Epic Evening.

During my last play, I felt frustrated because it was not clearly stated what my job at hand was. I was forced to adventure around the little communities. With using the controller you are able to look at different angles/shits of the surrounding area. I feel like I would have a better grip on the game if there were a bird’ eye view of the entire little community that Sly (I) was in.

The game relies heavily on listening and following the instructions of Bentley and crew. They are giving instructions on how to complete the next job. It is really hard to listen to what they say because if you don’t catch it the first time that they give directions you have to hope that they will repeat them. Sometimes the clues are presented as subtitles, but when they are not my frustration begins to stir up again.

I was able to stay motivated during the game because I really wanted to feel as sense of accomplishment and progress with sly. I completed three jobs at this time. I was also driven to continue playing because I wanted to figure out what it was that I was doing. The music as I had mentioned in one of my last posts, definitely was a big factor in keeping my attention on the game. It was constantly changing with every move I made. It would become more upbeat when I was running or would slow down when I would stay still. This is seen as a form of intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation comes from rewards inherent to a task or activity itself - the enjoyment of a puzzle or the love of playing.

Also in the game I notice that they have been testing Sly (me) periodically throughout the jobs. They would test me to see if I would remember how to demonstrate certain skills. Some of the skills include jumping, double jumping, walking on wires, cutting/punching objects and shuffling on a ledge.

Within the first few moments of the game, I was first taught the basic skills of jumping and walking on wires. I have had to keep in mind the different buttons that need to be pressed either together or on their own to do a skill.

In the Gee Book, he mentions the transfer principle. This is when learners are given ample opportunity to practice, and support for, transferring what they have learned earlier to later problems, including problems that require adapting and transforming that earlier learning. I found that this is relating to what I am doing in the game. There were many different canals in the little community that I had to cross by walking on wires. I had to make sure that I jumped by pressing the x button and then hold down the circle in order to walk across the wire successfully.

I began my search of games by browsing through the online Computer & Video Games Archive of The University of Michigan. With an overwhelming list of video games, I had to narrow down my search. I wanted to select a game that had an adventurous story line and would hold my interest throughout the semester but would not be excessively violent. I turned to one of my best friends from summer camp, Taylor Wayne, whom I consider a video game enthusiast for help. With knowledge of my requirements, personality and passion for adventures Taylor advised me to research a short list of games for each system. The video game that I have chosen to play this semester is called Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves.

“The game begins with Sly and an undisclosed band of thieves infiltrating Kaine Island, a safeguarded land mass owned by the mysterious Dr. M. The island is the home to the legendary Cooper Vault, where the Coopers over countless generations have hidden their fortunes pilfered in their lives of crime. According to family legend, only a "true Cooper" can open the Vault, though M has been trying for years to crack the Vault, with no success. After sneaking onto the Island and opening the Vault, the plan goes awry when Dr. M confronts Sly, attacking him while controlling a large, mutated monster. The events leading up to the heist are revealed as Sly's life flashes before his eyes.” Wikipedia

Sly 3:Honor Among Thieves is all about working together as a team to accomplish a common goal. With an anticipated release, Sly 3 was made available in stores in late September of 2005. Sly, a raccoon thieve, is the main character. My first time playing I was immediately enthralled with the graphics and music. I am literally freaking out when I look at the screen; the graphics are incredible. I cannot believe that someone was capable of drawing the characters and sly community. Although my roommates were not so happy, I kept the sound on full blast while playing. It keeps me motivated to play the game for a long period of time. The music changes as you move through different parts of the game. When finally reaching the top of the mound-like structure, the music speeds up and becomes more intense. I’m frantically trying to sneak around the edges of the mound in order to not get shot at. All of my attention is focused on the game and away from surrounding distractions. I fall down, I die. I GOT ANOTHER CHANCE!! I try again, and this time I am able to avoid getting hit and make it out safety.

Gee’s design principle states “ learning about and coming to appreciate design and design principles is core to the learning experience.” I have noted that the design and set up of the game is absolutely amazing. The story line of sly’s life and the animations involved make it so you do not have think about how the game was put together. The graphics as I stated before really put your mind at ease and let you believe that this virtual world could be real.

Two more of gee’s principles : multiple routes principle and situated meaning principle are seen in the game. The multiple routes principle is that there are multiple ways to make progress or move ahead. This allows learning how to make choices, rely on their own strengths and styles of learning and problem solving, while also exploring alternative styles. The situated meaning principle states that the meanings of signs (words, actions, objects, artifacts, symbols, texts, etc) are situated in embodied experience. There are clues in the game, such as the glowing light purple color on the ground. I didn’t know at first what this meant, but I slowly realized that this was a clue. The glowing ground meant that I was going the correct way. I have found that there are multiple ways that I can control sly to get to the top. He does not need to take the same path every time. i found this frustrating at first because I like things that are more straight forward, but I am finally getting the hang of it. We’ll see where I end up next time!

Let the games begin

After researching endless video games, I finally found the one I want to play! Sly 3: Honor among thieves! Luckily it was approved :)