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Well I tried the game three times and never lasted more than 4 minutes. I have quite a short attention span I guess. It reminded me of the Atari tennis game. In my younger days I was addicted to Pacman but am really not into video games for the most part. What I learned from playing is that I'm impatient with myself getting used to the keys going to left when I should have gone right, and so on. I did not pay attention to the background music, nor did I notice the spectators, I was focused on trying to play. While playing I was definitely in the zone (even if it was for only 4 minutes). I was able to reach level 3. I can better relate to the addictivness of the game when comparing it to the original tennis game.

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Oh Bob you are so good at Cube Slam! Although the limit for us to play the game was 10 minutes, as Amy stated I refused to let a bear named Bob beat me, but he did. After 20 minutes I was only able to get to level 4. I completely zoned everything out and focused solely on the game. My husband even commented on how I was not listening to him or watching our show because I was trying to beat a bear. I honestly did not notice the music or any of the background objects, I was only focused on the bear and the cube. Let me say that when the screen would start to go white and you could not see the playing board that well, I actually sat closer to the screen and tried to focus all of my attention on the lower portion of the whited out aware in hopes to catch a glimpse of the cube. I know understand why people say video games consume so much of their free time. I was not one to play a lot of video games growing up, especially since all we ever had was an Atari and a Nintendo 64 with four games! I can see now why some of students say that they don't do any homework because they are playing video games all night. There is a need or a desire I guess to accomplish a level or beat a specific person or individual in the game. It makes sense now to me that people would continue to play until they reached that level, even if it took hours. I wanted to keep playing past 20 minutes to prove to myself that Bob could be beat, but I admitted defeat and moved on with my life. But I promised Bob that I would be back for revenge one of these days!

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After playing Bob on two different sessions, I only got to level 3. I found using the arrow keys to be difficult. I was very tense as I was playing. I was trying to focus on getting the paddle at that just right spot. While I was playing, I was trying to develop a strategy to beat Bob. If I had more time to play, I believe I would have entered "in the zone". I was slightly distracted by the scenery. I anticipated the scenery to become part of the game. I don't usually play video games, but I see the value they have in developing problem solving skills.

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Well, this brought back memories of Atari! I am not a gamer, though I will confess to The Sims being my therapy after my divorce 11 years ago. I played til level two but it was too much for my old eyes on this tiny screen. Never got in the zone. My fingers kept moving off the arrow keys so I'd miss. The music was ok... rudimentary, but I found it interesting that the key modulated with each new volley. I did enjoy the graphics, scenery and animals.

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As someone who grew up with video games, I found this activity quite enlightening. I never "took a step back" while playing, to really think about my thought process or the learning that is involved in video games. As I was playing Bob, I quickly began to think about the strategies that I would use to defeat him. As the levels increased, the more strategy I needed, as I not only had to worry about defending my side from the cube, but I also had to begin to think about defending from the projectiles being shot and other obstacles. It was almost as if the game scaffolded the learning process, letting me first get used to the controls and then gradually making each level harder and harder. Something else that I noticed while playing was the rhythmic background music. I think that it helped to get me "in the zone" as described on page 643. I think that catchy music is something prevalent in almost any good video game. The music in any video game is key and we can look to the "classics" like Tetris, Zelda, and Super Mario Bros, as fine examples of games with catchy background melodies. Video games are certainly a big part in almost all children's lives as they grow up in the 21st century. It is comforting to know that there is certainly some inherent value in them, as they can help mold our youths into problem solvers and those who persevere through the completion of a task.

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After 10 minutes of playing Cube Slam I reached Level 5. Bob and I power struggled for the wins, meaning we alternated wins and loses. It took me a few minutes to figure out my strategy for scoring and my strategy for protecting my side and not let Bob score. I definitely felt tension as the cube came to my side but I tired to really concentrate on my hand-eye coordination which is not really conducive for the on-line gaming. I am more of a "pinball wizard" type of gamer, although I did enjoy playing Cube Slam. I found myself "in the zone" by the end of my 10 minute session in the game and enjoyed playing it.

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I find that anytime a new game is brought to my attention I try. I am not a traditional gamer who goes out to find the newest games, but when I notice everyone is playing I will check it out. I did not play as long because I got a little bored. I am more inclined to stick with word challenges or similar games. I attained level 3 fairly quickly and noticed that is when I started to loose interest. This game takes a strict focus to the format. I played Bob and that means playing the computer. Often I will try to fool the computer; that is my strategy. I too may return to the game when I have more direct attention time.

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I definitely got a little bit addicted while playing the game. I only got to level 2, but when I got there, multiple cubes were coming at me and I was trying to avoid them all. I refused to be beaten by a bear named Bob, so I replayed and I still could not get much past being given 2 cubes to play. I was really trying to develop some kind of strategy, but after awhile i was just trying to keep my eyes on the cube and move when I could. It seemed to always bounce off the wall in the direction that my back bar was not located. I was super addicted and I will not deny that I may return to the game and play more!!

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My way to relax online is to play spider solitaire. I too have limited gaming experience. My first strategy when playing Cube Slam was to keep my defensive block still, in the middle, until the cube was close by. I then noticed if I hit the cube while moving my "block" it created more of an angle on the return. I also noticed that the blocks would pop up to protect my goal if I was not scoring. Is this part of the programming of the game to keep me involved? I reached level 5 but for levels 4 and 5 I did not move my block at all just to see what would happen, I won game 4 and lost game 5. The changing of the music and environment made me "on edge", not in a positive way. I could see myself playing this game, if I were a gamer. It is mathematical and a work in studying angles. There were times that I felt "in the zone" as described on page 643.

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I'm not a gamer. The last video game I seriously played was PacMan. My sons were addicted to video games growing up, but I have never had the patience for them. So, I was surprised at how quickly I got sucked into CubeSlam. I'm proud to say I made it to level 5 after many attempts. I learned a little bit of strategy, especially about angles and how where the puck hit the wall made a huge difference in where I needed to block it. My hand-eye coordination is not good, however. I would often think "left" and move to the right. Then Bob would seem to smirk at me as he scored a goal. The game wasn't too frustrating. It was clear there was just enough success built into the game to keep me going. I really didn't want to stop playing. I also really liked the music and the landscape, but wonder how long my enjoyment would last if I had kept playing.