Research Sources: Sonora Residence Hall

The proposed topic given is to draw a map of a part of the ASU campus. The part of campus that I am deciding to draw a map of is the Sonora Residency Halls. The reason I chose Sonora was because number one it is where I am currently living, it is also different than the rest of the residency halls, and lastly it is a unique place on the ASU campus. The second part of the assignment is to annotate the map with descriptions of each place that we are describing or the different aspects of this residence hall. Annotating a map is one of the best things that someone can possibly do because maps sometimes can be a little confusing and especially a map that can be of the size of the ASU campus alone with no annotations could mess some people up if they were trying to find out where to go.

                A reason I would want to explore this topic is because maps to me are actually fun to look at. A map is something that can always have a personal touch on it and is something that gives people direction and also keeps things organized…sometimes. As an in class assignment drawing a map is great because one can always get input from other people in the class.

                How I plan on tackling this topic is basically by walking around all of Sonora and annotating every little thing I feel is important. Then I am going to sit on top of the Housing Residence and just draw it. That is a pretty simple description but it seems like the easiest way to approach this situation.

                The article that I used was an article on the New York Times that is about the deep roots of maps. It is about a specific map but it is only one page long and is by Theo Emery and it is called “Maps Hidden Marks Illuminate and Deepen Mystery of Lost Colony.” This article is basically about a map that brings about the hidden details of a map which could help me with this assignment a lot because the small things that some people don’t notice and seeing it on another map and imputing it into mine project.

                The book that I am using is The Game by Neil Strauss. It isn’t about maps but it maps on how to talk to people girls and guys. It is just a map on how to talk to people and this is good source for me to have because mapping how to do something can help me annotate my map. Giving clear, short, precise details about small things could be ultimately a difference maker on a map. The other book I chose to use as my third choice it is called Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as a Cartographer this book is about mapping of the imagination which is almost actually quite impossible but it is still a helpful tool for me because the book is creative in how it attempt to map the mind. 

Evaluation: FIFA 2013

The last video game I played recently was Fifa 2013. Fifa is a soccer game and it really is one of the most addicting games on the planet. I never played until my junior year of high school and then after that BOOM! I played almost every day and have not stopped since. It is one of those games that takes a couple months to get good at but even when someone is not very good it is still so much fun to play. Fifa the game where when you live somewhere if someone is playing above you; you can hear everything that they are saying, why? Well because everything is being yelled. This game is also an amazing game because of the gameplay.

                The personalization of every player is almost unbelievable. The first touch ability is a player’s ability to control the ball after a pass and every player is different at how they handle the ball or how well it is controlled. Well in Fifa 2013 they changed that feature and put almost every player at their right skill level with that ability and it makes the game so much more realistic than it already is. It is honestly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in a video game.

                The graphics in the game are also super realistic as well almost every player looks as close as technology can get them to get to look like what they look like in real life. When a video game has the ability to do that then it is something special. The game even has the most realistic fans I have almost ever seen as well which something is new and exciting a video game can always add to its plethora of new additions.

                Probably the best part of the whole game is the after goal celebrations. First of all the crowd and the announcers go crazy so whoever plays for the most part goes crazy as well since scoring a goal is not easy. But anyways some players have different cheers depending on how good they are but the better the players the better the cheers. Cristiano Ronaldo considered by some the best player in the world can do a double backflip handspring! Now for a soccer player that is pretty impressive. That is not a realistic cheer though but it is still pretty cool. They do have realistic cheers in the game though like the player getting tackled and sliding across the grass and things along those lines which gives the game just a form or reality because it is a video game of course.

                Overall this is probably one of the best games I have ever played and is something I would recommend to anyone even if they aren’t into sports video games it is something that is worth giving a shot too.