A Guide to the Civil Wars of RTS Gaming
The real-time strategy gaming genre is filled with enthusiasts who both pursue and embody the focus of their obsession: war. Fundamentally different approaches to programming a real-time strategy game have led to two very different groups of gamers, each believing that their games are more fun and/or more realistic. I shall distinguish these two groups by the game series that they champion: the partisans of Westwood and the Command and Conquer series, and the disciples of Blizzard, they of the 'Crafts (Warcraft and Starcraft).
Although confusing to the uninitiated, the war of the war gamers can be broken up into several major points, or theaters, thusly: construction, resources, and units. I shall address each of the points and their sub-headings in turn. But first, a little background on war games in general and real-time strategy in particular. After all, as Sun Tzu said, “Know thy enemy and know thyself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril.”
War gaming is a hobby in which the players re-create old battles or make new ones, honing their martial abilities on fictional battlefields. An outgrowth of the training of officers and leaders in ancient times for command of flesh-and-blood troops, war-gaming has probably been around for about as long as war. As such, the number of possible ways to simulate a war are myriad, from the low-tech Chess or Risk to the recent computer game Command and Conquer: Generals.
Real-time strategy games, or RTS games, are one of the many benefits of using computers for one's war-gaming needs. There is no stuttering progression of the fight with, “I'll hit you... ok, now you hit me back,” that limit the reality of turn-based games; one player...
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... as a heavy engineering company in the US Army might do (albeit faster and with fewer people), yet the number of unit functions is kept so simple that a few memorized (or re-assigned) hotkeys can make the interface nearly as quick as the older C&C games; supply planes zoom over the drop zones to send the Americans more material while Chinese infantry seize an oil derrick for the steady flow of oil (and funds) that it provides.
With this trend toward meshing the two styles, there may one day be peace between the two factions. While I personally prefer the urgent speed of the Command and Conquer style, I think anyone could agree that Blizzard has some good points as well. So, I welcome our newfound brothers and former enemies of the Warcraft forces... except for you guys, you dirty, stinking Mac users! (So much for peace. Oh well, I guess some things never change).
Death is an unavoidable factor in life. We are all expected to die, but for some of the people the end does not have to come too soon. Joanna MacKay in her article Organ Sales Will Save discuss how the legalization of the organs sale, possesses the capability of saving thousands of lives. MacKay in her thesis stipulates that the government should not ban the human organs sale rather they should regulate it (MacKay, 2004). The thesis statement has been supported by various assertions with the major one being that it shall save lives. The author argues that with the legalized sale of organs, more people would be eager to donate their kidneys.
Woods, Chris. "Games Without Frontiers, War Without Tears." Cover Story. New Statesman. N.p., 18 June 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
An example of someone who is in favor of selling organs would be a twenty one year old named Alexander Berger. Alexander Berger bravely decided to donate one of his organs, his kidney, to an individual he has never met before. While Alexander Berger went through this process, he claims that he spent a total of three days in the hospital and took a couple weeks off from his work to recover. This example of Alexander Berger is very essential to this topic because it gives the viewpoint of the donor and why this black market should be legal. Berger believes that an individual, specifically a donor, who has taken the time to go through this organ transplantation process should receive some sort of payment is necessary. Berger claims that the
McGuigan, Cathleen. "Theater Of War." Newsweek 151.14 (2008): 52-53. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 28 Mar. 2010.
The Lords of War Simulation is best described by the neo-liberalist theory. Neo-liberalism best describes this game because it supports the ideology that everything humans do is in their own self interest. The theory also believes that people only cooperate with each other out of fear; actions of people playing Lords of War validate this theory. To succeed, neo-liberals need cooperation, institutions to mediate, as well as a fear of being defected on. Neo- liberals do not feel that humans are good in nature, but will argue that they have the capacity to bond together for the greater good, for their own personal benefit.
Blitzball, a game invented by Finny in John Knowles’ A Separate Peace contains direct similarities to war. In a game of Blitzball the players attempt to get a medicine ball from the tower to the river by passing the ball to each other, when one has the ball they can be tackled and the ball removed from their possession. There are absolutely no teams, no tackling with the use of arms, but one can refuse to receive a pass from another player. Having no teams is similar to war because in war there are not really teams as everyone is trying to keep themselves alive as their first priority. Refusing a pass from another player is similar to war, in war one can receive an offer to enlist and fight in the war but they have the option to refuse to
By selling organs via the black market deprives humanity of this amazing opportunity. Stealing individuals of the right to choose by causing one to become persuaded by just another dollar sign is morally and ethically. The effects of the exchange of money for bodily organs will not decrease one’s debt, most people who consider selling their organ is quickly selling for a quick fix. Some have sold their organs, to send their children to school, provide housing for their family and more but many have left unsatisfied. This gentleman from Bangladesh explains the harsh and brutal ways that individuals in the black market, are taking advantage of poor people, without knowledge of the effects of organ surgery. “I thought they would take my kidney, but they said they wanted to take part of my liver,” said Mehdi Hassan, a farmer from Bamongram village who underwent the operation in 2009. (O’Connor 2014) This individual stated that he did not even know what a liver was, but was still led to complete the surgery just for money to survive. As human citizens, we should be appalled by the fact that the cause of the selling of human organs is inhumane and more people need to be made aware of the effects that this is causing thousands and their families members. In the HBO show, “The tales of the organ trade,” the journalist interviews a whole family only to find out that each member except the children has
Trapp, James. The art of war: a new translation. New York: Chartwell Books, 2012. Print.
Joanna MacKay says in her essay, Organ Sales Will Save Lives, that “Lives should not be wasted; they should be saved.” Many people probably never think about donating organs, other than filling out the paper work for their drivers’ license. A reasonable amount of people check ‘yes’ to donate what’s left of their bodies so others may benefit from it or even be able to save a life. On the other hand, what about selling an organ instead of donating one? In MacKay’s essay, she goes more in depth about selling organs. Honestly, I did not really have an opinion on organ sales, I just knew little about it. Nonetheless, after I studied her essay, I feel like I absolutely agreed with her. She argues that the sale of human organs should be authorized. Some crucial features in an argument consist of a clear and arguable position, necessary background information, and convincing evidence.
In conclusion, although there are some valid reasons to support the creation of an organ market based on the principles of beneficence and autonomy, there are also many overriding reasons against the market. Allowing the existence of organ markets would theoretically increase the number of organ transplants by living donors, but the negative results that these organ markets will have on society are too grave. Thus, the usage of justice and nonmaleficence as guiding ethical principles precisely restricts the creation of the organ market as an ethical system.
In the United States, there are over one hundred thousand people on the waiting list to receive a life-saving organ donation, yet only one out of four will ever receive that precious gift (Statistics & Facts, n.d.). The demand for organ donation has consistently exceeded supply, and the gap between the number of recipients on the waiting list and the number of donors has increased by 110% in the last ten years (O'Reilly, 2009). As a result, some propose radical new ideas to meet these demands, including the selling of human organs. Financial compensation for organs, which is illegal in the United States, is considered repugnant to many. The solution to this ethical dilemma isn’t found in a wallet; there are other alternatives available to increase the number of donated organs which would be morally and ethically acceptable.
...nts will die before a suitable organ becomes available. Numerous others will experience declining health, reduced quality of life, job loss, lower incomes, and depression while waiting, sometimes years, for the needed organs. And still other patients will never be placed on official waiting lists under the existing shortage conditions, because physical or behavioral traits make them relatively poor candidates for transplantation. Were it not for the shortage, however, many of these patients would be considered acceptable candidates for transplantation. The ban of organ trade is a failed policy costing thousands of lives each year in addition to unnecessary suffering and financial loss. Overall, there are more advantages than disadvantages to legalizing the sale of organs. The lives that would be saved by legalizing the sale of organs outweighs any of the negatives.
Organ sale will be helpful in the lives of society and should be legal. The selling of human organs will give the individual a better financial life for them and their family, create a safer environment for those who will sell their organs, and to save the lives of many. By making organ sale legal the United States of America will be able to regulate organs properly through a system in which the people waiting on a list to be saved will decrease. The legal sale of organs will create an environment where people will want to save
First of all, selling organs shouldn’t be legal for two main reasons, which are saving lives and stop people from selling organs illegally in the black market. The world should understand that in many cases if someone didn’t get the organ they need they will suffer and have to die in some cases. This doesn’t means that the donors will have to give up their lives but, they can and will live healthy. For example if someone is dyeing and in need of a kidney and there is no chance for that person to live unless he gets one. Legalizing selling organs will saves this person’s life because he would easily buy an organ and complete the rest of his life without and problems. But in the case of that kidney that is in need, other people could sell theirs without having and problems that would affect them. Humans have two kidneys and one kidney that wills saves other person live is going to kill this person or even hurts.
Organic farming has mushroomed drastically in importance and influence worldwide from its modest beginnings in the first half of the last century. Organic farming is production of food and livestock without the use of herbicides, pesticides, weedicides, fertilizers or genetically modified organism and use natural resources such as manure and compost instead. In other words, it is a production system which maintains the quality of soil ecosystem as well as human beings. According to IOWA State University, “the chemicals were not used for farming before World War 2. A number of munitions used in farming have contributed to field of agriculture. For instance, ammonium nitrate used as ammonium nitrate fertilizer”.