams and now I'm an owner of a fantasy football team.
Last week was my first week managing the team and I came out victorious. It's amazing what a win can do to a person perspective. I found the process wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be. With the creation of the smart phone application, managing my team and researching stats was easily handled everywhere I went. ESPN mobile has been the most influential medium affecting my interest. I feel that if I had to research statistics on a computer, I would bother playing. I'm starting to understand the craze behind fantasy football, although I wouldn't invest in a league myself, managing the team is actually quite fun. I find that the most satisfying aspect is arranging your team to yield the maximum amount of points. I don't mind losing as long as I put the best team I could, this is harder than it sounds because football being football results in “Any Given Sunday.” I now check news updates on player health, injuries, and read professional game analysis. I'm now managing my second week, although the league schedule is on week 4, I'm optimistic in turning the team around...the team's current record is 1-2.
Managing the team for one week started to change my perspective on the game. I now understand why millions of people log onto their team profile and strategically arrange their players each week. I'm also starting to watch entire games at home...baby steps. All kidding aside, fantasy football is a great game to play with friends and you never know by the end of the year you could win some money. I've made fun of my friends for playing years and now they're returning the favor.
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