Monday, May 14, 2012
Personal reflection of class
English 114 with Sean has been the best course I have taken in CSUN so far. It was my first class among all my classes that I took this year and it was a great way to start my college life. Sean is not an old, monotoned, and boring instructor who makes a student learn through boring lectures and expect a 20 page research paper on evolution the very same night. Sean has a unique way of conveying the material to us through the use of proper communications that human beings have and the use of new technology. He helped us understand how space being used in reality is also used in video games. We read a comic strip and analyzed that instead of analyzing a 100 year old poem that no insane person gives a crap about anymore. Having a graduate student as a professor also helps because he understands the needs, requirements, and the process of being a freshman because he was one not too long ago. Having him for one whole year was also great because he had time to learn how each student worked and how we can maximize our potential for the class. This class had a great impression on CSUN for me and I hope to have more courses like these and instructors, (SCRATCH THAT), Professors, like Sean Pessin.
Final Analysis of Project Web
Project Web has been an amazing and unique way of learning for me. Instead of writing on a paper that was to be read by one person alone, I was writing for hundreds or more people who were checking my blogs. Throughout my schooling, I have only been writing essays that were formal and had to use the basis of a well-written essay. Project Web, however, let me write anything I wanted to write without any basis or rubric to follow. It was my own mind writing freely on the internet. I think Project Web is a great way of learning language because it shows how English and Composition classes do not have to be boring. Most students give up on a course because they are not thrilled by the material covered and the way they're being covered. Project Web can surely change that for those who struggle with English classes, just as it did for me.
Project Text Final
Bantol,
Ken
Pessin
English
114A
March
7, 2012
I killed a man, thus I am a man
It is a proud
moment for a father when he realizes that his son has finally become a man.
Throughout history, society has witnessed billions of boys prove that they have
reached manhood. Some prove manhood when they grow their first facial hair,
others prove it when they introduce their first girlfriend, and others prove it
by graduating from high school. But during the 1950s through the 1970s, manhood
was proven in a much more excruciating way. Boys had to show bravery by going
to war and protect their nation from the communists. Many lives were lost and
many families back home grieved for the loss of their sons and a few daughters.
In 1977, Orson Scott Card wrote a novel entitled “Ender’s Game” about a little boy named Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, who
was chosen to enter battle school and leave his family at a young age of six
(6). In battle school, he was to learn how to defeat the invading aliens, The
Formics, by using physical and intellectual power. In the novel, Ender learned
techniques and tactics on how to violently kill another race using weapons
provided to him by the government. His brother, Peter, was not chosen by the
government to enter battle school, thus forcing him to stay behind on Earth
leading him to create a conspiracy movement and become the ruler of Earth.
Their sister, Valentine, was also left behind on Earth and helped Peter with
his plan of world domination. Although the lives of these three kids,
especially Ender, are not exactly similar to the lives of the young soldiers
that were drafted or helped to fight for the country in the Vietnam War, the
similar concept of government creating the innocent killer to stop “Charlie”
and prove their manliness to society is present in both situations. Orson Scott
Card’s “Ender’s: Trilogy” portrays
the same situation that every person involved during the Vietnam War was in.
Andrew
“Ender” Wiggin
Ender is the
main protagonist of the story. He is a “third” child meaning he is a rare child
in a time when a family is only allowed two (2) children. While an infant, the
child is injected a monitoring device which allows the government access to
their minds and surroundings. This allows the government to monitor outstanding
children who deem fit as honorary soldiers for humanity. Ender turns six (6)
and his monitor is taken off meaning he is now allowed to live a normal life just
like his brother, Peter, and his sister, Valentine. But everything changes when
Ender badly beats up a bully to prevent future harm from the other kids. The
International Fleet Commander, Hyrum Graff, hears of what Ender has done and
examines how it happened. He meets Ender at the Wiggin’s household and asks him
to explain his actions. Graff is impressed by Ender’s response and is
astonished by his logic. He invites Ender to enter battle school but also tells
him of the consequences he must understand if he does commit. These
consequences include Ender, not being able to see his family for at least 6
years, and not being able to communicate with them. Graff also warns Ender of
the grueling preparations that students go through in the school. Ender, even after
hearing the changes he must make in his life, agrees and enters the school
right away.
Ender entering the battle school is similar to how the
young men who were in the Vietnam War reacted to being drafted. Although they
knew of the harsh consequences of entering the war such as losing their lives
and not being able to see their families, they still agreed with the reasoning
that they were going to save the nation from the communists. The mentality they
had of saving billions of people drove them to reckless abandonment of
reasoning which lead them to disregard of their lives.
Another reason and possibly the most important reason of
why Ender joined Graff’s Army was because of his sister, Valentine. Valentine
is the only person, before entering battle school, who Ender had a deep connection
with. She was the only one he could talk to with his problems and both cared
deeply for each other. When Graff used Valentine as an example of someone The
Formics would kill if they do successfully invade the Earth, Ender was
imprinted a dark image in his mind of losing the most important person in his
life. This image haunted him and was used as his sole purpose for keeping on
with the training even though he was tired and felt nostalgia every day and
night in battle school. He did not want anyone, especially Valentine, to die at
the hands of The Formics so he promised to himself that he was going to be the
best leader in the history of the International Fleet and destroy the entire
Formic race.
Most of the surviving soldiers from the Vietnam War
explained that the reason why they joined the war was to save their loved ones
such as their moms, sisters, and girlfriends. Scott Orson Card successfully
used Valentine as Ender’s main purpose of continuing the training just like how
the soldiers wanted to keep their female loved ones safe back at home.
The
Battle School Students
Unlike Ender,
almost everyone in the Battle School were recruited after showing excellence
through the monitoring devices. The monitoring devices showed how they reacted
to situations similar to the situations people experience in the race war. The
government examines their logical approach to certain events and how their
knowledge allows them to act with others. If the government felt that they were
capable of being officers in the International Fleet Army or decent enough to
physically and intellectually fight against another race, they were recruited
into the fleet and trained their whole childhood to fight The Formics.
Similar to the Vietnam War, the battle school recruits in
the novel were portrayed by Orson Scott Card as the soldiers of the war. The
soldiers, like the recruits, were drafted by the government to prepare for war.
Without their full consent, they were recruited to train and learn skills that
will help them destroy the enemy or “kill Charlie”.
The Battle School was also located outside of Earth
meaning they trained in a surrounding they were not familiar with. The gravity
was changed meaning they had to adapt to new ways of moving and changes that
the school forced on to them. Aside from the strict rules and regulations the
students were to follow, they also had to cope with their emotions. Leaving
their families and loved ones caused them sadness and loneliness. This emotion
is very hard to do as a young man in a new environment. They were in the
battlefield in a country thousands of miles away from home under a weather they
were not immune to. The tall grasses, muddy ground, exotic plants and animals
that they did not know were harmful to them, caused many to die without a
bullet touching their bodies. This is similar to how the new recruits in the
battle school did not know how to protect themselves in the battle room because
they did not know how to use the environment they were in. The force field that
allowed them to bounce off walls were similar to the tall grass. At first, the
soldiers did not know how to use the grasses to their advantage and were
constantly seen by the enemy. The force of gravity inside the battle room was
also a disadvantage for the students at first because they did not know how to
control their bodies and aim for the enemy. Much like the gravity, the soldiers
in the Vietnam War experienced months of continuous raining and sudden change
of weather into sunny weather. This unfamiliarity to a bipolar weather caused
most of them to get sick and prevented them from fighting at full capabilities.
This led to the deaths of many soldiers due to diseases. Some died from being
caught off guard by the enemy because they were not at full power and were not
aware of the situation.
Orson Scott Card portrays many of the people involved in
the Vietnam War in his “Ender’s: Trilogy” novels. The soldiers in the war and
the students were exposed to a new environment, were overwhelmed emotionally,
and were having troubles with all the disadvantages and obstacles they
experienced in the beginning of their respective trainings.
Peter
and Valentine
Those who were
not chosen to participate in the International Fleet Army stayed behind with
their families on Earth. Two prime examples of these types of individuals in
the novel are Peter and Valentine, Ender’s older siblings. Unlike Ender, they
were not deemed fit to become officers of a battalion thus keeping them
grounded on Earth.
These characters are similar to those who were not
drafted in the Vietnam War. Instead, they stayed behind on Earth and continued
their normal life of schooling and/or going to work. Their lifestyles were not
changed and were allowed to grow up and choose their own paths. Unlike their
peers who were in the war, these people did not have to worry about their lives
being endangered.
Although
they were kept away from action, this did not keep Peter and Valentine still
and away from the war. They began writing papers that focused on the
government, giving the people of Earth insights on the ongoing war in outer
space. They became social activists and conveyed a different approach about the
war to the people. Peter’s main purpose of doing this was to gain fame and
power to rise on top of the government and rule the world.
The
Hive Queen
The Formic race
is from a different planet that began terrorizing Earth when the human race started
to explore outer space. They are controlled by the Hive Queen, the central consciousness and physical embodiment of
the group mind of the Formics. During the
Third Invasion, it became evident to the Buggers that they could not survive
the war with the humans. In order to prevent their total destruction, The
Formics prepared a location on one of their colonies for the Hive Queen to be
left dormant as a cocoon. Using a telepathic method of communication,
the Hive Queen accessed the memories of Ender Wiggin, to better
understand him. Using what they learned, the Formics made the landscape on one
of their colonies close to Earth to look like that of Ender's most powerful
memory, Fairyland. Arriving as a colonist to that world, Ender
eventually discovers the Hive Queen and takes her with him while exploring
other colonies.
The Hive Queen can be portrayed as
the known enemy of the U.S., “Charlie”. Although such mind controlling power
was not used during the Vietnam War, Charie was a very smart enemy. Vietnam was
able to gather information from spies and just like the Hive Queen, lured their
enemies into their own game in their own territory. The U.S., just like Ender,
was confused and was not in its right state of mind because of the smart
tactics of the enemy.
The Battle School
The training facility that Ender went to learn combat is
similar to the training camps and bases that the United States had for their
overwhelming new recruits during the Vietnam War. The Battle School provided
shelter, food, clothing, and education. Just like the training camps and bases
during the Vietnam War, there were many facilities that provided the same
amount of great things for the drafted soldiers because of the challenges they
knew the young soldiers were going to face.
Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game” portrays the Vietnam War by
basing his setting, characters, and events on the soldiers and the key settings
of the war. From the unknown place of battle, to the young soldiers who fought
for something they were unsure of, and the enemies who used smart tactics to
fight, “Ender’s Game” shows how the war played out. Both the Vietnam War and
Ender’s Game show perfect examples of the concept, “creating an innocent killer”.
Work Cited
Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game. United States :
Tor Books, 1977. Print.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Project Space (Final)
Bantol,
Ken
Pessin
English
114B
5/13/12
Space in Counter-Strike
Every person in
the world has a limit. Bodybuilders and athletes are physically gifted and seem
to be able to do almost everything using their bodies, but they still have
their own limits. Dancers and actors who perform and entertain audiences around
the world are seen as free moving individuals, but they too have limits that
disable them from going any further. This limit that almost acts as a boundary
to every person in the world is called space. Space is the most underrated
aspect of life because nobody notices it any longer. A house is made up of
walls that divide one space from the other, but no one ever notices these
boundaries any longer. These boundaries separate areas for the purpose of
privacy, safety, but most importantly, to limit each person’s free willed in an
area. Instead of walking a straight line diagonally, one must maneuver around
the walls and that person cannot do anything about it. These walls in the house
are like rules that one must abide by. In the past two decades, technology has risen
to the top of the media and entertainment field because of the futuristic
developments that always seem to amuse people. One of these futuristic
developments is the video gaming industry. Kids and adults play video games to
relieve stress and experience a creative and imaginative world that they are
controlling with their own actions. But even these creative and imaginative
worlds have boundaries or limits that cannot be broken by the player. These
rules and regulations are created by space which comes to show that space is
still a big aspect in video games just as much as in reality. One of the
greatest games ever created and developed is Counter-Strike. It was developed
by Sierra, now known as Valve, and is owned by the gaming company, Steam. It is
a first person tactical shooting game that portrays the on-going reality of war
between terrorists and not-terrorists. A player can choose between two teams to
play with, Counter-Terrorists and Terrorists, and a spectator mode in which a
player is allowed to roam around the match or the round and observe the ongoing
match between the two teams. This game is played in maps that have two bases
for each team and the space they must work within to beat each other.
Counter-Strike is considered one of the greatest games
ever made. It attracted many kids and teenagers, like me, right when it was
released in 1999. It was the perfect game that every person was looking for. It
gave them full control of a character and it was violent and perfectly
portrayed how a gun is held, fired, and used. But even Counter-Strike has
limits that are caused by the space provided in the maps. In the game, there
are many walls that are called blind spots that disable a player from seeing
the opposite player with enough time to gather himself to aim and shoot
perfectly. This is why it takes a while to master the skills and aim fast and
accurately at the same time. These walls are a big aspect of the game because
it makes it very hard for a player to aim accurately and with a fast speed to hit
the opposing player. In the video cited below, at 0:03 seconds in to the clip,
we see a perfect example of walls being used in the game as a limitation or a
boundary for the player. He cannot see the opposing player hiding behind the
wall thus he is not aiming at a target. But once he sees the enemy come out,
his fast enables him to avoid getting shot and gets the enemy with one shot
from a sniper rifle (running and aiming with a scope with a sniper rifle is
very hard to do and is not recommended unless you are a great marksman in the
game). The wall impairs the sight of the player by hiding blocking the other
part of the map where the opponent is hiding. Clearly, space is a big aspect of
the game as shown in this game play.
Another example of walls being used in space of the game
is in the 0:25 second mark of the video above. The player respawns (New Round
starts) in his own respected base. In this clip, we see the player buy his
sniper rifle and positions himself at a spot that allows him to shoot the
opponent crossing from his base to the bomb site. This spot is covered very
well by the walls that it takes less than half a second for the player to see
his opponent cross. The wall clearly makes a major impact on the use of space
in the game because it limits the player from having all the time he needs to
get settled and shoot at the opponent. The space acts as a rubric or a basis of
what the player is offered or given by the game, and the player must adjust to
this level of comfort. By getting used to this space, the player enhances his
skills and reflexes and is able to shoot accurately in a fast speed.
In life, we are given disadvantages that limit us from
doing things that others can do. Short people have a harder time dunking the
basketball than tall people, but it doesn’t mean they can’t dunk at all. The
disadvantage of being short just gives them a harder time to accomplish the
goal. In Counter-Strike, there are many special features that an opponent can
use to their advantage against another player. One example that we can see from
the video above is at the 0:32 second mark. The player is blinded by the
opponents flashbang which is a grenade that releases a strong ray of light that
blinds everyone who sees it explode in the air. This flashbang puts the player
shown above in a disadvantage because his vision is gone completely. As
mentioned before, the walls already impair the vision of the player greatly,
and this flashbang makes it worse. This impairment makes it harder for the
player because not only does he have to withstand the effects of the flashbang,
the walls are still covering his sight right after the flashbang wears off. But
as the player above shows, anything is possible and even if a person only has
the slightest chance, he or she can accomplish it. The player withstands the
flashbang and its aftermath effect alongside the wall, and he kills the
opponent with a no scope. In life, a person has disabilities and disadvantages
that others don’t have. Either physically or mentally, anyone can overcome
these burdens. Whether it’s students who are mentally challenged or physically
challenged and still receive their diploma, whether it’s athletes who do not
have the same genetic blessing others have, or a person who comes from a poor
socio-economic class and is still able to compete with others richer than him
or her, we have all proven that disadvantages can be overcome, just as the
player in the video shows.
Video games are used by many to as the cause of this
generation’s “dumbing down”. They attribute video games as waste of time and
non beneficial to a person’s life and learning. But as shown in the gameplay
provided in the video above, reality is portrayed by the video game. Space
limits everyone from doing everything freely. Walls are used as boundaries in
life just like in Counter Strike where it is also considered a boundary for a
player. They impair the vision of a person in real life such as in the video
game. Disadvantages that people experience in real life are also shown in the
video game. Space is the most crucial aspect of daily life and it is the same
in the video game, Counter Strike.
Project Text Draft
Bantol,
Ken
Pessin
English
114A
March
7, 2012
A Man’s Path In Society *SUBJECT TO
CHANGE*
[INTRODUCTION]
*GOING
TO CHANGE SOON BECAUSE I THOUGHT OF A NEW THESIS WHILE WRITING ESSAY*
-
I was going to write about the process of being a man in society but my mind
explored new possibilities for a new thesis midway through the paper.
It is a proud
moment for a father when he realizes that his son has finally become a man.
Throughout history, society has witnessed billions of boys prove that they have
reached manhood. Some prove manhood when they grow their first facial hair,
others prove it when they introduce their first girlfriend, and others prove it
by graduating from high school. But during the 1950s through the 1970s, manhood
was proven in a much more excruciating way. Boys had to show bravery by going
to war and protect their nation from the communists. Many lives were lost and
many families back home grieved for the loss of their sons and a few daughters.
In 1977, Orson Scott Card wrote a novel entitled “Ender’s Game” about a little boy named Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, who
was chosen to enter battle school and leave his family at a young age of six
(6). In battle school, he was to learn how to defeat the invading aliens, The
Formics, by using physical and intellectual power. In the novel, Ender learned
techniques and tactics on how to violently kill another race using weapons
provided to him by the government. His brother, Peter, was not chosen by the
government to enter battle school, thus forcing him to stay behind on Earth
leading him to create a conspiracy movement and become the ruler of Earth.
Their sister, Valentine, was also left behind on Earth and helped Peter with
his plan of world domination. Although the lives of these three kids,
especially Ender, are not exactly similar to the lives of the young soldiers
that were drafted or helped to fight for the country in the Vietnam War, the
similar concept of government creating the innocent killer to stop “Charlie”
and prove their manliness to society is present in both situations. Orson Scott
Card’s “Ender’s: Trilogy” portrays
the same situation that every person involved during the Vietnam War was in.
[Andrew
“Ender” Wiggin]
Ender is the
main protagonist of the story. He is a “third” child meaning he is a rare child
in a time when a family is only allowed two (2) children. While an infant, the
child is injected a monitoring device which allows the government access to
their minds and surroundings. This allows the government to monitor outstanding
children who deem fit as honorary soldiers for humanity. Ender turns six (6)
and his monitor is taken off meaning he is now allowed to live a normal life just
like his brother, Peter, and his sister, Valentine. But everything changes when
Ender badly beats up a bully to prevent future harm from the other kids. The
International Fleet Commander, Hyrum Graff, hears of what Ender has done and
examines how it happened. He meets Ender at the Wiggin’s household and asks him
to explain his actions. Graff is impressed by Ender’s response and is
astonished by his logic. He invites Ender to enter battle school but also tells
him of the consequences he must understand if he does commit. These
consequences include Ender, not being able to see his family for at least 6
years, and not being able to communicate with them. Graff also warns Ender of
the grueling preparations that students go through in the school. Ender, even after
hearing the changes he must make in his life, agrees and enters the school
right away.
Ender entering the battle school is similar to how the
young men who were in the Vietnam War reacted to being drafted. Although they
knew of the harsh consequences of entering the war such as losing their lives
and not being able to see their families, they still agreed with the reasoning
that they were going to save the nation from the communists. The mentality they
had of saving billions of people drove them to reckless abandonment of
reasoning which lead them to disregard of their lives.
Another reason and possibly the most important reason of
why Ender joined Graff’s Army was because of his sister, Valentine. Valentine
is the only person, before entering battle school, who Ender had a deep connection
with. She was the only one he could talk to with his problems and both cared
deeply for each other. When Graff used Valentine as an example of someone The
Formics would kill if they do successfully invade the Earth, Ender was
imprinted a dark image in his mind of losing the most important person in his
life. This image haunted him and was used as his sole purpose for keeping on
with the training even though he was tired and felt nostalgia every day and
night in battle school. He did not want anyone, especially Valentine, to die at
the hands of The Formics so he promised to himself that he was going to be the
best leader in the history of the International Fleet and destroy the entire
Formic race.
Most of the surviving soldiers from the Vietnam War
explained that the reason why they joined the war was to save their loved ones
such as their moms, sisters, and girlfriends. Scott Orson Card successfully
used Valentine as Ender’s main purpose of continuing the training just like how
the soldiers wanted to keep their female loved ones safe back at home.
[The
Battle School Students]
Unlike Ender,
almost everyone in the Battle School were recruited after showing excellence
through the monitoring devices. The monitoring devices showed how they reacted
to situations similar to the situations people experience in the race war. The
government examines their logical approach to certain events and how their
knowledge allows them to act with others. If the government felt that they were
capable of being officers in the International Fleet Army or decent enough to
physically and intellectually fight against another race, they were recruited
into the fleet and trained their whole childhood to fight The Formics.
Similar to the Vietnam War, the battle school recruits in
the novel were portrayed by Orson Scott Card as the soldiers of the war. The
soldiers, like the recruits, were drafted by the government to prepare for war.
Without their full consent, they were recruited to train and learn skills that
will help them destroy the enemy or “kill Charlie”.
The Battle School was also located outside of Earth
meaning they trained in a surrounding they were not familiar with. The gravity
was changed meaning they had to adapt to new ways of moving and changes that
the school forced on to them. Aside from the strict rules and regulations the
students were to follow, they also had to cope with their emotions. Leaving
their families and loved ones caused them sadness and loneliness. This emotion
is very hard to do as a young man in a new environment. They were in the
battlefield in a country thousands of miles away from home under a weather they
were not immune to. The tall grasses, muddy ground, exotic plants and animals
that they did not know were harmful to them, caused many to die without a
bullet touching their bodies. This is similar to how the new recruits in the
battle school did not know how to protect themselves in the battle room because
they did not know how to use the environment they were in. The force field that
allowed them to bounce off walls were similar to the tall grass. At first, the
soldiers did not know how to use the grasses to their advantage and were
constantly seen by the enemy. The force of gravity inside the battle room was
also a disadvantage for the students at first because they did not know how to
control their bodies and aim for the enemy. Much like the gravity, the soldiers
in the Vietnam War experienced months of continuous raining and sudden change
of weather into sunny weather. This unfamiliarity to a bipolar weather caused
most of them to get sick and prevented them from fighting at full capabilities.
This led to the deaths of many soldiers due to diseases. Some died from being
caught off guard by the enemy because they were not at full power and were not
aware of the situation.
Orson Scott Card portrays many of the people involved in
the Vietnam War in his “Ender’s: Trilogy” novels. The soldiers in the war and
the students were exposed to a new environment, were overwhelmed emotionally,
and were having troubles with all the disadvantages and obstacles they
experienced in the beginning of their respective trainings.
[Peter
and Valentine]
Those who were
not chosen to participate in the International Fleet Army stayed behind with
their families on Earth. Two prime examples of these types of individuals in
the novel are Peter and Valentine, Ender’s older siblings. Unlike Ender, they
were not deemed fit to become officers of a battalion thus keeping them
grounded on Earth.
These characters are similar to those who were not
drafted in the Vietnam War. Instead, they stayed behind on Earth and continued
their normal life of schooling and/or going to work. Their lifestyles were not
changed and were allowed to grow up and choose their own paths. Unlike their
peers who were in the war, these people did not have to worry about their lives
being endangered.
Although
they were kept away from action, this did not keep Peter and Valentine still
and away from the war. They began writing papers that focused on the
government, giving the people of Earth insights on the ongoing war in outer
space. They became social activists and conveyed a different approach about the
war to the people. Peter’s main purpose of doing this was to gain fame and
power to rise on top of the government and rule the world.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Project Space (Draft)
Bantol,
Ken
Pessin
English
114B
4/17/12
Space in Counter-Strike
*Introduction*
Every person in
the world has a limit. Bodybuilders and athletes are physically gifted and seem
to be able to do almost everything using their bodies, but they still have
their own limits. Dancers and actors who perform and entertain audiences around
the world are seen as free moving individuals, but they too have limits that
disable them from going any further. This limit that almost acts as a boundary
to every person in the world is called space. Space is the most underrated aspect
of life because nobody notices it any longer. A house is made up of walls that
divide one space from the other, but no one ever notices these boundaries any
longer. These boundaries separate areas for the purpose of privacy, safety, but
most importantly, to limit each person’s free willed in an area. Instead of walking
a straight line diagonally, one must maneuver around the walls and that person cannot
do anything about it. These walls in the house are like rules that one must
abide by. In the past two decades, technology has risen to the top of the media
and entertainment field because of the futuristic developments that always seem
to amuse people. One of these futuristic developments is the video gaming
industry. Kids and adults play video games to relieve stress and experience a
creative and imaginative world that they are controlling with their own
actions. But even these creative and imaginative worlds have boundaries or
limits that cannot be broken by the player. These rules and regulations are
created by space which comes to show that space is still a big aspect in video
games just as much as in reality. One of the greatest games ever created and
developed is Counter-Strike. It was developed by Sierra, now known as Valve,
and is owned by the gaming company, Steam. It is a first person tactical
shooting game that portrays the on-going reality of war between terrorists and
not-terrorists. A player can choose between two teams to play with,
Counter-Terrorists and Terrorists, and a spectator mode in which a player is
allowed to roam around the match or the round and observe the ongoing match
between the two teams. This game is played in maps that have two bases for each
team and the space they must work within to beat each other.
Counter-Strike is considered one of the greatest games
ever made. It attracted many kids and teenagers, like me, right when it was
released in 1999. It was the perfect game that every person was looking for. It
gave them full control of a character and it was violent and perfectly
portrayed how a gun is held, fired, and used. But even Counter-Strike has
limits that are caused by the space provided in the maps. In the game, there
are many walls that are called blind spots that disable a player from seeing
the opposite player with enough time to gather himself to aim and shoot
perfectly. This is why it takes a while to master the skills and aim fast and
accurately at the same time. These walls are a big aspect of the game because it
makes it very hard for a player to aim accurately and with a fast speed to hit
the opposing player. In the video cited below, at 0:03 seconds in to the clip,
we see a perfect example of walls being used in the game as a limitation or a
boundary for the player. He cannot see the opposing player hiding behind the
wall thus he is not aiming at a target. But once he sees the enemy come out,
his fast and GODLY reflexes enable him to avoid getting shot and gets the enemy
with one shot from a sniper rifle (running and aiming with a scope with a
sniper rifle is very hard to do and is not recommended unless you are a great
marksman in the game). The wall impairs the sight of the player by hiding blocking
the other part of the map where the opponent is hiding. Clearly, space is a big
aspect of the game as shown in this game play.
Another example of
walls being used in space of the game is in the 0:25 second mark of the video
above. The player respawns (New Round starts) in his own respected base. In
this clip, we see the player buy his sniper rifle and positions himself at a
spot that allows him to shoot the opponent crossing from his base to the bomb
site. This spot is covered very well by the walls that it takes less than half
a second for the player to see his opponent cross. The wall clearly makes a
major impact on the use of space in the game because it limits the player from
having all the time he needs to get settled and shoot at the opponent. The
space acts as a rubric or a basis of what the player is offered or given by the
game, and the player must adjust to this level of comfort. By getting used to
this space, the player enhances his skills and reflexes and is able to shoot accurately
in a fast speed. Just like how the player in the video above shows, a GODLY
speed.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The culmination
So... This is the last personal blog of mine for this semester. I seriously did not know what to write about but after realizing this is the last personal blog, I decided to write about something that has been bothering me for a while now. Ever since I started college last semester, I have been hearing stories of people graduating and not being able to find jobs within their respected field. I am afraid whether I will become one of them and by the way the economy is looking, I have a feeling I will be. My parents went to college, graduated, got a job within their fields, and are making a sufficient amount of money. But I'm wondering whether I will be able to do the same thing. This only makes me want to work harder and do anything to succeed. I'm also planning to apply for the FBI once I receive my Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology. Hopefully, I can do the things I want to do and make my parents proud.
Strict Diet
Along with working out, I have been on a very strict and lean diet. Instead of carbing up like most bodybuilders, I'm eating like a 500 pound obese person trying to lose all the fat. I need to get lean first before I return to Natural BodyBuilding again. I have gained about 15-20 pounds of fat the past 6 months ever since I stopped bodybuilding and so I have to get back to 15% body fat again.
Back to clanging and banging
The week after Spring Break, I decided to start working out again. I did bodybuilding during the summer and I accomplished my goal. I was able to put on muscle mass like I have never been able to put on before. I followed a routine by a guy on YouTube and I was successful at putting on mass. Although I didn't stick to a strict diet, I was still able to put on a good amount of muscle. My friends that I have not seen since last year told me I probably gained 5 or 10 pounds of fat but in reality, I gained 50 pounds overall. I stopped working out when I got a job last December and now I'm back to lose the extra fat and even get bigger muscle gains.
Monday, April 16, 2012
The Abominable Charles Christopher: April 4th
End of my Spring Break
After spending the first half of my Spring Break on my couch with the flu, I recovered and went on to back to back to back 8 hour closing shifts from Thursday until Saturday. What a horrible week. Worst Spring Break ever. That Sunday however, I didn't have work and I was able to get an 8 hour sleep. I went to church that morning and my favorite priest was the preacher that mass. It was a perfect day to hear about God's message for Easter from my favorite priest. I spent the rest of the day preparing food and the grill because we had visitors come over for Easter dinner. We had steak, ribs and some good 'ole Filipino food that my mom prepared. It was a great ending to my horrible Spring Break.
Week of Spring Break
Going out on Sunday night was the worst decision I have ever made. My flu got even worse and I felt as if I was on my deathbed. That stayed the same the whole first 3 days of the week from Monday until Wednesday. All of a sudden, the flu went away when I woke up that Thursday morning and I had an 8 hour closing shift later that day. That Friday, I also had another 8 hour closing shift. What a great Spring Break -_-
1st weekend of Spring Break
The flu got worse. I was in worse shape than I was on Friday. Good thing I didn't have work or else I would have died. It was a horrible start to my Spring Break. I wanted to go watch a movie that Saturday night and go out with my friends. That Sunday however, my friends came over and we watched Wrestlemania 28, WWE PPV. We stopped watching WWE but after hearing that our childhood hero, The Rock, came back, we wanted to watch the event and it did not fail. It was a great show and well worth our money. We went to Chipotle and even though I was sick, I felt as if I had energy because of the event that night.
1st day of Spring Break
It was a Friday and I have been waiting for that day this whole semester. Instead of having fun, I was on my couch the whole day suffering from the flu. I caught the flu from a guest who was sick and kept talking to me at work the night before. I also missed out on a great party thrown by my co-worker and former High School friend. Almost everyone I knew from my old High School came and my closest friends that I hung out with in High School came to the party. What a BUMMER !
The Ultimate Fighting Championship
I am a Sports fan and Basketball will always be my favorite sport. But lately, I have been intrigued by a new up and coming sport, Mixed Martial Arts. This sport has everything you want to see in a fight. Ground game, wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, and even Capoeira (dance fighting). It gives me the adrenaline to workout because of the excitement I feel when I watch these fights. I have a feeling this is gonna be the next big thing in 10 years. Everyone will know Anderson Silva and Jon Jones just like how everyone knows Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
The Abominable Charles Christopher: March 28th
15 word summary of this semester
"Procrastination is like masturbation. You enjoy it at first, until you realize, you're fucking yourself."
Working at Target
So it's been 4 months since I started working as a Cashier at Target and I have to say, it's been super great! I got with the flow really fast and real easily and now I'm opening more redcards (Target credit cards) than most of my co-workers. It's really hard to get guests to open credit cards but with proper use of smile and deceiving with charm, it can be done :)
The Abominable Charles Christopher: March 21st
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