Pokemon is a game that attracts players from different age groups all around the world. What makes this game so popular even in the Western world? the main argument in this article is that Pokemon is a reflection of Japanese cultural values and it serves as a learning tool for the players. First, the game highlights the importance of belonging to a group, not individuals, which is not a common belief in the western society (Tomei 6). The game foster collaboration between the players as they can link two devices together and exchange their pokemons between different two different versions of the game. This idea reflects a common ideology in Japanese society because according to Tomei, “the individuals acquire a sense of identity and security through their affiliation to the group” (7). Small groups are the foundations of bigger groups and eventually form a society. Similarly in the game, individual Pokemon trainers join different tribes and collaboratively achieve a certain goal. Second, this game allows the players to learn from rewards and failures. The players gain experiences and they start to develop their own strategies, such as what is the best time to challenge the gym leader. (Tomei 110).

I agree with the author’s idea that Pokemon is more than just a game. It is a mimicry of the real Japanese society that values collaboration and harmony. In the game world, the player has to earn money to buy important supplies for the pokemons. Moreover, he or she has to learn from every battle and become more experienced and wise. The purpose of the game is not to encourage the players to act as heros who eventually save the world, but to allow them to develop a sense of hierarchy. Higher levels in the games indicate players will have a better possibility to catch rare and stronger pokemons, compared to trainers at a lower level. This setting creates a system of promotion and implies that a higher level represents a better player. However, this game also is extremely addictive because there is no ending to the game. Players can easily spend the entire morning or afternoon on it without realizing how much time has already passed. Pokemon is a game that promotes the awareness of cultural diversity and allow its players to learn and advance through failures and successes. However, it is difficult to find a balance between healthy play and disruptive play. The underlying harmful impacts of this game on the players can be profound.

Bibliography

Tomei, Patricia Amelia. POKEMON: A CULTURE OF LEARNING? (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 20 Oct. 2016. <http://www.dbd.puc-rio.br/depto_administracao/TD11.pdf>.

When I was in primary school, Gameboy was a trend among the students. We talked about games for Gameboy between classes nearly every day. Among all the video games I played with my Gameboy, Pokemon was the most memorable one. The rules are simple. The player will choose Pokemon in the beginning of the game and try to defeat other pokemons in the battles to gain more advanced skills and higher levels. The player can go from one city to another to complete missions and catch varises kinds of pokemons. The setting is a mimicry of the real world. There are towns consist of households and flower shops etc. The player will engage deeply in the game because the setting evokes a sense of belonging. Moreover, there are infinite numbers of challenges in each town. Even the play has all the pokemons with level 100, he or she can still continue playing the game because there are always more tasks to accomplish and more enemies to defeat. This feature of the game intrigues me and I am totally absorbed into the game. Everyday after I finished my homework, I would play this game for hours until my mother rushed into my room and yelled at me: “you have been playing for three hours! Did you review for today’s class!” Boom! The time went by so quickly when I was playing. Three hours feel like three minute. The game is designed for long-term play because there is no end to the game. Training my pokemons takes a lot of time. It is hard to stop at a certain point because there are no limitations. I always want to gain more experience and achieve higher levels, so I keep playing and is so immersed in the game world, resulting in the unawareness of the real time.

Playground Patent

https://www.google.com/patents/US20040159275?dq=playground&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_3Mrzl7LPAhXENT4KHb2TD7U4ggEQ6AEIIjAB

The floatingplayground includes two modules attached together. The modules are each supported by a floating vessel. The floating vessels are rectangular shaped, rotationally molded pontoons filled with foam. Preferably vertical posts attach to the frame that encircles the pontoons and are able to support the recreational implement.

Playground

http://cdm16786.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/ua/id/2237

I sat on the bench next to the football field and watched the football team practicing for 30 minutes. I have seen a lot of games but it was my first time concentrated on the design of the field instead of the players. The first thing I noticed was the dimension of the field. About 110 yards in length and 55 yards in width, the rectangular shaped playground catches my eyes immediately because of its bright colors and obvious white yard marks. The capital letter D in the middle represents the school spirit and adds some red in the field of green. Besides the yard marks, the side lines and orange cones were also apparent on the ground. On the both ends of the field, there are two fork-shaped yellow goal posts. At the first glance, the playground is undoubtedly designated to play football as the goal posts and yard marks are only present in football fields. Therefore, I assume the playgrounds can only be used in this way whenever I see the goal posts present. However, after the football team finished their practice and went off the field, I suddenly saw a bunch of children and students occupied the field. They started to throw baseball and play soccer. More surprisingly, there were kids running around the field just simply for fun. This scene challenged my original perception about the use of the field. The goal posts and yard marks explicitly suggest the playground should be used for football but they also imply that it could be exploited in other ways. For example, the field is relatively open than tennis or basketball court, which means it is closer to nature. People can even sit on the field and enjoy the sunshine without physically moving their bodies. The field is made of turf grass which means it is easier for the ball to bounce and safer for little children to play around. The design of the field influences how people would interact with each other. Its openness and massiveness suggest a form of free play. Although it is designed to be a football field, people can definitely appropriate this space for other games that either involve running or not. It is unlikely for people to play games that only involve a few people like chess because it would be a waste of space. However, there are also restrictions in an open space. People could hardly access the field when it snows or rains. Therefore, the design encourages people to play when the weather is suitable.

“Urban Crime 2” came out on App Store a few years ago and immediately occupied the front page of the App Store. It became the most popular action game during that period. It is a game filled with violence and protests. There are no specific rules that guide the players to perform certain tasks. As long as the players can survive under attacks from other gangs and policemen, they are considered the winners of the game. This game is set on the appropriative and disruptive nature of play. First of all, the game appropriates the real world and emphasizes on the crimes happened everyday on the streets. In this fabricated world, the victims are innocent citizens. They could be attacked or even killed within seconds just because the player wants to do so. This form of play suggests the insecurity experienced by ordinary people nowadays. The government is unable to stop the crimes before they happen. Second of all, this game is created on the basis of the players’ freewill. The players are capable of stealing and killing without any severe consequences. For example, you can shoot anyone you see on the streets and beat them to death. Or you can steel cars from their owners and then gallop on the highways. Overall, there are no presumed restrictions on the players. The only essential question is how you want to play the game? Eventually, the free play will lead to the disruptive nature of play. The underlying message of the game suggests violate approaches. It affects the teenagers in a detrimental way because some players who entirely immersed into this game are highly likely to have a difficult time distinguish between what is real and what is only real in the game.

Then, what are the political implications of this game? The main character is usually from a lower class who conducts these crimes to express his anger toward the government and the society. This setting mirrors the issues existed in the real world. There are always innocent lives being killed during violate protests. The policemen in the game are incapable of preventing the tragedies from happening, which implies the inefficiency of the government officials. Similarly, the government is more like a bystander during the catastrophes because the terrorists or the murderers are always a few steps ahead then the government. Therefore, this game serves as a counterpart of the world we live in. The players conceive the world in a different perspective as they are now the criminals instead of the victims.

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