Society

‘South Park’ Video Game First Impression

February 4, 2019 Editorials

Being a big South Park fan, taking on the absurd world of South Park: The Stick of Truth was such a blast. It was without a doubt the funniest video game I have ever played. When I heard they were releasing a sequel cleverly titled The Fractured but Whole, I knew I had to get my hands on it at some point. It has taken me a long while to finally get around to it, but thanks to Redbox, I am finally back in the cartoon world of South Park, Colorado again. And boy is it sweet. This game picks up right where The Stick of Truth leaves off. The neighborhood kids are all busy playing as fantasy, Lord of the Rings style characters until they decide that’s lame and they decide that superheroes are the way to go instead. It is up to you to help out Cartman’s alter ego, The Coon, and his friends, who are dealing with a superhero…

Prediction: VR is a Hop, Skip, and a Killer App Away From Changing the Game

January 31, 2019 Uncategorized

Throughout the history of gaming, there have been a select few technological turning points that changed the direction of video games forever. You could say they include: the introduction of arcades, the arrival of home consoles (and subsequently, the death of arcades), and the leap from 2D to 3D graphics. These advances changed the landscape of games and decided the next playing field that they would exist on. After 3D graphics, though, what is leap is left? Have they all been leapt over, or is there yet another one that will change the direction of gaming like its predecessors before? Well, to better understand the scope of things thus far, we can divide advances in gaming technology into two categories: revolutionary and refining. “Revolutionary” includes the aforementioned leaps that we just talked about; the ones that introduce a whole new level of play. “Refining” refers to the steps taken along…

Can Video Games be Used as a Training Tool?

January 30, 2019 Editorials

Recently I heard of a story about Formula 1 Racing. There was some race between an accomplished F1 racer and an Esports racer on a real-life track. If I’m betting money on this race, I’m throwing it all on the tried and true driver, the one who has raced in the physical world. I would have lost all of my money. The Esports driver won, beating the actual driver with years of experience by 0.6 seconds – unbelievable. The training from his video game sim was so realistic; he was able to drive a real F1 car better than a serious competitor in the racing realm. How else can video games be used as training? This may sound like something from a sci-fi movie, but video games may be the key to the future. Think about how advanced video games have become. They may be able to help us in all sorts…

‘Madden’ Predicts the Rams Will Beat the Pats

February 4, 2019 News

As has been done in the past, Electronic Arts did their yearly Super Bowl simulation, trying to predict this year’s winner. This Madden NFL 19 sim had the Rams beating the Patriots by a score of 30 – 27. Historically, the Madden Super Bowl sim has been pretty accurate. Since 2004, the simulation has been correct 10 out of 15 times, not bad for a video game. While Madden has shown to be accurate in past predictions, I am here to tell you Madden is wrong this year. As much as I would love to see my UGA boy Todd Gurley tear it up this Sunday and hoist that Lombardi trophy, I don’t see it happening. There is one thing that video games cannot replicate – determination and spirit. Tom Brady and the Patriots are determined and motivated like never before. They feel like they are underdogs and that everyone doubts them, and that terrifies me. The…

Why Does Rockstar Get Sued so Much?

January 19, 2019 Editorials

You know you have made it big when a phrase is more associated with your game than the actual meaning and Rockstar has done just that with their infamous game franchise “Grand Theft Auto”, even if the franchise wallowed in obscurity for the first two titles. The franchise exploded with the release of the third installment of the franchise and launched an entire generation of moms that condemn video games as a whole based simply on one experience of accidentally buying the game for their under aged child. Now it may seem like that really has no relevance to what the title of this leads you to believe but in fact, it has EVERYTHING to do with it. But I suppose I should take a step back and bring this full circle. Rockstar has been sued more times than you could count on two hands whether it’s protecting their IP,…