Topics

Todays topic is the topic of our proposal paper. As some of you may know,I have had a week of living hell so I might be changing the stance I take on this but only because I don't feel like arguing the losing side. As of right now, my topic is that video games do not cause violent tendencies in gamers outside of the games any more then a violent game of football or comparable activities. The reason I'm taking this stance is I'm absolutely sick and tired of seeing the way older generations shy away from me when they ask what I like to do in my free time because I game. I've actually lost a job interview because “ it is the opinion of the owner of this establishment that the applicants activities outside of work may make him a danger to the store and other employees.” I am not a violent person. It takes me a great deal more to get truly angry then many of my other non gamer friends actually. Among my gamer friends, very few of them exibit overtly violent behaviors. There are the occasional “I'm going to fucking kill you!”s but that's because we're passionate about what we do. You'll get similar reactions with a hardcore football fan watching his team losing while a fan of the opposing team laughs or anything that one is truly passionate about, that is competitive, and really get's the blood pumping. That's actually the source of the reason so many people think video games make people violent. There isn't that much you can compare it to that's as...action packed, adrenaline inducing, and competitive so it's difficult to compare it to. That being said, it does compare to other pass times, it is no worse then other activities that people participate in. It might actually be viewed as better because while a soccer game in some countries would incite a riot, all a gamer can do is curse into the headset and make derisive comments about one anothers mothers. Fewer people get hurt because of that.

Word count 353

Mass Effect 3 Review

   Mass Effect 3, where do I begin? First off let's start off with my history with this mind blowingly awesome trilogy. I started five years ago, sitting in my room in O'fallon Illinois, wondering what in the hell my friends on xbox live had just talked me into buying but as I started playing I got more and more into it I started devoting more and more time to it. I couldn't put the controller down. I think after a month of just exploring the universe, as I was approaching the end, I only left my room to eat dinner and use the rest room. I was really drawn into this universe and have been with it ever since. The second game came out and I camped out for three hours for my copy. I didn't care for the dumbed down inventory system or the removal of any customization in the weapons but I played it anyway. Still a good story and an excellent ending. So you can understand how I was really psyched for the third one once it was announced. I read up on every bit of information and speculation on the game, pre-ordered it as soon as it was announced, and not only drove back too my home town from college (two hour drive both ways), but also had class at 9:00 a.m. the next day and waited outside for 5 hours.

   Finally having my copy I imported my first character, a fem Shepard named Rachel, and began an epic conclusion. The game was amazingly comprehensive and seeing the results of what I did (the Rachni, Wrex being alive, not saving Chambers in time) really showed through. I really felt the amount of time they put into it. I cried when Thane died and damn near yelled with pride when Mordin sacrificed himself. I loved it. Even the moments when I hated it I loved it because it was just put together so well. I finally came to the ending, fought my way through hell and back, and was faced with my decision. I didn't get enough points so synthesis wasn't an option for me. I proudly limped up to the Renegade option and pulling a trigger has never felt so damn good. Then came the final cut scene. I watched it and I was so sad. I watched the relays blow and knew that I was the source of the end of intergalactic travel. I didn't think anything of how short it was because I thought because I didn't get enough galactic readiness is the reason I didn't get a good ending. So I did it again. Loaded a male Shepard named Vasilli and played through the game again. I did everything and got my point well above the 5000 limit so imagine my surprise when the ending came and sucked just as badly. It was so short and gave so little closure it just left me feeling dirty as a gamer. Getting ripped off so hard when I had such high hopes for the game. I ranted and raved until the police actually came up to my friends dorm where we were playing to see what the hell was going on. I refuse to play it until they come out with that new ending. I even liked the online play and I’m usually completely opposed to adding multiplayer to single player games.

My ratings of the game:
6 out of 5 stars without the ending
3 out of 5 with the ending.
It was that bad.


word count 579

Mass Effect 3

I have waited years for this, the conclusion to an epic that has changed the gaming industry. I drove home and waited in the cold in shorts in a t-shirt for hours on the hope that they would have a spare copy of the collectors addition. Many jokes, and a minor case of pneumonia later, I finally had it. The item I have spoken so kindly about.

I came home that mourning, too tired to play, and slept for an hour or two. Most sleep I’ve gotten since I got this game. I dove into it with a passion, rivaled only by a starving man upon a buffet line, or an outcast chancing upon a new town. We ate little, my friend and I, determined to finish our digital quests before spring break. Slept little as well. The game brought out the best and worse in us, parading images of cooperation, allegiance against a common foe, and hope if done correctly. Deaths of old friends or entire races lost if we failed. I cried and laughed as the story drove closer and closer to a close, sharing jokes with characters I feel I’d known for years, and mourning the ones I could not save. We took breaks only for classes, surviving off the subway one would purchase one the way back or some instant ramen. Sleep was inconsequential to us in comparison to the goal, finish the battle years in the making.

                The battle finally dwindled to an end as once more you are faced with a choice. A choice that would shape the galaxy forever. I made my choice and sat and watched as the shock wave tore through the mass relays that link the systems, destroying not only the Reaper threat, but all means of interstellar travel. My Commander Shepard will never see her friends again. Asari, Quarian, Turian, Salarian, Krogan, all stranded, unable to communicate with each other. My Shepard will never hold his loved ones again, never see the white picket fence they talked so endearingly about, never build the house. I cried realizing there was no other option, not for me anyways. I’ve always brought my morals to the table when I play. It turned Mass Effect 3 into an epic for the ages and by far the best game I’ve ever played. Keela Sal’ai

Word count -  395

My Rental Experience

                I chose to rent a movie instead of going to the theater.  It’s not that I don’t like going to the theater, it’s that I have no time. I’m writing this at 7:22 3/2 for Petes sake. Regardless, here is how it went. Now, I’ve been into the video rental place before, me and a friend of mine were hoping they would sell games as well, but I was still a little intimidated by the amount of movies looking back at me. Over twelve thousand titles the store clerk had said and I believe him. Finally, we decided to finally watch a movie that we had heard a lot of good things about. Nothing but good things actually. The movie is called Boondock Saints and is about these two Irishmen who, with the blessing of the lord, wipe out the entire Russian crime syndicate in their town. We watch it and we loved it. We wanted to watch the second one but we looked at the clock and there was no way in hell anywhere was open, mso, as always, we turned to the internet. The reason I mention this is without the helpful store clerk, and especially since the SOPA scare, it is so much more difficult to find movies on the internet. We looked for hours, couldn’t find anything. So instead we turned to more legal ways, setting up a netflicks account. Even there we couldn’t find what we were looking for. They only had it on dvd that would have to ship, not available for streaming. A lot of cursing and a few cigarettes later, we finally just gave up and watched Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift to waste the rest of the night away. Then I came home, laid down for 15 minutes, and got up and wrote this. Funny thing is, you know what I’m doing later today? I’m going back into that store, and I’m doing it again.

Word Count -- 331