BC: Who am I? Well...

So, as you all know (I hope), my name is Calvin Lin.  I am 15 years old (as of now) and attend Alameda High School. As with all teenagers my age, my favorite hobby is to play video games, preferably on the computer.  I don't like to play on a Xbox360 or a PS3 because of the controls.  I do better with a mouse and keyboard, then with a controller.  There are also more varieties on the computer platform, than on the Xbox360/PS3.

Video games are an important part of my life.  It helps me relieve stress, as well as provide entertainment on days where I have nothing else to do.  I also learn a lot from video games, from the assembly/dismantle of a gun, to difficult vocabulary, like "Vox Populi" (Voice of the People in Latin) or Biochemical Augmentations.  While adults tend to think video games are wasteful because they just take up time and divert peoples attention from their goal, video games are actually very informing and can sometimes help exercise the brain.  Take for example "Deus Ex: Human Revolution".  Its game-play consists of many strategic actions that  must be thought out, instead of rushing in with guns blazing.  You have to track the enemy's movement, plan your way through, locate an escape point, take inventory of your supplies, and execute them simultaneously.  You don't have one route to follow either, you can take multiple routes and still  reach your goal, but you have to find the most efficient one.  Another feature of the game is to persuade the in game characters to give you information.  This action makes you use your reasoning and common sense skills while enjoying the game at the same time.  Games aren't bad, it's just how you play them that decides its value.

In terms of "who I am", I would like to think of myself as "tech-savvy" or whatever people call it these days.  I have various knowledge on computers, mainly because I have faced the problems myself, and had successfully solved them.  At the same time, after I solved them, I usually look deeper in the solution and try to understand why the problem happened and how it works.  In terms of how I started getting involved and intrigued by computers, it all started when my uncle gave me a computer and a copy of  "StarCraft".  As my interest grew in the game, I started looking for other games.  Most of the games I've played worked out fine, but as the graphics of the games got better and better, I wondered why my computer was running so slow.  I researched on the problem, and soon I hit the solution.  Get a better computer.  At first I searched for brand computers, like Dell, HP, Asus, Gateway, etc...  Then I found a post on the internet saying that there was a cheaper, more efficient way of getting a fast computer, build your own.  I was stunned.  What?  You can build your own computer?  Ridiculous!  Nevertheless, I searched on Google and found out how.  I also asked some older friends of mine for any information that could help me on building a computer.  I actually didn't build my computer first, I built my friend's computer first.  After the build was successful, I began to research more on the parts itself and gained more knowledge about computers from that.  From that point on, I've improved a lot, in terms of technical knowledge.  Even now, I'm still learning a lot about computers.  Hopefully, once I have enough experience, I might be able to make a living out of it.


In this school year, writing-wise, I hope to learn more about making my sentences transition a lot more smoothly.  I also want to expand my vocabulary, so I can specifically express what my opinion towards a topic is about.  That's it for my biweekly column.  Feel free to leave any comments or questions below, and thanks for reading my post!