(23) 90 in 90: Culture and Compromise

Its a commonly shared belief that being in another country means following the rules of another country. It means putting aside your own preconceived notions on how you should live and act in favor of having an open mind towards other cultures. The saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" applies here.

I have always been comfortable doing this. While there was always the first time awkwardness of changing a daily routine and way of living, soon I became comfortable in a new way of living and to some extent, a new way of thinking. My core beliefs and behavior would remain, but the willingness to think and act in another way would always be an option.

A few days ago, a question came to my attention that caused me to stop and think about my current situation. It required me to take a look at my own beliefs and morals and consider this question: how much do we compromise of our former actions and morals when in a new country?

I've been in Korea for almost two years and have experienced a large chunk of its culture and cultural standards. Some of which I have followed and agreed with, while other things have left me feeling a little out of place and feeling a little hesitant to embrace that part of the culture. I never really gave too much thought to the things that bothered me, I simply pushed them to the side or if I was left with no other option, just did that it in as minor of a role as possible.

The question that I talked about earlier comes into question specifically when we do something we wouldn't normally do, or rather something that goes against your own ethics or beliefs. Is it acceptable to go against them in order to fit in to another country and not cause problems?

For me, I'm honestly not sure, the issue never really bothered me until it was critically brought to my attention. A friend of mine expressed some difficulty fitting into certain aspects of Korea culture, specifically when it came to gender roles.

For those who are not aware, Korea follows strict gender roles and these roles are expected to be followed without conflict or deviation. For me, I was aware of this particular aspect of society, it never really bothered me enough to say or act against it in any way. Being that my friend is the opposite gender of myself, the issues affected her much more significantly. A critical look at some of the things people do and say to women could be interpreted as offensive to some people. This was something that was always on my mind but never really made me think about it critically until now.

While it didn't bother her so much that it made her want to pack her bags and run home, it was enough to get both of us thinking and wondering how to go about and deal with the situation. She finally decided that she would bring up the reasons why it was considered offensive and why it bothered her to people closer to her, but to older people and people she didn't have a close relationship with, she would just let it slide. It was a compromise between her morals and the societal norms of another culture.

I like to feel that when something bothers me in some way enough for me to think about it for days on end, I would speak up about it and tell them why I felt it was wrong. On the other hand, I have strong feelings about respecting other people's cultures and would rather not challenge someone on something that has most likely been a part of their life as long as they can remember.

I feel like an understanding and a middle ground can come between two reasonable people of any culture, but I would always feel that small feeling of guilt afterwards. I mean, who am I to tell people how to live their lives? Who am I to take a moral high ground and talk down to someone from a different culture?

On the other hand, there are some things that are not exactly morally right no matter which culture you come from and no matter how long it has been a part of your culture. I think we can all agree to varying degrees that sexism is wrong and to sit by and watch it continue without at least letting people know why its wrong feels a bit wrong as well. Sharing culture also means sharing beliefs and perspectives, this is an example.

In the end I don't have a solid answer and my approach could be completely different from another person's strategy. I try to maintain a balance, letting people know my point of view while respecting theirs and hopefully meeting in the middle. It's a not a perfect solution, but I think its a good middle ground for now.

It's funny how despite being here for almost two years, I still am not entirely sure how to go about dealing with certain issues. If anything, living abroad still presents puzzles and solutions two years later. The act of learning, is never ending and always changing.

Snapshots from Teaching: What is Love?

Sometimes my students write about being tired. Sometimes my students write about their future plans.

And sometimes, my students write about crazy fucking love. I can't blame him though. Sometimes, love is fucking crazy.

(19) 90 in 90: You're Waiting for a Train Part 1

Everything in Korea is about efficiency and running on time. From trains to subways to buses, Korea is dependent on getting to places on time and on schedule. Sure trains are a little late every now and then, but its never anything to get worried about. Outliers aside, if you're traveling in Korea, you can expect to get there in a quick and timely manner.

Except for this weekend, when everything efficient and scheduled broke down and the main system used to travel around Korea came to a screeching halt. Delays and cancellations were now in places of reliable schedules. Chaos erupted in train train stations across Korea as time tables were rendered useless, passengers had no idea when their train would arrive and Korail employees were clueless on when the problem would resolve itself.

I was (un)lucky enough to be a part of the carnage and witness the chaos as it unfolded around me. While at the time it seemed like an incredibly unpleasant experience of confusion and uncertainty on where to go and what to do.

The situation began on Saturday when a KTX train collided with a Mungungwha train on the rails. Luckily, no one was seriously injured during the collision. However the accident ended up causing massive delays for the other trains running along the same tracks and caused delays and cancellations across the country.

I first heard about the train crash through mutual friends on facebook while I was with my girlfriend in Seoul. It was during the middle of the afternoon at this time so I really didn't think too much of it. Some people were saying that the delays were only temporary and that the trains would be running by the evening and the situation would be completely fixed by tomorrow morning. I kept this in mind as I continued to enjoy my day, still sticking with my original plan of leaving at a later time in the evening.

When I arrived at the station, I saw something I had never seen before. Lines. Long lines. I wasn't new to the concept of lines at Seoul Station or any train station for that matter, however the lines that were forming when I arrived were beyond ridiculous.From the front of the ticket counter to the very back of the station stood people of all ages. As I continued to walk through the station I noticed that the schedule time table was looking different from what I was used to. Instead of a list of the various trains running in the next couple of hours, warning and cancellation lists quickly streamed across the board. At this time it finally hit me, something was still wrong.

Line at Seoul Station

I made my way to the massive line of the people waiting at the information counter. As the line slowly moved forward I could hear people's voices becoming more frantic and louder. A man in front of me was shouting loudly at the clerk behind the desk. His hands were raised and his voice became increasingly angrier as the clerk kept trying to calm him down.  Old ladies began pushing their way to the front of the line, only to quickly leave again, the look on their face telling me that they did not like the information they were told.

Once I finally got to the front, I handed my ticket to the clerk and asked if there were any delays on my train. She looked at me with a worried face and simply said that my train would come after a "very long time" and that no one at the station had any idea how long it would take for any of the trains to come.

I went next to the announcement board and waited. I wasn't exactly sure what to do or where to go. It didn't help that the messages were rapidly flashing by in Korea, making slow reading impossible. 

After waiting for nearly an hour, I noticed a large group of people running past me and towards the train tracks. I looked up at the board and saw that saw that a train was leaving in just a few minutes. It was a few minutes later than my original train but I figured that if it was going in the same direction, I could at least ask if it was the correct train.

I walked to the platform, still noticing that people were quickly running past and and getting on the train in front of me. I noticed an older man wearing a Korail uniform speaking quickly to people as they got on board. I asked him if my ticket was the matching one that I needed to get on board. He quickly looked at it and gently shoved me towards the train.

"Everyone go," he said to me. "Everyone go on now."

Taking it as a sign, I quickly boarded and noticed how crowded the train was. I have traveled during peak travel times before so a crowded train was usually no big deal to me. However on this train, it seemed much more congested and full than normal. I looked at my ticket, car 8 seat 30 and made my way towards the car.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that there was no car 8, with the train only going up to car 7. I stood dumbfounded that a train was missing an entire car that it needed and stood in place, frozen as the car got progressively more crowded. 

I began to make my way back to the door. I now had my self doubts that I was on the right train and thought about getting off before it left. Making my way through provided to be a challenge worthy of Olympic sport as the car was filled with people sitting or standing in nearly every free space the car had.

By the time I reached the exit, the doors had already closed. The train hadn't started moving yet but I knew at this point it was too late to get off. I was going to be stuck on this train for a very long time.

(17) 90 in 90: The God of Cookery

I've gone on a cooking spree lately. Normally, to any ordinary person, this would not be to surprising, as most people cook quite frequently with some of them even enjoying the process of cooking.

It's rawwwwwww! But that's ok. 

I am not one of those people, or rather I didn't use to be one of those people. I never liked to cook. I never enjoyed it. I only did it to make food for myself, to have something for dinner because there was nothing else. I cooked because I had to, not because I wanted to and didn't particularly enjoy myself in the process.

So why the sudden change in attitude and the new enlightened view in culinary technique? Being tired with my food options and quite simply, wanting to try something new. To participate in creating something that can bring my satisfaction and happiness. I wanted to make something that I can be proud of.

I'm also tired of rice and kimchi. I know this sounds like some blasphemous statement to say in Korea but its true, after nearly two years of having rice and kimchi for at least two out of three meals a day, I have to say I'm beginning to tire of the stuff.

That's not to say I hate it, I don't but I've noticed that my portions are usually much smaller than before. The amount of rice I take is equal to one scoop. The kimchi on my plate has gone from dozens of pieces to only several small pieces.

So in the mean time, dinner at my home has become a daily event anticipation, anxiety and for the most part victory. Everyday is a new recipe to try making. Every meal time is a new adventure in cooking to the point that even something simple like stir fried beef with pasta al dente is a monumental achievement to me. Laugh all you want but remember, you're talking to a guy who absolutely hated cooking before to someone who now looks forward to it everyday. This is a big step.

Besides becoming bored with my menu options and taking matters into my own hand, I recently had rediscovered the joy of cooking and preparing food for someone else. It feels good to cook for someone, especially if the appreciation for you efforts and quality of the meal is returned. You're creating something from raw materials in a relatively short amount of time, that is enjoyed by someone you care about. Its like an artist crafting a beautiful work of art, and instead of of it taking years for people to appreciate and understand the nuance, the feedback is almost instantaneous.

I'm slowly beginning to discover the joy and incredible feeling of accomplishment that comes from preparing a delicious meal for yourself. I'm beginning to discover the incredible options and choices available now, that I'm not limited to someone else's menu and my lack of experience.

I'm starting to experience the feelings of preparing delicious food for someone. The feeling of excitement when telling them the different things you can make them and hearing the excitement and anticipation in their voice. I'm getting used to the confidence that comes from cooking and knowing that you can make something that you and everyone else can enjoy.

Will this last? I hope so I'm getting used to cooking for myself and hope I can continue. This is one habit that I wouldn't mind hanging on to.

(16) 90 in 90: Birthdays Abroad

This past weekend I celebrated my birthday with friends. This is something that I normally do not do. In fact this is only the second year that I've had any kind of official celebration concerning my day of birth.

My birthday in previous years has always been a bit low key. Never any big parties or fancy gatherings but rather simple small dinners with my family. My birthday always feel during the late August, so for a\ most of my early school life, my birthday was forgotten by other students as the school year started and the summer began its slow transition into the fall.

There was a small part of me that always felt that celebrating my birthday was a bit narcissistic. To me, it almost seemed like forcing others to acknowledge the day of your birth and the declaration of just how important of a person you are. While this comes off as sounding like a self esteem issue, its really not, my confidence is just fine, as is my level of self importance. I just felt like it was a bit selfish to make others celebrate with me.

However this year was truly fantastic, much of it being due to my wonderful girlfriend working very hard and planning a little surprise for me, which came completely unexpected.

While I was away at school during the day, she came to Gimcheon from Incheon (a three hour train ride) and decorated my house while I was gone. When I cam home I was greeted to streamers, balloons and a smiling girlfriend ready to greet me. She even went as far as to bring some small gifts that I had wanted since the beginning of the year.

It was truly a touching moment and the emotion that swept over me was held in check my my constant smiling. I've never had a surprise party in my life, so to see all the time and effort my girlfriend put into making it great meant a lot to me. A simple and kind gesture that showed a lot of caring, and something that still warms my heart thinking back on it.

The rest of the evening was spent with some friends who lived in Gimcheon as we went out to dinner and ice cream afterwards. Some of the people I had not seen since the summer began, so it was nice to have a relaxing dinner and enjoy each other's company. The one thing I cannot deny about the people I know in Gimcheon is the chemistry everyone has with each other. Even if we're just acquaintances, the conversations we usually have are warm and inviting. I suppose it comes from the "we're all neighbors in Gimcehon" mentality that we can all share. I can't really complain though, its better to be included and part some something good rather than being isolated, especially in a foreign country.

At the end of the night, my girlfriend remarked at just how nice the night was. No stress or pressure from trying to please everyone. No excess of partying and drinking . Just good conversations and good times with everyone.

"Its amazing how much fun we had without getting drunk," my girlfriend said. "Usually in Korea, friends get drunk together and call it a bonding experience. They really don't get to talk like we did though, it was nice."

I don't think I could have asked for a better day. I had a great time spending time with the people I care about the most and didn't wake up with a hangover the next morning.

Thank you to everyone who made it great, if all of my birthdays could be like this, I would probably feel less guilty about celebrating them.

(13) 90 in 90: "Take a Rest"

"Kyle, please take a rest."

This is a phrase that has been told to me many times by various teachers at my school. Whether its a cancelled class, a day that I don't have to come to school, or even a holiday, these four words are the words of both relief and excitement for a slightly easier work day.

However, I seem to be one of the only ones living up to these words. Due to my work contract, I only am needed to work 20 to 24 hours a week. I do not have to work on the weekends, I have every major holiday off and I get a larger amount of time off in the summer and winter months.

The other teachers at me school are not so lucky.

Often I see and hear about teachers working to 8 or even 10 PM with few breaks. They are often required to do massive amounts of work both in and out of school and are often asked to come into work even on the weekend, all with no extra pay or incentives. They do it because it is what the culture has told them to do. Hard work is expected, it is part of working in Korea.

At first I wasn't sure how I felt about these long work hours. I often felt sorry for my teachers as they would lament the lack of time to go visit the places they wanted to visit and see the people they wanted to see. It seemed that while I had than enough free time to do what I wanted, my fellow teachers were left with nothing but things to do.

However, I have asked my teachers what exactly they do the entire time they have to spend at school. I was curious and wanted to know exactly they spent time doing for hours on end.

The answers surprised me.

"Well not much, its not a lot of work, just having to stay late," one teacher told me.

"I mostly just have to monitor," said another teacher. "Sometimes, I feel like I am at my school doing nothing worthwhile."

Other teachers have more work to do in a much smaller time frame.

A few days later, I was spending time with my girlfriend at a restaurant. It was a national holiday that day meaning most Korean people had the day off. When asked what her parents would do with a day of no work, she replied that they would do nothing. Sleeping, watching TV and eating were the only plans to celebrate their day off.

"Koreans, especially older generation Koreans don't really know how to use their days off from work. They just aren't used to days where they don't have to work," she said.

The thoughts on Korean work habits and break time came to mind after reading a recent article in the Korea Times. This article was an opinion piece on Korean work habits and how effective they were. In an attempt not to spoil the entire article, the numbers showed that despite being one of the hardest working countries in the world, Korea only ranks 28th in overall work efficiency.

This is due to much of long work day being spent doing "busy work" to look good for the boss and make it appear that they are always busy when in truth, this work is not efficient or effective, more or less wasting the time of everyone involved.

I'm not here to say which way or getting a job done or working is better, there are lots of cultural aspects and backgrounds that go far beyond what my short read of the article would justify. However it is something interesting to think about. Does having more time at work and less free time hurt or hinder work progress? Is this something Korea can change? Do they want to change?

I don't have answers, and even a opinion would be half-baked at best. For now, I can only think about the long hours my co workers put in, and realize my luck ability to participate in the Korean work environment, while still being an outsider looking in.

The original article from Korea Times

(11) 90 in 90: Into the (Ocean) World

Last week, my girlfriend and I spent a day at Ocean World, a water park a few hours away from Seoul. I've been to Caribbean Bay, another water park located next to Everland, however Ocean World was an entirely different beast. While both were water parks, Ocean World had more of everything. More slides, more pools, a bigger park, more areas to rest and a bigger variety of other attractions to see besides the slides. I may be getting ahead of myself, but in my opinion, Ocean World was a much better experience.

Getting to Ocean World is a fairly painless process. There are several buses that go directly to Ocean World and are free, as in no need to pay bus fare or swipe your travel card. They leave from a few locations in Seoul and Incheon, including places like Bupeyeong and Sinchon at different times.

The Ocean World Entrance

Once you arrive, there is a changing area at the front of the park along with an area to store picnic food and buy your tickets. after that, the rest of the park is pretty straight forward,as you can walk around the entire park with each new pool and slide located one right after the other.

We went on a Thursday, which by normal standards should have been pretty empty but due to it being the summer time and a peak season where most people in Korea are either on vacation or have extra days off work, the entire park was packed.

I didn't mind though, compared to my last visit to Caribbean Bay, which was strangely empty, seeing lots of people swimming and having fun was nice to see.

Another thing that was different (and admittedly a pleasant surprise) was the lack of covering up from many people in the park. I've been to other pools and beaches before in Korea and both guys and girls usually make it a habit of covering themselves with pull overs, big t shirts and hats. Here, i saw very few people covered up and instead swim trunks and bikinis everywhere. For someone from America, this wasn't exactly a foreign sight to see in the summer, but in Korea, this was the first time I ever saw this much on display at once much to my surprise.

The two most memorable parts of the park were the massive wave pool and the tube slide. The wave pool was probably the largest I have ever seen in Korea and America and was at any given moment filled with people. There were more than enough people to fill the entire front section of the deep end, making moving around impossible. I never felt the threat of drowning or being swept away by the waves due to the large number of people. The claustrophobia was worth it though, as the waves the pool sent out were strong and large. If you caught the wave at just the right angle, you could have easily been carried back several feet. There were times where I would struggle to stand up after a massive wave and regain my composure before another one would come crashing down on my sending me back and disorientating me even further.

There was a downside to the waves though, my girlfriend lost her balance to one of the larger waves and scrapped her leg on the bottom of the pool. Since the bottom was rough and oddly, sharp textured, she ended up getting some significant cuts. A trip to the medical ward showed that she was not the only one there as there was a line out the door of people who suffered cuts all over their bodies. Perhaps its time to invest in another material Ocean World.

The slide was also a highlight for good and bad reasons. The good being that the slide was long, the longest I have ever been on with lots of drops and steep inclines to make it feel almost like a roller coaster more than a water slide. The bad was the wait. We had to wait in line for three hours before getting the chance to go down the slide for a few minutes. My advice is to get in line as early as possible because from 12 PM on, the wait will surely stretch to 3 hours.

Towards the end of the day, we ended up relaxing in one of the spa pools filled with pine needles and also discovered by accident another water park located indoors. If I haven't stressed this enough, I'll say it again: this park is massive.

My girlfriend at the DJparty

In the center square of the park, there is a stage that throughout the day features different performers and musical acts to entertain the guests. At the end of the night when the park closed, there was a DJ on stage

complete with booming speakers and a dance area for people to gather around. Judging by the massive amount of people dancing and grinding in the center, they were having a great time even after spending hours in the water.

I had a great time at Ocean World for me and my girlfriend, it was a nice way to send off the summer, to say goodbye to our vacation period and welcome back the 9 to 5 jobs that allow us to travel to places like this in the first place. It was fun, it was wet and exciting. I could not have picked a better way to say goodbye to the summer. It's still not too late, visit Ocean World, you won't regret it.

Link to Ocean World's website 

(9) 90 in 90 Hiatus: Coming Back Sunday

I'll be gone for the next few days enjoying the last part of my vacation before my school starts again full time next Monday. It's been an incredibly relaxing and incredibly lazy last week as a majority of my summer classes were cancelled and the extreme heat has kept anyone with sense indoors.

So I'll be going to Ocean World, a famous waterpark in Korea along with some other random adventures before coming back on Sunday.

This means I won't be able to post for a few days, and maybe I'm technically cheating on the 90 in 90 rule, but well, its my blog and my rules. That's all I have to say about that.

So see you in a few days. To the few people that read this or stumble upon it by accident, thank you for taking the time to read. I'm really doing this more as a way to write and have a reference for various memories and states of mind while I was in Korea, but if some of you actually find what I write entertaining and worth reading, that's cool too.

See you when I see you!

I'm cheating a little bit. I ain't even mad though.

(8) 90 in 90: The rain that takes the heat away

The rainy season is almost finished in Korea, meaning the hot and humid temperatures will eventually lead the way towards cool and windy fall days.

For that, I can't wait. I've said it many times before, but I'm just not a fan of humid summers. I can deal with the high heat but its the humidity that makes it a miserable and sweat filled experience for me, sapping away any energy and will I had to accomplish anything, and instead making a lazy day spent in an air conditioned sound like a continually tempting way to spend a day.

However, there are days, a small amount of days, where the rain comes and doesn't make the weather more

DAT HUMIDITY...

humid. Sometimes, the heavy rain can bring a moment of relief from the hot summer days. For a few hours, it feels nice.

This feeling never last long. It last for a few hours before the sun comes out again and the sweltering heat comes back. Until that time, I enjoy the coolness that it brings. The heavy and sticky feeling of humidity yields to a cool and chilling feeling. A cool breeze can lightly be felt, a sign that for a few hours, its time to open the window and let in some air from the outside that actually feels good.

Sadly, this has not happened very often this summer. A majority of the days were humid, but its those few rare times, where relief comes through and allows me to escape from the heat for a little bit.

It's funny how appreciative I have become of something as simple as a rainstorm, but like many things since moving to Korea, I've gained a new perspective perspective and appreciation on many things.

So thank you rain and the cooling effect you bring. You're my moment of relief and a sign of cooler days to come.

(7) 90 in 90: Things that bother me about the WSJ Korean Education Article

A few days ago I read an article published by The Wall Street Journal titled Should the U.S. Follow South Korea's Education System? In the article, the writer talked about a Korean "super teacher" Kim Ki-hoon calling him a $4 million dollar teacher and crediting his wealth to his more than 20 years of teaching, tutoring and lectures.

The article then goes on to describe how he is paid in accordance with his skills, eventually suggesting the idea of teachers in Korea who are paid on the level of athletes or lawyers to teach students.

This part of the article, along with the constant reminder that Korean teachers make a lot of money really bothered me. The article as a whole is fine, and brings up many decent points usually not discussed in detail in western media.

It's the statement about teachers and other similar statements that while I don't think were intentionally written incorrectly, were lacking the proper research to give a more balanced opinion.

While its true that teaching, or anything in the educational field is a stable job and source of reliable income in Korea, the number of teachers who make anything close to "rock star" status income is very small. Kim Ki-hoon, while successful and more likely than not deserving of every bit of income, is an outlier.

A majority of teachers in Korea, both public and hagwon make a basic salary comparable to other mid to high level jobs. In fact, may teachers starting out their teaching careers for the first time make less than I do, and still have to pay many of the living fees such as rent and utilities that are provided to me for no cost.

Many starting teachers who work at private schools and hagwons are also often being offered one year contracts which ensures one year of employment and possibly succeeding years based on their performance. You could eventually make a lot of money teaching this way, however this comes through a higher position than an entry level teacher.

The end of the article also suggests that the U.S. borrow some ideas from Korea for its own education system. While some of the ideas are solid, some do not take in regard the differences between states and cities that would make some of these techniques hit or miss. The article fails to mention that the geography and population of the U.S. are very different compared to Korea. What works in one school district, in one state can very well fail in another. The geography, population and economic stability all play a part in providing differing experiences.

Another point the article does not bring attention to is the side effects of such high pressure on success and education. Students are taught that success is all that matters and that failure isn't a chance to learn from your mistakes, but rather a sign that you have missed your opportunity. Korea is sometimes called a "one shot society" meaning that everything from job interviews to language tests relies on that one window of success.

Such a high stress environment can sometimes create unbearably high pressure for students and create a day in, day out regimen of classes, studying, followed by more studying. Such a high emphasis on specific subjects for testing also leaves very little time for learning about non academic things like humanities, culture and society. From an early age, students are taught that these things do not matter nearly as much as getting into a good university.

While I feel the article is an interesting look for western readers at the Korean education system, much more consideration needs to be put into effect before we start clamoring for our own rock star teachers.

Borrowing from an overall effective system? Great. Taking things without regards to how it can fit into a culture and society different from the original one? No so much.

You can read the original story here

(6) 90 in 90: Korea Heat

Korea is humid and hot. Hardly groundbreaking news to anyone who has lived in Korea for an extended period of time, but for me, its been almost two years living in Korea and I still can't get accustomed to the heat.

I grew up in Indiana. Located in the Midwest part of the US, where summers would occasionally get hot, but it was never anything that could be considered extreme. Even when the heat would climb higher in the summer, the humidity wouldn't ever become too unbearable. To me, those hot summer days were the definition of "hot" summer days.

Once I came to Korea, I learned the true definition of hot summer days. I knew what it meant to be hot.

Where I live in Korea is the central most area of Korea, only an hour away from Daegu, the largest city in the Gyeongbuk-do region. While this means that the winters are usually not as cold as Seoul or Incheon, it means that the summers are significantly hotter and more humid.

Home is still really hot in Korea

The act of simply stepping outside on a typical summer day will usually result in my body sweating profusely and my shirt becoming drenched in sweat in a record amount of time. I used to enjoy walking to school every morning, but during the summers it becomes an impossibility.

The humidity is what makes the summers so ridiculously hot. It often adds up to 5 extra degrees to the overall temperature and makes the air thick with moisture, making even the simple act of breathing a uncomfortable experience.

This makes the air conditioner and water my two best friends during the summer.  I am constantly running the aircon, making my house a cool environment that at times almost feels too cold, a much preferred alternative to the hot and humid outside. During the summer, I am constantly drinking water, even when my bladder feels like it will burst and my thirst has been quenched ten times over. I feel this constant paranoid, creeping feeling that my skin and body is rapidly loosing moisture to the heat and I am constantly trying to recover it.

This also makes school a sometimes sticky experience, as my school is an older building and the principal of the school constantly request that we run the air conditioner the least amount of times possible to save energy. I hope Korea appreciates our sacrifice, because I'm certain that both the teachers and students do not.

There are much hotter and much more humid places in the world, but for now, Korea is the hottest and most humid one I have been to yet. Maybe one day I'll get used to the humidity and heat. Maybe one day I'll welcome the sweat slicked back and soaked shirt. Maybe one day I'll embrace the heat of Korea and welcome it like I welcome other things in life that start as annoyances but eventually become routine parts of life.

Maybe one day I'll learn to walk on water as well.

*for those who ask if the rainy season that Korea gets makes the weather more bearable: no, it does not. It just makes things wetter and more humid.

(5) 90 in 90: The Short Goodbye

One of the sad and ultimate inevitable things that every foreign language teacher runs into while teaching overseas is the flurry of goodbyes that comes from teachers leaving the country to return home.

The amount of time teachers spend overseas varies. Some spend just a year abroad before heading back home. Some spend several years living overseas, carving themselves a nice little lifestyle that lets them do something different and separated from the norm of their country of origin while still having a comfortable life.

The reason people come to teach in Korea differs from person to person. Out of every person I've talked to, each person has had a slightly different reason for being here. Some come here to pay off student loans. Some come to find a better job and a means to escape from their country's economic situation. Some even come here due to a love of Korean culture and a desire to immerse themselves in it for a period of time. Each person has a slightly different story on what led them to Korea, making each person's back story all the more interesting.

For these reasons, you come to meet some pretty cool people living here with you. Teaching is not really a job for introverts. To succeed at teaching you need to be somewhat sociable and able to communicate with other people. Working and living in Korea has not only given me the opportunity to meet many native Koreans, but native English speakers from all over the world. It's been a wonderful experience to meet many people and see perspectives from other people and customs. I can honestly say that becoming friends with people abroad has broadened my horizons and views of many things that I would have never achieved staying inside my own enclosed bubble.

However, for as many people you come to meet and become acquainted with, an almost equal number you come to part ways with. Being a English language teacher is not a long term job, nor is it an adequate career for someone to have. People eventually have to return home.

People go back to find a job related to their major. Some leave to explore other opportunities. Some even go because they've become quite fed up with Korea and want to leave while they still can.

Whatever the reason, it doesn't make the goodbyes any easier nor does it make the reality that all the teachers face any less brutal.

Lifelong friends are difficult to make abroad. While it certainly is not impossible, the ratio of people who leave on a yearly basis compared to the amount of time it takes for someone to become comfortable and form a close relationship with someone does not match up. There are several people I consider to be on very good terms with. Despite our closeness though, I can already tell that the people that I have a chance to see again or keep in touch with in a meaningful way is very small.

This leads many teachers to become introverted. Not going out of their way to make friends or make a strong effort to become close to people. After all, what is the point if they're going to leave in a year (for other teaching programs in Korea, sometimes even less).

For me however, it stands a constant reminder to cherish and remember the times we have together. Value the little things that happen everyday and appreciate the moments you share with the ones you care about. While they may not be around forever, the memories and experiences you create will.

I was once told that years from now, we won't remember the names of all the people we met or the places we all met at. What we will remember are the times we had together and the reasons we remember these events to begin with.

I may not see all of you forever, but the memories we shared in this sometimes great, sometimes horrible and sometimes strange country called Korea will last forever.

So with that, I say goodbye to all of you leaving. Take care, and to quote a favorite game of mine: "I'll see you when I see you."*

I'll see you when I see you Gordon!

The quote is from Half Life 2.

Living a second year in Korea: Love stories in Hongdae, North Korea and trips to Japan

I know quite a few teachers and other foreigners in Korea that go through a busy phase in the summer and fall time.It's that time when the weather starts changing and with it comes final exams and many, many events to go to and visit on the weekend.

Last year, I didn't take advantage of going to as many events as I wanted to. I was still new to this whole living in Korea thing and some days, having the energy to survive a day in school and make it home was more than a challenge. At the time, I was worried that the travel bug and the side of me that loved doing stuff was slowly dying or simply not interested in exploring what Korea had to offer. I thought I was in imminent danger of becoming  the hermit that lived to go home and spend his entire days playing video games and surfing the internet away from other people.

My new favorite tea shop in Seoul

A lot of teachers I know often spend their first year exploring and going on vacations to other countries nearby Korea. Every weekend is another adventure and every holiday is a chance of living it up in another place. By the time the second year comes by, most people are burnt out of traveling, having explored all their options. The desire to travel and explore dies. The honeymoon phase of seeing all the nooks and crannies of a country disappears.



"You don't live your second and third year," someone once told me. "Rather you coast them."

I wish I could find the guy who told me that and show him my schedule for the next couple of months, just to prove to him how wrong he was about this second year foreigner living in Korea.

Well, not really, since I don't like to gloat and want to be nice to everyone. Still though, the last few months have been incredible in terms of going places and seeing things. Every weekend since the beginning of June has been filled with some kind of interesting place to visit and cool thing to see. The only time I ever stayed at my home during the weekend was due to a lack of money or being simply too busy with something else to venture out.

I'm getting to know Seoul better. For all the hofs, clubs and restaurants that are always talked about, there's a charming underside to Seoul that I absolutely love. One of my favorite spots in Seoul is the Hongdae area, home to Hongik University and one of the most varied and interesting nightlife areas that I have visited in Korea.

Being near a famous university know for art, there are lots of coffee shops and cafes with interiors resembling  different artistic styles. Its not entirely uncommon to run into a coffee shop with an Andy Warhol esque interior to only go across the street to a cafe filled with art deco tables and chairs.

A wedding proposal in process with a guy in a bear suit. Only in Hongdae.

The nightlife in Hongdae is just as interesting. The streets are packed with people walking around and contributing the happy atmosphere. On every corner there's usually an outdoor show or public performance happening. There has never been a time that I went to Hongdae and wasn't entertained. I've seen everything from giant dogs to girls fist fighting in the streets. If I could, I would jump at the chance to live in Hongdae. Its that exciting, crazy city life atmosphere that would leave you with a million interesting stories to tell.

On the work side of things, this month has my school finishing their final exams towards the beginning of the month and their summer vacation beginning shortly afterwards. It's also the month I have two exciting events to look forward to: my trip to the DMZ and my summer vacation to Japan.

I've been wanting to go to the DMZ since last year, however time and money has always been a factor in turning down opportunities to visit. I never had a specific time to visit this year, but felt that it would be best to go when the opportunity best presented itself. A few weeks ago a friend offered the chance for me to visit both areas of the tour for a cheaper price than most travel packages. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity. If there was ever an "this is it!" moment, well, this was it.

My first time watching live bands perform in Seoul.

Towards the end of the month I should also be making my way to Japan for a week to visit old friends and spend some time in sunny and beautiful Osaka. I've previously spent a great deal of time in Tokyo, so exploring somewhere new is a very exciting prospect for me. Japan was my country of many 'firsts' for me. The first time being abroad, the first time job hunting for a career job and the first time spending a significant amount of time on my own without help. I have a certain draw to Japan that I continue to hold near and dear to my heart. The USA will always be my home and Korea will always be special to me, but Japan is in a category all on its own, and I can't wait to reunite with her again.

My schedule is looking busy and expensive, but I honestly could not be more excited. My second year has been one exciting adventure after the other and I'm looking forward to many more.

Sophomore slump? Never heard of it.

Interview with Jenny Wilborn of Korean Students Speak

"I'll make this world a better place."

Jenny Wilborn is a highschool teacher living and teaching in the rural village of Chungnam.  The village is small, with no recognizable hang outs such as coffee shops or grocery stores.  She has taught at the same high school for two years, through the Fullbright Program, teaching high students English and grammar skills.  

Her job, like many English teachers in Korea, consists of daily lessons and exercises designed to teach and test student's English abilities.

These exercises however, go beyond the simple worksheets and power points used in the classroom.

Jenny is the creator of KSS, Korean Students Speak, a method of teaching involving the use of Tumblr and simple messages from students written in English to express their thoughts and emotions, most of which are never heard in the classroom.

“I got the idea from a photo journalist Adrian Fisk and his project 'I speak China',” says Wilborn.  “He traveled around China and gave people a big white piece of paper and pen.  He asked them to write what they feel, creating some really inspiring messages.”

Inspired by the honesty and simplicity of the project, Wilborn pitched the idea during a 2011 Fullbright Fall Conference.  After liking and finally accepting her idea, the project began and by spring the following year, KSS was up and running.

"I want to free."

“I was inspired by the project and my own students in the area I live in.  It was known for gang violence and many of the students here were told that they would most likely not go anywhere and would most likely end up working in a factory, making the use and study of English to them completely unnecessary,” says Wilborn.

Once the project began, there was never a specific goal or anticipation for it to grow into what it currently is today.  The project had very simple goals and objectives, all of which involved inspiring students to use English in the classroom.

“From the beginning, it was seen as an opportunity for students first, and the audience second,” says Willborn.  “I would always ask myself the question of how you inspire kids to learn English when they don't care.”

Willborn soon saw how this could be more than a simple method for teaching English, but also as an method to talk with other people from across the world, letting them take a look into their lives in a way not normally seen from the other parts of the world.

“I was happy to see students using this as an opportunity to speak to the world,” says Willborn.  “I was surprised by how some students reacted and how they were proud of their work.”

"Bad math does not equal bad brain."

Students began to become proud of the work and messages they produced.  Soon it was becoming a common sight to see students show their messages to their family and post their photos on facebook.

As more classes were beginning to participate and more students began looking forward to participating in the project Jenny began to notice that her students were not the only ones writing messages for the world to see.  English teachers and students across Korea were following the Tumblr and beginning to submit messages from their own students.

KSS was spreading, with students from all grade levels beginning to participate.

“I liked the fact that despite the different grade levels and occasional grammar mistakes, the messages can still be understood around the world,” says Willborn.  “For some students, English can sometimes seem fruitless.  KSS provides an opportunity to be more than what they think it is.”

KSS currently receives numerous posts from students located all across Korea, ranging from Seoul to Jeju and grade levels consisting of grade one elementary to grade 3 high school students.

The growing popularity and the increasing number of teachers interested in using KSS in the classroom has led to Wilborn and other teachers from Fullbright to create a manual giving advice and ideas for others teachers to use in the classroom.  Wilborn still maintains the Tumblr by herself, looking over and organizing the submitted photos.

"Academic Background not everything in our lives."

Willborn hopes to see KSS continue, gaining new students and teachers as well as followers from around the world who wish to have a detailed look at the thoughts, struggles and dreams of these students.

“Every message I read gets a strong reaction from me.  It's always like the first time I'm seeing them,” says Wilborn.

Many of the messages from students are often variations of the same theme, with the most popular being on exhaustion, studying and the issue of Dokdo Island.

“Most of the signs follow those common themes, but there are always a few that always stand out from the rest. The ones that make me stop and think for any number of reasons,” says Wilborn

“I've seen some which have students making funny faces, one student holding a pole saying 'This is Sparta' and one girl that just wanted to talk about her turtle.  I've seen some serious ones too, one I remember the most was a sign held up by a student with the words 'I want to suicide'.”

Wilborn hopes that everyone who views and participates in KSS can take something away from it, be it a teacher, student or follower of the Tumblr.  She also hopes that both English and Korean teachers will continue to use and be willing to adopt KSS into their classrooms.

“I've heard stories that KSS has brought the shiest kids to participate and be proud of their work. It really shows teachers what they want to say in English and what they actually know.  KSS is not meant to critique the Korean education system, but to say something to the world. It allows them to push aside scores and adopt lessons that empower students.”

"I really want to unify Korea." 

Looking at the Tumblr page, among the numerous messages of being tired and the strong dislike of studying are messages of hope and encouragement.  Messages that exclaim 'I love everyone' and 'You can do it. Stay strong.' are reminders that despite the strong importance put on studying and academics, many of these students still find the time to dream and remain optimistic to themselves and each other.

“I love how so many students still have a positive outlook,” says Wilborn. “KSS has taught me that when given the chance, these students will surprise you.” 

E3 from Abroad: Conference Wrap Up: Nintendo

Despite not having a conference like in previous years, Nintendo decided to do something different this year, by holding a Nintendo Direct stream in place of a conference. The Nintendo Directs have been some of the best highlights from Nintendo for revealing new titles and surprises for the 3DS and Wii U. Speculations began running rampant before the live stream even began. What would the new surprises be? Would Nintendo finally unveil the new Mario Kart and Smash Brothers they were talking about? How would they stand out against the upcoming Xbone and PS4 launches?

While the E3 Nintendo Direct had very little surprises contained within its hour long presentation, the titles that were shown for both 3DS and Wii U were titles that have been anticipated by Nintendo fans since the console's announcement. Titles such as a new Mario World, Mario Kart 8 and two Super Smash Brothers titles for both the 3DS and Wii U provided a strong selection of first part titles for both consoles. Nintendo also showed some solid third part support from developer Platinum Games with two upcoming titles, Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101, along with JRPG X and titles from Ubisoft including anticipated upcoming titles Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed IV and Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

While the Mario World title didn't really impress me that much, the four player co op experience was beginning to wear a little thin on me, Mario Kart 8 looked impressive with its gravity defying loops and twists that looked more like an F Zero track than previous Mario Karts. The Wind Waker HD remake looks beautiful, taking the already beautiful and detailed cell shaded look from the original and bringing to HD clarity and and adding some useful touch screen options.



The two Nintendo titles that grabbed my attention, and always grab my attention during each new generation, were the two new Smash Brothers titles for both the 3DS and Wii U. The 3DS title slightly cell shaded visuals with stages from hamdheld titles such as Nintendogs and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. The Wii U version however, featured visuals more in common with the Wii version and announced thee new characters: Villager from Animal Crossing, Mega Man and Wii Fit Trainer. All of them were unexpected surprises and looked interesting to play as. With every new Smash Brothers, I end up rabidly following every new piece of information I can get my hands on until the game's release. Now with two Smash titles to follow, my mind will be thinking of Final Destination and wave dashing until their 2014 releases. The Smash Brothers series has been the reason I've bought a Nintendo console for two generations and based on the early footage, this trend may end up continuing.

Nintendo also showed a short montage of third party titles on the Wii U with short glimpses of titles like Batman: Arkham Origins, Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Watch Dogs. While it was nice to see some notable titles coming to Wii U, it would have been even better to see some gameplay. It's obvious that in terms of raw power, the Wii U can't stand up against the PS4 and Xbox One, so graphically titles won't look as good. However especially with games like Watch Dogs,  I wanted to see how well the game looked and played on the Wii U. I wanted to see the functions of the touch screen and more than anything, I wanted to see how it looked and played compared to their big siblings' console of choice.

Monolith Soft's new title was an open world mech/creature/world traveling JRPG. Featuring lush and huge open worlds with mech based combat, this JRPG simply known as 'X' looks like with will be the big budget JRPG that the console needs. When you factor in the fact that the X logo looks an awful lot like the Xenogears logo,my speculation will continue to run wild until the game's release. I have yet to play Xenoblade Chronicles, but X still looks like an awesome blend of futuristic mech battles and traditional JRPG gameplay. Like with many other titles, 2014 is too far away to wait for.

Platinum Game's offerings look manic, colorful and fantastic. The melee based action in the hack and slash game Bayonetta 2 looks like everything that made the first game so fast paced and over the top with more color, two player co op and a new look for Bayonetta. Gone is her long flowing hair, now replaced with a short pixie cut. Honestly, its nit picky to look at this early, but I must admit that I'm digging her new look. I
was also a fan of the previous game's fast paced gameplay reminiscent of the Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden series and if this game can contain the frantic action of before, this will most likely be another excellent game that dodges the sophomore slump.

Platinum's other game, The Wonderful 101 was a title I have been following since it was first announced. Looking like a colorful mix of Viewtiful Joe meets Pikmin, you control a selection of costume based heroes as they battle foes by transforming and combining into massive swords, guns and fists to take down city sized foes. Like Bayonetta 2 and past Platinum titles, the Wonderful 101  looks to be a action packed, colorful game that manages to stand out in the crowd of realistic, subdued colored action titles.

'Colorful' and 'standing out from the crowd' seem to stand out in my mind whenever I mention the Wii U and 3DS. While each console brings with it a new Mario, Mario Kart, Zelda, etc. it hardly comes across as a surprise anymore that these characters will make their way on a Nintendo console in some shape or from. Yet despite appearing generation after generation and more or less sticking with the same general gameplay, each new take on these titles offers something that even the most jaded fan can play and enjoy, that Nintendo charm.

I've used this term before to describe Nintendo games and consoles and while it may be a bit too simplified and vaguely fanboyish to be an entirely accurate term, it is impossible to deny the charm the oozes from both first and third party Nintendo based games.

Each of these titles stands out as a colorful and visually appealing game that may not push pixels like its more powerful cousins, but instead relies on their simplicity and fun factor to be fun. Mario Kart doesn't concern itself with 64 player online multiplayer but rather focuses on delivering a fun experience with a small group of friends. Zelda doesn't concern itself with DLC quests or additional digital trinkets to buy, but rather focuses on making a complete game that is ready to play at launch, no missing bits or online codes necessary.

Games on the 3DS and Wii U seem to be the opposite of what most other mainstream games offer on other consoles. Color and variety over realism and the me too mentality. A idea of playing with close friends over playing with strangers online. While a few games actually do feature online modes and DLC, they never seem to be the bullet points on the back of the package, but rather supplements that are entirely optional that serve to compliment the game, not hold it back.

I probably sound like a raging Nintendo fanboy here, and in some ways I can see how, but truth be told, I have always had a strong admiration for Nintendo. They have continuously stuck to their guns and followed the beat of their own drum. While they never achieved the level of success their competitors achieved in terms of sales and popularity, their decisions to focus on a singular idea and stick with it has always led them to success in the end. While I admit playing my 360, PS3 and PC more than my Wii, the titles I did play on there were undoubtedly a different and refreshing experience than I have experienced on another console. While not all of the games had been modern classics, quite a few titles have remained in my mind and still serve to exist as some of the best gaming experiences from the previous generation.

When I look at the Wii U and see its slumping sales, I understand that the lack of hardware, its once again under powered architecture and its severe lack of third party support can cause some frustration for gamers who dropped their hard earned dough on it. However, after this E3 presentation I can say that I am pretty optimistic for the future of the console. Were there any big surprises? Not really, but what was shown was a strong line up that made me eager to eventually own this console. A future of solid first party titles (Zelda, Mario Kart and Smash Brothers) and some cool looking third party games.

Will this be enough to survive against the Xbone and PS4? I can't really say, however I can say that the Wii U seems to once again, a different experience with titles that focus less on pushing technology and more on pushing fun and charming experiences.

Once again, Nintendo isn't competing with anyone but themselves. They are the child in the corner playing with his own cool toys while the other children fight for attention in the center of the room.

E3 from Abroad: Conference Wrap Up: Sony

By now, you've probably heard all sorts of hyperbolic statements of Sony winning E3 and Sony laying waste to its competition, primarily Microsoft and their Xbox One. Memes were born, GIFs were created and message boards across the internet exploded with the joyous cries from not only the Sony fans, but from video game fans of all different backgrounds and consoles of choice. Claims of a victory for the fans, triumphing over the ever increasing rules and regulations for playing games on new consoles. Here was Sony, claiming that things would be the way they always were before and games would be free to keep, trade or share as much as you want.

The interesting thing in all of this is that while Sony won the hearts of fans and gamers alike, they didn't really do anything. They won the battle of rights of use by staying the same as they always have. Not to say that their game selection and the actual technology behind the system isn't impressive, but it goes to show that a company that actually listens the need and wants of their customers, especially in the gaming industry will go far. Loyalty goes a long way in the industry and when you have a legacy that has lasted four console generations, you're bound to have some strong and passionate fans.

As for the presentation (in the interest of time)...

Sony's presentation had a remarkably strong selection of games on display. Glimpses at upcoming titles on PS3 such as Beyond: Two Souls and The Last of Us still served to show Sony's support behind the current gen console. However what sadly didn't really surprise me was the lack of any new Vita titles for the handheld or really, any kind of announcement at all. Spokesman Jack Tretton discussed how important the Vita was to the Sony family, quickly announced a new (but not really) title for it, The Walking Dead and that was it. Call me old fashioned, but when a company fails to mention any major announcements for a console tat only launched last year, I take that as a sign. A very bad sign that development for the Vita is going nowhere and as of right now, remains dead in the water.

As for the titles shown for PS4, there was an incredible mix of games we already knew about and quite a few major reveals from major publishers like Square Enix and Santa Monica Studios. Sony showed off an impressive array of third and first party support from major marque titles such as Killzone: Shadow Fall and inFamous: Second Sun along with new titles such as racing game Drive Club and a Victorian/steampunk third person shooter called The Order 1886 made by God of War developers, Santa Monica Studios.

There was a strong third party presence from publishers as well. Ubisoft showed off footage from Watch Dogs and Assassins Creed IV, both of which will have exclusive features only on PS4. Avalanch showed a short CGI reveal for an upcoming Mad Max game and even Bungie had a gameplay demo for their big budget/MMOFPS Destiny.

The most pleasant surprise for me was the announcement of two games from Square Enix that have long been speculated and talked about but never really shown until now. Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III were officially announced with no specific release dates, but short glimpses of gameplay along with them. FFXV originally began as Final Fantasy XIII Versus, set in the same universe as the other XIII titles but at the end of the preview, was revealed to now exist as FFXV. KHIII showed an older looking Sora battling a swarming mass of Heartltess enemies and some short dialog scenes.

FFXV looks fantastic. A seemingly modern setting, possibly Tokyo with contemporary looking outfits and characters battling some strange otherworldly force. It appears to be much more action packed than previous titles, but as someone who has gradually lost interest in the series post FFXII, this could be the new breath of fresh air that the franchise needs. While there was very little shown for KHIII, the fact that it simply exists and not as  another spin off to further complicate the already complicated lore, is a welcome sight to see.

Sony also had a strong indie and F2P selection to show off as well. Titles such as Transistor (from the creator of Bastion) Octodad and many others show that the PS4 will be a welcome home for indie titles that for the most part could only previously be found on PC. Free to play titles such as DC Universe Online. PlanetSide 2, Warframe and Blacklight: Retribution will be available to play for the first time for console gamers. With the larger hard drive included with the PS4 (500 gb) it should hopefully bring a larger selection of PC titles to the unwashed console masses and finally start bridging the gap between console and PC titles.

Finally, the moment of the show and the one that has caused the most discussion among gamers was the announcement of the PS4's DRM policies. In a display that seemed designed from the ground up to counter the Xbox One, Sony announced that their console would require not online all the time or 24 hour check in system. Your games would be just that, yours to do and play them as you choose to with no restrictions on used game sales or who you could trade them with as well as the console itself being region free. It was this announcement that got the largest round of applause from the audience as a whole and as many claim, was the moment that won them E3.

If there is one flaw with the PS4, its the issue of backwards compatibility. I know that quite a few people don't really care about this feature but for me, someone who has a large selection of games, doesn't trade them in and enjoys replaying older titles often, losing the ability to do this is kind of a annoyance. Hopefully the streaming service that they hinted at in February will have a large and diverse selection of titles to play so some of the rarer ones don't slip between the cracks forever, only to be lost to the price gouging collectors and Ebayers.

Combined with a strong selection of titles, the continued support of the PS Plus subscription and the freedom to do what you want with your games, the PS4 looks to be the kind of system I want, taking the strengths of the current generation and then adding to them to make it even better. While some would argue that Microsoft is doing a better job at providing a entirely new way to play and experience games that pushes forward further than the PS4, it can also be argued that this innovation comes at a heavy price.

Does the ability to play and watch TV at once worth the cost of loosing the ability to play used games? Does the ability to share your library with ten of your closest friends even matter if your console is region locked?

PS4 may just be a more powerful version of the PS3 for some, but in my case this is exactly what I want.

No gimmicks, no restrictions, just unlimited access to the games and franchises I love to play with who I want and when I want to.

E3 from Abroad: Conference Wrap Up: EA and Ubisoft

To start this out and get it out of the way, it has to be said.

I don't hate EA.

I constantly hear how they are the most hated company in the industry and how they are the cancer that is slowly stifling the creativity and innovative ideas in the industry. In some ways, this is true. EA is one of the kings of producing franchises that always seems to scream "me too" and appeal to the unwashed masses.

In another way, EA has put out many games that I have enjoyed over the years. While I haven't played a sports game since middle school (and back then they were always the Sega 2K games) and racing games like Need for Speed for the most part leave me feeling indifferent, there have been titles from EA I have enjoyed. Mirror's Edge, The Dead Space series (1 and 2), Shadow of the Damned and yes, Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3 have all had extended playtime from me.

That being said, there's quite a bit I don't like about EA. Again, I don't like the me too, focus group features that make it in to some games. For example, co-op in Dead Space 3 and multiplayer for Dead Space 2 were entirely unnecessary and seemed to exist just for the sake of having a feature that the publisher could bast about. I am also not a fan of their Origin service, an extremely restrictive and uncompromising distribution and game client that is pretty much a requirement for PC gamers wanting to play EA games. Let's not even get into the season pass and activation codes for games otherwise I'll never get to my point.

EA

For their E3 presentation this year, four games caught my eye. Titanfall, which I previously talked about in the Microsoft wrap up still looks like a ton of fun (no pun intended) with nimble and fast paced soldier on mech action. In many ways, this looks like the forward and radical thinking that most would have wanted from the Call of Duty games in order to prevent themselves from becoming stagnant. Coming from the guys who were responsible for the COD series up to Modern Warfare 2, I have really high expectations for this game.

Battlefield 4 looked awesome as well. Large maps, impressive visuals and a 64 player count makes this more like the game that Battlefield 3 should have been and in some ways, that makes me feel conflicted. Looking back, I can't help but feel that BF3 was a beta for EA, a way to test the Frostbite engine and have a placeholder title to compete against COD a few years before the next gen jump. That being said, BF4 still looks fantastic and a lot of fun. Even the single player, which I was initially cold towards looks more interesting as time goes on. Does it appear to be a linear corridor shooter? Yes, but it looks like to be a well made and intense corridor shooter and for me, that's just fine.

The last two announcements were both barely under a minute each but had me excitedly pondering the possibilities. Both a new Mirror's Edge and Star Wars Battlefront were announced. Again, barely any gameplay was shown but the promise of a new, open world Mirror's Edge and a Frostbite powered Star Wars Battlefront has me extremely excited. They are more likely at least a few years off but that won't stop me from getting excited now.

Ubisoft

Out of all the big, bad major publishers, Ubi Soft is one that for the most part is doing it right (expect for their U play and DRM). They produce the games casual audiences and gamers alike both enjoy and regardless of their audience, both audiences receive well made games with a strong emphasis on quality gameplay rather than a check list of things that games like. I can't count the number of Ubi titles I have enjoyed in the last two console generations and judging from their presentation this year, more interesting games are on the way.

First off, Watch Dogs. Nothing but good things have been coming from that game and the more details I hear, I get excited for this game. A large and detailed open world Chicago and the ability to manipulate the world around you rather than just driving fast or shooting your way out of situations (although you can still do that). It looks like a big leap forward for open world games and the fact that both current and next gen gamers get to play is a great thing. Really looking forward to this one.

Rayman Legends continues to look fantastic and just as fun and fast paced as its previous title, Rayman Origins. The bright and cartoon-like visuals give each character and environment an incredibly fluid sense of motion and pacing that most 2d platformers lack. I sincerely wished the New Mario series embraced a similar art style, as it looks so much better than the somewhat generic look of the New Mario Bros series.

Finally, the last game that caught my attention was the announcement of a new Tom Clancy game called The Division. Set in a world where a virus has quickly ravaged the US and martial law is in effect, players can team up into clans and make their way around the city seamlessly jumping from interaction with NPCs and real players. Its an interesting form of gameplay and an interesting setting that doesn't involve the overdone zombie apocalypse scenario we are all used to.

Overall, the conferences from EA and Ubisoft were what I expected. Some interesting glimpses mixed in with expected titles. While not every game interested me, there were quite a few that did. It goes without saying that any conferences with Mirror's Edge, Star Wars Battlefront and Rayman can't be too bad. 

E3 from Abroad: Conference Wrap Up: Microsoft

So much action. So much drama. So much excitement. This year's E3 has been one of the most exciting in recent memory. From big announcements, company wide goof ups and one of the biggest one sided thrashing I have ever seen from a company before, E3 2013 was one for the history books and helped to bring in all the excitement that a next generation  of games should.

Despite Nintendo not holding their own conference this year, Microsoft, Sony, Ubisoft and EA held their own regular conferences with new games and some surprising announcements for new consoles. There's a lot on my mind to talk about, and as a gamer still intensely interested in what the industry can produce. So let's go in order, starting with...

Microsoft aka M$

Microsoft and the Xbox One already had the burden of heavy criticism from the gaming community for its strong anti consumer policies and stronger focus on a complete multimedia experience rather than a focus primarily on games. Combined with privacy concerns with their Kinect device and sense of vagueness surrounding many of their more controversial choices, most of which involved the use of registering your games, their promise to focus "just on games" for E3 was a wise choice.

Their conference started out strong with a preview of the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and the confirmation that it would appear on a next generation console. Shortly afterwards, the one game people have been clamoring for from Rare made a short appearance. Killer Instinct was coming back and was going to be an exclusive on Xbox One. The conference was off to a strong start.

As for the rest of the conference, it was what I expected. There were quite a few games that grabbed my attention, however quite a few I admittedly already knew about. Max and the Curse of Brotherhood looked like a cute and cartoony Limbo-esque platformer. Short glimpses at titles like Quantum Break and D4 looked interesting and showed that Microsoft was trying hard not to make this a shooter and sports heavy console. Later on in the show, the late glimpses at Dead Rising 3 (which is allegedly a Xbox One exclusive), Crimson Dragon and The Witcher 3 also looked great to me. Even shooter games which allegedly the gaming community is burnt out on looked interesting. Take away my "hardcore" gaming card if you have to, but I still enjoy FPS's to an extent. I'm looking forward to playing Battlefield 4 both single and multiplayer and despite some issues I had with the previous game, a short glimpse at Halo 5 was welcome. I still like Halo. I still play the games primarily for the single player experience over multiplayer. If you're still reading by now, I'm sure your head just exploded.

The game that really stood out in my mind though was Titanfall. At first it looked like a typical COD style FPS. However once they showed that you could enter GIANT FREAKING MECHS and battle both soldiers and mechs my interest shot to eleven. As a life long fan of nearly anything mecha, a smooth playing FPS in which humans and mechs battle it out  brings back fond memories of PC game SHOGO and the mecha anime I watched as a kid, while Titanforce may scream COD rip off to many, to me it looked like the game I wanted since I was a little boy playing with his Transformers toys.

So overall, the conference to me wasn't that bad. It didn't exceed expectations. There were some surprises, the appearance of an Insomniac game was unexpected and well, I really didn't expect Killer Instinct to come back, but everything else was standard "Xbox audience" games, and to me that's ok. I never really fell into the camp of playing games only because they show off how "hardcore" you are. I follow the simple rule of playing what I like and enjoy. That's it. It's worked incredibly well for me so far.

So while I didn't have major issues with the Microsoft conference overall, I won't be buying an Xbox One anytime soon. It still comes back to their strong anti consumer policies and being restricted to how you play. For me, honestly, it would most likely not even affect me severely. I live in a location with fast internet and would most likely always have it connected. However, their discrimination on used games, the 24 hour certification policy and tying games to your account seems like more trouble than its worth. When a majority of games are available on other consoles that don't require you to jump through hoops to play, why even bother?

I would miss out on a few exclusives, but I'm not a teenager anymore. I've come to the point where I can live without playing a game for a great deal of time, if at all. Life and other things tend to get in the way of gaming and I'm ok with that. If anything, I can pick up the console a few years later when the price drops or an enticing bundle comes around.

There's a lot of hate on the Xbox One from pretty much everyone in the gaming community. I cannot recall the last time I saw people so viciously against a company. In some ways, this comes across as typical internet reaction where subtlety goes out the window in exchange for loud and obnoxious hate. In another way, I'm kind of happy to see this. It shows that consumers won't take these draconian policies lying down and are more than willing to voice their opinion when it comes to playing games and how much control they have over the product they buy and supposedly own.

However, I can't help but wonder if its too late for Microsoft to go back on some of their policies. To do some sort of damage control and try to regain some favor with the legions of gamers they have shunned.

I also can't help but wonder if their intended audience even cares or is aware that these policies exist. Does that fraternity brother who games with his bros even care that someone can't borrow his game as long as he can play what he likes? Does the middle age dad with an NFL pass who watches UFC on the weekends care that his Kinect will always be on and watching him? It seems like Microsoft is betting heavily that their target audience won't mind and in a way, that's a sad sign that the gamers who were there since the original Xbox (the real Xbox One) aren't the targeted audience.

If this is the case, the term "entertainment machine" is truly appropriate. Entertainment is all encompassing with games only being one part of that. Microsoft has to be aware of the backlash from the community, and the fact that they continue to stick to their guns proves that they are completely behind their ideas and if a majority of so called "hardcore" games buy a PS4 instead, it doesn't matter. Their core audience, the casual consumer will continue to support the brand they know well. Judging from the number of 360's in living rooms now, maybe they're right.

Either way, to me  Xbox One's policies are its biggest hurdles for me. even if their conference was stellar and had something for every kind of gamer under the sun, it would have made little difference. The ones who are aware and the ones who care know how restrictive and awful DRM is still wouldn't be swayed. When your entire console is built around this concept and two of your competitors offer less restrictions ( and arguably better game selections) once again, why bother?

The answer? They won't but Microsoft is banking on the fact that many will.Whether those will be enough to score a victory for them this generation will be the real spectacle to watch. It's all become a battle of gamers vs casuals. A fight that slowly started to form last generation and thanks to Microsoft should reach a fever point in the coming months prior to launch.