My Science School

Balloons Away

As the title suggests, all you will need for this game is a balloon, or two, just in case. Other materials you would require are a paper and a pen. You can play the game with as many or as little people as you like.

Prep work:

Inflate two or more balloons before you start the game and keep the pen and paper handy. Clear out the living room or the room you are going to play the game in so that the balloon doesn't burst. Finally, draw a line or keep an object at one end of the room. This will be the start line.

Game rules:

Draw the lots and decide on the player order. Assign one player as referee. Player one takes the balloon and stands behind the start line. When the referee signals, player one throws the balloon as far as possible with one hand. The place where the balloon first touches the ground is marked and made a note of by the referee and other players. Let the remaining players take turns to do the same. Finally, the player whose balloon travelled the farthest wins a point.

You can play as many rounds as you like. As a thumb rule, ensure that everyone uses the same balloon and the same hand in a round. You can alternate hands for different rounds. You can also modify the game to count the last bounce of the balloon as the final spot instead of the first bounce.

What I feel about you

This game brings you closer to your friends and family. It is best played with as many people as possible. All you would require for the game is a book or two, and plenty of tissues or handkerchiefs to wipe away those tears of happiness and joy.

Prep work

Call up your friends or family members and meet up at a place or set up a video call for a particular date and time. If you are meeting up, one book is enough. If it is a video call, each person must have a book with him or her. Next, write down the names of the participants in chits and keep them with you.

Game rules:

The rules are simple. Sit together forming a circle, or gather up at the online call Decide on who goes first.

If it is a physical meet-up, player one picks up a chit if online, the host can pick a chit for the player and announce it to the group. Player one then opens any page on the book and makes a note of the last word on the page. Player one has to either use this word to describe the player mentioned in the chit or use it in his speech about the player. Players can say something funny, share a memory or just mention their feelings. There's no bar on who says what as long as it is positive.

Similarly, all the players take their turns, opening different pages. If you have time, you could ensure that each person has something to say about all the others in the group.

Picture Credit : Google

There was once a time when computer and video games were synonymous with Super Mario, Claw, Dangerous Dave, and Pinball. Today, they are synonymous with Grand Theft Auto, PubG and Fortnite. As technology has evolved, games too have evolved. They are more life-like now, with brilliant graphics and virtual or augmented reality to enhance the experience. But with this evolution, there has also been a change in the content of the games. They are far more violent, and the ability to communicate with other players in real-time only makes it more dangerous.

Over the years, violence in video games has been called out by activists and parents. Many claim it has an impact on the behaviour of teens, making them violent. However, the American Psychological Association states that there is little to no evidence connecting violence in children to video games, though there is definitely an increase in aggression due to playing violent video games.

The same is the case with movies as well. From homicides to bloodshed to graphic scenes, many films today are filled with violence and are passed with a PG certificate. However, with OTT platforms, children in their pre teens and early teens also have access to such movies.

Multiple studies over the years have shown that there is a link to exposure to violence in movies and violent behaviour among youngsters. In American youth aged 15 to 34 years, two of the top three causes of death are homicide and suicide, and many of these deaths involve firearms. It is said gun violence will lead to more deaths than cancer, pneumonia, influenza, asthma, HIV/AIDS combined.

Thus, if you have access to OTT, check the censor rating and adhere to it before you decide watch a movie.

Picture Credit : Google

The word karate means 'empty hands', fighting without weapons. Karate is a fast dangerous fighting sport using punches, kicks and throws. Originally from China, karate has been developed in Japan where the first school (dojo) was set up in 1924. Karate can be used for self-defence or attack.

In sporting karate and sparring (kumite) in training, blows and kicks are stopped short, preferably within an inch of contact. Sporting matches commonly last about three minutes, to a decision, if neither contestant has scored a clean “killing” point in the estimation of the judges. Contests of form (kata) are also held, in which single competitors perform predetermined series of movements simulating defense and counterattack against several opponents. Performances are scored by a panel of judges, as in gymnastics.

Karate evolved in East Asia over a period of centuries, becoming systematized in Okinawa in the 17th century, probably by people forbidden to carry weapons. It was imported into Japan in the 1920s. Several schools and systems developed, each favouring somewhat different techniques and training methods. Karate, like other Asian martial-arts disciplines, stresses mental attitude, rituals of courtesy, costumes, and a complex ranking system (by colour of belt). There is some overlapping of technique with other fighting styles.

Credit : Britannica 

Picture Credit : Google

Judo was probably developed by Chinese Buddhist monks to defend themselves without hurting their attacker. By using holds, throws and falls the attacker's size can be used against them.

There are no punches or kicks used in judo, it is mainly used for self defence.

Men’s judo competitions were first included at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964 and were held regularly from 1972. World judo championships for women began in 1980, and women’s Olympic competition began in 1992. Japan, Korea, France, Germany, and Great Britain have consistently fielded the strongest teams in the Olympics, as did the Soviet Union during its existence.

Judo’s direction has changed since its inception. Kan? designed judo to be a safe, cooperative method of physical education. J?d?ka spend a great amount of time learning to fall safely. Even in randori, the person performing the throw (the tori) helps the person receiving (the uke) to the ground by holding onto his arm and guiding him to a safe fall. By contrast, in Western wrestling one does not help an opponent to fall, and coaches spend little if any time teaching their wrestlers how to fall safely. As judo competitions became more popular, however, j?d?ka began to exhibit the competitive spirit more usually found in Western wrestlers; they began concentrating on judo as a sport rather than as a drill or a way of life. The inclusion of judo in the Olympic Games marked the turning point in this transformation.

This competitive spirit can be seen in the change in the attitude of many j?d?ka in regard to scoring. Only clean throws demonstrating superior timing and a knowledge of body mechanics were rewarded with a score in the pre-Olympic period. Currently in judo, the scoring system awards an ippon (“one point”) for a conclusive technique that wins a match by its successful execution, a waza-ari (half point), and minor points (called yuko). In a major shift from traditional judo, in a modern match a j?d?ka will often play conservatively and work for a win based only on partial scores from minor points, rather than risking all in the attempt for an ippon. This shift to competitive judo has been aided by the success of European and Russian j?d?ka, influenced by their strong wrestling traditions and in particular the Russian development of sambo (which was itself based upon judo).

Credit : Britannica 

Picture Credit : Google

Mobile Premier League (MPL) has become India's second gaming unicorn after Dream11 in 2019, raising funds at a $2.3 billion valuation (the term 'unicorn' refers to any startup that reaches the valuation of $1 billion, laying emphasis on the rarity of such start ups). The Bangalore-based start-up connects game publishers with players on its app. Users in India, Indonesia and the U.S. can access dozens of free titles - ranging from sudoku, speed chess and puzzles to shooting, fantasy and strategy games and participate in gaming contests and prize money tournaments. India is one the world's largest markets for game downloads with 840 million installs in June 2021, and the country has 400 million gamers. "Gaming is the only entertainment content where language is no barrier," says MPL founder Sai Srinivas Kiran. "Young India will make gaming so mainstream that one day soon gaming could become more popular than watching movies," he adds.

Picture Credit  Google

This one is for all the gamers. I love playing FIFA in my free time. I have mini tournaments at my home with my friends regularly. While observing my friends compete against each other, it strikes me, wouldn't it be cool to do this as your career? As it gets paid to play games or to make them! And guess what? IT IS A CAREER!

The past year has seen a boom in the gaming scene. PUBG, Fortnite, FIFA, Online chess, Counter strike, Fortnite, etc., have all seen a tremendous increase in the number of players. Yes, we can get the cause down to the lockdown but the e-gaming scene has been developing all around the world for many years now.

There are 5 major gaming networks in India now as well:

1. ESL India Premiership: For games such as Brawl Stars, Counter Strike, Dota-2, FIFA, League of Legends, Mortal Kombat, etc.

2. NGS Championships: NGS organizes tournaments and is a one-stop platform for all gamers to practise, compete, and win attractive cash prizes. Some of the top games for tournaments are: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Need for Speed, PUBG, FIFA, and many more.

3. PUBG Mobile India: PUBG Mobile India organizes events and tournaments in India for extremely competitive and pro-PUBG players. The winning teams get massive cash prizes up to 50,00,000.

4. U Cypher: U Cypher is an ESports franchise which has multiple platforms for multi-gaming eSports championships. It organizes tournaments and championship battles for games such as Counter Strike GO, Tekken 7, DOTA 2, etc. with prize money ranging from anywhere between 15 lakh to 251 lakh.

5. Ultimate Battle: It organizes multiplayer mobile, console, and PC video game tournaments online. It also offers amazing cash prizes for games such as PUBG, Call of Duty, FIFA, DOTA 2, CS: GO, and many others.

Apart from this, you could also be a gaming influencer by showcasing your gaming skills in any game you like on the platform Twitch. So as you can see there is a big scope for gamers in India. Looking at the success of the above-mentioned platforms, many new platforms could come up in the near future. Thus the gaming scene isn't going anywhere.

Let's go deeper. What about those who don't just want to play the games but also make them? Well, good question. The idea of a game brings together multiple individuals who help in the development of the game. There are so many elements involved in making a gaming experience meaningful and exciting. Here are a few of the careers involved in the making of the complete game.

1. Video Game Artist: A video gamer artist designer creates the whole outlook of the game right from the beginning to the end. They design the gameplay, the elements of the game like the look of the screen and the characters in the game, and most importantly decide the format of the game; i.e., whether it's a story or a competitive game. To be a video game artist you could go for a B. Tech. in Software Engineering or Bachelor's in Computer Applications. You also need a Bachelor's degree in Animation or a simple diploma in Animation..

2. Animation: The animation professional helps the designer in bringing the initial elements of the game together. You will have to take course on animation from any computer agency near you, or you could take up a proper Bachelor's in Animation from any university that offers it.

3. Video Game Programmer: After the idea and the design of the game is ready, the programmer develops the game as a whole using coding. The programmer has one of the most important roles in the development of the game. You may have noticed certain glitches while playing a game. These issues normally come down to the programmer. The better the programmer the lower the number of glitches. To be a game programmer you could go for B.Tech. in Software Engineering or a Bachelor's in Computer Applications.

4. Sound Engineer: Once the video elements are set, the audio elements need to be taken care of. That's where the sound engineer comes in. The sound engineer is the one who records the voices for the characters in the game and also the sounds for all the actions in the game. Think about it, if you mute the games you play, would you enjoy it? I don't think I would. All you need to have a career in this field is a Bachelor's in Sound Engineering and Sound Editing. There are diploma courses in the same as well.

Gaming ranks right up there amongst the new and upcoming careers not only in India but also all over the world. While the career of the gamer might not be that different from that of a sportsman, Le, it may depend on the capability of the gamer, the career of a game creator comes down to your interest in software development, engineering and animation. While choosing either of these options, please understand where your interest areas and your capabilities lie. So what are you waiting for? Get gaming!

Credit : Darryl D’Souza (The Teenager Today)

Picture Credit : Google