In the world of video games, there are both companies that produce and release gaming content, and those who review what those producers release so that the public has a better idea of what the gamer is buying beforehand. Both are essential in my mind in the gaming world. Here are three groups that i recommend my readers to follow on Twitter.

1. Machinima: Machinima is a great example of a company who not only reports on the news of the gaming world but also goes deeper by creating their own entertaining content. This is ranged but mostly involve videos on YouTube. 

#MXbox360 See the new gametypes and cross-platform play that Call of Duty: Ghosts is bringing for Clans on our #Xbox app!

2. https://twitter.com/IGN: IGN is another great example of those who both report on and review on gaming and media content. They are more review focused than Machinima, and dedicate website space to news stories and reviews of games. 

While celebrating Mario’s legacy, we asked our community to share their favorite Mario memories: http://go.ign.com/17kZZaV 

 

3. Bioware: Bioware is an example of a game producer and an excellent source of information about future video games, as long as its from this company. Sometimes it better to get the info directly from the source.

Great news, Edmonton Expo attendees! @Mark_Meer will be at the BioWare Base tomorrow at 4pm. Come say hello!

All three of these groups are heavily involved in the gaming world and should be followed by those interested in the latest news and content. AS a rule of thumb, if a company like Bioware or Gearbox makes content that one likes, one should follow them.

 

 

Journal 5

There are two main boundaries that K passes through in his piece with Traveling with Heroditius. The first is the physical boundary h passes through when he flies from Poland to India. through the passing of this boundary he is able to see how small and insignificant his problems and those of his country are to the rest of the world. this does not truly diminish the pain and suffering that Poland has gone through, but the realization that his country is only a small part of the larger world. This affects him both physically as he must adjust to the change of both culture and language, but it also it makes him cross the emotional border that is the result of the realization.

 The second border is the emotional border. His country went through so much during the war with Germany and through the plain ride he is able to see how much more suffering there is in the world than just his small corner. through crossing this boundry has has to accept the emotional stress that Poland is part of a bigger world and that he is not alone in his suffering. He’s not alone in this and he can find other people to relate to with his pain.

Half Life 3, The Best News in Years

A recent announcement came out of the video gaming world recently when Valve, the computer online service provider, had been discovered submitting a trademark copy right for the game Half Life 3. Half Life is a video game series following the unfortunate life of Gordon Freeman as he battles his way through monsters, aliens and mutated humans. With the help of Alyx  Vance and Eli Vance, his mentors daughter and his mentor, he was able to save the planet from certain annihilation. However before the credits roll, Eli is killed by the enemy. After the end of the game, fans were left hanging on exactly what was coming next, and we were left to wonder for a long time. A quote from Brian Fung of the Washington Post summarizes the wait fans have had to go through,

                “Fans have been waiting almost a decade for another adventure with franchise protagonist Gordon Freeman”

The trademark application does not mean for certainty that our dreams will all come true. Jason Shriner from Kotaku.com stated very clearly,

                “Trademarks come and go all the time, and this might not mean a thing.”

Should this mean that Half-life fans should not rejoice? No, this is the first time in a long time the community had any hope for the game.  Many, including myself, have loved the character of Gordon Freeman and the struggle he goes through. This silent protagonist has survived Black Mesa, liberated and escaped the doomed City 17, and stopped the Combine from opening up the Super Portal for the second time in Earth’s history.

All this is very well and exciting, but the fans need closure. What will Alyx and Gordon find on the Borealis? How will Eli’s recent death affect Alyx and her relationship to Gordon? Will G-Man pull Gordon away from the fight? All these questions need answered and this trademark is the best hope that fans have seen in a while that it is happening. So everyone who’s a Half-life Fan, dust of your crowbars and pull on your hazards suits, because we just might get back in the fight sometime soon, perhaps in the next couple years.

Links to all Sources Used

http://kotaku.com/heres-why-everyones-talking-about-half-life-3-today-1440116535

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/10/01/valve-has-registered-a-european-trademark-for-half-life-3/

http://www.valvesoftware.com/

Journal 4

One of the greatest concerns with travel in my mind is the fear of either standing out too much or too be so overwhelmed by the scope of what i see that it will change me in a way that i will not be able to comprehend. The piece we read in class by Kapuscinski i think reflects the concern with being overwhelmed with what one sees when one travels. When he is in the airplane looking out into the expanse around him, he feels as if the world is so much bigger than him that he almost feels insignificant. That’s one of my concerns but also something i believe goes hand in hand with travel. If one is not being overwhelmed in some way by their experience there is no room for definitive change. Kapuscinski piece addresses this well for me and reflects that one must put himself out there in order to travel. It would not be considered travel in my mind if one did not change during the experience.

The piece that deals with my concern about the fact that one stands out is the Chernobyl piece we also read in class. Because some countries dislike foreigners so much, they may be unwilling to cooperate and even let one visit. This is apparent when the writer has to jump through so many holes to visit a place that is extraordinary and needs visiting. Yet he shows both bravery and a thirst for the experience that any traveler should have. He conquers the social blocks in his own way, even if it means bending over backwards in order to achieve his goal. These two pieces both express how one overcomes the fear of being insignificant and the fear of rejection, two fears i have about travelling and something i wish to conquer myself.