My fourth semester of college starts up next week. I'm super excited because of the classes I'll be taking, but I'm also extremely nervous...again, because of the classes I'll be taking. Here are the classes I'll be taking next semester:
Computer Science II - this I assume is a course that builds off the fundamentals taught in the previous course, Computer Science I. When I took CS I, I learned a lot about Python, but I'm pretty sure I'll be learning Java in CS II.
Spanish for Beginners I - it says it right in the name, Spanish. The last time I took a Spanish course was in middle school, because my high school didn't offer it (now that I think about it, my high school had a high percentage of people that spoke Spanish already, so I guess there would be no real reason to offer it). I remember my middle school Spanish class being really easy and I was good at it, so I'm not as worried about it as I am for my other classes. Plus, my mom happens to speak Spanish, so I can ask her for help if I need it.
Game Narrative Design - this course I assume will be about designing characters and storylines for video games. The professor for this course is the same professor I had for my Transatlantic Literature course last semester, so I already know him somewhat. I'm interested in narrative design for games (and music, but that's unrelated), so I'm particularly excited for this course.
Game Level Design - this course says it in the name, designing levels. A friend of mine who goes to my college took this course last semester and said it was a lot of fun, so I'm also excited for this one.
Game Design Workshop - I'm not exactly sure what this course is, but from the course list it says that it involves playtesting and balancing games, which is something I enjoy doing, so this should be pretty fun. It's also one of those things I would rather do in person, though.
For those who don't know, I'm a game design major (I'm not saying where, of course. I want to protect my privacy online), but because of all this Covid stuff, I'll be taking this coming semester from home. That's probably a good thing though; not only will it help protect me from a bunch of reckless college students, it gives me more time to spend with my family/loved ones. And game design is one of those things that can be done remotely, so I'm not missing much by staying at home.
I've also started making music mashups. I originally got inspired to do it after listening to a friend's mashup album, which I'll link here. It was one of those things that I had wanted to do for a while, but never got around to it, but I randomly started doing it the other day, and it's a lot of fun. Believe it or not, making a mashup isn't as easy as slapping two songs on Audacity and then calling it a day. You have to find a few songs that work together, sync tempo and pitch, and all that fun stuff. It's harder than some people make it out to be. So far, I have three in the works, all of which need a bit of fine-tuning before I consider them complete, but I plan on releasing a whole album full of them sometime in the future. I'll probably upload that to Soundcloud or Bandcamp or something, and then link that here once I'm finished. Not to be cocky, but people have told me that I have a really good taste in music, so I'm excited to see what I can put out. I love music, and music has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember, so I think this will be an interesting new hobby for me.
In other, more exciting news, I pretty much have a job now! I applied for a bunch of positions near where I live, got a few interviews, and a local grocery store decided to take the next step and give me a second interview. There, they gave me some paperwork, and told me that once they confirmed that paperwork, then they'd send me an email and let me know when I'd be starting! Honestly, I'm excited for this job, but what I'm even more excited about is making money. 
Anyways, that's pretty much it. I'm excited to see where the future takes me, and hopefully everyone here has a good future too!
Unrelated, but I think this is the longest blog post I've made so far. I guess despite everything, I've had a lot to talk about. 
~David
  
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That's so awesome that you're all-in on game design! I'm a programmer myself, so naturally I fanboy a little when I read about someone else who is taking CS courses.
I actually learned Java during my CS101 course. I think (my recollection is somewhat hazy, the material is blending together) I learned C++ for my algorithms and data structures class, and then C when I took a class on operating systems. Not sure if you'll end up taking an operating systems class as a game design major, but you'll probably take (or already have taken) a class on algorithms and data structures. I think Java or C++ are the two most common languages for that sort of material.
By my senior/5th year of college (I opted to stay another year to take some more higher level classes on language design) we were already figuring that Python would rotate in and replace Java for introductory CS classes. I have a few other friends that are beginning CS majors, and they've described something similar as well.
Python as a first language makes sense from both a teaching and learning perspective. The code has less boilerplate, students don't have to worry about bookkeeping like cleaning up memory, and its dynamic typing makes it easier to just get in there in program. As a student, I'm sure it's nice to know that you're learning a language that has immediate "real world applicability". Especially as a game design major!
Not to say that learning Java will go to waste. Most of the game design majors in my flock of graduates got started with C#, and I think the syntax and semantics of Java are comfortingly similar.
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And congrats on the job! Stay safe - hopefully your new position isn't too stressful, what with Covid lurking around every corner.
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Hi David,
I was glad to see that you have returned to your blog. You’re right, it’s been a while since you’ve made an entry. I really missed it! Here are some comments, though I’m not familiar with all the technical language you use in describing your courses:
On Spanish for Beginners: I’m so glad you are taking Spanish, for obvious personal reasons; but that’s not all. It’s a global language and the dominant language in the Western Hemisphere. South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico (which is actually part of North America) have a much larger population than the rest of North America (U.S. and Canada). So it’s a very useful language to be facile in. Bilingual professionals will be in great demand in the future; and now especially since the U.S. appears to have rejected the isolationist politics of Mr. Trump.
As you know I was raised by deaf parents so they didn’t “speak” Spanish (or English for that matter), but were familiar with both indirectly. So I didn’t really learn Spanish until later in life. I say this to emphasize that you can pick it up (again) without too much difficulty. It’s a beautiful language with an impressive culture and literature. Once you learn the basics of grammar and vocabulary, you should try to read as much as possible in Spanish. There are great characters like Lazaro de Tormes, who was a real funny, wise-guy kid, a trickster, back in the day in Spain. Another great character is El Cid; movies have been made about him.
But the greatest of all is Don Quijote, who is one of the people I live my life by. I won’t say any more about him other than that the book on him has sold more than any other book except the Bible. He was created by Cervantes, one of the great writers of all time. He lived about the time Columbus “discovered” America. What Shakespeare is to the English language, Cervantes is to the Spanish language. Make it a life’s goal to read Don Quijote. I’ve read him three times in my life. It’s ok to read him in English, it’s a great experience! But Spanish is even better to get the full flavor.
On Game Narrative Design: I found this interesting. If it’s about developing a plot and story, that is fascinating. There’s nothing like making a story to entice readers (viewers, in your case). Do you remember we had some conversations about myths? You said you were interested in them; me too. Game of Thrones, The Matrix, Harry Potter, Watership Down: these are all myths. A lot of people believe even the Bible (especially Genesis; not the New Testament) is myth-telling. Myths are so captivating because they relate to the human story in ways that engage us and usually have a moral to them. It takes a lot of imagination to create a good story, a narrative. You are totally free to come up with characters and conflict. But you have to somehow win the viewer’s trust that you are telling something they can relate to.
In a way Don Quijote is a myth. So are The Illiad and the Odyssey. I’ve been reading lately about Native American myths; there’s so much to learn, and it’s so much fun. Good luck with this course!
On remote learning: It’s not the best way to experience college, but you’re right that it’s the best way to deal with the Covid situation in this moment. I have my fingers crossed that by the fall things will return to normal. Let’s hope for the best! In the meantime make the best of the reality. Learn as much as you can, give it all the best effort. So don’t waste too much time on frivolous activity.
On making mashups: I’m afraid I’m out of touch with this new method for enjoying music. I’ll have to get more acquainted with this. Your cousin Omar is into editing and posting short videos on UTube. He likes to incorporate music into the videos as background. He may know something about this. In any case, like you, I’m a music lover. One day we should have a long talk comparing our musical tastes. Even between two people far apart in years (in our case, more than half a century!) I‘ll bet there’s some common ground. I look forward to listening to you complete album when you issue it.
Finally, congrats on getting the new job (I heard it did officially come through for you after your blog was written). Yes, it’s good to make money for yourself. Try to save some $$, however little the sum, out of each paycheck. It’s a vital habit to develop as you move forward.
Well, that’s it for now. Hope I haven’t gone on too long with these comments. I miss you very much, as I miss your whole family.
Love, Abu
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EPT
