Games and SecondLife
I think this week's assignment was probably the most frustrating one for me. Apparently, gaming and virtual worlds are not my thing. I started in SecondLife. I've tried it once before, and I didn't have enough RAM to even install it. I have the same computer as I had then, but I have installed more RAM since. This time, I went through with the install and entered the world. Almost as soon as I entered, however, I started getting warning messages saying that I didn't have enough memory to handle the program, and would need to delete files. I exited the world and deleted the SecondLife files--I don't want to be slowing down my already old computer!
Instead, I played Axl Wise. I consider myself to be relatively familiar with most of the things this game relates to. I use the internet regularly, I am part of the Net Generation, and I can use a library--shouldn't I have been able to play this game? Somehow, though, it was a really stressful experience for me. Something about the atmosphere of a game makes me uncomfortable. That said, however, I can see how such a game could be engaging and instructive for the person who is comfortable with the medium. However, in order to really reach the segment of the population that the game is aimed toward, it would have to be a little less obvious in its application of educational principles. A blatantly educational game probably won't attract too many gamers--though it might make a required library instruction course a little more interesting.
