Using sports as a conversational ice

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:52:19 +0000

Speaking sports is a universal language that many people can understand. As a woman, I will admit that I know very little about any one particular sporting event. I do, however, feel comfortable enough to use sports as a conversational icebreaker. It helps to avoid boredom and dead silence.

I hate to hear crickets chirping rather than the sounds of people talking. If I bring up sports, I am sure to get a reaction. Even if the person knows as little about sports as I do, they are likely to have an opinion on the topic. Almost everyone has a favorite team or figure, even if they are not a die-hard fan of the particular sport in question.

It is very easy to find sports information, even if you are not a fan. There is a section devoted entirely to sports in most local papers. Reading the paper, or skimming important categories can ensure that you won’t be left without anything to talk about. The news usually offers a segment on sports also. All you have to do is tune in and listen. You don’t have to know every single detail in order to spark a discussion.

With sports, there can be many conversations formed. There are hundreds of sports teams and figures. Just talking about one particular person or object can make for an hour-long discussion. A sport is definitely a topic that can be time consuming yet fun.

If you are interested in debating or just getting philosophical about issues, sports makes that possible also. There are many controversial issues and sports figures that people love to discuss. Sports is also something that brings varying opinions. Not every single person will like all the same teams.

Discussing sports can help establish common ground. You may find that you have an interest that is the same as the person you are talking to. Being on the same page helps many people feel more comfortable. From this, you may be able to move on to other conversations and hobbies.

Many people are very passionate about sports. Speaking of something close to their heart holds their attention. For those who really love sports, there is nothing they would rather talk about. Some people are convinced they bleed the color of their favorite team. If you show interest in what they like, you are likely to gain brownie points in their book.

Sports conversations can lead to physical activities. Many people want to play sports after discussing them. This can be a fun time for a one on one challenge or a friendly game just for fun. It is also a good way to learn new things, or teach the person you are talking to new things.

Asking questions about areas you don’t understand or having the person go into more detail about their thoughts is a great way to build up conversation ideas for the next time around. Breaking the ice with sports can be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Creating your own video game – Part 1

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:53:15 +0000

Creating your own video game is a fantasy many people think about. And it is possible! From full scale role playing games to click-on-the-answer type programs, it is possible and I’m here to tell you how you can easily get involved and make some beautiful games.

One of the first things you need to do when you want to make a game is to find out how you are going to do it. Now, now not everybody wants to learn how to right a full scale program or code and so many programs allow you to do this in a simple drag-and-click format. One of the best programs for this is Game Maker. Game Maker is free to the public and comes with loads of pictures and tutorials that help you make your own game. It means that you can create a game in under half an hour and still have it look good and plus have some excellent game play.

I myself have my own Game Maker program and have successfully made some excellent games with a minimum effort.

After you have acquired a game-making program (like Game Maker or Neverwinter Nights creation software, I have mentioned where you can find some programs below) you need to get a basic understanding of how a game works, when should you change level, what kind of game do you want, have you got instructions, can other people understand the game as well as you etc! When it comes to this stage allot of it comes to trial and error and comparison. Does the opening part of your game attract the user? Do you explain how to play? Some of the best ways to test this is to get some one to play it, even before the whole game is finished. But, you may ask, how do I know what I should include in the game? One of the best ways to learn about game design etc is to play other games.

When you play another game, analyze how it works, does it get harder as the game goes on, to they have a menu that lets you access help? The best way to learn about games is to play them. Another way to find out about game design is to use some of the tutorials available on-line, the Game Maker homepage has stacks of easy to use tutorials readily available 24-7!

Now after you’ve supposedly ‘finished’ a game, it is not a bad idea to play it through a couple of times to make sure it runs the way you want it to. Then, let some of your family and friends play it and take in their opinions it may be to hard for them (remember you’ve made it and so your probably going to be pretty good at it so make sure you don’t under estimate the difficulty level) and so you may have to add some easier levels or tasks. Then, once it’s all finished, advertise it! Tell people about it, put it on a few CD’s and lend them to people, after all games are meant to be played!

Hope this helps

Here is the Game Maker website, it’s really good and I encourage people to check it out:

www.gamemaker.com.au

or go to google and type:

Game Maker

and you’ll find it sooner or later!

global entertainment » Many People

Using sports as a conversational ice

Creating your own video game – Part 1