Waitz

Leighton Waitz
English 1001
Mrs. Coco
15 October 2015

Preface
I think one of the strengths of the draft is my introduction paragraph because I give
background information of my topic. I also discuss how I was able to overcome my negative
attitude towards reading through fantasy and engineering. I also think the paragraph describing
what engineering is and how it relates to imagination and fantasy is working well so far.
One of my weaknesses of the draft is my video game paragraph. I feel like I just rambled
on about the history of video games instead of how it relates with fantasy and Percy Jackson. I
also need to work on the third paragraph where I discuss the two together and fantasy.
A roadblock I am facing is how to actually combine the two together. I dont know where
else I could look to find more articles that could relate the idea of fantasy between the two. I am
struggling with how to word some ideas. I also do not think I have found the right information
for my video game paragraph. I think I need to discuss more on how it can relate to the idea of
fantasy.

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Reading Through My Childhood

Growing up, I never really enjoyed reading until I read the Percy Jackson series. I was
interested in this series because I enjoyed the genre as well as the storyline. Later on, I
discovered the reason that genre peaked my interest so much because it was so similar to my
video games, which incorporated high levels of fantasy. Fantasy in itself is just someones
imagination. When it is finally comprehended, it becomes a form of engineering. The ability to
create anything from imagination and for it come to life through this process became my passion.
My career path, mechanical engineering, focused on thinking outside of the box; it became a way
for me to find gratification in ordinary activities such as reading. The engineering world was
designed to make fantasy become a reality. Mechanical Engineering has become my new escape
from reality, which was previously filled by Percy Jackson. It deals with how machines work and
how they are created, which allows me to utilize my imagination that I discovered from Percy
Jackson and video games. Engineering now has led to an increase in my passion to read.. My
urge to read in general is very different compared to my younger self. I enjoy reading more now
especially since I can relate it to my career path, engineering. It is my new Percy Jackson
Series but geared more towards reality. My goal is to discover the relationships between
engineering and video games.
In order to understand the relationship between the two, one must now have a
background on two. Engineering is the art of applying science, mathematics, and creativity to
solve technological problems (Lerner). It uses all of these subjects to help create new objects.
There are a few simple steps one must determine the problem, design a solution, and then create
it. There are a few types of engineers such as mechanical, chemical, and electrical. Engineers are

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usually given a problem to fix or generate a new object. Engineering calls for strategy and to
think outside the box. The engineering world was designed to make fantasy become a reality. It
has become my new escape from reality. The type of engineering I am interested in is mechanical
because it deals with how machines work and how they are created. This allows me to utilize my
imagination that I discovered from Percy Jackson and video games. It has also led me to increase
my passion to read. When I read articles, I am find myself trying to create new designs or just
improve an old one line I did in my Construction Management class. For example, I had to pick a
design and improve it. I made a new design for a water bottle that had two containers in one. It
could hot a hot and cold liquid at the same time.
Video games are various electronic games played on a digital screen, consoles, or other
devices. The most common video game manufactures are Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. All
video games have one thing in common, the software. The software is what allows the player to
actually play the game. Video games have various genres such as sports, educational, strategy,
and action. Video games allow their players to escape from reality and play in the fantasy world.
All video games are considered to be a fantasy because it is all virtual and a programmed game.
Many people are probably unaware that video games are relatively new inventions. The first
video game was invented in 1958 by a physicist named Willy Higinbotham. Prior to
Higinbothams invention, arcade games were mechanical. A classic mechanical arcade game that
everyone has played at least once in their life time is pinball. Not to long after Higinbotham, the
first computer game was created by Steve Russell in 1962. The first console game was released
in October of 1977. It was called the Atari 2600 and sold more than 40 million copies by January
1, 1992. The Atari 2600 had one of the first video games available for home use that was called
Space Invaders. In the 1980s, the first video game magazine, Electronic Games, was released.

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Another classic game released in 1984 was Tetris. The next big release was the Nintendo
Entertainment System because of its most popular game, Super Mario Brothers. Soon came the
evolution of gaming consoles such as the play-station, Xbox, game cube, and the Wii. Since then,
several gaming consoles and computer games are bought and played across the world.
Engineering and Video games both utilize imagination and fantasy. They challenge you to
go above and beyond the normal life. Engineering involves some strategy to design something
new just like video games call for a strategy as well to win the game. Video can also be used for
educational purposes. For example, the University of Florida created an online role-playing game
to help students learn. the connection between games and education is deeply rooted: humans,
like many animals, learn vital life lessons through play (Briggle). When we are having fun
doing an activity, the human brain is more likely to remember it. This is why playing a game for
learning is beneficial especially because it helps us to think outside the normal way of learning.
After I read the Percy Jackson series, I developed an idea of fantasy and imagination like
I got from my video games. From playing video games and using my imagination, it led me to
engineering. Engineering and video games help people use their mind to explore things that can
seem unimaginable to us. But there is one thing they both have in common, they push us to the
limit. Engineers push the laws of physics to create things unimaginable, while video games
create a world of fantasy for a player to play in.

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Work Cited
Briggle, Adam. "Games." Ethics, Science, Technology, and Engineering: A Global Resource. Ed.
J. Britt Holbrook. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Farmington Hills, MI: Macmillan Reference USA,
2015. 331-333. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
Engineering." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth
Lerner. 4th ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2008. 1590-1591. Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
Gee, James Paul. What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy. New York:
Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Print.
Gwo-Jen, Hwang, et al. "A Knowledge Engineering Approach To Developing Educational
Computer Games For Improving Students' Differentiating Knowledge." British Journal
Of Educational Technology 44.2 (2013): 183-196. Professional Development Collection.
Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
"Video Games & Consoles." Encyclopedia of Products & Industries - Manufacturing. Ed.
Patricia J. Bungert and Arsen J. Darnay. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2008. 1045-1056. Gale
Virtual Reference Library. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.