Author: crystal

Social Media Identity

We could do this the boring way… Searching up my full name (Crystal Guan) does absolutely nothing. I don’t post anything interesting in regards to my personal life. Even my Facebook page is near empty. So we’re doing this the fun way.

Kazzandrah. That’s been my pseudo-nickname for the past near decade of my life. The search results are actually hilarious. Take a look:

Twitch? That’s me.
Final Fantasy XIV? That’s me.
League of Legends? (I quit after Season 5.) That’s me.
Facebook? That’s me. (Well.. My online persona’s (stream’s) Facebook.
Dotabuff? That’s me.
Twitter? That’s not me. I was wondering who took my handle.
World of Warcraft? Uh… Yea that’s me… I think.
9GAG? Holy cow - I thought I deleted that account. But yea, that’s me.
And the images that show up in that line? All of them except the second from the left - all me.

So… Let’s go with Twitch, Twitter, and my various gaming profiles (Dotabuff, WoW, etc.)
Twitch - This is probably the biggest exposure of me you’ll ever get. My followers/friends/viewers have described me as… Well… Many things. Hyperactive, loud, scaredy-cat, forever hungry, entertaining to watch… The list goes on and on. I will say though, this “Crystal” is the person that I want people to look up to. Someone that people can see as a role model, someone that they know will always be there with a smile and ready to make them laugh.

This is the first image of me you can find. It’s literally the image I have across all social media platforms, so that’s not surprising. So thanks… Me?
Twitter - Dead. I literally only use this to promote my stream (tweet when I’m going live.)
Gaming profiles - I should be ashamed by the number of the times my name has popped up on the first page alone just for the games I’ve played. I. REGRET. NOTHING. I’ve spent a ridiculous number of hours on every game shown though… Where has my life gone.

I literally was playing FFXIV until I forced myself to log off to do this blog post. (I’m currently trying to level my monk to 60.)

All in all… At least 95% of the results from Google (granted, there was only 5 pages,) were all my profiles for some sort of gaming thing (usually.) A lot of it is Twitch-related things (apparently my stream was broadcasted on some Chinese website… HA?) And I think I’m happy with this. If I could make a living streaming, that’d be THE awesomest job ever. Being so easily found? Not so awesome. But with great rewards come great risks… Right?

In other words: LEROYYY JENKINSSS!

Don’t Die Rules

Don’t Die

Rules of the game-

  1. The player with the closest birthday takes the first turn.
  2. The player with the latest birthday will go last.
  3. Roll the dice, move the number of spaces rolled.
  4. When the player lands, they will land on a space with a letter. Take the corresponding card.
  5. Read your card out to the other players.
  6. Do as the card says.

Types of cards-

  • Choice cards
    • These cards simulate the points in life where you can make a decision. You will have to roll the dice again.
  • Life cards
    • These cards are things that life throws at you, you just read it and play it.
  • Special Cards
    • These cards will have unique benefits, make sure to hold onto them.

Let’s Play- Inside

The game that we played was Inside, a side scrolling puzzle game that focuses on a young male protagonist running away and hiding from mysterious people trying to stop him at all costs. The game takes you through forests, barns, lakes, rooftops, and warehouses as you desperately try to stay alive.

The atmosphere of this game was very dark. The minute you begin, you find yourself in a black and white style forest, highlighted with dark shadows and silhouetted figures. The music is almost nonexistent, instead playing eerily in the background until one of the figures spots you or a dog is sent to maul you. Then the tempo picks up and the tension increases, making you feel panicked and scared. It isn’t until later when you enter a barn and find momentary sanctuary that colors begin to seep into the settings.

The game is set up so that you’re questioning it from the very beginning. Where are you? Who are you? Why are you running? After about an hour in, you begin wondering if you’re going to get any answers. This game is definitely intriguing and holds interest despite being fairly simple from the get go. The lack of dialogue and any and all instructions would seem to be a hindrance to the player, but the tone that it sets up is so intriguing and you easily get sucked into the bleak, sober little world.

As a group, we all had a great time playing it, watching each other succeed and fail. Opting to play it together helped alleviate the depressing nature of the game. Inside is a great example of how Bogost claims that videogames frequently recreate real world scenarios. Despite the obvious dystopian themes of the game, many of its elements are still relatable to our current world. From mind control to hordes of zombie-like civilians marching in rows to military-esque personal hunting and chasing you down for your implied rebellion against the grain, this videogame can match many real world issues that we face today.

Inside demonstrated how videogames can generate an emotional response from the player. The art style and key events help create caring and empathy for the main character, despite the protagonist being a faceless child with no personality and no dialogue to build character or conflicts. It really is a game where you’re thrust into the action and from there it’s up to you to interpret the meaning.