Money!

As all gamers know, money is something that we never have enough of - games, systems, controllers - they're all very expensive. So, we need to budget the money we do have to make the best use of it. Do you really NEED that new Rachet and Clank game, or should you wait for the next Call of Duty to come out?

We have an awesome opportunity here at the gaming club to get a little bit of money to help our club run more smoothly. So we need to decide how BEST to spend that money. I'll put down three amounts of money below, and I'd like people to chime in as to how we should spend that much money if we were lucky enough to get it. Put links to the things you think we should spend it on from Amazon.com, and we can get a working list going.

First amount - $1000

Second amount - $500

Third amount - $300

So - how would you use each amount above? An example is below...

First amount - PS3 Slim - http://tinyurl.com/ykq9w84 - $300

3 PS3 controllers - $40 apiece for total of $120 - http://tinyurl.com/n4spcr

etc, etc...

Third amount - 2 PS3 controllers - $40 apiece for total of $80 - http://tinyurl.com/n4spcr

Power cable - $13.23 - http://tinyurl.com/yzmouod

Game reviews

As a service to our fellow gamers out there, I thought it'd be cool to do some video game reviews - of games we own, games we rent, etc. You've probably read many so know the basics, but here's a format to follow in creating your own:

Specs: Title, cost, release date

Graphics: Both the technical quality of the graphics, as well as the artistic quality. How smoothly the game’s graphics run factor into this score, as well.

Sound: Covers sound effects, voice acting, and music.

Gameplay: In essence, how fun the game actually is to play. This covers things like the controls, difficulty level, design of levels, etc. For games that come from genres that rely heavily on their story (particularly RPGs), I may adjust this score slightly to reflect how well the story is executed, as well. Obviously, this is the most important component.

Value: Covers things like replay value, the length of time it takes to go through the game, the price the game is going for in retail stores, etc. For example, if a game has a solid multiplayer mode, lots of unlockables, and several modes to play through in single player as well, expect to see a high rating here. Also, if the game is solid, and comes out with a lower-than-normal retail price, it will also earn a high score in this category.

Overall: Overall impression of the game. Use a rating system - 9 out of 10, for instance, for an awesome game.

That's it! Now if you get a chance, post a review for a game you've been playing lately.

First question for discussion...

One of the things I hope the gaming club can help educate people on are the many myths about video games and the gamers themselves. So, for our first discussion, I'd like us to talk about a very common video game myth -

"People can't learn anything from video games - they're only for entertainment."

So, gamers, in the space below, leave your reaction to this myth - remember, keep it in school appropriate terms! - and give some specific examples about things video games have taught you.

- - Mr. M

Welcome!

Come one, come all, to the spot on the Net for all that is video games. This blog is an outlet for a unique school-related group at Nokomis Regional High school in Newport, ME. Here's the setup...

We all know that video games are enormously popular - a multi-billion dollar industry that touches all areas of society, from film to books to education. It is that last tag - education - that ties in with this group, which focuses on everything about video games. Students meet once a week after school to do what they do best - game. It gets crazy at times, with upwards of 3 TVs, 2 projectors, and many systems going, but we have fun with it.

But this blog is an outlet for the other side of the club - showing others, including non-gamers, what gamers are all about. The group's members will post various things on this blog, from reviews of games to discussions of gaming tips to deeper, philosophical musings about gamers themselves. Anything and everything related to video games is, well, fair game, so hopefully you can find something of interest in this space, be you non-gamer, a newbie, or a gaming legend.

- - Mr. M, English teacher and Gaming Club facilitator