Summary: My Six Story Of Belonging

Research over the past decade at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Institute for the Future has shown that games consistently provide us with the four ingredients that make for a happy and meaningful life: satisfying work, real hope for success, strong social connections and the chance to become a part of something bigger than ourselves (Mcgonigal 396).

What is identity? The definition as a person’s own sense of whom they are, which their past define them. Identity is very important in our society, no matter your social status. I can attach identity to belonging to something or place. As human race, we feel the need to belong to a group or place. Because belonging to a group or place, give us the sense of identity.

Where I come from it's taking pride in your yard, knowing every single one of your neighbors, and leaving doors unlocked because there isn’t a thing to worry about. I find comfort in that small town feel, and I am more than proud to be from good ol’ Warrenton, Indiana. Here, we are just a wee bit shy of being big enough to be on a map, but we have a name and we have town lines. Within those lines nearly two hundred people have found a home, and thanks to Mr.Dave Gruible our community is steadily flourishing. There are now three subdivisions on the rise in addition to the church, salon, family restaurant, and campgrounds that nestled into the area years ago.

I woke up on a warm sunny Saturday morning and went down stairs and called my friend Joey Gliech and said “Today is the day!”

When I think about my red house, a free and easy feeling rushes over. Worries consisted of macaroni being too hot, swinging too high, and Dora, my first dog, pooping in my room. With bookshelves filled with stuffed animals and countless Pooh Bear toys, I was always content. The playground in my backyard provided days of fun, and nights in my mom and dad’s bed gave me peaceful and comforting sleep, preparing me for the next day of work. The kitchen was where I liked to claim I “worked”. Although I didn’t do a lot of the actual cooking, I liked to be there while my mom was. A love for cooking and baking developed at a young age, around the same time I realized I wanted to be just like my mom. The song “Best Day” by Taylor Swift perfectly describes

An outsider is someone that doesn’t belong in a particular organization or group, the orphan boy and the elk dog is a story that talks about an outsider boy that’s rejected by everyone around him because of his disabilities and difference between him and everyone around him. My personal experience about being an outsider happened 4 years ago and it was a very tough experience that I hope I’d never go through again.

“c(or getting better at) and enjoy. In other words, gameplay is the direct emotional opposite of depression.” Says Jane Mcgonigal, an American game designer and Author. Kids and Adults of all ages enjoy and play video games because they can be helpful in many different ways. For example, they can teach life lessons, motivate children to read, and help train the brain so it can think fast and strong.

This was an odd feeling. It feels good. Sitting around the table with Molly and David, eating our bowls of chili, makes me feel normal. It feels almost as if I wasn’t the son of a killer, the bad seed, or an abomination to this small town. I relish in the warmth of the laughter and sense of belonging. If only it could stay like this. For a short period of time the voices in my head are calm. They aren’t shouting about all of my flaws or telling me to end it. No one knows about the voices that I hear, only them and myself. As I sit in my chair watching I realize how found I have become of the two people sitting before me. Neither of them had any reason to associate with me, why would they? They could have treated me like the voices in my head

My ability to turn adversity into triumph is the single greatest strength I possess. This is shown through the hardships I dealt with my Junior year of high school.

One tip from the book that I would very much like to implement into my own life is "create time together." While I believe all of the lessons and tips from the book are very interesting and have a lot of validity, this lesson made sense to me right away. There are many other tips in the book that I believe go along with this one, such as 'make a date,' 'identify your inner circle,' 'get closer,' and many others. Humans are social beings, and throughout the book we are told repeatedly how much of an impact having a close group of friends, a close family, and an overall close community is beneficial. The idea that creating a feeling of belonging impacts your lifespan in such a way makes sense to me, as it certainly can be a way of creating emotional and mental well being.

Another god reason is it can allow you to bond with people. Either way video games or real life games. You learn about each

In the first focus group some participants reported that they played cognitive games to keep their brains active but they did not play classes of games for other health benefits. A theme that emerged was the importance of social interaction as participants felt that loneliness and isolation were a risk factor with age. Participants were positive about gamification concepts such as rewards for completing stages within games.

A place that I often go and feel like I belong, is my cottage in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. My family travels to the cottage at least once a summer. Before entering the house, you are greeted by a nice yard and shed. The grass is greener than a Saint Patrick’s Day parade. There is a cobble stone pathway guiding one to an outdoor rocking table. When taking a step into the shed, a musty scent over takes your sense of smell. To some, this smell is not a good one, but to me and my family, it is the smell of the shed. The shed is full of outdoor activities, such as croquet, corn hole, mini golf and more. My siblings and I are able to enjoy time with each other, as we play games together out in the yard. Our bikes are tucked away into the shed, waiting for us to ride them. Beach chairs, umbrellas, and sand toys are all stored on a shelf attached to the ceiling. Next to the shed there is an outdoor shower, where we fill our water guns and water balloons before a water gun fight.

There are different parts of my identity that I feel make me a disadvantaged applicant. I am a Hispanic female, an immigrant, and a child of a low-income single mother home. I was blessed to grow up with a hard-working mother that taught me the value of hard work. But growing up at the intersectionality of these identities meant that my mother did not fully understand the value of education and did not have the resources to supplement my education. I did not grow up with tutors, extra help books, or prep classes. Beyond that, when I reached college these identities still affected and limited the way I navigated college. Even at a top liberal arts college, I faced moments of discrimination. A poignant moment that stays with me is when the director

I also like to use this game as a communication with another people. Game made me and my friends known how to forgive, lose or win. There’re make my relationship and my friends getting better. Such as some game that teams will be divided in different parties. There make us known each other in any communication