The Pulse - First Issue

www.pulsemedia-online.co.uk

Magazine

CREATED BY STUDENT VOLUNTEERS FROM PULSE MEDIA

By the students, for the students: www.pulsemedia-online.co.uk

Any views expressed within this publication are the views of the writer, and are not necessarily views shared by Pulse Media and/or the Students' Union.

Welcome

Letter from the editor Sorry I’m late!

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first edition of The Pulse Magazine.

The Newspaper is dead. It’s gone, it’s ceased to be. Now, in its stead, is a shiny new magazine where volunteers can write about whatever tickles their fancy.

This month, there's articles about the now infamous Bethesda Games as we write about their slow, yet sudden, decline into the laughable stock they are now. Then we have articles begging for the end of superhero movies, and articles about student life.

As you might have guessed, this issue is kinda late. Sorry about that... 2019/2020 has been a rather crazy year for student media, especially for the VP Media position. Some of you may already be aware, but there will be no VP Media position in the Student's Union. This means that student media's future will now be controlled by the students, and not by a position that changes every single year.

But, despite the craziness on my end, that hasn’t stopped our volunteers from going forth and doing amazing things. With our new radio equipment, we’ve had some great shows being put out, ranging from World Wide Number One’s to SHAG’s Let’s Talk About Sex. TV have put out a few interviews with various people, and our dedicated TV Manager has even cleaned up the studio and sorted it out for everyone. He even won an award for it! And finally, well… you’re reading the magazine, so you know how well The Pulse has been doing!

Anyway, I’ll leave you to it. Read on and enjoy our magazine. If you have any ideas, or want to get involved from the next issue onwards, then feel free to send me an email: sumedia@uclan.ac.uk.

Regardless of the future, Pulse Media will never stop looking for new ideas. YOU could be the next person to change Student Media with your ideas and passion.

Plus it looks amazing on your CV. Right. I'm out.

Much love to you all!

Daniel Carver VP Media and Editor in Chief

To feature or advertise email sucommunications@uclan.ac.uk

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Contents

In this issue of The Pulse:

What's been the highlight (so far) of your 2020?

05 09 11 15 18 25 28 33

Gemma Nettle When is Straight Pride?

Stephanie Lomas Uni Life Home vs. Campus Chloe Olivia Wilson & Fatima Aziz

Interview with VP Activities and Media

Gemma Nettle An Unlikeable But Respectful Sex Education

Adam Walker Bethesda Games - A Downfall

Peter Simpkins Ask Gemma Gemma Nettle Dear Hollywood: Stop the Superhero Movies Please!

Daniel Carver Chloe's Book Recommendations

Chloe Olivia Wilson

To feature or advertise email sucommunications@uclan.ac.uk

My experience at Lancashire Post which confirmed that I really enjoy entertainment reporting.

Chloe Olivia Wilson It has got to be having my radio package broadcast on BBC Radio Lancashire.

Fatima Aziz The highlight of 2020 so far for me has been the new contactless vending machines in uni.

Adam Walker Finding out there are hot singles in my area who want to meet NOW. Apparently.

Peter Simpkins I am thankful for my article making the cover of the year's first magazine publication!

Stephanie Lomas Passing Unfair Means Policy. Also, I am currently lobbying the university for fairer education and academic regulations.

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FANCY SEEING YOUR NAME THERE? Email sumedia@uclan.ac.uk

Write what you want from your laptop and it'll be put in our next issue.

Looks great for your CV and be the envy of all your friends!

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YOUR ADVERT HERE? Email: sucommunications@uclan.ac.uk

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When is Straight Pride?

Community

The Pulse / Issue 1

Stephanie Lomas

Your VP Education has heard the question about "when is Straight Pride?" and provides you with an answer...

TW – This may offend Straight People and is not a ‘comfortable read’ for anyone but it is a necessary read for all.

We have all seen it. Every time an LGBT+ event is planned and advertised, Joe Bloggs inevitably comments ‘well when is Straight Pride?’

Let me answer that for you – EVERY SINGLE DAY IS STRAIGHT PRIDE DAY.

Let me elucidate to you why we have LGBT+ Pride or, as most people know it, Gay Pride. In 1533, English Law outlawed homosexuality, and it was punishable by death. Whilst legally it was never a crime for women to be homosexual, in a social context it was seen as the same as that of male homosexuality. Many gay men were subjected to chemical castration, or other barbaric practices of conversion therapy, leading to the deaths of many gay men and transwomen.

Pintrest: John Chesterman

Straight Pride is being able to marry without even having to protest for the right. Straight Pride is being able to adopt children without people questioning whether your sexuality will ‘rub off’ on the children.

Straight Pride is being able to share public displays of affection without your affection being used as a pornographic fantasy. Straight Pride is being able to identify yourself in EVERY SINGLE advert, tv program, music video and film without newspapers calling it an agenda and not fit for kids.

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Community

The Pulse / Issue 1

Alan Turing, who was responsible for breaking the Enigma Code that led to the victory of Allies in WW2, was given such treatment due to being a homosexual. Homosexuality was only decriminalised in 1967, so long as it was in private. But this only extended to England and Wales – not Scotland, Northern Ireland, nor the merchant navy or armed forces.

In 1969, Black and Latino gay men, drag queens and transwomen led violent demonstrations against the police at Stonewall, New York after being constantly harassed by them. This was because the LGBT+ community were tired of being treated as suspects because of their gender or sexual orientation.

In 1971, the UK Government passed the Nullity of Marriage Act that explicitly banned same sex marriage in England and Wales. In 1981 the first UK case of AIDS was recorded, leading to further heightened persecution of the LGBT community across the world.

In 1984, the Lesbian and Gays Support the Miners Campaign was launched because they knew exactly the type of harassment miners were facing from the police force.

In 1986, Mark Rees, a trans-man, brings a case to the European Court of Human Rights, stating that UK law prevented him from gaining legal status recognizing him as male. The case was lost but the court noted the seriousness of the issues facing trans people.

Photo from: Vintage.es

In 1988, the Conservative Government introduces Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988.

The Act states that a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".

THIS IS AN ISSUE WE ARE STILL FIGHTING DESPITE THE REPEAL OF SECTION 28 BY THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT IN 2003!

In 1985, the landmark case: P vs S and Cornwall County Council, finds that an employee who was about to undergo gender reassignment was wrongfully dismissed. It was the first piece of case law, anywhere in the world, which prevented discrimination in employment or vocational education because someone is trans.

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In 1997, Stephen Twigg becomes the first openly gay MP elected and Angela Eagle becomes the first MP to voluntarily come out as a lesbian as those who proceeded her were outed by the press.

In 1999, Admiral Duncan, a gay pub in Soho, is bombed by former British National Party member, David Copeland. The attack kills three people and wounds at least 70.

In 2000, the UK Government lifts the ban on lesbians, gay men and bi people serving in the armed forces after the European Court of Human Rights the year previous found that the dismissal of two people based on sexual orientation was a breach of their human rights.

In 2004, the Gender Recognition Act 2004 is passed giving trans people full legal recognition in their appropriate gender. The Act allows trans people to acquire a new birth certificate, although gender options are still limited to ‘male’ or ‘female’.In 2004, the Civil Partnership Act is passed, granting civil partnership in the United Kingdom.

The Act gives same-sex couples the same rights and responsibilities as married straight couples in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Whilst this was a huge step towards marriage equality– this was not enough and so the LGBT+ community fought on.

In 2007, The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 outlawed the discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities, services, education and public functions on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Community

The Pulse / Issue 1

In 2008, The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 recognizes same-sex couples as legal parents of children conceived through the use of donated sperm, eggs or embryos.

In 2010, a new offence of ‘incitement to homophobic hatred’ comes into force in the UK. In 2013, the UK holds its first Trans Pride Event over 23 years after the first Pride Event in Manchester.

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 officially comes into force, with the first samesex marriages in England and Wales taking place on 29 March 2014.

Ireland follows by huge referendum majority in 2015 to legalise same sex marriage and in 2016, the Isle of Man follows suit.

image from: pexels.com

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Community

The Pulse / Issue 1

However, in 2016, North Carolina introduces a law: HB2, which forces people to use public toilets or changing facilities that correspond with the gender they were assigned at birth.

Many celebrities speak out and cancel scheduled appearances in protest.

In 2019, the UK elects Ann Widdecombe as an MEP. She believes LGBT+ people can be cured.

Whilst we, as a community, have come so far in gaining equality, we have SO much further to go. Our Trans and Non Binary siblings are still struggling to fight for equality and recognition.

In June of the same year, 49 people are killed and 53 people injured after a gunman opens fire in the LGBT nightclub Pulse, in Orlando.

London and other major cities across the world hold vigils to show solidarity with the victims.

Our Black LGBT+ community are fighting for acceptance within our own community. TERFS (Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists) are still allowed to argue against pro LGBT+ conversations because of ‘academic integrity’.

In 2017, the USA elects Donald Trump as President and Mike Pence as Vice President.

Pence believes in Gay Conversion Therapy.

So yes we have Pride because we need to celebrate our wins and protest against the losses we face on a daily basis.

In 2017, Amendments made to the Children and Social Work Bill, which will make relationships and sex education (RSE) mandatory in all schools in England and Wales from 2019, leading to protests outside of schools in the Midlands.

Until you have to fight daily discrimination for being straight – please PLEASE stop asking when straight pride is, because your sexual orientation and cisgenderism is celebrated every day. So join us in our fight, comes to pride, ensure safe spaces for LGBT+ community and always ALWAYS be fierce and fabulous.

In 2019, the National Union of Students Annual Conference votes to save the Trans Campaign during the NUS’ Turnaround discussions.

image © UCLAN Student's Union

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Uni Life: Living at home vs. Living at Uni

Student Life

The Pulse / Issue 1

Chloe Olivia Wilson & Fatima Aziz Writers Chloe and Fatima have teamed up to answer the age-old question: Is it better to Live at Home or on Campus whilst at Uni?

Living at Home - The Pro's Like anything else, living at home whilst studying at uni has its perks, but also has its downfalls.

Having been at uni for almost two years now, I’ve come to realise a lot about finding the right balance between my personal and uni life.

The obvious perks of being at home while at uni is being able to come home to fewer responsibilities.

That’s not to say I don’t have my own chores to do whilst still living with my mum and dad, but it’s a great feeling being able to come home and not have to worry about having the sole responsibility of making food or cleaning up.

Plus, nothing beats a plate of my mums amazing cooking!

Living at Home - The Con's Not being on or closer to campus can be a pain, especially if I need access to a piece of equipment or I need to get some work done.

It can get frustrating when you’ve come home from doing an assignment only to realise you needed to go back and motivating yourself to get back on the bus isn’t easy!

Staying late to get work done means my bus ride back gets later and bus timetables after seven in the evening aren’t always reliable.

Being away from campus can sometimes mean you miss out on things. I’m lucky to have made such good friends who live in halls and let me get the best of both worlds in a sense and who make sure I’m not missing out.

Being close to my friends and family is a huge thing for me because of how close I am with them .I feel lucky to be able to combine my uni friends with my personal life but also lucky to be able to see my friends from home whenever I want.

Being an auntie to three little girls is great and still being close to them means I don’t miss them on evenings and weekends when they’re round.

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Student Life

The Pulse / Issue 1

Living on Campus - The Pro's Living away from home has perks and cons. I’m living right next to campus but I’m also going back to an empty flat.

After being at university for a year and a half now, I’ve realised that sometimes I’m not having the right work life balance. My life consists of university mainly.

There are obvious advantages to living in student halls such as always being near to university and having a much shorter commute, meaning I can roll out of bed and be at university.

It is also amazing how much independence I have gained from living in a flat and being dependant on myself to cook and clean, that doesn’t mean I like cooking for myself, but I can go to sleep when I want to and do my own thing whenever.

Living on Campus - The Con's One of the main cons for me is being away from my family and friends in my hometown.

They mean everything to me, and I am so close to my parents that living away from home has really affected me in regard to being homesick more but the teachers and friends I have here help me get through it.

It’s also hard living away from home when I have little baby relatives. My nephews have just turned one and being away from them and my eldest nephew isn’t the best feeling.friends I have here help me get through it.

Being away from campus can sometimes mean you miss out on things. I’m lucky to have made such good friends who live in halls and let me get the best of both worlds in a sense and who make sure I’m not missing out.

The Verdict: There are so many positives about living in private/student halls. You meet new people such as flatmates and its always handy if you decide to go on a night out in Preston as you are already living in the centre of town.

Living at university is good because you won’t feel left out when your friends from university are going out after the uni day has finished.

There are many pros and cons to living away. It’s just all down on you as a person whether you think it is best to live away or live at home!

Photo by Kyle Gregory Devaras on Unsplash

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Interviews with VP Activities and Media Gemma Nettle

Interview

The Pulse / Issue 1

Sophie O’Neill, VP Activities, has been very busy over the past few months trying to get societies and sports together for socials, encouraging more students to join the SU, and planning to work with Pulse TV for a new exciting series.

What were your main aims when you first started the role?

I started off wanting to get every single person involved with something which I now realise is a very big goal. So, now I’m thinking about how I can make what we have the best and then slowly branch out to the people who aren’t involved in groups and societies.

To help support what we already have I did the society scoreboard so groups can earn points by doing tasks that involve the SU, like booking rooms here, doing risk assessments and fundraisers which has been really good.

In terms of reaching out, I put on the Open Mic Night which has been really fun and is the first Monday of every month. We might make it more regular because it’s been going quite well.

I’m trying to reach out and get more ideas for what people want from their SU because it’s so important not to just be in class all the time, that’s exhausting!

photo © UCLAN SU

How are you reaching out to students to get their ideas?

Mostly online at the moment which is a bit boring but as I’m getting on top of things I’m booking time to go around campus.

I’ve just started planning Students’ Union on Tour so all the officers can go around and ask students for feedback, make sure they know who we are, where we are and what we do because we all have different remits and I don’t think everyone understands that. I’m really excited to get more time to go out and talk to people!

I’ve also started with my volunteer photographers. That’s just getting off the ground but I’m trying to get a group of photographers together because that will help promote everything that we’ve got going on as well.

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Interview

The Pulse / Issue 1

What are your plans for January moving forward?

Any plans you had originally had that needed to be adapted or scrapped?

I want to bring inmore new, fun events. I think there’s still a lot to do with getting out there and talking to people so I’m thinking after January exams when everything’s chilled out again to go and talk to some people.

I’ve just about got my routine settled of what bits I do what day and which meetings. So, that should give me more time to focus on things next year which I’m excited about.

I think we might do a Sophie Tries series for Pulse TV where I go and check out the sports clubs and societies and do a session with them so that’ll be really cool, I’m excited for that.

I came in and I thought there was a divide between sports and societies and if we can somehow close that, life will be grand. Then you realise people join this group to hang out with that group and once they’re in that group they don’t care about what other people are up to. So, why am I going to try and bring them together when they’re not interested and they’ve got nothing in common?

From that we were thinking, what if we do a ‘group leaders’ thing because they’ve got being a leader in common? So that’s something to play with next year.

We did our first Red and Black Army social which was I’m A Celeb themed. It was ok and I think that’s going to be our sports and societies social. It was all sports apart from about one society but it was still good and I think the themed nights would be more interesting.

There’s room for improvement but you’ve got to start somewhere. It’s about getting people into Source and talking to people they may not have necessarily spoken to before. I want to get more societies involved.

How have you found the role? photo © UCLAN SU

"I’m trying to reach out and get more ideas for what people want from their SU because it’s so important not to just be in class all the time, that’s exhausting!"

I absolutely love it! There’s a lot more to it than I thought, like doing disciplinary hearings and sitting on university board panels but I absolutely love it. I’m really enjoying it. I don’t want it to be over, I’m already thinking I don’t want this year to end.

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Dan Carver, VP Media, has taken on a big role with lots of unexpected tasks but has achieved things the SU have needed to change for years.

Interview

The Pulse / Issue 1

What were your main aims when you first started the role?

My main goals for the year were to turn Pulse Media into a place to get work experience, increase student engagement by promoting all different kinds of ideas and to create more of an online presence in terms of The Pulse, get articles written online because nobody was really reading the newspaper.

Those were my three main goals but I also had lots of little mini goals as well - for example, updating the radio station and sorting out the TV station.

What have you managed to put into action so far?

I’ve upgraded the radio station and we’ve also managed to get a management team together because the main issue was nobody actually applied.

We are now starting to slowly get back on air, we’ve got some shows going out which are incredible because we’ve really reached out and said you can do anything. We’ve got ‘Worldwide Number One’s’ where they are playing music from different countries, ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’ which is a sex ed show, Dean Kamitsis (our Head of TV) sorted out the TV station so it now looks absolutely incredible and we’ve done a few things there, such as band interviews.

photo © UCLAN SU

We’ve also got some volunteers to write for The Pulse online and we’ll have brought out the first edition of the magazine soon.

I will admit it is very slow progress because there is so much baggage to do with the role that I didn’t know about and it’s taken me about six months to sift through it all but I’m pretty confident now that we’re in a place where we’re starting to get to speed.

What are your plans for January moving forward?

I realised quite quickly that when I started the role there was an impending feeling of hopelessness where I was thinking there is only so much that I can actually do. For example, I’m part of the board on the university student's union so there’s a conflict of interest when it comes to The Pulse holding the union to account.

There’s no catalogue of ideas that have been tried, tested and failed and my handover document was pretty bare, a lot of information was out of date. I looked at it and I realised it was an issue so one of the things I want to do is codify it so the person who takes over from me is going to be able to hit the ground running.

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Interview

The Pulse / Issue 1

We have removed the VP Media position and now that’s done, my plan is to get started on handing student media back to the students. I want to ask students what student media is to them, what they want to do with it and where they feel it should go. These are decisions students need to make and not myself because otherwise it’s not student led media.

I’m trying to get across that I’m not a manager, my job is to represent the students, to carry out their wishes. I am expecting this is going to take a lot of time to get into student’s heads that actually this is their student media, they should be the ones in control of it - it should never have been the VP Media. The next six months is going to be laying the grounds for students to take over and decide what they want to do. Students’ Union’s change and metamorphosise over time depending on the generation and the circumstances.

How have you found the role?

I have enjoyed it, it has been very challenging! I have enjoyed coming to work but as I say I have seen the same problems crop up again. I’ve spoken to staff at the SU, I’ve spoken to past VP Media’s and these issues are always recurring.

I’m happy I’m the one who’s been able to stop messing around and ask the students if we can do something about it.

I’ve got a lot of experience that I can take into the working world and I’m really glad that I decided to do a U-turn because I wasn’t going to run for it originally.

photo © UCLAN SU

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An Unlikeable, But Respectable, Sex Education (At Least They Tried) As part of his work experience, Film, Media & Popular Culture Student: Adam Walker, has watched Sex Education and wasn't a fan. Here, he explains why...

Culture

The Pulse / Issue 1

Adam Walker

Initially, I set out to explore how effective and relevant Sex Education (Netflix, 2019) is to young people who, like me, come from a working-class background. The surprisingly brief answer to that is ‘not a whole bunch’.

This peculiar Americanisation is likely an attempt to attract a wider, international audience. After all, who isn’t familiar with the trappings of the ‘typical American high school’? The US centric nature of global entertainment has made sure of that.

Everyone is demonstrably wealthy. With the location, size and furnishing of their homes, and the very premise of Otis’ mother being a sextherapist, relative wealth and high levels of education are tacitly present, if not overtly stated. Plus, I can’t overlook the fact that the show requires both a paid Netflix subscription and a broadband connection. You might argue that everyone has those things in 2020, but you’d be wrong.

Do I have an opinion on it purely as entertainment? You bet your sweet bippy I do.

It's clumsy, weirdly paced, and I don't like it. It's intolerably irritating in a way even Gillian Anderson’s presence can’t save. And I love Gillian Anderson. I love her. (Might I recommend NBC’s unjustly cancelled HANNIBAL for your Anderson fix. It’s an entirely different thing, but it’s beautiful, bloody, and arguably just as horny).

The decision to have this British show, with its British setting and British characters, take place in a school that is, in many respects, very American is an interesting one. By ‘interesting’, I mean ‘jarring in a way that I find impossible to reconcile’. Its all lockers and letterman jackets which is incredibly alienating and places the show in a sort of unreality, divorced from the real people and problems it’s attempting to reach and portray.

Its values do reflect my own, and that’s great, but as television I simply loathe it. It rubs me the wrong way in the same manner The Inbetweeners did before it. No doubt that comparison will appeal to some, rather than putting them off, and that’s fine. If you like ‘banter’ and gratuitous boobs, you’ll find both with Sex Education.

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Culture

The Pulse / Issue 1

Heck, the show opens with a pair of boobs. Can I say boobs? I'm probably safe with boobs.

Vagina, though? Penis? In fairness, before writing an article on a show called Sex Education, I should probably have read up on how restrictive the standards I'm held to are.

In preparation for the article I thought I was going to write, I decided to put out a call on Twitter (Handle removed to prevent Trolls going nuts... - Dan) I asked for stories about receiving sex education in school, particularly from working class folk, and boy howdy did I get ‘em.

I should probably have read up on how restrictive the standards I'm held to are. We are British after all, and if there's one thing we're known for as a people (apart from queuing) it's innate sexual repression. Clitoris.

In hindsight, perhaps my time may have been better spent asking for opinions on the show from a diverse range of people, given my inability to do so myself in good conscience.

You live, you learn. However, I still think it's important to share these experiences, because the things that unify all of them are objectively not good.

I digress. The discourse surrounding Sex Education is not focused on its value as entertainment, but rather the representation of sex and sexuality. I feel as though I am as far removed from the right person to be writing this article as it is possible to be. The idea that I, a 29-year-old white cishet, man could have anything illuminating to say on the value of the diverse sexual conversation the show promotes is ignorant at best, and actively harmful at worst.

My perspective on whether the depiction of women, people of colour, gay men, gay women, non-binary people, trans people or any of the topics that affect them is good or bad is completely irrelevant. To be honest, if I hadn't been asked specifically to write about it, I'd probably argue that someone like me shouldn't be writing about it at all.

I quickly heard back from numerous people, eager to share their experiences. Across the board it seems sex ed in school was lacking, both in primary and secondary education.

Heteronormativity and a male pleasure centric viewpoint are very much the norm. Sex ed in schools assumes heterosexuality. Ellis, who hails from Manchester, recalls that sexualities other than heterosexual were never even alluded to. It assumes the role of a woman in sex is motherhood, and that the bulk of the responsibility falls to her. By and large, it is an act between a married cisgendered man and woman, with the flavourless purpose of creating new life.

In fact, being nearly 30 and therefore older than time itself, I’m probably almost as unqualified to judge how effective the show is in informing and representing young, white, heterosexual men. I haven’t been young since Britpop died and Blair was doing war crimes.

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Photo © Netflix

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I spoke to three separate sources who attended Catholic schools, where all of this holds true, as you’d expect, but with the additional guidance that all contraception is wrong. Sex for any purpose other than procreation wrong.

Rachel, from Lancaster, commented on the rushed, last minute nature of their lessons, leading to more than one teenage pregnancy the school was only too quick to cover up in misplaced shame.

Shockingly, Sophie, who went to school in County Durham, spoke of how her school outsourced sex education to an external team, and that the behaviour and conduct of one of these ‘teachers’ was incredibly inappropriate.

Without volunteering, she was asked to don ‘beer goggles’ (eyewear supposedly meant to replicate one’s vision when intoxicated), find a condom in a bag and ensure it was safe to use, and then apply it to a rubber penis.

Culture

The Pulse / Issue 1

The teacher held said penis to his own crotch, and insisted that this 14-year-old girl demonstrate how to put a condom on it, shooting down her protestations with “but what’ll happen when you get a boyfriend?? Do it!”. This all passed without comment.

Interestingly, Siobhan from Cornwall tells me their mother is a school nurse at a private school, and endeavours to educate students fully regarding LGBTQ+ concerns, the risk of STI, and matters of female sexuality that were either glossed over or omitted entirely from her As much as I despised actually watching it, this own less privileged education. show has a good heart. While I can’t speak to its successes and failures in terms of Rebecca, from Abderdeen’s education focused representation, I can attest that it tries. It has to on scare tactics in order to discourage teen be a better alternative to what people are pregnancy. She once met with her teacher to learning in the classroom, surely? discuss the things she felt were being overlooked, but he immediately dismissed her A worthwhile attempt was made, and while I concerns. would rather chew my own hands off than ever sit through another episode (sorry, Gillian <3), I Despite some educators attempts to obfuscate am glad it exists. Regardless of its accuracy or the facts, adolescent efficacy, people and problems ignored entirely sexual activity is par for the course. Kathleen, by our school curriculum are, at the very least, from Morecambe, remembers being shown a present. video on reproduction and childbirth while sat by two classmates getting dangerously close to second base by the science room gas taps.

Photo © Sam Taylor/Netflix

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Since the release of Fallout 76, Bethesda Games has suffered one fail after another.

The one proud gaming giant is now a former shadow of itself, as gamers can only watch a titan of the industry transforms itself into a laughing stock.

Peter Simpkins takes a look at the past of Bethesda Games and asks the question on all gamers minds... ...where did it all go wrong?

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Gaming

The Pulse / Issue 1

Bethesda Game Studios - A Downfall

Bethesda.

A name that once sent players harkening back to hours spent exploring fantasy realms and radioactive wastelands, now brings feelings of betrayal and disappointment, joining Piers Morgan and Donald Trump amongst the internet’s public enemies. But why? What caused such an astronomical fall from grace from such a renowned developer? To answer we must look at their origins, their rise and the events that led to their downfall.

Peter Simpkins

The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall released in 1996 and it was one hell of an achievement. The game improved on every aspect of its original, having fully 3D developed environments with procedural generation and an updated user interface. This was truly an advancement in gaming, its most impressive addition being skills you advanced through playing and letting players become literally anything they wanted from knights to cat burglars.

Named after the town it was founded in, the original Bethesda Softworks was founded in 1986 by Christopher Weaver. Originally a software developer, Weaver wished to try his hand at games development. Starting off small, the companies' first games were mostly sports based though the goal was eventually to create their own original game. Bethesda’s developers eventually found themselves tasked to recreate a title from 1992 called Wizardry 7 and update it with modern graphics to be an arena combat game, luckily for them their project kept growing till it was something else entirely.

The Elder Scrolls Arena was released in 1994, missing its slotted release by 4 months and in need of immediate patches, however once fixed the game became a hit with critics, praising its graphics and interface, even winning a game of the year award. With a hit property on their hands Bethesda wanted to capitalize, setting to work immediately onto the game’s sequel. img © Bethesda

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The game was a technical marvel at the time but featured a problem that would become synonymous with Bethesda’s games. Bugs. The game had so many that its fanbase named it "Buggerfall." Players often found themselves falling through the map or finding environments that didn’t fully load. Regardless of its flaws Daggerfall was a hit solidifying Bethesda’s place in the industry. Despite initial success, ironically, the company was about to enter some very turbulent years.

Ideas for an Elder Scrolls sequel were put on the back-burner commissioning 2 smaller spin off games to tide fans over. An Elder Scrolls Legend Battlespire and the Elder Scrolls Adventures Redguard. Releasing in 1997 Battlespire chose to focus more on dungeon exploration but it’s choice to take away the openness of Daggerfall in favor of a linear setting led it to receive mixed reviews.

Redguard, released in 1998, focused on pure adventure, where players found themselves playing as a swashbuckling pirate. Again, being such a departure from Daggerfall led to it also receiving mixed reviews. With a lack of successes by 1999 Bethesda were nearly bankrupt, its development team shrinking to only 6 people.

Gaming

The Pulse / Issue 1

Luckily, Zenimax Media, a company co-founded

by Bethesda’s founder Christopher Weaver, bought Bethesda rebranding it as Bethesda Game Studios.

Weaver however was ousted from Zenimax in 2001. He sued the company, claiming they took his branding and then fired him, though the case was dismissed when he was accused of illegally accessing employee emails. The company were in dire straits, with their hopes resting on the development team to create a hit. Luckily, they did just that.

img © Bethesda

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Gaming

The Pulse / Issue 1

The Elder Scrolls 3 Morrowind was released in 2002 to much critical acclaim, the rapid advancement of game technology during the 1990’s plus the one last hurrah mentality of Bethesda at the time proving to be a winning combination. Abandoning 2D models and scaling down of the map to fix bugs resulted in one of the most technically impressive and interactive games of the time, selling over 4 million copies and finally putting the company back on track.

A big contributor to Morrowind’s success was its port to the console. Bethesda, being a primarily PC developer, were skeptical of porting their games to console. However, this proved to be a huge success resulting in Morrowind becoming one of the highest selling games on the original XBOX. Now aware of a whole new market, games were now developed for both PC and console culminating in the fourth Elder Scrolls game: Oblivion.

Not wanting to have to rely on one game to save their business, as development on The Elder Scrolls 4 began Bethesda began to look at creating more properties as a backup.

Zenimax acquired Interplay entertainment in 2004, creators of the Fallout games, beginning the development of a sequel game Fallout 3 the same year.

Releasing in 2006 Oblivion possessed better graphics and improvements to its core gameplay. While well reviewed, the game did spark the ire of Bethesda’s fans. Its original PC player base complained that the game had become dumbed down, focusing more on combat and story than immersion. Despite alienating some of its fans, the series popularity allowed for big name actors like Shaun Bean and Patrick Stewart to be brought in as voice actors further legitimizing the company as an entertainment juggernaut.

img © Bethesda

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However, things took a turn in 2008 when Fallout 3 released. While the game was a breath of fresh air it was heavily criticized for its bugs and poor gun combat.

Selling enough to warrant a sequel, Bethesda passed the responsibility of developing a sequel to publisher Obsidian Entertainment being too busy developing the next Elder Scrolls.

Fallout New Vegas released in 2010 and effectively showed Bethesda up. Whilst buggy on release improved gunplay, engaging quests, varied dialogue and skill options elevated New Vegas above its predecessor all while using Bethesda’s own assets and engine.

Bethesda had no excuse. The problems in their games could not be put down as technical errors and with their next game their faults were finally laid bare.

Releasing the Elder Scrolls 5 Skyrim in 2011, it was massive and epic, and one of this humble writers’ favorite games, featuring a story where you slayed dragons in a vast game world. Whilst the game was enjoyable, fans criticized the further dumbing down of gameplay, reducing stats to 3 simple menus, and downright broken console ports.

Glitches expanded save files to the extent it crashed the game and patches to fix it broke it further, causing dragons to fly backwards and players defensive stats being erased. People now had Bethesda’s measure, they offered great game worlds and storytelling, but their games were buggy and technically lacking.

Bethesda needed to change its status quo moving forward or risk losing its audience.

Unfortunately, this did not happen.

Gaming

The Pulse / Issue 1

img © Bethesda

The company's next big release, Fallout 4, raised suspicion being slotted to release the same year as its reveal. This suspicion was not unfounded.

Upon release the game looked awful, the Creation Engine, Bethesda’s game engine, looked terribly outdated with the numerous dialogue choices of its predecessors being reduced dramatically.

The new settlement system and the updated gun customization were panned. This plus the standard multitude of bugs and glitches made people's trust in Bethesda wane significantly.

It was at this point Bethesda’s action as a business began to take its toll. Modding had always been a large part of Bethesda’s community yet when Bethesda tried and failed to monetize this service in 2015 on Steam, trying again in 2017 offering their own mods with a service called Creation Club, players felt betrayed with the mods offered being poor quality compared to independent ones.

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Gaming

The Pulse / Issue 1

Even Bethesda's direction on the critically acclaimed reboot of DOOM in 2016, was forgotten quickly with their launch into mobile gaming with games like Elder Scrolls Blades, heavily featuring microtransactions and pay to win mechanics that further drove a wedge between fans and the company. Bethesda were spiraling and needed a massive success to regain their position as top of the Industry.

Fallout 76 was not that game. Unveiled as an online version of Fallout, initially it was a new twist on the purely single player series.

People were also hopeful when the game was said to have 16 times the detail with new rendering, landscape and lighting. It didn’t. The game looked terrible and horribly outdated with, now having an online feature, constant disconnects from servers. There were no NPC’s, settlements or engaging quests. The usual multitude of bugs had returned in abundance, making items like bobby pins weigh 60 times its actual weight and disconnecting players every time they launched a nuke.

While the game was terrible it pulled in comparison to the backlash. The game was discounted to $ 35 a month after release, an insult to those who weeks prior spent the full $60. The special Power Armor Edition featuring an in-game helmet and canvas bag were criticized after the bag itself turned out to be a flimsy nylon material. Responding to rightly angry customers Bethesda customer support responded, “we aren’t planning on doing anything about it”.

They eventually apologized, not by making the bags but by giving players 500 of in game currency to spend. Having microtransactions at all annoyed players but the amount given could barely afford the cheapest items on the store.

Even after all these failings, Bethesda just seemed to be unable to stop inadvertently creating a pay to win scheme by releasing online repair kits despite items having rapid degradation rates in game, so players who bought the kits had an advantage over those who didn’t. The final nail came in an interview with the games lead developer Todd Howard, revealing that the team knew the game was broken and released it anyway. And that was it, despite trying to fix the problems, the damage was done, their reputation tarnished arguably beyond repair.

As I finish this article, I can’t help but be reminded of 2002, facing bankruptcy and no future the company pulled out a truly spectacular game, re-establishing itself as an industry giant. This is now the question we must ask ourselves, with the announcement of the Elder Scrolls 6 will this once legendary developer fade into irrelevancy, or will Bethesda by some miracle dust itself off and rise again?

img © Bethesda

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Ask Gemma...

Gemma Nettle

Student Life

The Pulse / Issue 1

Here is the place where I will try my best to answer questions on anything from university to the stresses of work!

I will stress I am not a professional in any sense of the word but will try my best to answer from my personal experience of being at university.

If you are affected by any of the issues here, or if you are suffering from any hardships during your time at Uni, you can contact the SU’s Advice Centre via telephone: 01772 894880 or Email: suadvice@uclan.ac.uk.

You can also contact UCLAN wellbeing on 01772 893020 or via email: wellbeing@uclan.ac.uk It’s a very demanding time of the year after the Christmas break. How do you find it best to handle the stress of exams?

Do you have any study tips?

I understand it can be a very difficult time, no matter what course you study on. Christmas break is a chance to relax and gather your thoughts before the real gruelling revision for exams begins - perhaps it even starts during Christmas if you’re unlucky!

This mostly depends on how you learn.

Hopefully by this point you will know if you are a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner. This is whether you learn best by using diagrams and pictures, using key words and telling stories or including physical activities in your revision.

However, one you have this figured out it is very easy to find out what works best for you.

For example, I am a visual learner and therefore benefit from being shown how to do something and from diagrams as well as using different colours to highlight through my work.

I’m a sucker for a highlighter and I tend to colour coordinate my work. An example of this would be, I use pink for titles and definitions, green for context and history, yellow for general key information and orange for reference and page numbers. To some looking at some of the pages of my books would cause stress but it works for me. I also find it beneficial to explain a concept to a friend and put it into words they will understand. This will help you understand it better yourself and at the end they can ask you questions on it and test your knowledge.

The best advice I could give is to pace yourself and don’t let yourself fall into the habit of constant revision. The problem with doing big chunks of work that last for most of the day, if not all, is your brain won’t be able to cope with all of the information you’re forcing it to take in and thus your revision won’t be as effective.

I am guilty of this particular method but in recent months have tried my best to break my revision up into manageable chunks of time.

The key is discipline. If you know you have an exam in April, then start your studying now!

Even if you haven’t gone over everything in class, start on the material you have covered already. Doing a little bit every day goes a long way to preparing for an exam and it also limits stress as you will feel more confident and prepared by the time your exam rolls around.

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Student Life

The Pulse / Issue 1

What’s the best environment to work in?

It is a good idea to separate your workspace from the place you usually choose to relax.

This is something I’m currently working on improving as I spent the entirety of my GCSEs and A-levels working on my laptop on my bed.

I will admit it was comfortable but when it came to taking breaks from studying I wouldn’t move from my spot because my bed is where I choose to relax.

Therefore, by the time I had finished my revision session I would feel as though I hadn’t taken any breaks because I hadn’t moved.

If working from home isn’t your thing, then the library is always a great place to work in. Once you’ve made your way to a quiet floor you will find being there motivates you to work as you’ve chosen to leave the house to revise.

I’m worried that my friends will think I’m ignoring them if I prioritise my uni work.

This is something I have always struggled with. I like knowing all of my work is done before meeting someone or going out because then I can enjoy myself without the guilt of having done no revision or not done the research I should have done for tomorrow’s class.

Unfortunately, sometimes it’s important to prioritise your work over a shopping trip or a night out. If you have good friends, they will understand if you feel you need to crack on with your revision instead of grabbing a coffee.

If they don’t understand then take the time to explain to them what it is you need to do and make plans for another day. There’s no need to cancel on your friends completely, just keep them in the loop for when you are free so they don’t feel shut out. At the end of the day, we’re all in the same boat with university work so it shouldn’t be difficult for our friends to understand we need to study every once in a while.

"Christmas break is a chance to relax and gather your thoughts before the real gruelling revision for exams begins"

img © Unsplash

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I spend a lot of my time in classes and then try and fit extra-curricular stuff in after that too, while trying to be social with my mates. But by the time I get home I have no energy to do uni work.

It’s important to make sure you’re getting enough of the things you really need. Make sure you’re eating relatively healthy meals as eating junk can make you a lot more tired and we all know how easy it is to revert to eating pasta and takeaways all the time.

Also know that although it’s great to keep up with your friends and do all of these activities, you need to make time for yourself too. If you have no designated time to relax then you’re going to burn out very quickly. Make time, whether in the morning or in a break between classes, and you would be surprised by how much it helps you conserve energy for later when you do your work.

Student Life

The Pulse / Issue 1

img © Unsplash

Either that or I can recommend doing your work in the morning before any classes, then at the end of the day you have time to relax and take time for yourself, doing something you love.

If you are affected by any of the issues here, or if you are suffering from any hardships during your time at Uni, you can contact the SU’s Advice Centre via telephone: 01772 894880 or Email: suadvice@uclan.ac.uk.

You can also contact UCLAN wellbeing on 01772 893020 or via email: wellbeing@uclan.ac.uk

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Culture

The Pulse / Issue 1

Dear Hollywood: Stop the Superhero Movies... Please!

Daniel Carver

Dear Hollywood.

On the 25th April 2019, me and a friend went on a night-out that we would never forget. We went to our local cinema, armed ourselves with popcorn and sugary treats, sat down on uncomfortable seats and watched Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame back to back.

It was an incredible experience. A decade of storytelling wrapped up as we watched Earth’s Mightiest Heroes battle across space and time, fighting against a tyrant that had destroyed 50% of all life across the cosmos.

Their desperate battle against Thanos led to some of the most genuinely tear-jerking moments as Marvel Movies took us on a rollercoaster of emotions.

We were enthralled! We were sad. We were happy. We were desperate for the toilet when one movie ended and another one was about to begin. It was great, a fantastic way to end a decade long journey.

And so, it is with puppy dog eyes that I must you beg you to please, please, stop making superhero movies.

Look, I know it’s weird that I’m asking you of this Hollywood. You knocked it out of the park with Avengers and then you did it again with Joker.

But here’s the thing, too many superhero movies can be a bad thing. It can dilute the superhero genre until someone makes a terrible superhero movie, which puts the entire genre to sleep. It’s happened before… during the 90’s, we received a few superhero standalone movies, from Batman to The Crow.

img © pintrest (artist unknown)

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These movies were decent for their time, though nowadays I suspect we could write an entire essay on the evolution of superhero movies. And then one day, in 1997, dark clouds began to gather across the skies.

Thunder ripped through the sky, blood began to rain from the streets and fiery cracks in the street appeared.

Since Batman Begins, we’ve been fortunate to watch the genre unfold and evolve. We started with Iron Man, which hinted the Avengers initiative. We’ve seen various Marvel movies come out, from Thor to Ant-Man. All of these movies came together over a decade to weave a tale which spanned the Marvel Galaxy and even time itself.

It was on that fateful day that Batman and Robin was released, and the world would never be the same again. It was a terrible movie, the worst kind of superhero movie. It was campy, had a terrible script and ruined the idea of Batman.

When I watched it for the first time, I could only witness the pure horror of Director Joel Schumacher taking a hammer to everything I loved about Batman and destroying it.

Meanwhile, DC attempted to capitalise on the movies and failed… though not entirely. Man of Steel was passable, although Batman v Superman was terrible. Justice League was pants and, it was only until Aquaman, when things got bearable. Shazam, was fantastic (by DC standards) and now they’re making a sequel. Wonder Woman kicked ass and showed how to do a female superhero movie right! So, it seems like DC have finally decided on how they’ll approach things.

Culture

The Pulse / Issue 1

It destroyed the franchise of superhero movies and no-one would take them seriously again until Christopher Nolan invented “the reboot”, where he took Batman back to the beginning of his career with Batman Begins.

img © warner bros.

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Culture

The Pulse / Issue 1

But Hollywood has a history of taking ideas too far. For Hollywood, money = quality. The more money they make, the more quality that the product is. But sometimes, a product stinks and still makes enough money to justify a sequel… or a movie of a similar premise. Who remembers the first-person horror movies that started with The Blair Witch Project? What was a brilliant way of getting around budget issues turned into Hollywood’s latest technique for scaring us silly with 4/5 horror movies being in first person.

People got sick of it, but they kept spending money and proving it was profitable. Then they released The Gallows, a movie that I had the pleasure of reviewing when I worked as a film critic. I say I had the pleasure, it’s the same pleasure that I’d get if I stubbed my toe and stepped barefoot on Lego.

It was a terrible movie, with no redeeming qualities at all. It had a budget of $10,000 and made $43 million back. And this was the reason that Hollywood deemed it quality and wanted a sequel. The Gallows 2 was released last year. It stank worse than an infected open wound. It has 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s so terrible that it’s used to break the spirit of prisoners in supermax prisons. It’s so bad that it’s considered a war-crime under the Geneva convention.

Hollywood have a history of taking things too far for the sake of money. After all, Hollywood’s aim is to make as much money as possible, not to provide quality content. Providing quality content is a great way to make money, but there’s been plenty of movies that have been brilliant but haven’t made enough money to warrant a sequel.

And as a fan of superhero movies, I’d dread to think about Superheroes becoming stale and trite, to the point where they kill the market off.

We’ve got some great stuff planned for phase 4 but, what then? What happens when we just go around in circles and make the same mistakes as the first-person horror genre?

So please, I’m begging you Hollywood, no more superhero movies after this. End on a high note, you’ve finally achieved your goal of bringing superheroes to the silver screen in a way that makes tons of money.

But please, please, please… no more superhero movies.

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Chloe's Book Recommendations

Culture

The Pulse / Issue 1

I love books and, as a student at university, I find it essential to give myself time to relax and have self-care in the evenings after doing my work.

There are lots of books I’m excited to read this year that have been on my "to be read list" for quite some time, but there are also some I read last year that I want to share with you.

Last year, I read a total of 40 books and I loved each and every one for differing reasons.

First up; I highly recommend Verity by Coleen Hoover.

I give this book a strong five out of five stars because it hit all the right criteria for me. The genre of this book is romantic thriller and I love a romantic novel so the balance between both genres was really nice. The book was so enticing, and I just wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next.

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary.

I LOVED this book! It was such a light-hearted and romantic novel. It was such an easy read and the characters made the book for me because they all linked nicely together, and they felt relatable. The main characters live in a flat together but don’t know each other, they start to send post-it notes to each other but still have never met… it’s such a cute story!

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Culture

The Pulse / Issue 1

It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne.

I loved this book. It’s such a meet cute novel but it works around the idea of movies and romance within films. I sat and read this in three days and I just couldn’t put it down! It’s a typical cliché rom com but that’s my favourite kind of book!

Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams.

I loved this book when I read it. It was such a nice story about someone having a massive crush on someone they see on the train every day. It was lovely and such an easy read. I love reading books that are enjoyable and easy to read because being at university I have other things on my mind and don’t want something I have to really concentrate on.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.

I’m sorry but I will always recommend this book because it will always be my favourite book ever! It’s probably the book I cried most at and one of the books I most enjoyed. It’s a book I can pick up again and again and not feel bored of it.

Definitely recommend!

I hope these are helpful for those of you looking for a new book to read. I know they are very romance heavy but that’s my all-time favourite genre!

Enjoy!!

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By the students, for the students: www.pulsemedia-online.co.uk

Any views expressed within this publication are the views of the writer, and are not necessarily views shared by Pulse Media and/or the Students' Union.

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