Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=928https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3642My third and final time playing the game resemblemed the previous two becasue there was not really any change in terms of gameplay or my emotions while playing the game. Overall the game gets almost annoyingly repetitive and it seems to lack a purpose or final goal. Other that wandering around and killing anything that moves there is no benefit to playing this game. What I accomplished in the first ten minutes was basically the same as what I was doing almost 2 hours later. The game is not sickeningly graphic and blood and gore really arent all that important to the game so from that standpoint the game is not that appaling. What makes the game so unenjoyable is that it is just too repetitve. Once you have killed a few people there is nothing left to accomplish besides killing more students and teachers. Towards the end of my time playing the game I actually tried to avoid running into people just to see how big the game was and how many areas of the building I could explore, becasue to me, this was more exciting than killing innocent people. I found a few interesting parts of the game that I would not have discovered had I just walked around and killed everyone in sight. One example was when I walked down one hallway and the game paused while a picture of then-president Bill Clinton came on the screen. I assume the creators of the game used his actual address to the nation following the events of the real Columibne massacare but becasue the computer I was using did not have sound I am not sure what he said. The next interesting feature of the game occured when, as the killers, I entered a bathroom where four bullies were harrassing a student labeled "a nerdy kid". The creators of the game then have the character confront and kill all four bullies while the nerdy kid runs off and even thanks the two gunman. This was interesting in the fact that it was completely unrealstic that this "nerdy kid" would actually thank the gunman after he just watched them kill four people right in front of him. With that, something tells me that these four bullies would not be picking on a kid while gunshots and bombs were exploding outside the bathroom. I feel that their energy would have been spent trying to escape over harrassing a fellow classmate. Finally, I was confronted by another group of studnets who were able to overpower me and kill me signifying the end of my game. The game-over screen pretty much summed up just how inappropriate the game truly is. The final screen reads: Game Over...surbaban monotony lives on..." This is just an absurd line for the context of this game. Basically the creators of the game suggest that by not creating mayhem and tragedy by killing unarmed students that life is boring and lacks a purpose. I dont understand how the creators could feel this was an appropriate message to send to anyone playing this game espically since it is based on true and tragic events. My feelings of this game, I feel, are quite obvious, I still dont understand why this game was created and what benefit it serves to anyone. I would not suggest this game to anyone and overall it was a teriffic waste of time.Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:50:25 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3642&iddiary=6852https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3642I had forgotten to save my "progress" from the first time I played but it took me about 2 minutes to accomplish what I spent the previous half an hour to do the first time I played. I was able to advance much further in the game this time but still no thanks to the instruction of the game. I had to be told where to place the intial bombs in the cafeteria and I never did find where the game explains that step to you. What is even more aggrivating about the game is that the bombs that you must setup in order to proceed end up malfunctioning and never go off. So, basically the game wastes 20 minuets having ou to try to figure out where to place the bombs only to have them fail and waste your time. The game still is not put together all that well and it becomes very repetitive. The only accurate parts of the game are the descriptions of the weapons the killers use. When the attack begins the two boys basically just walk around looking to confront people where you then kill them. There isnt a whole lot of violence in the game and you cant shoot any of the weapons. All you do is run into people and press enter and they die. One interesting part of the game was the first student the boys encounter. They instruct him to leave the school. I remember this happening in the real story so I was impressed the makers of the game chose to include this in their game. However the rest of the 30 minuets consisted of walking around running into students and teachers and shooting them. It gets boring after awhile becasue the game doesnt seem to advance or evolve. There is nothing else to do but run into people who dont seem to flee the premesis or have any idea what is going on. Also, I noticed that the security cameras that stopped your progress early on magically dont do anything anymore. The police dont ever seem to come either during any of this becasue when you go outside to save the game no one is there to confront the shooters. The only way I seemed to be stopped was when I ran into a group of three to five jocks who were able to overpower me. Overall, the plot of the game and its context make it too hard to get into and on the whole, it isnt very fun.Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:56:21 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3642&iddiary=6834https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3642After reading the title of the game I knew before I started playing that there were some important moral dilemmas that were evident. I had never played the game before, let alone knew it existed. This suprised me becasue in the wake of this very real tragedy it seems that there would have been a louder outcry of dissatisfaction that this game was produced and, I assume, turned a profit. From a gameplay standpoint I knew going into the game that I would have some biases about what was to come. It was uncomfortable knowing the mission of the game and the what you needed to do to succeed. The set-up before the actual mission shows the two characters as they discuss their plans to get to the school and commit their crimes. It is alomst chilling, and the narrative strongly emphasizes the killers motives and their excitement level. I did not really enjoy the game and for the first half an hour I played it was confusing and lacked proper direction. I accomplised very little becasue I had no idea what I was supposed to do. The narrative explained the mission well but there was no instruction on where to go or what to do. I was stopped maybe 12 times by students on my way to the cafeteria and the security cameras caught me another 6 times. The graphics made the cameras tough to make out so I inadvertantly ran into them a few times before I knew what they were. I found myself getting very annoyed with the students as well becasue they continued to get in my way and seemed to go out of their way to confront me. I was suprised to find myself actually getting angry at these students knowing what was about to happen to them. After I was able to fianally navagate my way past the students and cameras I made it to the cafeteria where I was suppose to plant the bombs. This is where I needed further instruction. I must have walked in circles pressing "enter" on the keyborad for 15 minutes with no success. This is where my frustration level esclated and I eventually gave up. I am not a big video game player mainly for this reason. The game was awful at telling me what to do and I gave up. I searched around for the proper place to put the bombs but i never could find it. I'll try again and hopefully can advance further in the game.Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:52:26 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3642&iddiary=6813https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3523My final required session playing San Andreas was rather similar to the first two. Again I played for over an hour, and most of the missions I attempted to complete involved some sort of violence. There were two in which I had to participate in drive-bys and another where I had to steal a van. Each mission earned me more respect but I still have not made really any money. My lack of money led me to my first ethical, moral, and honest desicion, but it came about thanks to illegal means. As I attempted to get back to "Sweet's" house to learn of my next mission I happend to come across a cab and, after stealing it, I learned of a feature of the game that I had forgotten. Driving a cab allows your character to earn money in an honest and moral fashion. The game allows you to pick up normal customers and take them to their destinations. It was refreshing to actually make some money without causing harm to anyone. But in the end the money you recieve is not nearly as much as you can make by completing the missions once your respect level has reached a high enough point. I forgot to add in an earlier post that CJ, when in conversation with strangers can choose to act in a positive manner or a negative one. I chose on both occasions to act positively in hopes that it would benefit me in some way. In both instances acting apporpriate moved me ahead in the game. The next time this offer proposes itself I will choose to act hostile just to see what happens. But I'm guessing nothing good will come out of the interaction. I like this version of the game better that the older ones because they provide you with more missions so you do not get stuck on one mission and the game becomes boring. By letting you choose between three missions at a time helps futher the game and makes in much more fun to play. And even though I am done posting for it I think I'll keep playing.Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:45:03 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3523&iddiary=6616https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3523The second time around playing the game went much smoother from a gameplay standpoint. The map becomes more familiar and navagating throughout the area becomes much easier. The missons also became less difficult to accomplish and I actually earned some money which is good becasue I was running low. The missions are still slow developing and most focus on grasping the basic fundementals of the game for later missions which, I assume, will get more complex. Respect and brotherhood continue to be re-occuring themes in the game as most of the missions still focus on earning the trust of your "homeboys". CJ seems motivated solely on finding his mother's killer so family is also a key aspect of the storyline. The stereotypes I mentioned in my first post remain and continue to paint a negative picture of life among black and latin american males. I also made note of a young mexican woman who said "I love violence" as she passed by my character on the street. I felt this was completely unnessascary and an inapporpriate message to send to youths who make up a large percentage of the people who play this game. As for a few of the missions I completed, one actually employed some postitve morals which suprised me. In the narrative CJ is talking with a few of his friends about the negative turn the neighborhood has taken. They conclude that crack cocaine is the culprit and something must be done to stop the spread of the drug. The mission sends you to a crack house to beat up a rival gang responsible for distributing the drug. This was the first instance where a positive moral decision was made and some good came out of a mission. Still, however the way that CJ and his gang members resulted to violence to send a message proves that this game lacks a basic moral structure. But at least some good came out of it.Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:15:23 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3523&iddiary=6600https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3523I had not played a version of Grand Theft Auto in about five years so playing San Andreas was an exciting chance to relive some old high school days. The main character is different in this version but his overall objectives seem to be the same. The gameplay is not that much different but the game is more difficult and the controls take time to master. I spent about 30 minutes just walking around and getting re-acclimated to the controls and also tried to learn the map which is much bigger in this version. I'm not sure if I am really bad at the game or the missions are harder but I had trouble doing the most basic missions. From a moral standpoint, GTA does not place much empahsis on morals or ethical behavior. There are clear racial and gender stereotypes that are promenent and re-occuring. African-American and Latin American males are portrayed and aggressors and gang-bangers while caucasins only appear as police officers and viticms of car-jackings. Women have very little role in the game up to this point but most I have seen were dressed in little clothing and appered to be prostitutes. The police presence in the game is another example of how little morals there are in San Andreas. To get the police's attention your character REALLY has to do something bad. I stole three cars in front of police officers and they did nothing to stop me. In one of the missions I had to esacpe rival gang gunfire and once again the police were nowhere to be found even though innocent lives were in jeopardy. Respect plays in a big role in the lives of these gang members. To advance in the game you must first earn respect from your fellow gang members by doing tasks for them in order to earn their trust. This is one of the few examples of ethical or civil behavior in the game. Despite the fact the these men have no sense of society or lawful behavior, they still must abide to a code of conduct amongst themselves in order to make it in the gang. Family is another point the backstory hits on. The main character, C.J. returns from prison and has the burden on locating and seeking revenge on his mother's killer. Playing the game brings on a varitey of feelings. Becasue the point of the game is to commit crimes the ethics that we live by must be ignored to get a full grasp of the game. Even then it becomes stressful attmepting to esacpe gunfire while trying not to be rundown by cars and other obstacles. The game is very fun and addicting and I didnt expect to play for as long as I did. With that said I understand why parents and lawmakers feel this game should not be allowed for children becasue it paints such a dark and negative picture of inner-city life.Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:23:39 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3523&iddiary=6596https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3523Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:39:56 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3523&iddiary=6595