Dragon can you type for me? Sweet, thanks. So this is my first blog post, I'm recording it with the Dragon software by Nuance. Which was conveniently capitalized by Dragon when it types it, and I'm recording on my computer which I've named Ray.
No Dragon it's with an E.
Rae; much better.
So that's pretty much the cast of characters here. If you disagree with any of the opinions you find on this blog it's Ray's fault. No, that's with an E Dragon. Rae. Better. If it's a spelling grammar check, its Dagon.
Nice. Anyway...
So here's my first topic - Why games?
This is an opinion piece (because what else is a blog for?) about why I think games are important to, let's face it, pretty much everyone. I hope to follow through on each topic with an opinion piece, a historical outlook, a scientific inquiry, and of course a story (drawn from my own questionable experiences).
But we can't just jump right into the opinion part yet, no, we must begin with an actual fact. Or at least we have to establish some sort of common ground: What is a game?
Fortunately for myself and Dragon I came prepared. Because, let's face it, Dragon sort of Salk's at punctuation.
Don't play games with me Dragon, I definitely said salts. Insubordination!
Ray. We are uninstalling him immediat- your really pushing it. Just wait. just u weight.
Ugh. Anyway, I took the liberty of finding a number of definitions for the word game before I even picked up the microphone. Let's explore:
Here's a good one...
From: [http://www.scientology.org/wis/wiseng/gloss.htm#g]
Scientology - game: a contest of person against person or team against team. A game consists of freedoms, barriers and purposes, and there is a necessity in a game to have an opponent or an enemy. Also there is a necessity to have problems, and enough individuality to cope with a situation. To live life fully, then, one must have in addition to "something to do," a higher purpose, and this purpose, to be a purpose at all, must have counter-purposes or purposes which prevent it from occurring.
So, having read the Scientologists definition of the word game, what do you think? Unfortunately you can't answer, Dragon can only say what I tell it to, and Rae is a slave to my input. We'll just have to go with what I think.
"a contest of person against person or team against team."
Well, in the first line I see they've defined a game as a contest between people. At least two people, or possibly a team. That strikes me as a little narrow. I've definitely heard the term single-player game before and spouted it myself numerous times, oh well, they could be right. I suppose that could be a puzzle if there's no active opponent. Let's not yet dwell on the whole "why must we fight" question, there are better lines for that.
"A game consists of freedoms, barriers and purposes, and there is a necessity in a game to have an opponent or an enemy."
In the second line we see something that I found to be quite common among the definitions of the game. A game consists of freedoms and barriers towards a purpose. Now, I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's what they meant. Unless Scientologists have somehow transcended standard grammatical syntax and unlocked some sort of superposition of verbage here. This I can agree with; every game I've ever played has come with restrictions and consequent open choices for the player to take advantage of. I think one of the great appeals of playing games IS the limited world or reality that games are played in. It's easy to be King of the simple reality (thanks for capitalizing that Dragon). As you might have already guessed I don't agree very much with the second half of this line, it sounds too much like some sort of hard-liner rhetoric.
"Also there is a necessity to have problems, and enough individuality to cope with a situation."
In the third line I find myself getting a little lost. I understand the need for problems in a game, and individuality sound like a good thing to have when coping with problems but. . . in an effort to stay on track let's just assume that they're talking about adaptability and opportunities to use it. Those things seem to be a big part of the addictive nature of games. But really the descent into madness starts with this line.
"To live life fully, then, one must have in addition to "something to do," a higher purpose, and this purpose, to be a purpose at all, must have counter-purposes or purposes which prevent it from occurring."
Now here things just get out of hand. The Scientologists have gone from talking about a game to defining what a full life is and how your higher purpose, "to be a purpose at all", must have an opposing force which prevents it from occurring. That's both wrong and off-topic, I don't believe your life has to be directly opposed to anything. Dragon, get us out of here.
From [http://dictionary.reference.com]
game - [geym] noun, adjective, gam·er, gam·est, verb, gamed, gam·ing.
noun
1. an amusement or pastime: children's games.
2. the material or equipment used in playing certain games: a store selling toys and games.
3. a competitive activity involving skill, chance, or endurance on the part of two or more persons who play according to a set of rules, usually for their own amusement or for that of spectators.
4. a single occasion of such an activity, or a definite portion of one: the final game of the season; a rubber of three games at bridge.
5. the number of points required to win a game.
Let's focus on 3:
Alright. Here we see a good bit of agreement with the Scientologists. Two or more people, competition, and skill/chance/endurance as the deciding factor. No solo games, fine, it seems decided that people must contend to have a game? At least it's not subversively pitting our life meanings against each other.
And of course the master of the modern definition, Wikipedia, shall have the last say:
From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game]
"A game is a recreational activity with a set of rules."
How could you disagree with that? A game is a non-work activity with rules. Simple. E z.
Dragon? Seriously.
This is a little bit longer than I meant for it to be so I'm going to cut it off here and put my personal opinion in another post, at another time.
We'll see you then.
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