Werewolves...games as media?

Are games considered a type of media? Not video games, but just a game you play with your friends, like a card game, board game, etc.??? I'm not sure...but in light of our class discussion on media violence, in response to the violence part, I'm writing about a game.

My brother had his birthday party Friday night, so we all decided to play this game called Werewolves. I don't know how many of you have played it (I hadn't even heard of it) but it's basically Mofia, on steroids. It's a really fun game, but it's also really violent!!! First of all, the game is all about killing other people so you win. And when someone dies, the instructions say the person is "lynched, hung, drowned, and shot with a silver bullet". Maybe a little extreme? That is quite the death! Is that really all necessary?

Then I thought about how not fun the game would be if we played in very neutral terms, such as simply "getting out" instead of dying, and having different colors for people instead of horrific monsters like werewolves, along with witches and fortunetellers. Back in the day games/violence/things weren't always so graphic, they really did use to be simpler! I thought about how TV shows and movies have also escalated in violence because of the "rush" we get from viewing it. The game that I played, Werewolves, would really not have been any fun if there weren't more emotions involved by including people's lives etc. Where is society heading?

All in all, a very fun game, I plan on playing it again. But I am also aware of how "into" the violence we tend to get, and how we need to be careful consumers of violence through all sorts of mediums.

Photography and Athletes

BYU created a new web page for recruiting athletes, and it is way cool! They got an amazing photographer to come and photograph some athletes to put on the website, and my husband happens to be one of them :) I think it's cool that we are using the internet even more in our recruiting methods. I know that athletes come to check out BYU and go on tours etc., but now they can see how awesome our athletes are online, read stories of how different athletes came to BYU, and what the athletics program is all about before they come out here. It's a really cool website. Check it out, and the second picture (the pole vaulter) is my husband. :) The pictures are awesome!

byuathletes.com

Google Maps

I love Google Maps. It's genius. But today I was frustrated with it. Sometimes it takes you on a route that is so so so much longer and complicated! Sometimes I understand that they make it a little longer because it is "easier"...whatever. Today it had us turning to a street that literally didn't exist. Ridiculous. So luckily Utah uses the grid system so we just made up our own way. Sometimes I just don't understand why it can't be simple...who's in charge of looking up the google map route anyway? Crazy technological tech-ness. Sheesh.

Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy

Many of you may have already seen this, but I had to post about it. I think it is absolutely hilarious, and the parts about the internet and phones I feel are very applicable to this class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk

I can't get the video to load on my blog...I'm not sure why...but the link above should take you right to it if you put it in the address bar. If that doesn't work, go to youtube and type in Everything's Amazing and Nobody is Happy and it is the first video that pops up. Really, you should take the time to watch it. It's hilarious, mostly because it's true!

Dirty Dishes

My husband and I don't have a dishwasher, which may not seem so bad...but let me tell you.......it definitely can be. It's hard because we have really busy schedules and doing the dishes never seems to fit into them. I was really frustrated about the pile in the sink when I randomly came across this poem on some random blog on the internet (I have no idea how I found it....I was looking at someone else's blog and found it on one of their friend's blogs or something...blog stalking??) and I now have this cute little poem hanging right above the sink.

Thank God for Dirty Dishes

They have a tale to tell.

While others are going hungry

We’re eating very well.

With home and health and happiness

I shouldn’t want to fuss,

For by this stack of evidence

God’s very good to us.

~author unknown

I guess sometimes a little perspective helps the mundane and not-so-fun tasks seem not as bad :)

"Up" Proposal

My friend got engaged a couple weeks ago and I just recently found out how he proposed. He and his fiance both LOVE the movie Up, so my friend decided to base his whole proposal on it. He spent a bunch of time making their own "Adventure Book" (if you haven't seen the movie...just go see it. It's awesome.) with pictures of them since they have met and all the fun things they've done together down to their date the night before.

He included a 'future adventures' section at the end of the book for them to fill in throughout their lives. He even made his fiance a pin like the "Ellie pin" in the movie.

So dang cute! I was so proud of my friend :) Look at how much the media influenced these people's future!

My favorite book

Anne of Green Gables was my favorite book as a child and adolescent, and I still enjoy it today. When I was younger my mom would read it with me at night before I went to bed. The book is about a redheaded, very imaginative orphan girl named Anne who gets adopted by a brother and sister who live together. Anne is a little hotheaded and does not like when things do not go her way, but overall is a very sweet and caring girl.

I think the biggest reason I loved Anne of Green Gables was because I identified so much with Anne. I felt like we were the same in many ways and that if she were real we would be best friends. I was a little hotheaded and lost my temper sometimes, especially when things did not go my way, but I was also very sweet. Anne places her values on good education and friends, which are and were also very important to me.

MoTab

I love General Conference! I know...maybe it's cheesy or lame to blog about it, but I love it. Today I was thinking especially about music because we just had that lecture this week. I absolutely love the music in the sessions, especially by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Love them. I find some/a lot of times that I learn more from listening to the songs and just being able to feel the spirit more through them than the talks. When I was growing up watching conference at home I would use the time they were singing to get up and do something, but now I pay really close attention and let the spirit speak. Music is a very powerful form of media, and though there is good and bad, today I was very grateful for the good.