Video Games

This blog is something that I don't have much interest in.  I can't watch them being played because it makes me sick, and video games are something I never got the pleasure of growing up with.  I had a computer in the summers that I could play a couple games on, but that was all my parents would allow.  It wasn't until my brother's doctor told them a game system may help him learn to focus on the task at hand that we ever owned any game system, and that was just a handheld Nintendo.  As far as the function or role I think video games play in society today I feel that they are just a way to escape for the majority of the people who play them.  It is primarily entertainment and something to talk about with your friends.  For my nephew, who is stationed in Germany, video games are his way of spending time with his dad.  They schedule to play football with each other through XBox Live and even post scores to Facebook to gloat about victories.  It is another means for communication for them and it is something they would be doing if Bruce was at home so it helps his parents cope with him being so far away.  There are people out there who take video games way too seriously.  I read a news article about a 13 year old boy who stole his parents car and took it for a joyride, hitting about 70 cars in the process.  When caught he claimed he was acting out Grand Theft Auto because it wasn't as exciting to him anymore.  In this case, the first thing I find wrong is that a 13 year old was playing Grand Theft Auto.   I do feel that parents should watch the video games their kids are playing, or even watch what video games are played around kids.  My husband has a rule that he is not allowed to play his video games unless our daughter is asleep because of the language and violence in it.  That is definitely not something a 4 year old needs to hear or repeat.  However, I'm not sure I would blame video games for the way the American society is today.  I place my blame on the parents that buy the games geared toward adults for their children and don't monitor their use of the video game.  As far as effects video games have had on my life, there really isn't any.  I exercise a little more since I have the XBox Kinect because it was a must have with the dance games and Zumba exercise video games.  I used them for displacement theory against the gym because I hate working out in the public.  Also it helps me get our 4 year old active on rainy days because they have games for the Kinect geared for her age.  I feel that social media has helped the uprising of online video games.  Being able to connect to someone and play video games with them no matter where they are is really amazing to me.  I know that Candy Crush spread like a wildfire because of the social information processing theory.  Being able to ask for help with lives on something like facebook allows a player to continue playing even when they are out of lives and have to wait to get more.  I think some of the online video games can become addicting, especially Candy Crush.  I know many of my family members can't put their gaming devices down because of certain games.  I have never really gotten into games like that though.  I would rather spend my time with my family outdoors.  I feel that if I have time for video games then I should be playing with Emily instead.  Maybe I'm just old fashioned.

Computers and the Internet

When I think back of the first thing I remember doing on a computer I would have to say it would the playing a Winter Olympics game that came on a huge floppy disk.  My mother received the computer from the school she worked at as a librarian.  It was one of the computers that you almost had to know a code to do anything on.  I knew how to spell run just so I could play this game.  Once that computer was done for my mother would bring home new models of Mac computers so she could learn how to use them proficiently.  She would have me play on them and figure them out so I was able to teach her what to do.  She still relies on me to explain the computer to her.  My earliest memory of the Internet in my home is kind of funny looking back.  I lived in a very rural area.  Almost everywhere was long distance to call and I wasn't allowed to call long distance because it was expensive.  I had a friend that came to stay the night with me and brought her laptop with her.  We were able to use my phone line to hook up to her dial-up internet, which was long distance.  We were online all night talking on AOL chat.  We had so much fun.  We also never thought about the fact that Stephanie's house was long distance so the entire time we were on there it charged my parents home phone line.  Boy were they upset when they got a $400 phone bill the next month.  Luckily, the telephone company took it off the bill since I was barely 11 years old.  I guess you could consider that being my first computer mistake I made because I was grounded for a while after that one.  I think these experiences stuck in my mind because at the time they were completely new to everyone so it made everything more exciting.  It wasn't like I was learning something that is almost a daily activity from birth, the beginning of my life these things were unheard of.  Also I think the fact that both are still here and have stuck around really helps keep memories in my mind.  I'll have stories to tell my grandchildren about the last generation to not have computers and the Internet in every household.  Now I feel that having both is a vital necessity to almost everyone.  It is a great learning tool that I utilize everyday, especially in school.  Most of my textbooks for school and the majority of my schoolwork is done online or on a computer or tablet.  I know life existed before computers and Internet, they just really make everything more conveniently done.  It is almost displacement theory to the library because I very seldom go to the library to do research.  I have all the research I need in the palm of my hand.  I can learn about anything I have ever wanted to.  It has definitely made things a lot easier.  As far as what else I use it for the most would be maps.  I can pull up a map no matter where I am and even get spoken directions on my phone.  I feel my phone doubles as a mini computer because there really isn't much I can't do on it that I can on the computer.  I also check facebook and connect with my family and friends out of state.  I can only think on positive way the computer and Internet have impacted me.  They give me the ability to be informed about anything I want to do and be in touch with people that matter most.

Afraid of growing old?

I agree with the majority of the article that we had to read for this blog.  As I get older I am finding it harder to keep up with all the technology coming out. When it comes to Apple products I am beyond lost.  I also find it difficult to keep up with all the social media sites out there and how to use them.  I am still trying to figure out Twitter.  I think I have it pretty well figured out, but like in the article I am confused at what it is supposed to do.  I don't know if I would agree with technology being harder because of being afraid of growing old.  My husband's grandmother is 84 years old and she is more in tuned with technology than I am.  She carries her iPad everywhere, uses youtube to show us videos, and even hooked up a new computer and web camera up by herself.  I think it all has to do with the attitude you have towards new technology.  My father has never enjoyed technology much.  He was a teacher for many years and was upset when the school moved to computers for their communication to each other throughout the day.  It meant my dad would have to learn how to power on the computer.  When he retired he kind of knew how to email, but if you asked him now he would have no clue how to do it.  He has no desire to be at one with technology.  I am happy to say that I don't get that from my daddy.  I do enjoy technology.  Facebook, to me, is one of the best things out there because of how easy it is to keep in contact with my friends even though they are states or even countries away.  Technology is something I want to keep up with because I love the freedom of it.  The one thing I agree with most is the last sentence of the article, "I'm just getting old, dammit."  That part is inevitable, you just have to be optimistic about it in order to keep up with everything going on.