Tanks, You're Welcome

A couple weeks ago I posted about my GameJam game Danh (The Snake God). And I got a lot of really good feedback which was cool considering I made that game in a short weekend. So I figured, why not show the game I made in class with a talented team over the course of 4 weeks? The following game we made under the theme Destruction in my TC 455 class Video Game Design and Development II.

Tanks, You're Welcome

I hope you enjoy it! Also if you can make the little download instead, the graphics receive a nice boost.

Also, if you are interested in video games as a career you should check out the video game specialization.

Rugby: The Gentleman's Sport

            Ah Rugby, they say soccer is a gentleman's sport played by hooligans, and rugby is a hooligan sport played by true gentleman. I love rugby, and have since I first dropped by my high school team's practice five years ago. I love that saying too, because truly you cannot know the chaos of a rugby battle until you've been on the pitch scrapping and fighting for 80 minutes. Yet in my experience the game has an unparalleled brotherhood. No other sport could be so brutal on the field, and yet both teams be so social and friendly immediately after the game

            Rugby is a true team sport, requiring the coordination, dedication, and unity of fifteen players towards one goal of moving the ball across the touch line. If there is a weak link on the squad, the entire team is exposed. Rugby is about standing shoulder to shoulder, holding the line when you defending ball, and supporting your brothers when attacking with the ball.

            Rugby is also a great way to get involved on campus, meet new people, and expand your social circle. I recommend anyone looking to stay in shape, looking to play a new sport, or just to stay in shape, that they try out the MSU Rugby Football Club. The Rugby club welcomes all experience levels and the best part of the sport is that there is a role for everyone from the big bruising forwards to the shifty backs.

            If you'd like more information on practices and whether the Rugby Club is right for you feel free to leave a comment or email the club at: msurfc@msu.edu.

Also, spending some time on youtube can really show you why the sport is so amazing:

IM Basketball: The Team of Destiny

Its not March yet but the madness is underway. I'm talking about basketball season in full swing. Now, Michigan State is doing great, as they have all season, and in fact, as I write this MSU has just wrapped up a signature win in Columbus. I am truly excited to watch and write about this team moving forward but at the moment I want to make a shout out to my IM Basketball team.

Our first game was our easiest opponent, which was lucky because we played sloppy. We were missing a few players and it was the first time a lot of us had played together.

The second game ended up being our hardest game. It was a battle back and forth and we really struggled for points in the first half. We fought back in the second half and we were down two with about thirty seconds to go, but we didn't have the ball. We intentionally fouled and the sequence that followed couldn't have been scripted any better. First the other team missed the first free throw. The ball awkwardly bounced to the corner where there was a scramble for the ball that we won.

So with 25 seconds left we passed the ball around on the perimeter and tried to penetrate. The ball ended up being deflected out of bounds. The refs didn't see it so they called a jump ball which meant our possession with five seconds left. We called a timeout, and there down 2 with no overtime, we were going for the win. We isolated our best player at the top of the key, who immediately drew a double team, he took a step back fade away  from 5 feet behind the 3 point line contested by two defenders that touched nothing but the bottom of the net. 48-47. Game Over!

We went on to easily win our next two games due to our new team chemistry and a confidence built by that trial by fire game. Its a really cool story and a Hollywood finish to that game which is why I love the sport of basketball. I cannot wait for the playoffs, and this is a message to other teams: give up now, you're facing the team of destiny!

Caf Showdown II: Case vs. Brody

Its the showdown everybody's been waiting for! The current title holder for best caf on campus, Brody Square, taking on the newest caf, South Pointe in Case, weighing in with a $13 million renovation. If you missed my first caf showdown Brody took down Sny/Phy in a slug it out battle.

Living in south complex I've spent the past several weeks eating at Case often so I've given it a fair shake, and I'm ready to give it my honest assessment. With that, here we go!

South Pointe (Case) vs Brody Square

Brody

Case

Great Lakes Plate vs Pangea

Both Cafs come out swinging. Great Lakes offers a good variety of rotating menu options. The rotating options are a welcome sight compared to the never changing menu offered at Brody. Yet Pangea's made-to-order stir-fry may be the best food station on campus. Its too close to call. 

Wash

Ciao vs Ciao

Both cafs offer great pizza options. However, these stations also offer deli sandwiches. At first glance this would appear to be a wash, however, Brody's sandwich options blow away Case's options with more meats, breads, wraps, and well more everything. 

Advantage Brody

Bliss vs. Dolce

For the sweettooths both cafs offer great options of desserts. Case's dessert menu is headlined by delicious crepes that you can't get anywhere else on campus. However, Brody's tollhouse cookies, MSU dairy ice cream, and milkshakes are simply unbeatable.

Advantage Brody

S2 vs. S2

Both Brody and Case offer great salad, soup, and sushi options 

Wash

Brimstone Grille vs. Brimstone Grille

So apparently the MSU is looking for brand recognition in their dining stations. Unfortunately there is an unmistakable difference between Brody's grille and Case's grille. Brody's options are made to order, and include onion rings, fries, burgers, chicken sandwiches, grilled cheese, bacon burgers, and more. Case on the other hand has nothing made to order, instead you can choose between a burgers, chicken sandwiches, and fries. 

Advantage Brody

Nothing vs Cayenne's

Brody has awesome made to order southwestern food from burritos to quesadillas to nachos. Case has nothing. 

Advantage Brody

Nothing vs. Boiling Point

Brody has really great made-to-order past options. Case has nothing. 

Advantage Brody

Layout

I really enjoy the layout of Case. The seating is in one location, the food and drinks are in another. In Brody the bizarre placement of spread out seating and dining options makes for a confusing and annoying layout. 

Advantage Case

Atmosphere

I definitely prefer the color scheme of Case. That's where the compliments end for Case. Case has two TV's that are both positioned very poorly with limited visibility from the seating. Brody on the other hand has seating sections that are completely isolated from TV, and others with 8 TV's in front of them. Moreover the seating in Case feels crammed by comparison to the spread out tables in Brody.

Advantage Brody

Overall

Unfortunately, it became apparent quickly that this was not a fair fight and Case could've used more time in the gym. Brody has more options, better quality, better seating, and overall a better dining experience. Obviously both cafs have great options, however this contest has a clear winner. In a landslide Brody defends its crown as the best cafeteria on campus.

WINNER BRODY SQUARE

Global Game Jam 2012

            What a fantastic weekend! I just finished participating in my first ever Game Jam, and it happened to be Global Game Jam 2012! For the uninitiated a Game Jam is an event that starts on Friday night and ends Sunday night, so groups of anywhere from 3 to 7 (or sometimes even just 1) have 48 hours to make a game that fits a theme. The Video Game Development Club, Spartasoft, usually puts on 2-3 Game Jams per semester. However, the Global Game Jam of this 2012 is a special Game Jam because it means 48 countries, of over 1000 participants making over 2300 games!

            So we kicked it off on Friday with a keynote presentation from Will Wright, famed video game developer of SimCity, The Sims, and Spore. After forming teams we were shown this picture:

And we were told, "That's the theme: go!" And off we went! Well, after pouring in hours, blood, and sweat (minus the blood and sweat) and sacrificing sleep and regular meals, we put together this baby:

 http://globalgamejam.org/sites/default/files/uploads/2012/22657/Danh.html

My current High Score is 65, can you beat it?

Also be sure to check out the other great games made by other groups in Spartasoft:

http://globalgamejam.org/og/games/17532/list

If you are interested in joining Spartasoft or learning more about the development of video games, we meet at 7 pm on Wednesdays, and all experience levels are welcome!

Drive

Last night I went and saw the movie Drive at the UAB movies. It felt like a movie designed specifically for me. It had all the action, violence, plot twists, and of course driving scenes, that I could ask for. The entire cast was incredible from the lead  Ryan Gosling , who played a very Steve McQueen/Clint Eastwood mold lead, to the ruthless villains played by Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman, down to the supporting cast. I especially wanted to make note of the beautiful Carey Mulligan playing the love interest, and the brilliant Bryan Cranston as the wise mentor to Gosling. Finally I want to include Kaden Leos who played the kid in the movie. Good child actors are incredibly hard to find, and have the potential to assassinate a smart, well written movie. However Kaden was right on par with the excellent cast.

I was actually very shocked by the amount of violence in this film. However, the sex and gore I found were very responsibly handled so as to add to the film without distracting us with gratuitous scenes much like the Fast and Furious series. The driving scenes of course stole the movie and were very gritty and suspenseful like I haven’t seen since the Bourne Identity series. It all looked and felt real, with a very minimalist approach to CGI if there was any.

This movie was excellent in a very unexpected way to me. It had a real soul that I find rare in a lot of the blockbuster hits filling the Hollywood landscape today. I recommend this movie to any action movie fan.

I’m so glad that UAB had this free opportunity available to see such a great movie before its even released on DVD. I found the quality of the Wells projection to be improved since the last time I was there, and the sound quality was great. I was a little disappointed there was no popcorn available, and for that I got to call you out 

Revenge of the Izzone!

IZ! ZO! IZZO! We are back baby! What a great start to 2012 with the first conference game since students returned. Taking on a dangerous Iowa Hawkeyes team, Michigan State showed itself to be the elite program in the Big Ten right now, and the frontrunner for a Big Ten title.

However, the most exciting news of the night was the return of Izzone! I have never heard the Izzone louder at the beginning of a game, than at the beginning of this one. This was of course in response to an Izzo e-mail calling out the Izzone for fading as of late. It was time for a return to former glory as one of the top 5 student sections in America. Tonight we delivered rocking the building from start to end. The Izzone members showed up in droves early and in the unified white. Most of the silly costumes were nowhere to be seen which was a welcome sight.

We also started a new free throw distraction chant by singing children's songs. I think a change of free throw chants has been long overdue. The first one we did was "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands." Which was absolutely perfect when we clapped at the exact moment of the shooter's release causing a sudden thunderclap sound after eerie silence. These are the creative ideas that separate the Izzone from just another basketball section full of energetic college students. Hopefully we continue to workshop the free throws as I found some of the other songs not as effective. Songs such as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" were quieter and didn't involve sudden spikes in sound. However, for the first time in awhile, I have confidence the Izzone will play a major role in defending the Breslin Center.

Go Green!