Games

Video games have come a long way and now the technology is very developed, as we can see how hyper-realistic the graphics are and how incredibly intelligent the AIs are. Putting aside people who develop games and who game for a living, I wonder if video games as a sheer form of entertainment actually provide any important values to a heavy gamer's life–by heavy gamer I mean someone who spend most of their time gaming not for profit or work. Also, in this context, I'm referring to non-educational games, so not the games that is meant to educate kids, but games that is meant to entertain, such as DOTA, Far Cry, Infamous Son, Counter Strike etc. Take Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for example, some kids play it night and day, and all they do is shooting people. One could argue that such time can be spent on reading, an activity that provides not only entertainment, but also important values.

Just for the sake of bouncing off ideas with people, another argument I could think of is that, even though some games might have educational values, they probably don't improve things like literacy as much as reading a book does. I also keep thinking that if a person play violin 24/7, they would become a virtuoso, where as if they play games 24/7, no matter how educational the game is, I doubt they would obtain any actual skills.

Now before you think I'm an anti-gamer, I want to clarify that I'm not. I have played lots of games. I just wanted to occupy one side of argument so that it might be easier for other people to take another (or agree on my side).

This topic sometimes occurs to my mind when I see people just play games 24/7 (again, excluding professional gamers and game developers); they don't care about other things other than their games. It sometimes seems to be like an addictive mind drug. Such things don't really happen to people who enjoy other forms of entertainment (music, movies, sports etc), which is what makes the games a different kinds of entertainment than those, in my opinion.

Take away video games from one's life, I would tend to think it wouldn't do much harm to a person (assuming that they are not addicted already), but if you take away other arts from someone's life, I think that would actually do some sort of damage to them. So how valuable is gaming to one's life? Is gaming just pretty much wasting time? If you were a heavy gamer, how would you justify all your time spent on gaming?

Get Ready! Nintendo is about to launch its first mobile game on December 15th. This game is Super Mario Run, a platform specifically built with mobile controls in mind. The game will start out free to play, but at some point, you will need to spend $10 to buy the entire game. This is a extremely different business model than games like Candy Crush and Pokémon Go, which have micro transactions built into the game, which you can spend as much or as little on the game as you want to. These micro transactions will shape how fast and effectively you progress in a mobile game. Super Mario Run's business model flies in the face of what is the norm in mobile gaming. My question is this: is a $10 charge too much to pay for a mobile game? And is this one time fee a more fair business model for consumers than the Free to Play, Pay to Win model that has dominated mobile?

This would be a good topic to write about as the game is releasing. It highlights a key component of the game at a time when the game will have the attention of the mobile market.

With the announcement of The Last of Us: Part 2, there's been a spur of excitement in the gaming world. This topic would explore the differences and similarities between The Last of Us and other survival-horror/zombie games, and what aspects made it become such a household title among gamers. What did it do differently, what didn't it change, and how did the narrative affect audiences and players? In essence, what made The Last of Us so memorable to players, and what new avenues did it open for its genre? (The author who takes this topic may even wait for Part 2 to release and add a comparative section between both games, adding to how Part 2 affected the gaming community as well as its predecessor).

Many companies are seizing the opportunities presented by the growth and accessibility of virtual reality technology. The pornography industry is producing immersive experiences and violent games will feel more real than ever before. What are the limits of these technologies, especially for commercial use? Are we disconnecting people from the ethics of their society by immersing them in social constructs designed around amoral decisions?

In light of the underwhelming flop that was No Man's Sky, we have to start asking ourselves; "Are we putting too much faith in indie games?". For half a decade we've seen indie games skyrocket in popularity. However many gamers tend to forget that simplicity is always a recipe for a successful game.

Does DLC have the power to change the way that a game is perceived ? During my initial play-though of vanilla Dark Souls II, I felt severely underwhelmed by the base game and disappointed with the bosses. However, as the Dark Souls II DLC began to trickle out, my overall perception of the game became more positive due to the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed playing through the newer areas. Now that Dark Souls III is about to release its first DLC in about two weeks, is it possible that it can change the way that the base game is looked at or presented?

Hyper Light Drifter's game experience is inspired by the developer's heart disease and his fear of meeting death at any moment. Death is constantly looming throughout the game as the protagonist continues to cough up blood. Players empathize with the fragile hero and the creator effectively shares his struggle

How effective is this channeling of personal fear in Hyper Light Drifter, and what other examples are in other games?

In The Legend of Zelda, the player character of Link can take a lot of damage. Being frozen solid, burning in fire or lava, surviving numerous types of melee weapons. The only armor he bears is a cloth tunic, with a chain-mail suit underneath and some pieces leather armor. If Link were in another game, how long would his green tunic last before he had to upgrade his armor?