static

Can't talk. Playing Dragon Age 2. Like it. Hot characters. Gay sensuality. Heavy arms. SO I got go grab my staff and take care of some things.

Emulator issues

I (silly frag Daniel (not to be confused with silly frag Dean or newly minted silly frag Dan)) have been playing through a GBA game called "Shining Soul" on my Android phone, where I have a GBA emulator installed called GameBoid. It's a lot of fun...very relaxing...not too much thinking. Exactly what I look for in games these days. Guess I'm getting old. Thing is, emulators have their own save systems apart from the game save systems. So, it's very easy to "cheat" your way through a game by saving within the emulator any time you make any progress and then, should you die, simply loading the last system save. In the game Shining Soul, your big penalty for dying is to lose your gold, but since I am playing the game in such a way as that "it" believes I have never actually died (I have died several times but loaded my save prior to dying), I have tons and tons of gold. Too much. I've been trying to figure out new ways to waste money in the game, but I can't. It's not possible. Therefore I never run out of potions...I'm never excited when I unlock a new weapon or armor...nothing is exciting. In fact, it's starting to feel a bit like work...make it through a level, save, level up, save, die, reload game data from before death, make it through another level, save. I've effectively removed all challenges and rewards from the play through making level completion the only goal. I think I'm going to come up with a new way to play through games...less saving? Only use the game's save system? God that was confusing.

Geek Proof

Dragon Age 2- midnight release. I shall be there. You know I shall. I probably will also spend an hour making my character before I go to bed.

Judge! Judge if you must, but I'll have my Dragon Age befre you have your Dragon AGe and now you know it.

Freshly hatched

We have a new frag, and he's a familiar face. If you don't know him and love him you soon will, Dan "Kratos" Hotfag!

Giddy

Daniel helped me with my class idea this weekend, because he cannot help but share his awesomeness. Here is part of the class I'm excited to implement:

LEVELING UP

Students love video games and part of the reason is they get constant, tangible feedback and rewards- things that they want. I would like to incorporate this into class, so in addition to their graded assignment students will receive incentives to work and learn through leveling up. The leveling up effects their avatar (physical representation of themselves perhaps heroic, villainous, beautiful or monstrous). These avatars will progress as they do and be hung in class as incentive and reinforcement.

When students complete different types of goals their avatar could gain a different costume or physical attribute, an additional upgrade to the power, or gadget or prop based on the type of goal they accomplished These goals and rewards will be posted in the classroom and split into three categories, influence (teamwork and citizenship goals), power (work related), and ingenuity (creatively based, or for work outside of class). These rewards come for specific activities or assignments as well as behavioral, intellectual, and social tasks; some of examples of these include:

INFLUENCE (effects the appearance of their avatar)

+ Show me positive feedback from another class

+ Be a team leader

+ Help a classmate with a task

+ Include a family member in your work

+ Be honest

+ Make me laugh

+ Work for someone else

+ Respond thoughtfully and meaningfully in class

+ Present to the class

+Teach a skill

+ Encourage someone who is blocked or having trouble

POWER (increases existing powers or adds additional powers or physical attribute)

+ Find secret in a text or game

+ Find an example or application of what we did in class outside of class or in another class

+ Wow me with a thought, idea, assignment, sketch, piece of work

+ Start an idea

+ Come to class prepared and on time

+Have assignments completed by deadline

+ Your team has assignments done by deadline

+ Get an A or B in another class, or in work for this one

INGENUITY (gives their avatar gadgets, pets or props)

+ Research

+ Bring and share inspiration or derivational work

+ Solve a problem you or your team have struggled with

+ Find multiple solutions or possibilities for one task

+ Edit and revise your work in a meaningful way

+ Scrap an idea and start all over

+ Fail and fix it

+ Raise your grade

Along with their visual representation will come a title for their level.

Visible Gays post on Gameful.org

I started a group on Gameful.org; this is the start of one of our discussions:

• There are a good number of queer folks, but many times they are invisible. How can we encourage or aid video game companies in representing us. I don’t necessarily mean a lesbian as a protagonist, but possibilities in roleplaying games, a gay couple holding hands on the street, NPC’s who are gay and not just comic relief. Games are a very personal experience and as gamers we often play as avatars that aren’t ourselves and that can be helpful and deep if done correctly- it can be a learning experience, a walk in their shoes. Also, showing gay characters in the game world makes them more viable and more acceptable in the real one. Is there a way we can show that to countries and people who are much less accepting or outright violent to gay folks (or those perceived to be gay).

  Also, is there a way games could make gays more visible to their communities, encourage coming out, make the space safer, something to help the community out of their personal hurt and shame, make gay heroic? Connect us.

  Thoughts?

• Nobumatsuku Team said 1 day, 2 hours ago:

  …Actually, that’s kind of funny. I was working on a game with a lesbian protagonist. xD

  But yeah, I totally agree. C: Subtlety is indeed an effective strategy for tolerance, because without realizing it, people will get used to us. They’ll adapt, as all humans do.

  REPLY (0)
• Dean said 5 hours, 55 minutes ago:

  What do you think the barriers are to having this happen? Is it not even thought? Is there fear of controversy?

  I feel sure there re queer people in the industry; I’m surprised there aren’t little bits of gay shoved in the cracks and crevices of a game.

  I’m glad someone is doing a game with a lesbian protagonist, that itself would be a challenge for me. I’m not sure how a lesbian protagonist is different than a protagonist. Perhaps that is why there are stereotypes in media; the “We need to make sure they know this character is queer” mentality. I also think people think they need to write gay characters in some way that is different than straight characters. Gay characters do not view their love or desires as being strange, and I feel like media feels the need to EXPLAIN it or show how beautiful and perfect it is to make it some sort of shining example. I don’t need declarations of love or sex scenes, but little intimate moments between human characters, brushing back a hair, a look of worry, smile, preparing a meal. I guess what games really need is better writing. I don’t know. I mean it is fantasy. I would just really like it if we didn’t always go under the assumption that every character is straight and that it must be PROVEN how straight everyone is. Does sexuality even need to be mentioned in games so much? If I’m killing aliens or saving the kingdom does it matter who I’m sleeping with?

HIStory Lesson

This man is the father of bodybuilding and general hotness; revere him. You must. He is Eugen Sandow. Read up. He is impressive