A&E December 5, 2008 | Volume LXXXVII, No. 11

Video games subject to scorn, shouldn’t be

Benefits outweigh detriment

Brendan Abshier

Mast Online Editor

Many parents think video games are nothing but mischief, murder and mild language. Parents need to understand the benefits of video games and make sure their kids play suitable games.

Video games have the potential to make kids smarter. Multiple objectives exist in any game and players must complete these in order to win.

The players focus on all of these objectives and develop a strong series of problem solving techniques. Players understand the rules of each game and figure out how to think tactically. This can help kids’ minds much like playing the popular numbers game, Sudoku, or even playing chess.

Imagine that the problem solving skills developed in Sudoku relate to skills learned in video games. A role-playing game aids children in developing the realization of character development. Players take control of their own characters and guide them through a quest or an entire character’s life.

The most popular video game of all-time, “The Sims,” puts players in the role of controlling the life of a Sim. A Sim is a character that the gamer dresses from head to toe, much like avatars in other role-playing games. The gamer can even choose the Sim’s facial features and haircut.

 

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Review

‘Project’ is key word

 

Nic Tkachuk

MAST INTERNATIONAL EDITOR

New to the library’s DVD collection this year is “Project Canada,” a low-budget documentary following four U.S. citizens on a road-trip across the second largest country in the world: Canada.

Amateur filmmaker Jonathan McFarlane, a Canadian citizen who grew up in the States, actually completes his U.S. citizenship requirements during filming. The film’s premise follows McFarlane’s desire to discover his Canadian roots by leaving everything behind in favor of the road and the great unknown (an intriguing plot for most college students) from Newfoundland on the east coast to British Columbia on the west coast.

“Project Canada” is appropriately titled. The 17,000-mile, three-month journey feels more like a capstone project than a feature film. This project could use a few more rounds of editing. The movie, which clocks a runtime of over two hours, slows to a crawl at times with redundant gags and interviews. But the raw, unscripted encounters with unique characters add a visceral touch to an otherwise amateur production.

McFarlane and his companions, all equipped with cameras, do their best to add colorful recollections to stories. Yet, most of them become guess-you-had-to-be-there-moments that fail to engage the audience. It could be half as long and tell the same story.


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