Oregon Trail, anyone?
Atari?
Mortal Kombat?

We are beyond “children of the microwave.” We can compute and reason faster than any generations before us, as the computer became our replacement tool of the flash-card. There is no denying the benefits that this technological age has provided us, but upon contemplation I realize that there may be some major drawbacks, particularly in regards to the video game realm.

*To clarify, my parents did not allow my sister nor I to have a video game beyond Tamaguchis and Connect-Four until we were in high school and so my view is slightly of a viewer’s perspective.*

1. The role of the player is always in the first person. The predilection for today’s gamers is to take an active role in which your hands and opponents are in plain view. Though YOU have designed YOUR player to emulate YOUR ideal of YOURSELF, YOU play the game literally in the eyes of that player rather than witnessing their movements as in third person. Unknowingly, the creators of the video game have given birth to an excellent guile that though children may be able to compute faster, their developing minds have not reached a level of discernment.

2. YOUR player, particularly in combative games, is always on the defensive and thus YOU must respond by shooting anything or everything that moves. YOUR player is likely to fail if YOUR reaction time is delayed in any way, shape or form. Combining this notion of defensive timing leads me to my final point…

3. This lassitude makes reality and virtuality inextricable. For those who have detached themselves completely from our culture, submersed themselves in the video game world, and unfortunately have found themselves in a violent outburst against their peers… the real world becomes a video game in which they must shoot to kill anything that moves in their periphery.

If these points are substantial, what is the future of gaming?
the future in educating developing minds?
the future of our society?

The English language is certainly a challenging one to pick up if you are not already familiar with any of the Romantic or Germanic languages. English truly is a mash up of a lot of things. When I consider “slang” or pigeon tongues branching out of it, I cant help but consider those may even be MORE evolved than High English.

Even as a written language we have lots of punctuation marks that allow us to express speed of conversation, interruption, excitement, contemplation, consideration… the list goes on.This range affords us the opportunity to express ourselves not only verbally, but in written form (not all languages have this gift), thus we can look back at what was stated and garner the speaker’s intentions regardless of time.

For those who are just now picking up the English language, please have some consideration for the way in which their mother tongue may work. Perhaps in a few years English will have adopted some of the mistakes you may notice the person has made!

Growing out dreadlocks has been the most outwardly symbolic form of change I have ever made. The moments when I reflect on all the strides of this past year and the experiences I have had throughout the course of my short life, all go back to the brief interval  when I stopped and twisted in my dreads. No one has ever died them, styled them, or twisted them for me. The time at which they do will likely be the same moment I decide to cut them off.

No, this is not Rasta.

These locks were inspired by the tattoo I got just two years prior of Shiva Nataraja. An androgynous god, ruler over all nature and symbolizing both the male and female sexes, he is the patron of all ascetics and learners. In Nataraja he dances on the Dwarf of Ignorance in a ring of fire. His closed eyes remind the audience that time will end for a new beginning when they open. He is always depicted as having a long deluge of dreadlocks, portraying his disinterest in the material world.

No, this is not Hindu.

This is a boon.