Chapter 4 | Gaming

VIDEO GAME. What is it? According to Wikipedia, a video game is an electronic game that comprises human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device such as a TV screen or computer monitor. So, what you play online or offline (if the app is downloaded) is basically what you call a video game. I think games on your smartphones and tablets are considered as video games as well. Some video games require devices such as PSP, PS Vita, Nintendo DS/3DS, Xbox, Wii and many more.

©  Google Images

I want to share to you different video games that I’ve played. Some may think that playing video games has a huge and several negative effects. Yes, it is true. But!! Behind all that negative effect always has positive effect. Who would create such technology with only bad effects, right? 

Here is currently my favorite video game; 

osu! 

osu! home

song aka beatmaps

actual game play

result and rank

osu! is a freeware rhythm game originally for Microsoft Windows. The game has also been ported to OS X, iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. Its game-play is similar to DJMax for the osu!standard (which users usually use) and O2Jam for the osu!mania. In this game, the game levels are called beatmaps. In each beatmap, a song will play and different rhythmic hit elements (hit circles, sliders and spinners) will appear on the play area. Players must use a pointing device to manipulate these elements in time with the playing song's rhythm in order to earn points. The use of a graphics tablet in combination with a keyboard is common in osu!, although some players, mostly beginners, do use a mouse as default. As for me, I used the mouse alone when I started playing 2 years ago. Months passed and it got difficult to control using the mouse alone then I researched how to get good at playing and it seems that you can use the mouse and keyboard combined. But I am currently using a graphic tablet or what I call a pen tablet and keyboard for my movements to be accurate as possible. 

This is usually my computer setup when I play osu!
I apologize for the quality of the picture.

Here’s a sample video of the actual game play. (I’m the one who’s playing here.) The game can be downloaded here and the best part of it is it’s free!! If you have an account already let me know and add me here:  Let’s play sometime, ok?

This is currently my highest achievement!!! I've ranked 4th out of 1, 243 players (of that certain beatmap level) worldwide. Yes, worldwide!! Although it's a normal level, but I have 3 game mods that increases the score multiplier. (Hard Rock, Hidden & Double Time). But I guess my rank will decrease after a few weeks since the beatmap is new, better players will eventually rank higher than me. 

As for the effect of playing osu! for me is… there's a lot!  

• I was able to make friends with other players through the in-game chat. Most of the ones I meet are Filipinos but I was able to meet someone that is from the US. This has a SNS feel to it. Being able to communicate with other people who mainly shares the same interests and does the same thing at the same time is a huge effect in my social life. My best friend, Bryan (he’s in my previous entry), plays this game as well. This game actually made us much closer than we were because we used to play a multiplayer (3-4 times a week) having me and him alternately act as the host or whatever you call whoever controls the game settings. And oh! I even get to encourage somebody to play the game and they gave me a positive feedback saying it’s awesome and that they enjoyed it very much. 

• It eventually helped me to be updated to new songs through the beatmaps created and uploaded in the official osu! website. 

• It improved my listening skill… I guess? And some skills I need in order to play better like accuracy, consistency, getting higher combos and many more. 

• At some point, it happened to have helpe me develop even a bit of my Japanese vocabulary due to the songs and as well as some of the interface voices when you have a certain skin/theme for the game. 

• And it does help me relax sometimes and I play this as my pass time.

Another one is...

Cytus

cytus home

result and rank

Cytus is a music rhythm video game developed by Rayark Inc. and it currently features 180 songs and two game modes for each song. It is available on iOS and Android and later developed into a PlayStation Mobile port called Cytus Lambda which has different and fewer songs in the free version on Android. If you use Android, you’ll need 829MB+ free space in device, CPU greater than 1GHz, RAM with 512MB and 140MB free space in RAM. (This is according to the wikia page of Cytus.) So, basically you’ll need a huge memory because it has an additional file automatically installed when you try to download it. 

What I like about this game is it has stories for every chapter. Currently there are 13 chapters playable. Chapter 1-10 and 3 extra chapters; Symphony, Knight and Million, players call it Chapter S, Chapter K and Chapter M respectively. I won’t be explaining how it is played here but look here for the game mechanics if you want to play and I'll be showing you a video of me playing the game.

This game affects me just the same with what I have listed above for osu! except for the "making friends" part since this is an offline game. Although I do get to meet other people who plays the same game, but rarely. I get the chance to share to them my opinion about the game and it's story as well as discuss what are our favorite chapters, songs and difficulties.

And the last one I'd like to share is what we call..

Otome Games

top: Brothers Conflict -Brilliant Blue-, Brothers Conflict -Passion Pink-, Glass Heart Princess, Snow Bound Land
bottom: Amnesia, Amnesia Later, Diabolik Lovers, Clock Zero ~Shuuen no Ichibyou~

Lastly is an Otome Game which literally translates to "girl game" or "maiden game". An otome game is a story based video game (could be in Windows, iOS and Android and other gaming devices such as PSP, PS Vita, and DS) that is directed towards the female market. Generally one of the goals, besides the main plot goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the female player character and one of several male (what we call a reverse harem) or occasionally female characters. These games are generally established in Japan, and is mostly made up of visual novels and simulation games (particularly dating sims). Some of these game that are in the picture above are adapted into an animated production or what we call "anime," like Brothers Conflict, Amnesia and Diabolik Lovers which all of them have a superb art! And I think it's natural for an otome game adaptation anime to have a very beautiful art because it is of course based on the visuals of the game itself. 

Here's a list of the otome games I currently have:

Some of these games are supernatural in genre just like (P)lanets, X-note and its sequel Area X; these 2 have the best art among all of these! Frozen Essence and Fantasia: The Realm of Thanos, its sequels Fantasia: Requiem of the Abyss and Fantasia: Momento of Grand Finale fall to the fantasy genre. I don't like their art that much but I like the stories. And I find Hatoful Boyfriend (Hurtful Boyfriend) a bit weird because the characters. Although they are indeed handsome and well drawn but they appear as a bird; each of them representing a certain breed of bird. For example, Iwamine Shuu appears to be a partridge which I really find weird is so many levels. Re-alistair is normal but has an interesting plot.

Anywaaay, it just feels like I'm just having a game review now. So let me get back to what I really want to tell you.

Being able to play these otome games affected my creativity in means of literary and it was able to widen my imagination. Generally, these games have limited animation which gives the player or user the chance to imagine their own standing with a certain character they are aiming for. These games' story is all new to me and I found it very enjoyable to play because I never knew what would happen, I would expect and think of a scenario of what might actually happened and here my imagination grows. I really appreciate those people behind these games. I know it take a lot of time, as in a loooot of time in planning and developing these games. They have to think of a main ending and have to make good and bad endings for each of the guy characters in the game. They also need to illustration main points and good happenings such a the guy hugging the heroine or even the kiss scene. And I forgot to mention that it has also affected my vocabulary. There were words that I did not know the meaning so I have to look it up in the dictionary. 

I can say that new media really has a wide coverage and never ending effects it gives to the society we live in today and the people in it. It somehow also changes how people view things in life and how they act as a human person. And once again, I'd like to thank New Media for its another job well done!