Journal 8

In the Hall piece, he says “Initially, Second Life looks no different than any other modern computer game. You go though the standard tutorial process in which the game teachers you how to move about in the world.” Although this quote may seem unimportant I think it is significant because without realization Hall is reinforcing the idea that there are several of computer games out there and this is just another one. He implies that he has previously played another game and this was similar. Computer games are neat, but at the same time they are nothing new. They have been around for quite some time now and innovators have to go to extremes to set their games apart from others. Also another quote that Hall ends with stood out to me. “Though the game allows players to defy reality, what actually ends up happening in world is really no different than what happens in the real world.” This just goes to show that innovators have made quite an accomplishment in establishing computer games that can mimic our society so closely. Our world that we live in is so technologically advanced that bringing reality to an 18 inch screen is not difficult. Just like Haas and Raschke I agree that technology has become a very big part of our society. Haas says specifically “…writing has never been and cannot be separate from technology.” I completely agree with this statement, everything we do today has something to do with technological innovations. Almost every time I turn on the Television I see a new commercial for the newest cell phone, computer, or video game. I would also have to say that there is not a single day where I have gone without using some sort of technological device to communicate whether it be a computer or a phone. The little things we take for granted such as calling our parents daily or checking the weather online are provided to use by those individuals who have made our world so technologically advanced. One big factor that plays a role in computer usage is the innovation of websites such as MySpace and Facebook. I am not sure the exact number or statistic but I am pretty positive there are an immense number of individuals who use these applications daily. Aside from these applications, there are others that obligate us to use a computer; for example, the Blackboard system here at Florida State University. Whether is take attendance, checking grades, checking e-mail, downloading syllabi, or registering for classes, everything must be done using Blackboard. These applications have made it simple to do certain tasks that could potentially take a while such as attendance or grades. Using the computers in our English class has been fun for me! I like our free writes in the morning but it has also been difficult. I am a very simple person in terms of technology and creating websites and writing on blogs has been a challenge but it has expanded my horizons.