Visual Language in Video Games free essay sample

I believe this is very essential to video games and not just the obvious reason, which is that video games are all visual. There are many visual aspects that have to go into a video game for it to be successful. The creators must be able to create something that visually fits with their game but also visually relays to the player were and what to do. There are many aspects that I could go into that visually effect a game, but this is about visual language in video games not the visual aspects of games. Visual language is basically a language that everybody picks up in their life especially now that we’re more of a visual culture; the only thing is that they don’t really realize that they know this language. It’s really simple to understand once someone opens your eyes to it. Something like video games which are all visual can be easier or harder for someone to analyze it. We will write a custom essay sample on Visual Language in Video Games or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page To give you an example, I will explain the visual elements of games, the pros and cons of visual realism in games, visual effects of games on gamers, and an Image analysis of a picture of a character of a video game. For me to accurately example visual language in video games you need to understand some basic visual aspects of video games. Ever game has the same general visual elements to â€Å"†¦guide, direct, and communicate with the player. † (Visual Elements within Games) For example, every level that you play is designed to lead you to your goal. The level designer must make this easy for the player to visually find their way either with a map or simply by the way the level is laid out with a set path that player has to take. In any game there is a HUD (Heads Up Display) which is where the player is able to see things that they can’t physically look and see. For example, in first person shooters the HUD would show you how many bullets you have, which weapons you have available, your navigation, and grenades. The title screen is also a visual element that every game has. The title screens were originally used to attract the players when games were in arcades. They had to visually communicate to the player what the game was about. Finally every game has some sort of menu system to communicate to the player the options they have in this game. If one of these elements is missing the game will fail because it will not be able to visually communicate to the player and the player will not be able to play it. Now a day’s almost all games try to be visually realistic to increase the enjoyment of playing the game; however there are pros and cons to this. The more realistic the games graphics become the more visual elements the creators can incorporate in it. For Example, now they can put actual weather in games; the next generation consoles can actually create random weather patterns just like in real life. A game also is limited on where they can expand, you can only tell the same story over so many different ways. Graphics can continuously be improved and thus give the game industry a way to expand. The reason anybody plays games is to escape reality. There is a story of a king during a famine ordered everybody to play a game all the time and only eat once a week. Games throughout centuries have been able to let people escape there reality. With games becoming more realistic the easier it is for the player to experience enhanced escapism; basically the easier it is for the player to become the character and live in the characters world. The down side to hyper realism is a game trying to be realistic a game company may focus most of their time and money on the graphics side of the project; which may be bad do to every other aspect of the game will be hindered, if this happens then the story or concept of the game will be lacking and won’t be able to sell because the stories boring. Another con is games become more expensive. The more time, labor, and software usage the game company has to spend money on so that’s why games continuously become more expensive. The final con is the biggest one of all. Desensitization of reality; it is the biggest political argument against the game industry. Since games have become so realistic the players since of reality is distorted. For example, when someone shoots so many virtual people and have no remorse since its virtual they can also kill real people because they won’t feel guilt for taking someone’s life because they have done it so repetitively in their games virtual reality. The visual effects on gamers are very beneficial to the gamers and the game industry. â€Å"Video game players may get an unexpected benefit from blowing away bad guys—better vision. † (Brian Handwerk) Playing video games improve the players contrast sensitivity function which is the first thing to fade with age. This is the ability to see the different shades of things, also gives us the ability to see at night or when there is minimal amount of light. There are actually a lot of visual aspects in a person’s vision that is increased when they play video games, especially first person shooters. â€Å"†¦games can help an individual learn to focus on relevant visual information† (Rick Nauert). Games help us to determine what we need to focus or not focus on; because the player strains their vision to see the little figures when there try to shoot them in the distance. This benefits us because it will help us determine relevant and non-relevant information in our world of visual communication; however it only benefits the person who actually plays the first person shooters, not the spectators due to the spectator not actually reacting to the situation just watching the situation unfold. Visual language is all about analyzing the things we see so I will show you how I have analyzed a picture I found of Master Chief, the main character of Halo. The value states it’s a futuristic era by the armor/suit, also since he’s wearing a helmet possibly a place without oxygen. The focus is master chief since he’s in the foreground and in an action pose. The audience is anyone who likes the halo series and the picture states he’s ready for anything. The tone is apprehensive do to the smoke in the background; master chief looking like he’s ready for hordes of covenant to come after him, isolation, but it is also calming since the environment consists of earthy and cool tones. The structure is to have the focal point in the foreground in a heroic or dynamic pose and the background is added to show its set on the edge of a wilderness that master chief probably had to fight his way through, which is shown by the smoke; master chief is on top of the rock to emphasize his type of character. To summarize everything, visual elements of games, the pros and cons of visual realism in games, and the visual effects of games on gamers are all ways the games speak to us visually. The next time you play your favorite game, take a second to find out all the different reasons that game creators put certain things in their games. No creator will get the go ahead to put something in there game just because it is cool. There always have to have a reason why or how it fits in the universe that they are creating. We as a culture are becoming more visually lead, and we as a culture must be able to determine whats real or not and to not fall prey to â€Å"pretty pictures† that tell or sell you something and you try to recreate it in reality; almost all visual things are done virtually where restrictions can be stretched.

ww2 essays

ww2 essays What is war? Websters Encyclopedic Dictionary describes it as: an armed clash between nations or factions in the same nation. Thats how a dictionary describes it, but in fact, it is something much worse. War is the epitome of what is wrong with human nature. War is devastating. Perhaps no other war was as devastating as World War II. (1)World War II killed more people, destroyed more property, disrupted more lives, and had more far-reaching consequences than any other war in history. It brought about the downfall of Western Europe as the center of world power and led to the rise of the Soviet Union. The development of the atomic bomb in 1945 would begin nuclear war. There is no one simple cause to World War II. There were many causes, most of which grew out of World War I. World War II was known as the war to end all wars. Instead of fixing old problems, it actually crated new ones. Germany was mad at the Allies for making it loose its territory. It lost one eighth of its land, and its army and navy were virtually wiped away. If Germany ever got strong again, it would definitely seek revenge. On September 1, 1939, the German army stormed across the borders of Poland. First came the stuka, dive-bombers that blasted the Polish planes on the ground. Then the German pilots bombed major railroads and highways. After that came the motorcycle infantry the fast soldiers that moved in to finish the job. This was a new kind of war employed by the Germans known as Blitzkrieg, which is a German word meaning lightning war. The German soldiers were trained for this and the Polish soil was flat and just right for it. Poland had no chance against the German army. Its army had no chance to fight back or even retreat. Poland was overwhelmed. Within two weeks, Germans surrounded Warsaw, the biggest city in Poland. In a li...

Caligua Roman Empire Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Caligua Roman Empire - Research Paper Example By that time Caligula’s father was dead and his mother and two brothers were in disgrace. At Capri, Caligula was appointed as heir together with Tiberius Gemellus, son of Drusus the younger. According to the Roman law, Caligula did not have a right to be the emperor, but nevertheless it happened. After the death of Tiberius, with the help of Macro, Caligula was proclaimed â€Å"princeps† (first citizen) by the Senate. Tiberius’s will was invalidated and Caligula was proclaimed emperor with the official name of Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus in AD 37. The people of the empire were happy with the news, because Caligula’s parents were very popular in Rome and loved and respected by people. The first actions of the new emperor were directed at gaining popularity. When he entered Rome, he put Tiberius body into Augustus’ mausoleum, and made a funeral speech, in which he promised to rule Roman Empire together with the Senate and under its supervision. C aligula dropped a request for the deification of Tiberius, who was very unpopular in Rome, and announced amnesty. He put the taxes down and paid all the debts made by previous emperor. The new emperor won over the masses by resuming gladiator fights, bringing back actors from exile, and renewing of theatrical performances. Of course, such politics was very popular among the people. At this festive background, amplification of the monarchical principle and exaltation of power and personality of the emperor occurred. Caligula made a visit to Pandateriya and Pontius, and moved the ashes of his mother Agrippina and his brother Nero to Rome. There were yearly sacrifices yielded in honor of Germanicus and Agrippina, and circus games were arranged in honor of his mother. There were a lot of coins depicting the princeps’ brothers and parents. In six months Caligula got seriously sick. After his recovery he was no longer the same person. Some of the historians say that he had epilepsy from his childhood. †This, or some other cause, violently affected his mental state, and he became totally irrational, with delusions not only of grandeur but also of divinity.† (http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/caligula.html, para.15). Caligula’s policy has changed so much that there was a firmly established belief in the society about his madness. It could be seen through his actions (for example, he was going to make his horse a consul) and in his appearance. The issue of mental normality of Gaius Caligula has occupied many researchers’ minds, both historians and psychologists. The opinions were divided. Some scholars have regarded him as mentally ill, while others believed that he was mentally normal. The range of definitions of his disease varies from schizophrenia to psychopathy. The latter version is the most recognized by modern scholars and seems the most convincing. In AD 38 Caligula put to death without trial his principal supporter, the pra etorian prefect Macro. Gemellus was also killed by his order. Marcus Junius Silanus, the father of the first of Caligula's wives was compelled to commit suicide. A new feature was that the process did not occur in the Senate: princeps alone decided the fate of the eminent dignitaries of the empire. In a short period of one year Caligula wasted all of the reserves of the state treasury accumulated by the Tiberius. New taxes were introduced to

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 16

Case Study - Essay Example The punishment on the four boys has a beneficial impact on the greater society since it teaches on the importance of morals such as respect for one’s property. Through the punishment of the boys, the need to have a well-functioning society devoid of disregard to other people’s property is supported. I strongly feel that the punishment on the boys is morally justified, though the sentencing of the boys may be extremely unreasonable. The punishment is moral since the conduct of the boys cannot be tolerated at any cost. Any wrong action must be followed by a tough consequence. This is the only way that will allow for a complete weakening of any wrong systems that might be thriving in the society. As utilitarianism goes, punishment contributes to a greater good in the society (Williams & Arrigo 180-181). Chang, Juju., Brown, Ely & Effron, Lauren. The Controversial Felony Murder Case of The Elkhart 4: Should Teens Be Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison? 25 Jul. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

Ethics in International Environments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethics in International Environments - Essay Example â€Å"Ethics has†, the Columbia University Press views, â€Å"developed as people have reflected on the intentions and consequences of their acts. From this reflection on the nature of human behavior, theories of conscience have developed, giving direction too much ethical thinking†. (Retrieved from cup.edu.com)   Case Background: In the article under study, the writers, Chen & Fletcher (2007) point out how cultural differences force international firms and corporations make immediate alterations in their strategies in order to combat with the prevailing cultural and regional divergences observed by the individuals belonging to one specific society or region. The case under study focuses upon the problems faced by a well-established and renowned Australia-based sheep exporting and meat processing company under the title â€Å"Samex†, which has been involved into a business transaction with the Middle East businessmen and corporations for the last few decades. The Australian company launched its business on the foundations of international rules and values but had to undergo ethical dilemma in the Arab countries due to the prevailing contradictory values. Consequently, it had to revise its business scheme while conducting the business in that region.   Cultural differences can be estimated on the basis of Hofstede’s index of cultural divergence, which describes variation in the cultural patterns of different societies. For example, people living in advanced countries give priority to individual achievements, while in developing countries people are bound in the tie of â€Å"we† feelings and collectivism.   The Middle East refuses to accept any product that carries even the slightest sign of deformity, low quantity or defect.

Comparing America And Asias Elderly Care Social Work Essay

Comparing America And Asias Elderly Care Social Work Essay In general, society considers the elderly as persons above the ages of sixty or sixty-five. This is usually the beginning of old age as a person becomes less active in political, social and economic affairs. Though there are elderly persons who are in good health and active members of their communities, majority are the ones whose physical and mental functions are on the decline. Since they are not able to get along on their own, majority of the elderly persons require attention and care from their loved ones as well as friends. Consequently, psychologists use the term elderly care to refer to the personal as well as medical attention that this group of the population receives. It is evident that elderly care takes a variety of forms, ranging from personal care such as feeding and dressing, to medical attention. In addition, the care that a family chooses for its elderly persons will depend on their needs. This is because some of the elderly persons may still be in good health while others may be frail. Consequently, some of them may require home-based care while others may need specialized attention in a nursing home or in a hospital. Whatever the case, the elderly do need some form of care. In this study, I shall focus on the American culture and the Asian culture, and make comparisons between the two, in relation to the aspect of caring for the elderly. For the Asian culture, I shall examine the Japanese. In both United States of America and Japan, the number of elderly persons is on the increase. This means that both governments have to consider and put in place the best mechanisms to cater for this group of the population. Different communities accord the elderly different forms of care, depending on how their cultures dictate. The way a community perceives old age will therefore affect the manner in which it treats the elderly. The responsibility of caring for the elderly in Caucasian and Japanese cultures lies mainly with the woman, because these societies consider her as an innate caregiver due to her maternal abilities and instincts. However, this is also due to the fact that, over the years, the woman has fewer opportunities in the economic scene, and as a result, she remains at home most of the time to take care of her children and the elderly. On the other hand, when the woman is able to access the labor market, she finds herself in positions where she has to provide care for others. Most nurses, school and hospital matrons are women. However, in the above cultures, children also participate in elderly care, as a form of compensation for the nurture their parents gave them when they were young. The American society places a lot of emphasis on staying young. Consequently, as Samovar et. al. (2009) notes we find a culture that prefers youth to old age. (p.71). This negative perception of old age makes the young people avoid staying together with the elderly and caring for them. The older adult population rather than the young adults are the ones taking care of the elderly. This explains why some families in the United States give over their old relatives to nursing homes. This does not however mean that the young cut all their links with their elderly relatives. They do provide support and maintain contact with them. The nursing homes are an option for the elderly people who have no family or relatives to look after them at home. This is especially the case for those who are physically handicapped and require the help of another person to take care of them. Though the nursing homes have become the choice for most families with elderly relatives, they do have their limitations. Some of these institutions for the elderly have become money-making ventures, therefore reducing their emphasis on the needs of the elderly. Poor hygiene and lack of trained medical personnel and quality treatment as well as poor feeding programs are some of the problems the elderly face in these nursing homes. Moreover, placing the elderly in nursing homes limits their freedoms as they have to follow the stipulated program. They cannot choose when to feed, sleep, interact with their fellow housemates and cannot keep their belongings. However, nursing homes for the elderly still remain the option for most American families, as there has not been much success with home-based care. On a positive note, the elderly persons in American society have more groups of friends and neighbors whom they can go to for support, than the aged people in Japanese society. This means that the American elderly are likely to receive care from their friends and neighbors, apart from their immediate family members. However, the Americans usually tend to give special care to their elderly only after they learn that the latter are facing a medical problem. However, since the family is still the main caregiver for the elderly, some of the American families employ professional nurses to take care of their old at home, instead of sending them away to nursing homes. Another reason for this is that, institutions for taking care of the elderly are expensive, and some of these families are not able to afford them. Moreover, some families opt to take their elderly to day nursing institutions, where they receive care throughout the day and then return home in the evening. This is suitable for those people who are working and cannot stay with the elderly relatives during the day as they have to report to work. It is also convenient for working adults who cannot afford specialized care for their elderly ones, either at home or in a nursing institution. In some instances, the elderly person may be able to live in his or her own house, and may be strong enough not to require specialized attention and care. In such cases, the family members of such an elderly person find a house near other aged people, in areas where the amenities they need on a day-to-day basis are readily available. This form of elderly care appeals to the community and involves them in taking responsibility for this group of the population. On the economic front, some of the big corporate organizations have introduced benefit schemes for their employees, in order to help them in caring for their elderly relatives. This is because most companies want to avoid losses in production, due to having employees who have to work while at the same time take care of their elderly relatives. Some companies also provide home-based care services for the elderly, but as a profit-making venture. This however, has a negative side to it as these privatized services are costly and not many families are able to afford them. On the other hand, Asian culture of the Japanese has a positive perception of the elderly. It teaches the children to respect and care for the elderly. The Japanese consider the family as the prime caregiver for their elderly, and in this case, it is usually a female member of the family who carries out this duty. This is because the Japanese believe that it is not in order to take the elderly to a nursing home as this is equivalent to neglecting ones responsibility of taking care of ones parents. This also makes the Japanese families give the required care to their elderly relatives throughout their old age, rather than only when they are facing a health problem. In the case of aged people who are not related to the family, Japanese wives or their daughters are the ones who tend to give their elderly friends the care they need. Sometimes, the daughters-in-law also give care to the elderly, especially if the patient is female. However, if other friends and non relatives are living under the same roof with the elderly persons, they may provide the necessary care to the latter. This is in contrast to the case of the American elderly who receive care from their family as well as friends and neighbors. In Japan, the activity of giving care to the elderly is mainly as an act of duty, rather than voluntary will. The caregiver considers this act as one that he or she has to give, and in most cases, the Japanese wife will provide the elderly attention at her husbands request. The dependence of the Japanese elderly on their immediate family is also evident in the fact that most of them rely on their spouses and their children for financial support. Since the Japanese believe that giving the elderly care is a womans job, the men usually leave this task to their wives. However, though the Japanese men are away from home most of the time, they also contribute to elderly care by giving their spouses financial as well as emotional assistance. Again, by participating in looking after their children, they allow their wives to find time to take care of the elderly members of the family. Elderly care in Japan still remains largely in the hands of the family, especially for those who are not sickly and in need of specialized medical attention. However, caring for the elderly at home is no longer the only option, and families have begun taking the old to nursing homes. This is due to a number of reasons such as the aging of the family members providing the care as well as the increasing involvement of the Japanese women in formal training and employment. Moreover, Japanese families are not living in large numbers as they did in the past. However, the number of nursing homes for the elderly and professional caregivers is on the decrease because of the Japanese belief that it is the immediate family which bears the responsibility of taking care of their elderly relatives. The elderly who are in need of very little personal and health care remain at home, but get visits from personnel who attend to them. This happens either a few times a week or every day depending on the needs of the elderly person. Due to the rising demand for health caregivers for the elderly, Japan has sought the help of care personnel from the Philippines. These caregivers are more experienced and are willing to work at a low pay. Due to the increase in the elderly population, financial resources have not been enough to allow families to put their relatives under specialized care at home and in nursing institutions. It is due to this situation that hospitals in Japan have offered to accommodate the elderly who are in need of both personal as well as medical attention. This way, the elderly in Japan can access long-term care. Though on a small-scale, the Japanese elderly engage in volunteering programs where they offer services to the community and in turn, they receive personal as well as medical care. There are however some similarities in the aspects of elderly care in American and Japanese cultures. Care for the elderly is still one of the concerns of both the United States and Japanese governments, though they differ in their policies. America gives priority to provision of medical attention, pension for retirees and shelter, while the Japanese government came up with policies to put in place insurance for every citizen including the elderly, for a long-term period. In both countries, the increase in aging members of the population has put a lot of pressure on the medical as well as retirement schemes. However, technological advances in medicine have increased and they are being used to improve the life-expectancy levels of the American and Japanese aging populations. Again, since women are increasingly going into formal employment, the men in both countries are also becoming more and more involved in elderly care. In conclusion, due to lifestyle changes, many people have started living in smaller groups and families, and are also located far from each other. Consequently, caring for the elderly can no longer be the responsibility of the immediate family alone, but has to be a prerogative of governments, non governmental organizations as well as private institutions.

Essays --

Accounting is used as a tools to inform investors and other stakeholders about management’s performance. However, accounting standards permits management to use judgment in financial reporting methods for some accounts as they have best knowledge of its business so it can choose accounting alternatives that suit their business. With ability to choose its preferable reporting methods, estimates and disclosure, this flexibility creates opportunity for managers to distort earnings in which they adopt accounting methods that do not truly reflect firms’ financial status (Healy and Wahlen, 1999). In addition, due to the fact that management has better access to firms’ business transactions and operations than stakeholders do and auditing and monitoring system are not always effective, these lead to an information asymmetry problem which increases earnings management opportunity. For example, they can alter some information and do not disclose all the information to the stakeholders. This essay will first describe the definition of earnings management and its evolution. Then, the proxies used to detect earnings management will be illustrated. Next, the motives for earnings management and its effect on financial reporting process will be discussed. Subsequently, it will turn to the impact of debt financing on earnings management. Finally, this paper will examine the factors that may constrain the degree of earnings management. Definition of earnings management and its evolution Many researchers has given different earnings management definitions. For instance, Healy and Wahlen (1999,p.368) states that ‘Earnings management occurs when managers use judgment in financial reporting and in structuring transactions to alter financial repor... ...orts (Houqe et al., 2012) Also, the adaptation of widely-used accounting standards, for example, IFRS, may help prevent management from manipulating financial information and, therefore, improve the quality of earnings because such standards require managers to provide a true and fair view of its report and may help reduce the earnings management activities. Houqe et al. (2012) conclude that the adoption of mandatory IFRS increases the quality of earnings in the countries that provide strong protection for investors. However, there is some controversy if accounting standards would reduce earnings management. Tendeloo and Vanstraelen (2005, cited in Houqe et al., 2012) and Lin and Paananen (2009, cited in Houqe et al., 2012) find that after adopting IFRS, firms in Germany recorded more discretionary accruals and those accruals are lowly-correlated with cash flows.