What I've Learned from Video Games

        I've been meaning to write these thoughts down somewhere, and I thought here is as good a place as any. I, as I'm sure many people in this class, enjoy video games as a hobby. However, I feel like outside of the gaming communities, video games receive a lot of flak for being all violence. Every time someone brings this up now, I get to mention how video games have been added as an art in the Museum of Modern Art. I get to explain how a game tells a story that no TV show or movie could pull off.
        Video games, at least in my opinion, receive most of their flak because people don't understand them. People see a game, and they might just automatically link it with say, call of duty. This is definitely not the case.
       I'll use the game Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the Nintendo 3DS as an example. This game is so drastically different from most games, I don't even know if I should call it a game. Anyway, you arrive to a new town, with only a bit of cash in your pockets,to become the new mayor. And then...that's it. The rest is up to you. You choose what to do in your town. You can spend your days going fishing, catching bugs, gardening, talking with your villagers, buying furniture and clothes, improving the town, or just relaxing. The cool thing is, the game plays even when you aren't. Seasons change, shops close, and villagers move in and out even when you are away. The game came out 2 weeks ago, and all my friends and I already have taken different approaches on what to do. That's the beauty of video games. They're a hobby, with something for everyone.
        I love video games, and I feel like if everyone understood that they're a great outlet for anger, sadness, or boredom, the stigma of "video games are evil" would be gone forever.

Internet Data

The news lately has been filled with stories about the United States Government taking their citizen’s Internet and phone data to gather information on them. I even found a movie trailer for a documentary on this exact problem.

 

Although I understand the benefits the government and companies can gain by knowing this information about its populace, I think that gathering their data without asking permission is wrong and an invasion of privacy. I also think that because these technologies are relatively new, there isn’t a lot of laws and restrictions guarding the interests of the users. Before regulations can catch up, the government is taking advantage of it and using this information to look after their own interests instead of the popular interests of their nation. Another problem I had was that they were using this information to stop things like protests, which prevents their citizens from their right to have freedom of assembly.

I saw recently that the government of France is implementing laws on companies gathering Internet information and demanding these companies, like Google, ask permission before taking any of their user’s data. I think this is a step in the right direction because I’m sure a lot of people wouldn’t have a problem with it if they knew what the companies were taking and why. In the end, using technology today is inevitable, we even using it to create these blog posts, and because of this there needs to be serious deliberations on how to handle the use of the data it generates.  

ENG3U1

Honestly I was dreading English class because last year I did not do very well so I thought that I would never improve at all. As well as I disliked everything that English entailed which is writing essays, reading Shakespeare and using MLA format.  I usually just like to write poetry or write creatively because I want to not because I have to. But although I was dreading the class, it was a complete shock to me that I would actually enjoy coming to English class every day. I really learned a lot this year in English class and this year I have really gained a lot of confidence in myself. I have improved my mark tremendously from last year which also improved my confidence. I thoroughly enjoyed blogging and I loved our class discussions such as culture is not a costume. I thank this year to Mrs. Le because she truly is a tremendous teacher! I loved how we had to write all our essays on Ugcloud because I loved to see all the comments on the side. The comments that Mrs. Le would post on the side really helped me to improve my writing for the next essay or analytical paragraph.  I loved the way that Mrs. Le helped our class at all times and tried to make everything feel more comfortable such as to present to only half of the class. To present to half the class made me feel more comfortable and more confident to present my ISU novel to the class. I am going to truly miss this class and I have truly loved this year in English class.

Good Summer Read

For my ISU novel I read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, the same author as The Kite Runner. Like the book we read in class, A Thousand Splendid Suns is about life for civilians in Afghanistan as they continuously are oppressed by corrupted leaders and governments. If you liked The Kite Runner, you’ll defiantly enjoy this novel as it is similar but focuses more on a different way of life than in the previous book, as Hosseini changes up the viewpoint of the main character. In The Kite Runner the main character was a wealthy boy who moves to America when Afghanistan is invaded by Russia. The main character in A Thousand Splendid Suns is an underprivileged girl who stays in Afghanistan as they are bombarded by leadership changes, territory wars, drought and famine. This is interesting because throughout this course we have been trying to learn to look at situations with multiple perspectives. By reading both books I was able to see views from both sides of a lot of circumstances, like wealth and gender. If you want to learn more about the hardships going on in Afghanistan during the last 20 years and want a girl’s perspective on these issues, this novel is defiantly one you should read.

Time Flies

When people say that our teen years go by so fast, they really arn't kidding. Its crazy to think that we're 3 years into high school, and that we will be leaving in only a years time. These past 3 years have gone by so fast, it's hard to imagine. Im almost scared to think about how fast life is going by.
When I was a kid, life seemed so slow. I was constantly waiting for my birthdays and holidays, and t seemed   like forever to get to them. But now it;s getting kind of out of hand how fast my youth is slipping out of my hands. Were all going to be adults in a year which is so crazy.  I wonder why as we get older, time seems to go by so fast..

Kiss of The Fur Queen

For my ISU novel I read the Kiss of the Fur Queen. The novel was about two Cree brothers Jeremiah and Gabriel who share their life before, during and after going to a residential school. The novel expressed how the brothers used music to get through all their hardships. By reading this novel I got to not just learn the history of what a residential school is but I actually got to read about the children’s stories which I found to be way better than articles about residential schools. By reading Gabriel and Jeremiah’s story of going to a residential school I learned how not only the residential schools affected them in a negative way while they were attending the school but it also affected their life after. I believe that residential schools are cruelty to children! Not only do children get sexually abused and torched but they also were ripped away their own culture. The Cree brothers were forced to not speak Cree and language is a key factor in people’s culture. Children were ripped away their culture, their faith and to be themselves. They were forced to be someone who they aren’t. I personally believe that residential schools are truly horrendous and a sense of cruelty. I think that it is morally wrong and that children should never have went through this. What do you guys know about residential schools and what is your opinion about them?

When She Woke

For my ISU I read When She Woke which talked a lot about the right to abortion. I personally think that abortion should come down to a personal choice because in the end it is your body. Not everyone has the same view on abortion so that is why there shouldn't be a law against it, it should be a personal choice. Nearly all abortions take place in the first trimester, when a fetus cannot exist independent of the mother. That means that the fetus is attached to the women's body it is not living on it's own yet so your really not taking a life away. This counter acts the argument that life begins at conception because truly the baby cannot support itself until later on in the pregnancy. While reading the book I also realized how much religion affects peoples views on abortion. So what do you guys think if the bible was never written do you think people would still be against abortion?