(Begins May 10 - Ends May 17)
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Chapter 7
1) Ender has finally made a friend or two among the Launchies, when suddenly he's singled out again and promoted to an “army”, where he'll train and “play” with the big kids. Before he accepts the transition, he goes off in “Free Play”, and encounters a dreamlike string of locations and events. The adults refer to “Free Play” as a mind game. What does it reveal about Ender's psychological and/or emotional state? What does it reveal about the adults who designed the game? What do games reveal about the player, versus the designer?
2) Ender is transferred to Salamander Army. What does Ender learn from the leader of Salamander Army, Bonzo, throughout the chapter?
Chapter 8
1) Compared to Salamander Army, what is different about Rat Army? What is different about how it is organized and run?
3) At the beginning of the chapter, the adults discuss the consequences of making the battle game progressively more “unfair”. As game designers, is this ever an option we should pursue? At what point does strategy break down, and become anarchy?
Ch 7
ReplyDelete(Note: I have finished reading the entire book, so some of these answers are influenced by facts found out later in the book. Some spoilers ahead)
1. This game reveals Ender’s deteriorating emotional state. Ender subconsciously realizes that his childhood is rapidly vanishing, which is why when he tries to interact with the playground, none of the equipment works for him. Some paranoia on Ender’s part is reflected here as well in the behavior of the wolf children. The children all laugh at him when he fails, which could signify a fear of failure, and they become vicious when he tried to avoid them. Ender’s solution to the problem reflects both his regression to absolute solutions (in other words, harming your enemy to the point that retaliation on their part is impossible, permanently “solving” the problem) and the mentality of those who have programmed “free play”. The common theme among this scenario and the Giant’s Drink is that a problem can’t be entirely solved until your enemy is dead – otherwise, they’ll continue to attack or outsmart you or pose a threat. Clearly, this is the view of the military as later it’s made clear that the army to which Ender belongs means to end the Bugger threat not thought a defensive battle but through an assault that would eliminate any possibility of the Buggers attacking again.
Games can often reveal the mentality of both the designer and the player in this way, where the intended solution illuminates how the game designer views problem solving and the solution executed by the player reflects how they solve problems. Often, though, the player’s thought process is better illustrated when they are given more freedom. What’s interesting is that it seems as though the more freedom the player has, the less a game designer’s personality might come through in the design, though that’s not accounting for aesthetic choices that could reflect how the designer feels about certain things.
It is also highly possible, as illustrated in the scenario in which Ender finds himself, that a player is given freedom in a game without actually being free. The free play playground allows Ender to execute most any action, but problems seem to have only one solution. Some real world games are designed this way as well. In these cases, one could argue that a player’s personality is conveyed in how a player tries to solve a problem whereas the designer’s personality is conveyed in the only solution to the problem.
2. In short, Ender learns how not to be a captain from Bonzo. Bonzo is strict and firm, which are good qualities in a leader, but he’s established dominance over his team, he’s done it at the cost of any free thinking on his team’s part. Because of his pride, he refuses to admit when he’s wrong and because of his narrow focus on winning he’s unwilling to see what an asset Ender could be because Ender is inexperienced and therefore a risk. Bonzo gets openly hostile and angry towards Ender, even physically attacking him, displaying a crass unprofessionalism in his rule. Not only that but Bonzo’s attacking Ender when it was Ender who won the game communicates that Bonzo only wants to win on his terms, making him inflexible, a dangerous trait to have when you’re a tactician. If Ender’s actions prove anything it’s that being flexible in your strategy is the path to victory.
Ch 7
ReplyDelete1. Rat army is in many ways the polar opposite of Salamander. Rose is very informal with his troops, acting more like a friend than a leader. The problem this causes is that some of the boys lack respect for their leader. This is compounded by how it’s not really Rose whose the key to the squad’s success, but Dink Meeker, who is able to command his squad with discipline while still remaining fair and open to new ideas. In this respect, Rose makes a good tactical choice in that he isn’t afraid to lend the workload to others (Dink’s squad is described as almost a smaller army inside Rat army) but that he takes credit for Dink’s success and has made few if any accomplishments of his own is a severe handicap – Meeker resents Rose a bit because of this and some of the other boy’s think Rose a fool. Like Bonzo, Rose is too concerned for himself and prideful, which is why he forbids Ender from practicing with his practice group and from using his desk.
2. Fairness in game play is a difficult subject to discuss. What is an easily surmountable challenge to one player is impossible for another. Most games, however, have this ramping difficulty the adults discuss. Because of this ever-increasing difficulty level, a challenge at the end of a game would be impossibly unfair to a new player, but could be easily solved or beaten by a player who has played the game from the start and worked their way to this point. If difficulty ramps appropriately, then the player becomes better at using the skills they have learned within the game, whether it relates to reflexes, strategy or problem solving. In the case of games with rpg elements, concessions in the form of “experience points” are typically offered over the course of the game, allowing a player to make their in-game avatar stronger, which, in combination with a trained brain, can serve as a great compliment.
In Ender’s Game specifically, there seems to be a differentiation between “fair” and “impossible”. Ender is constantly put into situations that are not fair but are still solvable. Because of his intellect and flexibility, Ender is able to conquer each unfair scenario presented to him. If we apply this concept to game play, then it can be a valid tactic. If a player is able to solve a seemingly impossible problem, self-satisfaction goes up, making for a more rewarding game play experience. The problem is finding a way to test players without pushing them too far outside of their capabilities. Often, you want to really test a gamer’s mettle but, as said before, a challenge to one person is an annoyance to another. I’ll echo what I’ve said before, though, and say that often the best way to counteract high difficulty is to offer some sort of concession to the player. This can be quick respawn or re-load times if it’s expected the gamer will die very quickly and frequently, adjustable difficulty while still inside of the game (some games won’t let you shift difficulty once you’ve started) strengthening your in-game avatar or self-adjusting difficulty where the computer monitors how many failures on a certain scenario a player has experienced and adjusts difficulty accordingly.
1) When Ender goes to the playground i think its a subconscious want to be a normal kid. I think emotionally he's tired of all the mind games and stress and just wants to relax and play without a care. Adults who make games for children don't always understand children and pure play so they tend to develop things to suit their needs and desires. Games say quite a bit about their developers, games take alot of work to make, if someone is working on one they cant help but put apart of themselves into it, either good or bad.
ReplyDelete2) in short Bonzo is a mean poo head with a bad attitude and a big head! lol but really I think i don't think this kid understands what the word team means. even though he is the leader of his army that doesn't mean that they aren't a team. Hes also very close minded and doesn't see Ender's potential.
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