Classic Video Games ; Monday ; Period 1

[1stinkinpercent.livejournal.com]

"Good morning," Riley greeted, coffee in hand because he was having some trouble getting going this morning. "Today, we're going a little more modern with our video game. We're gonna be taking a look at the original Tomb Raider. Tomb Raider centers around English archaeologist Lara Croft. The Tomb Raider series has expanded into movies, comic books, novels and theme park rides. So, it's a very, very lucrative series which a lot of people didn't think could happen when the game was helmed by a female protagonist. The gaming community is sometimes dim. She's now considered an icon of the video game industry having been inducted into the Walk of Game and she has a place in the Guinness Book of World Records."

He nodded. "Anyway, the game we're going to be playing was a huge hit and a major title responsible for the Playstation's early success. The player controls the female archaeologist Lara Croft, in search for the three mysterious Scion artefacts across the world. The game is presented in third person perspective. Lara is always visible and the camera follows the action from behind or over her shoulder. The world she inhabits is fully drawn in three dimensions and characterised by its cubic nature. Ledges, walls and ceilings mostly sit at 90 degrees to each other, but sometimes feature sloping planes."

Riley got to work on getting the gaming stations set up so they could play while he finished the lecture. "The object of Tomb Raider is to guide Lara through a series of tombs and other locations in search of treasures and artefacts. On the way, she must kill dangerous animals and other creatures, while collecting objects and solving puzzles to gain access to an ultimate prize, usually a powerful artefact. Gunplay is restricted to the killing of various animals that appear throughout each stage, although occasionally Lara may be faced with a human opponent. Instead the emphasis lies on solving puzzles and performing trick jumps to complete each level. So, today we're gonna play an iconic game and see how well we do! Have fun!"

It's All Fun & Games, Monday, Period 2

[psychoticbiotic.livejournal.com]

Jack was sitting in a beanbag chair when the students got to class this week, though her coiled posture suggested this was something she didn't do all that often. Other beanbags and cushions were arranged throughout the room, and the desks had been pushed to the side.

"Y'know, it's been a long winter and I'm tired," she greeted the students. "I think today we're gonna focus on the 'and games' in the class name. We have Scrabble, Twister, Connect Four, chess and Monopoly. Pick one, grab a buddy or two, and try not to cheat or be a sore loser."

And with that she was out.