THEN TO NOW
4
There’s a comforting certainty to how we will continue to make art and write literature amongst the absurdity
METROSPHERE
40 [2]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
the world continues to throw at us.
VOLUME 40 - ISSUE 2
letter from the editor
Every edition of Metrosphere, there’s one thing I always struggle with. It’s the letter from the editor. However, despite my own challenges with writing it, I am grateful for the opportunity for reflection that it provides, which is especially fitting considering our theme. “Then to Now” refers to our desire to better understand our own current relationship with the past. And upon reflecting both our time producing the second issue of volume 40 and my term as editor-inchief overall, it becomes insanely clear that the world is strange. It has always been a strange place though, hasn’t it? Perhaps that gives more reason as to why Metrosphere exists. There’s a comforting certainty to how we will continue to make art and write literature amongst the absurdity the world continues to throw at us. Our work at Metrosphere is then archival in a sense. The work featured in these pages offers us insight into the creative work and thoughts of others whom we may not have interacted with at all despite having shared however many years within the same university. Thank you to those who contributed to and supported the creation of this issue along with everyone who took part in Metrosphere history in one way or another. It has been a hell of a ride, and we couldn’t have gotten here without you.
Take care and keep creating,
Julia Nguyen Editor-in-Chief
5
6
METROSPHERE STAFF
JULIA NGUYEN PHOEBE NGUYEN OLIVIA RUFFE NOELLE BETKOWSKI NATHAN DE MONNIN MARIANA ORTEGA RIVERA • JONATHAN HIDALGO MEGAN ANTHONY • TIFFANI HERNANDEZ • ALEX ERTEL • CHÈNA WILLIAMS editor-in-chief
creative director
managing editor
art director
graphic designer
photographers
BEHIND THE MAGAZINE
writers
ALFONZO PORTER KATHLEEN JEWBY PETER BERGMAN KELLY MONICO MEHER NOORULAMIN ALEXANDRA FABRIZIO met media associate director
metrosphere advisor
metrosphere advisor
metrosphere creative consultant
40 [2]
met media office manager
40th anniversary event coordinator
METROSPHERE
©2022. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be used or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of Met Media, except in the context of reviews. The opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of the University and/or members of the University.
archives
THEN TO NOW
ARCHIVE 1
10
IMAGES paulina salais moncada – sara martin – joshua glenn ARCHIVE 2
24
WORDS
zac wright – bryan rustad – mackenzie dean walters-hooey emma rebecca maxfield – samuel karl – sean murphy – tamesha morris ARCHIVE 3
46
PEOPLE
dr. christine sheikh – dr. kimberly klimek – dr. pamela troyer ARCHIVE 4
62
MEMENTOS ARCHIVE 5 5 ARCHIVE
70
THOUGHTS chèna williams – tiffani hernandez – alex ertel
7
METROSPHERE
© IMAGES: Pexels
40 [2] ARCHIVE ONE
IMAGES 8
VOLUME 40 - ISSUE 2
metrosphere
The warmth of a lamp. The squeak of a cabinet. The flip of a page. Welcome to the archives we’ve collected over the years.
9
10
illustrations
NOELLE BETKOWSKI & PHOEBE NGUYEN
Memories are thought to be stored within cell assemblies in our brain. These groups of
neurons
fire
together
after a triggered stimulus. IMAGES
For memories to be stored long-term, recalled be
they
enough
engrained
40 [2]
ARCHIVE ONE
neuron groups.
METROSPHERE
FEATURING 12
paulina salais moncada
14
sara martin
21
joshua glenn
must
be
times
to
within
their
the
interpretations
of
memory
and
nostalgia
THEN TO NOW
This is our first flip through interpretations of memory and nostalgia. Here in the IMAGES archive we will explore artistic works, comprising of sculpture, photography, and dance, that creatives have given us the opportunity to view. ARCHIVE ONE LOADING FILES 11
12
ART SUBMISSION PAULINA SALAIS MONCADA
Jardin De Rosas was inspired after my grandmothers, mi Abuelita Rosa y mi Abuelita Tencha. “Rosa” means “rose,” and “Tencha” is short for “Hortencia,” which comes from the Roman word “hortus” meaning “garden.” Apart from the literal meaning, my grandmothers both have beautiful gardens at their homes, and mi Abuelita Tencha had all sorts of beautiful ornaments and decorations at her home. Jardin De Rosas is a handheld object, fitting nicely in the palm of the hand. The out of polymer clay and painted with acrylic paint.
METROSPHERE
40 [2]
ARCHIVE ONE
IMAGES
frame of this piece is made out of copper, and the flowers are made
JARDIN DE
SCULPTURE
paulina salais moncada
13
METROSPHERE
40 [2] ARCHIVE ONE
IMAGES IMAGES
ART SUBMISSION SARA MARTIN
14
PHOTOGRAPHY SUBMISSION TITLE
sara martin author name
Pacific Tenderness is a collection of photos captured along the California and Oregon coast. In a summer vacation along the 101 highway, the images captured can reflect the contrast between warmth and volatility of infrastructure and nature.
15
METROSPHERE
40 [2]
ARCHIVE ONE
IMAGES 16
PHOTOGRAPHY SUBMISSION TITLE
sara martin author name
17
METROSPHERE
40 [2]
ARCHIVE ONE
IMAGES 18
PHOTOGRAPHY SUBMISSION TITLE
sara martin author name
19
METROSPHERE
40 [2] ARCHIVE ONE
IMAGES IMAGES 20
DANCE
joshua glenn
ART SUBMISSION JOSHUA GLENN
© IMAGES: Pexels 21
22 40 [2]
ARCHIVE ONE
IMAGES
euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric.
My name is Joshua. I’m pursuing a degree in journalism with a minor in biology. I started to find an interest in dancing way back in 2007. It wasn’t until 2010 that I’d realized I’d found something I was truly passionate about. The connection between music and body creates a feeling that is
METROSPHERE
nothing short of euphoric. Eleven years of practice later, this art form has taken me further than I ever anticipated. With some of my closest friends, I’ve been in countless competitions and performances around the country. I’ve been fortunate enough to share what I love with people around the world and am elated to be sharing these with you!
DANCE
Scan to watch the full performance.
joshua glenn
23
euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric. euphoric.
24 24
Here,
we
will
WORDS—along
witness with
how
rhythm,
voice, tone, and plot—act as tools for writers to arrive at a better
understanding
of
the
importance of a near, distant, and metaphorical time gone by.
WOR along
with
rhythm,
S voice,
tone,
and
plot
METROSPHERE METROSPHERE
40 [2] [2] 40
ARCHIVE TWO TWO ARCHIVE
WORDS WORDS
ARCHIVE TWO LOADING FILES
THEN TO NOW
illustrations
NOELLE BETKOWSKI & PHOEBE NGUYEN
FEATURING
Memory
26
zac wright
28
bryan rustad
32
mackenzie dean walters-hooey
is
38
emma rebecca maxfield
40
samuel karl
42
sean murphy
44
tamesha morris
more
malleable
than we think. Recent studies show that each time we recall a memory, we are really recalling the last time we experienced the memory. Therefore, every time that
something memory
malleable
as
is it
is
recalled,
temporarily must
be
reconsolidated in the brain.
25 25
26
TO WEFT FROM THE WARP LITERARY SUBMISSION ZAC WRIGHT
WORDS
ILLUSTRATION METROSPHERE
I’ve seen this once before, as if in a dream. The fraying of fabric woven strong wearing thin the threads spun with song. A gossamer balance, variations on the theme. Tightly knit even when life began to call
ARCHIVE TWO
interlacing freedoms with our duty. Warping uncertainties into sonic beauty. Generating heat from the inspiration of it all. The footlights illuminate one wefted thread of many where the fibers were once blood and sound. But dusk tapered with a regnant silence all around
METROSPHERE
40 [2]
No fault acknowledged, nor missteps exposed if any. Regret and remorse are not welcome into what was woven But humble, salt eyed gratitude for the loom that still keeps moving
POETRY
zac wright
27
28
Part I
Für Elise, Blue Danube Waltz, Cristofori’s Dream, a Celtic Dream, and the theme of a show I love to watch, echo in the silent chamber, dancing off of wooden keys, played by me for You. nicely dressed and somber, tears forming in their eyes, hearts split open, and then together, we all sing for You. Next, there are speeches, I cry the loudest, as they talk about Humor, Stubbornness, Love, Compassion, special moments, they talk about You. Outside we watch, trumpets play ‘Taps,’ gunfire fills the air after. Your service, though long over, will never be forgotten and everyone will remember You.
ILLUSTRATION METROSPHERE
LITERARY SUBMISSION BRYAN RUSTAD
O GRANDFATHER MINE
METROSPHERE
40 [2]
ARCHIVE TWO
WORDS
While silently they watch,
Some time later, here in Colorado, with the dirt and rocks, bark and leaves, where Dad and Grandma placed the ashes, underneath a tree I can find You, O Grandfather Mine.
POETRY
bryan rustad
29
30
Part II
You knew the stars and their shapes, the difference between Venus and Mars, and you told me, as we slept under their watchful gaze; a gaze that now has one more light, and oh, how I miss you. You usually smelled like wood, sometimes burning, smokey, searing art into planks, carving or crafting useful tools and train tracks like those that still line my walls, and oh, how I miss you. You and your quirky hobbies: feeding the racoons and squirrels, one with octopus, the other with nuts; listening to the emergency services’
WORDS
radio, especially when we could see smoke over the ridge and helicopters flew overhead with buckets; and those pancakes, warm, soft, melting in our mouths along with the butter and syrup,
METROSPHERE
40 [2]
ARCHIVE TWO
and oh, how I miss you, O Grandfather mine.
POETRY
bryan rustad
31
32
my hands have learned to chime LITERARY SUBMISSION
WORDS
MACKENZIE DEAN WALTERS-HOOEY
I grew up with one mother but it often felt like two and I had nicknames for the both of them; the shell and the lioness. They were tied together comes from growing up beautiful but scared. The lioness birthed me, 19 hours of painful labor and she doesn’t regret a thing. She once drank a
ARCHIVE TWO
whole handle of tequila, all fifty nine point two ounces, over the course of two blue blooded summer nights and convinced herself she was the next great jazz star. She pressed the ivory of the old piano, licking the dust off her fingertips. She knew two chords, G and C minor, and the piano was out of tune from us cutting the strings to floss our teeth. But she played and clanged and sang in Portuguese, her tongue forming the words like it was something perverse. The lioness was bountiful and
40 [2]
always painted me and my sister’s room when we asked, splattering yellow on the ceiling and acted like it would burn the damn house down if we were lucky enough to find a match. She used to hang the laundry out on the pine trees in the back, letting the fabric get caught in the bristles, cutting her elbows as she carried them back in. She would rub
METROSPHERE
vanilla behind her ears and hang dried lavender from every window and watch it swing during hazy storms. We would sit with blankets around our bare shoulders and one left sock on when the lightning raced the light. She would chant for snowstorms when she went through her Wiccan phase, because she could talk to the weather and it would sometimes lend an ear.
© IMAGES: Unsplash
by their lungs, beautiful hands, straight nose and the soft smile that
PROSE
mackenzie dean walters-hooey
The shell moved in when I was twelve, she had the
shell got so dried out she forgot me and my sister’s
same nose as the lioness and I was angry most of
name and tried to steal the stop sign at the end of the
the time and only drank orange juice and ate plain
street. She wanted to march with it for the world to
toast. She would burn it on purpose to teach me about
see, and then lay down somewhere soft for a while.
grief. I would yell as I stood on the kitchen table that I
She used to play this game where she would empty
had given birth to myself so many times I lost count
the orange bottle down her throat and whisper that
and she had nothing to do with it. She nodded her
death is a man’s game and she only knows how to
head and then threw the glass cup she was holding
roll the dice. We spent a lot of nights in hard chairs
at my head. It shattered. The shell moved me and
with sirens lulling us to sleep, but still we ticked on.
my sister into the upstairs room with one bed and a flowered rug, and told us how pretty the view
I learned to entertain myself on the days I had no
was. The room didn’t have a window and she would
mothers. I had lost them to the sheets, the bathtub,
stare at the wall as she sat naked and put lotion on,
the dull razors under the bathroom sink. I became
a soft smile playing at her lips. She made a cocoon
a ghost, dead but still standing, and I would float
of her bed and told sad jokes about how she was
down the stairs, and then through myself. Our living
almost something big and now she is just almost.
room had no furniture anymore, I could echo myself
Sometimes she would cry and say she never meant
against the walls and slide around in my socks. I
to have me but she thinks I am beautiful and asked
became a gust of wind and I wasn’t scared anymore.
when I would bring a boy home. There were days
I pushed the pine tree onto the roof of our house,
when I wished the phone would ring with bad news
crushing the single bed and flowered rug. I moved
so she would get used to the crying. Sometimes the
into the basement and my sister moved away. She tied double knots and didn’t look back. I ticked on.
I grew up with one mother but it often felt like two and I had nicknames for the both of them; the shell
33
and the lioness.
34
I remember Christmas when I was fourteen, the whole family was over, their pale long faces and oversized coats on. We gathered around the Christmas tree that me and the lioness had cut down, a skinny thing that couldn’t hold the laundry. We had tried. We had hiked up that damn mountain, the one with the eye on the top and we sawed with such a vengeance! My hands bled and she wrapped her violet hair ribbon around my fingertips, it was frayed at both ends. I kept it in my pocket and when she asked if she could have it back, blowing her baby hairs from her face, I just shook my head and pretended it had been left in the snow. I hung it from the attic door in my room and wrote letters to it. Blood became beautiful and then just blue. The shell came to Christmas that year, sat next to the the tree that wasn’t hers and put a Christmas record WORDS
on. The shell couldn’t play the piano and I didn’t ask. Our family would smile without teeth and ask the shell questions with hushed voices, pushing small words from their cheeks. They would reach out and grab my hands, say I was such a pretty girl. I was such a smart girl, a heart of silver. They were
ARCHIVE TWO
so proud of me for growing out of my skin and into something that was armored. The shell also came to Easter, and I cried when I pulled her from inside the plastic egg in my basket. I wanted chocolate or the currency of love or really anything useful and not breakable. I had stopped
40 [2]
looking for her, I had prayed for the lioness and her loud tongue. It was the only day I believed in a God.
I was weightless and had hair METROSPHERE
me and everything was soft.
I learned to hold my breath for six whole minutes and I
didn’t tell a soul.
© IMAGES: Pexels & Unsplash
that stretched out behind
PROSE
mackenzie dean walters-hooey
She used to play this game where
she would empty the orange bottle down
her throat and whisper that death is a man’s game and she only knows how to roll the dice.
I began hiding secrets in the cupboards or under the refrigerator for the lioness to find, wings from blackbirds or a pair of binoculars that only saw backwards. Things she would like. The shell never cleaned, the piano keys stayed dusty and the lioness seldom came around anymore, except for the few days after I went to the pharmacy for her. I peddled back on a bike that was far too small, with a basket on the front that leaned to the left. In her mind I was still a child, my eyes didn’t look as dull in pictures and I showed my teeth when I roared. When I was fifteen our house flooded midsummer, in June I think, starting from a leak in the basement window. I shoved the ribbon in the crack and then pulled it out when I realized I didn’t have to tiptoe anymore. I was weightless and had hair that stretched out behind me and everything was soft. I learned to hold my breath for six whole minutes and I didn’t tell a soul. I learned then that drowning was only dignified when it was purposeful and I fashioned myself a pair of concrete boots. They took three weeks to mold correctly and I didn’t sleep once. I made waterlogged oars from my night stand and paddled my way upstairs into the shell’s cocoon and pulled her in with me. She became heavy and sunk to the carpet and I didn’t even cry because my face was already wet and she had been on the ground since I could remember. I kicked down and put her back to bed, pressed my lips into 35
her forehead and closed the door.
36
I brought a boy home that same summer and I also learned to be afraid of the dark. He would come over most nights, we would make dinner and he would always cut the tomatoes wrong, slicing towards himself. I would still get on my knees and lick the blood from his wrists, wiping my mouth as I stood up and smoothed my skirt. We would run into the basement, I was always one step ahead of him until I wasn’t. I learned to moan through my cries and bite my cheek and how to use a screwdriver to shimmy a lock. And then shimmy into my upper thigh. I would make us crackers with peanut butter spread over them before he left, it would get stuck on the roof of my mouth so I didn’t have to speak. I would close the front door and burn myself in the shower after. I never slept with the lights off after he came over, I bought a cheap chandelier to swing from. I had rings under my eyes and on my ribcage and I thought I loved him. He had big hands that covered the circumference of my throat and I learned to stop biting my nails. The lioness would come down after, socks wet from the carpet and
WORDS
ask if he came from a good family. I would smile and say yes, and she would brush through my hair and kiss my shoulders. She told me to remember to look at the moon, count its faces and try to replicate them with my own. The shell would come down some nights instead, and I would brush her hair and kiss her shoulders and ask her if she thought our family would grow away from the tree out front. She said she
© IMAGES: Pexels & Unsplash
METROSPHERE
40 [2]
ARCHIVE TWO
thought we already did.
PROSE
mackenzie dean walters-hooey
We lost my sister in June of the next summer, I was sixteen. She broke her bones into cries, into howls, into wolves. She came back to us after two minutes, one hundred and twenty seconds, but it felt like my entire lifetime and one more piled on top of that. Her eyes didn’t stop searching the ceiling like a lost dog for four days, three hundred and forty five thousand and a handful more seconds. I couldn’t break my eyes from her and the snake that had moved into her mouth. The lioness was there the whole time, steadfast like a towboat. She opened the curtains and told us stories about the time she ran through the dunes for sixteen days just to prove her lungs had the capacity. She tried to saw them from her body after. My sister’s hands stopped touching things the right way and I had to wear gloves when I saw her so she didn’t see the tremor. We walked home in two gowns, one mundane and one for surviving, counted cracks between cars and stared at the women in the shops. We began to put honey on our eyelids at night and watched it drip down our navel and to our toes and out the front door and to the stop sign.
I lost myself and most of the shell the next March. I said no to death every time he wandered onto my porch, but one day I invited him in for some tea and he never left. I got so heavy I couldn’t pick the backs of my hands from the pavement, so I let them drag. I had to wrap bandages around them and I wished
I said no to death every
time he wandered onto
two daughters and half of her womb and most of her hair. She got back one daughter and the casing of another, tied with a bow, tied with a rock on her feet. I felt the hands of the grandfather clock become my own and I couldn’t reach the time well enough to turn it off. I ticked backwards and then not at all.
37
my porch, but one day I invited him in for some tea and he never left.
more than anything it was a ribbon. The shell lost
38 WORDS
Blue.
LITERARY SUBMISSION EMMA REBECCA MAXFIELD
METROSPHERE
40 [2]
ARCHIVE TWO
PATTERN METROSPHERE
POETRY
emma rebecca maxfield
I can recall the first time I heard you sing. I was researching Carole King and you appeared before my tired eye and reignited my snoozing vocal folds with a fire that tasted like fresh air. Never heard anything like you ladies. You were my mantra, guiding all thought to places filled with beautiful fools like me. I know it, too. I, the dreamer, head lost in futures bright, dancing with sanity and holding tight to my song. Was it your tune I stole? I can’t seem to remember the words. Titled with color stretched into feelings that can’t exist again because Joni can’t sing anymore.
39
40
LIKE SO MANY PATROCLUS’, CLORINDA’S AND TULLIA’S LITERARY SUBMISSION SAMUEL KARL COLLAGE METROSPHERE
Achilles, Tancred and Cicero cried on their beloved’s death: WORDS
“Alas! O! Today the Sun seems now to weep his gilded rays, While I gaze up and stare, amazed, with a contented breath. The Moon, her beams, she cries as well in turn, like we bereaved; and leaves fall not in grace but instead play Aminta in their daze,”
“and bitter is that cloud which no longer drifts but is forever heaved from one despair to another, like a wheel of unrest: lacking a grave while I gaze up and stare, awestruck, with a contented breath.
© IMAGES: Pexels
METROSPHERE
40 [2]
ARCHIVE TWO
spoke Achilles, Tancred and Cicero on their beloved’s death;
samuel karl
POETRY
Seeds seem not like birth but as so many cesareans of casualty; and sprouting, not in joy, they’re reared in a bitter fruit lave,” uttered Achilles, Tancred and Cicero on their beloved’s death; “and the rose does not flower but bleeds off its petals casually, relishing that pain as penance for a weak stem and constitution, while I gaze up and stare alarmedly, with a contented breath.” Where does the lily look when it sees not one joy in all that suffereth? It does not turn away, but peacefully it perceives that grand profusion, like Achilles, Tancred and Cicero crying on their beloved’s death: who gazed up and stared, amazed, with a contented breath.
where does the lily look? where does the lily look? where does the lily look? where does the lily look? where does the lily look? where does the lily look? where does the lily look? where does the lily look? where does the lily look? where does the lily look? where does the lily look? where does the lily look?
where does the lily look? where does the lily look? where does the lily look?
41
where does the lily look?
where does the lily look? where does the lily look? where does the lily look?
42 WORDS
Sometimes Science aligns with the lyrical.
ARCHIVE TWO
A capacity to see beyond the visible. When we carefully attend to the world’s workings We can sometime tune to its rhythms and rhymes. Revealed in the meter of reality itself. Poets need only recognize that nature’s wonder is evident. Our precise knowledge of the decoded man. 40 [2]
The enigmas that emerge from new discoveries. Delicate petals are metamorphosed stardust. Our gaze does not wilt the rose. Art, love and life are manifestations. METROSPHERE
Of a vital minds machinations. There is no trick of perception, This is a real physical operation. To fill life with vital permutations.
POETRY
sean murphy
PETALS and STARDUST LITERARY SUBMISSION SEAN MURPHY PHOTOGRAPHY METROSPHERE
43
44
I once sat under an oak tree, where many of my ancestors were hung and set free, our Amerikkka, I don’t understand, equal rights for a Black man, not in the land of red, white, and blue, a nation riddled with chaos but never the truth,
LITERARY SUBMISSION TAMESHA MORRIS
THE OAK TREE
METROSPHERE
40 [2]
ARCHIVE TWO
WORDS
destined to fall beneath its means, to be rendered useless, to endlessly scream, plunging into the depths of darkness, disregarding our chances to live, to constantly take but never to give, blessed with the gift of being Black and free, while still fighting stereotypes of inferiority, struggling to ignore my ancestors’ cries, erasing the looks of terror in their eyes, remembering promises never to come, Amerikkka’s reign has just begun, time for murder and madness and sinister thoughts, time for rapes and robberies and innocence lost, time for anger and vengeance to creep through the night, time for greed and envy causing massive plight, we’ve accomplished so much, but in contrast so less, and we’re fastly approaching the ultimate test, of using courage and honor to restore peace on Earth, while stopping the violence and ending the hurt, I can hear voices screaming “go back where you came from,” but whose land did you land on, oh, say can you see, in my eyes, I see the end of mankind, creeping up in disguise and catching us by surprise,
POETRY
tamesha morris
and the home of the brave, that was back in the day, before we walked astray and integrity paved the way, we’re all Gods placed here for a purpose, and conversing with me merely scratches the surface, how can you judge when you don’t know, how can you help this nation grow, do you have the strength to go the extra mile, to keep the faith in the eyes of the Black child? would you rather die for a cause, or die because you paused? in mid-decision over right and wrong, and oops! you took too long, you sat idly by and watched Amerikkka stumble, and you in the end were the one in trouble, can you lay to rest prejudices and ill-will towards man, can you persevere in your struggles to execute positive plans, what have you done to lend a helping hand, are you causing us to fall, or aiding in our stand, throughout the brutal and endless ride, we’ve still managed to keep our strong, Black pride, to hold our heads high and weather each storm, but without the aid of others our nation is forever torn, between good and evil and self-destruction, how can we fight to end this corruption. Oh! Remember that oak tree that caused so much pain? It was tormented by thunder then raped by the rain. Finally, a positive change. 45
46 PEOPLE
THEN TO NOW
P
OPLE &
writers
to
tattoo
artists
&
students
alike
ARCHIVE THREE
professors
Here, we will encounter all sorts
40 [2]
of
PEOPLE,
from
authors
to
scholars. These individuals have something
pertinent
to
say
about the impactful history and
METROSPHERE
evolution of their fields along with the effects on us as individuals and as a society.
ARCHIVE THREE LOADING FILES
illustrations
NOELLE BETKOWSKI & PHOEBE NGUYEN
FEATURING 48
dr. christine sheikh
54
dr. kimberly klimek & dr. pamela troyer
A study conducted by Harvard and Dartmouth found that our ability
to
identify
faces
and
pair them with a name begins to decline after age 35. In our 70s, we can typically recognize around 75% of people.
47
48
the beauty
PARADOX
ARCHIVE THREE
PEOPLE
with Dr. Christine Sheikh
INTERVIEW MEGAN ANTHONY 40 [2]
ILLUSTRATION METROSPHERE
How Social Media and a World-Wide Pandemic Have © IMAGES: Pexels & Unsplash
METROSPHERE
Redefined Beauty Standards
megan anthony
INTERVIEW
While it is not a surprise that trends heavily influ-
thoughts and beauty practices were reshaped
ence the concept of beauty, we have now stepped into
by COVID-19.
the realm where a pandemic has also begun to affect the ways in which we interact with this construct.
While our interactions with coworkers and classmates were confined to the internet, the limitations on how
Staying at home and working online meant different
we were allowed to dress expanded. People were
things to different people. For some, it meant forgoing
given more freedom in how they were able to present
to get dressed, doing hair, and putting on makeup to
themselves because of the parameters of a screen.
opt for a version of themselves that departed from beauty routines that they had once followed. Then,
For those who chose to abandon their typical routine,
there were others who turned to makeup and fashion
a new social and personal experiment presented itself
to make their day feel special, despite being stuck at
in which they were allowed to more safely assess what
home. It became an artistic escape.
it meant to abstain from the beauty standards that society had once placed on them. On the other hand, the groups that maintained their routines found a
reflections of the ways that our own personal
connection with fashion and makeup that meant
49
Both choices existed for a reason, and they became
50
more than conforming to society; it meant taking
Despite all the ways that people have pushed the
back the power of these tools and using them for
boundaries of beauty through makeup, Dr. Sheikh
self-expression and exploration.
pointed out that “we still face strict standards when it comes to [face] makeup and skin complexion.”
To get a better understanding of this shift, I sat down
While we applaud self-expression through the
to talk with Dr. Christine Sheikh, a professor in the
aforementioned ways, greater society still expects to
Gender, Women, and Sexualities department here at
see smooth, contoured complexions within a certain
Metropolitan State University of Denver.
skin-tone range.
We discussed the possible evolution of the use of
This was just the first paradox of many that we
makeup and came to a very interesting conclusion.
encountered when discussing how beauty cultures
It became apparent that we both had experienced
have simultaneously expanded and reinforced
varying degrees of change when it came to how we
certain seemingly inescapable standards.
PEOPLE
have started to interact or seen others interacting with makeup. The changes that we experienced
Dr. Sheikh addressed this paradox, mentioning that
were centered around how makeup as an art form
there are so many layers to the concept of beauty
expanded the parameters of beauty.
and how we approach it that there will never be one way to “correctly” deal with this issue. “There’s no
While makeup has long been seen to conform to
one narrative…” she stated, “[makeup] can be part of
Eurocentric beauty standards, it is becoming a
the path to authenticity or an act of putting on body
new form of self-expression. From the way people
armor and protecting yourself from the world.”
draw their eyebrows to eye makeup trends, we can see a shift from makeup being used as a tool for ARCHIVE THREE
conformity to a tool that highlights personal style.
We are facing an
expanded model of beauty but
revolutionized one.
© IMAGES: Pexels & Unsplash
METROSPHERE
40 [2]
not a completely
megan anthony
INTERVIEW
Moving forward to today, I couldn’t help but wonder
Our conversation diverged, and we began discussing
if our mindset during the school and work “closures”
the ways that social media affects the way we view
managed to seep into how we interact with beauty
beauty and self-expression, and how the platform is
cultures in a world that is now trying to get back
both detrimental and beneficial to the psyche.
to “normal.” Social media opens new worlds for those who need to Yes and no. We have seen the benefits of a world
find an escape from their own. When someone feels
without daily beauty pressures that monitor our
as if they do not fit in to the space that they occupy,
self-expression but returning to school and work
seeing representation that reflects who they are can
means returning to a capitalist society in which
give them the hope they need to find that connection
“maintaining the self” is a strategy implemented
in real life.
to keep the system functioning.
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52 PEOPLE ARCHIVE THREE 40 [2]
In 2021, the New York Times published an article
surprise there). Social media exists in a space that
titled, “Who Gets to Be Beautiful Now? Anyone
thrives off trends. This begs the question—are the
Who Believes Themselves to Be So.” When I read
trends of body inclusivity and broadened beauty
this title, my first reaction was supportive. However,
standards another passing fad?
upon finishing the article, I felt dissatisfied with the content. Here was a major publication praising
Further, can they truly be an accurate depiction of
beauty icons that didn’t fit into the Eurocentric
what is happening on the ground? As Dr. Sheikh
mold… to a certain extent. Or as Sheikh put, the
asked, “while there’s a handful of people doing
article represented “superficial forms of diversity.”
interesting things on social media, how much does that trickle down to everyday life?” Is the online
Everyone featured in this article was beautiful—
world a place that applauds proud fat, BIPOC,
there is no denying that. But, while they gave the
queer bodies only to push them aside in real life?
spotlight to people who were not white, tall, blonde,
© IMAGES: Pexels & Unsplash
METROSPHERE
However, social media also has many flaws. (No
INTERVIEW
megan anthony
and skinny, they didn’t focus on the entire scope of
While this sense of frustration can be overwhelming,
beauty. While I applaud them for at least including
it is an emotion that require acknowledgement. Dr.
a wide array of skin colors, everyone had a perfect
Sheikh shared with me that even as a feminist with
complexion, expensive clothes, salon styled hair, no
a PhD, it is difficult not to fall into these traps. She
cellulite, and no body hair visible. In the words of Dr.
discussed how “we can have all of the intellectual
Sheikh, “we are facing an expanded model of beauty
tools and still struggle.” This is a systemic issue that
but not a completely revolutionized one.”
individuals face daily, and some more than others. While we hope that these small steps towards body
What does this do to our fight to end a standardized
inclusivity grow stronger with the years to come, we
view of beauty? It tells us that it is ok to inhabit spaces
also need to be aware of now.
as a person who does not fit into the hegemonic beauty standards as long as you do so stylishly. This dichotomy is frustrating because we need representation, but it becomes detrimental when the only representation that is socially accepted occurs in social media and in terms that are seen as trendy.
. . . it meant taking
back the power of these tools and using them for
53
self-expression and exploration.
54 METROSPHERE
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PEOPLE
Opening the Door
with Dr. Kimberly Klimek and Dr. Pamela L. Troyer
to a Global Past
INTERVIEW
olivia ruffe
INTERVIEW OLIVIA RUFFE IMAGES METROSPHERE
We tend to think of the world today, with the invention of the internet, as a new global society that shares and trades ideas and culture, where the past remained culturally isolated. Though the World Wide Web has expedited the process, globalization has been present throughout human history. And as we exist today, we remain embedded in a history of cultural exchange that constantly influences our present realities from our language, literature, food, music, traditions, art, and beyond. Yet though the past is all around us, it is also sheltered from us based upon the dominant narratives embedded within our education. The tradition and curriculum of Western education has historically washed over a complex and global past with Eurocentric narratives. Metropolitan State University of Denver history professor Dr. Kimberly Klimek and English professor Dr. Pamela L. Troyer sought to reexamine this history in their textbook Global Medieval Contexts 500-1500: Connections and Comparisons, with coauthors Dr. Sarah Davis-Secord and Dr. Bryan C. Keene. In an interview with Klimek and Troyer, they explained the motivations behind their text from initial ideas, goals, struggles, and the content they chose to include. “We subtitled the book ‘Connections and Comparisons’ because initially we saw many connections across Eurasia,” Troyer said in researching the textbook, explaining that “historically, there have been a lot of 55
global connections in history.” As a professor, she
56
contextualized that “the books that we had available
the multitude of historical information, Troyer
to us and the way we had been trained was to focus
emphasized that much of their work was student-
primarily and, in fact, almost exclusively on Europe.”
driven. “[Klimek] and I teach these kinds of courses
Klimek and Troyer sought to highlight the vast
all the time at a general studies level where we under-
network of global connections within this 1,000-year
stand that it may be the only class that a student
period to create an equitable history, acknowledging
has in arts and humanities, and the only class where
that there is no one exclusive way through which we
they’re going to get history and literature and art.”
may explore the past. In a postmodern lens, then, they
Global Medieval Contexts is used within Troyer and
seek to reexplore this past through postcolonial study,
Klimek’s general studies courses, such as Troyer’s
feminism, gender and queer studies, environmental
Medieval Mythologies, and so they sought to doc-
studies, and beyond.
ument major highlights in their research that could be explored within a single semester. This type
Here at MSU Denver, Klimek and Troyer were more
of textbook is the first of its kind for the under-
broadly aware of how students in the classroom
graduate, general studies level.
PEOPLE
have not always been able to see themselves within a Eurocentric past. “We really wanted to reach students,
Yet, in covering such an expansive period, there
and we were going to have to do it in a global way,”
comes a major hurdle that has put off academics
Klimek explained. “We were going to have to make
from taking such a venture. “In order to really study
connections that our students would be able to see
this period,” Troyer explained, “and especially on a
themselves in, whether that’s the Mayan Empire, the
global level, you would have to know hundreds of
African Empire, the Chinese Empires, the Russian or
languages, you would have to have spent a lifetime
the Polish or the French Empire.”
studying in each of one-hundred different topics.
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And we just decided to have a very humble attitude.” With such a multicultural past, how does one cover so much complexity within the span of 1,000 years?
By professors dismissing what they are not experts
“Some of it you just know,” Klimek explained as
in, students may miss the one chance they have in
a historian. The rest, she described, came through
studying these histories. Both Troyer and Klimek
what the authors could find and, ultimately, what
decided against this. “If we don’t, with our know-
interested them, from Indian and Oceanic art to
ledge, offer something for a week about, say, India,”
several shipwrecks explored throughout the book.
Troyer said, “then no student would ever go forward
“We agreed early on that there was no way you could
from our classes and decide that’s going to be their
ever cover everything” Troyer added. To overcome
interest in their life.”
METROSPHERE
We were going to have to make connections
that our students would be able to see themselves in, whether that’s the Mayan Empire, the
African Empire, the Chinese Empires, the Russian or the Polish or the French Empire.
INTERVIEW
olivia ruffe
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METROSPHERE
40 [2]
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PEOPLE
olivia ruffe
INTERVIEW
And this teaching of diverse pasts in the classroom
history. “I hope our students find themselves more
does make a direct impact on students’ educational
connected to the people in the past, and therefore
and personal lives, and how they further connect to
more connected to the people around them,” Klimek
their own heritage. Klimek shared a story in which
shared regarding her and Troyer’s hopeful outcome
one of her own students connected to the text:
for their book.
“We were talking about the Aztecs, and I mentioned
With the help of two other scholars, Klimek and
the Nahuatl people and the Nahuatl language. And a
Troyer undertook this project examining 1,000 years
student comes back to me a week later […] and says
of history to ultimately create a foundational work
she was telling her parents about this. And her dad
that opens the door for students to explore their
was super excited because her dad spoke Nahuatl.
own past and the pasts of each other. In doing so,
She didn’t have but a couple of words, but for her
these professors encourage us to see ourselves as
father, it was his native language. And he was really
the makers of meaning in a complex, global world.
excited that a professor, someone who had a PhD, had mentioned his language in a college classroom.”
By professors dismissing
This story emphasized Klimek and Troyer’s overall
what they are not experts
purpose of their book knowing that, despite their lack
in, students may miss the
of expertise in every field, acknowledging such topics enables students to fill in the rest and make their own connections. As Troyer put, “you want to open the door as far as you can, and then have you guys [students] open it farther.” To do so, Klimek furthered, professors have to push themselves out of their own learned boundaries within their professions. “We have changed so much as our field has changed,” she
one chance they have in studying these histories.
Professors have to push themselves out of their own learned boundaries within their professions.
said, “and this has taught me that I can make these big changes in a profession I already love and start effecting real change.” From the Garima Gospels and the ethicality of moving human remains to the Chaco Canyon and the hygiene habits of medieval people, Klimek and Troyer’s work is intricate, expansive, and yet tightly woven into an interconnected past that shares in all of our historical complexities. Global Medieval Contexts 500-1500 examines only one section of history, but as Klimek and Troyer acknow59
ledge, this is one tiny piece of an elaborate, global
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ARCHIVE THREE
PEOPLE 60
INTERVIEW
olivia ruffe
I hope our students find themselves more connected to the people in the
past, and therefore more connected to
the people around them.
61
62
illustrations
NOELLE BETKOWSKI & PHOEBE NGUYEN
FEATURING
The handwritten responses from various members of the MSU Denver Community—
ARCHIVE FOUR
MEMENTOS
thank you all for participating!
Scent is our greatest memory
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trigger. The olfactory nerve, responsible for our sense of smell, is close to the amygdala and hippocampus, the areas
METROSPHERE
of the brain associated with emotion and memory.
ARCHIVE FOUR LOADING FILES
THEN TO NOW
This is where we will discover the different MEMENTOS our community has held onto over the years, including our first films, kind
nostalgic words
scents,
we’ve
and
received.
These keepsakes continue to resonate with us throughout the years.
MEM continue
to
resonate
throughout
the
years
63
memories
NTOS
64 MEMENTOS
WHAT WAS THE FIRST MOVIE YOU REMEMBER WATCHING?
Experiencing films is communal in some sense. We often associate them with people— whether that be a beloved character we relate to or our parents who introduced us to a cinematic masterpiece. Watching movies
METROSPHERE
more personal story that bonds us with other individuals. Various members of our community flashed back and told us about the first film they ever saw. © IMAGES: Pexels & Walt Disney Pictures & Pixar Animation Studio
40 [2]
ARCHIVE FOUR
gives us the opportunity to form another
65
66 MEMENTOS ARCHIVE FOUR 40 [2]
from our other senses. For one, it is closely tied to memory. And two, unlike the other senses, smell is constant. Tiny invisible particles flow around
METROSPHERE
us and into us. Scents are able to transport us through time, allowing us to revisit the past as well as create moments in the present for our future selves to return to one day.
© IMAGES: Pexels & Unsplash
There are two things that differentiate smell
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WHAT SMELL DO YOU ASSOCIATE WITH A FOND MEMORY?
68
RECEIVED
COMPLIMENT THAT
HAVE
YOU
SURPRISED
YOU?
METROSPHERE
© IMAGES: Pexels & Unsplash
40 [2]
ARCHIVE FOUR
MEMENTOS
WHAT
A CORNER Hilarious, awkward, sweet—regardless of how you would characterize them, there are certain compliments we have received that now live in a little corner of our minds. These memorable words may often seem to come out of nowhere. Regardless of their origins, they remind us that no matter what our relationship with those around us looks like, what we say has a lasting impact on each other. 69
70
illustrations
NOELLE BETKOWSKI & PHOEBE NGUYEN
Want to strengthen your memory retention?
Experts
have
some
tips: exercise, mental stimulation,
THOUGHTS THOUGHTS
decreased
stress,
and
healthy
sleep cycles are linked to higher memory
retention.
It
is
even
thought that our loss of memory with
age
can
be
mitigated
by
40 40 [2] [2]
ARCHIVE ARCHIVE FIVE FIVE
healthy lifestyle choices.
METROSPHERE METROSPHERE
FEATURING 72
chèna williams
75
tiffani hernandez
82
alex ertel
THOUG past
pivotal
moments,
patterns,
TS and
developments
This is THOUGHTS. This is where we, the editorial staff of
Metrosphere,
and
contemplate
reminisce on
past
pivotal moments, patterns, and
developments
that
continue to play significant roles in our lives today. ARCHIVE FIVE LOADING FILES 71
72
honey,
I’M SAVING THE BEES!
WORDS CHÈNA WILLIAMS
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THOUGHTS
ILLUSTRATION METROSPHERE
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Have you ever been walking through a woodland area and seen a bunch of little fat, fuzzy, yellow bugs bouncing back and forth between a bush of lavender? How about sitting at a picnic table METROSPHERE
with your friends, enjoying an iced tea, when one of those little buggers with a stinger came up challenging you for the next sip of your drink? Who are these little guys, really, and what do they do for us?
COMMENTARY
chèna williams
They’re just trying to survive and figure
out the world. Isn’t that what we’re all
trying to do anyway?
Let’s first ponder the origin story of these critters. Bees first came into existence about one-hundred-and-thirty million years ago, very shortly after the emergence of flowers. The first flowers can be described as plain. Simple and pale but housing a ton of nutrient-filled pollen. Pollen, the male reproductive organ of flowers, has to make its way to the pistil, the female reproductive organ, in order to make more seeds and in turn, more flowers. The first bees, upon inspection of these flowers, found out they were able to obtain protein by dipping their tongues into the nectar at the center of the flowers, enjoying a quick afternoon drink, before promptly moving on to the next flower. The pollen at the center of the flowers would stick to the bees’ hairy bodies and be transferred to the next flower’s pistil, creating opportunities for new flowers to grow. This is cross pollination. It’s like bar hopping for insects, except instead of making an absolute fool of themselves in front of twenty-somethings on a Friday night, they leave behind entirely new forests. Besides flora, some bees also make honey! After processing flower nectar in their stomachs, bees expel the nectar back out and put it in honeycombs to nibble on through the winter. Yes, honey is bee spit, and yes, humans love it. We drizzle it on cake, we put it in medicine, and we make skincare masks out of it. Today there are more than 20,000 bee species, bumbling about, pollinating plants, and making honey. Some bees even have specialties that make them perfect for certain jobs. For example, the pollen of tomato flowers is tightly packed in the center so the small bodies of honeybees make them ineffective pollinators, but the extra fat and fluffy bodies of bumblebees are able to shake this pollen loose and make them exceptionally effective pollinators for this flower. A lot of the plants we’ve come to know and love only exist because of bees. Crops like pumpkins, almonds, and cherries entirely depend on bee 73
pollination to survive.
74
Bees were on top of the world. The best pollinators for millions of years. Unfortunately, these adorable apoidea have been in decline recently due to climate change. Imagine you go to your kitchen to make dinner but when you open your fridge, every single thing is rotten or expired because your fridge suddenly stopped working in the middle of the night. That’s what bees experience when they come out of hibernation only to find there’s still snow on the ground in May and none of the flowers have bloomed yet, and so they end up starving. This, along with big business destroying bee habitats, has resulted in their scarcity in recent years. Richard Playfair, author of School of Bees, notes that the rusty-patched bumblebee, which looks like a chunky little black and yellow pompom and is native to the Eastern and Midwest United States, has decreased in population by 87% in the past 20 years due to climate change. YellowTHOUGHTS
faced bee species, which are native to Hawaii, are endangered because of natural disasters, such as wildfires, and constant change in land usage caused by tourism and over development. Making sure bees thrive is important to our ecosystem, food production, and normal way of life, and there are a few small steps you can do at home to preserve them. First, form an apiary! Not interested in that
ARCHIVE FIVE
much commitment? You can always shop at your local beekeeper’s wares. Apiarists are dedicated to the livelihood of bees and supporting them supports bees. You can also form a small garden that contains some plants that pollinators are attracted to like lavender or globe thistle. Not only do those plants thrive in Colorado, but bees LOVE that stuff. And most importantly, don’t swat them. Let them sniff your rose smelling perfume, let them have that sip of your iced tea. They’re just
40 [2]
trying to survive and figure out the world. Isn’t that what we’re all trying to do anyway?
METROSPHERE
It’s like bar hopping for insects , except instead of making an absolute fool of themselves in front of twenty-
somethings on a Friday night, they
leave behind entirely new forests.
A brief HISTORY OF video GAMES
WORDS TIFFANI HERNANDEZ 75
COLLAGE METROSPHERE
76
As technology improves at a rapid pace, the lines between real life and the virtual world have begun to blur. For a lot of people, gaming has always been a part of their lives, and recent studies have shown that 75% of United States households have at least one gamer. Video games have gone through many changes and the constant competition has taken the industry to new heights. As gaming goes from 8-bit table tennis to the brink of Ernest Clines’ OASIS, it’s important to remember how we got from then to now to fully
THOUGHTS
appreciate how far we’ve come.
1940s-1960s: The Start
into the scene with a fresh take on Steve Russell’s
While the 40s don’t scream technological advance-
classic in Asteroids. At the start of the 80s, Midway
ement, the first traces of electronic gaming came
released Pac-Man. The little yellow puck monster
in 1947. Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle R. Mann
became an instant hit; it was the first time a char-
created the Cathode-Ray Tube Amusement Device.
acter was taking center stage in a game. Many other
The straightforward machine used simple analog
companies would soon follow suit and release their
electronics with overlays to complete the visuals.
cast of unforgettable faces. 1981 saw the release of
British computer scientist Christopher Strachey
Nintendo’s Donkey Kong game, introducing two huge
programmed the Nimrod computer to play checkers
characters to the industry through gaming’s first-
in 1951; a year later, as part of his doctoral disser-
ever storyline.
tation, British professor Alexander Shafto Douglas ARCHIVE FIVE
created a game of tic-tac-toe that was ported to the EDSAC computer. In 1962, MIT student Steve Russell invented what is assumed to be the first wide-release computer based video game, Spacewar! The space combat game featured a dogfight between two spaceships while 40 [2]
a gravity well in the center of the screen. The game was only available in laboratories at universities. It costed $120,000 at the time, so it wasn’t easy to access for the public.
the Brown Box (1967), were pulled out in 1972 for the first home gaming console, The Magnavox Odyssey, which would be discontinued only three years later. The home console industry then started to crash due to the oversaturation of inferior quality games. This included what would be considered by many to be the worst video game of all time–Atari’s video game adaptation of the popular Steven Spielberg film E.T. The game was a major flop and would be a leading factor in the company’s downfall and a near wipeout of the American market.
stat—something that fueled comradery and comp-
The little yellow puck monster became an instant hit; it was the first time a character was
etitiveness between friends. Then in 1979, Atari broke
taking center stage.
Arcades would become the hot spot for many teens in the late 70s and 80s. 1978’s Space Invaders was the first arcade game to show off a high-score
© IMAGES: Pexels
METROSPHERE
1970s-1990: The Boom of Social Gaming
The blueprints for a home console prototype, named
TIMELINE
tiffani hernandez
77
78
It didn’t take long for the industry to bounce right back.
2000s: Simulating Everyday Life & Moving Forward
Nintendo’s release of the Nintendo Entertainment
In 2000, Sony followed up its successful first
System (NES) was an enormous success for home
console with what is still the best-selling console of
consoles and introduced classics like Super Mario Bros,
all time—PlayStation 2 featuring amazing titles
Mega Man, and Legend of Zelda. Part of what made
like Metal Gear Solid 2, Kingdom Hearts, and God of War.
Nintendo so successful is its determination to learn
Sony would also take a crack at the handheld console
from the failed American market and implementation
game releasing the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in 2005
of its “Seal of Quality.” Their strict licensing guidelines—such as a yearly limit of games a licensee may produce for Nintendo—helped prevent the same over-saturation that contributed to the crash of 1983. Sports gaming was also beginning to make waves with Electronic Arts’ (EA) first sports computer game
THOUGHTS
John Madden Football in 1988. This was the first in a long lineage. The end of the decade would introduce Nintendo’s handheld gaming device The Game Boy. Its better graphics and portable capabilities would make Nintendo the go-to company for gaming on the go. 1990s-2000: Gaming Gets Immersive The 90s saw the explosion of home gaming. There ARCHIVE FIVE
was a transition from sprite-based graphics to full-blown 3D graphics along with the expansion of several genres. Nintendo released two home consoles this decade with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and the Nintendo 64
graphic capabilities in portable gaming allowing it to be a media player, with which one could play movies and access the internet. Sega would give up on the home console, but the console wars would have another contender as Microsoft, the popular PC developer, released the original Xbox. This new platform would popularize online co-op gaming, additional downloadable content for an already released game, and at launch featured titles like Halo: Combat Evolved and Dead or Alive 3. PC gaming was thriving with the 2004 Blizzard Entertainment release, World of Warcraft, the massive multiplayer online role-playing game. At its peak in 2010, the game has amassed an impressive 12 million subscribers and has grossed over $9.23 billion in revenue. The Sims released by Electronic Arts in 2000 would also become a huge hit for years to come. The life simulator is still one of the best-
of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Super Mario 64. In 1995
selling computer games of all time, releasing tons
Sony Computer Entertainment—a small fry in
of expansions and spinoffs.
the game compared to Nintendo—released the original PlayStation. The latter featured games
Nintendo held on to its top spot for handheld gaming
like Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VIII, and Silent
devices releasing the Nintendo DS in 2004 and then
Hill, which incorporated extensive cutscenes and
the Wii in 2006. The latter was innovative to gaming
recorded dialogue, giving games the ability to tell
for its use of motion sensors to track the movements
deep expressive stories like films. Sega would also
of the user, making the games far more interactive
introduce the popular speedy blue hedgehog, Sonic,
than the traditional controller.
along with several console attempts, thus, beginning the console wars.
© IMAGES: Pexels
METROSPHERE
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along with classic games like Star Fox, The Legend
in the U.S. At the time the PSP had the most advanced
TIMELINE
tiffani hernandez
Other console companies like Sony and Microsoft
upgrading their systems but also pushing the limits of their game were
designers, focusing on
immersive storytelling with games like The Last of Us, the Batman Arkham Series, and Final Fantasy 15.
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80
2010s: Gaming Enters the Third Dimension
technology and a phone’s camera to display game
The most formative years in the development of
characters as if they were in front of players.
video games took place in this decade. After another successful handheld release with the 3DS, Nintendo released the Nintendo Switch in 2017. This new system could not only hook up to the TV but was also portable. Other console companies like Sony and Microsoft were upgrading their systems but also pushing the limits of their game designers, focusing on immersive storytelling with games like The Last of
METROSPHERE
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THOUGHTS
Us, the Batman Arkham Series, and Final Fantasy 15.
Video streaming platforms became filled with a new social media celebrity. Let’s Players like PewDiePie and Markiplier built their YouTube channels using their charisma and humor to hook audiences into watching them play a video game online. Twitch.tv has been the leading service for live streams; the service allows viewers to interact with other streamers’ content in real-time, sharing comments, suggestions, or donations. Streaming has brought interactive gaming
This decade also gave rise to tablet and mobile
to every type of gamer—from the most hardcore
gaming. With the Great Recession of 2008, much
gamer to those that just like to watch. The ability to
of the gaming industry was seen as a luxury. In 2016,
live stream games placed a spotlight on indie games
Niantic teamed up with Nintendo to create Pokémon
like Rocket League, Undertale, or Stardew Valley.
Go, an augmented reality mobile game that uses GPS
tiffani hernandez
TIMELINE
2020s: The Pandemic Brings Us Back Home
Where Are We Now?
The global pandemic forced many to stay indoors,
As of today, the video game industry is worth an
and video games were one of the biggest ways that
estimated $100 billion globally. In 2021, it was
people connected during the lockdown. According
estimated that there are 2.81 billion gamers world-
to research from SuperData, roughly 27% of U.S.
wide making up 40% of the population. From
residents used video games to stay in touch with
hardcore speedrunners to the casual cozy gamer,
people in 2020. With the growing popularity of
whether on console or mobile, the horizons of
streaming, many gamers were watching games as
gaming are bright.
much as they were playing them. Games like Fortnite, Among Us, and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout not only brought in waves of fresh players but viewers as well. Music artists like Travis Scott and Lil Nas X even hosted virtual concerts inside popular games. We even saw politicians, such as Alexandria OcasioCortez, play video games to encourage younger demographics to vote.
We even saw politicians,
such as Alexandria OcasioCortez, play video games to encourage younger demographics to vote.
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METROSPHERE
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THOUGHTS 82
Power in
Zines
COMMENTARY
alex ertel
WORDS ALEX ERTEL ILLUSTRATION METROSPHERE
Zine culture is a different type of beast. Working independently from the demands of mainstream media, it is not about how much money or fame an individual can earn, nor is it meant for mass consumption in general. Instead, it works as a way to promote marginalized and silenced voices by creating unique intentional art for an intended audience, typically being made up of people within a subculture themselves. Although zines feel like a new form of media, introduced within the last two or three decades, they have existed for almost a century. The University of Texas states that the original zine, “emerged as early as the 1930s among fans of science fiction” and “was referred to as a ‘Fanzine.’” But what is a zine? The University of Texas defines zines as anything that “encompasses any self-published unique work of minority interest, usually reproduced via photocopier.” Zine culture has catered to underrepresented and the marginalized voices within society by offering a means to express selfhood and also to see oneself represented on the page and in literature.
It works as a way to promote marginalized
and silenced voices by
creating unique intentional art for an intended audience,
typically being made up of people within a 83
subculture themselves.
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ARCHIVE FIVE
THOUGHTS
GiviNg the PowEr Back to the Artist
While many underrepresented people have had
altogether absent in popular media and literature.
their voices removed from mainstream media, zines
It offers a field of creativity totally within the control
allow open and unlimited access. They subvert
of the creator, removing the agency of publishing
mainstream printing and publications and they can
companies and giving the power back to the artist.
be read by anyone and everyone. Laura Van Leuven
How liberating in a society that demands monetary
described zine manu-facturing as “non-commercial,
gain and fame from every art or passion, right?
and are printed in small numbers, circulating only through specific networks. They are underground
The significance of zines within counterculture has
publications that tend to have niche audiences.”
always been prominent from their beginnings as
These niche audiences allow for zines to engage and
science-fiction fanfic. In the 1980s, with the growth
represent voices that are often misrepresented or
of punk, zines found a new home representing those
alex ertel
COMMENTARY
who rejected traditional society and social constructs.
expression through the work, the punk subculture
Van Leuven observed the advent of the variety of
was able to readily establish their own voices within
countercultures, “the riot grrrl movement grew out of
the zine community. The foundations set in the 80s
the punk subculture and developed a zine culture of
and 90s are prevalent today. Evelyn McDonnel and
its own, focusing on feminism, sex, and chaos.”
Elisabeth Vincentelli of The New York Times reported in 2019, “Politically, riot grrrl blasted feminism into the
The riot grrrl zine reveals the ranging discourse
future: Centering the needs of a new generation via
apparent within the counterculture that is punk
direct-action strategies, witty mantras and slogans…
music. Punk is not merely a music genre, but an
it became one of the most visible branches of what
environment where the traditional means of what
was dubbed third wave feminism.”
society constitutes as “normal” or “appropriate” are disrupted by artistic expression. Punk culture is
Despite the subjugation of marginalized people
inclusive and seeks to uplift the voices of people who
in the media, zines allowed for the discourse to
have been forcibly removed from the conversation.
be reconstructed and the voices of the people, previously excluded from the public conversation,
Since zines already cater to subcultures as a way to
to become the forefront of the conversation.
create without limiting the meaning, intention, or
Punk is not merely a music genre, but
the traditional means of what society constitutes as “normal” or “appropriate” are disrupted an environment where
by artistic expression.
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