Photo Credit: Tessa Reisner
(*This article is about a very sensitive topic, and the information was gathered with utmost care. This article may cause triggers.*) Losing loved ones, the loss of limb or body parts, sexual assault, everyone has gone through something traumatic. Officer Gailey, a police officer and a teacher at Bear River High School said,“As first responders we see things no one should have to see.” Post-traumatic stress disorder also known as PTSD is a real problem that no one can get away from. Even though we know about its effects and ways to treat it, PTSD still takes its toll on the lives of first responders, veterans, and even students who have experienced something traumatic. PTSD can affect anyone for so many different reasons. Brandon Webecke experiences PTSD when he drives. Here is his story: Two years ago, on I-15, heading home from a concert, my mom and I saw a car swerve, a flash of something, and then another car run off the road. We stopped to help because my mom is an EMT. The driver wasn’t moving. He appeared lifeless; he had been shot in the head. Next to the man was his college-age son. I tried to calm the son down as my mom gave medical attention to stop the bleeding. We waited until the cops and ambulance got there. We had no idea where the shooter went and if he would come back to finish the job. After that day, I can't get rid of the sight of the man slumped over in the driver's seat, or his son trying to wake him. PTSD happens unexpectedly, you can’t plan for it. Traumas that can lead to PTSD may include: violent assaults, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, fires or natural disasters, automobile accidents, senseless acts of violence, and other shocking events. Students can experience a wide range of traumatic events that can affect them in many harsh ways. Some traumas can affect students individually. Other traumatic events can affect an entire school. PTSD-like symptoms can begin at different times depending on the person. It can range anywhere from right after the trauma, to weeks or months after it. Students with PTSD may show the following: they may seem irritable, anxious, cranky, or angry. They may seem detached or depressed, they might have problems paying attention or concentrating, or problems sleeping. The horrors people have to go through, from first responders to students can leave a lasting impact on them for the rest of their life. Dave Parnell, a retired firefighter from Detroit once said, “I wish my head could forget what my eyes have seen.” If you suspect that you or someone close to you is going through something like this, talk to a mental health professional. Written By: Brandon Webecke
0 Comments
By Brennan Jensen Artwork by Brennan Jensen Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) started as an indie horror game developed and produced by Scott Cawthon. Scott had never before made a horror game, and most of the games he made never made that much traction. But after he released the first FNAF title that all changed, the game skyrocketed in sales. People were intrigued with the concept and the storyline, along with the horror and overall feel of the game. Soon Five Nights at Freddy’s would be a staple in the horror genre of video games.
Scott would make seven games, releasing a game every year, even a teaser for a Five Nights at Freddy’s movie. He would soon collaborate with Steel WoolTM to make three releases with an official team who could make FNAF in a way that previously wasn't possible: a Virtual Reality (VR) title, making it more up-close and personal. An Augmented Reality (AR) game would soon follow. The most recent, FNAF: Security Breach, brings Five Nights at Freddy’s into the ‘80s, and adds free-roam. Although it pleased fans to finally see this game, it would come to have its controversies. Although it was years in development, when fans began to play the new title, some were disappointed. The game seemed to have content that was unfinished. It had glitches that were game-breaking or immersion-breaking. Although it had a lot of glitches, the glitches somehow made up for its non-scary aspects and made it fun, which is where the next point starts. Fans seemed to find that the new game wasn't as scary as previous titles: with it’s bright and luminous environment, removing the dark elements of the previous games that made the other games much more terrifying. “It’s more by the chance of the jumpscare,” said Mickell Germer, a fan. She implied that though the jumpscares made you “jump”, that was the only scary aspect of the game. Does the game live up to the franchise? Germer responded, “I think it’s a good step for the game to be honest. ‘Does it live up?’ Honestly, I think so, it definitely didn’t take a path none of us could foresee, but it’s definitely one we all really enjoyed. Although, in a way, it’s like a separate game from the rest.” It seems that although the game has its glitches, more fans seemed to enjoy it. Despite how it turned out, fans have their complaints and it overall was very different from the previous games. But maybe a change of pace for this game is exactly what this franchise needs. The first game will always be, to most fans, the best game with its horror and it’s unique style. Future games may never live up. But fans both old and new are all enjoying the new titles for the series, even after Scott’s retirement. By Dane Black Jaxon DeCoursey, showing off his love of the game. Pokemon is the number one franchise in the world and they just released a new game, Pokemon Legends Arceus. Fans are finding that the more recent Pokemon games have been incredibly lacking and I am glad that this game changes the formula.
Pokemon has always had a standard formula that hasn’t changed much since 1996: it's always been battle trainers, catch Pokemon and become the champion of the region. This new game does away with becoming the champion and focuses more on catching the Pokemon and filling out a large encyclopedia of Pokemon called the Pokedex. The game changed the catching mechanics from being turn-based to being closer to that of a third person shooter. It’s way more interactive and engaging than the old formula. They also changed to combat in the game. It’s more dynamic and real time rather than turn based. They added new mechanics to it, one of the improvements being the new speed mechanic; a player could go two maybe three turns before the opponent attacks. Jaxon DeCoursey, a long time fan of Pokemon believes “This is the best Pokemon game of all time. It has one of the best stories.” Hayden Howell however has a very different opinion. ”The older games were just more interesting. The world is just too empty. It’s just a Pokemon game, their stories are never good.” Hayden may have a point that most Pokemon game stories are bland and not as expansive as other games. For gameplay Hayden stated that he generally likes what he calls the “slog of the older games”. He finds the new mechanics to be “innovative but not what the series should go with.” Jaxon on the other hand loves the flow of gameplay. The story is pretty average but more interesting than the last two games. The story starts in the land of Hisui, a strange portal has opened and it has caused sacred Pokemon to become enraged and start attacking the people. The player's purpose is to fill out the Pokedex and calm the enraged beasts. It’s interesting how two people who have been long-time fans of Pokemon have very different opinions. Jaxon says that everyone should play this game and this is how Pokemon should be from now on, while Hayden says that this should be a one time experiment and everything should go back to the way it was from the beginning. I agree with Jaxon, the new game is making great strides to change the formula. This is what I hope the new standard for Pokemon will be. I give this game a rating of five-out-of-five. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
March 2023
Categories |