Blog Entry #5 Shorter Classes- The Future?

ASU is joining in on a new popular trend: quarter length classes. For those who haven't heard of this new trend, some schools are offering classes that cost less tuition and take half the time. These new classes allow students to graduate faster and can even graduate from university in three years. For students who are tough on times, these classes are the answer. For some however, this is a nightmare. The problem with these classes is that you are doing a full class in half the time. This may be a problem in an English class where an essay that would take a month in a normal class is now due in 2 weeks. For students with poor time management skills, this may be a problem.

What do you mean that essay is due at 11:59?

For others, such as myself, believe that this is the future. Why wait to take a class when you can get it done now? There is less work load, and allows you to take the classes you want instead of being forced to take required classes. When I started at GCC, I had 20 credits to take, but taking both English 101 and 102 in the same semester has allowed me to free up my schedule while allowing me to keep my scholarship and stay on track. Personally, I think more classes should be offered in this format and more colleges should offer these classes for credit.

the early bird gets the worm

Blog Entry #4 Fallout 4-A Game of Style

For those who normally visit my blog, it may be surprising that I'm doing an entry on Fallout. I'm almost exclusively a Nintendo gamer, and it's very rare for me to play a non Nintendo or PC game. That is, until Fallout 4 came out. I've always been a fan of the Fallout franchise, but have never had a chance to play it until now. And of course, if there's one thing to encourage people to play, it's the option to creation there own character.

Meet my Fallout 4 character, named after Wez from Mad Max..

That's his wife in the background, she is also a work of art.

Fallout 4 gets players immersed right from the beginning of the game. The style in this game which allows you to spend hours on a character is incredible. Some players make carbon copies of celebrities,

DecDancer via Reddit

piranhas_really via Reddit

kurosaba via Reddit

My point is here, Fallout 4 offers an incredible way to start the game. By allowing players to access their creativity, players are able to start off their game in style (or just the opposite if you want to create freak characters like I did). 

Fallout is a perfect example of a modern day game that will take itself further and allow players to have fun. It doesn't try to make itself overly serious, there's room for humor and creativity. That is something that needs to be in more games. 

Blog Entry #3 Sexism in Gaming-Too One-Dimensional

Since 2009, Bayonetta has been a character of controversy. Many write her off as a sexist character, appearing only for the male gaze.

Gomakemeasandwich.com agrees with this, and while I am an activist for feminist rights, I know slanted writing when I see it. Gomakemeasandwich is run by people who describe themselves as "cranky" feminists.

The author focuses on Bayonetta as a toy for the male gaze, but Bayonetta's creation goes far further than that. Designed by Mari Shimazaki, Bayonetta was created with the purpose of three specific traits: a female lead, a modern witch, and to use four guns. Bayonetta's design was, for all purposes, a power fantasy by her creator. The men of the team of Bayonetta felt they had no right designing female characters, and created the male characters, but went to Mari for help. She created what is now one of the most sexual characters in gaming.

While the authors of the article and like minded gamers have a good point, many make their point without understanding the intention of this character. I personally am not a Bayonetta, while I acknowledge her purpose, as a character, seeing a woman so sexualized creeps me out. Despite this, I acknowledge that her sexualization is not a result of the male gaze. She is a sexualized character, but there is reason behind her sexualization. She is a strong female character in the sense that is traditional and as well as a more modern take on what it means to have your own power and to take pride in your own sexuality.

 Part of my problem with the article comes from the fact that they place such importance on the male gaze as if that's the only reason why a woman can be sexy in media. Women with sexuality who show it are often looked down upon in society. You're either a whore, or a prude. It's not that simple, and simplifying a character based on her sex appeal shows that exact mentality. It's a lack of understanding as well as a misguided view. 

Blog entry #2 Fatal Frame: Maiden of Blackwater demo

Halloween is over, spirits have gone to rest and jingle bells are ringing. But let's go back a week. October 25th, I hadn't played my WiiU in a while. I was being overwhelmed with homework, and I finally had time for a break. While with a friend, I noticed a game I had been waiting for had finally dropped. It was the newest installment in the Fatal Frame series. For those of you who have never heard of it, Fatal Frame is a horror series that focuses on capturing and purifying ghosts with a tool called the camera obscura. 

I am unfortunately short on money, but still decided to give the game a try. Luckily, a free demo of the beginning of the game was available on the Nintendo Eshop. I decided to give the game a try. And I must say, the game is actually scary. There are some horrifying cutscenes as well as ghosts and moments. I remember screaming every time I couldn't escape from a spirit. The game inflicts genuine horror onto the player. The story is interesting and comes from three different perspectives, one of the characters you play as is related to a character from a previous game. My largest gripe though was the graphics and controls. Characters moved awkwardly, hair physics didn't exist, and while the graphical differences between the cutscenes and game were barely visible, the leap between cutscene and game was too obvious for a modern day game. It was almost cringe worthy.

This, combined with shitty controls for the camera obscura and clunky character movement led to really downgrade the experience of this game. I was genuinely scared by the demo alone, but when it failed to live up to expectations, I had honestly hoped for better. Even worse are the character costumes. There is no need to add extra costumes to a horror game. It makes the game feel as if it doesn't take itself seriously. 

Nobody wants their horror game to turn into an interactive playboy magazine.

Overall, this game gets a 6/10 from me. Great on the horror aspect, but needs work on everything else.

Entry #1 Blogs, blogs, and more blogs

Social media has taken the world by storm. And that's not a bad thing, social media is fun to partake in. It allows the world to communicate with each other and combines social aspects with what we consider fun like writing, video games, and art. One of the earlier attempts at social media was blogging. Blogs are written posts on the internet similar to diaries. But unlike diaries, are public and often contain trivia, pictures, videos, and more. Blogs are a fun way to share information and the whatnot. While a dying media, many popular blogs still exist, and many show creators still use it to post updates.

One blog I really enjoy is GoNintendo, a video game centered blog that focuses around the blog creators' reviews and lets plays. While this blog focuses a little too much on personal opinions and not enough on information for my liking.

One blog I absolutely admire is the Keep Beach City Weird blog. Run by the creators of animated series Steven Universe, Keep Beach City Weird is the name of the blog run in show by side character, Ronaldo. This blog is run be animators and writers from the show, and follows the series through Ronaldo's perspective. Ronaldo is a fun, weird, quirky character. He doesn't have much friends, he's weird, a conspiracy theorist, dons a hideous fedora, and is the exact epitome of that boy in your class who claims he's a "nice guy" but complains when woman don't want to date him. He's a fun parody of a very real person, and his character adds interesting conflict to the show. The way this blog is run offers a different perspective to every episode, and even gives the serious episodes a lighter feel.

I can't get enough of fun blogs like these. But where there are good blogs, there are also the bad. For example, some people may be interested in blogs such as Pink is the New Black. Nothing seems as boring, stupid, vapid or whatever adjective I can add in as this blog. While I hate and couldn't give a shit about celebrity gossip, for some people, it's a way of life. Maybe I shouldn't be so judgmental, because we each have our own tastes. And that's part of what this blog project is, experimenting with our own tastes and learning about each other. In the end, that's what it comes to. It's not about who has the best blog, the most interesting blog, it's about the learning experience that us as classmates will gain from each other.

Blog Practice Entry-The Return

Fear not mortals, the great wizard king has returned (with a shorter tunic than ever before).Once again, I am here to grace your presence with my magic.

There is no doubts that this is the great wizard ki-

Ok so you got me, I am not the great wizard king. In fact, I am a very normal girl with no magical powers. My name is Casandra. but I prefer to go by Cas or Casey. Overall, I'm a pretty reserved person who spends most of her time on school. No wizardry going on here. 

a bit more of an accurate depiction of me

My hobbies are fairly common. I love video games, art (sorry for the bad sketches, I wanted to get out something funny), comic books, and Saturday morning cartoons. If you can get in a discussion about video games or Disney with me, chances are we'll get along perfectly. 

I am also a major Disney fangirl who has never had the chance to visit Disneyland, and it's one of my goals in life to go there. 

One day, I'll be able to go, but for now I got to focus on my school. While in GCC, I plan to get all A's and eventually transfer to ASU Barrett, the honors division of ASU. During my four years of study, I want to study to become an elementary art teacher. I love art, working with kids, and have grown up in a family of teachers. It's a career I've always wanted, even if the pay is not amazing. Teachers are important, and I want people to understand that. Without our teachers, we are nothing. Students deserve to have an outlet to express themselves, and I want to help students find that outlet. In the end, that is my ultimate goal in attending GCC. Get as many classes as I can done, and then continue on to ASU Barrett. 

Throughout this blog, I will be discussing many of my hobbies and passion just like I did in English 101. So expect lots of game talk, movie reviews, and the whatnot. 

Entry #11 One Final Thought

First of all, before I begin this blog entry, I would like to thank everyone who kept with me on this journey and motivated me to continue my blog. You guys are the best, and it is you who I write this for. There were times when I wondered if anyone was listen; I was wondering if anyone cared about my topics. You guys showed interest in my blog and motivated me to continue. Thank you.

I was hesitant of creating a blog. I assumed no one would listen to my rants about video games or art. I wondered if anyone would want to hear about Nintendo and indie games in a day and age where shooters seem to dominate the market. 

I've always had a negative image of blogs, thinking they could only be for the fashion savvy, the DIY home moms, and for world travelers. They were for interesting people, and I was worried I had nothing interesting to say. As time went on, and I got to talk about some of my favorite topics, I became motivated. It made me happy to be able to write about the things I love. I began to look forward to blog entries, and before I knew it, a week ahead I would begin planning my free write entries. I wanted to share my interests to the world, and this blog gave me the freedom and place to do it among my peers. At times, I began not to care about if anyone was listening or not, and started to think of it as a project for myself. It was a place for me to tell the world what I thought without judgement, and it became one of the funnest projects I've ever had in a class.

I honestly hope this project was as fun for others as it was for me. I learned that it was ok to voice my opinions and that my voice didn't have to be covered. I've been so used to strange looks whenever I rant about video games that this was a refreshing breath of air. I honestly wish that everybody else was able to experience that freedom because for me it was a valuable way to let out my emotions. Nothing made me happier than talking about the things I love.

My only suggestion on how to make this project better is to set up some basic tutorials to teach students how to further customize their blogs. Using the templates can be boring and students should know their options. I was able to figure out through google and some basic coding how to customize my blog a bit further, but it should be an option for students who may not be tech savvy. 

In the end, I am sad to leave this blog because I looked forward to having my classmates read my entries so much. I hope that future students will enjoy this project as well.

Thank you everybody!