TOW #19 - Be one with Flappy Bird: The science of 'flow' in game design by Nick Statt

The game looks simple. The instruction is easily understandable. The game play? Mind-blowing. Meet Dong Nguyen's mobile app game phenomenon Flappy Bird. Making gamers addicted since 2013. Source: news.cnet.com

                It's frustrating as hell, yet pretty much everyone plays it. Dong Nguyen's mobile app game, Flappy Bird, is so addicting to the point where Nguyen took it off from the app store, and in Nick Statt's writing, Be one with Flappy Bird: The science of 'flow' in game design, the author tries to explain the secret behind those addictive qualities and popularity. Statt's answer is pretty simple; arguably, Flappy Bird is a perfect example of a game with the concept of 'flow' , something he describes as a feeling people get from "drugs, from meditation, from spirit rituals" (Statt 6).

                In the beginning of his writing, Statt establishes a connection with his audience of casual gamers by putting himself in the shoes of people who play the highly addicting game. Statt suggests that " While it became well-known for its infuriating difficulty, equally important to its success was what it did to our brains as we found ourselves succeeding at it, a feeling of momentary elation that nestled deep inside our psyches and sent us back for more" (Statt 4). He also claim that releasing "yourself from self-conscious awareness", being "'in the zone'" or "cruising on autopilot" is all the kind of "feeling...every one of us has experienced at one point or another" (Statt 3)." Notice that in these quotes, the author uses the words "our", "ourselves", and "us" in order to imply that the author understands the addictiveness of Flappy Bird simply because he played it himself. Statt knows the experience firsthand, and this gives his credibility a significant boost.

                As readers continue on with Statt's writing, they may notice that the author compares and contrasts Flappy Bird to other games with the 'flow'. Statt mentions classic games like the Tetris, Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, modern games like Minecraft, Sims and World of Warcraft, and mobile app games like Drop7 and Threes. All these games and Flappy Bird have one thing in common: they all have the right balance of skill and difficulty for the maximum capacity of entertainment. Then what makes Flappy Bird distinct from others? Arguably, it's the more extreme case of "the contrast between the appearance and reality of its difficulty. Had not the author mention other games to compare and contrast to, the readers would have difficulties of understanding how Flappy Bird was capable of being popular and unique at the same time. Also, knowing some of the games that Statt mentions creates that "Aha" moment that further establishes ethos, ultimately helping the author to easily explain his purpose. 

TOW #18 - Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly

Battle of Sailor’s Creek. Once a place of “outstanding beauty” with “verdant rolling hills” and “virgin forest”, it will soon be “defiled by the ugliness of war” (O’Reilly 67). Both the Union and Confederacy will suffer from huge casualties and deaths. Source: www.civilwar.org

Before revealing the secrets of the assassination of America’s beloved 16^th president to his readers, Bill O’Reilly dedicates an entire section of his book, Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever, to set up the scene. By using vivid imageries and thrilling tone, O’Reilly captures the essence of all the conflicts that were going around at the time. I particularly like the action scenes such as “Down the hill they run, caps flying off, curses streaming from their mouths” (O’Reilly 71) because they make the story more captivating. The book starts at April of 1865, the time of Civil War. Lincoln, with only fourteen days to live, is burdened by the reality of the war. His favorite general, Ulysses S. Grant, is on his journey to capture the arguably greatest Confederate general, Robert E. Lee, in hopes to end the atrocious conflict once and for all. Grant let Lee go once out of military compassion once, but this time he will stop his enemies from reaching the Carolinas, where Lee’s enforcements and supplies are waiting. Lincoln visits City Point, Virginia, where the Union troops just recently won a significant battle. The president declares, “Thank God that I have lived to see this. It seems to me that I have been dreaming a horrid dream for four years, and now the nightmare is gone,” (O’Reilly 25) but he is wrong. There are only twelve days to go until a certain doom. Meanwhile, Lee’s troops march on without proper clothing, foods, and sleeps because of the constant fear of being surrounded by the union army. Many people give up the march because of the starvation, and to make the matters worse, the Battle of High Bridge and the Battle of Sailor’s Creek cost the Confederacy countless lives. With Lee on the verge of losing, Lincoln orders the final plan to end the Civil war to be executed. In the midst of all these chaos, John Wilkes Booth, the soon-to-be assassin of Lincoln, is gathering allies and making plans to kill the President. Lincoln has eight days to live. The clock continues ticking.

IRB #3 - Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever

Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard’s Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever is an history book that reads like a thriller. O’Reilly explains at the very beginning of the book that only few people know the true account of the events that lead up to the murder of America’s well respected 16^th President. The author then guarantees that the contents in the book will disturb the readers, but also teach them how Lincoln’s murder changed the course of American history. To me, Lincoln is a great role model, a hero who had a humble beginning and a legendary ending,  and I always was eager to learn a bit more about his life, or in this case, death. I have heard of many conspiracy theories about the President’s unfortunate fate in the past, and I knew that this book would be perfect for me to reveal what happen during his final days using credible primary and secondary sources. Through this book, I hope to understand the connection between Lincoln’s death and Civil War, the specific causes of animosity toward him, the steps John Wilkes Booth had to take in order for a successful assassination, and the alternative ending had the President lived longer.