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Editor’s Note: The BOOM, Issue Number 12.

BOOM Salad Logo 1
The first logo and mascots for BOOM Salad Issue 1.

Editor’s note:

How time flies when you’re having fun. Twelve issues ago, we started the BOOM with a few simple goals in mind. The first was to reclaim the phrase “BOOM Salad” from the idiotic definition it had garnered in the equally ridiculous, quasi-dictionary known as, “the Urban [F]ictionary.” When we began the site, over a year ago, their nonsensical and grossly misogynistic definition was the first link that Google, Bing, Yahoo, and all other search engines would list whenever our brand was searched. Now, it is our content that dominates the search results.

To the world and all humanity: You are welcome.

July2015Header2
BOOM Salad header version 2.

Our second goal was to demonstrate that the community of people known as “gamers” was far more intelligent and sophisticated than their societal stereotype would have us all believe. We knew that if we published articles of greater substance and scholarship and research than was currently available from most gaming blogs and video sites, the “gamers” would come, and boy have they.

As of this post, BOOM Salad has witnessed nearly 33,000 visitors, representing well over 20 nations, cross its digital threshold to be informed and entertained. To all who have come and made the BOOM what it is today, we say, “Thank You,” for your continued patronage.

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BOOM Salad mascots version 2.

It is with our readers in mind that we present our newest BOOM mascots: “String Bean, Pinto, Grenade!” Like the multivarious legume, visitors of the BOOM are as diverse in their individual tastes as they are powerfully compatible when blended together. Which leads to the third, and perhaps, most important, motivation underlying our efforts: to prove that the worldwide community of gamers is a sterling example of how it is possible to co-exist peacefully and amicably despite differences in race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, political ideology, and all the other characteristics that make us unique as individuals, and yet unified in our humanity.

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Introducing our latest mascots: String Bean, Pinto, Grenade!

In this turbulent and polarizing time of economic disparity, political upheaval, violence and fear, the world of video gaming stands apart as an oasis of harmony and cooperation, in spite of those that would see humankind fragmented, divided, and mistrustful of one another. And while it may not be a perfect unifying force, no one can deny the power of gaming to join people together, to make allies out of former enemies, and friends of those who were once strangers.

Thus, it is with a sense of pride and hope that we bring to you our twelfth issue, signifying our twelfth attempt to participate in the global society of gamers who’s only ambition is to have fun and play games with whomever wants to join the party. Once again, to all of our readers, we say, “thank you,” for allowing the BOOM to be a part of that effort.

In recognition of our twelfth issue of the BOOM, we will be adding more content before the month is done, including, Part II of our consideration of the technological implications of Virtual Reality. Until then, KEEP ON GAMING!

-BOOM

BOOM Salad: "Where Smart People Go BOOM!"
BOOM Salad: “Where Smart People Go BOOM!”

Editors Note: Another Historical Moment for the BOOM!

Mainland China
Mainland China

Editor’s Note: The article below represents another historical milestone for the BOOM for numerous reasons. Over the past few months, we have noticed, in our traffic results, a sharp increase in visitors from China, and the Orient in general. While we anticipated a Japanese appreciation for our work, and have translated articles into their language, we did not expect the remarkable response from our video gaming sisters and brothers from the motherlands of China and Vietnam. You are, both, most welcome to the BOOM.

In honor of their extraordinary participation, we have decided to translate some of our future articles into other languages of the East. Our first, is a translation, into Mandarin Chinese, of our most popular series to-date: “The Panopticon in My Bedroom: Parts I & 2.” It is our way of saying “Thank You” for coming to the BOOM, and allowing us to inform and entertain you.

Vietnam
Vietnam

-BOOM

Mandarin Translation of the above:

编辑前言:在过去的几个月中,BOOM惊喜地发现网站中来自中国和其他远东地区的访问量激增。因为我们认为日本玩家会对我们的内容感兴趣,所以我们过去将文章翻译成日文。然而,我们并没有料到会有大量来自中国和越南的玩家来访BOOM。我代表BOOM欢迎你们加入这个大家庭。这是BOOM发展史上的一座重要的里程碑。
为此,我们决定将未来发表的一系列文章翻译成简体中文。第一篇中文文章是我们至今为止发表的最受欢迎的文章:《私人卧室中的环形监狱》。这是我们用来欢迎和感谢中国大陆玩家来访BOOM的方式。
-BOOM

BOOM Salad Thanks King-Dylan666: The Paganini of the First-Person-Shooter.

The KING lives!
Long Live the KING!

At the end of last fall, BOOM Salad entered into an historic agreement to become the first to sponsor the Battlefield 4 player known as KING-DYLAN666.[1] Since that time, we have been honored to reveal to the world, via this website, his near inhuman playing skills on the battlefield. Time and again, in video after video (see below), the KING has demonstrated conclusively that he is one of the best in the business. He is a machine, a true 21st century gaming freak of nature, and yet, some in the online gaming world have sought to undermine his place amongst the elite, by criticizing the amount of time the KING has played the game for which he has become well-known.

KING-DYLAN666 & the DdFA CLAN.
KING-DYLAN666 & the DdFA CLAN.

According to his Battlelog profile, KING-DYLAN666 has spent a total of 9,320 hours playing Battlefield 4 (PS3 and PS4 combined). If one assumes he began playing on the date of the game’s release in 2013, that would mean he has played, on average, more than 10 hours a day, for nearly two and a half years!

But I know what some of you are thinking, because, for the past six months, we’ve heard it all:

“What a loser!”

“Damn Daniel! That man needs to get a life!”

“I bet he’s a virgin.”

Naturally it is hard for some to fathom the kind of dedication that the KING has put into an activity that continues to be miscategorized by society as a form of casual entertainment. By this I mean that the criticisms leveled at KING-DYLAN for the amount of time he has spent perfecting his skill, reveal an outdated view of video gaming that fails to recognize its increasing complexity as a practice. Moreover, such statements also demonstrate a disappreciation of the physical ability required to achieve the level of dominance exhibited by the KING.

2016 – The Year of the BOOM.

BS-ANN-HNY-1Greetings friends and readers, and welcome to the sweet sixteen of the second millennium of our common era. Before we say, adieu to 2015, I’d like to take a moment to recognize some of the more significant events that made last year truly epic for video gamers, and video gaming in general.

First and foremost, BOOM Salad was born! As “humanity’s first Intellectual Gamer’s Monthly (IGM),” our success has proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that video-gaming is no longer simply a child’s diversion, but rather, a cultural idiom that is being developed and maintained by a global multiplicity of ages, genders, ethnicities, races and religions. It is a realm that includes serious thinkers who share a common interest in a highly complex aspect of media that, like cinema and TV, has transcended its humble origins to become an important and telling reflection of our post-modern society and culture.

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Glimpse of good things to come.

Second, 2015 demonstrated, once and for all, that the console IS NOT DEAD! Far…far from it haters! If anything, 2015 revealed that the video game console has evolved well beyond its original, single-purpose functionality to emerge as the first comprehensive and, possibly, most relevant media and entertainment delivery device of the 21st century. Therefore, the BOOM calls for the establishment of a new category for these appliances that we feel more accurately represents their ever-expanding role in the household media and entertainment ecosystem. From this point forward, we will refer to them as, “video media consoles.”

 Finally, 2015 delivered to the gaming world some of the first real glimpses of how its favorite franchises, and newcomers, plan to exploit the advanced technological features of the new video media platforms. Games like Fallout 4, Bloodborne, Batman: Arkham Knight, Rocket League, (and many others), gave us all an opportunity to see the future of console gaming and my friends, the future looks AWESOME!

Thus, we say “goodbye” to 2015 with both appreciation and anticipation as we look forward to what we expect will be another watershed year for video gaming and the video gaming community in general. For this reason, we have declared 2016 to be “the Year of the BOOM!” And BOOM it will be, (at least if we have anything to say about it).

So get ready for another year of BOOMalicious content including a brand new three-part series beginning in February’s issue (release date 2/8/16) in which we will analyze and discuss the rapidly evolving role of the video media console as the preeminent media and entertainment delivery apparatus of the new century. In addition, we will be hosting numerous live events on our PS4/BF4 servers throughout the year, including our first, ever, wait for it…EOD BOT ‘ONLY’ BATTLE!

EOD BOT - 1
Yep…nothing but BOT’s and RUSH…

Once again, we say “welcome” to 2016, the Year of the BOOM!

BOOM Salad Logo

An Important Message from the BOOM!

 

Figure 4: "Researchers," took the game out of "video games."
The Uncanny Violence of Video Games, Part IIa and IIb.

Since the release of our last issue, and more specifically, Part IIa and IIb of our feature series, “The Uncanny Violence of Video Games,” several things have occurred to cause us to postpone the third and final article in the series. The first thing that happened was that we broke all of our previous traffic records. Daily views, unique daily visits, number of total views, all of these and more, were completely smashed. Because of this overwhelming response, we decided to have both IIa and IIb translated into Japanese, (see articles below).

We did this for numerous reasons but most importantly, as our mission states, we endeavor to be international in our focus and scope. Japan represents one of the largest populations of gamers in the world, and a huge Battlefield 4 fan base. In other words, how could we not?

The third thing that occurred has formed the basis of the article that follows. This past month, we had a chance to sit down and chat with Dr. Atilla Ceranoglu (click here for more information on Dr. Ceranoglu’s work and practice), a highly regarded child psychiatrist, who, like BOOM Salad, has publicly challenged the premise and underlying theories that formulate the anti-violent video game argument.

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Dr. Atilla Ceranoglu.

As a man of science and medicine, Dr. Ceranoglu’s credentials are unimpeachable, thus we felt it was important that our readers have an opportunity to read what he had to say.

For these reasons and others, we decided to push the release of Part III of The Uncanny Violence of Video Games, and instead, use it as the feature article in our historic SIXTH ISSUE of the BOOM, (which we can now confirm will be released on October 31, 2015).

We would like to thank Dr. Ceranoglu for his valuable time and contributions to the BOOM, as well as, our growing body of readers, for their interest and support of our work. All we do, we do for our readers. – BOOM.

 

PS. Those that visit the BOOM will NEVER have to worry about the need of an ad blocker. Never…never…never.

ビデオゲームの不思議な暴力性、パート2b、「ビデオゲームのメタ」

The META of Video Gaming.

ビデオゲームのいわゆる「メタ」とは何か、なぜそれが文化と脳の運動としてビデオゲームに重要なのか?ここで言う「脳の運動」とは、日常生活をうまくこなすために、人の認知機能を必要とする、ルールと報酬ベースの出来事としてのゲーム体験を意味する。この意味では、行動する上で認知機能を必要とするすべてのゲームの種類とジャンルに当てはまるメタの概念を広げることが可能だ。同様に、ビデオゲームのメタは、すべてのゲームのメタの派生物であるとある程度自信を持って言うことができる。

しかし、我々の言うメタとはどういう意味なのか?そして、それが「競争力の高い」脳の運動としてどのようにゲームに関係しているのか?

ビデオゲームの「メタ」の理論は新しいものではないが、脳の知識構造としてその始まりと維持に新たに多くの注目が置かれたと思われる。これらのメタは行動スクリプト(特定の与えられた環境に対しての行動パターン)形成へのインプットとして働く[1]。

「チェス」またはバレーボールのような競技に参加する人のように、彼らはゲームの主目的を達成するために、変化し続ける戦略を反映する知識構造を成長させる[2]。ここで言う「戦略」とは、ゲーム環境でのプレイヤーのさまざまな機能と同様に、ゲーム構造の適応学習も含まれる。そして絶えず変化する戦術的要素によって影響、認識される。

この定義のもとでは、「フラワー(Flower)」などのビデオゲームのメタは、各マップを完成させるのに必要な変化する戦略や作戦と同様のものと考えることができる(下のビデオを参照)。

繰り返しプレイすることにより、ゲームのメタへの情報提供と書換の末、プレイヤーは試行錯誤を経てより上達する。 したがって、メタ効率は、パフォーマンス能力に類似している。言い換えれば、プレイヤーがより上手にゲームの主目的を達成すればするほど、そのパフォーマンスに基づいたメタが効率的になる。このように、パフォーマンス能力とメタ効率は、繰り返しプレイすることやそのゲームの経験に直接関連している。

Figure 1: META of "Flower."
図1:「フラワー(Flower)」のメタ

 

‘Death Dealing From Above’: The DdFA sits down with BOOM Salad to chat about puppies, kittens, and blowing-up virtual people with C4.

The KING lives!
The KING.

Amongst the hundreds of clan names listed in the leaderboards of both Battlelog and BF4Stats, there are few who can strike fear in the hearts of their adversary like the DdFA. The following interview with their leader, KING-DYLAN666 (KD), and members Hard-J (HJ), and FuzzeePickle (FP), was recorded this past May, exclusively for BOOM Salad.

BOOM: Greetings and welcome to the first of our BOOM Salad interviews, where every month, we will feature a player or clan that we feel is important to gaming and the gaming community as a whole. Our first interviewees hail all the way from the Great Northwest of Canada.

Their leader, who goes by the enigmatic tag KING-DYLAN666, is ranked in the top 1% in 13 of the 22 categories listed on the website BF4Stats, and in the top 5% in all categories (see Part I of “The Panopticon in My Bedroom” for more info on the KING). On Battlelog, he is currently at the top of the list in total number of Kills and Time Played, and ranks second in total ScoreIn fact, in all of the leaderboards, he ranks high in Division 1.

BF4Stats Profile of KING-DYLAN666.
BF4Stats Profile of KING-DYLAN666.

BOOM: KING, it is an honor and a privilege to have you as our premier guest, how are you doing?

KD: Yeah, I’m pretty good. How are you tonight?

BOOM: Great KING, thank you. Also with us are the KING’s second in command, Hard-J, how are you sir?

HJ: Hello, I’m good, how are you doin?

BOOM: I’m doing well thank you. Last but not least we have one of the female members of DdFA, the talented and equally dominating FuzzeePickle, is it ok if I call you “FUZZEE”?

FP: “Yeah, that’s fine. Everybody does.”

BOOM: Excellent. Thank you FUZZEE, welcome to all of you, and a big welcome to all of our readers.

Continue reading ‘Death Dealing From Above’: The DdFA sits down with BOOM Salad to chat about puppies, kittens, and blowing-up virtual people with C4.