Month: September 2017

Though it fell into and out of face quickly, the phenomenon that was Pokemon Go is a discourse that is still prevalent, as its foundations speak highly on a technological level. The main idea of this game is to incorporate physical activity and social dynamics into the world of gaming, while the cult aspect of its origin media added to its overall allure. However, the workings of this game fall into the world of ubiquitous computing and transmedial constructs, wherein the real world and the created one lively parallel. This hole punctured membrane is an ever increasingly popular tool incorporated into modern virtual game plays, and holds a strongly mimetic and escapist dialogue.

Evan Cowgill

ENG 400

Dr. Cream

28 September 2017

Rhetorical Analysis 5: Old School RuneScape

Link for Reference: http://oldschoolrunescape.wikia.com/wiki/Old_School_RuneScape_Wiki

Old School RuneScape is an MMORPG set in the medieval, fantasy world of Gielinor.  The game used to be called just RuneScape, but now there’s a current version of the game (officially called RuneScape 3) that arose by way of all the various updates that turned RuneScape into something different than what it used to be.  Old School RuneScape, however, reverts the game to its 2007 iteration and beckons old players of the game to pick up the mouse again.

The game’s developers strategically draw from wholly retrospective appeal.  The graphics are kept at their now ancient quality; the mechanics are almost entirely point-and-click; the combat is of a clunky, turn-based nature; and the leveling system requires unrealistic patience.  Old School RuneScape, at first look, doesn’t boast any features that would be respected or even accepted in the modern gaming industry, yet its popularity reveals success in some other, more complex criteria: nostalgia.  The game’s charm comes from these arguably negative features as they contribute to a playing experience that pulls each player back into the memories of their childhood, and Old School RuneScape boasts of this quality at every chance – even in the title.

DDR (released for Playstation in 1999) was one of the first games that encouraged active exercise and rhythm within game play. It deviated from traditional games in that it made the feet and legs control the game, instead of the hands and fingers. DDR pioneered the dance genre of video games, necessitating the player to get off their couches in order to play. What DDR succeeded in doing was to encourage the gamer to actively exercise while gaming. This exercise/gaming experience then introduced a healthy/active aspect to game play, and forged the idea that a video game could potentially be a healthy activity for the body. DDR strategically persuaded its players that exercising while gaming could be active, engaging, and rewarding. Although it was not necessarily marketed as a way to exercise, a player could potentially burn hundreds of calories during prolonged periods of play. DDR encouraged these long periods of play through lightning graphics and enjoyable songs, all meant to pump up adrenaline and almost addict the player to the game. Thus, while the appeal of DDR might not necessarily be excerise, it succeeds in providing its players hours of gameplay which just so happens to be exercise as well.

http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html

The Enchiridion is essentially the 52 commandments of Stoicism. With no introduction, the text begins listing rules that Epictetus believes lead to a good life. Many of these rules read more like anecdotes or analogies that the reader is supposed to extract the meaning from and apply to their own context.

Individual autonomy forms the basis for each rule. This is clearly established in the first few paragraphs, under the first number. This autonomy is found in our “opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and. . . our own actions”. Everything else is out of our control, and if we should want to live a happy life, we should be undisturbed by. Most passages follow and reinforce this idea, often stressing the importance of diligence and self restraint when it comes to maintaining your own agency.

I also couldn’t help but notice that many of the ideas Epictetus has about the impermanence of the material world, and how we should react to it, echo eastern philosophy. Not only does he think that we shouldn’t become attached to objects, but also our loved ones. Being an ancient Greek philosopher, this was surprising.

Evan Cowgill

ENG 400

Dr. Cream

25 September 2017

Rhetorical Analysis 4: Epictetus’ “The Enchiridion”

Link for Reference: http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html

“The Enchiridion”, written by Epictetus and translated by Elizabeth Carter, attempts to assert a series of rules, principles, and values belonging to the author as the proper way to live a relatively happy and undisturbed life.  And, while I may not agree with everything that Epictetus puts forth, I find it to be a very interesting text to rhetorically analyze.

This is mostly due to how obviously intended for persuasion the text is, as it reads like a speech or argumentative presentation.  Epictetus holds up his claims – all of which completely based in opinion and theory – as if they are fact.  He does not introduce any of his points with “I believe”, and he even structures his points as numerical tenets or proverbs of passed-down wisdom.  And, since the text’s topic of life and how to properly live doesn’t really have a window of opportunity that would ever close (since most of humanity wonders about living life to its fullest and most ethical extent), its rhetorical situation is timeless.  This allows for “The Enchiridion” to reappear repeatedly over the timeline of human existence and possibly increase its credibility for some audiences as it becomes more and more ancient.

In the most recent NBA 2k game that was just released, their is a particular game mode titled myCareer that lets you create a character and step into the story of “DJ” and play through his career from the streets to the NBA. In the game mode, you are able to customize your own player that may or may not look like your actual self, with the option to even scan your face with a cell phone application and scanned into the game and onto your player. Throughout the game, you can customize your players attributes to the playing style of your choice and focus on bringing up your skills in selected areas of your game.

Though overall your goal is to be the best and win as much as many championships as possible, there is no exact end goal, rather specific goals one might set for them selves outside the realm of the video game. This begs the interesting conversation then, comparing the type of play that can be compared to a Sims type environment where you are creating a player and setting goals outside the realm of the video game, would Juul consider this a none game, even though you are still competing and winning the basketball games that are being played inside the game.

This article starts off with a typical attention grabber, a question, and then attempts to answer that question throughout the article. The first paragraph uses typical, relatable things parents fear as their child is growing up. An example of this strategy appears in the second line of the article, “Some researchers even claim that these games are comparable to illegal drugs”. By saying this early on in the article, it gains the trust of the reader by adding a credible source in such as a scientific researcher. However, in the second paragraph is where the main idea really appears, is that games are not addictive at all and that they are normal behavior. The author of this article placed the main idea after listing all of the bad things that are typically said about video games. This can be seen as a strategy to gain parents attention who do not like their children playing video games to continue reading on if they relate to the information present in the first paragraph.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/01/opinion/sunday/video-games-arent-addictive.html?mcubz=0

There are chairs specifically designed for gamers. Through the way they are designed and marketed, they encourage the gamer to play for longer periods of time by increasing comfort levels. They are usually marketed as ergonomic and relaxing, and are designed to provide support for the lower back, neck, and head. Sometimes they even recline or have wheels (my cousin even had one with built-in fans). This is one aspect of gaming/play that is interesting. The gamer’s experience/comfortability while engaging in play enhances the gaming experience as whole by providing appropriate back, head, and neck support. If the player is constantly hunched over or uncomfortable while gaming, they may not notice or even realize how much this strains the neck and back, and affects healthy posture. Thus, the chairs are also designed with health goals in mind. Keeping the player in an appropriate position allows not only for healthy posture but proper blood flow to all parts of the body. It is important to understand the health implications that can occur from poor gaming posture/position. These chairs succeed at addressing and correcting these issues while providing comfort for the player at the same time.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/94221954/BTEXPERT-Ergonomic-Leather-Gaming-Chair-Napping-Pillow-Headrest-Lumbar-Support-contemporary-gaming-chairs

Life Is Strange (and its recent partner Life Is Strange: Before the Storm), an interactive graphic media game, treads the finest of lines between reality and construct. Devised so that the player chooses between given options within ‘real life’ scenarios, this gameplay is at certain times overly mimetic. This urgent tone and informal distance that the work creates with its players is very possibly an attribute to god complexes. When one can virtually be God, what are the ramifications thereof? Or do (video) games not influence their players? I would say they do, as movies and shows, two other highly consumed visual medias, have immensely dedicated and loving fans, and if (video) games are anything, they’re immersive films. So, do works especially like Life Is Strange act as cathartic outlets, or is there another option available? Featuring high levels of artistic design, Life Is Strange could potentially be seen as a gallery, perhaps. Or maybe it serves as a template for how to confront the monotony of life? More likely, its a mix of all these and more, which makes Life Is Strange a prevalent example of how multimedia games especially offer unending potential meanings and purposes. Games are games are games.

Assassin’s Creed is a video game series that combines action and history. The main storylines and characters a fictional. However, each game contains real life historical figures and historical events. For example, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is set in Victorian Era London. Famous historical figures that you interact with are Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, Alexander Graham Bell, and Queen Victoria. A game like this is an example of the way a player can learn from a video game. Players get to enjoy the action and adventure of the main storyline and topic. The side missions focus on true historical events with true historical figures. Games like this allow its players to play through while also learning about history. For example, in one side mission, the player has to track the victims of Jack the Reaper. In another, the player has to collect pieces for Alexander Graham Bell, and Bell uses the pieces to build the telegraph. The story also has an accurate map of London and includes all the major landmarks which allows the players to learn the geography of a location they may have never been in. For example, the player needs to climb Big Ben and gets to go inside Westminster Abbey.

In The Oregon Trail, players must make decisions in order to keep characters alive until the wagon train makes it all the way to Oregon. The game, however argues that lives are of no value in lieu of attaining an ultimate goal. While some may argue that the game takes a rather blasé stance on death and disease given the time period it is meant to emulate, it is evident that the stance of the game toward death is that it is of no greater purpose, and there need not be any reason for it other than the direct cause. This is seen in the way the game words the causes of death, ie “You have dysentery.”

The game does not give any form of sympathy or explanation for the acquisition of the illness. This happens throughout the entirety of the game whenever there are any negative consequences for decisions or during negative events. The game, through this, seems to say that one should not question the negative things that occur in life, but rather just recognize them and not fight.

Insert analysis here

Super Columbine Massacre RPG! is a role-playing game in which the user assumes the roles of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine school-shooting. The game understandably attracted significant controversy, but also opened dialogue regarding video games’ role as an artistic medium. The game not only mimics events of the massacre, but also formative moments in the lives of the perpetrators and the media’s perception of Dylan and Eric. The author aims to approach the subject with some serious sensibilities, but only through outrageous satire. The game ends with a press conference mimicking the media reaction to the massacre, depicting a society quick to find a scapegoat — Marilyn Manson, a lack of gun control, and of course, video games. The game itself is made for a both tech savvy and socially conscious audience — the creator seems to know what he’s doing by having Eric and Dylan fight characters from DOOM, which was another cause for the massacre in the eyes of some. The game was made using RPG Maker, a program that attempts to open the art of video game creation to a wider audience by allowing one to make a game with no programming skills.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Columbine_Massacre_RPG!

Evan Cowgill

ENG 400

Dr. Cream

14 September 2017

Rhetorical Analysis 3: Voice and Expertise in YouTube Game Guides

Link for Reference: https://youtu.be/r5lbQvOXN9U

Joseph’s Place is a YouTube channel that exclusively makes videos for Runescape 2, namely guides and analysis-videos.  In this particular video, he (Joseph) provides an in-depth explanation of the Magic skill in Runescape and how it can be best trained.  But with so many other methods and opinions held within the community of Runescape’s players, Joseph chooses to increase his credibility by presenting his information in a way that convinces the audience that he’s an expert at the game, so they should accept his assertions as fact.

He uses many means to establish this throughout the video.  Joseph clearly displays all of his math and offers backing sources in the video’s description, attempting to prove to the viewer that everything he claims is logically sound and mutually agreed upon.  Joseph also speaks with an almost super-standard English that mimics that of a lawyer’s argument, a public speaking speech, or an NPR podcast.  The features of this style of speech include deliberate enunciation, almost no contractions, de facto tone of voice, and much more.  What’s especially interesting is that this same style of speech can be found in many other YouTubers who also want to exhibit an air of expertise in their respective game.

All About Eve is a 1950 film that argues that women are unable to create lives for themselves outside of their connections with men. The film does this through its focus on Eve and Margot. Eve and Margot are both rarely seen without either their faces or figures being exploited for the purpose of their beauty. While both of them are in different stages of life–Margot being exploited in that her beauty is fading and what a shame it is to her, and Eve being exploited for her beauty in being young. While the film never outright mentions their beauty in regards to their success, it is overtly suggested by not only the male gaze from a cinematographic point of view, but through the gaze of the male characters in the film, as well. Characters like Addison and Lloyd when being spoken to by Eve and Margot will rarely focus on the eyes of the person that they’re talking to, but rather scan the face of the woman or take multiple quick glances at their body. Once the men have decided that the women are up to their standard of beauty, then they use their power to directly affect the women of interest to them.

In the second half of the first chapter of Homo Ludens, Huzinga spends a lot of time comparing the act of play with that of a sacred rite or ritual. The reason for this is to point out that both have specific, predefined sets of rules and practices that take place inside of a designated world space (church, playing field, etc.). He also makes the point that those who violate this world-space (for example, by breaking the rules) are often shunned or looked down upon.

From a rhetorical standpoint, this comparison lends some credibility to the idea that play is something that should be taken and studied seriously. By comparing it to something that is already taken in such a manner, the kind of association gained from such reasoning creates the idea that the act of play is a deeper and integral part of human culture, one that fundamentally cannot be divorced from human existence.

Huizinga uses historical examples to date/link play and culture, and also to justify his definition of play as a “representation of something”. One example he uses is when ancient civilizations initiate boys of their society into the male community when they come of age (12). This example allows us to think of play in a whole different light, and allows us to make the connection between the history of play and culture. This example emphasizes how old the act of play is and how it has been a part of everyone’s life and culture.

Tradition is another term Huizinga uses to date play and it’s cultural significance (10). In today’s society these examples can be compared to and initiation into a group such as a sports team, or Greek organization on a college campus. It is “tradition” to initiate new members of these groups and organizations so they can have the same experiences present members have, thus allowing them to gain an understanding of the group of people, the organization and it’s beliefs.

In the article “The Rhetoric of Video Games” by Ian Bogost they start by talking about the game Animal Crossing. It seems that the audience for this game is younger kids. They kids seem to be learning basic life lessons and skills by playing this game. For example, Bogost talked about how his five year old son learned how to save up money to pay of a mortgage by playing the game. I’ve never played Animal Crossing, but I have played the Sims computer games and I feel like similar lessons could be learned from it. For example, in the Sims, unless you use cheat codes, you have to earn enough money by working to pay for a house and food and other items you want to buy. You even have taxes that you have to pay every week in the game. Games like these seemingly introduce children to the idea of savings and much more.