Media Review 1

Picture came from the "Undertale" page on Kickstarter.com

Hello Everyone! It’s Alyssa Fowler.

For my first media review, I have decided to talk about “Undertale,” a role-playing, indie computer game.

“Undertale” was created by Toby Fox and released on September 15^th, 2015. A short, public demo of the game was released on May 23^rd, 2013. Toby’s development for the “Undertale” was financed through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.com that was launched on June 25^th, 2013 and ended on July 25^th, 2013. During this campaign, people who donated would have their names placed in the game’s ending credits, a CD of the game’s soundtrack, and to have their own custom characters be included as NPCs and bosses in the game. Toby’s initial goal was $5,000. However, due to the support from over 2,000 people, the total amount of money raised was $51,124.

The story involves you leading a human child named “Frisk” through the Underground, a world underneath the Earth’s surface that is filled with monsters. What makes “Undertale” different than many other role-playing games is that you can help or spare the monsters you encounter instead of mercilessly killing them. Also, the ending of each time you play through the game depends on how many “enemy” monsters and which of the main characters or “boss monsters” you killed.

Throughout the course of one year, “Undertale” gained a massive following and became a cultural phenomenon on art-sharing, social-networking websites; such as Deviantart, Reddit, Youtube, and Tumblr.

Fans of “Undertale” created:

•   Alternate universes with their own themes (Underfell, Outertale, Underswap).
• Fan theories about secret Easter eggs found in the game.
•  Comics and Animations that explain possible backstories of the main characters or put the characters in funny, heartwarming, slice-of-life situations.
• Remixes of music from the game’s soundtrack.
• Discussions on which people would be the best voice actors for the characters.

This is due to the fact that “Undertale” was influenced by the silliness of popular internet culture. Also, according to the “Undertale Dev: ‘Every Monster Should Feel Like and Individual’” article on EscapistMagazine.com, Toby stated that the atmosphere and elements of “Undertale” were based on those from past role-playing games. This included “Earthbound”, “Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga”, and “Shin Megami Tensei.” He also explained that the game’s battle format was based on bullet-hell shooters like the “Touhou Project” series.

To me, one of the best factors of “Undertale” is that all of the characters each have their own unique design, personalities, and desires. Also, with your help, they have their own personal growth and learn to be true to themselves. This makes them able to be cared about and relatable to the people playing the game. Another great factor of “Undertale” is that it teaches us life lessons, including believing that everyone does deserve a second chance and “staying determined” to keep yourself moving through the toughest of times.

With all of its positive reception, including winning the “Audience” award at the 2016 Independent Games Festival Awards and the “Best Story” award from IGN.com's Best of 2015 list, I can agree with many fans that “Undertale” is an indie game that will be remembered for generations to come.

Journal Project Summary

Hello Everyone! It's Alyssa Fowler

Today, I would like to tell about what I learned from my Media Usage Journal project.

For this assignment, I had to write down what forms of media I used throughout a whole week. This took place between Monday, August 29th and Sunday, September, 4th. The devices that I used during the week included my iPad, my living room television, Google Chromecast, my cellphone, and a desktop computer. They were used to connect with people I worked with, to look at work by artists who I see as inspirations for my own art style, and to listen to music and funny videos while I did chores or took notes for class.

When the week was over, I used Microsoft Excel to convert the notes into tables and bar graphs. This allowed me to see exactly how many hours a day I used each media device. According the results, I had 57.3 hours of media usage in a single week. My iPad had the highest amount, which was 33.9 hours, while my cellphone had the lowest amount, which was 3 hours.

In conclusion, the results from this project made me realize that I use digital media more than mainstream media. The main reason is because I am able to look at and listen to things that are based on my own interests. This included using websites like Youtube, Deviantart, and Tumblr. Another reason that I use digital media more than mainstream media because, in my personal opinion, there really isn't a lot of good shows on television...

That's all I have to talk about. I'll chat with you guys later!

Three Blogs From My Fellow Students

Hello Everyone! It's Alyssa Fowler.

I would like to share with you blogs that were made by three other students in my Introduction to Electronic Media class at Frederick Community College.

1. Grant Malvin -  http://rainbowsixsiegetricks.blogspot.com/

2. Danny Zottola -  http://zottoladanny.blogspot.com/

3. Connor Sheedy - http://facemeltingsolos.blogspot.com/

I hope you find their blogs interesting like I did.

I'll talk to you all later!

Introduction: All About Me!

Hello Everyone! My name is Alyssa Raven Fowler.

Welcome to my new blog.

In this post, I will tell you all about myself.

I graduated from Hood College in 2013 with a Bachelor's Degree in the Art and Archaeology Department with a concentration in Studio Art.

I am currently taking classes at Frederick Community College so I can receive credits for the Computer Graphics certificate.

Last November, I published the first of a five-part book series titled "Cryptic Casters." The series' demographic is kids between 7 to 12, but teens and adults can read it too! It is classified as part of the "Fantasy and Magic" genre. The first book, "Cryptic Casters: Legends of Pangaea," is available on Amazon.com for paperback and Kindle. I have had the concept for the series ever since my senior year at Tuscarora High School. It was based on my love for fantasy and monster raising games, including Final Fantasy, Pokemon, Digimon, and Monster Rancher. Science Fiction and Fantasy cartoons and anime, including My Neighbor Totoro, Sailor Moon, and Steven Universe, served as inspiration for my books.

The series takes place in our world and in present day. It is about a secret cult of people who are each partnered with a monster from mythology and folklore. They are known as the "Cryptic Casters." They use their magical powers to fight against spirits who are embodiments of the vices and evils of the world.

My other likes include watching cute animal videos, comic and game voice-acting dub-overs, funny reaction videos, and game play-through videos on Youtube. I also like to go to Deviantart and Tumblr to look at the work of other talented artists. Most of it includes fan-art of franchises that I really love, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario, Pokemon, Undertale, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and Steven Universe. Pencil sketching for my book or whatever else comes to my mind is another hobby that I love.

I hope that you all will enjoy my blog. Chat with you later!