May 1st 2024
I learned there's a Video Game Studies class at FAU. For this course, I had to write small journals of games I play during the weeks I had class. Below is a complete description of the journal. If you are interested some game concepts, look out for my other articles!
Instruction from Canvas Assignments
*This is a copy and paste of the assignment instruction. I add this to show what was expected from up.
This weekly assignment is part of building a reflective journal on playing a wide range of games to help you develop a thoughtful and personal process in understanding and discussing games. Every week you will play a different game; it cannot be a game you previously submitted to the weekly journal assignments. The game types that can be used are: a console video game, a retro video game, a portable video game, a mobile game, an arcade game, a board game, a card game, or interactive art (installation or gallery art). If you have any questions regarding what these are or if there are other options, please speak with the professor. In your own words describe something from your time experiencing the game that stood out to you, was a unique experience that that game provided, or a non-plot related curiosity that emerged when playing. Note that you are not reviewing the game, not saying if you like/dislike the game, and not commenting on the story/overall experience; choose a moment or a string of connected events that happened and spend time talking about it. Some questions to consider:
What was the interaction like? How did it impact you or make you feel?
How are you interacting with the game? What physical material, controllers, or parts changed how you interact? What are elements that you feel affected you personally? What made that moment special? Was it parts leading up to that moment or only happening in that singular moment?
Now that is out of the way, enjoy these journal entries. SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE GAMES BELOW:
Journal 1 - Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 4 (2018)
This week I completed Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 4. Interacting via PC, I decided to use keyboard and mouse over controller, making the quick actions a little difficult to maneuver to a liking, but adaptable over time. Throughout the experience it made me reflect as a Christian through the actions I could do with Clementine's character, and the development of AJ. Emotionally, it made me understand the relationship a found authority figure could have on someone and what actions results from those upbringing. Personally deciding to find a morally sound path, I went on Clem's path to becoming a matured mother figure that teaches her adoptive son AJ, what is the proper way to live in face of opposition. I mercy killed a person who was on the brink of dead and honored Clem's word to kill the person before they turned, showing AJ that mercy is honor. Another path was teaching AJ to atone for murdering Marlon, showing that bad actions have consequences that can still be lead to a path of redemption. A special moment in the series was towards the ending where I had thought I gotten an ending with Clem dying and AJ getting tougher as a choice was to kill Clem rather than have her turn into a zombie. It was the same fate she had to endure with her mentor, Lee, in season 1. I had thought, "This is the mark of a honorable mentor, to sacrifice for the safety of the future generation." but was surprised to see AJ sparing her life and amputating her leg instead, leading to AJ knowing how to make hard decisions that he wont regret. Earlier, he had an imbalance on the concept of death, and his sparing made it all the clear that he will grow into a wiser man later.
Journal 2 - Alien Vs. Predator (2010)
Journal 3 - Bioshock trilogy
Journal 4 - Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2003)
Journal 5 - Max Payne 3 (2012)
Journal 6 - Injustice 2 (2017)
Journal 7 - Dreader by Donitz (2020)
Journal 8 - Alien Isolation (2014)
Concluding Thoughts
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