Video Games and the Humanities

game

A game is an activity that involves a set of rules and a means of determining victory or loss, such as a contest or competition. It can also refer to a plaything that allows for interaction, such as chess and Go or children’s games like Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. Video games use a computer to simulate reality through a screen display, most commonly in a video format on televisions or flat-panel displays or touchscreens on handheld devices, or through virtual-reality headsets. They are characterized by the ability to create a world for the user, to provide feedback in real-time, and to allow player control from a third-person perspective.

While departments of computer science have long studied the technical aspects of games, theories that treat them as artistic media are relatively new developments in the humanities. Two of the most prominent approaches are ludology and narratology. While ludology examines the ways in which video games engage and entertain players, narratology examines them as works of fiction and interactive narrative.

The gaming industry is a multibillion-dollar business and has been implicated in issues of ethical conduct and labor conditions. In addition to working long hours in a highly competitive field, video game developers often subject themselves to pressure to meet deadlines. These demands often result in “crunch time,” a period of intense work in the weeks and months prior to release. The industry has also faced accusations of sexual and racial harassment and discrimination, as well as mischaracterizations of certain minority groups in game design and content.

Studies of the relationship between video game play and mental health have tended to depend on self-reports of gaming habits. While this approach is easy to implement and inexpensive, recent evidence has shown that people’s perceptions of their own digital behavior can introduce bias, limiting the conclusions that can be drawn from such research.

A key factor in determining the psychological impact of gaming is its level of interactivity. Games that involve interaction between the players are more likely to promote positive outcomes than those that do not. The interactivity in games may be achieved through rules, the ability to choose a strategy, the opportunity to interact with other players or by providing a guiding story. In games with a high degree of interactivity, players experience a sense of autonomy, competence and relatedness that lead to enjoyment.

While the boundaries of what constitutes a game are fuzzy, it is generally accepted that any game that involves an element of choice, an opponent and an outcome is a game. However, even with these requirements, there are a wide variety of games available. For example, chess and Go are considered games because they have an element of choice, but children’s games like Chutes and Ladders or Candy Land do not, as they are entirely luck-based and do not involve an opponent.

Making Sure You Aren’t Using Your Crush As an Emotional Crutch

A crush is the kind of intense, unrequited attraction you might feel for a friend or co-worker. A common misconception is that crushes must lead to a romantic relationship, but that’s not necessarily the case. A crush can also simply serve as a source of enjoyment, like when you look at pictures of them on Instagram or think about their perfect smile. Regardless of whether they’re the object of your affection, it’s important to make sure you aren’t using them as an emotional crutch, and that you’re not letting a crush distract you from pursuing other aspects of your life.

The most common reason people have a crush is because they are attracted to the person’s personality, looks, or intelligence. For example, you might admire a friend’s sense of humor or love their taste in music. Other people have crushes on celebrities or public figures because they inspire them in some way, such as a political figure’s advocacy for an issue they care about or a musician’s talent in creating their craft.

When you have a crush, your brain triggers mood-boosting hormones like dopamine and oxytocin, and you might start thinking about them all the time, even when they’re not in front of you. This is why you might find yourself stalking their social media to see what they’re up to or planning ways you could run into them at work or school.

Depending on how well you know your crush, you might be able to initiate the conversation about your feelings. If you’re comfortable enough, try flirting with them or asking them out for a coffee date. However, be careful not to overdo it, as you may come across as creepy or desperate. Besides, you should always consider any current partnerships (if you have any) and how your crush might affect them before you act on your feelings.

If you’re in a committed relationship, crushing on someone else can appear a bit adolescent and even a little bit creepy, especially when it’s unrequited. Participants in our study who identified as monogamous overwhelmingly reported that they did not want to pursue their crushes intimately, instead preferring to maintain friendly or flirtatious relationships with them and occasionally fantasize about them in private. They also expressed concerns that doing so might jeopardize their primary relationships or cause them to be dishonest with them in some way.

As the third installment in Berrybrook Middle School creator Svetlana Chmakova’s AWKWARD and BRAVE series, Crush does an admirable job of capturing those awkward growing pains of middle school. It also features a stellar cast that includes Rowan Blanchard as Paige, an artist with a crush on her track teammate who decides to be more proactive about her social connections. And although the film does not shy away from its more sexy moments, it isn’t afraid to inject some humor into its teen drama.

The Domino Effect in Fiction

domino

Domino, or dominoes, are small rectangular wood or plastic blocks with one side bearing a pattern of dots that resemble those on dice. The other side is blank or marked by a pattern of dots matching the first set. Each domino has two ends, and a player places them on the table to create a chain of one-end-touching dominoes (or more) in order to win a game.

Domino games are played all over the world. They can be as simple as blocking a line of dominoes, or they can involve scoring points by laying them end to end. The number of pips on each exposed end must match (one’s touch one’s, two’s touch two’s, etc.). Dominoes can also be used to form 2D shapes like a grid that forms a picture, or 3D structures like towers and pyramids.

Hevesh, a 20-year-old domino artist who has more than 2 million YouTube subscribers, works on projects that require thousands of dominoes. Even the largest of her creations can take several nail-biting minutes to fall. Hevesh is able to achieve these elaborate setups because of something called the Domino Effect. When she tips the first domino just so, it causes the rest to tumble in a rhythmic cascade.

This domino effect is the same phenomenon that makes an action in a movie or a book “dominate” its surroundings, and that can make your story stand out from other novels in your genre. What’s more, the Domino Effect can help your readers understand what’s happening on the page without having to read all of the details of the setting and the characters.

In 1963, Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan opened a small Domino’s in Ypsilanti, Michigan. His success was partly due to his strategy of placing Domino’s near college campuses, which gave him access to a steady stream of customers who wanted to buy pizza quickly. His strategy proved to be successful, and by the late 1970s Domino’s had more than 200 locations.

Today, Domino’s is a major pizza company and an international chain that sells more than a billion pizzas per year. It has a presence in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, and Australia, and its franchises are booming worldwide. Domino’s is also experimenting with robot delivery and drone delivery, as well as other innovative ways to get pizza from oven to customer.

Dominoes are popular because of their simplicity and versatility. The basic game can be played by just two people, or with many more. It’s a great way to learn math and counting skills, and it can also be used as a social activity. But the biggest reason why dominoes are so popular is that they’re just fun to play with! Have you ever sat down and lined up dominoes to make them into a cool shape, or even a 3D structure? Did you ever try to score the most points in a row, or build the most intricate domino track?