Round Start

It's amazing how drastically gaming has changed in a matter of years. When I was younger, I tried playing Contra by the classic Atari, and I thought it was most exciting and amazing thing ever. Compared to modern games, however, Contra can barely compare. The graphics are simple without much detail, and the game itself is plain compared to the many modes and features of newer, similar games such as Combat Arms.


The general point of both games is more or less the same: eliminate your enemies. I enjoyed Contra at the time because it was fun and I didn't know of anything more advanced. I didn't mind the lack of detail and low graphics, because a game is a game - I had fun playing it and that was all that mattered to me. Although the genres of Contra and Combat Arms are similar, Combat Arms is many times more enjoyable and exciting to me because of its more realistic graphics and numerous game modes - the result of quality evolution.

On the other hand, the new "exergames" like Brain Age and Wii Fit are completely different types of gaming from the classic shooting games like Contra. They are games designed for enjoyment as well as for educational and physical benefits.

Are these new game genres still considered games or have they evolved into something new? Of course these new genres are considered games. Games are entertainment, and these exergames are just that. I own Brain Age and Wii Sports, and I love playing them. They entertain me, like all games should. It doesn't make the game something different if it exercises my body and mind - that's just a bonus to the entertainment.

Have games evolved enough to the point that they are beneficial to you, rather than detrimental? Or are they merely wolves in sheep's clothing?
I think that while there are games that are more beneficial than others, any game has potential to be detrimental. For example, playing Combat Arms may not be as beneficial to your health as Wii Sports, but playing Wii Sports for 24 hours straight isn't exactly good for you either. It's all in the way people play the game that decides whether the effect is detrimental or not.

In conclusion, I applaud technology and the good it has done for the gaming world. Not only has it made gaming a more exciting experience, it has also provided extra opportunities for exercise. If games continue to evolve at this pace, I can't wait to know what new gaming surprises arise in the near future.

:)

Why So Skinny?

I looked at the photoshopped images by Ralph Lauren, and I couldn't help but laugh. It's unbelievable that someone would have such a distorted image of what's beautiful that they would think this image looks good.

I've had many encounters with the wonders of photoshop, and while some of them were breathtaking works of art, others were similar to the above example - waaay over the line.

If you look closely, you can tell his hips and legs are completely out of proportion from the rest of his body. It looks so wrong.


And this one... well, at least her features seem to be in better proportion. But it still bothers me because there's hardly a resemblance between the pictures. If I saw the second picture, I wouldn't even guess it was Kelly Clarkson, because I'm so used to seeing her how she is in the first. I don't see why they had to make such a dramatic change to her face; there wasn't a need for it. She's adorable even without the photoshop.

Seeing companies come up with badly manipulated pictures doesn't surprise me, because I've seen enough of the media to know that any professionally-printed picture of a celebrity or a model is often never without make up or editing.

Of course, there are exceptions, such as the "true beauty" trend. This trend is a relief from the countless photoshopped images we are exposed to, because these models (whose pictures, in my opinion, are much prettier than many other photoshopped ones) show us that beauty doesn't have to be faked with excessive photoshop. Along with "plus-sized" models, I believe this trend will definitely stick. Many people would feel a personal connection to these models. They are average people like everyone else who don't bother with makeup and editing, and instead are proud of their natural physical traits, like we all should be.