Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Skin Cancer - Agenda

The trouble with me is that it is hard to pinpoint exactly what some of my passions and concerns are in life. I like to believe that I am a well rounded person so there really isn't one particular interest the out weighs the others. I got to thinking about some issues that have affected not me per say but other family members. One common occurrence that I found was skin cancer. I have a family history with people at risk of skin cancer. Of all the cases in the family, none have ever been fatal or resulted in death. It is something that we are constantly watching and keeping track of since we are at risk.

This is of particular interest to me because many people are constantly putting themselves at risk every day. From people that work outside everyday without the use of sunscreen to those that hit the tanning bed every evening are among those that are taking these unnecessary risks. There are different types of skin cancers and everyone is at risk. There are misconceptions that only people with certain skin tones and pigments are the ones who need to take care. I think people need to understand what they are doing to themselves so they don't have to live with regrets later in their lives.

The type of message that I would like to get across is one of warning. I would like it to be nicer than some of the scare tactics other organizations use today. Possibly one that everyone could relate to. Since the primary cause of skin cancer is skin that is regularly exposed to sunlight or other ultraviolet radiation, my message would be primarily that. I was thinking of a game that was frogger-esque where the object of the game would be to get from point A to B while staying out of the sun. This would mean having to stay in the shadows of buildings, clouds, umbrellas, etc while being able to acquire power up items like a sun hat, sunscreen, etc. The object would be to keep your risk factor down as much as possible while completing some errands. I think this is a non-in-your-face approach but still carries an important message while the player is having fun.

Overall I think this is an important subject that has a lot of potential in being fun while making the game, playing the game, and distributing a valuable message to all who play it.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Game Reviews

Dean for Iowa Game
http://www.deanforamericagame.com/
This is a game about Dean running for the Iowa Caucus and the way he get's the word out about his views.
I was surprised by this game. I really didn't know what it would be like. The mini games were actually fun. I do wish that they had a better variety of mini games but they got their point across. I think they did a good job at educating the player at the amount of work that goes into elections. Weather or not I would vote for him, I understood the importance of voting. This is a good way go inform people.

Congo Jones
This game was bout the depletion of the world's rain forests and action that are taken to try and stop this from happening.
I was excited to play this game because of the back story and the art style that they were using. They had a good looking game with good sound effects as well. I really don't have anything else to say about this game. I couldn't get pass the first part. The controls for it were horrible. Even after the 4th play through I still couldn't get the hang of it. If they want to get their message out to people using this method, they need to make it easier to pick up and play. I don't want to spend a ton of time trying to get used to controls. Despite the lack of controls the message is still there with the back story.

Peta's Super Chick Sisters
This is an anti-KFC game and the methods they use to prepare their chicken.
I think this is the best of the three that I have played. This game is easy to pick up and play. It has a good presentation. I think that they incorporate their message well into the game. Instead of collecting coins you are collecting chick, or should I say saving them. The spoof on the Mario Bro's is clever and funny. Colonel Sanders as Bowser is funny but they incorporate it in such a way that it works for their agenda. Over all it gets the message out.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

People in 3720

John:
Programmer(Textures and Models)
Short stories
Junior

Nick H:
programmer
read books/play games
Junior

Russell:
programmer
super senior
Socially Oriented

Sarah:
programmer
games/media
junior

Pace:
Programmer
games
senior

Charles:
Artist
Maya (no 2d)
Outdoors and games
senior

Mike:
Artist (Film)
Particle Effects/designing games
senior

Christian:
Artist Film
Senior
Games/Music/Read books

Spencer:
Artist
Movies/ Cartoons/ games etc
Sophomore

Gordon:
Film
MMO's & RPG's
Junior

Jordan:
Programmer (little art 2d)
RPG's
Senior

Ryan:
Programmer
Outdoorsy and RTS's
Super Senior

Tom:
Artist(2d)
Animation/Games
Junior

Alice:
Artist(2d)
Winter Sports
Junior

Nick R.
Programmer
Junior

Ben T.
Programmer
Frisbee and RPG's
Junior

Rielly:
Programmer
Games and Sports
Junior

Jeff
Programmer
Anything Digital
Junior

Landon:
Programmer(2d art)
Games/Cartoons
Senior

Wilson:
programmer(3d exp)
Games
Senior

Morgan:
programmer
Senior