Video Game Awesomeness Post 1

Video and computer games have never appealed to me probably because it is hard for me to sit still for a long period of time, especially when I have no idea how or where to even start. My brothers are really into computer games, but from a distance it seemed like a waste of time compared to being active and outdoors. I knew this assignment would be hard for me to warm up to playing something like League of Legends, so I stuck to what I know, sports! For my first multiplayer game I chose FIFA 2011, and for my single player game I chose Skate 2. I was shown the basic control buttons for both games and just dove right in. Playing without any knowledge of the Xbox controls, even though I was informed on "what button did what," Discover learning played a huge role when it came to figuring out how to kick the ball with more force, or to pick up speed on the skateboard so I could jump onto a rail. Basically I had to press a bunch of buttons that gave me positive, or negative results to remember which buttons to use at specific times. 

Classical and Operant Conditioning also played a huge part in all 3 games I've played, the third one being my "potty" game, Spirit Stones. I quickly learned in Spirit Stones that even though there might be more dots of a certain color to get rid of, the dots of warriors with the lowest points needed to be attended to, or else they would soon be attacked. When I kept paying attention to the points each of my warriors had my team would get rewarded by being able to defeat the monsters faster and I could move onto the next level. In FIFA every time I hit the strike button, the ball would fly over or around the goal with way too much force, and not always in the direction I would think I was aiming. I started to press the strike button more quickly and with less force, and that solved the problem. Also every time I would go to slide tackle the opposite team, I would get called for a penalty. I knew I had to figure out a way to tackle the offender without getting a penalty, so I discovered that if I kept running alongside the player and then lightly pressed A, I would be successful! I have never used the slide tackle button since, unless I felt it was necessary. In Skate 2 I had a similar experience, every time I hit a random button when I was up in the air and I didn't fall, I was positively reinforced by the sound of the board sticking the landing, the points racking up, and the announcer yelling that I had completed a really awesome move! I would keep doing the same trick over and over until I could land it 7 out of 10 times.

What I learned when playing the multiplayer game, FIFA, was that there was a community of practice and strategy. When I wouldn't make a very good pass, or would miss someone wide open, my friends would tell me different tricks or buttons to press to make my pass better or more complete. Once it worked I would keep playing the same through ball every time I received the ball. Also when picking your teams you have to work together to come up with the best lineup against the lineup of the opposing team, which my friend are really into and I am hoping as I get better so am I.

I really enjoyed playing all three of these games! I may be getting a tiny bit addicted to Spirit Stones, and FIFA. It was definitely hard at first, especially with how fast paced the Xbox games are, but I enjoyed myself. I really like the multiplayer games, its fun watching how other people look view the game of soccer and it definitely teaches teamwork, skill sets, and the flow of the game. I am exited to see what else I discover in the gaming world.