OUTSIDE THE BOX
Outside the Box
Author: jrhinehart
Gamin’ it Up
Much speculation took place in Friday’s in-class discussion as to why games intrigue us so much. An escape from reality? The rewarding factor of completing objectives or missions? Or could it simply be the fact that games add a new, impossible dimension to life that would otherwise be unavailable. I believe it is some combination of the three. My dad frequently plays Halo not only to escape helping my mom cook, but simply because he is entertained by the game. At some points, it appeared as if he was “hooked” to the game. One match leads to another and soon enough the night fades away. As Pink stated, games such as Halo and Call of Duty force the gamer to pay close detail to his or her surroundings, which will subconsciously benefit the player in the real world.
I am guilty of playing primarily one game for the past 9 or 10 years: Halo. I have, like many others, played an occasional online computer game (snake, jetman, etc.) and periodically experiment with Call of Duty or Forza on the Xbox, but my interest quickly dissipates. However, I’m willing to give it another try. I am about to “get [my] game on,” as Daniel Pink would say.
The first website I visited was “Game Spot.” I gave into my urge to search the new Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary game that comes out in November. The game allows for online gameplay on the original Halo game but this time with improved graphics. I am definitely anticipating its release. I then watched the trailer for the new Jurassic Park game premiering in November. The game incorporates improved graphics with the problem that dinosaurs have escaped and are out to eat you. I used to play a game titled “Batman Vengeance” on the original Xbox. I was interested to see the latest Batman game and came across the soon to be released “Batman: Arkham City.” I checked out some images and was immediately brought back to the days when I would play “Batman Vengeance” with friends. Since then, Batman has hit the weights and iceman looks like an alien. Nevertheless, the whole game has been enhanced to compete with so many others being released every day. As Daniel Pink pointed out, the video game industry is even bigger than the movie industry. This adds an extra incentive for the makers to create a very appealing game.
Another site I visited out of curiosity was “Women Gamers.” Unfortunately I was brought to a good bye page thanking the previous supporters and fans. In other words, the site has since been shut down. The next site that caught my eye was “Wireless Gaming Review.” It contained information regarding games on cell phones and other wireless devices. After all, who couldn’t use a couple for new game recommendations from the App Store? Gamespot must have bought the site because I was immediately redirected to the page I had just visited. Next, I decided to try Game Talk, which initially stuck me as an open forum for games to chat about new games and online accomplishments. Argghh!!! When I visited the site a white page popped up claiming “We will be back soon better than ever.” That’s great and all but my list is dwindling!
Finally, I broke down and visited Yahoo! Games. I played anything from PacMan to Monopoly. Yahoo definitely does not fail to provide a plethora of interesting games, many classics. Games such as Chess and Checkers especially keep the mind running. Although many of the gaming sites listed in Daniel Pink’s “A Whole New Mind” have since shut down, I will not hesitate to explore the web in the future to learn about new console releases and addicting online games that will hopefully yield benefits beyond just entertainment.
A Link Exploration
One of the possible activities I came across while reading about Pink’s valuable point of being able to “grasp the relationship between relationships” involved spontaneously venturing the web in a creative “journey” to become more familiar about a topic. I have always been a fitness guru, spending plenty of time in the gym exercising. I recently signed up for a self-defense class known as Krav Maga that was surprisingly physically intensive at some points. I am currently interested in learning more about this art and other self-defense classes in general. So for the sake of this exercise, I selected this topic to “follow the links.”
“Krav Maga Worldwide” was one of the first sites that popped up when I googled this self-defense class. The organization was founded by Darren Levine in 1999. I quickly discovered that Krav Maga is a defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces. When I clicked on the site’s tab titled “locations” there appeared to be just a couple places in California where the organization was represented. Speculation and curiosity rapidly overwhelmed my mind as to why the company was titled “worldwide.” Upon closer inspection I discovered links that took me to their “licensees and affiliates” tab. After clicking on the tab I suddenly saw justification for the organization’s name. I clicked on separate links giving additional information on affiliates located in Japan, Europe, Israel, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago. Most of the sites were in a language that I could not come close to deciphering; however, the Europe site was in English and listed schools in France, Italy, Spain and various other locations throughout Europe. Other links also led me to Krav Maga in the media, stores selling Krav Maga apparel, and even a detailed timeline of the development of the art. Classes for women even focused on rape prevention techniques and tactics. I gradually began to realize the worldwide significance of Krav Maga after venturing into the art’s impact on military, security, and law enforcement officers; the class has helped thousands of police officers keep us safe. The class I casually signed up for at the Georgia Tech Campus Recreation center suddenly took on a whole new meaning.
Invention Mob Brainstorming
Some of our group’s initial thoughts for the invention mob project centered around the city of Atlanta. We agreed that a movie would be the best way to go. The audience we are going to target is broad, but the end result is sure to be entertaining. The target audience is anyone living in Atlanta or thinking about moving to this city. The film will depict Atlanta in a way that encourages people to move here or makes its residents appreciate all that the city has to offer… besides of course the horrible rush hour traffic. Overall we wish to show the city in a unique way that the average urban dweller, or anyone for that matter, does not ideate.
