Getting into Gaming
by BETH KNITTLE on NOVEMBER 3, 2013
My son is a gamer he plays all types of games (card, board, live action and computers). He knows he wants to do “something” with computers when he heads off to college in a couple of years. To help him figure it out he is taking a course on The Foundations of Game Design at our community college. He is particularly intrigued with the design of games; what motivates the player to keep going, strategy, scoring and leveling.
He recently shared with me Extra Credits by Penny Arcade. It is series of podcast on gaming and the game industry. It is pretty informative and entertaining. If you know a gamer in your life or are interested in the industry please pass them a long. They are well worth watching. I have learned a lot.
My Comment:
Hello, I attend the University of South Alabama while partaking in a class labeled EDM 310. I wanted to make a comment because I to have gamed a great deal in the past. Unfortunately, I have a perfectionist mentality and therefore had to cut myself off from the gaming world, especially when it came to MMO play. I consumed myself in the world to much and always wanted everything. To be the best and have the best and those attributes took a lot of time, to much time.
In regards to your son, I believe the future is VERY bright for an accomplished game designer. If he loves it, he will have a job for life. I can also help him understand his questions of “keep going, strategy, scoring and leveling.” Simply put, gaming is a place where life can be wonderful. Anything that you may not love about your life can be transformed into perfection in the gaming world. Gaming is addictive because of this. Gaming also has a great competitive aspect to it. Hey, we all want to be winners and gaming is a place anyone can do it.
If your son ever wants to chat, do not hesitate to have him email me.
I look forward to reading other posts because I am intrigued with the usage of technology in teaching methods. Thank you for allowing me to comment.
by BETH KNITTLE on SEPTEMBER 22, 2013
As we are all well aware iOS 7 was released earlier this week. Change is inevitable; it is pure excitement and joy for some but not always easy for others. As any provider of tech support knows our focus is on the later. Apparently we know all the answers even though we are seeing the new iOS for the first time as well.
Thankfully there are those excited to explore and test out the iOS and share their findings. Can’t figure out how to close an app – search for it and you will find an answer. Many people have posted tips and tricks for the new iOS. MacLife has posted 90 of them, but for a shorter list I would recommend TechCrunch.
For me the focus is on accessibility features. On a personal note I have vision issues and the new fonts and color scheme can pose a problem there are settings to address some of these but really yellow font on a blue background and white on red do not make for easy reading. There are often issues with text and images overlapping. For a look at some of these I recommend taking a look at Sloppy UI. For a company that prides itself on flawless design, an intuitive user experience and accessibility I feel they have fallen short. These may appear minor to many but to some this is no small issue.
Professionally the new iOS means I need to revamp training and workshop materials related to accessibility and the new iOS. Next month I am co-presenting at MassCUE’s annual conference. My colleague, Kristin a teacher of the visually impaired, has an excellent grasp of the accessibility features and uses them daily. I always look forward to working with her, I learn so much. Redoing all our materials with new screen shots and videos is a time consuming task. On the plus side it is forcing me to dig deep into the new iOS.
Have fun exploring.
My Comment:
Hello,
I have thoroughly enjoyed iOS 7. Definitely more vibrant and engineered to be even more user friendly. However, I never like major updates in the beginning because my familiarity goes out the window on so many things and I have to learn it all over. In the end, most large updates have been a positive integration in the computer world.
Lastly, I wanted to say that I very rarely go to any help sites. I have found that just working at it long enough, gives me a better sense over the entire program anyway.
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