Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Week 1 Topic 2: Second Skin





I thought this weeks video “Second Skin” was interesting and did a good job of showing us what a “gamers” life is like. Although, it did focus on a particular style of online gaming, MMORPG’s which are very popular but not the only online video games by any means. The people in the video seem to gravitate towards these games to “escape the real world,” which is no different than watching a show like “Game of Thrones” or reading a book like “Twilight.” What seems to set them apart from your average video game player, movie buff, or bookworm is how much of their “real” life their willing to spend playing it. I play video games, probably more than your average 32 year old male, but I don’t “pee in jars” or spend my work vacation days on gaming. In the two Jane McGonigal videos queued this week, it shows how much video games may be able to cure some of the world’s problems and after seeing how dedicated these gamers are, I see the possibility, but we need to stop fighting Orcs in the Fairy Forest and start solving more molecular puzzles.
Some of the things the “Second Skin” video showed, I can definitely relate to, like the excitement of getting a new game that you know is going to be great. As a teenager, I stayed up for hours playing video games with friends and these memories are some of my favorites. However, I did not stand in a line for hours to get my game and I also used the bathroom to drain my bodily fluids. Those are things I cannot relate to.

Another thing that I think many people/gamers relate to, is the fact that many of these people have social anxieties or have a hard time making friends. For some of these people, it is the only way they can be their real self, in the sense that they can say what they truly feel and not have to worry about what others think. I’ve lived in Oregon for three years and I still don’t have any “real friends” other than my roommate who I moved here with. So I can relate to some of these people. In my case, I just don’t trust people and I believe that my days in the military have something to do with that.

Although I play video games often, I do not play online games for many reasons. I remember when online games first came out, and the first one I played was “Diablo” for the PC back in 1997. The game was fun offline, but online, it sucked. People seemed to love waiting by the door of the first dungeon and killing people who just started the game. I've played “Call of Duty” or “Halo” but they’re very repetitive and “point gun and shoot” games just don’t do it for me. I play offline video games because I think the stories, game play, and replay value of them are far better than crushing candy or chopping fruit. However, one of my favorite things to do is play old Nintendo games with a friend… that’s actually in the room with you.










Topic 1 Week 1


My name is Rex Betterly and I’m a disabled veteran who goes to school full-time. I’m currently at LBCC because I like the small class setting, but sometime in the near future, I will transfer to WOU. I plan to earn my teaching certification in Oregon and hopefully teach physical education at the middle school level (6-8). Although, I realize that gym teaching jobs aren’t the easiest to come by, so I also want to teach other subjects and even at an alternative school. I think that secondary or as it was called in my day, middle school is where I would fit best for any subject I plan to teach. History or Social Studies, Writing, Health, Science are some of the subjects I’m interested in teaching.

The thing I’m most interested in learning about the media is why social media via internet, phone, or even online gaming taken over people’s lives. I rarely, if ever, use social media, so this class may help me understand why people are so submerged in it. I currently have four friends on Facebook and they’re all family, so it’s obvious that I don’t use it very often. However, for someone to have over a thousand friends seems very artificial to me, for I’m not sure I know a thousand people to be friends with. After watching an episode or two of MTV’s Catfish, I found that my profile on Facebook would be considered to be fake because I have very few pictures and a low friend count. Pair that with the fact that I’m not on any other social media platform and my name doesn’t show up on anything in a Google search, I would be a prime candidate for being a catfish. I’m not a catfish, but it is crazy to assume someone may be, if they have a small number of friends on some social media site. I’d like to understand why it’s so important for me to spend my day on a website to make virtual friends. I don’t hate social media, but I definitely don’t understand it and I hope this class will help me do just that.


Something I’m very passionate about is the sports teams I root for. I did not grow up in Oregon and only moved here 3 years ago from Wisconsin. Being in the military, I’ve lived in a few states but spent most of my life in Wisconsin. Personally I don’t believe that I chose to be a Green Bay Packer fan, I believe that I was born one. In Wisconsin, football is about all we have and we are very proud of what we have. I watch every game and my blood pressure is through the roof until they get a little bit of a lead, then I’m sure it regulates a little. Last year’s NFC Championship game left me with nightmares, but after last Sunday night, I feel a little better to know we got a little revenge on the local favorite Seattle Seahawks. I’m also a big Milwaukee Bucks fan and I hope they stay in Milwaukee. I love their new logo and colors and they got a good young team but it would hurt badly if they relocated to Las Vegas or Seattle like the media reports.