Traditional vs. New Age: Entertainment

Can you entertain yourself with frustration?

How do you entertain yourself when you're bored? Do you play games? What kind of games? We tried two different games out, each from a different medium. For the first game, we had to spot twelve differences from different sets of images. Sounds easy? Not as you think.

The images we've seen are rather simple. They're easy on the eyes with details, but they're not as easy as you'd immediately think. Minor details have been altered, such as the placement of an object or a difference between the sizes of two objects. You have to be meticulous and observant, all while on a race against time. We were pitted against each other, divided into ten groups of three members each. Everyone was impatient yet competitive. In the end, my group ranked third.

As for the second portion, we had to try Stephen Critoph's World's Hardest Game. You could try the game through this link. The objective of the game is simple. Reach the end, avoiding blue circles while collecting yellow coins. It tests your hand-eye coordination skills alongside strategy and reflexes. It was especially challenging to those who aren't accustomed to video games. Some of my classmates didn't even get to finish the first level, while I only got to the ninth level within a span of twenty minutes. Often times you could think that the red square is travelling too slow, resulting in a 'death'.

Although both games are equally agitating, they were somewhat amusing. There's a thrill in both games that gives you the "want it more" feeling. These games are what drive you to spend more time in them. You get invested enough to continue playing. These have formed how humans entertain themselves while sitting out something else, may it be idling or just waiting for someone.

This marks the start of our new lesson in Media and Information Literacy. What other activities would we encounter for the lesson?