Dave Enjoys » learning

Medieval II: Total War.

davemackey — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:11:17 +0000

Video Gaming has become a major part of our culture. Today, whether played individually or in groups (whether locally or via the internet) gaming has become as much a part of our culture as professional sports or television. Mario and Halo amongst other games have established themselves as bona fide cultural icons.

I’m a picky gamer. My personal preferred genre is turn-based, historical strategy/tactical wargames. A mouthful, huh? Why do I like these games so much?

They offer an educational experience with (generally) highly detailed maps and historically accurate units and commanders.
They offer a intellectually stimulating experience require the use of significant analytical skills to determine the best methods to victory.
They offer significantly more hours of gameplay than most other genres of games, especially simple-one path games like most first person shooters (FPS).

Within this genre one game that stands out as an excellent example and worthwhile purchase as an entertaining and educational resource is Creative Assembly’s Medieval II: Total War. This game is part of a old (in gaming years) and venerable line of “Total War” games beginning with Shogun: Total War and most recently culminating in Empire: Total War. While the graphics and artificial intelligence have improved with the years, the basic gameplay has stayed remarkably the same.

Each Total War game represents a distinct historical period – in the instance of Medieval the period is somewhat obvious – it covers the medieval time period (e.g. crusades, early discovery of the new world). One takes command of any of a variety of historical nations and oversees one’s countries progress – first at a strategic level that includes town management, technology development, political negotiations, and military recruitment. Then when combat occurs one has the choice to enter into the tactical arena and to command one’s troops in beautifully rendered 3D worlds through a pausable real-time interface (bringing the best of cinematic historical combat with the intellectual challenge of turn-based combat).

I’ve never exhausted the bounds of a Total War game. Playing as each nation is a unique experience. Each nation has its own unique historical advantages and disadvantages (e.g. England must rely upon naval power while nations in Eastern Europe face continuous threats to varied influxing enemies) and playing through a single nation’s history in a single game can be a process of scores – if not hundreds of hours. Medieval II: Total War is not a game one sits down and plays in a day or a week or even a month – its meant to last month after month (for the casual, moderate gamer) and then one has only finished the game as that nation!

Medieval II: Total War also have a worthwhile expansion pack called Kingdoms which retrofits some features in Medieval II: Total War along with adding several additional campaigns (each of which could be a game in and of itself) including the Crusades, Americas (early conquistadors, inter-tribal warfare), Teutonic, and Britannia.

MII:TW is now available at bargain prices…as are older titles in the same series. So go to Amazon and grab both titles for less than $20 (the cost of two movie tickets, or four dvd rentals): Medieval II Gold Pack (Total War, Total War Kingdoms). Yes, of course, I get a referral fee – but seriously – these games are awesome.

Bible.org – For studying and living Christianity.

davemackey — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:26:36 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

For those who are Christians or who are interested in understanding Christianity, there are few sites on the internet more valuable in learning and growing than the Biblical Studies Foundation (bible.org). While the resources available to understand and practice Christianity are extensive generally, the availability and freedom with which the BSF makes its resources available is practically unparalleled. I have used the BSF site for years and continue to utilize it regularly and rave about its magnificent capabilities.

Let’s take a look at a few of the BSF’s many features:

New English Translation (NET) – A brand new translation of the Old and New Testaments from the original manuscripts. The NET is readable and yet precise, but what really makes the translation stand apart is the 70k+/- footnotes that are throughout the text. These footnotes are not commentary on the text but rather explain the translators decisions, especially on controversial verses. They offer deep insight into the original texts and are an amazing aid to the bible student or translator.
Book Commentaries - Contemporary commentaries written by sincere bible students/scholars are freely available on the BSF website. While there is great value in the two thousand years of commentary we have on Scripture, these commentaries offer an additional perspective including the latest manuscript and archaeological evidence, contemporary illustrations and applications, and so on while maintaining fidelity to the Scriptures.
The Theology Program (TTP) – An extensive theological training program meant for churches to utilize in training lay individuals in theology. The course is indepth, practical, and understandable. Its meant to help those who want to push on in their theological understanding but cannot afford the expense or time commitments of a college education at this juncture in their lives.

These are only a few of so many wonderful things you will find at the BSF. I insist, you must visit!

Mental Health Reading List (Part I) – Introduction.

davemackey — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:54:38 +0000

I am fascinated by mental illness. Part of this comes from an interest in just about everything that is abnormal or unusual. Part of it comes from the constant battle to understand and improve myself. I have childhood onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as well as struggling with depressive episodes. I have spent years battling and learning about my disorders. That said, I am convinced that raising knowledge about mental illness, especially amongst those who are or desire to be leaders, is essential to doing things more effectively in the future than we have in the past. I am not suggesting that everyone needs to become psychiatrists or psychologists – but rather that anyone of us who wants to be a leader should seek to understand the general nature of mental illness as well as its most common manifestations.

To be mentally ill is not always (or even generally) to have a complete break with reality. Individuals such as myself (and many others) make up the majority of sufferers from mental illness. We function rather normally on a day-to-day basis. The truth is that mental illness can be extremely subtle and yet heavily damaging. As leaders we need to increase our ability to see the subtle signs of mental illness and help those we love and lead get the assistance they need from professional practitioners. This is not about taking someone who is non-functional and bringing them to a point of functioning, rather it is about taking individuals who are functioning (perhaps ourselves) and removing (or smoothing out) the roadblocks that hinder them.

Will you really meet that many mentally ill individuals? Absolutely. According to the National Institute of Mental Health over 25% of adults in the United States are suffering from a mental disorder right now. That is nearing 60 million people in the United States alone. Granted, it is around 1/4th of this number who suffer from severe mental disorders in the U.S., but this means that around 1 out of 4 individuals have at least a mild mental illness and 1 out of 16 have a serious mental illness.

In this series of blog posts my intentions is to point to some general resources on mental health that can serve as quick primers on the nature of mental disorders as well as specific resources on the most common mental disorders. I hope you will consider joining me in studying and understanding this rapidly expanding field so we can better love and lead those around us. I especially urge religious leaders to become involved in this study. As leaders we must work on our ability to differentiate spiritual and physical ailments and assist our congregants in receiving the correct assistance.