Gamer Girl

I love video games. I always have, and I always will. Ever sense I was young, I've loved to play video games. I even come from a family of gamers: My mom, dad, and sister all play video games. But being a girl who games can be hard. For starters, I'm one of two girls in my class of 65 people who play video games in their free time. And by video games, I mean computer or console, not mobile games like Candy Crush. Second, none of the boys in my class who game can seem to relate to me, because we don't play the same games. most of them play games like Fortnite, while I'm more interested in story-rich RPG games, such as Iconoclasts. Third, the fact that I prefer games that aren't violence centered seems to contribute to a stereotype about female games. But I'll always love playing video games.

I was first introduced to video games around the age of two. Me and my sister would play educational video games like Pajama Sam, Freddi Fish, and Putt-Putt. We would sit together, me, my sister, and my mom, and we would play for hours. Then, when I was five, our whole family started playing games together on our PS3.
We started by playing Little Big Planet together, a video game centered around imagination with an option for up to four players. Every night, we would go downstairs and play until I had to go to sleep. Sometimes, if I couldn't go to sleep, I'd go downstairs at around midnight to find my parents still trying over and over again to finish a level without dying. We would also play one player games like Ni No Kuni, Portal 2, and Ratchet and Clank, and just switch off who got to play. However, my sister was very possessive of the controller when it came to Ratchet and Clank. Then, when I was six or seven, I started playing games with just my sister. We replayed games like Little Big Planet, Ni No Kuni, and Portal 2, and also played new games, like Little Big Planet 2 and Puppeteer. Then, when I was about ten, we got a PS4, and we played some new games, both as a family, and just me and my sister. We played games like Tearaway, Unravel, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Little Big Planet 3. Then, when I was 11 or 12, we got a PS VR headset for Christmas. On it, we played games like Moss, Eagle Flight, and Thumper. We also got a Nintendo switch last year, and me and my sister play Mario Odyssey and Snipperclips. Throughout my life, video games have been a special bond between me and my family. We play games together as a way to connect with one another. It's something that we all enjoy.

"Video games foster the mindset that allows creativity to grow" - Nolan Bushnell

I also play games on my computer. I enjoy playing games that are story rich, with well thought out plots, backstory, and characters. I have played a lot of games and recommended a lot of them to my friends, such as Iconoclasts, Rakuen, Undertale, Don't Starve, and OneShot. All of these games are well thought out and interesting to play, with immersive plot and relatable characters. I enjoy RPG games where I can really connect with the main character. Unfortunately, most people see gaming for boys, and that if girls do game, they like cute, mindless games. And the stereotype goes both ways - boys supposedly only enjoy violent games. People seem to look at me sideways when I jump into a conversation about a game that I've played or seen. Sometimes, though, me and my friends can talk about games without judgement.  I have recommended many of my favorite computer games to my friends, three of which are guys, and whenever one of them plays it, they usually enjoy the games that I've recommended. Yes, I'm a girl, and yes, I don't enjoy violent games, but video games shouldn't be looked at like a mindless way to pass time, or an evil, violence inspiring tool of destruction, it should be looked at as a way to connect with people. A way to tell a story, to share an idea. They should be able to be enjoyed by all people, of any age and all genders.

Image credit:
https://www.amazon.com/Dualshock-Wireless-Controller-Charcoal-Black/dp/B005MMFIOO
https://leviathyn.com/2018/02/26/5-coolest-facts-las-gaming-scene/

Video Games: Behind the Scenes

Ahh, video games. From space invaders to Fortnite, they’re all around us. On your phone, your computer, and maybe even on your console if you have one. The point is, they’re everywhere! And today, I’m gonna take you behind the scenes.

If you don’t already know, (the odds are you probably don’t) I like to make video games. I use the Unity game engine and the C# programming language to make them. Here is a snippet of some of my code:

void Update () {

   time += Time.deltaTime;

   string minutes = Mathf.Floor ((time % 3600) / 60).ToString ("00");

   string seconds = ((time % 60)).ToString ("00");

   string milliseconds = (Mathf.Round ((time % 1) * 100) / 100).ToString();

   milliseconds = milliseconds.Substring (2, milliseconds.Length - 2);

   timerText.text = minutes + ":" + seconds + "." + milliseconds;

}

It looks like a bunch of random words, and I know it did for me at the start. Before I started making games with unity or processing, (another programming application) I was making games with Scratch. I used to think that actual computer programming was just ones and zeroes, as many people do, but I am here to tell you right now that it’s not. You use a programming language, such as Java, Python, or C++, to tell the computer commands, but like it’s through google translate. You take your code in your programming language, and the programming language turns that into binary for the computer to process. Honestly, programming is much easier than it looks. Luckily, a lot of game engines have tools to use so that you don’t have to start from scratch.

For example, Unity provides a physics engine for you, so that you don’t have to implement it yourself. We’ve been talking about Unity for a while, but what exactly is it? Well, unity is a game engine. Oh, you don't know what that is either? Well, a game engine is a program that you use to make a game. It provides all of the rendering (the drawing of the game), and sometimes things like physics. A lot of games are made with game engines. Games made with unity include Cuphead, Monument Valley 2, and Cities Skylines (man I would like to see the source code). I have been developing with unity for about 2 years. In these two years, I have made many prototypes, and only published 2 games, which were for game jams. (game jams are basically: make a game in 72 hrs, sorta like the 48-hour film project). I can tell you from experience that actually working on a game for a long time is very hard. You get demotivated, and it’s always really tempting to start over. Especially if you are working on the project alone. But all through all of my give-ups and start-overs, I have learned a lot about unity. I’ve even used it for a school project. So here is my process for making games:

STEP 1: The Idea

This might seem like the easiest step, but coming up with game ideas is hard. Normally I come up with mine after going on a trip of some sort. Here is a tip: WRITE YOUR IDEAS DOWN! You WILL forget them!

STEP 2: The Framework

Now is the time to pop into unity, and to get some basic ideas working. This would be your basic platformer script, your inventory manager, and all your other basic scripts. Here is a tip: Get as much scripting done as you can in this step, so you don’t have to do it later.

STEP 3: The Looks

This is the step to add your art and all of your sounds. Draw up all your sprites and compose your music.

STEP 4: The Build

Now it’s finally time to start making levels and making items. Design all of your levels and put in your dialogue

STEP 5: The Mental Challenge

Don’t give up! You’re almost there to completion!

STEP 6: The Testing

Give the game to your friends and see what they think of it! Let them give you feedback and implement what you want.

STEP 7: The Finishing Touches

Add the last little things, maybe some of your friend’s suggestions.

STEP 8: POST IT!

Use itch, steam, or some other program to share your game online, and let other people give you feedback as well

STEP 9: Repeat!

Take what you learned from the last project and use it in your new project, and start the process over again.

And there you have it. My game making process. Before I go, here are some of my game making traditions:

The J-Hack

Making dev cheats is a great way to test your game further. My personal favorite tool to use is by pressing the J key to initiate whatever cheat you use. This tradition initiated when I first implemented it on scratch.

Fill in the Dummy Text

If a text doesn’t have anything in it because it will be set by a script, fill it in for something funny!

That is all I have to say for my game making process. Check out some of these links before you go!

Itch.io page (where I post my games): https://doubleblack-studios.itch.io/

Official Unity Website: unity3d.com

Game making youtubers:

∟ Blackthornprod: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Z1XWw1kmnvOOFsj6Bzy2g

∟ Brackeys: https://www.youtube.com/user/Brackeys

Image Credits:
 ∟ C# logo: https://www.pluralsight.com/paths/csharp
 ∟ Unity Logo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unity_Technologies_logo.svg

Comment Prompt: What does the sample script snippet mean?

How PCs are the Ultimate Gaming Machine, and Consoles are Misleading

Video Games. One of the most profitable, and most popular forms of entertainment. A form of media where the most different of people can sit down and have a good time. However, nothing can be without controversy, and the catch of gaming is that before you play, you have to choose a console. Most people just blindly buy a PlayStation or Xbox just because they've the names in advertisements, and while I do admit that once described me, I have discovered that PCs are ultimately superior in every way. But why have so many people fallen into the trap of console gaming? How can so many people be oblivious to all the wasted dollars they're throwing down the drain?

                                                                                                                                                        This all boils down to anti-consumerist companies such as Sony, Microsoft, and Apple spreading false information. I won't go too in-depth into Apple, because that has already been covered by Kamran's blog, Is Apple Scamming You?. "How are those companies anti-consumerist?" you might be asking, "They bring powerful gaming at lower prices." This is exactly what these companies want you to think. You see, this is what Microsoft and Sony do,they pander to the majority of gamers. Casual players who don't want to be spending too much. They lure you in with shiny plastic buttons, and trick you into thinking this is "powerful gaming", when a GTX 760, a $150 graphics card card from 3 years ago, can out preform the Xbox one S, and the PlayStation 4 Pro, both new consoles that have only been released a few months ago

Source: CyberPowerPC.com

One of the ugliest truths of console gaming is the joke that is premium memberships. Sadly, I first learned about this just after I forked over my last twenty dollars. Basically, as multiplayer games such as Call of Duty, and Battlefield became increasingly more popular, consoles saw this, and starting charging players $10 a month ($120 a year) to play their favorite games online. While this service is completely free on PC, console gamers see no problem with this, even going as far as to defend this obvious scam, saying that money is being used properly maintaining the servers. News flash, servers don't cost anything for the companies making the consoles anymore. Companies such as Blizzard or Activision handle the servers for their games.

It is believed that consoles have more exclusives, and PCs just get the salty backwash of games that are already on Xboxes and PlayStations. This is quite the opposite, actually, as PCs have hundreds, maybe even thousands more than consoles could even dream of, and most of the time they're of a higher quality than your average Halo clone. Games on PC are also much cheaper, with services such as Steam having huge sales very frequently. Just last month I bought Just Cause 3 for $10 (normally $40). Not to mention, games on PCs drop in price much quicker, whereas console games usually linger above $40 for about a year. This doesn't even include bundles. A new way of purchasing games on PC, bundles allow you to pay a single dollar to get upwards of ten different games. I can't even count the amount of money I've saved using sites like Bundle Stars, or Humble Bundle.

The most common factor I hear spoken about when defending consoles, is the initial price tag of a PC. Most starting builds, gaming-wise, are usually going to range in price from $450-$700. Now while this is slightly more expensive than the $400-$500 of a console, PCs are much cheaper in the long run. The graph to the right (created by Andrea Brandi on stari.co), shows the total price a PC, a PlayStation 4, and an Xbox One over the span of eight years, if you buy 40 games, and eight years of an online subscription. Eight years, is also about how long it takes until a new generation console is released, so theoretically it could cost you even more to play on consoles than the graph shows, if you buy a new one each time one comes out. The same could be said for PCs if you upgrade your hardware during that time, but upgrading one small component for a PC would cost way less than buying an entirely new console.

That isn't even close to the entire story, I haven't discussed controllers, and how it's nearly impossible to use them, fauly hardware, the fact that PCs can be used for more than just gaming (work, music, and internet, just to name a few), the insanely huge modding communtiy on PC. I could go on and on about why consoles are plain bad, but in the end, what's really at fault is the anti-consumerist, all for profit ideology that's ruining companies, and the commercial market as a whole. In theory, consoles could be great for the consumer, and for the company, but after years of milking gamers for everything that they can get, consoles and their respective companies have sunk to the spot they're at now. A laughing stock for the PC community, and just flat out not worth the money