Hotel Rwanda Essay example - 1565 Words

I decided to surf the internet in search of inspiration, and I found it on the mediate.com website. Robert Benjamin’s article â€Å"Hotel Rwanda and the Guerrilla Negotiator† definitely caught my eye†¦particularly since I had checked the DVD out from the library last Friday but hadn’t yet watched it. Benjamin’s article piqued my interest enough to do some additional research on Rwanda, and passion was born. While a colony of Belgium, Rwanda was separated into two tribal groups which many say was based on physical characteristics such as the wideness of the nose: the common Tutsi (majority), and the upper-class Hutu (minority). For many years, the Tutsis were powerful and mistreated the Hutus. In 1962, Rwanda gained its independence from†¦show more content†¦As the UN refugee camp reached overload, Rusesabagina is continually asked to provide sanctuary for more Tutsi refugees. Through continued wheeling, dealing, and manipulation, Rusesabagina is directly responsible for saving the 1,268 lives. He and his wife adopted two surviving nieces and now reside with them and their own three children in Belgium. Benjamin points out that almost every scene in the film showcases the power of negotiation â€Å"as a means of survival even in the face of vile and irrational human behavior†, adding â€Å"there is much to be gleaned from the gritty style of negotiation that is compelled in those circumstances.† Benjamin calls this â€Å"guerrilla negotiation†, adding â€Å"borne out of necessity, not ideology, he or she operates solely by their own wits, earning credibility and trading on their ability to convey a personal sense of authenticity.† Armed with Benjamin’s perspective in my mind, I found it easy to spot the ongoing negotiation he noted†¦and just as easily realized I probably wouldn’t have categorized it as such if I hadn’t read the article first. Clearly, Rusesabagina reads people exceedingly well, recognizes what it will take to get what he wants/needs from them, masterfully communicates what they need to hear, and triumphs. Perhaps the most moving example in the movie is when Rusesabagina is ordered to execute his own family and instead manages to buy their safety.Show MoreRelated Hotel Rwanda Essay607 Words   |  3 PagesHotel Rwanda Some people can’t resist trying to be someone they really aren’t. In the film Hotel Rwanda, the main character changed his own styles just to fit in with the Europeans and think that the Europeans will treat them as if he was a real European. And when times of crisis come along, he finds out that the Europeans have always looked down at them. After that, he understands that what he’s been doing was not himself and he changes. Paul RusesabaginaRead MoreEssay on Rwanda Genocide Compared with Hotel Rwanda2521 Words   |  11 Pagescentral African country of Rwanda. The Hutus and the Tutsis, two ethnic groups within Rwanda, have been at continual unrest for the past half a century. During the 100 day massacre of 1994, a murder occurred every two seconds; resulting in 18% of the Tutsi population being killed. A decade after the war, in 2004, the film Hotel Rwanda was released. The film followed the story of a Hutu man; Paul Rusesabagina as he housed over 1200 Tutsi refugees in his hotel. The Hotel De Milles Collines, a five-starRead MoreMovie Analysis : Hotel Rwanda1519 Words   |  7 PagesThe based on a true story trademark of the film Hotel Rwanda has implications for genocidal memory, post genocidal peace and reconciliation, and the promotion of heroism amid the udder chaos that engulfed the country. The film ultimately illustrates an oversimplified, ideologically driven version of the 1994 mass acre. It emphasizes the role of a Hollywood hero, rather than the deeply rooted and complex factors at the center of the violence, leading to popular opinion of the Hutu population as barbaricRead MoreMovie Report : On The Hotel Rwanda1237 Words   |  5 Pages For my movie report I watched the the film on the Hotel Rwanda (2004), which follows the true-life story of the war in Rwanda between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes. When the Hutu tribe wants redemption from the Tutsi rule which left them in repression by the Belgiums, the Hutu’s create violent militas, war gangs, and set out to murder almost a million people in the length of this awful genocide that the UN restrained from becoming involved in. Once the assassination of the President Habyarimana occursRead MoreMovie Review : Hotel Rwanda2038 Words   |  9 PagesHotel Rwanda is a film that made me cry many times throughout the film. This film most definitely goes to show how cruel many people in this world can be. This fi lm is about the genocide in Rwanda where thousands of Tutsi’s were killed because they were being blamed for everything going wrong in the country. It appears that many people want someone to blame for their own losses and troubles so they will go as far as to attempt to murder a whole group of people. In Hotel Rwanda, the film begins withRead MoreHotel Rwanda By Terry George975 Words   |  4 PagesPossibly the saddest and most tragic event that occurred in the last few decades was the genocide of the Tutsi population in Rwanda by the Hutu led government and Hutu people of the same country. Hotel Rwanda by Terry George is a film adaption of the experiences of a Tutsi hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina who sheltered and kept safe several thousand Hutu refugees during the genocide. This film clearly portrays its major themes such as ethnic conflict, the lack of human rights, and many other socialRead MoreTaking a Look at Hotel Rwanda600 Words   |  2 Pagesreceived from the Tutsis, they did not even initiate themselves to come help the Tutsis. This is viewed as such a bad thing that they did due to them obviously not being all together and apart of the same group because they did not even go to help Rwanda when they claimed that they would be the ones to help keep peace between eve ryone. It took a long time for the UN to actually step in, this is inferred through the movie and the 100 days that the genocide lasted, just think if the UN would of steppedRead MoreDr. Morris s Hotel Rwanda1067 Words   |  5 PagesMorris Video Review Paper Hotel Rwanda The Rwandan genocide occurred in 1994 between the two prevalent ethnic groups in Rwanda, the Hutu and the Tutsi. Hotel Rwanda documents the plight of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, who opens his hotel as a shelter for the Tutsi people during the Rwandan genocide, saving thousands of lives in the processes. Through bribes Rusesabagina was able to keep thousands of Tutsi people from death. Like many other African states, Rwanda was colonized by a EuropeanRead MoreNight and Hotel Rwanda Similarities Essay1009 Words   |  5 PagesNight and Hotel Rwanda Similarities Throughout the course of humanity, we have experienced terrible transgressions in our society. Although they took place sixty-one years apart, similar horrific events from the Holocaust (1933-1945) and the Rwandan Genocide (1994) occurred. In Night, the Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state sponsored persecution and murder of approximately 6 million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. The Nazis believed they were â€Å"racially superior†Read MoreMy Personal Reaction On Hotel Rwanda Essay933 Words   |  4 Pages Hotel Rwanda Introduction In this essay I will write of my personal reaction on the movie Hotel Rwanda. This movie left me with a plethora of mixed emotions. Yet, it taught me many lessons on life and the world. From its historical background to its most recent movie filmed in 2004. Background Information Mille Collines was the main setting of this movie. It was a four-star hotel located in Kigali, Rwanda where Americans, French, and many more tourists would go for a calm oasis. Kigali

Thesis About Call Center Agents - 14127 Words

Chapter I Background of the Study If you are a nurse who recently took the board exam, then you must be one of the many new graduates who are considered to be unemployed. After the long weekend parties, holidays, and vacation trips a month ago, you should have recently wondered hey whats next for me now? Well you are not alone. In fact, many of my review mates in a local review center headed to many local BPO companies here in our city. BPO or business process outsourcing involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of specific business functions (or processes) to a third-party service provider. Employees who work under these companies are referred as call center agents or customer service representatives.†¦show more content†¦All of us agreed that being a Call Center Agent is a good job but a really tough one but convinced that it is not as tough as being a nurse. It gives us member the idea of a job-on-the-spot that can let graduate nurses grab. We also claim that working on a Call Center will let us explore more of the world before settling down as a nurse. All of us agreed that despite of our diversity in opinions and perceptions, we exclude our biases in understanding and knowing the life and experiences of being a Call Center Agent. Experiences Some members experienced being asked or recruited to join but they refused to. They were afraid that it will hinder their studies. One member, has been acquainted to a Call Center Agent and helped to seek job hunters. Another member had a fellow nursing student who after graduating entered and became a Call Center Agent. Considering these, we conduct a group discussion. We brainstormed this topic and unanimously agreed to it to be our research topic.. Strengths We applied other components of therapeutic relationship such as active listening, acceptance, genuine interest and positive regard during interaction process to facilitate cooperation from our participants and obtain the information we needed. We divided the tasks accordingly and all were willing to move beyond ourShow MoreRelatedBusiness Management Improves the Efficiency of an Organization1872 Words   |  7 Pagesfour goals: efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. McDonalds can be seen as an example of a contemporary symbol of relentlessness process of rationalization, where the employee is treated simply as a factor of production. Ritzer’s thesis (1998) states both theoretically and empirically that this constitutes a general process of â€Å"McDonalization’ which extends beyond work into the culture of society. He analysis suggests that there is an inevitable tendency towards the dehumanizationRead MoreAttention Getter : How Many Of You G uys Have Heard Of Edward Snowden?1231 Words   |  5 PagesSnowden? PURPOSE (state specific purpose, relate topic to audience and establish credibility): In the world of today most records can be easily accessed by a home computer. Some believe this has benefits, while others are screaming about invasion of privacy STATE THESIS (Should/ Should not): The Internet has revolutionized the world by innovating the way we access our information, but our private information is been invaded and share without our consent. MAIN POINTS: †¢ As Americans citizens privacyRead MoreEssay on A Progressive Movement1538 Words   |  7 Pagessubject, thereby influencing the historians of the future. The famed historian and teacher Richard Hofstadter wrote The Age of Reform in 1955 about the late 19th century and early 20th century movement of Progressivism. In turn, other historians that include Paula Baker, Richard McCormick, and Peter Filene have written their opinion on what the movement we call Progressivism really was, and what its real significance is, or even if it really existed as a movement in its own right. Richard Hofstadter’sRead MoreTechnology Has An Important Asset Nowadays1090 Words   |  5 PagesPayment Web Portal. It is about time as the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta provides an accessible and complete user-friendly Tax Payment Web Portal. With the increase of intensive internet usage, citizens residing in Jakarta has opened up new possibilities to increase tax services in the name of information Technology. Moreover, with the recent use of Information Technology, real life interactions between customers and employees are limited, thus negative notions about Government employees areRead MoreBusiness Process Outsourcing in the Philippines4014 Words   |  17 Pages(BPO) company hires call center agents in the local area. The nature of their work is taking calls from the clients and providing information to the consumers. It is a high paying job with health insurance and benefits. Some people chose this kind of work even though it has some disadvantages. Call center agents encountered health problems while working in their designated area. A clinic break is a privilege in some Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies. Some call center agents use this clinicRead MoreThe And The Trial Rather Than On Primary Sources1329 Words   |  6 Pagesspecifically credits James O. Hall who perhaps did more than anyone to advance scholarship and research into the conspiracy to kidnap then assassinate President Lincoln. She also states that the research files housed at the James O. Hall Research Center are the core of any historian s investigation into the complex web of John Wilkes Booth s fatal scheme (231). She also thanks Google Books, Making of America, Documenting the American South, the Gutenberg Project, and numerous universities, librariesRead MoreAnimal Testing is the Best Way to Test Products Essay examples1116 Words   |  5 Pages 1. Introduction Thesis Statement: If animal testing were prohibited, then in what way would the effectiveness of a product be verified? A quote by Amanullah Ashraf states that, in order to gain something, we have to lose something . According to this, I will be discussing animal testing. Audience: everybody who thinks animal testing should be prohibited. Purpose: convincing people that animal testing is the best way to test products and its not â€Å"cruel† and â€Å"inhuman† as people say. 2. BodyRead MoreCIA Operational Psychology Essay2562 Words   |  11 Pagesthe National Security Act, our nation’s officials used spies, secret agents, covert action, and the gathering of intelligence during wars. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington drafted Nathan Hale and other spies to help them acquire independence. Benjamin Franklin and John Jay also created secret missions and operations to ensure their success during this war. These missions included secret agents and double agents, sabotage, raids against British troops, secret codes, propaganda andRead MoreCustomer Relationship in Tourism Industry13879 Words   |  56 Pagesdevelopment of society and technology EFO703 Bachelor thesis in Business Administration Business Administration, basic level-300, 15 ESTC-points Supervisor: Angelina Sundstrà ¶m Và ¤sterà ¥s, 2010-06-04 Customer Relationship in Tourism Industry --- A case study of Swedish travel agency Group 2546: Yanfei Yan Jie Yang Abstract Title: Customer Relationship in Tourism Industry – A case study on a Swedish Seminar date: 4th of June, 2010 Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, Basic level 300, 15 ECTSRead More Cultural Differentiation and Moral Orientation: Taking an Interest in History4144 Words   |  17 Pagesthat in some fundamental sense, moral decision making is an individual matter, how does the social context of human life affect morality? In particular what is the significance of the fact that our social structures are constituted over time? The thesis of this paper is that Kants view on the nature of historical-moral progress is an important part of his comprehensive ethical theory. It sets the rational basis for the individuals moral obligation to promote the highest good by providing a moral

Sculpture and Ralph Hicks Free Essays

It’s a cold and overcast day in February and a man sits alone at a park bench, at the Dotted Sculpture Park. He watches as the river splashes aggressively about, caused by the strong wind blowing that day. Perched above him on the top of a hill just a few feet from the road, sits a large-scale sculpture called â€Å"Salutation†, by Ralph Hicks. We will write a custom essay sample on Sculpture and Ralph Hicks or any similar topic only for you Order Now Standing only 6 feet tall, it’s original conception called for the sculpture to have a height 30 feet and be placed at five of the major entry. Pays leading into Toronto. They would have welcomed visitors entering the city, if Toronto had won the bid for he 2008 Summer Olympics. On the first visit to Salutation, the lack of sun casts a shadow on the face as it bends forward and faces down, displaying a feeling of sadness. Shaped from metal and grey in color, the sculpture seems to reflect a feeling of submissiveness on this dark winter day. Its block-like smooth texture contrasts to the nature surrounding it, but offers balance with its simplistic lines and movement. The large size does not intimidate, but rather holds a lonely tone, reflected by the days weather. The use of lock like pieces allows for a childlike appearance and its rounded corners allow the installation to feel friendly. If the structure had contained sharp corners with a combination of grey color and metal exterior, it would have projected hard lines and been unwelcoming. Though it appears Hicks motive for its location was to greet people as they drove by, I have to question that decision. Salutation is not only misunderstood but also neglected by motorists who do not have the ability to interpret the meaning of the piece. Neither did it receive much attention from the pedestrians walking below. The riverside path is located at the bottom of the hill and by observing a few walking bye, they did not look up towards the sculpture once. The visitors attention seemed to be directed at either the river, the other sculptures, the skyline or themselves. Thus placing more emphasis on the loneliness the piece portrays. Another visit to Salutation with the morning sunrise reflecting upon it, did deliver a more cheerful feel. But the loneliness still lingered from the prior visit and now it’s as if it was smiling but still disguising the sadness within, as many go about their days and do. The sculpture with its rhythm of playfulness and kindness, puts a smile on your face if you allowed it to. Salutation has no reference to gender, age or race and in that way it transcends and relates to all. It faces east, as if to greet the morning sun and take on the day. Later as the sun sets behind it with it’s head bowing down, one feels a sense of it speaking and silently saying, â€Å"goodbye† and â€Å"well done† at the end of the day or a long Journey. A metaphor for life, from dawn till dusk. The salutation action is an attitude of respectful courtesy, which is conveyed through a human form. Salutation the sculpture by Ralph Hicks, assembled with the simplicity of irregular blocks, conveys a commanding presence and attitude. As it bows its head to passing travelers, Hicks tells us little about the model, providing no indication of race, social class or gender. Salutation is indiscriminating to viewers and offers the same greeting to all. Born in London, England in 1941 Ralph Hicks moved to Toronto at the age of 26. He first developed an interest in sculpture while still a student after seeing large-scale bronze sculptures by Roding, Liaise and Matisse at New Work’s Museum of Modern Art. Hicks graduated from the University of Bristol and Harvard Business School and worked in the marketing and management field till 1996, where he then committed full time to his current passion of sculpture art. He works out of a studio he built in Mule Hills, Ontario and spends his summers carving stone outside, and works with other material in the studio during the colder months. Hicks designed art with a variety of material such as, soapstone, limestone, wood, bronze, traditional plaster, polished aluminum rod, clay and even whimsical vinyl tubing. A lot of his work is tone carving that requires power tools to do the bulk of the work, but obtaining the final finish is the most time consuming part of the process. Hicks designs large-scale pieces because he feels size has impact and public installations are seen by many people and that’s rewarding to him as an artist. He creates sculpture for his own satisfaction, but what makes him happiest, is when he hears how a completed piece makes people feel. With his art he has no rules and that’s what makes it exciting to him. Salutation is Art, and Art is Salutation with simple cuboids who gives away little information, acknowledges your presence with a friendly bow and asks nothing in return, but causes a lasting impression. How to cite Sculpture and Ralph Hicks, Papers

Empowering Others to Empower Yourself free essay sample

People dont like being told what to do. This is a fairly simple concept. If you want people to do what you want them to, explicitly commanding them to do it isnt always the best strategy. Oddly, many companies regularly fail to comprehend or appropriately respond to this idea. Businesses that are out to make a profit are commonly associated with things like salesmen, bosses, CEOs, and in-your-face advertising, all of which carry the idea of telling people what to do. Valve Software is arguably one of the most successful, well-known, and highly commended companies in the video game industry, responsible for incredibly popular titles such as Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Portal, Team Fortress Classic, and their sequels (all of which are just as popular). However, from its very beginnings, Valve has set itself apart from other companies not only through the superior quality of its work, but by the way in which it continually empowers those that are a part of it. This includes staff, as well as community contributors, and even average users of any of Valves services. As Valve continues to empower its supporters, it continues to succeed. This brings a logical theory: empowering people, and therefore not telling them what to do, is a very viable way for a business to increase both its profits and its notoriety. Now, when I think about Valve on a regular basis all of this ambiguous, theoretical junk isnt what goes through my head. When it comes to Valve, the absolute, most important thing for me is that Valve makes amazing games. Valve makes mind-blowingly awesome games. On multiple occasions, Valve has immersed me into video games in ways I had never thought possible. I will never forget one particular section of Half-Life 2 in which I, the player, was required to navigate my way across the underside of a bridge over water, walking carefully on steel girders as enemy soldiers fired at me from the other side. One evasive step in the wrong direction would lead me plummeting to a watery grave below. I had never imagined that a video game could invoke a sudden fear of heights into the player so well. I have played Team Fortress 2 for 300 hours. It was a near daily activity my junior year to play after school with my best friend as we discussed how much we hated our history teacher. I have braved the intense battles against the Combine race, which tried to take over Earth in Half-Life 2. I have spent many late nights fighting seemingly endless hordes of zombies with friends in Left 4 Dead 2. And I have spent hours solving the puzzles in Portal and Portal 2 just to hear the perfectly games perfectly crafted dialogue. I have come to hold Valve in the highest regards among all other developers in the game industry. I have also acquired almost 100 games on the Steam platform, purchasing many games largely because they were heavily discounted (some were only a dollar). I estimate I have spent close to 40 dollars on items for use inside the game Team Fortress 2. I have also recently experienced the thrill in realizing that I can make my own levels for Left 4 Dead 2. I have realized that in many occasions, I have felt empowered by Valve, empowered as a consumer, as a player, and as a community member. In some ways, I could even say I was manipulated, but I am okay with this. In the end, Valves products and services continue to impress me, but I was left wondering if maybe there was a connection between how powerful I see Valve and how powerful they can make their users feel. To start understanding the way in which Valve empowers its patrons, we must first look into the groundwork: Valves employment structure. Valve is known for its complete lack of bosses among its developers. In fact, Valves handbook for new employees refers to this as the â€Å"Flatland,† meaning that every employee has the same level of power. Pay is determined by a system of peer review and â€Å"stack ranking,† which is a system by which employees assign values to their peers in 4 categories: skill level/technical ability, roductivity/output, group contribution, and product contribution. The value of each is added together for an employees total measure of worth to give appropriate compensation. Nobody is directly told what to do in the â€Å"Flatland. † The theory is that projects will form if enough people are interested in an idea, and subsequently, group leaders will temporarily form if needed. Ultimately, the strength in this system is that workers will be producing work which had their full dedication from the beginning. Emphasis is placed on finding your own ways to be productive. The handbook highlights the importance of â€Å"T-shaped† employees, workers that have a large variety of useable skills but are a specialist in a certain thing. Because so much responsibility is placed on individual employees, hiring incredibly skilled people who can easily be their own bosses is of utmost importance to Valve. Anybody may conduct interviews with potential employees and use their own discretion on the matter. The handbook stresses the importance of constantly raising the bar and only hiring people that are more talented than the workers already present. This goes against a usual business instinct, in which hiring many cheap, less talented workers is a cost efficient way to get a project done. However if this were to continue, some of the new employees may hire employees less skilled than themselves, and so-on, continually reducing the quality of workers present. When asked if there was any specific inspiration for Valves corporate setup, Gabe Newell, founder of Valve, actually referenced the 1993 shooter, Doom. He had worked for Microsoft and noticed that Windows was the second highest usage application at that time. The first was Doom, which was created and spread by a company of only 12 people (Suddath, 2012). This would instate the idea that having a concentrated group of powerful employees could be much more effective than a large, widespread corporation. Valves runaway success with their no-boss setup may involve a little bit of luck, but there are other companies out there that are finding the same type of success as Valve by eliminating bosses. General Electrics aviation branch and the software company GitHub both thrive with a single or small number of managers which form general goals for production, with the workers ree to organize their tasks however they feel is best. W. L. Gore, creator of the Gore-Tex material, has used a â€Å"lattice† structure since 1958, in which workers â€Å"take on leadership roles based on their ability to gain the respect of peers and to attract followers, † (Silverman, Linebaugh, 2012). Both Gore and Valve recognize that this system leads to a slower process of getting work done initially, as nobody is sure what to do at first. However, in the end employees are working much more optimally to their strengths. Valves commercial success came along early, with their first release actually; Half-Life would be the game of the year for many, if not the game of the decade. However, the success that Half-Life would bring to Valve would come not only from its initial release, but through Valves wise decision to heavily support those who wished to make mods (modifications) for the game. Worldcraft, the level design tool used for Half-Life was released with the game, and a software development kit for the engine, which would later become known as the GoldSrc engine, was released. In 1999, Minh Le and Jess Cliffe would create one of the most popular first person shooter games of all time. Their project Coutner-Strike rapidly became one of the most popular community mods for Half-Life. Valve seized a good opportunity; they proposed hiring the two creators for an official release of the game. This would start what I like to call mutualism between Valve and its following: a symbiotic relationship which is beneficial to both parties. Valve benefits because it is able to cash in on creative work that it didnt have to pay a cent to conceive or create. However, the creators of the mod are not used, given a quick check, and tossed aside. Alongside the notoriety and publicity, which is likely the extent of most modders goals, they are given a foot in the door to the video game industry, and in a fairly respectable door to the industry. Valve continued this tradition of mutualism by hiring the team responsible for a popular quake modification called Team Fortress to create the game as a Half-Life mod known as Team Fortress Classic. Perhaps the most peculiar instance of Valve hiring a team to expand their previous work is in the case of their highly acclaimed game Portal. Many eople are unaware that the games idea started as a student project at DigiPen Institute of Technology called Narbacular Drop (Kuchera, 2012). Upon presenting the game to Valve, the team was apparently hired on the spot by Gabe Newell in order to transfer the essence of the game to Valves Source engine. The important thing here is that the game started out as a student project. It had no budget, no employees, no marketing target. It was made completely for the purpose of showing off an idea. By hiring the team, Valve has the potential to make money on this genius idea, and they did not have to spend any time or money on its conception. Meanwhile, the team that created the game is given the more than sufficient reward (in my opinion, and probably many others) of a starting job at Valve. Now, I understand, game companies looking for and supporting the best of the best in the field is not a brilliantly new concept. The impressive thing about Valve is that they extend this â€Å"mutualism† to outside of the best of the best. You dont have to be a prodigy among modders or game developers. If you have a passion for 3D modeling or creating custom maps, Valve also has an interest in you, and you should have an interest in Valve! For over two years now, Valve has opened up to the creative community for their â€Å"hat-themed war simulator† also known as Team Fortress 2. In past updates, Valve would take their favorite hats, weapons, and maps from the contributions page and simply put them into the game. The contributor got to feel really awesome about his or herself. Then on September 30, 2010 one of the most important updates to Team Fortress 2 was released: The Mann-Conomy update, which introduced an in-game store for weapons and hats. The purchase of any community made item would show some profit to the contributor. Later, â€Å"stamps† became purchasable; players could buy them at the profit of contributors of various maps to the game. This circles back to my whole thought of â€Å"mutualism. † The community members creating these models and maps work with extreme scrutiny, not because they’re being paid or because they’re being told to; they work hard to create something more eye-catching or fascinating than everyone else so that they can get just an ounce of notoriety. Valve can easily reap all of this pro-bono work to make some money off of suckers who want shiny hats (including me), and because of the nflux of high quality community contributions, the employees have to worry much less about creating content themselves. The benefit for the contributors is that sweet notoriety (and a nice portfolio-filler), as well as a good chunk of cash they likely weren’t counting on anyway. In fact, more than three million dollars has been earned in total by community contributors to the game (Antista, 2012)! The contributions page for Team Fortress 2 has now been replaced with the Steam Workshop, which has expanded to include mods and maps for other games such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Civilization V, Portal 2, and Dota 2. At the moment, only contributors for Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2 can hope to see profit from their submissions, but the platform still is a very powerful, centralized step forward in the modding community (which has arguably died down in recent years). It allows for creators of content to be noticed easily by other members of an enormous community. So, Valve has succeeded in empowering the members of the modding, developing, modeling, and mapping communities. But what about the average fan? Well, this is where I believe Valve’s corporate genius really shines. Besides recently being able to say that I’m a student of Game Design and Development, I cannot consider myself any form of developer or contributor of game content right now. However, even I have felt empowered by Valve, have felt truly rewarded by Valve while I was throwing money in their face. Team Fortress 2 is, not only a contender for my favorite game of all time, but what I consider to be one of the most well planned, well executed, well-made, and refreshing games ever made. The game started as a single price-single purchase game, and remained that way for over two years. During this time Valve continued to supply the game with extra content at no cost to the player, and as the amount of content in the game increased, the price actually dropped; its lowest point was $9. 99, disregarding frequent sales. As mentioned, on September 30, 2010, one of the most important updates was introduced to the game, adding the in-game â€Å"Mann Co. Store. † Some people complained, but the reality was that all items exclusive to the store are purely cosmetic or irrelevant to gameplay. Along with introducing the store, Valve also introduced a trading feature between players. Both of these things empowered every player of the game enormously. All new weapons can always be found through random drops in game (and are just as likely to be found as older items). Most of them are able to be â€Å"crafted,† or essentially through the destruction of certain other items. Most of these crafting â€Å"recipes† are completely reasonable in my opinion; regular players will obtain many duplicate items without paying a cent. The addition of trading (and now the ability to trade steam products or items from completely different games) opens near infinite flexibility for those patient enough to find the right trader. The in-game store exists as a means of saving a lot of time, but does not allow for buying of power. Many people will argue that the default weapons a player starts the game with are better than everything else that has been released. â€Å"I think that were going to start to see- maybe not in the next year, but in the near future- games go down the route of smaller up-front experiences and lower prices at the beginning, and then the ability to extend the game through episodic material or future feature material. I think thats a direction were probably heading in. Games are gettting more expensive, and times are tough, and its getting harder to purchase every game you want. So how can we keep people playing and offer them more, but not have to make them break the bank to do it? Its going to be an interesting creative problem for us to solve. † -Jason DeLong, senior producer EA Canada, Gameinformer issue 202 This quote represents a fairly accurate anticipation about player empowerment from two years ago. DeLong believes that episodic content will be the way of the future, reasoning that we need to have multiple ways for people to be able to pay for a game, so that buying a game you’re not even sure you will like is not such a large investment. The point he presents is critical; episodic content is not quite catching on yet, but another flexible business form is: free-to-play. Less than a year after Team Fortress 2 had implemented its in-game store, a surprise announcement was made as part of the June 2011 â€Å"Uber Update. † The game would now be completely free to play for anyone with a working computer. This decision to make this move certainly could not have been an easy one for Valve; switching to free-to-play usually signifies that a game is making a last ditch effort to regain its player base or revenue, neither of which Team Fortress 2 has had a problem with in the past. The decision would end up paying off for everybody. The switch to free-to-play would â€Å"increase revenues by a factor of twelve† for Valve (Curtis, 2012). This would also empower anyone with a computer that could run the game; there was nothing stopping them now. It is crazy to think, but in this case, giving people stuff for free yielded significant returns. The success that Team Fortress 2 has had as a free-to-play game is an excellent case of empowering and almost manipulating customers to gain revenue. Valve did nothing immoral, they gave players a lot of choice, but they gave players so many choices that it became difficult to say no to every single one. I found a highly intriguing blog post from â€Å"The Psychology of Video Games† by Jamie Madigan discussing the mind tricks behind the â€Å"Mann Co. Store;† in short, it brings up two great points. First of all, the item store has implemented a feature letting players test out certain weapons for a week, and putting them at a 25 percent discount for this duration. Valve is in no way forcing you to buy the item; letting you try it out is a pure generosity. However, the sudden discount is tempting along with something the writer calls â€Å"the endowment effect† which essentially states that feeling that you own something makes you value that thing more. If you’ve already tried out an item in a few games, it might seem difficult to part with, when you could buy it for less than a buck! The other point that the writer brings up is that by selling some items at seemingly ridiculously high prices (a ring that makes an announcement to the entire player base for 100 dollars) it makes lower prices seem trivial. One cool hat you really want might be seven bucks, but there’s another decent one next to it for only two. If you imagine how much more money you could be blowing, it makes you feel less guilty for spending a couple dimes or dollars on a nice hat or weapon (Madigan, 2012). The final topic I want to touch on is something I find rather impressive. Valve’s efforts to empower its patrons may well be an effective counter to piracy. This is important to recognize when most companies try to deal with piracy through extreme force, which falls under the category of telling people what to do which will often just provoke them more. Robin Walker, Valve employee and creator of Team Fortress, has stated that countering piracy is best done by attempting to offer benefits that pirates cannot (How to beat pirates, 2011). Obviously, the largest benefit when it comes to Team Fortress 2 is being able to play online with everyone else who has the licensed game, but Robin also points out that the continuous updates to all of Valve’s games would be tedious to access frequently if you pirated the games. Steam itself is also a great asset. There are many who justifiably criticize Steam for its strict digital rights management; namely, it is difficult to play a Steam-purchased game outside of Steam. However, Steam itself is still a great tool for centralizing your gaming experience, staying connected with friends you play games with or even just regular friends. Steam is the easiest and fastest way for me and my best friend to see when we are online and able to talk. It provides powerful tools for creating community content and discovering indie games. The newest community update shows popular screenshots and discussion topics on the community page of each game. Such a centralized and empowered community is something that those who pirate games would have to work very hard to achieve. Some people have their complaints about Valve, and I cant say that Valve is anywhere near perfect. However, I cannot think of any other company that has inspired me on such a deep level. Firstly, Valve is an enormous artistic inspiration; just when I think my creativity is dead; Team Fortress 2 and Portal 2 remind me of how limitless the game industry can be. Second, Valve is a landmark for success. But theres something else; theres just this feeling I get that every person working for Valve has a sense of inherent good. And that is why I have no problem dumping buckets of money on them. Thats the best way I can wrap it up, even if it sounds so stupid. Valve just knows how people work. You dont need to be a psychologist; you just have to have some common sense about what makes people happy. I look to Valve as an inspiration because I want to be creative, I want to be successful, I want people to do what I want them to do (like throw money at me), but I want to make people happy as well.