My main idea in the writer narrative involves my two most important experiences in my life being a player of games.
I found this exercise quite difficult at first. I didn’t know what to write about. I decided to start off broad, saying that games are everywhere in our lives. We can call any unconventional task a game if we want them to be. I then moved on write about the so-called games that are important to me, those that helped shape my identity as a player.
Through writing the player narrative, I learned that there are so many benefits to playing games. I also reflected on my experiences on a deeper level. I have always been playing games but rarely I took the time to think hard about it.
Laptop with 100 folders for classes and random edgy/ cute stickers.
Chargers (for both laptop and phone). Portable charger in case I can’t find any outlet.
Wallet – most of the time carried around for fun but in certain times would be used for food purchases.
Mask – can’t forget it whenever I leave the house. Plug: my family sells masks. If professor Morgen or friends need one just hit me up.
My notebook. I carry a big physical notebook with me all the time. It is a habit since middle school days. I still can’t seem to get used to taking notes on a screen. I use this Emory notebook mostly for my math class.
Sweatshirt – Atlanta weather is getting more chilly these days.
Lastly, my passport. I think this is a bad habit because I might lose my passport if I keep carrying it around all the time. However, part of me is afraid that one day an officer would come up to me and ask for my IDs for whatever reasons. I should leave my passport at home.
I had a good time with this assignment. I think it was much more straightforward and easier to showcase what I have in my backpack than to describe myself or tell a story about me, per se. I, however, do not think that this post would be helpful for anyone who wants to know me, or just any other student in this class. I think we all carry relatively the same items in our bags on the daily basis, things that help us “survive” the day. However, they don’t paint a picture about our thoughts, our traits, or our most interesting characteristics. At most an unusual object would give others a glimpse into one’s idiosyncrasies, but it cannot portrait his/her identity.
I have started the game. My first impression with this game is that it is an open world game, kind of like Grand Theft Auto, but obviously with no violence. I admit that at first I didn’t know how to enter the house so I had to look it up.
I have just entered the house. First, I love that the visuals are immaculate and consistent. The overall theme is dreadful, scary, and quiet. This theme was conveyed very successfully through the wallpapers, the house wooden structures, the dim lightings, the dark colors, and the creepy bathroom on the ground floor.
I am now making my way to the left wing of the house. I am thoroughly impressed at the amount of details the authors put in. The handwritten notes are super realistic. Object arrangements are appropriate as well. The fact that I could grab an object and throw it down the floor or anywhere else gives me the feeling of being home alone, which is true.
One of the handwritten notes. Source: taken by me.
The story line and the clues are difficult to follow but that is appropriate since it mirrors real life. I have collected 3 journals now from Sam. I like her soothing and innocent yet depressing voice as it complements the theme of the house and game.
I am going up the stairs. Seems like the same pattern would occur throughout the whole game. My prediction is that we will be able to find Sam after collecting all the voice recorders and having visited the full map.
Overall, Gone Home’s mysterious theme succeeded in making me crave for more after playing the game. I always felt like there was something missing or about to happen while playing the game. Even though it was dead quiet for the most part, the suspense was all there. I felt like every little detail counts and when put together it would become a huge surprise or substantive to the story line.
When I was younger, and even now sometimes, I would have people tell me from time to time that I have “broccoli hair.”I assume it is because I have a lot of hair and I just can’t seem to stay in place because my hair is really straight and hard, hence my head looks like it spurts out hair from all sides like a broccoli. For this project, I want to crop an image of an actual broccoli and fit it into a portrait of myself. I will admit that I am terrible at photo editing so the final product does not seem really fitting. I, however, had a lot of fun doing this assignment. After all, I guess my hairstyle might not be the most trendy or fashionable, but it least it is “healthy.” Right?
This is a picture of a banh mi sandwich, one of Vietnamese national dishes. I chose the banh mi to represent my site for two reasons.
First, I grew up eating it a lot. It reminds me of not only my literal home but also my elementary school, the road from home to school, my city, and my country as a whole. Banh mi is versatile. It can be a quick bite, or it can be served as a full meal. However, it almost never appears on the menus of high-end restaurants. It is casual and simple yet extremely unique. It mirrors my identity and personality.
Second, there are multiple layers in a banh mi sandwich, just like how multifaceted us humans are. A complete banh mi usually consists of pate, mayo, pickle radishes, cilantro, Vietnamese ham, grilled meats, and sometimes jalapeno, all pressed between a hot French baguette. From the outside, one can never tell what is inside a banh mi and can never expect what it would taste like. A banh mi hides its flavors and capabilities so well that makes it mysterious and ultimately desirable. This same principle applies to human beings. Our looks are deceiving. We are so much more than how we look. I believe that each of us is special and each holds so much potential that needs to be explored.
The pre-writing activity helped me organize my thoughts and arrange them in order even before I started writing the main essay. Overall, I think the activity was very useful as a first assignment for an English course. Of course, my writing is rusty after months without practice. However, this activity got me to the “zone” and guided me towards improvements in the future as I will constantly work on my weaknesses after I receive my assessment from professor Morgen.
Speaking of the essay, I chose to present my learning curve in chronological order. I don’t think one’s reading or writing ability is elevated by one or two random transformative events, but rather improved subtly through time. I picked the moments that changed or made a big impact on the way I read and write. Prose was casual but it encapsulated my motto on writing: to write at an eighth grade level but with sophisticated ideas.
