jaydubya’s blog

I have been playing the videogame Halo for over 6 years now.  Whether it be Halo, Halo 2, or Halo 3, the game has always been a social tool for my friends and I.  Some of my most vivid high school memories were made playing Halo at my friend Jeff’s house at 3 in the morning.  Halo 3, released just a few weeks ago, has brought all the multiplayer fun and excitement of the previous games back, and then some.

A new addition to the multiplayer game found in Halo 3 is the Forge.  The Forge is a very powerful map editor.  It allows a person to place objects anywhere within the confines of a given map.  This leads to a nearly endless set of scenarios for multiplayer gaming.  The most impressive aspect of the Forge, however, is that it allows map and item manipulation while a game is already taking place.  This could be utilized in many different unique and entertaining ways.  For instance, for a two person team, one person could do the running and gunning while the other delivers him weapons and creates obstacles against the other team.  I have already heard many other funny stories regarding the Forge.  One person gathered all the explosives in a map together and created a chain reaction that just about incinerated everything on that map.

The Forge is a testament to the ability of today’s programmers.  Witnessing the power of programs and applications such as the Forge gets me excited about programming and the possibilities available to a person with a firm knowledge of it.  It’s nice to witness the effects of good programming in the things I experience.  It reminds me that someday I may very well be putting to use some of the disciplines I learn here at college.