:: WomenGamers - National Computer Camp Scholarship for Girls
:: 2007 Honorable Mentions

Essay by Honorable Mention Alexis R., Age 12:

Video games in the future will be very virtual and technical. You would have to use your commands to put the game in digital code in order to play it. I also think there should be wizards and digital drawing pads. A wizard is a gadget to clone people, objects and plays games on it. The drawing pads can be installed into your game to play with in your "mini games" section.

In addition, video games in the future would be very adventurous. I also think games in the future you would have to use more movement in your body than just your mouth. When I say than just your mouth I mean using your commands to play the game. You might have objects to use for your hands to pretend swim in a swimming game or a sled to pretend sled in a sledding game. Also, you would probably use your head or mind to control your thoughts for the game. Isn't that great!

If I were in charge of designing a video game, it would be called "5 Spy's in Disguise". In this game there will be 16 levels and every time you win the game, you will get to a new level and you will win new rewards. Some of these rewards might be new gadgets, new features, new sports and many more. Inside my game, I would have 5 spy's by the names of Sasha, Rica, Jaime, Martin, and Alex that are on the mission for Jason's death. Jason was their boss who died. In this game the five teenagers will have many outfits for their disguise to hide their identity and they will have many electronic gadgets. Some of their gadgets will be Jetpacks, Digital Drawing Pads and Stylus pens, hover boards, wizards, and many other gadgets. One of the Spy's can disguise himself or herself as a rapper. One of your characters that you choose will have to go to the Arena and rap in a show with a disguised name and they will have to earn money to buy new gadgets that they will need during their mission.

In the beginning of the game you will get to choose your character and what kind of outfit you want. You are also allowed to change the color of your outfit. During your mission you will earn money by the amount of shows you disguise in and how much you can dodge the laser guns. If you get caught by the police with your identity and get put into Juvenile Hall more than once you will start to lose money and the chance of completing your mission.

In the beginning of the game you will appear in Jason’s house while the police are finding clues about his death. You will have to find your way out the house to the alley on 5th Street to have a private talk with James. James is a close friend of the teenagers who will help you throughout you mission.

During the game a guy named Ryan will follow you around so when you’re ready to buy another gadget or change your outfit you will not have to run to the store every minute. Also, you can disguise as a guard to get past the guards so you will not fail your mission. The best part of my game is going to the gym. You will get the opportunity during the game to go to the gym and be trained by a professional trainer. The trainer will teach you the basic tricks like flips, splits, balance, and concentration. Then your trainer will get into the more difficult tricks. You should most likely go to the gym more often during the beginning of the game. At the gym, you will start off with no money and the more machines you use you can earn more money. Also, you can change into your gym clothes and sneakers to use the treadmills, bikes and the other machines.

In “ 5 Spy’s in Disguise” there are many features. Some of the features are pools stores, restaurants and more. The stores have many outfits and gadgets that you can use and dress up in during your spare time. The pools let you swim and practice diving just in case you get caught during your mission on the boat.

All in all, in my game “5 Spy’s in Disguise” you need to get clues on Jason’s death and you need to be very sneaky during your mission so you won’t get caught. If you need help with codes to open locks during your mission call Mr. Smith {Your Directory} on your gadget phone. Your gadget phone will be called Mr. Smith with a one button shot on speed dial. I think that if I was in charge of designing my own video game it would be called “5 Spy’s in Disguise” and many people would love my game.

This essay was disqualified for being over the word count.

 

Essay by Honorable Mention Susan D., Age 14:

What will games be like in the future? I am sure there will be a lot more advances in gaming because technology is growing and developing at such a rapid pace. When people are playing games, they want to feel as though their part of the game, by making the games seem as realistic as possible. I think one of the biggest advances with games will be the graphics. The companies will try to make the games more beautiful, realistic and three-dimensional. So people feel more involved in the games when playing them. An example of this is the big hit with the PS3. It was promoted by the improved and enhanced graphics. So kids as well as adults feel more engaged in the game when playing.

Another thing that I think will improve games in the future is the interaction between them and their players. Also the need for an opponent or team-mate will always exist because no gamer lives in isolation. We get a taste of that with the Wii. We have progressed to so much bigger and better things and I am sure technology will just keep growing. I think we will be less confined to just using a controller and start using more of our bodies as well. Making games more interactive and better for you. Gaming has become much more popular for girls than it use to be and the age group for gamers has also expanded making it harder for companies, now having to relate the games to a much larger span of people. Thinking of games people of all ages can enjoy. 

Today’s typical games promote sense of sight, hearing and sometimes even feeling. I think we will begin seeing games reach beyond a simple view screen and speakers but begin to stimulate the other senses as well. Electronic gaming I think will make a leap with a new type of visual device to replace TV monitors to display the games. Instead of showing simply a flat screen it will give a more 3D view. This will provide a higher level of realism wanted when gaming. Also instead of merely hearing the sound of an explosion and seeing its effects, a future gamer will be able to feel the shock waves as well. In addition to feeling the game you could also be able to smell it. I think that a device could be made to release an aroma connecting to where the games’ setting is and what is happening.  That would make you feel more engeged in what you’re playing.

If I created a game it would definitely be an RPG. It will take place in different time periods in the town of Shinzuru. It will take you back in time to the creation of Shinzuru showing you what it was like before disaster stuck; to the future, showing you the tragedy of the village if you do not save it in present-day. This will keep the game exciting because of the different adventures that will occur in each time period. The game will start in present-day explaining the plot, characters and introducing you to the game, like how battling works and how to equip armor and weapons.

The main character you play as name is Milo. He is just a regular 17 year old living in Shinzuru. But what he doesn’t know is anything about his past and how it has everything to do with his future and the future of Shinzuru. The problem with Shinzuru is Ashi Milo’s father; he is sucking the life out of the entire village with an evil spell he has cast on the village and you have to stop him because Shinzuru is your home. You have never met your parents and start the game know nothing about them but gain more and more knowledge as the game progresses. You start the game with just Milo but get the other five characters along your journey. The other characters are Keiko, Luke, Fiona, Shairo, and Marley. They each have their own story of how their related to this tragedy and join you to help prevent it. They each use a certain type of weapon depending on what time period they join your party in. When you travel to the past you learn about your father and why he grows up to be so troubled and his motive behind what he is doing to Shinzuru. You find out that men in the village killed your father’s family but were never proven responsible for it. So your dad, being the only one left feels he must get revenge on the town for what was done to his family. Than you travel into the future, until this point of the game you don’t really understand what is happening to your village until you see the final outcome. The village is completely destroyed. All the remains are turned to ashes and all your friends are dead. Once you travel to both the future and the past you return to present-day to save your town. You end the game by battling your father. Once you beat him the spell over Shinzuru is broken and everyone’s life that was taken is now returned to them.

I just want to end this essay by saying how grateful I am that this scholarship is available to us girls and that we have the chance to show our knowledge and love of gaming “Because Woman Do Play”.

This essay was disqualified for being over the word count.

 

Essay by Honorable Mention Janae T., Age 9:

I think video games in the future will be very different than the games today.  I think most of the games will be 3-D and have better graphics than the ones we have today.  This makes the games more visually exciting and realistic.  Players will actually be in the game.  Instead of using a hand controller, people may have sensors all over their bodies to control the game.  For example, if you are personally running then the screens around you will change to make it seem like you are moving.  If you are playing a war game you can see all around you and shoot at targets in all directions.  Maybe there will be rooms where each wall is a screen so the player can see 360 degrees around them.

I think there will be more group games. People like playing with other people because it is more exciting and fun.  Imagine going to a theatre with 50 different players and instead of watching a movie you play a game with the other 49 people.  There would only be one game but each person has a different character. 

The problem with games today is that they encourage children to be inactive and don’t allow any learning about real life.  Because of this, games in the future will require the players to be more physically and mentally active.  The players will have to run, jump, etc. to make the game work. There are already systems and games that are starting to do this, like Wii and DDR.  I think future games will be more focused on learning about the world around us, history, and, the unknown.

If I could make my own video game, I would make an exploring game.  There are so many places that people will never get to see so I think this would be really neat.  Players could choose to explore an area like space, the deep ocean, or parts of the earth.

 In space you could get in a rocket and explore things like going into a black hole.  You could see what stars, planets, or moons look like up close.  Imagine seeing a star being born!  You can ride a comet through the Milky Way, but whatever you do, don’t run out of air in your spacesuit or get hit by a comet. Be warned of the space eels!

If you were interested in water exploration you could visit parts of the deep blue sea.  You could go in a submarine and find little known creatures or explore wrecks like the Titanic. How much money or treasure can you find?  Experience a whirlpool, an underwater earthquake, an underwater volcano, or watch how an island is formed.  If that’s not good enough, go see how coral is made or get caught in a current, but if the current is too strong, who knows where you’ll go?

Even though we live on the Earth we don’t know very much about it so come along and go inside an erupting volcano! Don’t go too far down or you’ll be squeezed to death from the pressure!  See how geysers or hot water springs are formed and how they work.  You can travel from the center of the Earth to the top of Mt. Everest but wherever you go there is adventure around the corner.  THIS is my dream game!

 

Essay by Honorable Mention Courtney P., Age 15:

The future of gaming is ever changing. One day it’s motion sensors, the next day it’s a brand new game which puts you in the action. Prior to starting this essay I spoke with 15 classmates and friends (infrequent to serious gamers) about their current gaming experience and desires for future games. Blending that with my own impressions and desires, I drafted this essay. 

I believe that future games will be more easily accessed (universal) and provide better multiplayer action. However, I also believe that gaming designs will reach a point where “new” will become only “slightly improved”.  Even today, our advancements are slowly winding down, each new game console becoming more like the last. The Wii is one of the only things on the market that truly stands out as an individual. It is one of the first gaming systems that encourages movement in a stationary gaming world. With America rapidly becoming more gaming and computer oriented, anything that moves the focus from sitting on one’s couch and playing with a controller to standing and moving around is a blessing. We will eventually explore every niche of gaming platforms, and manage almost every feat within scientific reason. I believe in the future, there will be some virtual reality experiments that will be some of the last major developments made. Two examples of this are a suit that makes you feel what your character feels (motion, cold/heat, etc.) and a virtual room where multiple players can engage in hands-free three dimensional gameplay.

Moving on from the subject of the future, and into the subject of the now. I would create a game with state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence that would provide a better response from the game itself. The system would learn from your actions so, as you got better and beat the next level, it would react to your skill by getting harder at the same pace you got better.  I actually see these kinds of games beneficial to military and armed forces in training troops for combat or other missions.  This game would be universally compatible (a complaint from most gamers I surveyed because games could not cross over platforms). The game itself would be plot-based and I would engage the authors of some popular sci-fi, fantasy or historical fiction works to create the storyline.  The graphics would be equally impressive as I would utilize the skills of top illustrators and computer graphic specialists.  I would also consider collaborating with an author prior to the publication of a book so the two items would be promoted at the same time. Basically, this idea could work for any target group, young or old.

I believe my ideas about gaming and future possibilities would compliment the other ideas and designs presented at the NCC.  I have direct experience with some of the computer languages and application software being used at the camp and would benefit from exposure to additional software.  Finally, I believe that the gaming industry can be changed by collaborative efforts of its users and consumers, and most importantly by women, resulting in game world synergy.