Author: damonh@uoregon.edu

Catching my First Pokemon

03/08/2017, 1 hours

This is my first time really playing Pokemon Go. I downloaded the app in the summer, while working at a summer school, but didn’t get to use it and never really jumped on the bandwagon. Hands down, this is a game that I, as a non gamer, fully support and understand its appeal. While in the past I’ve always put the outdoors before screen entertainment, it looks now I won’t have to choose, which I believe is a major breakthrough in technology.

Like every other game we’ve played in this class, I have started out with zero idea what to do, or what what going on. Unlike other times though, that was more than okay by me. It was fun, walking around, and using the camera to “see” the little pokemon that I was able to catch. It’s no wonder why students and staff, not to mention millions of others around the world, played this non stop when it first came out. I love that the company decided to make a game that would encourage people to get up and active. I’m sure it has changed people’s lives, for the better, by getting them to try something new, and not sit in front of a computer all day.

These first two hours were spent mostly during classes, where I would have my phone open and wait for little Pidgeys or Magikarps to appear, and then take the time to catch them. It was rather mindless, and I was presented with the opportunity to evolve, or power up the cute creatures each time I threw my pokeballs. Sometimes they were accurate, and I was able to capture the little ones in one attempt, other times, it would take 4 or 5 tries. Either way it was fun, and I was all in all enjoying myself.

Finding Wifi

03/09/2017, 2 hours

One thing that was proving a challenge was wifi and data. This game is perfect for those with smartphones and unlimited data, but difficult to play for those without. Sadly, even though I had  a newer iPhone 6, my limited data of 250MB per month proved to be an obstacle in enjoying the game to its fullest. My hope is that in future updates, more information can be downloaded off line, a feature that has been recently added to google maps. Though I realize that this will never be game that can be played while fully offline, I urge Niantic to at least aim for that goal, as to allow more gameplay.

This time spent I was able to fully appreciate the awesomeness in location-based gaming and augmented reality, as I actively played between classes, waiting to connect to wifi, then taking advantages of different pokestops. My time spent really was more mindless than anything, catching numerous Rattatas and Spinaraks, allowing myself to camp at pokestops while at various  sites.

One thing I did notice was somewhat intimidating integration of location. I know that Niantic take the information players gives, and sells it to others, but I guess I didn’t realize just how much this was the case. This realization happened while at Starbucks on 18th, when I saw the add for the Pokemon Go frappuccino, and how it was imbedded directly into the game itself. I understand that when I agree to the terms that this is all part of the deal, but I can’t help but wonder how much more is going on that I’m not aware of. What would the FBI or CIA do if they decided they wanted to take advantage of the fact that most of us who download and agree to the terms usually don’t think twice about saying yes?

 

What’s the point?

09/11/2017, 2 hours

I’m not really sure what the narrative or story is here in Pokemon Go. Why are players fighting one another? Why are we forced to take one of three sides in a war for territory? I’m part of the red team, does that make me more aggressive or successful than the other teams? What is the point of it all?

I think that many would say that Pokemon Go is about exploration, of all sorts. It’s about going out into the world and catching Pokemon near bushes and many other random landmarks, such as sculptures and abandoned hot dog stands. I think this is awesome, and because of this I have noticed more details about my walks to class then I have in the past. What is so engaging about pokemon go is the idea that creators have taken the concept of exploration and discovery, and applied it to a medium that attracts not just gamers, but many others as well. Something I have to wonder though, is because Pokemon go is mostly about exploration, does that mean the game would therefore be more engaging and appealing for, as Richard Bartle would them, individuals who identify as spades? For if spades are defined as players that enjoy exploration of the virtual world, and pokemon partially takes place in the virtual world, doesn’t that mean that is what this game is most suited for?

I like to think of myself as someone who explore, be it outside on a hike or within this game, and pokemon go does just that, providing me an opportunity to do both.

Though sometimes it is hard to ignore annoying server breakdowns and the other technical problems within the app, the ability to explore is why I personally enjoy this game more than I have other ones.

9/14/2017, 1 hour

Pokemon players unite!

 

I love that Pokemon go has gotten everyone out and about, and has created a community of players who, when they meet, instantly have something in common. I was at a (different) Starbucks the today and saw the barista playing, and couldn’t help but start a conversation. We talked about how for us, this is one of the few games that we can play on and off, and not have to devote designated time to. Or in other words, we agreed that the game was great because it allowed us to play on our own time frame.

 

I think that this is something that makes Pokemon Go successful. Many of those who play aren’t necessarily avid gamers, and therefore may not want to carve out time in their day to day lives to play a game, but when riding the train to work or out for a walk around the neighborhood, a sense of camaraderie is built, for it seems like every other person is out to catch ‘em all.

 

09/17/2017, 2 hours

The social currency of Pokemon Go

 

So when I first downloaded the app back at its initial release, I didn’t do so because I wanted to play, I did so because everyone else was doing it. Like now, during the summer I didn’t have a lot of data, so after catch a few creatures I deleted the app and moved on.

 

What I find interesting is how Niantic uses this idea of pure pressure to sell make their own game and products even more popular. Users have the ability to post screenshots of the rare Pokémon they just caught, via facebook, twitter or other social media. Players can even play against other friends to tally scores, creating competition not just with strangers, but within small groups as well, a tactic that will again result in more sales.

 

For many, the idea of becoming a pokemaster has been a dream since the 90’s, and now Niantic has created a environment where that can happen, and those who play can involve others, again ultimately increasing sales.

 

I have heard rumors that there is soon to be a Harry Potter version of Pokemon go, and I look forward to seeing what that will look like, and what type of crown that will attract. There is no doubt that I will be downloading this app, and I know it won’t be because of others, but because this time, I will be able to relate, engage, and invest in the game, which is something that I had a difficult time doing in Pokemon go. That’s not to say I didn’t have fun, I did, but I can’t wait to see how far technology will take us in the future, and what that will look like!

02/16/2017, 09:00-10:00pm

Building a Character and completing my first ever Quests!

Okay, so I can finally start to use my desktop computer knowing that the $1400 rig will get some new action! I built a Hackintosh and am yet to use any programs that would put my graphics card to the test, so I’m excited to see how it’ll run! Unfortunately, because my computer is a Hackintosh, there are still some issues that I am yet to work out, one of them being choppy audio. (Need to patch the correct kexts in the correct location… proving a challenge.) So, I’ve been playing World of Warcraft without much sound, but everything else is working great!

After spending a good amount of time building a character, which was a female dwarf with the name of ShortFiona (based off of Shrek) I started playing. Somehow, I was able to complete a quest, which in the 20+ years I’ve been alive, don’t ever recall accomplishing.

Something I found difficult was figuring out how exactly to go about performing certain actions.  I kind of got the hang of how to move, which was a little difficult seeing as I use a magic trackpad instead of a mouse. Mostly I use the keyboard. But I couldn’t figure out how to, for example, save a prisoner. I got how to shoot things with my magic, but still a lot to learn.

Throughout my WoW gaming experience, part of me feels as if I will be thinking about  my final project a lot, which has to do with emergent narrative. One thing I can tell right off the bat is that, compared to any games we’ve played thus far, the narrative of WoW is VERY world/environmental based. That is to say, that much of what happens within the space is what creates the story of ShortFiona and any other characters I create in the future…

One thing I noticed after our class discussion about representation, is that WoW has, at least to some extent, a decent amount of often times, underrepresented groups to chose from as characters. During class, you suggested that we try to play as an gender different than our own, so I went and did that. And now we shall see what happens!
02/18/2017, 08:00-09:30pm

Making Friends With Technician Braggle

Within half an hour I started to understand the idea of completing a quest. Each one is like a mini-narrative, with a puzzle to be solved. I completed three or four of them before I died. After the first 2, I realized that I needed to turn the quests in after completion, to the person who I originally received the quest from. For the third one, I needed to turn in my completed quest into Technician Braggle, who was a very friendly guy! I had to do this each time, and each quest could be different, with a different avatar to turn in the quest to.

Maybe if I had read some sort of manual before playing I would have figured that out sooner. That being said, this action of turning in a quest would have been much for strung out and complicated if I were playing Zork. And the fact that I can work on multiple quests at once is something I think is really interesting.

The two core dynamics that I currently see most in play (as talked about by Brenda Brathwaite and Ian Schreiber) are collecting and destruction. Collection of objects and destruction of the bad dudes and oversized aunts. Maybe a little bit of Survival when my avatar has to interact with other bad guys.

I’m starting to get a hold of the map means and how to use it. Something that has helped for some reason is that my sound on my Hackintosh is currently (somewhat) functional, which has helped me engage with my avatars environment.

Picking and choosing to complete quests so far have been the only (seemingly) meaningful decisions I’ve seem to have made. I guess at this point I don’t know a whole lot about which decisions really mean or have an important factor on the long-term outcome of the game, but I’m still figuring out over the next week or so! Currently feeling as if each game we’ve played in the class has gotten more and more enjoyable, which is great!

02/19/2017, 09:00-09:30pm

Finishin’ the job

Okay, I really like how this emergent narrative is playing out. Multiple quests that I don’t have to complete in a particular order, but that all need to be done before I gain another important object to add to my bag or whatever. I believe Brenda Brathwaite and Ian Schreiber said that these objects were referred to as bits.

At the end of my last gaming session, I had a few quests queued up to work on for today. I left myself dead, needing to go back to reincarnate myself, and complete the two part quest of killing the Boss Bruggor and detonating the  trogg tunnel. Throughout the game, I kept building up my narrative, by the help of cutscenes, dialogue and descriptive text.

One thing I really like about WoW is the all around interaction I have with the environment and the quests at hand. The game state and the game view are far better than any of the other games we’ve played, and I’m starting to look forward to playing. (Note, I’d never thought I’d say anything along the lines of that, so this is a pretty big breakthrough as far as I’m concerned.)

During this time I also I also googled a few questions… which again seeing as I don’t know much about games, made my experience more fun. One thing I do see is just how much a community is built around WoW. Just a few small google searches warrants thousands of forums, videos etc… dedicated to this single game! I just briefly glanced around the WoW main web forum, and really enjoyed seeing how mostly friendly and helpful players seemed to be.

In the end, I was finally I was able to kill the big crazy monster and blow up the cave that kept giving me trouble on one of my quests. Was rather excited and decided to call it a wrap following my mini victory dance.

02/22/2017, 11:00-12:00am

Grinding and Thinking

I know what this term means now. I’ve done it in sports, but never in games. Just small tasks, over and over again, just to achieve the overall end goal. I kind of just did mindless tasks, nothing too noteworthy.

I find myself now working on 3 or 4 quests at a time. I wouldn’t say that each one is building off of the other,  or that I need to do them in order. A lot of quests seem to be very much collection based. As in, as long as you can find something and add it to your collection, you’re good to go. That being said, often it will take a bit of looking around before I really understood what to do and how to do it.

Like I said, nothing too exciting, but did get to pondering over our conversations we’ve been having in class throughout the week.

I’ve started thinking more about what we talked about on Monday, the idea of different types of players: Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds and Spades. After some thought, I decided that I can’t really pick one particular player type, but I know I can eliminate the idea that I’m a killer. I do enjoy exploring though, so maybe spades. But that being said, if I had the opportunity to socialize with others, I totally would. I think that’s really smart of game designers to create spaces where these different types of players can thrive, and even interact.

After our talk today about gender construction (from the reading Judith Butler) I only wish game designers would be more inclusive to other potential players, who may not identify as a straight white male. While my knowledge about the videogame industry is little to none, I do know that other industries (film for example) are mostly run by men, and that the representations of gender, race and age in video games as talked about by Dmitri Williams, is skewed to fit white men. Still can’t wrap my head around why this is the case, when I truly feel like designers have nothing to lose and everything to gain when expanding their potential audience range.

The Final Quests

02/26/2017, 01:00-3:00pm

These last couple hours were a little bit more of a task than previous ones. I’ve gotten better at realizing what it is that I need to do, but it got to the point where I feel like I spend more time grinding and dying over and over than really working towards an overarching end goal.

That being said, I’ve sent some time exploring and searching around different parts of the game environment, which has been interesting. Though, from what I’ve gathered, I need to complete more quests in order to unlock more space. I see how people would love to play with others, a MPD seems like an awesome place to socialize, explore and have a good time.

I thought I’d be thinking about my project more, the idea of emergent narrative and why its addicting, but really I’ve just been kinda playing. I haven’t personally seeing many examples of gender discrimination, as talked about by Butler. Mostly that’s because I’m not interacting with others and have little idea as to what to do and how to do it.

One thing that was different with this game than the other ones in my section, is that I didn’t depend on the use of googling things as much. I think this is because there was just so much information about the game, that to write about such small tasks and specific quests would just be too much, not just to write about but to search through even if was detailed.

Before I was done, I made myself another character, one that was a human white male, just to see if I’d have any different feel about the game and the way I interacted with it.  Really, there was nothing all too different. Again, I feel like any gender related issues I would have faced or witnessed would really only surface over time, or if I had any inclination on how to collaborate with others.

I kind of wished I had gotten to see and experience the different player balances but overall, this gaming experience was much better than any of the other games that the class has played thus far. The game space is hands down the most engaging and interacting. I got into the game, I enjoyed bragging about it to my friends, and hey, I even got to use my new computer!

02/02/2017, 06:00pm-08:00pm

The Mailbox, the Troll and the Platinum Brick

Upon opening Zork link on my 2012 Macbook Pro, I was able to quickly confirm that this game would be, hopefully, more enjoyable than Civilization. But before I got too far ahead of myself, I read over the manual for a while. Something I really enjoyed was how the game was much more narrative heavy than Civilization was. I felt like I was “in” an environment, rather than just watching over one. Before I started playing, I took the time to get to know my game space looking at the manuals map, in hopes I could get a sense of the world I was about to step into. I enjoyed the dry humor the creators incorporated, and later saw that the humor was also present in the game itself. One thing I liked was that the game gave me clear goal and purpose in the manual: “You, a dauntless treasure-hunter, are venturing into this dangerous land in search of wealth and adventure.” The rest of the manual was helpful in letting me know how myself, the operator, would be interacting with the game.

After reading the manual, I started playing. I googled a few things, started drawing my map, and was able to successfully get underground. I stocked up with a decent inventory, killed troll, and was able to make it to a stone room with passageways into many different directions. Eventually I ran into the Loud Room, where the only thing that I knew about the room I couldn’t think strait. The only thing I could do was go up, and even when I went back into the Loud Room, I couldn’t use the command “look,” for the room was so loud I couldn’t think correctly. I enjoyed the sense of realism that the developers threw in, but eventually googled how what command to use to pick up the platinum bar which was “echo.” (My inventory was to heavy, so I left behind my painting. I made a note of it on my map, maybe I’ll come back for it later.

As for now, my map is starting to look confusing, so I think I’ll end it here for the time being. No monsters or anything yet, just figuring out the environment, which plays a far more important role than Civilization. My character has a good attitude and is still alive. I’m enjoying the game, and look forward to the next time I play.

02/03/2017, 12:00pm-01:00pm

Cheating, Maps, and Burning Alive

Okay, I broke down. I googled a map. I had to. I kind of am not %100 cheating, because I’m only looking at it after being stuck at one place for a long time, but still, I feel guilty. I continued to draw my own map though, because that was kind of fun. Despite the fact that I used the map, I actually started to have more fun. I wasn’t as confused about where I was, so I got to focus on other mini narratives and solve the mini puzzles.

As my lamp got dimmer, I lit a match and burned my leaflet (that I got from the mailbox. I knew it would come in handy!) Sadly, I also ended up burning myself, so I died.

I must say that I will enjoy starting over and drawing a new map. I think that this game could be a lot of fun to play with someone. Makes me think about how part of what Johan Huizinga has to say is correct: that play is meant and defined by actions that brings others together, and that play is imaginary yet impacts us in the real world and how we react.

Normally I don’t really get into games, I just don’t. Yet I found myself actually getting engaged, thinking about the narrative and noticing how certain bits and pieces of information play an important role in different rooms or chambers. I found myself making serious connections between points made by Henry Jenkins, such as how games have embedded narratives, but mostly how games are spatial. I had no visuals, but I was able to create them within my mind, which was fun. It allowed me to use my imagination, and put myself in what seemed like a simulation of a what it would be like to explore the long lost Kingdom of Quendor.

Time to get to work. I’ll try to not light any leaflets on fire.

02/04/2017, 02:00pm-03:00pm

Suicide, exploration, and a punctured boat

Well, I guess I thought when one died, that you’d completely start over… guess that’s not true. I explored the above ground for a while, going to the forest, climbing trees, walking along the ocean… just an overall good ol time.

Eventually I found my way back underground and back to the dam area where I died before. I was eager now to cross the river, seeing as I had a fresh lamp and located the air pump. Little did I realize that the sword was sharp enough to puncture the boat. At this point I became even more entertained by the game creators and their ability to throw in humorous realism. I also liked how they called my player a dunce, lightheartedly poking fun at me. This is a great feedback system, and a entertaining learning experience.  

I ended up getting so lost, and decided to the sword and kill myself. I guess it’s not the best way to go about things, but I figured why not.

Johan Huizinga said that part of play involves having its own space/play ground, and that couldn’t be more true here. He also said that it involved some uncertainty or tension, which although the game doesn’t have a set time limit for each move, you do get a sense of urgency. An example of this and although there’s only text, when I was in the dam area I flooded the room and quickly had to get out before I drowned. (Water started at ankles and moved up to knees, etc as each turn went by.)

At this point I realized I am yet to really fight any monsters besides my first troll which I killed early on. While the game is fun, I’m starting to get just a little anstey. I’ll come back later next week and maybe have another look.

02/06/2017, 09:00pm -10:00pm

The maze, a rope and praying at the alter

Here we are again! This time I choose to explore the temple and torch room area. I’d have loved to cross the river at the dam, but it’s flooded and I’ve died enough times as it is, so suicide isn’t an option.

I venture to the upper land to grab the rope from the attic, so I am able to descend into the torch room. I encounter some more funny situations, and actually laugh out loud when I read what’s in the black book that I find in the alter room. (Got a curious look from the girlfriend, decided to not explain.)

Well, one thing leads to another, and I end up being transported somehow from the altar to the forest when I prayed, which I found quite entertaining. In class I hear that this thief person is quite popular, which is odd seeing as I’ve only ran into them once so far. You could almost say that I’m not getting enough character interaction, and that the game not holding my attention with just the space itself, and lacks companionship… even if it’s from a monster trying to kill me.

This makes me think about how far games have come. A good game can transport the player to a different world, and, according to Sutton-Smith, temporary suspend normal life. This suspension of normal life can be further experienced when other human interactions are present, be it in the game or over the internet with other gamers. Heck, Zork would have been more fun if I had someone playing it with me. That being said, most of the game takes place down in a dungeon, so if game designers were going for a lonely eerie feel, they certainly achieved it.

I did find myself spending some time in the maze, lost and even more errie with the same message over and over after every move… but then happen to get out. Something I find different then most computer based interfaces is the fact that I am unable to scroll to look at my previous actions. If that were the case I would have been able to just retrace my steps.

The maze took up a good chunk of time, but overall besides getting down to the torch room and being transported, didn’t get too far today. Oh well. Still kind of had fun though!

02/10/2017, 04:00pm-05:00pm

Failed technology, more cheating, and the  troll that came back from the dead

Sadly my laptop needed a software update. So while I’m now running Sierra 10.12.3, I am also having to go back to the very start of the game, and re due all of my hard work. I was actually rather frustrated, because I don’t recall exactly what it was that I had accomplished and where in the underground chambers I accomplished it. While it’s rather annoying, it just goes to show how important non diegetic operator acts are when it comes to games like these.

One nice things is that I got the opportunity to explore the troll room and kill the troll again, which is exciting seeing as it’s the only other form of life that I’ve encountered since going down the trapdoor. I continued to look at the map, which is still proving to be enjoyable. It  doesn’t matter that I knew where I was and that level of the game was taken away from me, I enjoyed, as Henry Jenkins would say, enacting stories. The micro narratives that took place helped create memorable moments in the game, which, surprisingly for someone who isn’t a gamer, stirred emotions (mostly annoyance.)  

Eventually I again died, this time by burning the bodies in the entrance to Hades. I was somewhat excited to see what monsters I would find in that area, but I’ll find out next time maybe. I think is a great example of how clueless I am. One would think that I’d have learned from my past mistakes… I guess not. I didn’t even get use my tube of toothpaste (or figure out what it was used for. My guess is maybe if I puncture the raft again I could fix it, but who knows.)

I started my game again in the forest, this time determined to not die. Let’s hope I don’t have another computer update or burn myself alive again.

02/10/2017

The Last Hour

I started over again in the forest. I quickly encountered a gentlemen when I got down to the cellar, but he/she just left me, so I got no chance to interact with them. Bummer, I wanted to kill them (just to see what would happen.)

I googled a guide for how to complete some of the different areas. I know it’s more “cheating,” but I again started to enjoy myself more, despite the fact that I was reading some directions on how to say, start adding things to my trophy case. I would never in a million years thought to add my random platinum bar to the trophy case if I hadn’t looked it up. I know that by doing this I’m breaking part of Johan Huizinga definition of play, but I still think that I’m doing okay considering I’m still true to the other nine aspects he writes about.

Overall I’d have to say that Zork was a much better experience than Civilization.  There was some time in there where I got a little bored, which is to be expected considering my level of interest in video games to begin with.

A decent amount of playtime happened after I had already read Henry Jenkins essay, and was able to make connections about his different aspects of his essay. I probably connected most to his first part about “spatial stories and environmental storytelling,” considering Zork is so world and space heavy. I didn’t see much with evocative spaces, which makes sense considering this game is mostly based off of a kingdom that existed hundreds of years ago.

Sutton-Smith says that play is very ambiguous. I agree, but I’m also sure he would conclude that Zork is very much play, and is very much a game. A game that I may have not done too well on, a game where I may have died several times, and only put a skull and a bar in a trophy case, but a game nonetheless where there was adventure and fun to be had.

Shout out to those who made a map for Zork, it made the game enjoyable. Shout out to the developers for creating a game that held my attention. Also shout out to my girlfriend for putting up with my random outbursts of cursing every time I died.

01/12/2017, 9:15pm-10:45pm

I’ve never been much of a gamer. In fact, I’ve never owned a video game console or visited many gaming websites. That’s not to say I don’t respect those who game, I do, and I understand the appeal. I knew the requirement for gaming for X amount of hours per week would be a challenge, seeing as I knew little to nothing about the world of video/computer games.

When I first started playing 1991 Sid Meiers Civilization on my 2012 Macbook Pro, I imminently noticed the low-resolution graphics. After being taken through the process of naming my city and picking my tribe, I stared at my screen, wondering what the heck to do next. I started moving my arrows keys, up and down and left and right and quickly discovered that I had control over this what seemed to be group of military or scavengers. What they or I were doing was unclear, but it was an achievement nonetheless.

Within the first half an hour, I concluded that the game was about having control over different groups, and it was my job to ensure my civilization would thrive, hence the name of the game. More than anything though, I realized that I had no idea what I was doing.

01/14/2017, 4:00pm-5:30pm

I decided I would meet up with my classmate, Edmy, who was in a similar boat as myself in that we were both lost. Within an hour, we were able grow our population, explore uncharted terrain and view information about our city such as food storage, available resources, etc. We would share discoveries with each other. Now and then a quiz would pop up, or an advisor would make recommendations on what our next move should be.

I built a palace, and discovered materials and knowledge, such as the alphabet, mathematics, bornz, the wheel, masonry etc, all things that allowed me to grow my city and give me the other abilities.

01/20/2017, 12:00pm-01:00pm

Edmy and I meet up again, this time with a little more confidence. The confidence was short lasted, and so was my patience. I started to get a little antsy about my inability to find clarity in the overall point of the game. I started wondering: is part of the fun? The struggle to find meaning in the game? Looking at the manual wasn’t much help, it was overly complex and difficult to read.

Overall though, things were going okay, until I realized that I had the ability to buy things. Although I’m not sure, I believe I bought some sort of wagon. Unfortunately, this purchase combined with, what I believe was harvesting my crops, lead to my city not having enough food, therefor dropping in population and eventually dying off.

My military was strong through the end though, which I guess wasn’t all that great because it hogged most of my remaining resources. So yeah, I died. Decided to call it quits for the day and start a new game next time.Until next time.

01/26/2017, 9:00pm-10:00pm

I started a new Civilization tonight. My hopes are that it’ll last longer than my last, and thrive as well. Not a whole lot to report, mostly the same thing. Playing made me think about how play in general, and what it means to play (and what other kinds of play I’d prefer compared to Civilization.) Why do some prefer to entertain themselves with this virtual construction of a world, when the real world is right outside your door? I found it ironic, that although I was “playing” Sid Meiers Civilization, according to Huizinga’s, I technically wasn’t actually playing, for it broke his first part of his definition in that it was not free or voluntary. I can’t honestly say it brought much pleasure, which is important in my personal definition of play. This is not me hating on the fact that I must play the game, merely my free flow of thoughts

1/27/2017, 1:00pm-03:00pm

This time I started reading the pop ups more often, and was pleasantly surprised when I built a second city. I named it after my polish girlfriend’s last name: “Zawierucha.” Made the game at least a little more entertaining.

1/28/2017, 12:30pm-02:00pm

This was a long stretch for me. I put some music on while I was at work, and built some roads and irrigation and just kinda zoned out and did mindless gaming. Little to report

01/29/2017, 01:00pm-01:30pm

I built a few more cities and had a large population with a great food supply. I guess it feels good, to have been somewhat successful, at least not dead. While 6 hours feels like a lot of time to spend on a computer game, the first 3 or so hours were mildly entertaining.