Origins and Significance

Among the elements of theatre, the costume is perhaps the actor’s most intimate physical tool during his performance. It completes the actor’s character, depicting his age, gender role, profession, social class, personality, from which he could draw more depth into his performance. And without the actor or narrator verbalizing it, the costume gives information as to the period/era, geographic location, season or weather, and time of day of the performance, thus making the costume an integral part of an entire production.In addition, the costume helps establish relationships between characters (mother and daughter, or servant and master, for example) and illustrate a character’s emotional state, as in Chekov’s The Seagull where Masha wears black to reflect her melancholy (Baranger, 2006). Sceno:graphy, a theatre design website, expounds on costumes in theatre as â€Å"the final jigsaw in a complex character,† further detailing that it â€Å"is the p ersonal expression of a character and within the world of a story it can also be used to create the collage that becomes theatrical design.The role of costume takes on greater meanings depending on the performance†¦ but also becomes part of the theatrical ‘picture. ’† The idea of using costumes in theatre can be traced from the ancient Greek times, with only the actor, manager, director, or wardrobe person was responsible for clothing worn on stage giving little attention to the unity of visual elements (Baranger, 2006). The use of costumes did not originate in just one place, however. In the different parts of the world where theatre is a significant part of the culture, costumes were used to identify the good from the evil, the human from the spirit or animal.Often, masks completed the costumes. In Ancient Greek drama, the actors wore large masks with exaggerated expressions. These masks fell into two general categories: tragic and comic. In Rome, masks wer e used in comedy and pantomime. During Renaissance, the commedia dell’arte made extravagant use of half masks covering the eyes and nose were used (Encarta, 2006). In old Asia, where the traditional pageants employed shiny and colorful costumes to portray the royalty, masks were required to represent the kings, princesses and grotesque characters.Japan has various and unique types of costumes, sometimes depending on the kind of theatre. In the No theatre, the costumes were intricate, formal and imaginative, usually bold in color and design, and made for a certain actor, and each had specific rules to follow. Kabuki costumes, on the other hand used big wigs and many different types of mask styles to match the character (Thinkquest, 2006). In Japanese theatre, color was used a lot to depict the emotions of a character: red for passion and super human power, blue for jealousy and fearfulness (Thinkquest, 2006), and so on.In Peking Opera, the actors wear long cuffs called water s leeves which they flick about to express emotions; warriors are identified by their heavily embroidered satin coats (Fisher, 2007). In India, several types of dance-dramas exist, the most popular of which is the kathakali, of which plots come from the Sanskrit epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The performers wear brightly colored makeup in symbolic patterns and beards made of paper, and costumes comprised of layered wide skirts and disk-shaped headdresses (Fisher, 2007).Ancient Roman actors, on the other hand, developed a kind of code that would tell the audience about the character just by looking at them: a black wig meant the character was a young man, gray meant he was an old man, red wig meant the character was slave; a white robe meant the character was an old man, a purple robe meant he was a young man. Color, in the modern theatre, is also used to illustrate moods: black means depressing or evil’ white is purity, red is passion or anger, blue is cool and tranquil, magen ta means royalty, green is peace and hope (Richardson, 1996).The role of costume in the modern theatre has not changed so much in the overall impact of a production. References Barranger, M. S. (2006). Theater. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Mask. (2006). Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Richardson, S. (1996). WPI Technical Theatre Handbook. Retrieved November 9, 2008, from http://www. gweep. net/~prefect/pubs/iqp/technical_theatre_handbook. pdf. Scenography. Costume Design. Retrieved November 9, 2008, from http://www. sceno. org/articles/costume-design/ Sorgenfrei, C. F. (2006). Asian Theater.Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Theatrical Costume. (2006). Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Thinkquest. (2006). Japanese Theatre Costumes. Retrieved November 8, from http://library. thinkquest. org/05aug/00717/pages/costumes. ht ml Wikipedia. Costumes. Retrieved November 9, 2008, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Costumes. Wikipedia. Costume Design. Retrieved November 9, 2008, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Costume_designer Wikipedia. History of Theatre. Retrieved November 9, 2008, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_theatre

Lord of the Flies Narrative Poem Essay

I, the island, all alone in the sea, Have been invaded by humanity. A plane crashed while escaping war, And left several schoolboys upon my shore. In my jungle, a scar their tube did make, And simultaneously, my peace it did take. Two boys blew into a shell from my beach. All came to whom the sound did reach. They decided that they needed a chief, And Ralph was chosen, to Jack’s grief. The boys thought that survival would be fun, But were they ready to get the work done? Their happiness didn’t last and fears did rise. A snake-beast was spotted by a littlun’s eyes. They decided to build a signal fire upon my mountain head, But out of control, the fire did spread. Missing is the littlun who saw the beast, Yet the boys don’t seem to care that he’s likely deceased! Pig hunting became Jack’s obsession. The boys abandoned building huts in their transgression. Only Ralph and Simon remained to work, While in my bathing pool the rest did lurk. Simon is the only one who respects my beauty. Why is rescue not everyone’s top priority? The littluns are barely being taken care of, The older boys neglect to show them love. Jack and the boys hunted pigs and let the fire die. Ralph got angry, there was no signal as a ship passed by. The boys caught a pig so they chant and dance, But spirits were dampened at the loss of a rescue chance. The boys’ work ethics, Ralph did doubt: Defecating everywhere, poor shelter, fire gone out! Thanks to Jack, the beast continued to bring fear, The littluns claimed to have seen it near. The voices of Piggy and Simon are kept quiet, And Jack lead the others into a frantic riot. Upon my mountain a dead parachutists did land, The twins spotted it and ran down to the sand. They claimed to have spotted a beast on my hill, Now all the boys want to do is to find it and kill. They searched a cave but the creature was not there, In fact there was no beast anywhere! Ralph is losing control of the bestial boys, All this talk of beasts is just useless noise. The real evil is inside the human mind, But to this fact these boys appear to be blind. Due to these children, my land has been hewn, I hope that they leave me alone again soon.

Human resource management in Small Organizations Essay

Much of our knowledge of human resource management involves large organizations with dedicated human resource departments and staff, but what about small organizations? Small organizations recruit, compensate, do performance management, and many of the same tasks as large organizations. There are certain things that can be mapped effectively from large to small organizations, but what happens to the rest that do not map? A small organization can not simply let things slip through the cracks based on size or ignorance of laws, rules, or requirements. This is what makes human resource management not only important in small organizations, but essential for their long term success. Human resource (HR) management is an issue that affects every type of organization large and small alike. The majority of research and information that is easily accessible though is for larger organizations with a staff of human resource professionals. While it is true that much of the information for larger organizations can be applied to smaller organizations the majority of things do not. This raises the question: is the practice of human resource management necessary in small organizations or is it simply for the Fortune 500 companies of the world? I propose that not only is human resource management important to small organizations, but it is essential for their long term success. Traditionally, Small organizations have always had limited resources. Many times they completely overlook the importance of a human resources department. In doing so, they elect to omit the department in their business model. This common oversight shifts the burden of specific HR responsibilities to other members of the staff. Most often, these members of management are not trained or experience in human resource management, nor are they schooled in policies and procedures. Because of this, many HR tasks fall through the cracks. These short falls do not negate laws, rules, and other employer responsibilities that cover human resource management. These regulations still apply to all organizations regardless of size. The lack of understanding creates a liability for small organizations because hey feel that they are exempt based on their size. They simply do not have an understanding of all the laws, rules, and other responsibilities that an educated human resource professional would. Without a dedicated HR department, the small business lacks a proper understanding and vision of human resource policies and procedures. This deficiency will also create problems for a small organization. Typically, most small organizations are focused on increasing sales, adding new products and services, and increasing profits. All these objectives are to be met with the aforementioned limited resources. What many small businesses overlook is that proper understanding and implementation of HR policies and procedures is vital to any business. This should be the center piece of any organization; large or small. Small businesses should create a solid foundation by creating a policies and procedures manual. While creating a policies and procedures manual is time consuming, it is essential for successful employee relations. These policies and procedures not only create an understanding between management and employee of what is expected, but most importantly, what is not expected. Often time’s small organizations assume that common sense should be the guide in determining human resource practices. This leaves too many things open to interpretation and can lead to liabilities that can damage or even end a small organization. Policies on sexual harassment, retaliation, Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, and a host of other legal policies must be stated and understood by everyone in the workplace. There are many legal institutions just waiting for organizations to ignore these laws. Creating a policies and procures manual will put in writing what is not tolerated while protecting the small organization. It also will keep the business from being negligent in the protection of its employees. Liabilities are a real threat that face many small organizations; both in the short and long term scope. It does not matter if the organization is liable because of a lack of knowledge or truly negligent; the law only cares if an organization breaks it and not why. Liability issues while vital to the success of the organization are not important if there are no employees. Without employees, the organization cannot sell its goods or services and has no purpose to exist. While a human resource department is important because of liability, there are other issues that are the core responsibility of an HR director that are also key components to the success of a small organization. HR professionals must manage recruitment, compensation, retention, training, and performance. The next key component and considered to be the most important by many, including myself, is that of recruiting. The lack of a formal human resource department and policies make this important component the most challenging. Selection of staff starts with the challenge of who is going to do it. This task often falls on key management personnel and even the president/CEO of the organization. This often impacts the primary responsibilities of this person that directly affect the small organizations ability to increase and make profit. Once the person is selected he/she faces many challenges in the quest for a new staff member or members. The first of these is limited financial resources to spend on recruitment. The lack of money that can be spend limits the amount of areas the open position can be broadcast and there by limiting the pool of qualifies candidates. The popularity of Craigslist and other free online classified internet sites have cut the cost of spreading the word of open positions, but still only reach a limited audience. The ability to add open positions to a small organizations own website is also a free option, but once again limits the exposure to only people coming to its website. The more poplar websites like Monster, Career Builder, and Snag-a-Job reach a larger audience, but cost money. To increase the candidate pool from only online audience to print audience also this is another added expense to an already limited budget. Once the interview process starts there are several other issues that small organizations face. The first of these is the credibility of the organization. Credibility is hurt from even the practice of only posting open positions on a Craigslist. The amount of scams and illegimate business has made the public skeptical of many free sites like Craigslist so the free ad is not entirely free. A Fortune 500 company such as FedEx has no trouble with name recognition or creditability unlike Mailway Delivery, a small package courier. The problem of credibility for the Mailway Delivery’s of the world is another challenge that small organizations face. The next issue is the need of most small organizations employee’s to perform multiple roles. This could include answering phones, sending out mail, and various other duties that everyone shares to keep employee costs down. A candidate from a large corporation might have a specific duty that is his/her only task and that is what they are expected to focus on. In small organization tasks are far less defined and could even change regularly depending on the needs of the organization. This is why small organizations also focus on personal credentials or organizational fit when selecting a candidate. These issues have lead many small organizations to begin a new way of thinking about recruiting. This new way of thinking is outsourcing recruiting to companies such as Manpower, Talent Force and other professional recruiting organizations to take on the small organizations recruiting tasks. These recruiting organizations can provide highly trained human resource professionals and services that can reduce the time key management are taken away from their jobs and put it in the hands of the recruitment organization. The recruitment organization provides not only the benefit of the recruitment, but an array of other services such as benefit administration, payroll services, training, employee relations, and a host of other human resource tasks. This cost is significantly lower for the small organization than hiring someone plus the amount of exposure to liability issues is cut down significantly. These firms also have the option of temporary labor, seasonal labor, and other not permanent labor solutions. They can also be used as an almost try before you buy approach to hiring new people. Another important component to the success of a small organization is that of compensation. This is an important topic in any organization and small organizations are no exception. Compensation is important to several aspects of small organizations including recruitment and retention of staff. It is as simple as if the organization can not pay a fair amount for staff then recruitment will be hard and retention even harder. The limited amount of resources in small organizations makes creating an enticing compensation plan for recruiting and retention a challenge. This has lead small organizations to come up with some different strategies on pay levels, pay mixes, pay structure, benefits and pay raises, but the majority emphasis is placed on pay mix. The pay mix of small organizations focus more on pays incentives than base pay. This pay mix allows the small organization to use the saved cash on labor to reinvest in the company and freeing up scarce resources. This also provides motivation for the staff to achieve goals, increase productivity, and have an overall stake in the success of the organization. These pay incentives can be either short or long term. Short term pay incentives in small organizations may include things like stock and/or profit sharing. The reasoning of why this is a successful is simple. It provides the employee with a tangible reward for his/her work in making the organization successful. This gives the employee to achieve a larger goal with a greater reward based on long term pay incentives. Long term pay incentives are typically a larger stake in the company through some form of equity, stock, stock options, or some other stock based program. This in itself continues the motivation even when this is achieved because the employee begins to identify with management based on their ownership stake in the company. This works extremely well in the high technology organizations, but can be used in almost all organizations. Pay structure in small organizations tend to have far less levels of management and organizational hierarchy so rewards and pay rate are not an indication of status among employees. Pay raises in small organizations are often not given in the same way at large organizations. Small organizations see payroll as a fixed cost and are often not willing to increase this without the success of the organization. This is why short and long term pay incentives and organizational fit play such an important part in the retention of staff. If the employee does not feel the company will be successful they will not be satisfied with a lower base salary because of the lack of faith in the success of the organization. Benefits are a department where small organizations suffer based on the scarce resources available and the high cost of employee retirement plans, company pension plans, and life insurance type options. This is where the long term pay incentives of stock options and ownership in the company have to be a substitute for standard large organization benefit packages. One benefit that small organizations do benefit the most and many choose to invest in is that of education help or reimbursement. This helps the employee by free or subsidized education and the small organization can oftentimes fill gaps in education because of the diversity of job needs. An accountant that also helps with I. T. needs would benefit his/her self as well as the company if he/she took I. T. training classes from the local community college. This not only benefits the employee, but the organization also. This makes education the best benefit for any small organization to invest in. Benefits in small organization may seem unorthodox to many traditional human resource standards, but they are necessary to help recruit and retain the best staff they can. In small organizations it is important to look at compensation from a total view, meaning looking not just at base salary and incentives, but at psychological rewards, learning opportunities, and individual recognition. Retention is an important aspect of staffing that impacts all companies and can be devastating to small organizations. Employees are the most important asset of any small organization and the instability of losing an important asset can cause havoc. Employee retention not only affects a small organization in losing a valuable asset it is an added expensive of finding and training someone else. This combined with any education paid for by the small organization is lost. The goal then of the small organization is to retain the valuable employees through the bonus programs, family type work structure, and many of the other psychological benefits small organizations have to offer. This will lead to lower cost and more efficiency in the organization. Performance management in small organizations does incorporate some parts of compensation such short and long term incentives, training, and other rewards it mostly focuses on performance evaluation processes, disciplinary actions, the laying off of employees and the termination of employees. Often the lack of formal procedures that was discussed earlier comes into play and can negatively effect the organization. The lack of written expectations, rules, and procures open the small organization up to law suits and other liabilities. Performance evaluations, disciplinary procedures, and the law involving termination of employees are important issues small organizations need to spend time on. Training in small organizations is another important component of human resource management effects on the organization. Often times in small organizations the roles of employees are altered, shifted, and sometimes even changed to meet the demand at the time. The amount of change in roles requires that employees stay trained in the area or areas they are working in order to be effective in their job. There are several different types of training that are most common in large and small organizations alike. The first type of training is what most people associate with the word training, formal classroom training. This type of training has been shown to have a positive impact on workers, but is costly in time and money for the organization. This makes formal training for small organizations not the most efficient with some exceptions. Those exceptions are trade association training classes, college seminars, and in house training. Another option that was discussed earlier in the paper was also tuition reimbursement / tuition assistance that are options for formal training. The most common for of training for small organizations is unstructured or most often referred to as on the job training. This is even a selling point in a lot of recruiting efforts of small organizations. The hands on training that a small organization can provide is valuable to the employee as they can not often times get that at a formal training facility. This form of training is often seen as less structured which allows for more interaction and increased learning in many cases. Another form of training that is a new form of training that can be supplemented with formal and informal training is based on social psychology that uses socialization to train new employees. This approach uses socialization to teach the new employee their role in the organization, adjust to job requirements and the culture of the new job. The small organizations have been found to benefit more from this type of training because the new employee is more quickly invited to meetings, asked to go to lunch, and work closer with people than a larger organization. This results in feeling part of the team quicker and learning more quickly. The need for human resource management begins the second the first employee is hired regardless of the size of the organization. The seemingly simple process of hiring, firing, and paying employees is filled with many unseen obstacles that can create problems for a small organization. Effective human resource management has a direct effect on the success of a small organization. It has been said throughout the paper of a small organizations most valuable asset being its employees. This is why human resource management is key to the success of any small organization.

ANALYSIS OF SUSTAINABLE VALUE WHEN UNDERTAKING CORPORATE CLIMATE Dissertation

ANALYSIS OF SUSTAINABLE VALUE WHEN UNDERTAKING CORPORATE CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSIBILITY EXPERIENCED BY THAI AIRWAY - Dissertation Example The research also seeks to evaluate sustainable values that the company might have gained as a result of implementing corporate climate change responsibilities; as well as highlighting the opportunities that the values created have resulted in for the company. The methods thus used in all these endeavors are catered for in this section of the research paper. Research Design The overall approach adapted towards the present research makes use of both qualitative and quantitative data collection. This study can therefore not be described as either being a qualitative research or a quantitative research but a combination of the two. In such a situation, it was only important that a type of research design that focuses on the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative research be selected (Bandla, 2008). To this end, the researcher selected case study as the preferred research design to cater for the present research. It will be noted that once used as a research design, case study of fers the researcher the opportunity to critically analyze and evaluate a specific situation within a specified destination (Belobaba, 2007). In the present circumstance, the situation studied was the institutionalization of corporate climate change responsibility and the destination was Thai Airways. ... study, the researcher is in a position to conduct detailed review of related literature as a means of collecting secondary data to cater for the secondary data collection process. The research is also offered an opportunity to visiting the actual destination that is of focus to the research to collect data through the use of various data collection approaches to cater for the primary data collection component of the research (Carvalho and Puterman, 2003). Population and Sample Size Generally, the population of the research refers to all people who carry some degree of possibility of participating in the data collection exercises; especially the primary data collection (Chatwin, 2009). Going through the research objectives and research questions, it would be noticed that the scope of the research is very wide with many different groups of stakeholders whose contributions would all come together to ensure the success of the research and the achievement of the research aim. Because of t his, the researcher has categorized members of the population into two major groups namely clients and service providers. By clients, reference is being made to all people who may benefit from the corporate climate change policy to be adapted by the company in one way or the other. The service providers also refer to key policy makers within the Thai Airways whose activities generally contribute to the successful running of the day-to-day business of the company. These include employees, managers and shareholders. Of the two groups of population, it could be seen that there are too many people to include in the research all at a go. For this reason, the researcher set a quota for each of the groups of population members to constitute the sample size (Feng and Gallego, 2005). In order to

Elderly Drivers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Elderly Drivers - Essay Example Such as the requirement of a certificate of health from the family doctor at an arbitrary age, and subsequent re-assessment every two years or so, that occurs in Wiley [name the state]. Also, drawing on cross-cultural methods of subjective and standardized testing can provide further insights into what is required. For example, in New Zealand there is a combination of testing. Regular medical testing of people over 70 years takes place along with a driving test at two-yearly intervals after the age of 76. (Wolffelaar 151) The pioneers of motor transport did not foresee that driving would become such a universal and accessible skill. Indeed one of them, Carl Benz, thought that the market for the motor car would be limited. However, present day rising proportions of older people who drive has increased their involvement in road accidents. Longitudinal data from the USA illustrate the startling growth in the proportion of elderly drivers. For instance, in Wiley only 5.9% of drivers were over 60 in 1940, but this proportion rose to 7.4% in 1952 and to 11.4% in 1960. Point-prevalence figures show that there were approximately 14.4 million drivers over 65 years of age in the USA in 1983, and nearly 3 million over the age of 60 in the US in 1990. If present trends continue well over a third of drivers on US roads will be aged over 55 years by 2050. (Klamm, 87) The shift in demographics of driver age is important because the number of crashes and the severity of injuries by distance driven rise alarmingly after the age of 65, and resemble figures for 15-25-year-old people. The elderly are also more likely to die in car accidents; if pedestrians are included, motor accidents involving the elderly are the second most common cause for their admission to US emergency rooms and of accidental death. Although some commentators have suggested that the absolute risk of elderly drivers having accidents remains small, they tend to overlook the expected increase in the number of elderly drivers. Further accident statistics do not take into account modified driving practices, such as reduced mileage and avoidance of night driving, which likely confound the findings. (Klamm, 87) Ultimately, the US legislate against two of the dominant factors involved in road accidents: speeding and alcohol consumption (both associated with a third factor, inexperienced youth). It is contended here that the scrutiny of risk factors associated with motor crashes in the elderly is less intense. Difficulty may arise in convincing elderly drivers to submit to standardized tests, given that they and their families may be hesitant to risk the elder driver losing a primary mode of independence. However, it is both desirable and feasible to identify factors which place elderly people most at risk of driving accidents, and to ensure greater public safety on US roads. (Waller 65) Works Cited Klamm ER. Auto insurance: needs and problems of drivers 55 and over: Needs and Problems of Older Drivers: Falls Church, VA: AAA Foundation for Road Safety, 1985: p87 Shank GD. Qualitative Research: A Personal Skills Approach. Columbus, Merrill/Prentice Hall. 2002: 23 Wolffelaar PC. Age Differences in Divided Attention in a Simulated Caving Task: J

The role of the building surveyor in the planning system today Article

The role of the building surveyor in the planning system today - Article Example They provide detailed advice on all aspects of planning, design, construction, maintenance, management or repair of a proposed or existing building project. They also look for defects in, or ways to improve all types of existing buildings and advise the feasibility of possible costs of repair or conversion and the suitability of the building for particular purposes. They also make sure that the consumer rights, standards and other building control regulations are observed both in the planning and construction stages of new buildings or extensions or conversions of existing buildings. They are also responsible to resolve any queries on the building regulations and allied legislation presented by staff or other persons hence they ensure the uniformity of approach and consistency or interpretation amongst members (Sheridan, 2007). Since every construction work, irrespective of its size and volume, has to go through a number of phases before its completion. According to modern concept of Project Management Cycle (PCM), following can be different phases of any construction or development project: Project identification and proposition Project planning and formulation, Implementation and execution Project monitoring and evolution. After the identification and proposition of a project, then comes the most important and critical phase of a project: the planning and formulation of a project. The planning and formulation of a project plays a critical role as the success of any project depends critically upon the efforts, care and skills, that will be applied in its initial planning. Good planning can only be done if one has a very clear understanding of a project objectives, its cost and duration estimation, its impact and... Surveying has always been an essential element and requirement in the planning, execution and completion of nearly every form of development and construction of the human environment since the beginning of recorded history. Building surveyors are highly trained professionals who provide professional services to commercial companies, construction clients, central and local government, private individuals and property related consultants. They are involved in areas such as projects management, their feasibility study, planning, cost estimation and as an expert witness during execution. A building surveyor plays a critical role in formulation of such documentation by providing the basis for all further planning. Either an existing or a context, if a reliable documentation is not available, and then a building surveyor presents a real alternative by providing accurate plan information, by using the available tools and techniques. He collects data about the existing physical features of p roject site and its feasibility. Planning-relevant building surveying includes not only the measuring of the building’s geometry, but also any further information relevant for planning such as qualitative information, multimedia information and structural interconnections On the basis of all information, different constraints and risk factors are determined and analyzed. The planning has been done either to eliminate or to marginalize them. Hence the project cost, its execution, monitoring and evaluation strategies have been devised and decided.

Why Video Games Matter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Why Video Games Matter - Essay Example He does this for several days, showing how addicted he is to video games. Nonetheless, in this excerpt, he addresses the relevance of video games, based on his personal experiences. In this excerpt, Blissel specifically talks about the video game Fallout 3 produced by Bethesda in 2008. To show how addictive video games can get, Blissel begins explaining the circumstances around his playing of Fallout 3. In his case, Blissel remembers nostalgically, how he missed to follow the happenings involving one of the most important events in the history of United States. While people were glued on their screens, watching CNN and other authoritative television channels for the election and swearing in of the first black president in the history of United States, Blissel was busy playing Fallout 3. Even though he had planned to play this for only a few hours before he would watch CNN, the game got interesting, and he spent more hours than expected, thus, missing the important historical event (B lissel 349-350). Even though Blissel clearly reveals that video games can be addictive, he goes ahead to defend this art form with a lot of passion. It is true, we are in a generation of gaming, and most people, including children, young people, and even adults will confess their love for video games. Although Blissel tends to criticize video games in this excerpt, he again believes that these can get even better. He thinks of video games as frustrating, in the way one has to kill characters and watch them die: â€Å"I killed his mother, and then everyone else. . .allowing your decisions to establish for your character identity as a skull-crushing monster. . .these pretensions to morality suddenly bored me† (Blissel 358). At the same time, he gives credit to video games, for being dazzling. This is in the way he thinks video games have a storyline. This is what makes him prefer to play video games than watch a film or read a novel. Although a novel has a storyline too, one mi ght not be able to concentrate on it for a few more hours like they can do with video games. Blissel thinks films do not have a storyline in the same way as video games. What makes video games appealing to Blissel is the fact that the player of the game is the one in control; therefore, it can never get boring. Apart from this, Blissel thinks playing video games creates another world for a person. They can escape the real world life, and get into another world, which they create themselves while playing video games. Blissel justifies this with his depressing moments when he would get a break by playing video games. Nonetheless, this excerpt describes in detail, Blissel’s descent into the world of Fallout 3, a video game, which has themes that are a reflection of his own compulsions that are self-destructive (Blissel 353-5). In this excerpt, Blissel generally discusses the relevance and importance of video games in people’s social lives. He as well defends video games f rom those biased against them. However, Blissel’s stand with regard to the importance of video games in the cultural aspect is quite ambivalent. Here, he compares video games to the traditional art forms such as novels and films. Comparison shows both the negative and positive sides of video games. Nonetheless, what comes out is that video games, to a larger extent, show a greater degree of incompatibility with the traditional art forms. Blissel purpose is quite clear in this excerpt. He aims at showing the importance of video games in society. This however, ends up in a two-sided argument, as one cannot establish whether video games are good or