Most people see Pokémon as an average card game that children play to have fun and prevent boredom. Pokémon is also not common seen as a way that children can improve their real world knowledge. Eli Neiburger would argue other wise. Neiburger uses logos to prove that Pokémon actually helps children become better readers and more detailed oriented. He talks about how the clues to find the needed tools in Pokémon are hidden in key phrases of texts. This forces the player to become very detailed oriented to be able to work their way through the game. The game does not allow you to continue from stage to stage until all clues have been found. This can become very frustrating if the clue is frequently over looked. After the first time of being stuck for a long time, the player will soon become aware of how important it is to pay attention to everything. Neiburger argues that when a child plays a game like this, the child becomes detail oriented in life and can pick up on things faster than others. They can also identify things before others because of their high awareness that has been improved due to playing Pokémon.

Neiburger also believes that the complicated and long texts found in Pokémon improve the child’s reading level and comprehension. He talks about how the text is often highly above their grade level and this challenges the players. Also, once the child is able to read this more complicated words they must understand them to guide their way through the game. These words become apart of the players’s repertoire of words and help to expand their vocabulary. Neiburger believes that Pokémon can be a useful tool in becoming a much better reader in the everyday world.

Neiburger, Eli. “ETC Press.” Pokémon. N.p., n.d. Web. 20       Oct. 2016. http://press.etc.cmu.edu/content/pok%C3%A9mon-eli-neiburger

At a young age I always believed that I would become a NBA basketball player, an NBA star. I had posters of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Larry Bird hanging on the walls in my room just above my bed. Growing up in Athens, Ga, I had always been able to attend the UGA Mens Basketball games, and I found many role models. As I became older I realized that my lack of height would be a major factor in preventing me from playing professional basketball. Luckily, NBA 2K15 has a MyCareer feature that allows you to create a player and become a professional basketball player. Everyday after school I would go home, turn my game system on and play until dinner time. This was my form of “practicing to become a professional basketball player.” I named the player after me and changed his facial features to match mine. The mode starts off in high school and it is up to the player to earn his way to college and then to the NBA. I played my heart out every single game because I wanted to be the number 1 player in the NBA draft. After every game you were featured in the media and they would comment on how they felt about your play. Draft day finally came and I felt as though I was the best player in my class. I was drafted second and I was so disappointed in myself. I felt as though I worked harder than any other player. This put a huge chip on my shoulder and I felt as though I had a lot to prove. Everyday in the NBA I continued to play my hardest and eventually won the championship my rookie year.

Playing 2k15 was an outlet for me. It gave me the ability to become someone I had always wanted to be. This was an alternate universe where I was able to live my dream. This made the game addicting for me and very enjoyable.

The Alvarez College Union is designed for many potential interactions. Entering from the main entrance on the third floor, you are first greeted with a fire place and information desk that is located on the left. On the opposite side of the fire place two couches are found just in front of the fire opening. Students here are found socializing, talking and sometimes sleeping. Being seated on couches instead of chairs, and in front of a fire place instead of a television, gives a cosy and opening encouragement. The couches allow you to lay back and relax. A fire place being there instead of a television does not allow for people to block out the people and things around them. Your eyes are not glued on an interesting episode, instead you are encouraged to focus on what is present and the people around you. The rest of the 3rd floor is divided into two halves. One half is the Davis cafe dining area and the other is the entertainment area. The dinning area encourages socializing by groups of people. Most tables are large and consist from four to eight chairs. The entertainment side does have have a television and is equipped with pool and foosball tables. This side encourages play and energy. The activities allow for some fun and soda machines are located directly behind the pool tables which gives it an arcade theme. This side is less social and the people who sit on this side are not studying unlike those near the fireplace. The people here have their eyes glued to the television or the place where they are playing. Less food is eaten on this side and the people who are eating there seem to be alone. It is if the floor has a magical line going down the middle which separate two total opposite purposes. The flow from the dinning area to the entertainment is seemingly accepted and done frequently. The opposite is not as common. Taking a pool stick or moving to foosball table to the dining side is rarely to never done. Play is not encouraged on the dining side nor accepted by the cluster of tables and chairs.

With football season swiftly approaching, teams are in high operation to perform at competitive excellence every game day. Although winning is the common goal when facing all opponents, the value of winning each game differs. Just think about how the water just boils a little differently when you are squared off against your siblings, the cross-town high school, or in this case in-state rivals. Just view rivalry football games through the lens of politics. All year the two teams boast their program to be seen as the better option for fans and in turn increase the number of top tier recruits that have a desire to commit to the program. This is a direct correlation to the campaign race in which each party works to persuade voters that the proposed ideas will lead to a better, more sufficient country. Once the week of Nov 20th comes, which is known as rivalry week, we will finally see who will achieve power of the state and have control over the fans and recruits. Having control over the region is very important for football programs because the loss of even one recruit can hurt their chances of winning in the future. Once a party has a majority control of the government, winning becomes easier and the party now has powers such as appointing a supreme court justice that will keep the winning going. The world of politics may be seen as more serious than a 60-minute game but the basics of working hard, competing, and “getting what’s yours” can be found both at conventional parties and on the gridiron.