Blog Assignment #4: The State of the Planet

We have all seen the documentaries and heard the debates about the terrible state of the planet. If we are to believe the scientists, we - as a race - are at a crossroads; either we now take a path towards lower energy consumption or we continue speeding down the highway in our CO2-polluting cars. All the hubbub has finally stired even the politicians to putting environmental issues on the very top of their to-do lists.

What's your take on the alleged, impending disaster? Do you care? Are you perhaps deeply involved in trying to do something about it?

In this blog assignment I want you to elaborate on your own personal view on what the earth is coming to. But I also want you to use at least one word from each of the following six groups of near synonyms. That is, approach the state of the planet from whatever angle you choose, but make sure you include at least six of the following words (one from each group) in your blog entry. Make sure you look up the full meaning of each of the words before you use them.

1. misfortune, cataclysm, catastrophe, disaster, calamity, ruin
2. damage, harm, wreck, injure, impair, mar, spoil
3. shake, tremble, quake, quiver, shiver, shudder
4. predict, forecast, foretell, prophesy, anticipate
5. hazardous, perilous, high-risk, precarious
6. ominous, intimidating, formidable, foreboading

Blog Assignment #3: Video Game Addiction

I have friends who have journeyed so far into the fictional world of Azeroth that they cannot find their way back. Instead of socializing with their friends and families, they spend 15-hour sessions, days on end, in front of their mesmerizing screens, completely wrapped up in the game of World of Warcraft (WoW) -- an astonishingly successful online game by Blizzard Entertainment that has enthralled millions of people (more than 8 million by the last count). To some, the game is so important that they manage to suppress their most basic needs of food and sleep, sitting through 48-hour-long marathon sessions, so captivated by the game that half-minute stops to the toilet is the only break from the game. People have even died in front of their computer screens. Most deaths are related to the blood starting to coagulate after the body has been immobile for days, which, in turn, can lead to a stroke.

Most players of online games are able to strike a healthy balance between their gaming hobby and real life, making the game a natural part of their daily routine. The so-called MMOGs (massively multiplayer online games) become a place to socialize, relax, and solve intriguing problems. But many people cannot find this balance.

I don't play these games myself. Back in the '90s I did play the MMOG Everquest for a number of weeks but found it tedious and time-consuming. But I have many friends who play and I have through them seen the uglier sides of MMOGs, which have made me disapprove of the genre completely. And behind the polished facade of games like World of Warcraft lies a multi-million dollar commercial machine that saps both the money and the joie de vivre from its subscribers.

For your next blog assignment, I want you to give us your personal view on video game addiction. Perhaps you play WoW yourself and want to defend the hours you have spent playing it? Feel free to do so. Or maybe you have a partner who plays too much? Then tell us about it. It is even possible that you have never heard of MMOGs before; if so, tell us how you view it all from your fresh vantage point. Choose any aspect of MMOGs and video game addiction that you want.

To give you some starting points, I suggest you read the following online articles. They all deal some side of the topic and are, in addition, great places to find more JVL words.

Confessions of a 30-Year-Old Gamer by Ta-Nehisi Paul Coates

Treating China's Online Addicts by Daniel Griffiths

Video game addiction all too real by Katherine Nguyen