12 - Types of Video Games

Games are a structured form of play, taken for enjoyment, entertainment or for educational purposes. They have rules, instructions, challenges, and interaction. They use both your physical and mental stimulation. But video games are different. Although it is similar from games but video games use handheld devices or platforms to play. Video games are also a structured form of play but it involves the player to generate visual feedback on a video device (TV screen or monitors). Systems used for playing video games (platforms) are personal computers and video game consoles. A video game has different types. Try to look what type of video games do you prefer? :)

There are three (3) types: the Casual Games, the Serious Games, and the Educational Games.

First the Casual Games. These are games that are simple, easy to understand game play, and you can easily grasp the rules. An example of this would be the game "Minesweeper" and another would be "Solitaire". Games that are also found in Google Play and App Store (puzzles, tower defense, hidden objects, etc). Casual games are usually easy to find. 

The next, Serious Games. This can also be called Applied Games. These are games that has other purposes other than plain entertainment. Games that fall under this category usually are about science, health care, politics or engineering. An example would be a flight simulator. It gives you an experience how to fly an airplane. Another would be the game "Surgeon Simulator" as it also gives you an experience on performing a surgery. Most simulator games fall under the Serious Games. 

The last, Educational Games. Games under this category provides education to the player. Educational games both give you entertainment and education. It is educational but most schools do not prefer giving educational games to students. Strategic games fall under Educational Games. The game Age of Empires is a strategic game where you are a leader of an ancient civilization. You build barracks, where you train your warriors, or build a town center and many more. You fight with other civilizations. You have to be strategic and think about how and when will you fight and it enhances your brain when you think. This is just one kind of educational games. There are a lot. 

(Age of Empires III)

A game may fall under one of these categories but it is not limited to only these 3. There are a lot but these are the basic categories of games. 

 

Remember, not all games are made only for entertainment purposes. Every game has a lesson just like a story. You just have to find it. :)

11 - White Turtle

Dancer, writer, visual artist, academic. 

Merlinda Bobis is a Philippine-Australian writer born in Legaspi City in the Philippines. She attended Bicol University High School and graduated in Aquinas University in her college time. After taking her first degree in Aquinas University, she took up 2 post-graduate degrees in University of Santo Tomas and University of Wollongong in Australia (1 for each university). She now lives in 

Australia.

She writes both in Filipino and English. Her works integrates the traditional culture of the Philippines with modern immigrant experience. Her work "White Turtle" won 2 awards: the Steele Rudd Award for the Best Collection of Australian Short Stories and the 2000 Philippine National Book Award.The White Turtle is a collection of short stories that has various kinds of humor and emotion.  

Like the short story "Before The Moon Rises" shows how the war impacts the Filipino citizens. Another is "Colours", it tells a story about a man who loves his married neighbour. It shows how unrequited love works. A short story still included in the White Turtle is "Jar". "Jar" is a brilliant short story as it shows a story about sexual abuse in the workplace.

Merlinda Bobis has a way of drawing her readers into her stories. Making her readers stimulate their senses with only the use of words. The development of the characters and plot in each of the stories is beautiful. Her stories may be about us, Filipinos but it doesn't make us feel embarrassed. We are more likely to read about it. We can say that one of her style in writing is showing the reality of the world. We just have to open our eyes and realize the things that we are doing.

10 - Unrequited Love Prevails

"Dead Stars" is a story written by Paz Marquez Benitez. It was published in 1925 and considered to be the first modern Philippine Short Story in English.

The story revolves around Alfredo Salazar and two women: Esperanza and Julia. Alfredo and Esperanza have been together and the society takes that the two will be married. However before the wedding, Alfredo met this girl named Julia where Alfredo immediately fell in love with her. Alfredo and Esperanza got married. After eight years, Alfredo went on a trip to the town where Julia lives. He visits Julia but he found out that she doesn't love her anymore. She no longer had feelings for him. 

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At first I wasn't really expecting someone to love me especially with the person who will be married soon. I didn't know what to do so I too eventually fell in love. He loved me and asked me "Did you ever have to choose between something you wanted to do and something you had to do?" He was forced to marry someone he doesn't love anymore because he made a promise to that girl.

As years pass by, I was living quietly. Someone came for a visit without me knowing who is coming. It was him, the guy who promised the girl that she will marry her. He still loved me but I didn't. I stopped loving him and I will never love him again.