Rock band-ed all day yesterday. Also played RE5 and Fatal Frame with Joyce, Justina and sharon.
In rock band, that game just manages to get your brain all screwed up.
Me: Hey, if the song is too hard and you can't find the pause button on your instrument, just scream PAUSE and one of us will come to your rescue. -Song begins- -After 20seconds into the song- Joyce: GWWWAAAAWWWKKK!!! PAUSE!!!
Apparently "pause" was a lil difficult for her to say.
Urhmm, I also said something. But ah, don't have to remember that. Laaaa di daa di daaa~~
Guess what I am gonna talk about? One of the hottest debates and controversial topics now: Gaming and Violence.
Over and over, articles on the Straits Times or whatsoever newspaper, over the years have been constantly reporting that violent video-games lead to real-life violence and they back it up with a few major examples like the Virginia Tech Massacre of 2007 or closer to the heart cases such as the NTU professor stabbing incident, SAF officer goes MIA and a rape of a 10 year old. So quickly and seemingly without any further thought and evaluation, the media immediately shoves the blame onto Video Games. Why am I not surprised? I mean, doing something like that would definitely cause an uproar in the realm of the controversial and boom readership, no?
So yeah according to them it goes like this:
The MMORPG World of Warcraft makes youth stab their professors. (NTU)
WoW causes a person to leave the military and run off to self-exile. (SAF)
AuditionSEA turns you into a paedophile.
Yeah... IF that's the case, shouldn't there be more of such cases? I mean WoW is one of the most played online game across the globe. It holds 62% of shares on the MMORPG market. Then shouldn't we have more dead professors and military leavers? Audition Online has currently has 300 million players worldwide(source from wiki). Then paedophilia should be more rampant. Am I missing something? Cause apparently that's what newspapers are saying.
Violence has existed before the creation of the First video Game. Or are you meaning to tell me the Nazis played Castle Wolfenstein which caused the annihilation of 6 million jews? Was the 100 year war between France and England a result of playing too much Age of Empires? Why then when the violence which happens now, blamed so quickly on video games?
Before video games, violence was blamed on music, movies and television shows. Why? Is it because we need to blame something? The human spirit can't shoulder the blame of the problem that we have created ourselves? Isn't a human's most basic natural instinct: Fight to survive? What, are you telling me that was the result of playing video games?
Okay, there has been research shown that violent video games can lead to aggressive behaviour. But isn't that a normal human, unconcious/sub-conscious, reaction? For example, watching Barney and Friends would invoke a more peaceful, harmonious feeling which leaves the audience feeling pleasant after the show while watching Hannibal would lead to aggressive thoughts. Or a more primitive example is getting scolded and getting praised. Which would result in a more positive reaction? If you're saying that because violent video games can lead to aggressive tendencies which may result in something detrimental, then we should prevent it by not allowing those games to be played. Then I ask you, means if getting scolded leads to a more negtive reaction which could possibly lead to unwanted reactions, and to prevent it, scolding should be stopped?
And since violent video games could lead to aggressive behaviour and should not be allowed, then what about real-like games like Laser Tag or Paintball?
And if we ban video games, how about the other games like "Guitar Hero" or "The Sims"?
Then some would say that video games even though might not lead to the violence, but are a WASTE OF TIME. I wince everytime I see that. I wonder if people who declared that have ever played any games past windows Solitaire? Games now are not that simple anymore. It is no more the "run, shoot, kill, survive" type of gameplay but now more and more games have the "effect of your actions" element. Games now have a more emotional storyline. It reaches further into a gamers inner self, probing at our moral values and emotions. It is not because we are obsessed geeks with no life, it's because games have managed to draw our very being into it.
I have been playing video games since 5. My first game ever played was on a windows 95 called "mother goose". I'd sneak to use the computer to finish the game over and over, faster each time. My parents then got for me a NES console. I've played the very old Contra, Motocross and Starship battles. I then went on and got a gameboy. Which I played fighting games such as Real About Special. By 10, I was addicted to video games on gameboys and computers. Fastforward to now, at 18 years I am still playing video games, both violent and not. My whole life since young till now has mostly revolved around video games. If what the controvery about violent video games = real life violence, I should be already either imprisoned or dead.
I do like violent video games. Even though I've played so much, I still cringe at blood and massive gore. IMHO, I think violent video games allow me to see what the World could have been if we were violent, an experience which I would not wish to live through in reality.
I kinda realized why I really enjoy rock band. Besides the atmosphere where everyone picks up a plastic instrument and plays to a favourite song, I like Rock Band cause it has GREAT SONGS. Many of my current ipod songs are because of influences of Rb.
Usually I'd hate metal. Really hate the screaming and hard rock. But I realized, because of Rock band, that metal songs are usually songs that are the most meaningful. No lyrics that have blond guys singing "Don't leave me, I beg you, Love of my life" or whatsoever, but instead, they have lyrics like "Life is Beautiful"
By Sixx Am.
I usually really hate hard rock. Cause it's usually just noise to me. But... but. This song is just awesome.
Met up with Ade and Joyce yesterday to play Rock Band and Resident Evil 5.
Don't you hate it when your brain and your mouth don't click? Or whatever you say just isn't correct? Isn't it frustrating?
Situation 1: Me: Joyce, just stop playing your Ratchase. Joyce: -corrects- Mousehunt. (some game on facebook)
Situation 2: Ade: Eww! I'm playing as Sheva? Me: Yeah but it's not the same Sheva as the one in Resi...I mean Fatal...UGH! I MEAN FINAL FANTASY!
Situation 3: Ade: Eh same as your game... that Medal of Honour. (This game does exist though. But didn't entice me to buy) Me: -corrects- Gears of War.
Situation 4: Ade: Oh, it's Jill! From Regident.... I mean Resident
Situation 5: This was just a bloody jinx. -while playing RE5- Ade: Oh we have to protect him from the zombies again. Me: That's fine as long as there isn't a chain.... -hears chainsaw- BRRRRZZZZZ Ade: You jinx. Me: Brillant.
Hahahahaha. We got the song "Time is Running Out" stuck in our head cause of Rock Band.
I'm playing the Sims 2. All that talk about Sims 3 made me wanna play it.
I am glad RE5 came to the xbox. Means I can play it without bleeding out another $600.
That's Chris and Sheva on the cover. You're gonna play as them (duh).
In the opening, you get treated to this beak-face guy and his torture of some African. (Feel the racism coming, people).
I haven't finished the game yet cause Sheva got aggravating. I WANT THE RESIDENT EVIL 4 GAMEPLAY BACK/STYLE BACK. Actually everything's about the same as RE4, the way zombies charge towards you, how they react to a gunshot, die and the SFX is almost the same as its predecessor. However there are also stuff from RE4 not in RE5. Sigh...
I miss the merchant from RE4 and his strange accent.
I miss the inventory system where you adjust the positioning of your items according to the grids. (Of course I miss that blond guy called Leon down there.)
I miss not having a partner whose AI makes you scream "WHAT THE F**K, SHEVA?! DON'T BLOCK MY WAY / STOP USING AMMO FASTER THAN RUNNING WATER / STOP SHOOTING ME, BITCH!"
Anyway, Resident Evil 5 also starts off the first chapter intense by having you run away from this, what they call, Executioner and a bunch of African "zombies" for like 10 mins till help comes.
RE4 had you fighting off this chainsaw guy(bottom) along with Spanish "zombies" till the church bell rings.
RE5: They should seriously take away the healing-spray action. It looks like you're using deodorant to heal yourself. It's really strange. RE4 had nothing of that sort.
From 1up.com: Sheva and deodorant-healing spray don't go along well.
So many games. So little time.
15/03/08: I am the faction master of Fighters Guild, Magicians Guild and The Darkbrother Hood in TES: Oblivion(Xbox 360) I sound like a geek.
Yep that's all I wanted to say. I've been watching too many shows with Butlers as the main theme and all of them are cool. Sigh. I want one. Omg does anyone have a butler in Singapore? Sounds too western for us. >.< My inspirations(for a lack of a better expression)
Although he was the antagonist of the show. OMG WHITENESS!!!! -sings-Ahhhhhhh~~
The good guy. Looks mediocre to the one above.
Ahhh.... I sound like a geek.
Okay enough Janice, it's just a phase, just a phase.
BUT I STILL WANT TO KEEP A MONKEY AND THAT ISN'T A PHASE.
I don't know why I'm blogging when I have my common tests BUT I felt like I had to get some stuff out of my system.
Firstly: SOMEONE CALL THE GHOSTBUSTERS PLEASE. Yeah that's bloody spooky. Sharon's house is haunted by a samurai spirit.
To prove that it was not because of some samuarai amour:
Sharon and I are hoping that there might be a possibilty that Sharon's part japanese and that's some ancestral spirit GUARDING the place and not some evil poltergeist wanting to chase the Seng family out.
SHARON AND I HAVE PASSED A LEVEL CHINESE!!! WHOO!!! ＼（＾∀＾）メ（＾∀＾）ノ A CELEBRATION IS A MUST. (of course not at sharons house due to THAT)
Anyways, when I saw a PASSING MARK, not telling what, on my result sheet I called my sister and she invited me over for some SUSHI!!! YAAAAAYYYY. At her house was when IRONY STRUCK. -note that my sister went skydiving in Australia last year- Convo: Me: Hey Jie, will you pierce another earhole? Jie: No?! I've grown past the age where you do wild and adventurous stuff. I'm too old for all that. Jiayi: Yeah... at this age, we jump off planes instead.
Can't wait for common test to be over. I wanna play my Resident Evil 5. The top of my black xbox is turning very white. =X
Yeah I watched Spectacular! cause movies with music in it always interest me. It INTERESTS me. Doesn't equate to me LIKING it. Like I'm interested in High School Musical but I'm not a fan of it. Point set? Don't tell me I should be studying cause I know and I feel damn guilty.
Anyway. Review of the movie: [Lots of contrast to HSM cause that's the closest movie that Spectacular can link to] What I Liked: THERE IS TALENT. There is raw talent of the cast in the movie in comparison to HSM. I'm betting that many of the backup cast are already in professional jobs. Like Caspian is most probably already in some musical theatre group cause a voice like that is not easy to find off the street. The credentials of the main cast overshadow those of HSM. At least 2 of them were actually theatre performers so you can expect better quality singing and performing than HSM. You should listen to one of Nolan Gerard Funk's song and immediately contrast it to Zac Efron's. Mega OUCH.
The songs are done extremely well too. The songs which were sang by more than 2 people are very very well harmonized. Listen to "Something to Believe in" and contrast it to "We're All in This Together". The former has a nice balance and mix of male/female voices which blends nicely together, while the latter just sounds like the whole stadium just singing together.
The dances? They look more professionally cheorographed. Especially the one's done by Ta-Da. (Of course this is in comparison to HSM). Also, Spectacular seemed to have gone an extra mile in finding talent. Like the performance part, there's this section where you can see a guy doing ballet. Sharon was commenting that "his form is perfect".
What I didn't Like: Okay yeah, the story did not have that much developement cause it seemed rushed. It was just a revelation one after another in a quick sequence to the audience that it doesn't leave you fulfilled. The build up to the main conflict wasn't that significant. It came and went too fast. Also, the problems were solved far too easily. There were no consequence to a character's bad decision or a problem. It just passes and everyone forgets it so simply. That just didn't leave any lasting impressions on me. HSM beats Spectacular here cause there's this cliched build up that the audience can absorb slowly before the main conflict of the movie. But then again, Disney's movies never go out of this cliched romance guideline for most of their shows. Whilst on the other hand, Nickelodeon doesn't seem to want to conform to that. I guess Disney's better at reaching out to audiences and relating to the child in everyone which makes HSM a more appealing movie to the masses.
Over all? If you're very critical about movie productions and music, Spectacular seems to win. Appeal/Storywise: HSM wins hands down.
