As it turns out, I've managed to play some new games over the last while amidst the chaos. Some of them good, some of them less so, but none of them bad. My current problem is should I bother blogging about them in any detail. My ultimate question when doing something is do the blog posts add value to myself or anyone else. Is the format of my reviews perhaps to formal. As I'm not a trained/professional/hobbyist journalist, a less formal "this is what I liked/disliked" paragraph might be of more value without taking chunks of time out to write. But as I've said before, there is something therapeutic about the writing process. I guess on the plus side I don't even need to make an urgent decision so there's no need to stress about it. Another plus side to the blogging though is just to keep a historical record. I tend to find personal experience over the years are never as you remember them simply because your own perspective changes. Whether my perspective on that will change over time, who knows ;-)
I guess time will reveal all :-)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Joining the herd ..
So recently I joined Twitter just as an experiment.. And all in all it is not bad. More streamlined with more informative posts with the added benefit of wasting less time. So I thought with the experimental spree that I was on, I would join linkedin. I will see if posting on this experiment is worth it though. Twitter has been interesting and is less privacy invasive so speaking to people you don't know is more acceptable. At the moment I think of it as a giant chat room on steroids :D
I'm generally a little anti-conformist, but I've found the sheep mentality to sometimes be helpful.
Just for interests sake:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/MSchlebusch
LinkedIn: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/matthew-schlebusch/38/934/580
Ciao
I'm generally a little anti-conformist, but I've found the sheep mentality to sometimes be helpful.
Just for interests sake:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/MSchlebusch
LinkedIn: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/matthew-schlebusch/38/934/580
Ciao
Friday, July 15, 2011
The Technology Evolution
A paradox.
As a correspondence student I find myself in the "business" of learning how to learn as well. Not to mention my day job as a business systems programmer forces me to learn new information, bad and good. I've come to realize though that our understanding of the learning process, and my practices of learning are fundamentally flawed.
Our current process of education (atleast from my point of view) still relies heavily on memorizing facts because looking them up became industrially impractical.
Here is an article worth reading just to get a different perspective : http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/07/study-why-bother-to-remember-when-you-can-just-use-google.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
I've come to the conclusion that our education system needs a revamp. Our issue is no longer about memorizing applicable facts, its about applying applicable facts. This creates a bit of a problem in that knowing where and how to look for information does require some understanding of the problem domain. I can hear the hardcore academics screaming murder simply cause they've worked hard to get the natural depth of knowledge. Now while understanding is important, being able to apply meta-concepts could potentially be far more useful. Imagine a two or three people replacing a team of twenty five diverse specialists (such as physicists and engineers) simply because they had access to twenty five people's knowledge, but enough core knowledge to apply it all. I doubt in practice that it will be that simple. But our education methodology will clearly need to change with the incredible availability of information.
Anyway, I'm still trying to work out what the best direction would be for our education system. I hate bringing up a problem without atleast ONE suggestion for a solution.
Hmmmm.....
As a correspondence student I find myself in the "business" of learning how to learn as well. Not to mention my day job as a business systems programmer forces me to learn new information, bad and good. I've come to realize though that our understanding of the learning process, and my practices of learning are fundamentally flawed.
Our current process of education (atleast from my point of view) still relies heavily on memorizing facts because looking them up became industrially impractical.
Here is an article worth reading just to get a different perspective : http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/07/study-why-bother-to-remember-when-you-can-just-use-google.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
I've come to the conclusion that our education system needs a revamp. Our issue is no longer about memorizing applicable facts, its about applying applicable facts. This creates a bit of a problem in that knowing where and how to look for information does require some understanding of the problem domain. I can hear the hardcore academics screaming murder simply cause they've worked hard to get the natural depth of knowledge. Now while understanding is important, being able to apply meta-concepts could potentially be far more useful. Imagine a two or three people replacing a team of twenty five diverse specialists (such as physicists and engineers) simply because they had access to twenty five people's knowledge, but enough core knowledge to apply it all. I doubt in practice that it will be that simple. But our education methodology will clearly need to change with the incredible availability of information.
Anyway, I'm still trying to work out what the best direction would be for our education system. I hate bringing up a problem without atleast ONE suggestion for a solution.
Hmmmm.....
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Risky Media
Hmmm..
I originally started blogging just as a means of expression and somewhat accountability. An online journal of sorts. I believe in introspective reflection just as a means of keeping track of what I am doing, how I am spending my time etc. After pre-writing a number of articles across various blog-like channels, I realize it can be somewhat fickle when your standards are too high while your time is stretched too thin. I guess I need to re-think how I go about managing my online presence. My latest experiment of sorts has been Google+ and Twitter, all in one week. Social networks generally irritate me cause they are the black hole of time managers. But they also seem to be a part of life.
Ponder on this, I will.
I originally started blogging just as a means of expression and somewhat accountability. An online journal of sorts. I believe in introspective reflection just as a means of keeping track of what I am doing, how I am spending my time etc. After pre-writing a number of articles across various blog-like channels, I realize it can be somewhat fickle when your standards are too high while your time is stretched too thin. I guess I need to re-think how I go about managing my online presence. My latest experiment of sorts has been Google+ and Twitter, all in one week. Social networks generally irritate me cause they are the black hole of time managers. But they also seem to be a part of life.
Ponder on this, I will.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Game Review : Medal of Honor ( PC )
Intro :
In one sentence.. This is a remarkable game from a large historical franchise that I would recommend. My comments for the moment refer specifically to the Single Player, as that has been my point of encounter so far. The multi-player is still definitely on my to-do list provided I can find regular, decent, local servers.
There seemed to be a considerable issue around there being a Taliban faction that consumers were allowed to side with on the multiplayer. I have not tried the multiplayer so it might not be fair for me to comment, but purely from an artistic stand point I feel that is was blown a little out of proportion. Playing as a taliban member does NOT represent the player’s beliefs or plans in my opinion. As with all arts, media and entertainment, it serves only as a form of expression of a singular point of view. The interpretation ( not the truth ) is in the eye of the beholder.
Regardless, here is a quick breakdown of my view of Medal of Honor ( 2010 ) :
Game Play :
Apart from a system crash initially, this game was smooth and immersive. If this game was developed for console originally, it did not feel like it. The PC version had all the decent bells and whistles such as configurable graphics and controls ( that might sound like a given, but its a luxury for PC releases these days ).
The game serves as a linear first person shooter and you play as multiple characters. This among other features seem to be borrowed (atleast in style) from the Call of Duty game style. But it has taken and used the game style well. Elements such as playing with team members feels real and fluid and their is a decent amount of character that adds to the game-play experience. I would almost describe this as an interactive movie more than a simulated environment. The game is extremely linear which is not necessarily a bad thing if done right.
There are some minor bugs which do unfortunately detract from the realism, such as a grenade behaving like a sticky mine instead of rolling or bouncing down a hill. But the DICE team got the average game play very very right.
The game rules are usually very clear although execution is not always clear. And for a game style that lends itself to shooting skills over problem solving, I find this undesirable. This is however not a frequent occurrence.
The artificial intelligence is largely what I would expect from this game style. Not incredible but I might dare say it was sufficient. There were certain stages where the AI should have responded more realistically ( certain times they should have responded to your sneaking around and didn’t ). But there was a degree of adaptivity and variation in the gun fights which I did enjoy.
Score : 8.5
Effects :
Visual :
Although probably not the best release out of the 2010 first person shooters, the graphics was outstanding and fun. Out of all the game elements, I think graphics is very high up on my importance list and there were many times I noticed the visuals and thought “awesome”.
Unfortunately there was a great deal of tearing in the cinematic sequences that are extremely distracting. But I never noticed them when I was in control which on the whole is preferable. Certain blurring of the faces of team mates and one or two lighting bugs which were intermittent at best still aren’t enough to discredit this game’s value.
Audio:
The sound is spot on. I found it to be accurate and well synchronized ( on the whole ). With that said, I didn’t notice the sound much. Which I think is a good thing. It should contribute to the enbironement and it should not break you out of the immersive atmosphere you are in. The sound track was also clean and well rounded giving a serious tone to the game.
Score : 8.0
Story Line :
I think this part of the game’s design and implementation is by far its strong point. I completely got into the game’s vibe and atmosphere because of a well written story line. Some of the missions do seem to detract from the core story line with out really giving away a decent sub-plot, but not one part of the game could be cut out without removing some of the end result in terms of story completeness.
You basically play two characters involved in various battles as part of the 2nd Middle East conflict. Despite the world view of the conflicts in the region, war can never be a great experience and you can’t help but feel sorry for the protagonists. An interesting point of view where you take part in the plight of the conflict and struggle that these soldiers go through is clear and engaging.
Its clear that DICE went through a fair deal of effort to put a story together worth watching.
Score : 8.0
Miscellany :
Considering the price of this game genre as of late, the game was reasonably priced considering the scope and quality that you get. I only wish all publishers\developers took the moral high ground in terms of value-for-money.
Multiplayer :
I regrettably never put a whole lot of effort into the multiplayer. I tried to get into multiplayer sessions on a few occasions and regrettably I just couldn’t find a decent local server, and the international servers have ping times of ATLEAST 220ms which is just too high for me personally to even try ( I try aim for atleast <100ms ).
The Sum of All Parts :
I would have to say this game is smooth, the story line is serious, and the faults are faint if at all noticeable. The game meets a AAA standard and it was tough to stop playing. My only regret is the FPS culture as of late, is to have a game under 10 hours.
Last Thoughts :
Although this post is very late after its release, if you have not played it yet and are looking for a shooter that is meaty and fun, give it a try. I doubt you’ll be disappointed. Also note I have not included an average score. It just didn’t feel right to make an average out of criteria that are not easy to establish a relative value to the whole.
Ciao :-)
In one sentence.. This is a remarkable game from a large historical franchise that I would recommend. My comments for the moment refer specifically to the Single Player, as that has been my point of encounter so far. The multi-player is still definitely on my to-do list provided I can find regular, decent, local servers.
There seemed to be a considerable issue around there being a Taliban faction that consumers were allowed to side with on the multiplayer. I have not tried the multiplayer so it might not be fair for me to comment, but purely from an artistic stand point I feel that is was blown a little out of proportion. Playing as a taliban member does NOT represent the player’s beliefs or plans in my opinion. As with all arts, media and entertainment, it serves only as a form of expression of a singular point of view. The interpretation ( not the truth ) is in the eye of the beholder.
Regardless, here is a quick breakdown of my view of Medal of Honor ( 2010 ) :
Game Play :
Apart from a system crash initially, this game was smooth and immersive. If this game was developed for console originally, it did not feel like it. The PC version had all the decent bells and whistles such as configurable graphics and controls ( that might sound like a given, but its a luxury for PC releases these days ).
The game serves as a linear first person shooter and you play as multiple characters. This among other features seem to be borrowed (atleast in style) from the Call of Duty game style. But it has taken and used the game style well. Elements such as playing with team members feels real and fluid and their is a decent amount of character that adds to the game-play experience. I would almost describe this as an interactive movie more than a simulated environment. The game is extremely linear which is not necessarily a bad thing if done right.
There are some minor bugs which do unfortunately detract from the realism, such as a grenade behaving like a sticky mine instead of rolling or bouncing down a hill. But the DICE team got the average game play very very right.
The game rules are usually very clear although execution is not always clear. And for a game style that lends itself to shooting skills over problem solving, I find this undesirable. This is however not a frequent occurrence.
The artificial intelligence is largely what I would expect from this game style. Not incredible but I might dare say it was sufficient. There were certain stages where the AI should have responded more realistically ( certain times they should have responded to your sneaking around and didn’t ). But there was a degree of adaptivity and variation in the gun fights which I did enjoy.
Score : 8.5
Effects :
Visual :
Although probably not the best release out of the 2010 first person shooters, the graphics was outstanding and fun. Out of all the game elements, I think graphics is very high up on my importance list and there were many times I noticed the visuals and thought “awesome”.
Unfortunately there was a great deal of tearing in the cinematic sequences that are extremely distracting. But I never noticed them when I was in control which on the whole is preferable. Certain blurring of the faces of team mates and one or two lighting bugs which were intermittent at best still aren’t enough to discredit this game’s value.
Audio:
The sound is spot on. I found it to be accurate and well synchronized ( on the whole ). With that said, I didn’t notice the sound much. Which I think is a good thing. It should contribute to the enbironement and it should not break you out of the immersive atmosphere you are in. The sound track was also clean and well rounded giving a serious tone to the game.
Score : 8.0
Story Line :
I think this part of the game’s design and implementation is by far its strong point. I completely got into the game’s vibe and atmosphere because of a well written story line. Some of the missions do seem to detract from the core story line with out really giving away a decent sub-plot, but not one part of the game could be cut out without removing some of the end result in terms of story completeness.
You basically play two characters involved in various battles as part of the 2nd Middle East conflict. Despite the world view of the conflicts in the region, war can never be a great experience and you can’t help but feel sorry for the protagonists. An interesting point of view where you take part in the plight of the conflict and struggle that these soldiers go through is clear and engaging.
Its clear that DICE went through a fair deal of effort to put a story together worth watching.
Score : 8.0
Miscellany :
Considering the price of this game genre as of late, the game was reasonably priced considering the scope and quality that you get. I only wish all publishers\developers took the moral high ground in terms of value-for-money.
Multiplayer :
I regrettably never put a whole lot of effort into the multiplayer. I tried to get into multiplayer sessions on a few occasions and regrettably I just couldn’t find a decent local server, and the international servers have ping times of ATLEAST 220ms which is just too high for me personally to even try ( I try aim for atleast <100ms ).
The Sum of All Parts :
I would have to say this game is smooth, the story line is serious, and the faults are faint if at all noticeable. The game meets a AAA standard and it was tough to stop playing. My only regret is the FPS culture as of late, is to have a game under 10 hours.
Last Thoughts :
Although this post is very late after its release, if you have not played it yet and are looking for a shooter that is meaty and fun, give it a try. I doubt you’ll be disappointed. Also note I have not included an average score. It just didn’t feel right to make an average out of criteria that are not easy to establish a relative value to the whole.
Ciao :-)
Blogging - A Randomly Periodic Event
When I originally started blogging it was with the hope that I would be able to do it regularly, say around two to three times a month. Obviously looking at my first volley this is not the case. Life often dictates the circumstances and when life gets insanely busy then obviously you begin to prioritize and blogging for me personally is not THAT important.
Another thread of thought connected with the blogging process is that I was never really completely happy with the general layout of the blogger pages. I have been considering WordPress as a replacement as it gives a bit more flexibility in terms of page layout, such as the abililty to use tabs without needing mess with the markup of the site. I want to have different categories for blogging and unfortunately blogger is just too restrictive. So I thought I would look at WordPress, but it turns out it is more of a deployment tool, and does not include the hosted environment such as blogger. Hosted servers etc. don’t grow on trees. So I will need to think about this a bit.
Regardless, I have some very small programming projects I will do my best to post on here and hopefully have a download for the completed versions of the project within the next two weeks or so, and some rough game reviews even sooner ( HOPEFULLY ).
Ciao All
Thursday, January 20, 2011
A Means to Learning
Game Development - A Means to Learning Graphics and Physics
I have always been naturally curious in many different ways, technically and creatively. But I have often found in the past that a learning context or basis rapidly helps the learning process. You learn arithmetic before Trigonometry, you learn to use a mouse and keyboard before learning Computer Systems administration. This order of precedence is also important for information and concepts to be retained and understood. But informational order of precedence is already well applied in the educational process.
Life however often requires the opposite of us. To learn retroactively. I find in many technical fields especially, that this is required. If I look at students that get manufactured out of Java schools, they are especially under the whip in this regard. There are huge gaps of knowledge in terms of data structures, design patterns and API familiarity. I very often get the feeling this has come about as a result of the RAD software development trend that has come about over the last decade or two ( depending on your point of view ). This development style allowed for skills and paradigms to be learned on the fly as they were needed and with the Internet, this was easy and legal (for the most part). The depth of the knowledge that was acquired in a full degree( bachelor of computer sciences to stick with cliche ) was not a requirement from a business stand point for a myriad of rationalized reasons. A rant in this particular arena is due in a series of blog entries on its own but let me just state ( as a Java School “graduate” ), that I find this approach to the industry poor and short sighted. There is a place for this approach in software development in business, but it has been abused. The lack of educational context leads to an incomplete educational cycle... which leads largely to my next point...
I guess my understanding of the brain and its wiring s negligible but my I’ve found me ability to learn on any level requires a context and a clear goal in mind to be able to try remember, understand, and one day apply a concept. I’m not sure if there is a nature versus nurture argument here, but I get the feeling that this is dependent on an individuals mental wiring. I’ve seen a reasonable number of developers able to learn, memorize AND apply certain concepts ( whether it be raw idioms or complex APIs and their affiliated design structures ). This is just downright unfair, but at the end of you play the cards you’re given. I’m sure this could be found in any mathematical, logic based paradigm. So why the long winded introduction..
Two of my more core interests ( speaking strictly under the Logic heading, lets leave Creative Arts for another time shall we? ) is computer graphics ( not as in animation, but as in what makes animation possible, and look good ) as well as computational physics to some degree. Why? Its very hard for me to pinpoint but for the time being I can narrow it down to two possibilities. Firstly, I find problem solving in complex arenas very rewarding on many levels. Not to mention that seeing other people’s implemented solutions can be pieces of art in their own right, comparable to an impressive martial art, an elaborate display of colour, or a symphony of musicians in perfect unison. An addendum to this reason is that a given solution often gives an insight into a persons nature which I also find interesting. The second reason that stands out to me is that these two arenas once understood allow for creative thinking in a logical domain. A contradiction in terms perhaps, but that only provokes my curiosity further. Now perhaps from an extremism point of view these core interests are not the pinnacle of complexity, but there is definitely enough there to keep the mind busy. I’ve spent some time being a student and I’ve found myself a part of the group that requires context BEFORE complex concepts will make sense, never mind actually sticking in memory for any reasonable amount of time. When I speak about context here I am referring specifically to the basis of the concept ( the starting point ) up to and including the conclusion and summary ( the objective and goal ).
I can’t help but wonder though how the great minds of our time explored the depths of revelation and realization. Did it come simply for observation( passive ), or exploration( active )? I very rarely believe there is an absolute in life, and there is most likely a gray-scale of sorts. Which begs the question, where is the balance? I imagine differential psycho-analysis based on the individuals psyche would eventually give the answer, but I doubt whether we ( as a culture\society\civilization ) have the insight into the mind and character to evaluate this completely yet. If there are psychologists screaming blue murder out there after me saying that, please prove me wrong. To make a point from the babble here, I believe feeling your way through your own balances individually is very important before spending time in thought on external knowledge. The process of meta-exploration is important if not crucial for an individual that truly wishes to nurture the natural potential available. This is why I believe reflection is so important and why I started this blog. I find writing my thoughts allowed and even forces me to evaluate not only WHAT I think about, but HOW I think about it? And if I’m feeling particularly energetic, I’ll even think about the WHY of my thoughts. I digress though...
This might seem like an incredibly verbose means to something as simple as education. But society is engineered to be rushed and this nurtures a culture which does not evaluate and think choices and activities through. My opinion on why society has developed in this direction is topic for another philosophical ( and perhaps offensive ) blog post.
This is why game development ( personally speaking ) is such a good way to be introduced to complex concepts. The context is simple and the goal is clear, yet the implementation introduces the student to all the basic details used for fields of Physics, Computer Sciences, and even Engineering. Perhaps the education system is still adapting to the development of technology and all the sub-cultures and concepts affiliated with it, but I find it frustrating how games weren’t used as a method to education on a school level. Why should traditional school concepts be learned first BEFORE leading to more complex varsity concepts. When the applications introduced in varsity can actually aid the education process. Personally if game development had been used as a medium to education when being introduced to Trigonometry and Classical Mechanics, it would have been far easier not only to motivate myself, but to grasp the concepts in the long term simply because I had a frame of reference to latch on to.
To try summarise this long post, I feel it is important to emphasize the goal in education to aid the student’s path. Impossible to choose a road without knowing where you are headed. This has turned largely into a rant at the educational system, but I hope I got my point across. I also considered splitting this into two articles but that would’ve blown up an already bloated topic.
Ciao All :-)
I have always been naturally curious in many different ways, technically and creatively. But I have often found in the past that a learning context or basis rapidly helps the learning process. You learn arithmetic before Trigonometry, you learn to use a mouse and keyboard before learning Computer Systems administration. This order of precedence is also important for information and concepts to be retained and understood. But informational order of precedence is already well applied in the educational process.
Life however often requires the opposite of us. To learn retroactively. I find in many technical fields especially, that this is required. If I look at students that get manufactured out of Java schools, they are especially under the whip in this regard. There are huge gaps of knowledge in terms of data structures, design patterns and API familiarity. I very often get the feeling this has come about as a result of the RAD software development trend that has come about over the last decade or two ( depending on your point of view ). This development style allowed for skills and paradigms to be learned on the fly as they were needed and with the Internet, this was easy and legal (for the most part). The depth of the knowledge that was acquired in a full degree( bachelor of computer sciences to stick with cliche ) was not a requirement from a business stand point for a myriad of rationalized reasons. A rant in this particular arena is due in a series of blog entries on its own but let me just state ( as a Java School “graduate” ), that I find this approach to the industry poor and short sighted. There is a place for this approach in software development in business, but it has been abused. The lack of educational context leads to an incomplete educational cycle... which leads largely to my next point...
I guess my understanding of the brain and its wiring s negligible but my I’ve found me ability to learn on any level requires a context and a clear goal in mind to be able to try remember, understand, and one day apply a concept. I’m not sure if there is a nature versus nurture argument here, but I get the feeling that this is dependent on an individuals mental wiring. I’ve seen a reasonable number of developers able to learn, memorize AND apply certain concepts ( whether it be raw idioms or complex APIs and their affiliated design structures ). This is just downright unfair, but at the end of you play the cards you’re given. I’m sure this could be found in any mathematical, logic based paradigm. So why the long winded introduction..
Two of my more core interests ( speaking strictly under the Logic heading, lets leave Creative Arts for another time shall we? ) is computer graphics ( not as in animation, but as in what makes animation possible, and look good ) as well as computational physics to some degree. Why? Its very hard for me to pinpoint but for the time being I can narrow it down to two possibilities. Firstly, I find problem solving in complex arenas very rewarding on many levels. Not to mention that seeing other people’s implemented solutions can be pieces of art in their own right, comparable to an impressive martial art, an elaborate display of colour, or a symphony of musicians in perfect unison. An addendum to this reason is that a given solution often gives an insight into a persons nature which I also find interesting. The second reason that stands out to me is that these two arenas once understood allow for creative thinking in a logical domain. A contradiction in terms perhaps, but that only provokes my curiosity further. Now perhaps from an extremism point of view these core interests are not the pinnacle of complexity, but there is definitely enough there to keep the mind busy. I’ve spent some time being a student and I’ve found myself a part of the group that requires context BEFORE complex concepts will make sense, never mind actually sticking in memory for any reasonable amount of time. When I speak about context here I am referring specifically to the basis of the concept ( the starting point ) up to and including the conclusion and summary ( the objective and goal ).
I can’t help but wonder though how the great minds of our time explored the depths of revelation and realization. Did it come simply for observation( passive ), or exploration( active )? I very rarely believe there is an absolute in life, and there is most likely a gray-scale of sorts. Which begs the question, where is the balance? I imagine differential psycho-analysis based on the individuals psyche would eventually give the answer, but I doubt whether we ( as a culture\society\civilization ) have the insight into the mind and character to evaluate this completely yet. If there are psychologists screaming blue murder out there after me saying that, please prove me wrong. To make a point from the babble here, I believe feeling your way through your own balances individually is very important before spending time in thought on external knowledge. The process of meta-exploration is important if not crucial for an individual that truly wishes to nurture the natural potential available. This is why I believe reflection is so important and why I started this blog. I find writing my thoughts allowed and even forces me to evaluate not only WHAT I think about, but HOW I think about it? And if I’m feeling particularly energetic, I’ll even think about the WHY of my thoughts. I digress though...
This might seem like an incredibly verbose means to something as simple as education. But society is engineered to be rushed and this nurtures a culture which does not evaluate and think choices and activities through. My opinion on why society has developed in this direction is topic for another philosophical ( and perhaps offensive ) blog post.
This is why game development ( personally speaking ) is such a good way to be introduced to complex concepts. The context is simple and the goal is clear, yet the implementation introduces the student to all the basic details used for fields of Physics, Computer Sciences, and even Engineering. Perhaps the education system is still adapting to the development of technology and all the sub-cultures and concepts affiliated with it, but I find it frustrating how games weren’t used as a method to education on a school level. Why should traditional school concepts be learned first BEFORE leading to more complex varsity concepts. When the applications introduced in varsity can actually aid the education process. Personally if game development had been used as a medium to education when being introduced to Trigonometry and Classical Mechanics, it would have been far easier not only to motivate myself, but to grasp the concepts in the long term simply because I had a frame of reference to latch on to.
To try summarise this long post, I feel it is important to emphasize the goal in education to aid the student’s path. Impossible to choose a road without knowing where you are headed. This has turned largely into a rant at the educational system, but I hope I got my point across. I also considered splitting this into two articles but that would’ve blown up an already bloated topic.
Ciao All :-)
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