Words On Wednesday

The United States presidential election is coming up in a few weeks and I have two requests for you: be civil and vote. People get heated with politics. I get it. As citizens of the United States, we are very passionate about our country and its leadership. And we should be! That’s the beauty of democracy. We all have a say in who our duly elected government officials will be. It’s something to celebrate, and I believe it is our duty as citizens to engage that right and privilege. We are going to occasionally disagree with others about most things, especially with politics. Even if we want the same candidate, we may have disagreements about policy. That’s fine! The world would be a boring place if we all thought the same, acted the same, and voted the same. HOWEVER, we do not have to let those disagreements get in the way of us being decent and polite to one another. Let’s make a concerted effort to be civil with each other. Every citizen in this great country is entitled to their vote...

While video games are typically platforms for entertainment first and foremost, there are often alternative goals and functions at play. In the case of Far Cry 4 , there is an interesting dynamic between governing bodies that serves as a sort of exploration of political policies on a micro scale. Though the main story of the game is mostly set, there are a series of decisions that the player can make to affect side story lines around the leadership of the Kyrat people. The political situation of Kyrat during the events of Far Cry 4 is a dire one. Pagan Min serves as the reigning power, the King of Kyrat. The Golden Path, a rebel movement, seeks to dethrone Min and reclaim Kyrat under their own leadership. Due to stagnation, the Golden Path is in a tumultuous position without a singular leader and direction. There are two main contenders for the head of the Golden Path, Sabal and Amita. Coincidentally (or at the design of the game’s creators), Sabal and Amita take drastically diff...