iPad Play Date

The first aspect of the grass I noticed was its ability to independently sway. This creates a rather mezmorizing effect on the user. I began to impose my will upon the grass as I swirled my finger across the screen. I created targets, zig zags, and several words throughout the play time. This quickly became monotonous until I discovered you could actually stretch the grass to an unnatural degree. I thought the inclusion of this quality to the game almost cheats the user out of the experience. The purpose is to relax the user, stretching the grass switching the purpose to entertainment. Overall my impression of the game was a mediocre attempt to lull the user into an eco related frame of mind.

The meditation game is in complete contrast to the norm of apple contraptions due to its speed. Instead of completing actions quickly, the game forces the user to limit motion in order to succeed. This contradiction goes against the general argument that the "technology generation" won't be able to slow down and appreciate what's around in the real world. Ironically, the graphics of the game are far from anything realistic. The background of the game did nothing to relax me, it actually contributed an irritation factor.  The mountains and desert are similar to the old technology of video games. The clouds shifted every so often refusing to let me ignore the annoying landscape. Technology forcing me to slow down to appreciate this artificial scenery seemed hypocritical, not to mention the slowed pace of the game was initially irritating. However, once I played for a long span of time the challenge of keeping still overcame the boredom. The guru floating in the middle of the screen was an interesting addition. Not only did it give a subject to the game, it provided a soothing bouncing image to zone out on. Focusing on the floating guru actually led me to fail the game several time. So where he may have been a motivator to meditate and relax he acted more as a distraction from the game. After I closed my eyes, ignored the game completely, and forced myself to actually meditate it was an effective game. Ultimately the graphics had the opposite effect on the user as what was intended.

This stealthily placed camera, although a cool way to access nature from a distance, is a contradiction of its purpose. The cam is supposed to reveal an untouched and pure view of nature and wild animals. By placing the cam in nature we have disturbed the original environment even if in a small way. On the other hand, this is a very unique perspective on the eagles and their nest and doesn't seem to be disrupting the environment.