Friday, October 29, 2010

Week 9 Blog: Ender's Game, Chapter 13, 14

Read Ender's Game, Chapters 13 and 14, and respond to these questions:
(Begins Dec 3 - Ends Dec10)

Chapter 13
“They must talk to each other directly, Ender, mind to mind. What one thinks, another can also think; what one remembers, another can also remember. Why would they ever develop language? Why would they ever learn to read and write? How would they know what reading and writing were if they saw them? Or signals? Or numbers? Or anything that we use to communicate? This isn't just a matter of translating from one language to another. They don't have language at all. We used every means we could think of to communicate with them, but they don't even have the machinery to know we're signaling. And maybe they've been trying to think to us, and they can't understand why we don't respond.” (Card, 253)

1) What is the critical issue/concern revealed in this quote? Why is there a war between humans and buggers? What is it that has allowed Ender to beat all his enemies thus far, but is now missing as he considers the menace of the buggers?

Chapter 14


1) In chapter 14, Ender encounters “the most perfect video game he had ever played.” (Card, 258) Describe this game. What importance is graphical quality? What importance is interface control?

2) At what point does the strategy of the simulator become “pleasure” and “play”? What transforms this serious game into serious fun?

3) Who becomes Ender's new teacher? Why does the new teacher refer to himself as the enemy?

4) What do you think is “Ender's Game”, to which the book's title refers?

10 comments:

  1. Josh Halford

    Chapter 13

    1.) The buggers don't speak to each other, only share the same thoughts. There is war because humans have no way of communicating to them. Ender wonders if maybe they didn't know that we were intelligent life. What's missing is his ability to know what his enemy is thinking.

    Chapter 14

    1.) The game learns from Ender's strategies and tactical maneuvers. Everytime he plays it, it adds something new, making it impossible for the game to become stale. Graphic quality is of little importance. Interface is important, allowing Ender to see from his fleet's perspective.

    2.) After Ender masters all the levels.

    3.) Mazer Rackham becomes his new teacher. He refers to himself as the enemy because there is no greater teacher than the enemy. The only way to know the enemy is to study his moves.

    4.) The game is his struggle between following orders and the desire to withdraw and have nothing to do with the war. His way of coping with the insurmountable pressures put on him by the adults is to cheat himself.

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  2. Chapter 13
    1) Buggers don’t talk, they only communicate mind to mind. And humans and buggers don't speak to each other. Humans have no way of communicating to them, so there at war. Ender is missing the ability to know what his enemy is thinking.

    Chapter 14
    1) The game learns from the player and is continually improving the play. The interface is more important than the graphics.

    2) After he has completed all levels.

    3) Mazer Rackham, so the students can learn.

    4) To make the right decisions at a young child’s age.

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  3. David Short

    Chapter 13

    1)The buggers speak to each other through thoughts. Because humans have no way to speak with the buggers. He thinks they possibly don't realize that humans are intelligent. He's missing the ability to know the enemy's tactics.

    Chapter 14

    1)It's a game that is never the same and it never gets old. He doesn't care about the graphic quality. The interface is important; because, Ender can see from his fleet's point of view.

    2)After all the levels have been completed.

    3)Mazer Rackham. Because it's easiest to learn from the enemy.

    4)The game is the decisions Ender has to deal with throughout the story. Weather or not to follow directions, or quit.

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  4. Kevin Lam

    1. The critical issue here being that the buggers dont communicate. It seems as though they just think as one and act upon it. There is a war between the two because of no communication between the two species. So not communicating means that one may be at risk of wanting to kill the other or at least not knowing their intentions. Ender is missing the key element of how he wins all his fights. That being his ability to read his enemy and what they are thinking.

    1. This new perfect game was a simulation of him controlling ships. The controls are more intuitive and he can change the view and angles on things for it. The computer that plays against him is smart and turns his tricks back on him.

    2. Mazer Rackham is his new teacher. He refers to himself as Ender's enemy because thats who you learn from. So For him to be a teacher he is an enemy for Ender to learn from.

    3. The title of the book Enders Game refers to his personal game of his life. Deciding whether to play through and continue taking orders and training or to just give up.

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  5. 1 the main concern is that no matter how hard you try to convey your language to someone who hasnt seen it before that its just going to look like chicken scratch they have no reference as to what any of it means. this is also the reason for war between the humans and the buggers is that there is no way to communicate.

    2) the games AI was learning from all of enders tricks and movements.

    3) whenever he completes a level.

    3) Mazer Rachham. the teacher refers to himself as the enemy because that's who you learn the most from. (off topic but this is also a thought from the dalai lama,"only our enemy can teach us the greatest form of patience and forgiveness")

    4 the title of the book to me refers to the fact that ender is in every game its all about what he does and how he does it.

    4) What do you think is “Ender's Game”, to which the book's title refers?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Buggers dont speak to each other. The communicate by using their minds. The reason the humans and buggers are at war is because they have no way to communicate to each other. What Ender is missing now is the ability to know what his enemy is thinking.

    The game is one that learns from Enders strategies and changes every time to improve gameplay. Graphics are not nearly as important as interface and the game allows Ender to see from the fleets point of view.

    After he completes the levels.

    Mazer Rackham. The best way to be taught to fight the enemy is to learn from the enemy.

    The book refers to Enders life. The game of his life and how he chooses to play it and the decisions he makes.

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  7. The buggers have developed a way to telepathicly communicate with each other. The Humans use a different sense of communicating so the war was basicaly started because there is no way for both species to communicate in order to figure out the others true intentions. Ender must find a way to figure out how to read the enemy's mind.

    A smart game that learns and grows from the influence of the players. The game changes everytime Ender plays it so the grapics arent really important. It allowed Ender to see from the perspective of the fleet.

    After Ender completes the levels.

    Mazer Rackham becomes the new teacher. He believes that in order to defeat the enemy you must first learn from the enemy, thus him calling himself the enemy.

    The book title refers to how life is basically like a game that is constantly changing from your actions, decisions and personality.Only you the player have the ability to mold this game into somthing that is more suited for you.
    In the book Ender is the player and his life is the game.

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  8. Chapter 13
    1) The buggers have no need to communicate verbally, they can communicate telepathically instead. Since there isn't a way for the humans to openly communicate with the buggers war resulted. So, Ender is unable to figure out what the enemy is thinking.

    Chapter 14
    1) The game allows Ender to see from his fleets perspective. After Ender plays the game for a while the game can learn from Ender's moves and strategies. This means Ender has to think of different/new tactics to defeat the game. Because the game is always changing the graphics aren't as important.
    2) After Ender completes the levels in the game.
    3) Mazer Rackham is the new teacher and refers to himself as the enemy because Ender is constantly trying to learn about his enemies tactics and such. The enemy can sometimes be the best teacher.
    4) It refers to Ender's life, his decisions, his lessons, which are all played through games.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 1) The buggers do not need verbal communications, they are part of a hive mind. War is brought out of possible misunderstanding. He can't get into his enemies heads.

    2) The game is a learning A.I. that constantly changes and adds something new. The visuals don't matter, but the interface is crucial.

    3) Mazer Rackham. To study the enemy.

    4) The title refers to Ender's entire life and situation. Life and all of the struggles, balances and decision's present represent a giant orchestrated game for Ender, as well as you and everyone in the real world here. I think this happens because the games themselves are a mimicry of real life, therefore we can draw a comparison to them with real life now that they have become as ingrained in our lives as they have.

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  10. 1)The buggers communicate as one unit; they speak as one and have no need for telecommunication or even speech. One of the theories of what started the war is that the buggers tried to communicate with the humans, and when there was no reply they considered it a declaration of war.
    2)The game interface has been enhanced and now has an AI that allows it to "learn" from Ender and progressively become more difficult.
    3)The game becomes fun when Ender plays with his old classmates; they are able to interact and come up with strategies as if they are playing a game of cops and robbers.
    4)Mazer Rackham. He calls himself the enemy because that is how Ender learns; by studying his enemies.
    5)The title is the game that Ender plays that ends up saving the world. It also refers to the game that his life has become and the game that the adults play in order to control him.

    ReplyDelete