Tuskegee Airmen

A few weeks ago we had a discussion in class that was about what person or group changed a game or culture. The first thing I thought of were the Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American military aviators in the United States armed forces. During World War II, African Americans in many U.S. states were still subject to the Jim Crow laws The American military was racially segregated, as was much of the federal government. The Tuskegee Airmen were subjected to racial discrimination, both within and outside the army. Despite these adversities, they trained and flew with distinction. Primarily made up of African Americans, there were also five Tuskegee Airmen of Haitian descent.

If the Tuskegee experiment wasn't a success, I honestly do not think African-Americans nor minorities would have the opportunity to be in the Air Force flying planes or being on the ground working as engineers. Also, there is a movie about the Tuskegee Airmen that I highly recommend called Red Tails.

Are James, Bosh, and Wade the Big 3 Killers of Competition?

We all know that Lebron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade can tear it up on the basketball court. From their ferocious dunks to silky smooth jumpers, they have definitely made a name for themselves. They are the Big 3. With each earning a whopping $16 million salary, I guess you could say the public supports their pretentious nickname.

However, I must admit and yes, I know I am risking being shunned by all loyal Heat fans by saying this... I am not a fan! With the Big 3 clumped together on one team, they rid the league of a significant amount of competition. I predict that the effects of this will eventually become very evident in the NBA.

First, the Big 3 discourages the other teams in the league. When put face-to-face with James, Bosh, and Wade, who really stands a chance? Well, the Pistons, for one, undoubtedly do not. In last night’s game (April 8^th), the Heat put the Pistons away in Miami, 98-75. The Heat crushed the Pistons, and this was even with Wade sitting on the bench with an ankle injury! The title of an article about the game truly says it all: “Pistons Vs. Heat: LeBron James Too Much For Detroit.”

No one wants to watch the team they root for get crushed. What happens instead? The fans give up! The fans that do attend the home games versus Miami Heat are most likely just going to see the Big 3 in action. They go to see a game. However, it’s not the game of basketball. Instead, the audience basically goes to witness a slaying! They enter the stadium, knowing the end result.

Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of professional basketball? Isn’t it supposed to be about the “best of the best” competing against one another, both with an equal chance of winning? When the Miami Heat are involved, the odds are pretty much set from the very beginning, and let’s just say, they’re not in favor of the other team.

In addition to discouraging the other players in the league, the competition aroused by stacking the Heat with the Big 3 also deters the other players on the Heat. James, Bosh, and Wade will ultimately receive the credit for the win anyways, so what’s the point of the others trying?

Yes, the collective effort of the team is necessary to achieve the win. Rationally thinking, each player understands that his efforts are important. However, game after game, when all of the recognition is given to the Big 3, I’m sure the other Heat players start to feel slightly depreciated. This feeling of depreciation will lead to a drop in confidence, which, in turn, will result in poorer performance.

In the article about last night’s game, Jason Walker includes: “James and the Heat had to get things done.” Yes, LeBron James is a superb athlete. However, doesn’t it take the whole team’s efforts to “get things done”? Apparently not in the Heat’s case.

Along with poorer performance, I think that the Heat will soon be dealing with a lot of internal animosity, as well. The Heat appreciates and admires the Big 3; these three powerhouses are a great asset to them. However, I believe that this admiration will soon turn to jealousy and feelings of bitterness.

As a team, the players are looking out for the welfare of the Heat as a whole. Nevertheless, it is still human nature to place emphasis (arguably even greater emphasis) on one’s own wellbeing. I think that the lack of recognition and misattribution of credit will cause the other Heat players to resent the Big 3. Internal hostility will destroy the dynamics of the team and, as a result, hinder their chances of winning a championship.

Furthermore, by placing James, Bosh, and Wade on one team, Heat fans have become prouder than ever. Have they become a little too proud though? Do you think the Heat will continue to give their fans a reason to be proud? Or, will the unbalanced placement of the Big 3 on one team cause the Heat to dwindle into a circle of jealousy and animosity?

Most people steer away from any bashing of the Big 3, especially when it’s about Lebron. He is King James, of course. However, I went there. I opened it up for debate, so here’s your chance to state how you really feel about it.

Rock the Casa

On April 4th, Kappa Alpha Theta put on event called Rock the Casa. During Rock The Casa, various campus acapella groups, dance groups and individual performers participated in this event to support CASA of Washtenaw County. These performers put on a “second personality” while performing. They are in what I believe is the equivalent to what athletes call “competition mode”. While on stage, these performers must put on an act: forget their friends who are watching in the audience, forget the whispers going on around them and zone into their performance. They become the actors, the center of attention. They must forget everything else going on in their lives for the brief time they are on stage and become immersed in this new character of a performer. It is remarkable how these performers are able to completely disengage themselves from the events of their separate, daily lives, as well as their surroundings to devote themselves to a collaborative, dramatic performance where they act as if they have no other worries.


Erwing Goffman, in The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, claims that “[w]hen an individual enters the presence of others, they commonly seek to acquire information about him…” (Goffman,1). Goffman goes on to talk about how knowing about the individual “actor” helps the audience develop expectations and hypothesize the actor’s expectations of them. In the case of Rock the Casa, the various performers had stop thinking about how the audience was solely focused on them. They were thinking about many different aspects of the actors’ lives and the actors had to ignore this and perform as if they are alone in their bedroom, in front of a mirror, with no audience. They must stop thinking about how audience members may be analyzing each and every action they make, and focus solely on performing. Further, Goffman talks about how there are two different aspects of actors’ activities: “the expression that he gives, and the expression that he gives off,” (Goffman, 2). The Rock the Casa performers, or “actors”, have expressions on their face while performing. They all appeared to be smiling and enthusiastic to be performing, yet focused and poised. I, as a member of the audience, perceived the expressions that they gave off in a certain way. I perceived their smiles and giddiness as their happiness and their focus and seriousness as their confidence. Whether of not these were their true emotions, this was the expressions that they gave, and how I, as a member of the audience, perceived them. The actors had to break away from their everyday lives to give these expressions. No matter what their true emotions were, they had to perform as this new happy and confident character to put on an engaging performance and appear in unison with their co-performers.


In Nina Bandelj’s article, How Method Actors Create Character Roles, she argues that “[t]he portrayals of characters in film and on stage, conveying distinct images of human identity, motivation and action, are among the most pervasive popular cultural objects” (Bandelj, 388). With this, during Rock the Casa, the performers portrayed an image of themselves and their performance that is distinct from all other aspects of their world. No matter what their true identity is, they put on a performance where they appear engaged, dedicated and confident. They are the center of attention for the time they are on stage—the center of the world for everyone in the room for those few minutes. They performed as entertainment, but also to benefit the CASA charity, making their motivation two fold, or at least appear to be. Whether or not this was their performance motivation, they were able to dedicate themselves to the performance, in coordination with the other performers, to appear to have this motivation and act as if the performance was their sole focus. The performers were in “competition mode”, acting with the other performers to create an engaging, dramatic performance.


References 

Bandelj, N. (Sept., 2003). How Method Actors Create Character Roles. Sociological Forum, 18, 387-416. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3648889

Goffman, Erving. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Anchor Books.

Social Psychology Adds to the Debate Over Free Will

In the reading for April 4th, Alfred Mele argues the claim that free will does not exist. To further explore his ideas, he performed various studies. In one study, he invited participants to imagine a scenario in which a man sees a $20 bill fall from a stranger's pocket. The man considers returning it but decides to keep it instead. Mele asked the participants whether or not they think that the man had free will when he decided to keep the money. Seventy-three percent responded that the man did in fact have free will. This sparked curiosity for me, however, because I disagree with the majority.

In my social psychology class, we have been discussing how the influence of others can significantly affect our behavior and choices. People are constantly influenced by others, even if others aren't physically present at the moment. Similarly, people are affected by social norms. Social norms are the explicit and implicit rules that specify what behaviors are acceptable in a particular group or society. When a person is deciding how to behave or act, he or she will go with what they think is acceptable. What that person deems "acceptable" is typically denoted by the social norms of his or her given society or group.

Now, let's take the scenario in Mele's study in which a sees a $20 bill fall from a stranger's pocket. He is forced to make a decision - return it or not. According to social psychology, when the man is making his decision, he is influenced by the opinions of others and by social norms. The social norm in most societies is that stealing is bad. The right thing to do would be to return the money. In addition to that, people have a desire to look good. They want others to approve of them. If the man who found the money was surrounded by a huge crowd, he will feel very pressured to return the money. If he doesn't, the people around him might make insulting remarks or reveal disappointing expressions. No one wants to be disapproved of. Moreover, even if the crowd wasn't there, the man might think back to a time when his parents gave him a lecture on stealing. Even though his parents are not physically present, the mere exposure to what they think is right and wrong can affect his decision. In Mele's scenario, the man does not decide to return the money. One could argue that he was having major financial troubles. He noticed that the man in front of him seemed very well-off. In this case, the man's environment leads him to keep the money.

My social psychology class has basically taught me that our surroundings influence almost every move we make. In this sense, we really don't have a choice when we are making our decisions - unless one wants to argue that our choice is to look favorable to others. We go with the choice that we think others would approve of. However, let's be real, that's just a way to convince ourselves that free will exists in those scenarios. Having free will would be able to make the decision to keep the money without it resulting in the betrayal of your society. Overall, I just think that social psychology can add an interesting twist to the debate about the existence of free will.

The Ultimate in Cooperative Games

As you maybe saw in my previous post, my major quest is becoming a better handler in ultimate frisbee. Ever since I started college, ultimate frisbee has been a big part of my life. I learned it when I was younger at a summer camp I went to. One of my favorite things is the "spirit" of the game. There are no referees (only observers in some games--not the same) and the game goes on with this ultimate "spirit".

Ultimate is a pretty hard game to police. There are a lot of different fouls, violations, calls, and rules. It'd be a hard game for a referee to judge, let alone biased players in the heat of the moment. It's funny how varying teams have or don't have this "spirit". It's easy to tell after just a few minutes whether teams have spirit. They will argue every call and have a lack of sportsmanship and respect on the field. Those games are awful; the teams are constantly bickering and making everyone mad at each other.

By being difficult and ignoring general sportsmanlike customs of Ultimate, I think of it as a form of cheating. Some teams have a definite edge by disregarding complaints and continue to act in that way. There are rules for a reason; to level the playing field. Which leads me to another point. There's a bit of game theory behind the "spirit" in Ultimate. I gauge every team I play at the beginning to see how they act. If they're contesting every call and being too physical, I'll act more similarly. You just can't be pushed around all game. If you let the other team do that, they're not only going to have an unfair advantage, but will get in your head.

On April 2, Professor Mitani spoke of cooperation between non-human animals (primates) and the game theory behind it (pre-class reading). We all adapt to our environment based on the other actors. There are a variety of variables that go into primates cooperating, including rapport and mutual benefits. It is to everyone's benefit to play clean and fair, determining the winner on skill, luck, and athleticism. But when one team/individual decides to cheat the system, the other team has no choice to follow suit. This creates a less desirable game, which is dominated by slowing down the game and general disruption.

If a team is cooperative and the competition is fair and fun, I won't be as physical or picky about game-hindering rules. The game flows better, and it's more enjoyable to play and watch. I think this happens in every sport; I just use ultimate as an example. Ultimate is one of the better examples because it is self-officiated. Does anyone else have examples of this type of phenomenon in sports they played or watched?

Are the Hunger Games really a game?

(WARNING: spoiler for those who have not completed the book!)

After finishing the book The Hunger Games, I was astonished that the competition of the Hunger Games could be considered a game. The ruthless fighting and quest for survival between the 24 tributes seemed more like a war than a game. But as I reflected on this course, I realized that the games, in fact, did fit many criteria to be considered a game despite how it seemed trivial for me to call a fight to death a “game”.

Throughout the semester, we have discussed many of the different characteristics of games. One of the main characteristics is that participation is voluntary. However, participation in this game is far from voluntary. The 24 tributes are selected by a lottery to participate.  When Prim was the girl selected from District 12, her older sister, Katniss, volunteers herself as tribute, knowing that she has a better chance at survival than her younger sister. While in this sense, Katniss’s participation was voluntary; it was only as sacrifice for her sister. She would rather die than watch her younger sister get killed in the competition. She did not want to participate. Simply, it was the only alternative she had if she did not want to watch her sister die.

Another characteristic of games is that they involve strategy. The Hunger Games indeed required strategy by the participants. Haymitch told Katniss and Peeta to use their talents to their advantage and carefully observe the other tributes’ talents, so they know what to expect. Katniss uses her hunting and outdoor skills, and Peeta uses his tremendous strength. Further, during the competition Katniss and Peeta act like star-crossed lovers in order to gain favor with the audience, another strategy. By gaining audience support, they have a better chance of obtaining gifts, like water, food, medicine and tools, necessary for their survival. During the Hunger Games, each participant allies with various people, as a strategy to avoid the other tributes teaming up. When there was a twist in the rules of the game, and a team of tributes was allowed to win, Peeta and Katniss use the star-crossed lover ploy even more to their advantage. They use this strategy to obtain audience support through the love-scheme, but also to aide each other, in hopes of helping the other survive. Whether or not Katniss and Peeta are truly in love is not fully clear; yet, it is clear that the two District 12 tributes strategize and work together to win the Hunger Games. However, these individual strategic tactics employed by Katniss and Peeta do not necessarily mean that the game is all strategy. The game is controlled by the Capitol, and represents governmental control over the 12 districts. The Gamemakers force tributes to participate and can change rules at any time, adding twists and turns, leaving only so much room for individual strategy.

While the prior aspects are controversial as to whether the Hunger Games should actually be considered a game, this competition does fit one game criterion flawlessly. If anything, the arena in which the members of each district fight to win is the perfect representation of the “magic circle”.  The Hunger Games is set in a specific place for a specific date and duration. The Game takes place in a computer-made outdoor arena beginning on a set day each year and lasts until there is only one survivor. In this light, the Hunger Games is its own “magic circle”, and in this way can be considered a game.

In another sense, the Hunger Games are a form of entertainment for the citizens of Panem, particularly the Capitol. Although family and friends of the tributes do not find it entertaining to watch their loved ones struggle, many of the citizens do find the games quite entertaining. It is broadcast to all 12 districts 24 hours a day. The Capitol finds the struggle amusing to watch. While the original intent of the games is to remind the districts not to rebel, it does provide a source of entertainment. In fact, one reason Katniss and Peeta continued their love during the competition was because it provided entertainment for the audience, as the “love story” could indeed help them win over the audience’s support. Further, the Capitol reverted to the old rules, at the end, so there could only be one winner because it would be more entertaining for the audience to see these star-crossed lovers fight for survival. However, when the two of them were about to commit suicide, the Capitol changed the rules yet again since it would be more entertaining to have two winners than none.

Hunger Games as a “game” summary:

Participation is voluntary: NO (well, in Katniss’s case yes—but not really!)

Involves strategy: YES to an extent, but also NO (the Capitol can alter the rules at any time, to create an outcome that they desire)

Is played in a “magic circle”: YES

Is a form of entertainment: YES, but NO (in terms of for family and friends of tributes, who must watch their loved ones struggle in what is essentially a death sentence)

With this, it is clear that the Hunger Games does not perfectly fit the definition of a game. The Hunger Games fit some criteria, and not others. This leaves it up to the discretion of each reader to determine whether or not they believe these games fit the definition of a game. Since the word game is in the title of the competition, readers may have the false belief that the competition is a game. But as previously discussed, I believe it is trivial for the Hunger Games competition to be considered a game, especially since there is not one specific definition for a game. 

Do you think the Hunger Games are a game?

Games of the Imagination- Brooke Rubinstein

In my Spanish 277, we read a story called, "Continuidad de los Parques" (Continuity of the Parks). In this story, the protagonist is sitting in a green velvet chair, opening up his fiction book to where he left off the other day. The author explains that as the man turns the page, he is becoming increasingly engrossed in the novel and absorbed by the characters. The characters in the man's book are two lovers. They are planning the execution of the woman's husband. At the end of the story, the male lover storms into the house of the woman's husband to find a man sitting in a green velvet chair reading a book.

The author leaves the story open-ended -- We are unsure if the man in the green chair at the end of the novel is indeed the protagonist. Is he really going to be killed by his wife's lover? Or, did the protagonist become so engrossed in the novel that he just pictured himself as that character? We, as readers, do not know if the protagonist occurs in the same world where the lovers exist, or if they are two worlds apart. The line between what is fiction and what is reality is blurred. The novel is playing a game with our imaginations because the plot creates open-ended possibilities and meanings for the ending.

In addition to playing with our imaginations as readers, the story also plays with the imagination of the protagonist himself. The novel that the man is reading takes over his imagination so much that he thinks he is a participant in the lovers' world. Fiction plays with his head and imagination. As a result, the protagonist is unable to separate his life from the life of the lovers' in his fictional story. He is unable to distinguish between reality and fiction.

Overall, this story exemplifies how fictional writing can result in mind games. I know that for myself, when I read a book, I envision the characters and the scene in my head. The details in the story allow me to paint my own picture. I become extremely engrossed in novels and actually feel the emotions that the characters in my novel experience. In this sense, the books are playing with my head, as they are dictating my emotions to some extent. Moreover, when the novel includes an element of surprise and portrays a twist in the plot, my imagination starts to wander. I begin to come up with my own reasons for a character's actions. Before taking this course on games and that lecture in my Spanish class, I never really thought about this concept of books playing games with our imaginations. I never realized that painting that picture in my head and coming up with plausible explanations was the book playing games with me. This class has truly expanded my definition of a "game."

Adventurer Tony

Until I met Tony Alvarez, I thought that social workers were all the same. Well, they aren't. Tony Alvarez is whats known as an "adventure social worker" and after hearing him speak, it completely changed my perspective on social workers.

I am currently enrolled in a Journalism class and one of our assignments was to profile someone. My professor brought in a professor at the School of Social Work named Tony Alvarez to speak to us about his life and his job.

Tony began by talking to us about his life, he was born in the Philippines and then moved to Michigan in the 1970's. He originally began as a chemical engineer, but soon realized that was not what he wanted to do. His wife, a social worker in Detroit, began to inspire him to enter the field. He got his masters degree in social work from the University of Michigan and soon after, began teaching.

Enough with the history lesson. Why Tony Alvarez?

Well, he is a different kind of social worker, instead of sitting with kids in an office or in a classroom, he takes troubled kids out to play games. This reminded me of class because as Tony was discussing taking these kids on adventures to play games, we had discusses children and games and the importance of competitiveness. What Tony does is this, he gets a group of troubled kids, and will take them to do various activities such as rock climbing, sledding, ropes courses and other various types of games including exercise. According to Tony, many of the kids he works with feel like they don't have anything to fight for, his games spark a competitive streak that makes them actually want to fight for something.

In our lecture regarding children and games, we had three take-away points
1. play is fundamental activity2. play expresses both creativity and conformity3. children’s games are “serious” fun

Tony hit on all three of these points. The kids he takes to play all need that time. It gets their extra energy out and also is an outlet from them to release any frustrations. Play is also an expression of creativity and conformity, creativity is important for obvious reasons, but the conformity aspect teaches many of these undisciplined kids, discipline. Also, the games are serious fun, they are a way for Tony to get through to the kids while they are playing and enjoying themselves. The games also teach them to be self reliant and to make decisions about what is right or wrong.


Hearing Tony Alvarez speak was inspiring and I highly recommend any students interested in social work to take his class!

Learning and Play: An adventure to the Hands on Museum

Learning is fun!

Whenever someone used to tell me this I would look at them like they were crazy. How could learning be fun? Until college, where I began being able to take classes that I actually enjoyed, I thought learning was far from fun. Learning meant one thing for me. Learning mean school. School meant days full of lengthy classes, which bore me. Thus, by the transitive property (yes, this was one thing I did take away from that boring geometry class back in 9^th grade…) learning meant boredom!

But then I began college. And learning began to take on a new meaning for me. I took classes that interested me with professors who were so engaging that I actually looked forward to class for the first time in my life. I encountered new forms of learning: interactive learning.

Outside the museum

For Minor Quest #3, the only thing we were given was: UTM 17T 272566 4684679. We had to determine what this code meant and any further steps. Figuring out what this code meant was like a game for me. It was something fun, a puzzle. After figuring out that these numbers and letters correlated to the Hands on Museum in Ann Arbor, my friend and I decided to go see what this museum was.

 

When we walked in, the first thing I saw was a sign that said, “Discover the scientist within you”. This museum was an interactive children’s museum—a fun way for kids to learn. Children can learn about scientific concepts though the various hands on exhibits and activities. The Visitor Guide says, “Discover the scientist within you as you experiment by pushing, pulling, twisting, touching, shaping, building and turning. Get ready to have fun as you embark on a science adventure!” According to Susan Gelman, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, play is a fundamental activity during childhood in all cultures. Play takes many forms: parallel play (when kids are next to each other playing but do not actually interact), traditional games, sports, board games and role-play. While “pushing, pulling, twisting, touching, shaping, building and turning” activities are not the types of games Gelman talks about, I could consider this museum a new, modern form of a game. Children at the museum participate in an engaging, fun form of play.

An exhibit on health & balance

Even as a college student, I found myself engaged in the activities intended for preschoolers and elementary-age kids. In fact, I found myself as engaged in these activities as I am when I play games intended for my age, like sports. As I explored each of the exhibits, I found myself having fun in a way I never imagined I could as a nineteen year old. Each exhibit was not only a game, but also had information about some concept. Some of these facts were completely new to me, even as a college student.

Taylor at the Health Exhibit

What we thought would be a quick trip to the museum simply to figure out why this museum was the place we were supposed to go for the quest, we spent over an hour there having a blast. I felt as if I was a young child again, drawn to these extraordinary stimuli. Each exhibit was bright and attractive, full of information in an easy to comprehend manner. As I progressed through the museum, I remained interested and attentive to each exhibit. In my opinion, the main reason for this was the hands-on nature of the museum.

Me at the Architecture Exhibit

Usually, I get extremely bored at museums. As a child I would dread when my grandparents wanted to take me to the Art Institute in Chicago or the Field Museum. All I wanted to do was have fun, but at these museums I had to be quiet and careful not to touch anything. However, at this museum, the whole point was to interact with the various exhibits as a form of learning. This made the learning fun and informative. Since I could interact and play with the different exhibits, I felt as if the exhibits were types of games. This kept me engaged in learning because I was not simply reading information or observing various displays. Instead, I was able to create fun out of learning. While I was technically doing a homework assignment at the museum, I really felt the enjoyment I felt as a child in playing games. With games, like the ones I played in the museum, I was explicitly learning but also playing and enjoying the learning at the same time.

Taylor in the Building Block Exhibit

In our society today, parents, teachers, kids and many other influential individuals so greatly stress the importance of education that children are limited in their playtime. According to Melinda Wenner, in the article The Serious Need for Play, “Starting them as early as preschool, parents concerned about getting their kids into the right colleges are filling after-school hours with music lessons and sports—reducing time for the type of imaginative and rambunctious cavorting that fosters creativity and cooperation,” (Werner, 24).  This museum is a concrete bridge between play and education. It incorporates play within learning about things such as the planets, health and fitness, bone structure, physical properties of the earth, light and many more. These game-like exhibits help children learn, while also providing them with the freedom to approach the exhibits in any way they desire, making them both fun and educational.

With this, I realized learning really is fun!

Works Cited: 

Wenner, Melinda. (2009). The Serious Need for Play. Scientific Americans Mind, February/March, 22-29. Retrieved from www.SciAmMind.com.

Gelman, Susan. Fun and Games in Childhood. UC 256. The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. 22 February 2012. Lecture.

Hunger Games and the Saint's Bounty System

After reading the article about the Saint's Bounty System, I started to draw a comparison to the Hunger Games. Just like the Saints are promoting violence amongst the players in the NFL, the Capitol is endorsing violence amongst the people in the districts. According to the New York Times article, players receive "$1,500 for knocking a player out of a game and $1,000 for when an opponent was carted off the field." In comparison, the Hunger Games explains that the last living person wins the games. The winning tribute gets to move into one of the homes reserved for district winners. Additionally, the whole district receives a monthly supply of food. The Capitol showers the winner and the district that he or she belongs to with gifts. They are rewarding a person for killing others. What makes it even more interesting - and disturbing - is that the Hunger Games are a source of entertainment for the people. The Capitol endorses the violence not only to demonstrate their power but also to provide entertainment to the general public. The Saint's Bounty System actually diminishes in comparison to the Hunger Games, as their system endorses violence that results in injuries, not death. Luckily, our world is not that damaged!

Serial gamer

About one month ago, I downloaded the game, Temple Run, to my iphone. I had heard about it from my friend and figured this game would provide me with decent entertainment in my free time. Little did I know, this game would soon take over the majority of my time. I found myself unable to put it down! I played it the second I clicked the "off" button on my alarm in the morning, on the way to class, during class (not UC, of course!), at the dinner table - basically whenever, wherever. This game was so much fun! - well, at the time.
Now, four weeks later, I won't even open up the application for this game if someone begged me! I had my time with it, and now, I'm just over it. It's ironic that the game I was obsessed with for weeks now makes me cringe. The way these iphone games work is just funny -- You download a game and decide you like it. Then, since our phones are practically with us at all times, the game is available to us essentially 24/7. The convenience of the games allow us to become extremely addicted. Then, after playing the game an unhealthy amount of times, you just get tired of it. So, what do you do? You move on to the next one! The iphone basically sets up speed dating for iphone games/apps.
P.S. My new addiction is scramble with friends.

Let's play some Mario Party

Even though I am not a huge video gamer now, there is one game that has always had my heart. Mario Party. I love the challenges and the fact that you can play your friends. Although, when I was younger my favorite part of the game wasn’t winning, it was my character.

            While my brother and our friends would fight over who would be Mario or Luigi, I always chose Princess Peach. The reason? I thought she looked like me. Princess Peach became my avatar in the video game world. Like myself, she has blonde hair and loves pink. When I played Mario Party as Princess Peach against all of the boys it was amazing. Having many guy friends, I always got laughed at when I would pick Princess Peach because she's a girl, but after I started winning, the laughs stopped. Princess Peach represented me virtually, she could beat all the boys and she always kept her hair perfect (I tried, but failed).

As I got older, Princess Peach remains my go-to character; I don’t think I would be comfortable playing with any other character in the game. For people who play games such as World of Warcraft, their avatars represent who they are or want to be in the virtual world. The avatars become an extension of the person playing and as a result, can sometimes seem real. Second Life is another example, you can pick any avatar you want that you think represents you. Avatars allow people to be someone else in the virtual world for a little while. They allow people to be creative and do things that they may not be able to in the real world. While it is important to maintain open channels of creativity, it is even more important to balance it with the real world. One of the issues with games such as World of Warcraft is that the virtual world starts to consume all of a gamers time thus becoming immersed in the virtual reality world. The balance of real world priorities and video gaming is hard to do for some gamers who relate to their avatar so much that they choose to just remain in virtual reality mode and dismiss real world priorities and responsibilities. 

            In the end, whenever I play Mario Party, Princess Peach will always be the reminder of my youth, when I used to beat all the boys. Everyone should try playing a game with an avatar, and if you want to play Mario Party, let me know. I’m down for a challenge.

Major Quest Struggles

Most of us doing a major quest are doing something physical. I guess I shouldn't generalize, but I will. From what most people say, we are running, lifting weights, or something like that. I'm doing something a little different. I play on the Ultimate frisbee team for Michigan. It consumes a lot of my life here, so I thought it was only fitting. But I'm just not trying to get better at it. I'm trying to become better at handling, which is like a quarterback for Ultimate frisbee.

It's been a rough transition starting this second semester. We had an indoor tournament at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse on January 20th and 21st. And in the second game of the day, I injured my ankle. Not badly, but enough to take me out of the game. I thought I would be ready for the next one, but it wouldn't get better. But I wanted to play that day. Before you all start calling me a hero for manning up to play for my team, I'll say it wasn't like that. I had my ankle taped, took a bunch of Motrin, and played for one game. There was no pain due to my adrenaline. It wasn't a gutsy performance, like Curt Schilling's infamous red sock, or Michael Jordan with the flu in the Finals. The game hardly mattered, as we were beat badly. 

Fast forward a month, and my Achilles on the same foot hurts to the point where I can't exercise. Not my ankle anymore. My ankle improved, I played in a tournament in Ohio in early February with no pain. Then the next week my Achilles starts hurting beyond the pain of my ankle ever did. My theory is that it was a compensation injury. Anyways, I'm out of shape and haven't improved physically for my goal of becoming a better handler. However, I paid attention at practice more for things I should do--the mental side of handling. 

Hopefully the injury bug will leave me and I can focus more on improving my throws and decision making. This past month and a half has been very frustrating, but that's one of the risks we take as athletes (and as a major quest!). It's a facet of games and playing that, well, changes the game. Entire games are decided by injuries. It's apparent when we watch sports. When a star player has an injury, his/her team really struggles. These trials and tribulations will be in my final report, and many other details that actually contributed to my success (hopefully) in the next month and a half. 

If I had one piece of advice for all of the major questers doing something physical, be safe and stay injury-free.

Class Competition

After reading Sarah’s blog post “A Counter Example to the N-effect”, I began thinking about how school is really just another form of a game. Students compete with themselves, classmates, friends, siblings, and many other people to be able to get the best grades. The goal of getting good grades can be short or long term. Short term some goals may be to be on the honor role, to feel like your hard work paid off or to prove to someone else your intelligence. More long-term goals related to getting good grades include: getting into college, getting into graduate school or getting the job offer you want.

My competitive drive in school to receive good grades results from internal motivation to do the best I possibly can so that I have enabled myself to have the best possible opportunity to get the job I want out of graduate school. In terms of school work, I am hard on myself to reach my full potential, but I also feel competitive with other students when there are a limited number of top grades—such as when a class is graded on a curved scale. Particularly in big lectures, where I am not sure how a professor will grade a test, paper or other type of assignment, I feel the most competitive. I do not know the academic abilities of the hundreds of other students in that big class. However, in a smaller class or discussion I have a better idea of where I rank among the other students. Further, with a smaller class size, it is easier to build a relationship with the professor in the classroom situation. You are able to get a better sense of they will grade and the types of skills that are most important to them.

This idea about class size reminded me of a topic covered in my Psychology 250 (Developmental Psychology) class taught by Doctor Christopher Monk. In this class, we learned about a study on what makes a school effective. The results demonstrated that kids (from Kindergarten- 3^rd grade) in smaller class sizes had greater achievement in later grades, and were more likely to graduate. The reason behind this was determined to be that teachers of smaller classes spend the most amount of time giving individual attention to students, in turn providing the most effective teaching atmosphere for each student.

With this information, I came to the conclusion that the reason I felt the most competitive in larger classes was the information and way it is presented is less personally tailored to the ways in which I learn best. However, in a smaller class, whether or not the professor specifically tailors the information, it is easier to build a close-knit relationship with them and get the most out of learning. In a big lecture, the way a professor teaches may be more beneficial for other students than me, and so I feel more competitive to work harder to still receive the grade I want in the class.

However, Stephen Garcia’s idea of the N-effect claims that increasing the number of competitors decreases competition among competitors. In order to determine if other people also felt the opposite of the N-effect, I decided to conduct a survey that I posted to my Facebook and emailed to various college students. I found that I was indeed in the minority who felt this way about large classes.  The results were as follow:

The results paralleled Garcia’s findings with the N-effect. People felt most competitive with their friends—people who are very close in social-relation orientation—aside from feeling competitive to beat their personal best. They also felt most competitive in a small class, discussion or seminar. While these results were consisted with the N-effect, I hope to further explore why I feel so differently.

A Feeling Like No Other-flow

After talking about "flow" in class, I got to thinking. As an athlete in high school, I continuously pushed myself to a point where my mind would be completely clear. While many of my teammates played to clear their minds to think, I loved the feeling of pushing myself to where I was thinking about nothing. This got me thinking. If that's how I felt in high school, being an athlete for a major university must be amazing. On top of playing to an extremely high standard, you also have hundreds of fans, including fellow students, cheering you on. The competitive level is in a league of its own. You move from a high school level to college, while in college, you need to work harder then everyone else in order to gain a spot in the pros. After this class began, it got me thinking about an interview I did for one of my sport management classes this year. One of my good friends left Michigan after his sophomore year in order to pursue a dream in the NBA. During the fall semester, I interviewed former Michigan guard and Los Angeles Laker Darius Morris about his thoughts on playing basketball abroad, and what it means for players to travel to other countries to play.

1.     How do you feel about international players playing for the NBA?

I like it because it shows that anybody can play the game. It’s cool because it broadens basketball’s horizons so other people can get involved.

2.     Do you think the NBA should implement a language learning program or should players have to learn it on their own?

If a player comes over, they get a translator, for example, Yao Ming had a translator but eventually learned it on his own.

3.     What fears would you have if you went to play in Europe?

Being away from home and the new culture. Communication would also be really difficult and would be hard to adjust. The style of play is different but for me the struggles would be more off court.

4.     Have you had any interactions with international players? If yes, have you had trouble communicating with them?

Yes, however I keep it basic, I can’t use slang but they are usually able to understand a little bit.

5.     Would you want to learn foreign languages to communicate with potential international players?

I would try to make an effort to learn their language and lifestyle; it would be my responsibility. My brother played overseas and was able to pick up on stuff from his teammates that would help him understand, but he really just did it on his own.

6.     Do you think the media treats non-English speakers equally?

Yes to a certain extent. It really just depends on the players abilities, Yao Ming is an example, his skill translated into media attention. However if there is a non English speaking player and an English speaking player with equal talent, it might be better for a reporter to go to the English speaking player.

7.     In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between European programs and American programs?

The states have more resources that other countries don’t and it is also easier for us to go to college, there is an easier transition to the NBA compared to someone trying to come in and play from overseas. But it doesn't matter where you play, it is the feeling of just "being" while you play. As a former college athlete, I remember the feeling of feeling nothing. Every time I step on the court, I strive for that feeling because I know I am doing something right.

I realized he is talking about flow. That feeling of working so hard for something, being so good at it that it becomes a part of you and you have no thoughts or feelings while doing it. It is something that everyone should try and feel at least once and I am really looking forward to learning about other types of games during the rest of the semester. Go Blue!

"Runner's High"

This morning, as I slowed down my speed on the treadmill from running to a walking pace, I looked at the screen in front of me. One hour, eight minutes. For a moment, I thought to myself—what was I doing that whole time? 

Running, yes. Exhausted, no. Sweating, yes. Thinking, no. 

And then I realized what I was doing. I was in a state of flow. According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, flow is a state of awe and bliss, which results from a person being intensely involved in what they are doing. Csikszentmihalyi, in his video “On Flow”, describes a musician in the state of flow: ecstatic to a point where he felt as if he almost didn’t exist. He claims that flow comes from something that requires a high level of challenge but also a high level of skill.  Well, running is very challenging for me, but I also am a skilled runner. I’ve known I was a talented runner since I was in elementary school and won the 50 yard dash during Field Day (our school-wide “Olympic” competition), since I was a 6^th grader in middle school and the coach put me on the 8^th grade track team, since I was a member of my high school track team’s 4x200 relay team that set the school record.

My teammate and I in the 4x200 race
when we set the school record

I do have a lot of skill when it comes to sprinting, but running longer distances is much more of a challenge for me, especially after breaking my leg and foot within a year of each other. Putting these different ideas together, I determined that what I had always considered to be a “runner’s high” was really a state of flow. I was doing something that was challenging, but I was qualified to take on. During my run, I had lost track of time and had no idea what I was thinking about, characteristics of someone in a state of flow. All I knew was that when I began my run, in my head I was singing along to my music but by the end my head was no where—not paying attention to my music, not paying attention to how hot I was, and not paying attention to the time. Rather, I was fully absorbed in my run. I was so focused on my run that I did not even realize just how focused I was, but as I began to cool down, I realized this run was the perfect example of flow.

Disidentification

Last summer I volunteered at Beyond Sports Foundation as a mentor and tutor for athletically gifted, low-income high school athletes, from the inner city of Chicago.  The goal of the foundation is provide academic and social tutoring to these students, in order to obtain NCAA scholarships, their only avenue into college.

One of the BSF students and a tutor at the
Graduation Party for the Class of 2011 (in June)

I was home from school this past weekend, and while I was home I decided to go visit the students I had worked with. As I was talking to the boys, I asked them how school was, and I asked the seniors where they decided to go to college. One of the boys, who I spent a great deal of time working with this summer, told me he had not yet decided. At first I was very confused. The National Signing Date for a National Letter of Intent for football was February 1st, and most of the boys in the foundation had immediately committed. As we continued talking, he told me that he decided not to play football in college because the schools he was looking to sign with were not as good academically as schools he could get into based on his grades. 


Instantly, I thought about Claude Steele’s idea of “disidentification”, in the article Race and the Schooling of Black Americans.  I found it noteworthy that the one white student in the foundation was the one student in the foundation who still felt some connection to the academics of school. In the article, Steele talks about disidentification as the lack of a process in which Black students identify with school and academic achievements, resulting from the double vulnerability of Black students in school, where they risk confirming academic incompetence, thus the racial inferiority they are suspected of. As a result of this extreme pressure, at the first encounter with a modest academic setback, the Black students disidentify with academics and identify with something different to help boost their self-esteem (Steele, 1992). Steele claims the disidentification process only happens with black students, and this situation seemed to support his belief. 


While the 4 other seniors in the foundation, all Black, clung to their sports as the source of their identity and their path to college, this one White student believed academic success was more important than athletic success. The 4 other students used their athletic success as a way for them to succeed, but this one realized that doing well in school would get him farther in life. Academic success could help him get a career in which he could support himself and eventually a family, giving them the life he never had. He recognized his talent was above most other high school athletes, but not enough to go beyond college and provide economic security. He believed getting the best academic education possible would help him in the future, even if that meant giving up an NCAA athletic scholarship and finding other ways to pay for college. 

Some of the BSF students and tutors hard at work

This situation also reminded me of the “Star Power” game because in an attempt to get the best education, this one kid is trying to achieve something very difficult for someone in the lower class of our economically stratified country. He wants to reach a higher level of economic success than the one he was born into. However, the constraints that a low-income placed on his chance to go to college make it very hard to do so and easy to chose another path, such as athletics.