Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=1309https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4451Well this entry was supposed to be the first one. As I refer to in the first post I ACTUALLY SUBMITTED, the music is what I concentrated on. When the game first opens, a song begins, one which I recognize immediately. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. There's a cd downstairs in the house; Marilyn Manson. These songs and artists are iconic of the 1990's. I grew up listening to their songs and the very same music that is played in the background. I remember that these artists were center of debate over their influence of their lyrics on kids. While their lyrics don't say "go and shoot everyone who's ever pissed you off," they are angry musicians and generally produce darker music. These artists went through what videogames are going through now. Are they too violent and being influential? While music and videogames are different, (you don't act out music) they are similar in comparison to the issues that people have against them.Wed, 27 Oct 2010 09:24:40 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4451&iddiary=8319https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4451Well I just noticed I only have one log entered for yesterday, I must have forgotten to submit my original entry, that sucks. I reached the hell level, and this game finally started to feel like a game. I feel like the creator added this part solely to justify this game as a game. While I caught a ton of similarities between the school section and the real life accounts of the shootings, the hell level is obviously made up and inferred. It finally gives me a feeling that I am playing a game, rather than a game about something absolutely terrible. I didn't have time to complete the game, so I watched the ending on youtube. Eric and Dylan end up fighting Satan himself. (which is the same as the Satan in South Park, hilarious) In the end it seems like they both got what they wanted. They wanted to cause chaos and kill people who they saw as snobby rich and spoiled. While personally I think that they could have taught their tormentors a lesson not involving death, they took the actions they wanted. This is a total destruction of the Utilitarian lense. They eliminated the majority, instead of making good for the most. Wed, 27 Oct 2010 09:04:23 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4451&iddiary=8317https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4451Again, the music pretty much sums up my childhood.... However, the gameplay is monotonous. There is very little variety and I'm beginning to dislike this game. It isn't very worthwhile to play, and kind of disgusts me. The one thing I do like is how they incorporate the things that take place that day. Things such as Bill Clinton appearing on a news report to their path through the school. One thing in particular made me stop playing this game. In the library. Your character asks one of the girls if she believes in God before fighting her. You inevitably win and continue on your massacre. When I was in highschool, the brother of this exact girl came in to speak about his experience with this situation. It was very powerful and something I will remember for a long time to come. Seeing this exchange cartoonized and trivialized as something as simple as this game really got to me. I turned off my computer immediately thereafter.Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:22:08 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4451&iddiary=8310https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4350Last time I played, I wasn't very productive. I spent the majority of time wreaking havoc all over my neighborhood. I did more missions this session. One mission, OG Loc, introduces you to a character who is just getting out of prison. He acts like an extremely tough gang banger, but really comes off as comical as the other characters in the Grove street gang crack jokes and make fun of him. I distinctly remember this mission because I thought it was rather funny. Immediately after picking Loc up from jail, he demands you take him to a house in order to kill someone he had a confrontation with. Turns out, stuff just happened in prison (guess). You spend the next 5 minutes chasing a guy on a motorcycle, while he taunts you with a lisp. It makes for some pretty hilarious gaming. OG Loc represents this entire game. He's a hardcore gang member who's willing to kill anyone, but also humorous as some of his crimes are petty. San Andreas has you doing humorous missions such as these, but will also eventually have you killing government agents and blowing up their plane, skydiving to safety. It's contrast such as this that makes this game so memorable. Players are immersed into this fictional world, with minimum consequences and maximum choices. When people are put in situations like this, they have utter freedom. With no consequences for your actions, what do you base your actions on? Wed, 22 Sep 2010 10:45:07 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4350&iddiary=8121https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4350Playing this game really reminds of why it is so fun. You do not have to worry about any of your actions. You can play as the most cynical human being ever to have roamed the earth, and then go to class like a typical student. Its a perfect escape from the constant worries of life. I began my second session of San Andreas as usual. Go steal the best car that I can find quickly. After that I begin my rampage. Kill everyone I can and take their money. While killing is certainly unethical, I only question killing people in my own gang. Which is strange. Killing is killing, regardless of who they are. So I find it rather strange that the only time death truly occurs to the player is when it involves his own gang members. I believe this partially exists because there are consequences for doing this. For normal citizens, you only suffer consequences when performing something wrong within the sight of police. Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:50:36 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4350&iddiary=8114https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=435010/20/2010 San Andreas begins with a brief explanation of what is going on in CJ's hometown. As an ex gangbanger, CJ has been away from the local gangs for five years. On his way home from the airport, CJ's taxi is pulled over by police, who clearly are familiar with who he is. This is only the beginning to one of my favorite games of all time. Having not played GTA:SA for several years, this was a great refresher for me. I spent many hours cruising all over the largest playable map I had ever seen in a video game. Thats what originally impressed me about San Andreas. The sheer size and ability to do absolutely whatever you desire. While the choices are limited in the beginning, (riding a bike instead of flying a jetpack) the game begins to unfold slowly. I played through several of the beginning missions, because the choices are so limited and I had almost completely forgotten the story of the game, because once you beat it, you have little desire to play over. The first missions are simple, from getting a haircut to "tagging" turf, to eventually doing a drive by on another gang, missions just slowly release to the player the amount of detail that has been put into the game. You have to work out to maintain your physic, eat to maintain energy, sleep, etc. While some of these things were novel and fun the first time, I remember them becoming rather painstaking later in the game. I already am bored with running down Grove street in order to work out and increase my strength and stamina for running. Now I realize why this game was so controversial. When I was younger I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Now that I play the game, listen to the dialogue as well as look at everything together as a whole. Drug use, shooting, running over people, all are not things anyone under 18 should experience. I'm not against violent video games, but I definitely understand the arguments.Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:33:18 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4350&iddiary=8094