WIN TICKETS with Desktop Tower Defense!

This strategy game is one of my all-time favourites - for many reasons...they're all listed here in my little article below. I challenge you to beat my high score. But don't worry if you don't. The highest score (regardless of whether it beats mine) will win a full Family set of tickets to the Family Dance Party on May 31st at the Gladstone Ballroom - Click Here for that information.

Here is an example of how the game is played:


This guy is much better than I am (but still not the best) - I still juggle and I haven't yet reached this score.

Click HERE for the written instructions.

Click HERE to see the scoreboard.

It's called: The CircleSing! Challenge
(you have to be careful to type it EXACTLY as it is here or you won't find it.)

Also important: I still play version 1.5 MEDIUM (I do play to relax, after all) - if you play HARD, you won't find the scoreboard either. The PRO version is still very new and I haven't had a chance to check it out yet (Video game designers are constantly improving themselves at an alarming rate!)

Once you've finished the game (the whole thing lasts about 5 minutes), it will ask you to add your name to the High Scores. Choose a name and enter it. (You don't have to enter every score! Feel free to practice first:)

A page will open asking you to Add Score to Group. THIS is where you enter: The CircleSing! Challenge. Again - make sure to type that EXACTLY the same as it appears here. (no period)

Up there now is my score (jennielea!) and my friend's score (AnonymousOne) - just so you know you're in the right place. You can also click on our names to see the maps we used.

THEN: Send me an email at circlesing@sympatico.ca
Include your name, phone number and the name you used on the scoreboard.
This is important so I know for whom I'm saving the winning tickets at the door!
Also - even if you don't win the tickets, a lovely consolation (sur)prize will be waiting for you at the Family Dance Party JUST for having played.

Ready!? GO! : Desktop TD 1.5

The deadline for scoring is Friday May 23rd. I will call the winner on Saturday May 24th.

Why play a video game???

Recently there was a long and involved email chat between parents at Alpha Alternative (where Allegra attends) about video games. People get worried about these things. I can understand that. SO many video games encourage violence, there is the concern that children pull away from the real world in favour of the one on the screen...(I, myself, worry about screen addiction in general), there is a lack of physical involvement (which, I guess, Wii and DDR are trying to solve) and, many are concerned, understandably, with the "dumbing down" of our precious youngsters.

I don't entirely agree with all of these worries. But then, I really like video games - I always have. It's very natural to me - I grew up in a home where the PARENT was obsessed with every new system and game that emerged and started, myself, in the classroom of all places (although the teachers did put limits on it), with Space Invaders. Ha! 'Member that?! And while I feel that the obsession in my childhood home bordered on the unhealthy at times (we NEVER turned off the TV in our house, for instance), I'm also still able to see the merits of video games.

I find video games can be helpful for stress relief, particularly. Sometimes I NEED to get away. It's really hard for me to stop the whirring in my brain, and to step away from gathering the energy of any person sitting near me; to just pull away and rest. And I really need to rest far more often than my mind will allow in this busy world - I found that out the hard way. Eep!

I remember reading somewhere that brain waves are even slower when watching TV than they are when sleeping. Which makes sense to me, because sleeping can cause the mind to try and deal with issues from wake time on an unconscious level...especially if the issues are overwhelming. When watching TV, the mind doesn't have to create scenarios or solve problems or do anything really - just absorb. Video games, IMO, offer a nice balance there. They set up scenarios away from real life but require the mind to actively deal with them.

So, while Yoga is still my number one method of finding calm, video games come a close second - especially when I don't want to pull away for a long period of time but just need a moment or two to sit back and recoup. Or when I need more time but my body is tired from cycling and working. Also, sometimes the whirring gets the better of me and I have difficulty organizing my thoughts (particularly when I'm dealing with UGH! bureaucracy!) and I need something to set my brain straight STAT!

With regards to Allegra - I feel it's important for her to have this time to do what pleases her and also to practice getting up and walking away from it when it's time. I limit the amount of time she's allowed to play (no set limit, it depends on the circumstances of the day) and what she's allowed to play. Sometimes there is violence (in Role Playing Games (RPGs), mostly) - and I see that as an opportunity for us to discuss what is appropriate In Real Life(IRL) and what, clearly, only makes sense in a fantasy world. Also, I'm impressed with the skills she gathers during these games such as problem solving, math, language, strategizing, and the ability to take a failure and turn it into a success.

Video games are generally well-structured with regards to skill development, offering levels of increasing difficulty that make perfect sense. Each level increases the difficulty JUST enough so that boredom doesn't ensue and frustration is limited. Unlike school or other activities, "failures" don't have to be shared with everyone, they can be acknowledged and let go, thereby allowing room for improvement, limiting embarrassment and therefore discouragement. And the significance is ultra-low, it's not real life; there's nothing REAL to lose in failure...and there is ALWAYS another chance. That can make all the difference to a burgeoning self-esteem, right there.