The progressive climate of the university poses a paradoxical environment for members of the Greek community. Reconciling the identities of being a sorority sister and a self proclaimed feminist requires shifting personal values on my part. Being a sorority sister and considering myself a feminist is problematic in that they are mutually exclusive identities.
A sorority promotes certain characteristics to form an ideal woman. The clash between my two identities revolves around the fact that these characteristics are not necessarily correct. In a sorority, there is the expectation that sisters embody these characteristics. Pledges must meet the sisters’ expectation of an ideal women in order to gain access to sorority benefits. This may involve changing personal values to conform to their expectations. Only when the sisters approve, can access be granted to their social networking, philanthropy events, and sisterhood..
When I enter the Greek community I automatically assimilate to sexist gender roles. I find this very natural. I grew up in a patriarchal home, so the rules are not new to me. Sorority values of an ideal woman are similar to those that my parents fostered at home, explaining my ability to be so comfortable in that role. This also explains my habitual assimilation to gender roles and lack feminist response when I play into them. In my sorority sister identity I recognize the sexism, but it doesn’t trigger the feminist in me until after the fact.
I play at being a sister because I do not always embody their definition of the ideal women. But it is not until I challenge that definition that I consider myself playing my feminist identity.
5.16.2008
Table Tennis under Both Casual Play and Eco’s Theory of Spectator Sport
In America, people commonly have table tennis (also known as ping pong) tables in their basements for casual fun. This type of play encourages a general misconception that table tennis is just a game and not a true “sport” like basketball or soccer. What separates these two is the sense of competition. When playing table tennis, there is a feeling that winning or losing does not matter because it is simply a game for fun, whereas basketball proves a certain level of skill and ability. Before moving further, some of the word choices must be clarified. The term sport, as I have referred to it, is used under Umberto Eco’s sense of “spectator sport” while casual play of the game is what he describes as the noble “sport” (169). Although Eco adores the spirit of sport itself, spectator sports disgust him due to the emotion and passion they arouse in the audience and how they dehumanize the athletes. Unlike most people who enjoy table tennis solely as a casual game, I play the sport under both of Eco’s definitions.
Any serious spectator sport can be played for fun as a casual sport. According to Eco, sport is when a person “with no financial incentive, and employing his own body directly, performs physical exercises” (169). He describes this act as “very beautiful” (169). When I play table tennis every week, it is under these conditions. The goal of playing is to have fun socializing with friends, exercise the mind and body, and enjoy the intricacies of the game itself. After becoming familiar with table tennis, a sense of touch is developed for how the various shots feel. Topspin, sidespin, and backspin all have unique strokes and a different feeling. When playing the game for fun, there is freedom to explore the various possibilities and try out new strategies or shots that feel good. This innovation and choice of options is one aspect of the game that appeals to most players.
When played as a competitive sport, the goal of table tennis becomes winning just like any other spectator sport. From the transition of casual play to serious competition, much of the “beauty” that Eco admires is lost. As he describes it, “[contest] reduces excess action, but it is really a mechanism to neutralize action” (161). After playing in various competitions, I had realized that the best way to win was to choose my most reliable shots every time. My freedom of choice was sacrificed in exchange for the best chance of winning, and my strategy became whatever would give me the victory in the end. In this way, I became limited in my options. Playing in a major tournament recently, I can understand what Eco means by “professionals [are] subjected to tensions not unlike those of an assembly-line worker” (169). These workers are essentially robotic, working monotonously to become consistent and do their one specific task. In spectator sports, this is what athletes are trained to be, or as Eco puts it, “the raising of human beings dedicated to competition” (161). As a spectator sport, table tennis had become something different from just play to me. Instead of playing to enjoy the game, the priority of limiting myself to consistency for the sake of winning had taken over.
Although there is also winning and losing in casual play, there is nothing at stake. Once spectators are brought into consideration, there is much at line for the athletes. Playing in front of my team mates and the opponent’s parents, while simultaneously representing my school, led to a feeling that I had to prove my worth out there, which inevitably led to much pressure and nervousness. Although in my case, the concept of play cannot be applied to competitive spectator sports, they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Many professional athletes, whether for the enjoyment and fun of winning, or for the sake of their audience, must adhere to strict guidelines in order to stay at the top of what they do. They enjoy being put under the spotlight and these are what Eco describes as “monsters,” people who “turn [their] body into the seat and exclusive source of a continuous play” (161). These athletes play specifically to win and can excel under the pressure and stress involved with the sport.
Because of a lack of familiarity with the sport, table tennis is commonly seen as simply a game. However, it must be realized that any game, as long as there is some skill required, can be played as a competitive spectator sport. Even in the case of table tennis being played in a basement, if there is pride at stake then the game changes. Winning prioritizes the other factors in the game and the play mood changes. Fun in this case almost necessarily becomes a by-product of winning. Because skill dictates competitiveness, which is the main deciding factor in what spectator sport is other than physical activity, even video games and card games like poker have fallen under this category. This sense of casual play versus serious sport and the change in mindset of the players are encountered within most games. Perhaps with further exposure, table tennis will someday enjoy the same popularity that a mainstream sport like football does.
Works Cited
Eco, Umberto. Travels in Hyperreality. Trans. William Weaver. New York: Harcourt, 1986
Any serious spectator sport can be played for fun as a casual sport. According to Eco, sport is when a person “with no financial incentive, and employing his own body directly, performs physical exercises” (169). He describes this act as “very beautiful” (169). When I play table tennis every week, it is under these conditions. The goal of playing is to have fun socializing with friends, exercise the mind and body, and enjoy the intricacies of the game itself. After becoming familiar with table tennis, a sense of touch is developed for how the various shots feel. Topspin, sidespin, and backspin all have unique strokes and a different feeling. When playing the game for fun, there is freedom to explore the various possibilities and try out new strategies or shots that feel good. This innovation and choice of options is one aspect of the game that appeals to most players.
When played as a competitive sport, the goal of table tennis becomes winning just like any other spectator sport. From the transition of casual play to serious competition, much of the “beauty” that Eco admires is lost. As he describes it, “[contest] reduces excess action, but it is really a mechanism to neutralize action” (161). After playing in various competitions, I had realized that the best way to win was to choose my most reliable shots every time. My freedom of choice was sacrificed in exchange for the best chance of winning, and my strategy became whatever would give me the victory in the end. In this way, I became limited in my options. Playing in a major tournament recently, I can understand what Eco means by “professionals [are] subjected to tensions not unlike those of an assembly-line worker” (169). These workers are essentially robotic, working monotonously to become consistent and do their one specific task. In spectator sports, this is what athletes are trained to be, or as Eco puts it, “the raising of human beings dedicated to competition” (161). As a spectator sport, table tennis had become something different from just play to me. Instead of playing to enjoy the game, the priority of limiting myself to consistency for the sake of winning had taken over.
Although there is also winning and losing in casual play, there is nothing at stake. Once spectators are brought into consideration, there is much at line for the athletes. Playing in front of my team mates and the opponent’s parents, while simultaneously representing my school, led to a feeling that I had to prove my worth out there, which inevitably led to much pressure and nervousness. Although in my case, the concept of play cannot be applied to competitive spectator sports, they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Many professional athletes, whether for the enjoyment and fun of winning, or for the sake of their audience, must adhere to strict guidelines in order to stay at the top of what they do. They enjoy being put under the spotlight and these are what Eco describes as “monsters,” people who “turn [their] body into the seat and exclusive source of a continuous play” (161). These athletes play specifically to win and can excel under the pressure and stress involved with the sport.
Because of a lack of familiarity with the sport, table tennis is commonly seen as simply a game. However, it must be realized that any game, as long as there is some skill required, can be played as a competitive spectator sport. Even in the case of table tennis being played in a basement, if there is pride at stake then the game changes. Winning prioritizes the other factors in the game and the play mood changes. Fun in this case almost necessarily becomes a by-product of winning. Because skill dictates competitiveness, which is the main deciding factor in what spectator sport is other than physical activity, even video games and card games like poker have fallen under this category. This sense of casual play versus serious sport and the change in mindset of the players are encountered within most games. Perhaps with further exposure, table tennis will someday enjoy the same popularity that a mainstream sport like football does.
Works Cited
Eco, Umberto. Travels in Hyperreality. Trans. William Weaver. New York: Harcourt, 1986
Water Polo As “Play and War”: A Theoretical Analysis Through the Lens of Johan Huizinga
The theories of Johan Huizinga in his book, Homo Ludens, regarding play and war relate directly to many sports, specifically water polo. Water polo is a sport requiring physical and mental strength of a different caliber than all other sports. The concept of play in the game can similarly be compared to the international law that Huizinga speaks of on page 208 of Homo Ludens. Huizinga’s description of the supposed etiquette to be followed under international law governs most of our everyday lives. The main principles, for anything to be successful, Huizinga says, lay “outside the strict domain of law,” (pg. 208). Additionally, Huizinga “explicitly recognizes that the integrity of the system rests on a general willingness to keep to the rules,” (p. 208). This system for which international law is maintained is replicated and enforced for the sport of water polo in an all-to-similar fashion and is more formerly know as the NCAA 9-to-5 Drug Testing Policy (UC Berkeley, Department of Sports Medicine). This drug testing policy primarily serves as a guideline for the athletes with hope sustaining eligibility. Breaking any of the rules by using any of the banned substances results in a dismissal from the team and becoming ineligible. The similarities between this athletic policy and international law fall hand in hand as well with war. War in the international sense is the physical violence between two or more States. In the athletic sense, it is the physical competition one team faces with another. During water polo, often, play and war are closely related. The physicality, rules and code of conduct are what link the aspect of play in water polo to play and war.
The relationship between play and war, Huizinga says, “can be cruel and bloody and, in addition, can often be false play,” (p. 208). More importantly, however, his work describing archaic warfare as a noble game is also applicable to the sport of water polo due to the games development of such a prestigious and commendable set of rules and guidelines. The principles Huizinga speaks of (p. 208), when he perceives war as a noble game, are emulated for the foundation on which water polo is made. “Honour, decency, and good form,” are the play-rules that the noble game of war is based on. The expectations that men will fight with honor, fight with high morals, and fight by the rules. Once these play-rules have been broken, society, in this case water polo, “falls into barbarism and chaos,” (p. 210). In the context of a water polo game, when these play-rules have been broken, something called “clearing the bench,” happens. At this point, Huizinga says that, “the code of honour is flouted, the rules of the game are set aside, international law is broken, and all the ancient associations of war with ritual and religion are gone,” (p. 210). The relationship between play and war and the many meanings of the pair serves as an adequate tool for the in-depth analysis of a rigorous sport such as water polo.
Works Cited
• Huizinga, Jonah. Homo Ludens. Beacon Books, 1971.
• NCAA Drug Testing. Berkeley: UC Berkeley, 2007.
The relationship between play and war, Huizinga says, “can be cruel and bloody and, in addition, can often be false play,” (p. 208). More importantly, however, his work describing archaic warfare as a noble game is also applicable to the sport of water polo due to the games development of such a prestigious and commendable set of rules and guidelines. The principles Huizinga speaks of (p. 208), when he perceives war as a noble game, are emulated for the foundation on which water polo is made. “Honour, decency, and good form,” are the play-rules that the noble game of war is based on. The expectations that men will fight with honor, fight with high morals, and fight by the rules. Once these play-rules have been broken, society, in this case water polo, “falls into barbarism and chaos,” (p. 210). In the context of a water polo game, when these play-rules have been broken, something called “clearing the bench,” happens. At this point, Huizinga says that, “the code of honour is flouted, the rules of the game are set aside, international law is broken, and all the ancient associations of war with ritual and religion are gone,” (p. 210). The relationship between play and war and the many meanings of the pair serves as an adequate tool for the in-depth analysis of a rigorous sport such as water polo.
Works Cited
• Huizinga, Jonah. Homo Ludens. Beacon Books, 1971.
• NCAA Drug Testing. Berkeley: UC Berkeley, 2007.
Sport and Competition Involved With Starcraft
Starcraft as a Game and as a Sport in Comparison to Dog Fight
If asked to name a sport, a computer game may not be the first activity mentioned. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that a game is an amusement, delight, and fun. This is what a computer program like Starcraft is – a game. It can also start out as, or over time it may evolve into a sport. In Dog Fight, by Michael Swanwick and William Gibson, Deke decides to pick up the game of flying virtual planes. He steals the pieces to try it out. Over time, he gets more and more competitive. The game that he picks up becomes a sport to him. This essay shows that a computer game, Starcraft, by Blizzard Entertainment, is also a sport. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a sport is a pleasant pastime; entertainment or amusement; recreation, diversion. Although the definition of a sport is similar to game, the difference is the degree of competitive nature instilled with the play. Games lack the amount of competition that sports have.
Intensity of Game Night
Games are approached differently once they become a sport. People take in different aspects of a sport to get that edge above the opponent. At my dorm we have an official Game Night once a week in a set location. Last semester, it started as a bunch of games for most of us. It was once a week, and only a few people came with a really competitive nature, taking it as a sport. This semester the number of people who attend has grown and most of the people who attend approach game night with a more competitive nature. It is an opportunity for doing many things, including taking risks, but now there is more glory that comes with winning. Just as the simulation of planes started out as a game for Deke and then morphed in to an addiction, Game Night has become a key aspect of many students’ week. Games have a larger role in people’s lives. To most of the people at the event, this has become more of a Sport Night. Though there is only one night set out for Game Night, a person could find someone and a game just about any night, now. The Game Nights become game days, sometimes. One night went until twelve o’clock noon the next day. One of the more intense games is played mainly on Game night, though. Starcraft consists of around five to eight people connecting their computers together and competing. The people who play often get so involved their game that some don’t respond to others who talk while the game is going. All of their focus is devoted to the game. The people who play this game have gotten so good at it that some of the moves are not understandable to someone watching. A spectator commented that it was like they were having “a series of epileptic seizures”. Moving faster is better in this game, where as being able to barely move at all was better in Deke’s game. Despite the contrast, both are a status that players strive to achieve. There is another difference between the story of the people at Game Night and Deke’s; when someone wins, the person at Game Night still has friends. Deke pushed everyone away in his quest to become the best at his sport. After a game, we still have each other.
Nimu and Starcraft
Nimu is one person at game night that took the game even further as a sport. After completing his freshman year of college, he took a year off of school for it. He had a sponsor that paid him $6,000 every six months, paid monthly and he would compete about one a week. Nimu spent hours just mastering one move – to the point that he could do it with his eyes closed. Finally, he got to a point that both he and his sponsor decided that he couldn’t get any better and he stopped playing for his sponsor. He says some of it was the love of competition. He says that it was comparable to being able to fight without getting in trouble. He took the game of Starcraft beyond just an activity for fun – he played it competitively as a sport.
Death from playing Starcraft
Competition can be dangerous and even lethal. While talking about Starcraft, Professor Mark Griffiths says, “They are the types of games that completely engross the player. They are not games that you can play for [twenty] minutes and stop” Those people who were unaware of the others around them are one example of being engrossed by the game. People get distracted by these games and they may lose track of time. The desire to get better and the competitive drive get people to spend hours in games like this. A man, referred to as Lee and only twenty-eight years old, died while playing Starcraft. BBC News stated that the South Korean man had died after reportedly playing an online computer game for fifty hours with few breaks. He took short breaks only to go to the toilet and for short spurts of sleep. He collapsed and presumably died from heart failure. The intense need to be the best led to the death of this man. His intense desire to win led to the loss of his life. Deke lost everything in his life; Lee lost his life. Is the need for competition and to win really all that drives these players, or is there more to it? What is it that allows some players to stop sooner then others, that allow them to stop for necessary things like food and rest, and what is missing when people, like Lee, don’t stop at all?
If asked to name a sport, a computer game may not be the first activity mentioned. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that a game is an amusement, delight, and fun. This is what a computer program like Starcraft is – a game. It can also start out as, or over time it may evolve into a sport. In Dog Fight, by Michael Swanwick and William Gibson, Deke decides to pick up the game of flying virtual planes. He steals the pieces to try it out. Over time, he gets more and more competitive. The game that he picks up becomes a sport to him. This essay shows that a computer game, Starcraft, by Blizzard Entertainment, is also a sport. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a sport is a pleasant pastime; entertainment or amusement; recreation, diversion. Although the definition of a sport is similar to game, the difference is the degree of competitive nature instilled with the play. Games lack the amount of competition that sports have.
Intensity of Game Night
Games are approached differently once they become a sport. People take in different aspects of a sport to get that edge above the opponent. At my dorm we have an official Game Night once a week in a set location. Last semester, it started as a bunch of games for most of us. It was once a week, and only a few people came with a really competitive nature, taking it as a sport. This semester the number of people who attend has grown and most of the people who attend approach game night with a more competitive nature. It is an opportunity for doing many things, including taking risks, but now there is more glory that comes with winning. Just as the simulation of planes started out as a game for Deke and then morphed in to an addiction, Game Night has become a key aspect of many students’ week. Games have a larger role in people’s lives. To most of the people at the event, this has become more of a Sport Night. Though there is only one night set out for Game Night, a person could find someone and a game just about any night, now. The Game Nights become game days, sometimes. One night went until twelve o’clock noon the next day. One of the more intense games is played mainly on Game night, though. Starcraft consists of around five to eight people connecting their computers together and competing. The people who play often get so involved their game that some don’t respond to others who talk while the game is going. All of their focus is devoted to the game. The people who play this game have gotten so good at it that some of the moves are not understandable to someone watching. A spectator commented that it was like they were having “a series of epileptic seizures”. Moving faster is better in this game, where as being able to barely move at all was better in Deke’s game. Despite the contrast, both are a status that players strive to achieve. There is another difference between the story of the people at Game Night and Deke’s; when someone wins, the person at Game Night still has friends. Deke pushed everyone away in his quest to become the best at his sport. After a game, we still have each other.
Nimu and Starcraft
Nimu is one person at game night that took the game even further as a sport. After completing his freshman year of college, he took a year off of school for it. He had a sponsor that paid him $6,000 every six months, paid monthly and he would compete about one a week. Nimu spent hours just mastering one move – to the point that he could do it with his eyes closed. Finally, he got to a point that both he and his sponsor decided that he couldn’t get any better and he stopped playing for his sponsor. He says some of it was the love of competition. He says that it was comparable to being able to fight without getting in trouble. He took the game of Starcraft beyond just an activity for fun – he played it competitively as a sport.
Death from playing Starcraft
Competition can be dangerous and even lethal. While talking about Starcraft, Professor Mark Griffiths says, “They are the types of games that completely engross the player. They are not games that you can play for [twenty] minutes and stop” Those people who were unaware of the others around them are one example of being engrossed by the game. People get distracted by these games and they may lose track of time. The desire to get better and the competitive drive get people to spend hours in games like this. A man, referred to as Lee and only twenty-eight years old, died while playing Starcraft. BBC News stated that the South Korean man had died after reportedly playing an online computer game for fifty hours with few breaks. He took short breaks only to go to the toilet and for short spurts of sleep. He collapsed and presumably died from heart failure. The intense need to be the best led to the death of this man. His intense desire to win led to the loss of his life. Deke lost everything in his life; Lee lost his life. Is the need for competition and to win really all that drives these players, or is there more to it? What is it that allows some players to stop sooner then others, that allow them to stop for necessary things like food and rest, and what is missing when people, like Lee, don’t stop at all?
The Pleasure Point Tales
When the last stars are still bright in the sky and the moon hangs above the horizon, pilgrims pull out of their driveways and turn towards Mecca. Then, after the faithful few have performed their rituals, the unrelenting pounding energy is joined by the sound of voices. This devout group meets every morning in the spirit of play. The rapture these surfers experience in moments of pure play is comparable only to that of a religious experience. While this experience and its significance are necessarily unique for every individual, a community is formed from their common passion for the sport.
Unfortunately, as a college student I am unable to make my pilgrimage with these men every morning; however, I am lucky to be able to join this community on the occasional morning when the stress of tests and papers becomes too much and I feel the need to be realigned. When I am able to squeeze into my cold wetsuit, put on my left bootie and then my right, and race the others paddling out to the lineup, I am filled with hope and excitement. This overwhelming optimism stems not only from my anticipation of the waves to come, if they even do come that morning, but also from the hope that seeing this community brings me.
While it is the surf that brings all these men together, the community that is formed adds to the experience in such a way that the physical act of surfing almost becomes subordinate to the interactions of the community. This collective of men, who come from different professions and periods of their lives, is bound together by a passion. There are lawyers, cooks, realtors, computer programmers, professors, husbands, fathers, and bachelors –- and then there is myself, the disillusioned college student who is unsure of what he is doing with his life. Although we are all vastly different and often fiercely compete for a limited number of waves, between sets we share stories, ambitions, jokes and laughs. Every morning this modern day version of The Canterbury Tales creates a narrative in which a select few epic rides are remembered. Still, a majority of what is taken from the session are the lessons and moments that each of the surfers share.
The reason that this community brings me so much hope is that I know that anywhere my life takes me I will be able to drive down to the beach and find a group of people who set their alarms for well before the time the coffee turns on. While my religious trek may not be to the same right point break it is now, I know that the powerful meaning surfing provides for each surfer will unite my peers and me as a Shepard unites stray sheep and a flock. This is the beauty of surfing and the manifestation of the powerful community-forming ability of play.
Unfortunately, as a college student I am unable to make my pilgrimage with these men every morning; however, I am lucky to be able to join this community on the occasional morning when the stress of tests and papers becomes too much and I feel the need to be realigned. When I am able to squeeze into my cold wetsuit, put on my left bootie and then my right, and race the others paddling out to the lineup, I am filled with hope and excitement. This overwhelming optimism stems not only from my anticipation of the waves to come, if they even do come that morning, but also from the hope that seeing this community brings me.
While it is the surf that brings all these men together, the community that is formed adds to the experience in such a way that the physical act of surfing almost becomes subordinate to the interactions of the community. This collective of men, who come from different professions and periods of their lives, is bound together by a passion. There are lawyers, cooks, realtors, computer programmers, professors, husbands, fathers, and bachelors –- and then there is myself, the disillusioned college student who is unsure of what he is doing with his life. Although we are all vastly different and often fiercely compete for a limited number of waves, between sets we share stories, ambitions, jokes and laughs. Every morning this modern day version of The Canterbury Tales creates a narrative in which a select few epic rides are remembered. Still, a majority of what is taken from the session are the lessons and moments that each of the surfers share.
The reason that this community brings me so much hope is that I know that anywhere my life takes me I will be able to drive down to the beach and find a group of people who set their alarms for well before the time the coffee turns on. While my religious trek may not be to the same right point break it is now, I know that the powerful meaning surfing provides for each surfer will unite my peers and me as a Shepard unites stray sheep and a flock. This is the beauty of surfing and the manifestation of the powerful community-forming ability of play.
Rock Band’s Narrative
Adding a microphone and a mock drum set to Guitar Hero’s two guitar peripherals, Rock Band allows players to form a virtual band in the most advanced music game series to date. However, what truly sets Rock Band apart from its predecessors is its engaging story that makes even dreadful musicians feel like rock superstars.
The first step to creating a rock band within the game is to personalize the four band members—the guitarist, the bass player, the singer, and the drummer. Each player can customize their character’s name, appearance, hometown, and attitude, each of which plays a distinct role in the main story of the game. This feature of Rock Band is one of its innovations: previous music games like Guitar Hero force players to choose from a short list of pre-made characters, while Rock Band allows users to design characters modeled after themselves, helping to connect them to the story. The players must then name their band and designate their band’s hometown. Possibilities for hometowns range from Los Angeles or New York, to even foreign cities such as London and Paris. The band’s hometown represents the area where their first concerts will be played.
The main plot of the game simulates the desires of players to start a band and become legendary. Rock Band engages players in the story by starting them off as an inexperienced band that must play at small venues to gain renown. Users can connect with this simulation because they are, in real life, an inexperienced band that has no reputation (unless a real four person rock band played the game). To gain a reputation, the band must choose a set of songs to play for their first hometown concert. The only songs available to play are the easiest songs because the band is inexperienced, both in the game and in real life (again, most likely). However, after completing their first concert by hitting, singing, and strumming enough correct notes, the band in the game begins to deviate from reality. As the band plays more concerts, they are continually offered to play in new venues across the world. Some venues will reward the band with special items needed to play in their final concert—the “Endless Set List.” The band will collect, in this order: a van, a tour bus, “roadies,” a plane, a “sound guy,” bodyguards, a public relations firm, and a “Hall of Fame Induction.” As the band is rewarded with each item, the game plays a cut scene displaying how the item is going to be used and how the band is progressing. The band can then see which item they most need to collect next, which encourages them to play the game more. Noticing that the van allowed them to travel to a different city to play concerts, a band might become curious as to what acquiring the plane will allow them to do, which turns out to unlock concert venues internationally.
The primary effects of Rock Band’s story are that it encourages users to play the game more so that they develop their skills and makes them feel like they are becoming legendary rock stars. When these two effects are intertwined, they create a game that is engaging for its players. The story gives players a reason to remain attached to the game, and invites its players to further explore its capabilities by motivating them with more of the story if they play more. Not only do players feel like a real band, but they simultaneously watch a story unfold about a band that has risen from an unknown garage band to a Hall of Fame rock band. The only way that players can see the end of this story is by playing the game more.
Rock Band uses narrative as its main method of motivation for keeping players engaged with the game. Its lofty critical acclaim (Gamerankings) shows that people enjoy engaging in stories within games. The appeal in Rock Band of becoming a star through the simulation of mastering musical instruments plays directly to the fantasies of many people. Through Rock Band, players can experience this on a fantasy level without having to master the skills. This raises many questions to our society about how technology might be discouraging people to learn how to play musical instruments, as well as learn other skills that have detailed simulations.
Works Cited
MTV Games. Rock Band for Xbox 360. New York, NY. 2007.
“Rock Band.” Gamerankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/938870.asp. January 2008. May 11, 2008.
The first step to creating a rock band within the game is to personalize the four band members—the guitarist, the bass player, the singer, and the drummer. Each player can customize their character’s name, appearance, hometown, and attitude, each of which plays a distinct role in the main story of the game. This feature of Rock Band is one of its innovations: previous music games like Guitar Hero force players to choose from a short list of pre-made characters, while Rock Band allows users to design characters modeled after themselves, helping to connect them to the story. The players must then name their band and designate their band’s hometown. Possibilities for hometowns range from Los Angeles or New York, to even foreign cities such as London and Paris. The band’s hometown represents the area where their first concerts will be played.
The main plot of the game simulates the desires of players to start a band and become legendary. Rock Band engages players in the story by starting them off as an inexperienced band that must play at small venues to gain renown. Users can connect with this simulation because they are, in real life, an inexperienced band that has no reputation (unless a real four person rock band played the game). To gain a reputation, the band must choose a set of songs to play for their first hometown concert. The only songs available to play are the easiest songs because the band is inexperienced, both in the game and in real life (again, most likely). However, after completing their first concert by hitting, singing, and strumming enough correct notes, the band in the game begins to deviate from reality. As the band plays more concerts, they are continually offered to play in new venues across the world. Some venues will reward the band with special items needed to play in their final concert—the “Endless Set List.” The band will collect, in this order: a van, a tour bus, “roadies,” a plane, a “sound guy,” bodyguards, a public relations firm, and a “Hall of Fame Induction.” As the band is rewarded with each item, the game plays a cut scene displaying how the item is going to be used and how the band is progressing. The band can then see which item they most need to collect next, which encourages them to play the game more. Noticing that the van allowed them to travel to a different city to play concerts, a band might become curious as to what acquiring the plane will allow them to do, which turns out to unlock concert venues internationally.
The primary effects of Rock Band’s story are that it encourages users to play the game more so that they develop their skills and makes them feel like they are becoming legendary rock stars. When these two effects are intertwined, they create a game that is engaging for its players. The story gives players a reason to remain attached to the game, and invites its players to further explore its capabilities by motivating them with more of the story if they play more. Not only do players feel like a real band, but they simultaneously watch a story unfold about a band that has risen from an unknown garage band to a Hall of Fame rock band. The only way that players can see the end of this story is by playing the game more.
Rock Band uses narrative as its main method of motivation for keeping players engaged with the game. Its lofty critical acclaim (Gamerankings) shows that people enjoy engaging in stories within games. The appeal in Rock Band of becoming a star through the simulation of mastering musical instruments plays directly to the fantasies of many people. Through Rock Band, players can experience this on a fantasy level without having to master the skills. This raises many questions to our society about how technology might be discouraging people to learn how to play musical instruments, as well as learn other skills that have detailed simulations.
Works Cited
MTV Games. Rock Band for Xbox 360. New York, NY. 2007.
“Rock Band.” Gamerankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/938870.asp. January 2008. May 11, 2008.
Officiating as play? A personal reflection
The “formal characteristics of play” are nicely summed up in Johan Huizinga’s Homo Ludens, with fairly rigid criteria (13). The intramural flag football games that I participate in at night are a prime example of such play. My role in these games, however, despite the usual six hours a week I devote to them, belongs to a grey area of play. I am a paid referee for these games, someone who officiates and interprets the rules of the game to ensure safety and enjoyable play.
My position is loosely analogous to Geoffrey Chaucer’s Host character in The Canterbury Tales, the person who facilitates the game and creates the play environ. My fellow officials and I set up the field before every game, unlock all the doors to the field, and assign equipment and field positions to the teams. The scoring, the timing, and penalties are all enforced and carried out by either my fellow officials or me. My involvement in the game is crucial to the game and the players’ play. As often times when observing the scrimmages that occur after a forfeited game, which I am barred from officiating, the play reality of the football game deteriorates into real life verbal arguments about ball positions and score attempts. Was that a touch down? Didn’t the quarterback fumble the ball on the snap? Both are questions that have been asked of me, players pleading arbitration, despite the fact that I had already stated that I was not required to offer my opinion. A fluid play-space or reality is hard to come by without the proper referees, especially when it comes to flag football. Perspectives and the angle of views necessary to properly enforce the rules are impossible to standardize without a third objective party.
Referees are crucial to the play of players, crucial to the creation of the play environment of the football game. Is the act of officiating itself necessarily play though? It certainly is confined in the same physical space and reality as the players of the game are. The referee’s powers also only function within the play-reality; I have yet to successfully use my yellow flag to eject a student from a lecture hall for snoring near me during a lecture. There is no doubt that the officials must also follow the same rules of the game, despite a certain authority of interpretation, a referee cannot go against the rules written out in the rule book. I also regard officiating to be a free activity. Yes there is a paycheck every month, but with at most six working hours a week, officiating is hardly a source of disposable income to depend on. The money is more of a compensation for spending the time, not participating in the game in a more exciting and exhilarating role. With the issue of material gain partially put to rest, can officiating now be regarded as play? Asking a fellow referee for his opinion, he stated that money definitely was not an issue for him; he was doing it strictly “for fun”, to be able to “throw some flags and call some penalties”. Such an attitude indeed can be identified as play, as it takes my own thoughts to the next level, ignoring monetary compensation completely. However, even if it can be identified as play, can it be regarded as officiating anymore? Indeed, upon asking other referees who had worked with him, they said he was a bit too “flag-happy” and made the games unnecessarily long. This reduces the amount of playtime the players may play, despite completely being within the rules governing officiating. Another instance of such an overbalance of play-attitude is when officials, myself included, opt to officiate games that we know to be more exciting and spectacular. Such actions though, are always preceded by a caveat from the supervisor to not “watch the game” but instead “officiate the game”. Here there is a clear distinction between play as a spectator, watching the game, and watching for rule infractions and ball positions.
Certainly, there can be a play element in officiating, but then again, any activity can be turned to play. It is just a matter of whether or not the activity remains the activity upon adulterating it with a play attitude. In order to achieve the purest form of officiating, I believe all traces of play must be eliminated from the actions of the official. But as it is impossible for the human mind to do so when engaged in an activity with so many lures of play, a pure official is not possible. Thus theoretically officiating should not be play if done properly, but in reality officiating will always have the play elements and will always be to a degree, play for the official. It is now simply a matter of deciding which to set as the definition and answer, the theoretically possible but realistically impossible or the true reality of the matter. Of course, play must be separate from reality, and therein lies the paradox.
My position is loosely analogous to Geoffrey Chaucer’s Host character in The Canterbury Tales, the person who facilitates the game and creates the play environ. My fellow officials and I set up the field before every game, unlock all the doors to the field, and assign equipment and field positions to the teams. The scoring, the timing, and penalties are all enforced and carried out by either my fellow officials or me. My involvement in the game is crucial to the game and the players’ play. As often times when observing the scrimmages that occur after a forfeited game, which I am barred from officiating, the play reality of the football game deteriorates into real life verbal arguments about ball positions and score attempts. Was that a touch down? Didn’t the quarterback fumble the ball on the snap? Both are questions that have been asked of me, players pleading arbitration, despite the fact that I had already stated that I was not required to offer my opinion. A fluid play-space or reality is hard to come by without the proper referees, especially when it comes to flag football. Perspectives and the angle of views necessary to properly enforce the rules are impossible to standardize without a third objective party.
Referees are crucial to the play of players, crucial to the creation of the play environment of the football game. Is the act of officiating itself necessarily play though? It certainly is confined in the same physical space and reality as the players of the game are. The referee’s powers also only function within the play-reality; I have yet to successfully use my yellow flag to eject a student from a lecture hall for snoring near me during a lecture. There is no doubt that the officials must also follow the same rules of the game, despite a certain authority of interpretation, a referee cannot go against the rules written out in the rule book. I also regard officiating to be a free activity. Yes there is a paycheck every month, but with at most six working hours a week, officiating is hardly a source of disposable income to depend on. The money is more of a compensation for spending the time, not participating in the game in a more exciting and exhilarating role. With the issue of material gain partially put to rest, can officiating now be regarded as play? Asking a fellow referee for his opinion, he stated that money definitely was not an issue for him; he was doing it strictly “for fun”, to be able to “throw some flags and call some penalties”. Such an attitude indeed can be identified as play, as it takes my own thoughts to the next level, ignoring monetary compensation completely. However, even if it can be identified as play, can it be regarded as officiating anymore? Indeed, upon asking other referees who had worked with him, they said he was a bit too “flag-happy” and made the games unnecessarily long. This reduces the amount of playtime the players may play, despite completely being within the rules governing officiating. Another instance of such an overbalance of play-attitude is when officials, myself included, opt to officiate games that we know to be more exciting and spectacular. Such actions though, are always preceded by a caveat from the supervisor to not “watch the game” but instead “officiate the game”. Here there is a clear distinction between play as a spectator, watching the game, and watching for rule infractions and ball positions.
Certainly, there can be a play element in officiating, but then again, any activity can be turned to play. It is just a matter of whether or not the activity remains the activity upon adulterating it with a play attitude. In order to achieve the purest form of officiating, I believe all traces of play must be eliminated from the actions of the official. But as it is impossible for the human mind to do so when engaged in an activity with so many lures of play, a pure official is not possible. Thus theoretically officiating should not be play if done properly, but in reality officiating will always have the play elements and will always be to a degree, play for the official. It is now simply a matter of deciding which to set as the definition and answer, the theoretically possible but realistically impossible or the true reality of the matter. Of course, play must be separate from reality, and therein lies the paradox.
Sacrifice in Water Polo: What Stories an Individual Game Tells
To the outside observer the premier league game I participated in two weeks ago was just a standard water polo game and the only story told was that of the actual game. One team won by six goals and the various individual statistics tell the story of what happened in the game, but on a much deeper level they tell the stories of the players lives. For example in the 3rd quarter one player had two goals on consecutive counter attacks, to the outside observer this may be nothing more than an exciting moment in the game but to that player and his teammates, they know that for the entire semester they have been up at 5:45 am every single day and doing brutal swim sets and scrimmages so they can be faster and more conditioned than the other teams, and when that player scored those two goals he knew that all of his sacrifice was paying off and it had been worth it. It is moments like this in a game where all of a player’s doubts of whether or not all the sacrifice was worth it are erased, they may come back after the game but at that one perfect moment of ultimate success it is all worth it and that is what motivates the player to keep conditioning and breaking themselves down year after year, because they want to reach that moment of glory again. It’s almost an addiction, to the player at the collegiate and international level, the game is not played just for fun anymore, in fact for most they don’t consider it fun at all. This raises the question if all these players aren’t having fun then why are they still playing, the answer is that they can’t find the moment of true satisfaction anywhere else and to them there is nothing more sweet than to know you outworked and are more talented than the opposition. It is a sort of validation for the lifestyle of the high level athlete, and it makes everything else bad in that person’s life go away.
In reality every player knows that glory is fleeting and soon he will be standing on the deck again before the sun has risen while the rest of the world comfortably sleeps and he will again wonder if its all worth it and how nice it would be just to be a normal college student. But then they remember the glory and they know that most of those other people will never even know the feeling of having true validation for your life happen in one moment, let alone attain it.
So, two simple counter attack goals in a low key weekend premier league game may mean nothing to anyone but the individual who scored them, and over time those goals will start to run together with other goals in the individuals mind and lose meaning. But until the next moment of glory those are what keep the player going, and keep him from giving up. Everyone knows that they can’t play forever, sooner or later your body will finally give out for good or you just won’t be good enough to reach the next level, but in order to avoid giving up your life and your dreams prematurely, you need hope. Hope for me came in the form of those two goals, they kept me going throughout the next week of awful conditioning, when my body told me to quit during practice, I was able to smile and think of the goals in the third quarter of a game that essentially meant nothing and know that I could never quit, not with more goals left to score.
This leads to the question, does this thinking keep people going just at high level sports or is this what keeps people from giving up in life? Is our desire to be the best inherent in all humans, or is this why some people are more successful than others because they have this desire?
In reality every player knows that glory is fleeting and soon he will be standing on the deck again before the sun has risen while the rest of the world comfortably sleeps and he will again wonder if its all worth it and how nice it would be just to be a normal college student. But then they remember the glory and they know that most of those other people will never even know the feeling of having true validation for your life happen in one moment, let alone attain it.
So, two simple counter attack goals in a low key weekend premier league game may mean nothing to anyone but the individual who scored them, and over time those goals will start to run together with other goals in the individuals mind and lose meaning. But until the next moment of glory those are what keep the player going, and keep him from giving up. Everyone knows that they can’t play forever, sooner or later your body will finally give out for good or you just won’t be good enough to reach the next level, but in order to avoid giving up your life and your dreams prematurely, you need hope. Hope for me came in the form of those two goals, they kept me going throughout the next week of awful conditioning, when my body told me to quit during practice, I was able to smile and think of the goals in the third quarter of a game that essentially meant nothing and know that I could never quit, not with more goals left to score.
This leads to the question, does this thinking keep people going just at high level sports or is this what keeps people from giving up in life? Is our desire to be the best inherent in all humans, or is this why some people are more successful than others because they have this desire?
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