Senior Project Update

1. I am playing through the game Medal of Honor: Warfighter, while keeping a log and taking notes on attractive or unattractive features.

2. The article "What game journalism needs: more honesty, fewer standards" this article is significant because it made some good points about how the issues associated with games journalism are smaller than they seem and have solutions. This means that I can shift my focus to more of how a game is reviewed and less upong the issue of honesty.

3.Game play screenshot

Log: Independent Component Log

Science Fair Proposal

1. My topic is Video Game Journalism

2. Some people believe that game reviews do not matter or have no bearing on consumer's
"If a great review meant great sales, then a game called "Ico" would sell as well as "Grand Theft Auto," and the last 50 Cent game would have tanked. But that's not how it works."
Totilo, Stephen. "How Video Game Reviews Affect What You Play." - Music, Celebrity, Artist News. Viacom, 29 May 2008. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1588303/what-video-game-reviews-mean-developers.jhtml>.

3.If a game has at least two 'good' reviews (6/10 or more) then it will make significantly more revenue than games which received 'bad' reviews.
4. I will search economical charts on video games sales and reference scores of popular game review sites (such as IGN or Destructoid) to see how much each game made in relation to their scores. Then finally, I will draw a conclusion from that data.

5.Behavioral/Social Science

4

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Blog 9: Working EQ and Possible Answers

1. How can a video game journalist best thoroughly review a game?

2.I am not going to revise my EQ at this time

3.A video game journalist can best thoroughly review a game by spending an equal amount of time analyzing each aspect of a game.

A video game journalist can best thoroughly review a game by using a combination of both new games journalistic and traditional journalistic styles.

Rough Draft Of Presentation 1

Independent Component 1 Plan Approval

1.I plan to play entirely through a video game and write a review on that game.

2.To meet the 30 hours I will play through the game as thoroughly as possible. While taking notes on striking points or problems with the game. Then I will write a review detailing my experience and my final thoughts on the game.

3. My independent study component relates to my working EQ because it helps me to understand what it is like to properly review a game. With that knowledge I can work towards ensuring fair and informative reviews of games in the future.

Second Interview Questions

1. How did you enter the field of Video Game Journalism?

2. What do you think is most important when starting out in this field?

3. What got you interested in this field?

4. Was there anything particularly challenging for you in this field?

5. What caused you to pursue this field further?

Working EQ

1. One positive result of what I have completed so far is I have learned what a video game journalist really does and I have learned the enjoyment one can get out of it. Video game journalists generally spend most of their time either covering new games or reviewing released ones, with the right interest these can be great fun.

2. One piece of research that has really helped my understanding of my topic is the article "I can be just as capable. Let me." It helped me identify the serious and prevalent problem of sexism in video game journalism. A problem which has its roots in social norms and stereotypes.

3. What has worked for me so far in my senior project is my research. I have quickly gained a much better understanding of how video game journalism works and its problems. For example, before beginning my research I did not know about controversy involved in calling video game journalism 'journalism.' As some people do not consider it so, and this sprung much debate.

4. So far what hasn't worked is my mentorship. I have had a very hard time locating someone that will help me. In fact, a vast majority of the people I have contacted have never returned any form of message (so far only 2 have responded, 1 said he could not help, the other said he would help but then ceased all communication).

5. A. One question that comes to mind when I think of what I would like to study this year is " Is there a real method that is flexible enough to be applied to different types of game."

 B. My end goal for me and my senior project is, I would like to be able to preform my own independent video game coverage and review.

C. I would like to talk to the editor in chief of one of the bigger video game publications next ( e.g. Electronic Gaming Monthly, PC gamer, etc). This is because the editor in chief would not only have knowledge of the field itself but of others working in the field, that may be helpful for my project.

Problem Statement

1. My topic is Video Game Journalism
2. A problem in my topic is sexism towards female journalists, due to girls generally not being thought of as gamers. After solving the problem I would like to post my results on Destructoid.com, which is a public gaming site which anyone can post on.
3.Another problem in my topic is bribery of journalists to give games higher scores. After solving this problem I would like to post my findings on Destructoid to make it publicly known.

Interview Preperation

1. I would like to interview Jon Tronnity. This is because he has spent a lot of his time involved in reviewing and talking about games. So he has experience in my field of interest.

2.Some additional questions I would ask would be: What's it like entering the field of Video Game Journalism? Do you consider this a career? What do you think of the statement "Video Game Journalism is not real journalism?"

Blog 2: Topic Choice

a. The topic I chose was video game journalism. I chose this topic because of my interest in the reporting of upcoming game titles. In addition to the critical review of existing video game titles.

b.

•  iPoly Citizen: I hope to meet with a different people who are experts in the field. This will relate to me improving as a iPoly Citizen because I will be able to assist future seniors who plan to do a similar project. By either answering questions or referring them to experts I know.
• Effective Communicator: I plan to learn how video game journalists operate when they work together. This will make me a more effective communicator because I will see how they accurately express their creative ideas to each other.
• Effective Learner: I plan to experience preforming a formal critical review on a video game. This will help make me a more effective learner because, it is necessary for a video game journalist to quickly learn how different games and game consoles are played with so that that critical reviews can be done properly and while the game is still in a "new" state. 
• Effective User of Technology: I plan to become familiar with different gaming systems or consoles. This will assist in making me a more effective user of technology. Due to the fact that different companies develop their technology differently, a familiarity with different systems will allow me to become more adaptable to different companies technology. 

Blog 1: summer mentorship

Literal:
        I started looking for service learning a couple of weeks into the summer. At first I began looking for service learning that would apply to WWII reenacting. I first sent an e-mail to the commander of the 35th infantry reenacting unit, this yielded no response. So, I moved on to the commander of the 442nd RCT (regimental combat team). Me and Tim Kano (kanowarrior@yahoo.com) exchanged several e-mails and he explained to me the costs of even going to WWII reenactments, (most of which are private) and this caused me to reconsider my idea of using WWII reenacting for my senior project topic.
        I then spent a few days thinking of new ideas I could possibly use. I came to the conclusion that I would do video game critique or journalism. I proceeded to contact Jon Tronnity (Jontronnity@gmail.com) of NormalBoots.com as I was already familiar with the video game reviews he uploads to YouTube. After several e-mails with no response I concluded he was unlikely to answer. I decided to contact Stan Burdman, another critic I had seen, via YouTube's Private messaging system (his YouTube page can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/user/stanburdman).  I then contacted a couple other YouTube video game critics, including: AngryJoeShow and SourceGameReview, These yielded no response. However, StanBurdman replied that he would only be able to help me by giving me help on my own critique's rather than being a more physical mentor. Not sure whether this would fulfill the requirements I asked Mr. Purther about it. He told me that the senior team felt it would fall more under the category of independent component rather than service learning. He then gave me the information to a past senior (a Ryan M) who had done a similar project. I asked him if he would have any suggestions for my situation, he told me that he had gone to the Poly Post up at Cal Poly and he had written for video game review website.
       I proceeded to contact the editor in chief of the Poly Post (E-mail: editorinchief@polypost.com Phone: 909-869-3530) regarding my service learning. He explained that their office was not only closed for the summer but he felt they would not be ideal for my topic as they do not specialize in video games. I then thought of the possibility of obtaining my service learning at a store like GameStop. However, upon inquiry with Mr. Purther he expressed to me that he felt it was not a great idea. Finally, I went to a bookstore and looked for video game related magazines that have offices in California. I felt the best candidate was Electronic Gaming Monthly, so sent them a message using their websites system and recieved a reply from the companies president (E-mail: Steve.Harris@egmnow.net phone: 310-924-1686). He informed me that he likes to help out with projects like mine but his office was not in service due to much of the staff reporting on GamesCom in Germany. This meant that he would not be able to help me before school would start.

Interpretive:
      I think that this school requires service learning as part of the senior project, because it helps foster understanding of the topic. This is because it provides more insight into how a topic really is, compared to simple research and report. For example, a senior of last year's class did her project on movie script writing. She had said during her presentation that before doing the project and the service learning that comes with it, she would not have considered movie script writing as something she might enjoy. However, after the project she now has a new found interest in the topic.  This is because prior to doing the project she did not have all that much knowledge of how the topic of movie script writing worked. After going through the service learning combined with the research she did she had a much more deep knowledge of the topic and greater appreciation for it. Without service learning I believe the same level of understanding would not have been reached. Which is why I believe this school requires service learning, because it foster's a deeper understanding of the topic at hand.

Applied:
      To find the mentor ship that I need for my project I plan to keep in contact with Electronic Gaming Monthly. However I also plan to consider other magazines or critics as possible sources for mentor ship. So that I can ensure that I obtain my service learning.