Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood

     Oryx and Crake introduces an idea that I previously mentioned, that of which is DNA modification that can be done at the will. What is interesting within this book, to me, is that the act of doing this produces a result that is considered "alien" rather than just being a genetically modified organism. Although the process of eliminating flaws within human DNA is meant to bring out the best in what the human could be, it actually ends up being the downfall of our main protagonist, which I thought was an interesting turn within the story.

     The use of genre writing in the book, I think, is more important than the overall literary aspects. I think that within all books, the genre writing is where the story comes from, while the literary writing is just a foundation used to help tell the story. Although neither of these are strictly individual of one another, being that genre writing is an aspect of literary writing, genre writing is what creates the bulk of an interesting story within the whole literary aspect. I do not believe that this distinction is incredibly necessary to know when creating a story or when crafting a world that you want others to believe, but knowing the difference will definitely lend itself to the artist that will be utilizing their traits. 

Lilith's Brood - Octavia Butler

     Considering many of the events that have taken place within recent time, Lilith's Brood relates, at least a little, to many of the issues that we see today within our western culture, being that many people believe that the simple majority of people should determine how all people should govern. Another idea, one that is unrelated, that is touched upon is one of mingling with an alien race. Considering the amount of minds that are upon this planet, it is again no surprise that this concept has at least grazed our thoughts, especially today when ideas and information are so easily sharable. 

     Turning back to the detriments of majoritarian culture, I believe it is all too possible for it to lead to an incredible amount of chaos. Because a lot of the controversial issues that influence the laws created under this culture are heavily opinion based, or even religious within our culture, they have a huge possibility of simply being wrong, at least under the standard of human decency. The premise of the book, that being the idea of allowed human self-eradication to occur is the same as doing the murder yourself, is a bit far fetched to me. Because of this idea, the aliens within the book start a war that puts human against human, which is an odd way to prevent this "self-eradication." Personally, I believe that because the humans have nearly nothing to do with the aliens that caused them to turn against one another, they should have been left alone. Whether it be better done sooner or later, I believe the idea of letting some things solve themselves out, especially if the outcomes is completely unpredictable. 

Jamie Lozada - DISRESPECT Commercial

DISRESPECT Commercial

Game Design I - 2016

Andy Welihozkiy

The video says it all, folks.

Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson

     I've heard / listened to a few stories of the stereotypical hacker who has been somehow dragged into some very strenuous adventures. I believe Snow Crash is one of the more interesting tellings of this tale. Following the experiences of Hiro constantly kept me on edge, from beginning to end, which made me enjoy the book quite a bit. 

     In this world that Hiro lives in, a world that is much more technologically connected than we are, even today, I feel I can almost say it gave me insight as to what could be in store for technological advancements as they surface. The most terrifying thing that feels very possible would be the transfer of viruses from data to humans, as in the possibility of sharing a fate with Da5id. Considering the amount of DNA information that can be manipulated by computers nowadays, corrupting someone's system seems incredibly probable and may even be somehow incorporated into heinous activities once its uses are fully realized, if they get that far. 

     Ultimately, though, the reality the Snow Crash takes place in, I felt, seemed quite distant, despite the rapid technological advancements previously mentioned. Much of the chaos that has ensued within the book, I believe, would have, or at least should have, been considered as a potential threat. Although, I do understand that it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to take into consideration all negative side effects of creating a system that can give its owner so much power, I think many of these issues would have been prevented by the people like Hiro who would definitely exist within the time period these events may take place in.

The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin

The Left Hand of Darkness was an interesting read that I felt tackled a few concerns that are present within many people that are within our society. I enjoyed the book in that our main character, Genly Ai, acted as our interpreter; we saw these unfamiliar events through a familiar medium, with that medium being another person. Many of Ai's experiences and reactions to the events that occurred throughout the story were made much more relatable through this, especially the issues present in the book that relate to a bit of my day to day life. 

One of the issues the book touched upon was the idea of gender identification. On the first planet Ai lands on, he discovers that its citizens are genderless and only have a specified gender two times per month. Not only that, but they may choose which gender they wish to be depending on the relationship they are in. While reading, I mostly thought of this as an odd, yet intriguing concept. In hindsight, though, this concept of not belonging to two very distinct groups, although removing some of the issues that may exist in having those two groups, presents its own issues. Many people today wish to identify as gender fluid, or as the opposite gender, as well as having some other interests. Having the two groups of genders today present a whole lot of expectations. Many of these expectations are a bit hindering on their respective genders, but they also allow us, as a culture, to be able to predict at least a little bit of how some people may react to certain things. Removing these two genders, many of these "expectations," or stereotypes disappear. When the categories are gone, the characteristics become less specific, leaving room for a bit more confusion in some behavioral expectations. 

Bloodchild - Butler, Octavia ; Assessment

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?

     Throughout the entire story, I was unsure what perspective the story was being told through. My biggest clue was the fact that the creature telling the story had more limbs than a human would and that their species if called the Terran (which I thought was a pretty cool name for a species). Reading the story unfold through these creatures was interesting because they lived in a world that contained humans and they killed some of these humans for food, which is something I'm not used to happening in a story unless it is human on human violence. 

     Aside from unique perspective of the story, a lot of the issues seemed to erupt from our character not exactly having developed enough to take on the responsibilities of being an "adult." Having to have killed an animal "at least half" of his size, while not having ever killed something, and being escorted to the Doctor's office by his mother, this character is still a bit dependent on his parents. I was able to appreciate some of the character development that occurred within the story and, despite the difference in species, I was able to relate to some of the struggles our character went through.

2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the story with which you were able to connect

     The biggest element of the story I was able to connect with was our character having to complete a task of which he had never done before. Although he was able to ultimately complete the task of killing an animal half his size, he showed a little bit of fear when his mother told him to do it. Although cliche, this experience of fearing something you've never done before and then overcoming that fear by completing the something related a lot to some of the challenges I've faced, especially as of late here in College.

3. What changes would you make to adopt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make? 

     This story seems to be one of drama with a few action/gore elements. Personally, I would increase the amount of action and gore while retaining some of the drama and tension between family relations to try and make a heavily driven story video game. I open to the idea of increasing the action in the story to allow for more gameplay within this game, or increasing the ability for the story to branch off into smaller sub stories to allow the character to develop, like a video game from TellTale where a story is being told through gameplay that is mostly just making decisions. Being able to control the reaction our main character would have to some of the things being told to him would make this story pretty interesting. 

The Martian - Andy Weir

Being stranded in outer space seems like a terrifying predicament to be in, especially when you must survive out there on your own. The telling of Mark's story and how he was able to survive out on space alone is both impressive, yet jarring.

I find it incredibly interesting that one event can lead to an outcome that is completely different relative to if that even were to not take place, Mark nearly dying being the event in question. Him being abandoned not only brings out the best in him in his attempts to remain alive, but also influences the entire issue that the story revolves around. Considering possible solutions that could have used in order to prevent the issues of the story from taking place, one of them being Mark getting carried alongside his crew, it's fun to realize that that a single decision in the short-term can influence many things in the long-term.

While reading the book and considering the dilemma of the novel, I couldn't help but also relate the book to one of my favorite game franchises, Dead Space, which also involves being stranded out in space. However, aside from simply having to stay alive and try to call for help, you must also fight against an infestation that's constantly trying to kill you. Although this isn't the case in the Martian, I found that there were a lot of very similar motifs occurring between both works, aside from simply being stranded in space. The most valuable motif being Communication, which I think everyone takes for granted here on planet Earth (as opposed to being on any other planet). Without being able to call for much help, if any, both heroes are forced to resort to a somewhat contemporary yet primal instinct of utilizing their knowledge and surrounds to survive.

Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman

Anansi boys took on a different perspective in terms of the characters we, the readers, we see the book's world through, which made the book feel much more interesting and researched. Being that nearly all of the characters are African American, it also allowed me personally to relate just a little bit more, as opposed to the main character being white, which is much more common. In particular, regardless of race, I felt I related the most to Fat Charlie which made many of his failures and successes feel much more impactful to be a part of. The most notable event in the story would be when Charlie unlocks his previously latent power in order to aid in his and his brother's escape from danger.

Aside from the characters being mostly African American, the book also took on inspiration from an African God, Anansi, which facilitated in the book's interest to many people. Many books that involve some form of diety, or the mention of one, generally pertain to Greek Gods, which made them a staple in the books of western culture. Gods like Zeus, Poseidon, Triton, etc. are the main pivot of many books that people enjoy today. Having a book inspired by an African diety was refreshing in that it provided a world for many readers were not used to seeing.

DISRESPECT - Print-N-Play

Click HERE to download DISRESPECT!

     In this Print-N-Play game, you can play against up to 3 other people in a race to the finish! Combo your Skill Cards to Disrespect your opponents and set them back as you push ahead and laugh maniacally on your way to the finish line!

My Game Idea - Sophomore Year Game Art

Character Art - Dragon Nest, Eyedentity Games

Topple over your opponents as you climb your way to the finish line.

Warrior - Dragon Saga, Gravity

     Theme: The game's events take place in the future, where human intelligence has increased to the point where magic and other superhuman powers are no longer latent. Tools have been created to increase the potency of these powers and these are used in the media for entertainment, similar to programs like Ninja Warrior. 

     This game, however, is simply a race between classes (Warrior, Mage, Archer, etc.) to see who can brave the elements, and each other, to reach the end of the global race track. The winner receives immense fame and glory to bring home along with a lifetime supply of hot wings.

     The game's art will be inspired by the concept art styles of Dragon Nest and Dragon Saga, giving the game a very cheery feel.

The Game's Color Palette

* Update - October 3, 2016
     A friend of mine, Nick Dahill, gave me an idea that I believed was pretty great during our Game Design Club a few days ago. Instead of having defined classes for the players, allow the players to switch off at certain points to what the classes would have been.

"Do I want to become an ice mage now so I can benefit from that area later or do I want to stay a fire mage for this area now?"

     I've incorporated this mechanic into the game which I believe has added the depth within the game I know it needed in the field of strategy. I've incorporated the several regions of the game onto a prototype board: Arctic (Ice Powers), Volcanic (Fire Powers), Mountainous (Superhuman athleticism) and the Jungle (Floral Powers). Each of these regions have their own spaces that the players will be able to use to slow their enemies down in an attempt to catch up or get ahead.
     I believe this also allows for the feeling of progression and choice, allowing players to either keep certain powers throughout the entire game or change powers at every single region, if they so choose. I want to design the board in such a way that switching off powers at every region is the best thing to do, but rather players can keep or change off powers at given points regardless of the region and still become victorious. However, there will also be a mechanic involved that prevents players from switching to a skill set that was received in a past shop. For example, if a player wishes to use the Arctic skill set, the very first skill set that the players will obtain (subject to change), they must keep it until they find that they can use something that will benefit them more. Once they switch from it, they can not go back.

* Update - October 11, 2016
      Final iteration on the names of the regions: Fire, Ice, Earth, and Forest.
   
     I've been told that having only one of four of each type of Skill Card available at only one region each made the skill cards almost completely ineffective. A suggestion, again from Nick Dahill and Alex Charnes was that I should incorporate more use of the skill cards into the game, which made sense because I want the gameplay to be contingent on these skill cards and how the players use them.
     I've practically littered the board with all the different kinds of hit zones and players can now visit the Dealer's Dock to obtain their cards from what is no the facedown pile of Skill Cards. There are still Four Regions on the board and each region has two of each element. That region's respective hit zone (i.e. Ice Region with the Ice Hit Zone) has an extra space, giving a total of 9 hit zones across each region.
     There are also benefits to casting a Skill Card in that card's region (i.e. casting the Ice Skill Card in the Ice Region, Earth Skill Card in the Earth Region, etc.). These benefits essentially make their respective skill cards stronger, allowing players to either wait to reach that region or barrage their opponents, which will hopefully make the game more fun to play.

The Night Circus - Erin Mergenstern

  Some of life's biggest issues invoke the most development in someone. In the resolution, not only do people learn more about how the world works around them, but they also learn more about how they work within the world. I've had some of my trials, one of which involves the huge step many people take in life: Going to college and tackling the career you wish to partake in. Even before this event in my life, I've learned that I do not have the ability to solve all of the problems that come my way and in these events specifically do I learn my capabilities.

     A lot of very similar issues arise within Night Circus. Celia's magic training near the beginning is what especially fixated itself to me. Witnessing her struggle in an attempt to mend a bird's wound and fail quickly reminded me of the things I've failed in the past. I believe knowing one's own capabilities is what sets them unto the "path" that they will eventually take, whether it be sooner or later. One of Celia's first training lessons involved her looking upon herself with an objective view, which I believe is important because it facilitates in making her the best she can be. I believe failing is an art that creates the best work, for if something always succeeds and has always been succeeding, it will lack the wisdom that could have been learned otherwise. Not only does failure expand the canvas with which success can be had, but it also allows one to become closer in tune with the world around them. 

     Taking into considering the fact that Celia is a wizard, although we've heard many stories like this before, I felt that there was this separation between me and her. Her failure reminded me that although we are different, there are definitely aspects of us that are the same, which is an important lesson for children who aspire to be great need to learn. As kids, the people we look up to seem almost like not-human; they seem like people that have never had to triumph over very difficult tasks. Hearing their struggles and how they rose over them is what inspires people to become greater, because that experience is what allows them to remove the guise of impossibility.

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

     The Hero's adventure is one of various treacherous trials and tribulations and our Hero Bilbo creates a very great example of what a great hero's journey is like. 

     Considering what his life was like before he embarked on his journey, seeing Bilbo become what even he thought he couldn't become was incredibly gratifying. In my view, I've always seen dwarves as hardened tiny adult humans who take on various hobbies like blacksmithing and armor crafting. This took my on a journey through not only Bilbo's experiences, but through my own ideas of how much a dwarf can be.

     Bilbo seems to have somewhat "awakened," for lack of a better term, into what I previously considered to be the dwarven culture, particularly in reference to his encounter with the beloved Gollum. Not only did I feel that this encounter was terrifying, as the idea of being eaten alive does not bode well with me, or anyone else that I know for that matter, but it also showed me that dwarves are much more than meets the eye in terms of cunning. In such a short span of time, I was able to witness an experience that would change anyone for a lifetime, let alone Bilbo. Although this isn't the most treacherous part of his journey, I considered it to be a very important one. Not only because of the rapid character development, but because of how Bilbo was related to the issue at hand: He was all alone, having stumbled upon a ring, and came across a creature who saw him as a meal. Unlike having the issue of a dragon burning down the whole town, immediately effecting those around you, seeing a single character, our hero, go through a dilemma that would yield long term consequences is an interesting concept to consider. Without Bilbo, from his meeting with Gollum and onward, the other dwarves that would have needed him may not have succeeded in their quest. Seeing one small event, Bilbo accidentally stumbling upon the ring, ripple into a butterfly effect of results I feel is important within a story. It makes everything that happens onward feel like it happened for a reason, which solidifies the world that these events take place in. 

Women and Witches: Aunt Maria

     

     The subject of power in our western culture is generally one discussed based upon who has or will have the power. Aunt Maria has risen many of the questions I have about the way society generally thinks of power and how they might react to the way the Witches in this story use it.

     The older women, most of which are witches in this book, are placed in some high position of power, which is a huge contrast to what is seen in our culture. These witches are depicted as women who are very manipulative and can quickly lose their temper and misuse their power based on emotional impulse alone. I do believe that this depiction of women in power is somewhat present in our culture today, as many people see women as "over-emotional," although this is not necessarily the case.

    The book is interesting in that it places our protagonists in the world without power and gives our antagonist most of the power that creates the conflicts presented to us in the book. I enjoyed seeing Chris get the best of someone with more power than he has and witnessing her go quite a bit over the line, turning him into a wolf. This event in the book is particularly interesting because I got to witness someone with pretty much no power rise into power for a brief moment before he was rapidly dropped back down. The feeling of seeing the "little guy" become more powerful than the "bully" is a satisfying mechanism, and I believe this book pulled implemented that trope into the story pretty well.

     

The New Weird: Monster Island

    Weird is defined by many as a very subjective term. It is also defined as a word that describes things that are not "normal". Some people may find the actors who perform in circuses weird, while others may find those who enjoy black licorice weird. I do believe there is a definition for weird that is only defined by the culture that is using the term. 

      Monster Island begins in a way that sets the book up to be more horrific than it really is. There's fog, there's a ship, and there are very few people. Once these character's arrive at New York City, a lot of the structural integrity of this story begins to collapse, at least in my eyes.

     The most weird discovery that is made in the story is that the zombies that are placed into this book's world are sentient and members of a cult in New York City. I've grown up with the idea that a zombie is someone who is not sentient and has only one goal in mind: eat the brains of any human that crosses your path and spread the virus. I consider myself to have quite an open mind, but giving a zombie sentience is quite weird to me. This takes away from what is supposed to make a zombie horrifying. Even if they do still pursue the goal of devouring any living human, the element of sentience simply makes them feel like plain humans who's skin has decayed a little bit. In Western culture, this is a bizarre way of portraying zombies.

     

     

Japanese Horror: The Story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi

     Japanese Horror is a genre of horror I've been interested in, but haven't taken much time to look into. For the week of Japanese Horror, I read 'The Story of Mimi Nashi Hoichi." I found this story to catch my eye quickly because I wanted to know how Hoichi lost his ears (mimi). I personally find stories that involve body dismemberment quite interesting. I consider sight, along with hearing, to be the most powerful senses in terms of fear. Once I found out that Hoichi is a blind man, I knew he'd be placed into a very difficult situation.

     Many questions began to arise when a "man" came to Hoichi's door in the middle of the night to retrieve Hoichi and have him play music for the "lord". Who is this lord? How does this man know of Hoichi? Why does this man want Hoichi specifically? Too many questions arose in such a short time, which made this situation seem much more horrific, despite it seeming to be a completely harmless confrontation. Once Hoichi played for man and his lord, among some other people, I truly believed everything was all right.

     Then my gut sank. Once the Priest revealed that it was not a man that was fetching Hoichi, but rather the dead beckoning unto him, I was left for a loop. The sudden connection of their intentions, which were to eventually tear Hoichi into pieces, as well as the events that hard perspired up to that point left me not only disturbed, but very curious as to what would happen next.

     Knowing this information, I eagerly waited alongside Hoichi for the next knock to come. Once the "man" brought himself to the Hoichi's residence again, I began to feel uncomfortable. Hoichi was familiar with what he was dealing with, but not entirely certain. The priest had covered him in markings to protect him from these evil spirits, which basically made Hoichi invisible to the dead. However, he forgot to cover his ears and once the spirits came into the house, they noticed Hoichi wasn't there but spotted ears that they decided to take, ripping them from Hoichi's head. Their strength as well as their intelligence was truly horrifying to experience.

     What I found interesting about Hoichi's predicament was that, unlike horror in the West, I didn't know exactly what Hoichi was up against until it was almost too late. In many of the Western Horror stories, the threat is almost always clear early on in the story. Introducing the threat later on in the story I find to be much more effective because it leaves room for the story to unfold or reveal very interesting details of the story. Great horror, in my opinion, is much like a puzzle. It's nice to be able to put it together along the way. But, it becomes much more satisfying when a large piece of the puzzle that was once missing is then found and placed to complete the picture. Many Western Horror pieces lack giving their audience the "Oh, so that's what was really happening!" that can make something that seemed entirely mundane seem absolutely terrifying. 

B.F. Skinner, Game Rewards, and the Game Major

B.F. Skinner - haciendapub.com

Burrhus Frederic Skinner (B.F. Skinner) is a man who studied behavioral psychology at Harvard University and crafted many experiments to discover how operant conditioning functions. One of these experiments involved the Operant Conditioning Chamber, that of which many people know of as animal test; Rats were placed in a box and performed certain tasks. Each task would either have a negative or positive consequence and the rat's resulting behavior would be recorded. Within these various studies that Skinner conducted, he found that operant condition changes the behavior of how one reacts to an event over time. For example, if someone gets an F in school and is punished (sent to their room, grounded, etc.), they are more likely to attempt not to get an F to prevent the punishment. On the other hand, if a someone gets an A in school and they are rewarded for doing so (given money, new electronics, etc.), they are more likely to attempt getting more A's. 

These Principals are seen in our every day lives. They are also a driving mechanic behind a lot of the things we do. We eat to avoid the consequence of dying; We exercise to avoid becoming unhealthy; We work to gain money. Operant Conditioning is also seen in many games. In Adventure Games, you learn to explore because finding extra items can make the adventure easier and more fun. In Fighting Games, you learn combos to make winning easier. In almost every game, you learn to avoid taking damage so you do not die and have to start over. Many of the games that have and will fail are due to there being a lack of reward or accomplishment given to the player(s). 

     Because I am currently studying games what makes a game good and/or bad, many questions are surfacing on the subject of game making. How can I tell if my game is good? How can I tell if it's bad? How do I make a good game? A lot of these questions are currently being explored as I continue to draft a few ideas for a Print-N-Play game, and eventually a full-on board game. In many successful board games, like Chess, Monopoly, or even Checkers, each play session always contains something gratifying about forming the strategy used to defeat the opponent(s). I'm currently hoping to be able to extract many more examples of successful games and incorporate them into my own creation in a short game that is both unique and creative. 

Simple Game Idea Concepts

     

Different icons (for classes, items, etc.) that could be on the cards the players manipulate     

     1. Temperature Control - Ice has to lower in-game temp while fire has to raise it, both to a specific standpoint - Brawl-based

     2. Cyber Security-type game - Virus (offense) must break through the firewall (defense)

     3. Card-based charades (with drawing, maybe?)
   
     4. Fencing card game - Rock-paper-scissors-esque

     5. Class-based race to finish line

     6. Fly and Venus fly trap - Fly must find food without being caught by the venus fly trap (choosing specific tiles to land on, those of which could be food or the venus fly trap?)

     7. Pen vs. Sword duel - Somewhat class based-like?

     8. MOBA styled game with 4 different classes - destroy enemy castle

     9. First to 5 points win mechanic - Gold mining or finding a specific item, maybe

     10. Control the map mechanic - Each player has a certain amount of resources they must use to control as much as the map as they can over their opponent
   
     11. Escape the map - Similar to those 'choose your own adventure' books but with cards

     12. Spartans vs. Knights - Medieval times vs. greek olympic competition
 
     13. Catch the Killer - Players draw a card, one person gets the "killer" card, and everyone must find out who did it.

     14. Destroy the Hivemind - One player controls a swarm of mobs while the other(s) gather materials to take them down. HP based

     15. Class based brawling

     16. Build 'em up game - Create different objects using different parts. Point based game.

     17. Capture the Opponent - Both players play gang leaders and are attempting to capture each other

     18. Players determine objects of the game with a given criteria (balancing rules)

     19. No lights out - Maze-styled game with a grid that can trigger events

     20. Prepare for the invasion - Players gather resources to ward off oncoming enemies

My Favorite Game Trailer - Monster Hunter Generations

Monster Hunter Generations - Opening Cinematic

Definitely among one of my most favorite game trailers for one of my favorite game franchises: Monster Hunter by Capcom.

Dragon Punch - Deconstruction

Playing Dragon Punch - by Koen Hendrix

   
     With the goal of deconstructing a short Print-N-Play game, I was able to scout out Dragon Punch, a quick card game that emulates fighting. Two players are given 6 basic cards plus a character card. Each card has an attack, block, or evasion maneuver as well as a white side and a red side and each player must attempt to drop their opponents health points (HP) down to 0.

     

HP Mechanic - No. of White Side Up = Remaining HP

   
• Goal of the game: Bring the opponent's HP down to 0 first in a game best 2 of 3.

     

• Core Mechanic: Read the different skills on 6 given cards and use the skills (flip them over so they are facing your opponent) to reduce their HP.

• Space of the game: The entire game can occur in each of the players hands. Within that space, there are two different spaces: The cards that haven't been used (cards still facing away from the opponent), and cards that have been used (cards facing the opponent). During each turn (both players go at the same time), the cards that are flipped are the cards that determine what skills are in play. 

• Objects, Attributes, States: The cards are the only object in the game. There is no necessary board or table. Each card has their own specific attributes: Their attack speed and attack damage, or some form of utility, whether it be blocking or evading. If a player takes damage, 2 for example, they must flip any 2 of their cards over from white to red. This effects that state of both the skills the cards have and the HP the player has. The number of cards with the white side up represent the amount of HP a player has.

Rules of Dragon Punch

• Operative Actions: Choose which cards to flip (turning towards the opponent) into play and which cards to switch (turn over to the red side of the card) upon taking damage. Nothing else aside from that.

• Resultant Actions: Both players start with the exact same type of cards. The order they play it in is what changes. If one I flip, for example, a very defensive card in anticipation for a very strong attack from my opponent, he/she is now aware that I no longer have a defensive card to play and can strategize off of the cards I have used. Much of the game is based upon reacting to the cards your opponents use in order to counter play your opponent. 

• Rules: Some parts of the rules are a bit counter intuitive. The attack cards have numbers on them which represent attack speed and the lower the number is, the quicker the attack is supposed to be. Quicker attacks overshadow slower attacks. Another note is one of the cards, specifically the Throw card states "attacks with an attack speed 1 beat this card." It is also the slowest card each player has, coming in at 5. This quote seems to imply that only attack speed 1 cards can beat it, although that would contradict the attack speed rule stated earlier. Those two points aside, the rules are pretty balanced; at no point during the game does either player gain an imbalanced advantage over the other.

• Skills Learned: Reading the opponent and utilizing gained information (opponent's flipped cards) to create a strategy to win efficiently. 

• The Role of Chance: Chance is not prevalent within the game. At any point in time, both players know at least what card they are going to flip into play. There are no results yielded from a source both players have no control over, like a dice. 

Print 'n' Play - Exploration

Playing Quick Joust by Joseph Propati

     This past weekend, I had the chance to gather with a couple friends and play a few Print-N-Play games: Quick Joust, a game that utilizes cards to simulate jousting, Coinage, a territorial game where you score points based on what kinds of coins you have on the board and where they are, and Allegiance, a game where you are to choose a side and play specific cards you are dealt to give one of two sides the most allegiance points after all dealing cards are used. All three of these games pit you up against one other person, with Allegiance being the only game capable of housing more than two players.

     Quick Joust is a nice mix of random chance and strategy. Random cards determine the players' initial movements and they can respond by playing other cards to veer them in the direction they wish to go. However, there are a finite amount of cards you get to choose from, increasing the risk of a given move. This makes the game quite exciting as another move can change the trajectory of a plan you had in place, making the game more difficult.

     Coin Age takes place on a card about the size of a playing card and each player gets a certain amount of each time of coin (penny, dime, nickel, quarter). These coins must be placed in areas on the card, but the enemy player has a chance of taking over that area by placing a smaller coin on top of the coin initially placed, which incorporates a good amount of strategy. The bigger the coin, the more points, but the easier your opponent can claim your area. High risk, high reward.

     Allegiance is a psychological journey. Each player mentally claims a side they wish to join: the Temple or the Thieves. 3 cards are dealt to each player and they must place 2 on either of the sides facedown to either increase or decrease the group's allegiance points. The players do not know how many of each card is placed in their respective groups, as this is revealed at the end of the game. In the meantime, players must use certain abilities labeled on the cards that remain in their hands in an attempt to increase their team's allegiance to a given group. Because a lot of these details are unknown from player to player, everyone must use their tools in an attempt to read their opponents to give them the win.

'Interview with the Vampire' by Anne Rice - Short Prompt

Interview with the Vampire is a more traditional view of how vampires are perceived by the general eye. The story unfolds through a character referred to as boy interviewing vampire Louis. During Louis' lengthy anecdote of his life story and how he came to become the vampire that he is, a lot is revealed about the original idea of the vampire. The contemporary idea of the vampire has been altered by stories like Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer; the vampire of present is no longer synonymous with the need of human blood to survive, but rather more focused on romantic relationships. Interview with the Vampire shows a truly dark side of what makes the vampire truly horrifying. Louis explains that he was not always the vampire he we read him to be, but rather that he was forced to become one. Louis was once a regular human, not unlike the boy interviewing him, but his jealousy leads to the death of his brother, revealing that envy can be fatal. This incident ultimately causes Louis to embark on his vampiric journey and having to choose between the murder of humans to survive or to find alternate sources of food. The horror within this novel exists in it's relativity to reality; Everyone is susceptible to strong emotions that can cause them to act rashly which can lead to dire consequences for not only you, but those around you as well. 

Self Portrait - Freshman Year GA - May 2016

Another assignment for figure class. Self portrait! Some features are a bit off, but overall it was pretty fun to do!

Charcoal on Newsprint - 19" x 24"

Academic Drawing - Freshman Year GA - May 2016

A fun project done during Figure Drawing class. I was given 3 class periods to complete the assignment and it was pretty challenging. Definitely learned a lot!

Charcoal on Newsprint - 19" x 24"

The Power of Sound Design!

I created a simple presentation based on Sound Design in the industry.

Had the luxury of interviewing Sound Designer Julian Samal of Riot Games. He gave some pretty awesome, yet insightful answers to the art of sound.

Link to the Presentation: https://docs.google.com/a/c.ringling.edu/presentation/d/13qZyGv_wFuyfWVPlBfpZNzVRuofV_G4Vm-FR-YG0Ywo/edit?usp=sharing

Link to the interview: https://docs.google.com/a/c.ringling.edu/document/d/1m2t1E_YgvguwW2JAjcOrxxV7brYKoXW27hR5raNoi_A/edit?usp=sharing