Spring 2022- The main focus is about dystopian.
Animal farm – George Orwell
George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a political allegory that describes what happens when the oppressed defeats the oppressor and takes charge of their own government. Using animals as a metaphor, our story begins on Manor Farm where a cruel tyrant named Mr. Jones is the farmer owner in charge. One night, Old Major, the old boar who lives on the farm had a profound dream that he felt he needed to share with all the animals on the farm. So it was agreed that they would all meet up in the barn the next night so he could tell them what this dream was all about. When all the animals arrived at the barn, Old Major informed them that he would be dying soon, and wanted to leave a message before he left. He went on to inform them that they needed to have a rebellion if they wanted their lives to improve, and they must pass on this message to future generations and not give up until they were victorious. He went on to tell them of an old song his mother and the other sows use to sing when he was a piglet. He had forgotten about this song, but it came back to him in the dream. It was called “Beast of England”. Major introduces this song to them, and they loved singing it so much, that it became their anthem.
Major passed away three nights later in his sleep, but the words he left behind made a lasting impression on the animals, and this inspired them to prepare for the rebellion. Snowball and Napolean were two boars who were leaders along with another pig named Squealer who was a persuasive talker. They comprised the principles learned from Old Major into a belief system called Animalism. They adopted seven commandments of Animalism:
- Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
- Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings is a friend.
- No animal shall wear clothes.
- No animal shall sleep in a bed.
- No animal shall drink alcohol.
- No animal shall kill any other animal.
- All animals are equal.
One day Mr. Jones forgets to feed the animals and this sets off the revolution. The animals emerge from the battle victoriously, and the farm is renamed, Animal Farm.
At first, things go well, But Napolean is cruel, vindictive, very malicious, and jealous of Snowball. He seeks to undermine him and succeeds in doing so. Using his dogs to chase him off the property forever, he becomes the undisputed ruler of Animal Farm utilizing Squealer as his propaganda mouthpiece to lie, slander, and mislead all the animals on the farm. As time passes, Napoleon becomes even more wicked and evil than Mr. Jones, using his dogs to slaughter animals guilty of no wrongdoing, not feeding the animals, moving into Mr. Jones’ house, and sleeping in his beds. Eventually breaking the seven commandments, and revising them until only one remains, “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”. As time passes and years go by, Napoleon purchases more land from a nearby farmer named Mr. Pilkington. They become friends and cardplaying drinking buddies. At the end of the story, the animals watching them through a window, cannot tell the difference between the two groups, pigs and humans.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm was written in 1945, four years before his masterpiece 1984.
1984 – George Orwell
George Orwell’s deeply disturbing, nightmare scenario of a hideous suppressive, dystopian world, was an unpleasant experience for this reader. I had heard about this book, but I had never read it. And now that I have, I can only say that I hope this never takes place in America. Who would want to live in the world these characters lived in? A world that can only be described as very dark, dreadful, and horribly despairingly dystopian. The protagonist is a 39-year-old man named Winston Smith who works in the Ministry of Truth. He is tasked with the job of rewriting history and replacing it with what the “Party” wants the truth to be. His life is empty and lonely until he meets Julia, a young woman who is employed as a machine operator in the Fiction Department. They begin an affair and meet in the forest and later Winston rents a room over an antique shop from a kindly old man named, Mr. Charrington. This room became a love nest and a haven for Winston and Julia until the Party shatters their illusion of secrecy and Charrington is revealed to be a member of the Thought Police. And then there is O’Brien, the party member that Winston mistakenly believed might be a supportive ally, who instead became his chief torturer. After he and Julia are taken into custody, Winston is in for a rude awakening as he is tortured beyond belief, humiliated, and broken in the Ministry of Love. He is forced to confess to everything they tell him to, and finally, he is executed with a bullet to the brain.
It was not an enjoyable journey reading this book, in fact, it was a painful experience. However, the story is very well written, and it flows in it realistic way. It is very understandable that this book is a world-famous classic read by so many people. It is truly unforgettable.
Fall 2021- Focusing on game developing
Journal Articles:
- Schrier Karen. “Designing role-playing video games for ethical thinking” Author(s): Educational Technology Research and Development, (August 2017),
https://www.jstor.org/stable/45018706 Accessed: 16-10-2021
- Robson Jon and Meskin Aaron. “Video Games as Self-Involving Interactive Fictions
The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism,(Spring 2016) https://www.jstor.org/stable/44510494 Accessed 16-10-2021
- Dickey Michele D. “Game Design Narrative for Learning: Appropriating Adventure Game Design Narrative Devices and Techniques for the Design of Interactive Learning Environments Educational Technology Research and Development, (June 2006) https://www.jstor.org/stable/30221219
Books
- Boluk Stephanie, Lemieux Patrick. Metagaming: Playing, Competing, Spectating, Cheating, Trading, Making, and Breaking Videogames. University of Minnesota (2017). Press.
- Pearce Celia. Communities of Play Emergent Cultures in Multiplayer Games and Virtual Worlds. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (2009) Press.
