Thirteen Reasons Why – Suicide of a Young Girl

In our society, suicide is a taboo subject. Those who have suicidal thoughts are made to feel abnormal, and people worry that if they acknowledge suicide they will somehow encourage it. Sufferers are forced to repress the idea, in the hope it will go away. Sadly, if unattended, the idea can eventually translate to action.

Thirteen Reasons Why exposes the harsh reality of suicide. The novel is not, as might first appear, teenage fiction (at least not in the derogatory sense); it is better seen as a social mirror. Thirteen Reasons Why provides a highly relatable insight – through the medium of a high school environment – into the nature of suicide, and challenges the social constructs that can push people over the edge.

“I hope you’re ready, because I’m about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you’re listening to these tapes, you’re one of my reasons why,” begins the voice of Hannah Baker. Clay Jensen, one recipient of said tapes, can only listen to Hannah’s ill-fated story with horror. Why did she do it? How was he responsible? He could have loved her, but now it is too late.

Roles We Play

“Hello, my name is Michael,” the doctor said, sitting down beside me in the waiting room. As he described the procedure – a lumbar puncture (otherwise known as a spinal tap) – his young, rounded face held the shadow of a smile. He asked whether I was happy to go ahead, to which I responded with sarcastic, bitter banter, as seems to be my preferred means of dealing with medical maladies. I wonder if anyone is ever happy being needled in the spine?

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest (3DS) – Challenging Assumptions

I almost never played this. After beating the standard questline of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (subsequently referred to as OoT), I told myself that a mirrored game world, with a few room changes and double-damage dealing enemies, did not justify another playthrough. In making this judgment, based on a vague notion of what Master Quest is, I nearly denied myself a fresh, intense Zelda experience.

Penguin Great Ideas - Making the Intellectual Accessible

In 1946 George Orwell wrote, “there are also those books, chiefly Penguins and cheap editions, which one buys and then loses or throws away.” An amusing irony, as the quote is from the title essay of Books v. Cigarettes, a small essay collection and one of 100 books in the Penguin Great Ideas series. This series has taken select-works from notable thinkers of the last 2000 years and released them, without foreword or introduction, in volumes of approximately 100 pages.

Bip, Bap, Boring! Welcome to Firefight.

The Halo: Reach survival mode, Firefight, pits the player against relatively dull bullet sponges. To compensate, matchmaking relies on ridiculous loadouts, damage modifiers, and a large, if not infinite, pool of lives. The only plausible explanation I can think of for playing Firefight in its current form is that is offers a sizeable pay out of credits. Campaign lacks even a plausible explanation.

However, like many aspects of Halo: Reach, both Campaign and Firefight are frustratingly close to providing a great gameplay experience. The levels, with regards to movement and cover, are well designed (unlike Halo 4), and the AI can flank, rush, and fall back, when necessary. The problem is that the current set-up does not lend well to any of these AI behaviours. You can choose to face dim witted and weak opponents, or more coordinated foes with near impregnable shielding; neither option is particularly enjoyable and both restrict variety.

"What are you reading?"

Smiling Mask, painted by Caballero Salguero, 1990

Oh, here it comes. Pulling into the train station, I see more people bustling at the platform than there are seats. Sat alone, by the window, I move my bag—my last line of defense—begrudgingly from the seat to my right, onto the floor.

And here he comes.

Bungie Co-Founder Jason Jones: On Legacy and Destiny

Until this year, the elusive co-founder of Bungie, Jason Jones, had not allowed himself to be interviewed for more than a decade. On the 7th July, he finally opened up to Ryan McCaffrey, of IGN. The gaming community has since barely said anything more than, “Jason Jones is awesome”. As true as that may be, the interview is filled with greater insights on his game creation philosophies. The role of Jason Jones, as a watchful guardian at Bungie, deserves more exposition.