#annotation 2

( image @packedice )

Duncan, S. (2011). Minecraft, Beyond Construction and Survival. Well Played: A Journal on Video Games, Value and Meaning. 1(1), 1-22. 

In this article, Duncan summarizes the concept and popularity of the game Minecraft and talks about the idea of Minecraft being more than just a fun video game, but an educational game as well. Whereas the game was initially promoted for swords and exploding creepers, Duncan points out when you first open the game your character is usually placed on a beach, or a ‘sandbox.’ This refers to how the game is open to the players creativity, you can explore or create whatever your heart desires. He references Legos, in how it relates to the creative process and the game design itself. 

I found this on a digital scholarly article site, ACM. This was referred to me by the Ball State Library. I did admire the fact that this was written by a university professor, but of course even a professors’ writing can’t be proven fact without citations, which he included at the end of his paper. In one section of the article he did use personal experience; students using the game to create a puzzle or minigame to prove how interactive the game is in itself and how it connects to problem solving and creativity. At the moment, I’m deciding between topics to write about for my research paper. I thought it would be interesting to research Minecraft and how it’s more than just killing monsters and finding diamonds. Fans of Minecraft really do enjoy the creativity that can be put into the game, a friend of mine spent weeks building a castle and village (just to burn it all down as she finished). Nevertheless, it’s incredible how the game has inspired players to study architecture, construction management, physics, etc. If I do write about Minecraft, I want to continue to uncover how the game has inspired and really defined fans lives as well as my own.

The Author dives straight into the argument of which browser is better; Chrome or Firefox. He states that he himself has a personal favorite but wanted to ask the community what they thought. Through the use of comments, internet users gave their opinion on each browser. The author searched through the comments for the most detailed responses and was able to come to a conclusion based on the responses. Chrome and Firefox both have their ups and downs. I like how he uses the people comments to tell the story rather than giving a biased opinion based on his own personal tastes. This is a great approach as it makes the article feel more tailored to the people rather than a certain crowd. In the end he remarks that both browsers are not Internet Explorer. This is quite comical seeing as the last article I read made the same comment. These authors are beginning to fall into a pattern. They will provide evidence for the top browsers but near the end come to the conclusion that it’s easier to pick the worst browser rather than the best browser. I feel this is a better approach leading the people to pick their browser instead of following others.