Raven Report 2023-2024 Issue Cycle 2

RAVEN REPORT

SEQUOIA HIGH SCHOOL NEWS MAGAZINE

VOLUME XXII, NO.2 // MARCH 2024

FEATURE

Cultural games at Sequoia pg. 20-21

OPINION

The irony of Monopoly pg. 22-23

A&E

The Last of Us 2

Remastered: the perfect experience pg. 42-43

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ELECTIVES TOUR

By Sasha Efimchik, Natalie Ewing, Nate Gotelli & Stan Hamelin

TEACHER FEATURE

By Tiko Gupta

THE OFFICE

By Nate Gotelli & Stan Hamelin

Front and back covers by Haylee Huynh and Sasha Efimchik

Layout design by Zoraya King

DEAR Raven Report...

“What’s it like, being adopted?”

By Sasha Efimchik, Co-Opinion Editor

Dear Sasha Efimchik,

I am writing in reference to the recent article in the Raven Report. In the December 2023 issue, you published an article about the perspectives of adoption, coming from adopted children. It opened me up to a whole new set of experiences and really helped me sympathize with them.

Recently, in my family, we gained a new cousin through adoption and I met him during [mid-winter] break. This article has helped me understand the challenges my new cousin faces and, in turn, how I can support him. I really appreciate that you’ve taken the time to write this article and include these valuable [stories].

Sincerely,

Mia Zoepf, freshman

Dear Carmen Victoria Cuevas Contreras,

I am writing in reference to to the recent article in the Raven Report. In the December 2023 issue, you published an article about the ELD class making dobladas with students in the leadership ASB and Spanish classes. I was a part of this activity and thought that this article did a good job of capturing the environment of this fun activity.

I was happy to see that this was an article as I remember this activity being fun because (despite the language barrier) we were still able to connect and make delicious food. As a freshman who is just starting [to learn] Spanish, I found that this activity helped me [practice] the Spanish that I had learned in a realistic environment, as well as helping me learn many new words. Overall, I found this activity to be fun as well as helpful for my developing Spanish learning and was glad to see that this was [featured] in the Raven Report.

Sincerely,

Kerian Gallagher, freshman

ELD events: making dobladas

By Carmen Victoria Cuevas Contreras, Guest Writer

Bike theft at Sequoia: how to prevent it

By Lucie Archambault, Staff Reporter

Dear Lucie Archambault,

I am writing in reference to the recent article in the Raven Report. In the December 2023 issue of the Raven Report, you published an article regarding bike theft. I have gotten my bike stolen locked up inside a bike cage and your article didn’t go over how it could be more protected. It also didn’t seem like the Sequoia security was working toward forming a solution.

I am asking for a more clear solution [for this problem].

Sincerely,

Logan Trinklein, sophomore

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS IN CHIEF

When we decided on “The World of Games” as our theme for this issue, we were worried about our reporters being receptive to the idea, and whether or not it would exceed the quality of our previous magazine. However, the creativity that began to bloom once we started writing was a pleasant surprise to us. There were game reviews of everyday puzzles that connect us together like Wordle and GamePigeon, but also nods to the nostalgia of the ‘90s and 2000s and the birth of the video game culture we are all so familiar with today.

In many ways, this issue is not just about games, but also connection, transforming their articles into an exploration of the world of games. With

every article, new worlds are unlocked. We hope that everyone can find a piece of themselves in our magazine and connect with this time capsule of game culture our staff has created. Without further ado, we present the next official issue of the Raven Report.

RAVEN REPORT // 23-24

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Haylee Huynh

Allison Wang MANAGING EDITOR

Stan Hamelin FEATURE EDITORS

Zoraya King

Alex Parker-Rogers

OPINION EDITORS

Sasha Efimchik

Vivian Krevor A&E EDITOR

Matthew Caesar COPY EDITOR

Sarina Sanghvi NEWS EDITOR

ABOUT

THE RAVEN REPORT IS A SEQUOIA High School student publication produced in the journalism class through the efforts and decisions of the staff and the publication’s editors and advisor. The Raven Report is a public forum for students, staff, and community.

THE RAVEN REPORT STRIVES TO provide Sequoia High School with informative, engaging and relevant news. The staff will exercise integrity and accountability while promoting justice and transparency through professional reporting about our school, community and the world.

CONTACT

THE RAVEN REPORT STAFF welcomes signed letters to the editor so that readers might share in the opportunities of the scholastic free press in open forum. The written views of students, parents or community members must be responsible, in good taste and free from libel, slander or obscenity. Letters may be edited for grammar or content if necessary; furthermore, editors will not guarantee that letters will be published.

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Why should students vote? Why should students vote?

BY DAVID RAYMOND News Editor

United States citizens get to choose what direction the nation should go in each time they enter the polls; from the large scale elections like the presidency or Senate races to local elections like county supervisor or sheriff. However, despite this only 51.8% of voting-age Americans voted in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.

Voting rights in the United States have a legacy of struggle. From protests in Selma, Alabama during the Civil Rights movement to the women’s suffragist movement in the 19th century, and recently more restrictive voter identification laws, the right to vote has and is a hard-fought battle.

“in Selma. Similarly, the work of youth protesters in the 1970s to lower the voting age to 18 with the 26th Amendment passing in 1971. To the work of The Suffrage Movement in the 1920s to secure the right for women to vote with the 19th Amendment.

“I think it’s sad because we’re watching a new generation of people not understand the work that was put into voting rights. Seeing youth being the

I think that it’s sad because we’re watching a new generation of people not understand the work that was put into voting rights. Seeing youth being the demographic that votes the least, is really disheartening.

Ethan Thacker, senior class president

“Throughout the history of our country, there are examples of people working hard to ensure that everybody has the right to vote and isn’t disenfranchised,” Health Careers Academy Director, US Government and Economics teacher Ashley Gray said.

Examples of this sacrifice are the loss of Jimmie Lee Jackson, Rev. James

demographic that votes the least, is really disheartening,” senior class president Ethan Thacker said.

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Americans aged 18-29 have the lowest voter turnout of any age group with a voting rate just under 50% in the 2020 election. This is compared to just over 75% turnout for voters aged 65 and up

year olds are indeed the lowest turnout,” Gray said. “But, the voter turnout rate for [18-25 year olds] has been increasing and is increasing.”

According to Tufts Tisch College Circle, of the registered youth voters who did not vote in 2016, 65% did not like the candidates or issues at stake, and 47% had conflicts on polling day including work, lack of child care or a lack of transportation to polling sites.

In America’s polarizing political climate, it is easy for voters to feel like their vote is insignificant, giving reason to discrepancies in the number of active voters throughout different categories such as age, gender or even race. Though in California, large elections are often won by significant numbers of votes, emphasizing that voters have the opportunity to influence local elections.

“Sometimes elections are decided by one vote, or they can be a complete tie,” Marni Rubin, Voter Services Student Outreach Lead at the League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County, said.

“Historically, voter rates for 18-25

These examples of elections being decided by a few votes is a surprisingly common occurrence. These elections are an example of where a few people can change the result of an election and create tangible change in their community. In the case of a tie, one single voter can swing the result of an election.

“[In the case of a tie], the election is then decided by picking a name out of a hat. Is it really democratic to decide an election by picking a name out of a hat?” Rubin said.

Those without the opportunity to vote– such as students under 18 or undocumented citizens –still can create change in their community.

“We encourage everybody to vote, but if you can’t, you can still be civically engaged,” Rubin said. “You can attend a school board meeting, an Assembly Member meeting, or a Senate meeting. Anyone that is an elected official in your area wants to hear from you.”

The process of voting is undoubtedly a core tenet of American democracy, that was fought to be secured by decades of sacrifice.

“Voting is a primary way to ensure that your voice is being heard, that you are engaging in the [democratic] process, and hopefully having some measurable outcome on the direction not only of the country, but of the state and of our local community,” Gray said.

Luckily, California has made this right more accessible than ever. Californians now have the ability to pre-register when they get their driver’s license or register in other accessible places such as online, at school or the library.

You [can register to vote] completely online. You just need a driver’s license, or if you don’t have that, a social security number,” Thacker said. “It’s a really easy process, and we’re getting to the point there’s not really an excuse not to be registered or not to be involved in politics.”

Behind the screens: psychological impacts of social media Behind the screens: psychological impacts of social media

BY GIANNA FEDERIGHI Staff Reporter

We are all guilty of spending hours scrolling through infinite social media posts. Social interactions are a major part of life and social media is a great way to build new connections, ease stress and provide comfort.

Many people think these little apps are just for fun but little do they know, there are rising concerns tying social media to serious mental and emotional health threats. Younger generations are relying increasingly on Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat to replace real-life human interaction without realizing the potential harm.

“Social media can definitely connect us and it can connect students to what’s happening in other people’s lives daily. But I think on the flip side, it can also be used inappropriately in an unexpected way, [...] almost as a daily journal for the world to see in-

vasive private moments that weren’t meant for all to track and share,” Mental Health Specialist Rebekah Howard said.

Teens do not only put their mental health at risk but they put their privacy at risk. The fact that private accounts are not truly private goes unnoticed by most. The Pew Research Center did a study and teen social media users did not express a high level of concern about third-party access to their data; just 9% say they are “very” concerned.

“I believe some students may not realize they’re putting their vulnerabilities online while they’re also still trying to figure out who they are [...] We’re losing some of our social connections, giving away our privacy and disconnecting from tonality with other people,” Howard said. Teens spend hours casually scrolling and reminiscing about what party that guy was at, or that one top the girl was wearing in her post from two years ago. These hours truly impact the human brain whether it is noticed or not.

research that teen girls who used Instagram had begun to feel worse about themselves, which led to an increase in depression and anxiety,” junior Aenea Mangolini, who wrote a research paper on the topic of social media impacts, said.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 90% of teens ages 13-17 have used social media. Additionally, these teens are online for almost 9 hours a day, not including homework.

We’re losing some of our social connections, giving away our privacy and disconnecting from tonality with other people.

Rebekah Howard, Mental Health Specialist

“In The New York Times, it’s been found in Facebook’s internal

Some students do not reflect on their usage of social media. They disregard the fact they are procrastinating their work or chores without checking the time.

“I probably spend about 4 hours a day on social media but I feel like I’d get more sleep if I didn’t have social media,” junior Leia Seevers said.

Not only does social media take up time, but it also identifies trends. It adjusts your feed to what you click on every day and filters through enormous amounts of content to fit your interests.

“In an article by KSL, it was revealed that these companies use specific strategies and algorithms to target people. Especially because teenagers’ brains aren’t fully developed so they’re more, susceptible to becoming addicted to these algorithms,” Mangolini said.

If you think about your Instagram feed today and the content you click on when it is appealing, you will start

to see this trend of similar content appearing.

“This is a new technology that can change your future. I think, for young people, it can also prevent them from taking a brain break. It is so critical to pause the world. Some research is showing that we’re taking in more information in 24 hours than a human normally would in a lifetime,” Howard said.

dia platforms for a sense of assurance and comfort. Teens are so caught up on other peoples’ thoughts and forget to stop themselves. The most important question is, “‘Why do we care so much?’”

I have not had personal harm from social media but I’ve seen other individuals be harmed by it. But I think it can do just as good as it can do bad.

Leia Seevers, Junior

Teens are putting their lives out there for everyone to see and it is very unsafe. Most teens use these social me-

“When all of that energy goes out into other people’s social media pages, and algorithms, where was that same time spent? Was it spent putting loving energy back into yourself versus loving everything out there in social media?” Howard said.

Teens have to start looking at the

real-life consequences that come with social media. You might not be affected by it but you might see someone whom it has taken a toll on.

“I have not had personal harm from social media but I’ve seen other individuals be harmed by it. But I think it can do just as good as it can do bad. It can inspire you to try new things, it might give you quick help if you don’t know how to do something. There are some good alternatives out there,” Seevers said.

All teens need to take a step back and think of ways to protect themselves from these algorithms of social media. There are many other ways to share experiences aside from social media so it is important to remember the importance of human connection.

Avoiding mind games in relationships

BY ALEX PARKER-ROGERS Co-Feature Editor

From Romeo and Juliet to cheesy love songs, teenage love is regarded as intense and dramatic, while cherished dearly by those who have experienced it. While teens of the past enjoyed late-night phone calls or love letters, high schoolers today navigate a digital world. As social media is complex, especially for teenagers in their first relationships, it can help and hurt high school relationships.

How social media benefits relationships

Some couples use social media apps to keep in touch while dating, but many also meet their partners online. According to a study by Pew Research Center from 2015, one in four adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 have found a romantic partner online. In long-distance relationships where the couple has met online, the entire relationship could take place on a social media app.

Even teens who date in person can utilize messaging apps like Snapchat and Instagram to communicate despite their distance from one another. Freshman Andy Campbell and their partner live in different cities and use social media to plan visits.

“We can say ‘I’m home right now’ or ‘I’ll be there at this time,’” Campbell said. “It would be easier if I could ride a bike or drive, but the walking distance between us is an hour.”

Regardless of their relationship status, young adults often enjoy social media because it allows them to pursue their personal interests. As many apps allow users to send and receive content, couples can explore each other’s passions and learn more about each other.

“[Social media] helps [my partner and I] find common interests,” senior Victoria Hamann said. “It gives me inspiration for the things I do, or help when I was looking for career options, and just overall expanding my knowledge on the world and what path I can take.”

The negative impact of social media on relationships

Social media can also negatively affect even young people who are not in romantic relationships. 300 female students from Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University participated in a 2021 study, which found that 59% of participants saw negative effects of social media on their friendships and relationships with family.

Teen Resource Center therapist Emily Ryan notes that social media causes issues for Sequoia students as well. As social media is a public forum that couples’ entire friend groups can access, one partner may learn something their partner has said or done from a post.

Ryan notes that couples utilize posting as a revenge tactic against their partners after conflict.

“I work with students who come in because they’re having some type of issue. I hear a lot of ‘people are posting this’ or ‘I saw this person post this about me’ or ‘I know they’re cheating and so I’m gonna get back at this person on social media,’” Ryan said.

Even while scrolling alone, social media can be a toxic place for couples. Outside the accounts that belong to people within the social media user’s social circle, they are exposed to a broader stream of content. For stu-

dents in relationships, dating and relationship content can be harmful.

Hamann describes content that sets standards about the duration of a relationship, which she feels is harmful. She points out the ‘three-month rule’ and ‘six-month rule,’ which state that a relationship will be long-lasting if the couple is in a good place after three or six months, but will fail if there is conflict after those points.

“I think [the rules] are a weird standard to expect people to follow and they create another layer of anxiety. It’s definitely an example of social media content I tend to avoid and I think

Relationship advice

“I know that it’s popular to share passwords. There are pros and cons to that. Pros could be that it does have some accountability and you can see what your partner is doing and who they’re talking to. The negative side of that could be like, microman � aging or not allowing privacy.“

“It’s important to set boundaries around screen time in general. For example, do you want to be on your phone when you’re with your partner? How often do you want to be present with your partner while you’re with them?“

“Couples should be talking directly to each other, not going through other people or making a post about something vague and expecting them to see it. They should make eye contact while sitting in the presence of the other person. A phrase you can use is ’I feel blank when...’ Be honest with how you feel, and genuinely listen to what the other person says.“

- Emily Ryan

“Most of our boundaries are unspoken. Like, ’What is the need for you to be snapping someone that has romantic intentions with you already?’ or keeping in contact with exes. We don’t do that. It’s important to not only set those boundaries but also communicate about those things when they pop up.“

“There are plenty of content creators who make helpful content. Taking it from a professional relationship therapist or someone who knows what they’re talking about is really important. There are videos around communication and expectations to set boundaries, and things like that are definitely more helpful.“

- Victoria Hamann

others should too because it’s just so unrealistic,” Hamann said.

Many note that relationship content causes them to compare their relationship to the one they see on screen. Discussion of “red flags” and “green flags” has been a trend in relationship content where red flags describe behavior to look out for or that could warrant a break-up and green flags describe behaviors that are positive.

“There are high expectations when it comes to your own real-life relationship compared to a social media relationship,” Hamann said. “The idea of red flags and green flags, and your

partner having to be a certain way, or act a certain way or do certain things for you.”

Students in LGBTQ+ relationships often feel a similar need for their relationship to reflect the standards of queer relationships set online.

“It can be [a] struggle to live up to an expectation because you don’t see too much representation of queer relationships, and when you do it’s curated and very catered towards being acceptable,” Campbell said. “ It’s our first relationship and we get anxious about what we’re supposed to do.”

Final thoughts

Though teenage relationships can be difficult even without social media, they are still worth the work of communicating effectively and growing to be healthier people.

Ryan adds that working to build trusting relationships can benefit teens who stand to gain a lot from relationships.

“In general relationships can be really valuable. As long as people are aiming to have healthy communication and healthy boundaries.” Ryan said.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

BY SASHA EFIMCHIK Co-Opinion Editor

Introduction

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” is a question we’ve all probably heard before. When you are a kid, you are given license to dream big. The sky is the limit. Of course, at that age the question is just for laughs. No one actually expects you to become a firefighter, astronaut, artist or dog trainer. But as you get older, the question becomes more serious. Now, your wild

Interior Designer

A common misconception is that an interior designer has the same job as an interior decorator, which is not true. While an interior decorator does what it sounds, decorates a space to a client’s liking, an interior designer does all that and more.

“For [an] interior project, I would do everything from the floor plan to [the] selection of all the materials to the de cor,” interior designer Inga Kharik said. “In Europe, it’s called interior archi tecture, which I think describes things much [better] because as interior de signers, we learn how to plan the space, everything from the walls to even the plumb ing.”

As an interior designer, your primary job is to keep the client happy.

“As interior designers, we discuss the exact way that the space is going to be used by the client, all the pain

ambitions are grounded by the cynicism, or the realism, as the case may be, of the adult asking the question.You start to worry that there may be such a thing as the wrong answer. An artist? How do you plan on making money that way? Suddenly, you need to think of a realistic answer. But how are you supposed to know what you want to be if all your life you have been only a student?

“I feel like there’s always that un-

points that the client has, and all the wishes that they want to incorporate into the space,” Kharik said. “Based on that, we create the ideal space plan.”

However, becoming an interior designer is a difficult process. In order to become a certified interior designer, one must have a minimum of six years of interior design education and pass the IDEX California exam, a complicat

certainty of choosing the wrong thing. We’re [at] such a young age that we don’t really know what we want for the rest of our lives,” sophomore Daisy Duarte Lopez said.

Although learning about these job options isn’t the same as trying them out, hopefully, this article will make it a little easier to answer that question next time.

ple study from six months to a year.

“It’s much more difficult to actually get the degree and become licensed than anyone thinks,” Kharik said. “We had an attrition rate (number of people leaving) of 80% in my class.”

While you don’t have to be a good artist to become an interior designer, you do need to have a passion for it, as well as determination.

“You have to understand that it’s a science as much as it is an art, which is what I love about it. That’s the most interesting part, that it’s a combination of two.” Kharik said. “I like to use my brain but I also really like to be creative. If that’s something that appeals to you, then that’s an

Are you a detail-oriented person who enjoys analyzing statistics and is good at thinking on the fly? If so, a supply chain manager might be the job for you.

A supply chain manager is the person who keeps track of how much of something goes to a certain place or company. For Christopher Caton, Sequoia social studies teacher and past Regional Supply Chain Performance Manager, he managed the surgical supplies that were used for wound closure.

“I had to go into hospitals and analyze the amount of cases that they do on a weekly basis, look at trends of what kind of things they were scheduling, which doctors were there, which doctors did what,” Caton said. “We had to go in and figure out what their average caseload was and then give him a little bit more just in case of emer-

Digital Marketing Manager

A big appeal to being a digi tal marketing manager is that you can work from virtually anywhere, seeing as the job pertains to all things digital.

“I create demand through online chan nels, so I make sure that people know who we are, what we do, and how we can benefit them,” Jennifer Berry, local Digital Market ing Manager for cyber security company Valence Security, said.

gencies.”

Caton’s job was to manage hospitals’ purchasing and inventory, which means he visited a lot of hospitals.

“A lot of the times, I had to be in the hospitals before surgery started so I could meet with doctors before they were busy or later after surgeries were over,” Caton said.

Seeing as he was a supply chain manager in the medical field, Caton had to learn about the hospital environment. Sometimes, he had to teach the doctors how to use the new supplies.

“When it was new stuff I had to go and show them how to set up for the actual surgery, which means I had to learn all about sterilization zones, [...] blood borne pathogens and how to be in an operating room.”

While being in the operating room wasn’t Caton’s favorite part of the job, he really enjoyed talking to the people there.

“A lot of times, the people who are in the care side of the hospitals like the

nurses, the surgical techs [and] materials managers [...] were all really cool. [...] It was neat to know that they’re in a business where

Berry enjoys many aspects of her job.

“I like to learn about new kinds of advertising channels, and how those work. I like to brainstorm creative things to say to get people interested in my company,” Berry said. “And I like to make our website look appealing. So when somebody comes to our website, not only [is it] attractive, [...] but also they can find the information that they want quickly.”

There are some important characteristics that someone who wants to be a digital marketing manager needs.

“[Digital marketing managers] need to be patient, [...] organized, [...] creative and [good at] problem solving. And they need to be able to work with all different kinds of personalities,” Berry said.

Art by Sasha Efimchik

Supply Chain Manager

The NHL’s popularity woes

BY KYLE APPLEBY Staff Reporter

The Las Vegas Golden Knights hoisted the Stanley Cup in front of 19,000 Golden Knights faithfuls in a packed T-Mobile Arena in June 2023, however, fewer than three million were watching on TV. In comparison, over 13 million tuned into the last game of the NBA Finals in 2023. The World Series had at least eight million viewers per game, while the NHL has only had three games reach eight million viewers since 2006.

Most hockey fans will say that it’s the most electric sport to watch or play, so what’s behind hockey’s low popularity? There’s much to blame, starting with the NHL itself.

In the league, games are spread across three platforms: Hulu, ESPN+ and cable television. Purchasing Hulu or ESPN+ provides access to nearly

Sports

every NHL game.To watch local teams, fans must also have a cable provider to watch the area’s sports network. Also, fans must pay upwards of seven dollars a month for ESPN+ or Hulu.

The NHL is not entirely to blame, however. ESPN, even with full broadcasting rights, still fails to promote the NHL on social media. On an Instagram post from late January about hockey, a comment reads, “Why [doesn’t] hockey get any love on this platform that often?”

Of course, northerly places like Canada have frequent access to ice, so these places often produce the most players and fans.

“My parents are Canadian,” senior Brandon Kwan said. “So [hockey’s] in my blood.”

Hockey gear can also set a hockey player back upwards of $10,000. Just a stick can cost between $100-$300, and hockey teams travel far and fre-

viewership in the US in 2023

(billions of minutes), per Statista

quently. These costs add up, making hockey one of the most expensive sports to play.

“I was spending nearly $12,000 per season,” Kwan said. “You can kick a soccer ball around and pretend there’s a goal, but you can’t do that with hockey.”

In California, where access to ice is limited, it can be a very hard sport to play. Many West Coast teams have faced threats of relocation, or they frequent the bottom of attendance lists (San Jose and Arizona posted the two lowest attendances last season).

Senior Christian De La Cruz mentions a “new era,” with new players such as Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks, will hopefully bring a new wave of fans and media coverage. However, if the league fails to solve these issues, hockey may never reach the mainstream in the United States.

The San Jose Sharks: from predators to bottom feeders

BY KYLE APPLEBY Staff Reporter

The Sharks, once again, are one of the worst teams in the NHL. Just four years after a memorable run to the Western Conference Final, the Sharks have disappointed yet again. What went wrong?

A combination of the Sharks’ inexperienced young talent and lack of superstar talent meant San Jose could not compete with the other elite teams in the NHL’s Pacific Division.

Negatives

The Sharks began the season on an 11-game losing streak, tying the NHL record for the longest losing streak to open a season. Then, just a month later, they lost 12 consecutive games, the

longest losing streak in the NHL since 2014. The Sharks currently boast the league’s worst goal differential (their difference between goals scored and goals allowed), –102, and have allowed a whopping 208 goals, also the worst in the NHL.

Currently, only the Blackhawks can compete with the Sharks for last place in the standings.The coveted first-overall pick would certainly accelerate the Sharks’ rebuild, likely by drafting forward Macklin Celebrini out of Boston University. After missing out on superstar Connor Bedard last season, the first pick would greatly aid the Sharks.

OHL and NCAA, respectively.

The Sharks have a very deep prospect pool, which bodes well for future Sharks teams. Also, with captain Logan Couture playing his first game in late January, the Sharks heated up slightly, who won five of ten games and obtained points in seven of ten of them following his return.

If you’re going after ESPN to televise these games, and they’re still not covering it a whole lot, what’s the point?

Christian De La Cruz, Sequoia alum

Last summer, the Sharks traded defenceman Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After winning the Norris Trophy the season before, awarded to the best defenceman in the league, fans were not thrilled to see him off. Timo Meier, also a major piece in the Sharks’ success in the late 2010s, was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Fabian Zetterlund, among other prospects and draft picks. With Mike Grier in his second year as General Manager, these big shake-ups were not received well. Coach David Quinn, also in his second year, is coming off another terrible season that saw Team Teal place fourth-worst in the league. However, the two have found rare successes in a season of failures.

Positives

While San Jose has played atrociously overall, there have been bright spots. Young players like William Eklund are already making a splash in the NHL, and Quentin Musty and Will Smith are on the rise in minor leagues like the

Most importantly, San Jose’s goaltending is much improved from last season. With James Reimer sent to Detroit, Mackenzie Blackwood was signed from the New Jersey Devils. After a poor start to the season, Blackwood has shown flashes of elite goaltending since. The good goaltending has been a reprieve for Sharks fans who sat through last year’s disastrous season.

Tomas Hertl was selected as the team’s All-Star, pacing the team in points, and continuing his development into a future core member of the Sharks.

Looking forward

There aren’t many things the Sharks can do right now to improve the team. They cashed out on a goalie, Blackwood, last offseason, and appear to be set for a few more years with solid goaltending. An absolute must, however, is the draft. By drafting for the future, the Sharks can set themselves up for success in the coming years. Most importantly, the Sharks need time. The team can’t come together overnight, there will likely be more losing seasons in the near future. Rebuilds are lengthy, but it will be worth it.

Curly hair rage

BY VIVIANA CASTRO Staff Reporter

My friends that have straight hair always say things like “I love your curly hair” and “I wish I had curly hair.” But having curly hair is high maintenance, it can have a good side and bad side. Curly hair is very unpredictable, sometimes the curls look really good and sometimes they look just okay.

Some good things about having curly hair is that you get to experiment with new products, and find the products that work for you and your hair. It’s fun to try new things like products, new routines and styles that would work for your curls.

“I think having curly hair is better to be honest. I mean sure it’s not the easiest to maintain and you have to get ready every morning. But I would say there’s no real downsides to having curly hair,” junior Victor Delvat said

Nowadays, people are embracing their natural curly hair more. It’s something that is being talked about in social media. People share their experiences with their hair before and how they grew to love their hair. They also share their favorite products and how they take care of their hair.

“It can be hard to relate to other people, especially with straight hair, and how to maintain your hair and what

product you use. But besides that, I don’t really feel left out because in the Sequoia community I see a lot of people with curly hair and it just makes one embrace it more,” senior Genevieve Tatola said.

Not every student felt the same way, there’s still that small feeling that you can’t relate to everyone with straight hair. There’s people that used to feel left before.

“I felt like I didn’t have as much in common with people (with straight hair) and they didn’t really understand what it was like to have curly hair,” sophomore Izabella Brazea said.

But now she has grown to love her curls.

One thing that I noticed was that there’s a lot of products that are expensive.There’s a bunch of products that are good but they just don’t work for everyone. There are some popular products that do cost more than 10 dollars and won’t work for your hair type. But it takes time and effort to find the right products that would work for your hair type and not feel heavy on your hair.

Art by Jesse Burkholder

Rabia del pelo rizado

POR VIVIANA CASTRO Staff Reporter

Mis amigos que tienen el pelo liso siempre dicen cosas como “Me encanta tu pelo rizado” y “ojalá tuviera el pelo rizado”. Pero tener el pelo rizado es un alto mantenimiento, puede tener un lado bueno y un lado malo. El cabello rizado es muy impredecible, a veces los rizos se ven muy bien y a veces no. Algunas cosas buenas de tener el pelo rizado es que puedes experimentar con nuevos productos y puedes encontrar productos que funcionen para ti y para tu pelo. Es divertido poder usar nuevos productos, nuevas rutinas y estilos que servirían para tus rizos.

“Creo que tener el pelo rizado es mejor para ser honesto. Quiero decir, seguro que no es lo más fácil de mantener y tienes que prepararte todas las mañanas. Pero yo diría que no hay verdaderas desventajas en tener el pelo rizado”, dijo el estudiante del 11vo grado Victor Delvat.

Hoy en día, la gente está aceptando más su cabello rizado. Es algo de lo que se habla en las redes sociales. La gente comparte sus experiencias con su cabello antes y cómo llegaron a amar su cabello. Compartiendo sus productos favoritos y cómo cuidan de su cabello.

“Puede ser difícil relacionarse con otras personas, especialmente con el

cabello liso, y cómo mantener tu cabello y qué producto usas. Pero además de eso, realmente no me siento excluida porque en una comunidad como Sequoia veo a mucha gente con el pelo rizado y eso solo hace que uno lo abrace más”, dijo la estudiante del 12vo grado Genevieve Tatola.

No todos los estudiantes se sintieron de la misma manera, todavía hay esa pequeña sensación de que no puedes relacionarte con todos los que tienen el pelo lacio. Hay gente que solía sentirse alejada desde antes.

“Sentí que no tenía tanto en común con la gente (con el pelo lacio) y realmente no entendían lo que era tener el pelo rizado”, dijo la estudiante del 10mo grado Izabella Brazea.

Pero ahora ha llegado a amar sus rizos.

Una cosa que noté fue que hay muchos productos que son caros. Hay un montón de productos que son buenos, pero simplemente no funcionan para todos. Hay algunos productos populares que cuestan más de 10 dólares y no funcionarán para tu tipo de cabello. Pero se necesita tiempo y esfuerzo para encontrar los productos adecuados que funcionen para tu tipo de cabello y que no se sientan pesados en tu cabello.

SEQUOIA SEARCH SEQUOIA SEARCH

Find all of the characters on the next two pages!

1. Uncle Sam

2. Pikachu

3. Person eating Takis

4. Dreidel

5. Playstation controller

6. Zelda

7. Tetris shirt

8. Ms. Kenyon

9. Four-Square game

10. Interior designer

11. A couple in love

12. Hockey player

13. Freddy Fazbear

14. NYT Games

15. Monopoly man

16. Feminist activists

17. D&D Wizard

18. Chess board

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF GAMES

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF GAMES

19. People upset by social media

20. Haley (Stardew Valley)

21. Person with curly hair

22. Game Pigeon logo

23. Joel and Ellie (TLOU)

24. Among Us Rudy the Raven

Layout design by Abby Aguayo, Christine Chang, Sasha Efimchik, Zoraya King and Alex Parker-Rogers

Cultural games at Sequoia

BY LUCIE ARCHAMBAULT & SOFIA FERRANTE Staff Reporters

Games are one of the largest categories of human entertainment, dating back centuries to the earliest civilizations. Different cultures have their own traditional games that are very meaningful to the people who play them. Much of Sequoia’s diverse student body enjoys these games and wish to shed light on their importance.

Jewish: Dreidel

Religion is also a very important aspect of people’s identity.There are many religions present at Sequoia, such as Judaism. Judaism has a very rich culture, including the game, Dreidel. Dreidel is a four-sided spinning top, played during the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah. The game starts with putting one game piece in the “pot” before playing.

“People use buttons or Gelt, which is chocolate in the shape of coins,” Win-

ter Licht, a freshman at Sequoia, said. “Depending on what side the dreidel lands on, you do x with your coins.”

The game itself also has a lot of symbolism and meaning to the Jewish community.

“It’s also another representation of the stress and struggles we had to go through to get to Israel,” Licht said.

Vietnamese: Bầu cua cá cọp

Senior Britney Nguyen is Vietnamese and co-president of the Asian Student Union. She describes the Vietnamese game, Bầu cua cá cọp.

“Vietnam has a really big gambling culture. And for Lunar New Year especially, that’s usually when [we] play traditional Vietnamese games,” Nguyen said. “We usually put in a dollar or two to play and whoever wins gets the entire “bank.” That way there’s incentive to play.”

According to Board Game Geek, the three dice in Bầu cua cá cọp feature three different animals, and a mat has a picture of each animal

as well. A bet is placed on which ani mal will be rolled, and any people who are correct take three times the đồng they bet as well as their original bet. A dealer rolls the dice and handles a cen tral pool where any đồng not earned is kept.

“It’s really fun to cel ebrate, especially since I’m born in the US and I rarely go to Vietnam,” Nguyen says. “It’s really exciting and fulfilling to be able to celebrate traditional games in the US with other people that I know.”

Senior and co-president of Asian Student Union, Hannah Delizo is Filipino and enjoys the game Tinikling.

“[It’s] a dance.There are two sticks on the floor and there are people on either side of those sticks. And then you have to go across the sticks,” Delizo said.

According to Culture

Trip, Tinikling has multiple sto ries of origin, but they agree about the time and place when and where the game originated; the Span ish colonial area, in an island in the

Filipino: Tinikling

Visayas, Palo, Leyte. One version of the story comes from dodging Spanish punishment, while the other states that the dance came from the movements of the tikling bird. In the game, two poles about six to 12 feet long are tapped twice against the ground in two beats and then once together as a third beat. These poles are held by two sitting people, referred to as “clickers” or “clappers.”

The dancers must avoid the poles using the rhythm, which increases in speed as the dance continues. When the tempo is quickest, they leave the vicinity of the poles.

Delizo feels her Filipino identity and other Asian identities are not well represented in her area, but playing traditional games allows the Asian community to celebrate their unique cultures.

“It’s hard to get representation just in this area,” Delizo said. “There’s just not that many [Filipino people] in this area so it’s just nice to have those traditions to keep up Asian pride.”

Latinx: Cinco

A prominent culture at Sequoia is Latinx culture. This culture is expressed through traditions, food, holidays and even games. Sequoia’s student body is 56% Latinx, according to Sequoia’s demographics, so it is important to highlight the unique games of Latinx cultures. For example, Cinco is a game played in Guatemala and other Spanishspeaking countries. The game is played with marbles in a circle or triangle drawn on the ground.

“The purpose of the game is [to try] to knock each other’s marbles out of the circle, [and] the last one standing wins,” Hade Curup, a Guatemalan-American Junior at Sequoia, said.

Curup notes that games like Cin-

co are aspects of Latinx culture that are often not repre sented.

“Our cul ture isn’t of ten represent ed in games and just in the world in general so it’s nice to just have something to claim as our own,” Curup said.

Curup adds that the game was taught to him by his family.

“[Cinco] is also something that my parents have taught me about their culture,” Curup said.

Art by Abigail Aguayo

The irony of The irony of

MONOPOLY MONOPOLY

BY HAYLEE HUYNH EDITOR IN CHIEF

Greed. Domination. Betrayal. These words are the embodiment of Monopoly.

I vividly remember the first time I played the game, sitting on the plush carpet of my aunt’s house after my cousins brought out the Monopoly box. I excitedly chose the top hat as my character of choice, excited about how the game would unfold. What I didn’t realize was that I would be sitting on that floor for over four hours, end up bankrupt after three, and witness with jealous rage as my cousin ended up owning the entire board and all of our money.

While causing waves of upset seems counterintuitive for a children’s board game, this was actually Monopoly’s original intention. Born in 1866, Monopoly creator Elizabeth Magie was a radical activist and rebel for her time. Her father, James Magie, was an anti-monopolist politician and gave his

GO READTHE HISTORYOFMONOPOLYAS YOUPASS

daughter a book that would inspire her board game: Progress and Poverty by Henry George.

In it, George shares his philosophy that land should be nationalized on behalf of the people, as natural resources should not be privately owned and only benefit the wealthy. This would be the basis of Magie’s creation, originally titled The Landlord’s Game.

The Landlord’s Game had two sets of rules. The Monopolist version was very similar to the modern Monopoly, with the goal of acquiring properties, taxing other players and ending with one winner while the rest remain bankrupt. The second version was called Prosperity, where every player gains a profit when someone acquires a new property and ends when the person who started with the least money doubled their funds.

After being patented in 1904 and published by the Economic Game

CHANCE

Company in 1906,The Landlord’s Game rose in popularity amongst left-wing intellectuals at Northeast universities along with the Quaker community. This could be attributed to the uprising of political reform and activism during the early 20th century.

“It was during the Progressive Era where there was a lot of trust busting and [people] who wanted to get rid of the big conglomerates,” history teacher Karin Zarcone said. “A lot of these big companies would own most of the markets, so they were able to push out smaller companies [and] could set their own prices.”

In this way, The Landlord’s Game was not simply a game, but a form of resistance against the monopolies and corruption in the United States. However, its popularity came with its fair share of consequences, one of them being the game’s robbery by Charles Darrow.

Darrow got his hands on the game as

MONOPOLY CREATOR

ELIZABETH MAGIE WAS BORN

MAGIE PATENTS THE LANDLORD’S GAME

MAGIE GAME

NOMIC

it passed through Atlantic City, a Quaker community in New Jersey. Darrow learned to play and claimed the version as his own, stealing and selling it to game publisher Parker Brothers in 1935 as Monopoly.

From there, Parker Brothers began massively marketing Monopoly, depicting Darrow, its so-called founder, as an impoverished salesman struggling to support his family during the Great Depression. The idea apparently came to him out of thin air, giving Darrow a rags-to-riches tale while Magie faded into obscurity until her death in 1948.

Since then, over 250 million Monopoly boards have been sold, with each having Darrow’s falsified story reprinted on the box. Ironically, the history of Monopoly reflects what the original game set out to avoid, chasing wealth at the expense of others.The game was stolen, manipulated and resold, lacking the original complexities from Magie.

However, the oversimplified rules of Monopoly make space for an ingenious reflection of real world commerce. Robert Smith, podcast host of NPR’s “Planet Money,” makes this observation after playing the game with a group of economists.

“We had been complaining about the rules of Monopoly. They’re so boring. There’s no creativity. But all of a sudden, we’re trying to come up with solutions. We’re starting to bend the rules. We’re wheeling. We’re dealing. We’re trading. We’re making proposals. There’s counterproposals. In other words, we started to simulate a market economy,” Smith said in a podcast episode.

It took a long time to get over my soul-crushing first Monopoly experience, but after 11 years and a free work period in class, I took a second pass at the game with some friends.We played the standard way for the first

round, but after that, we had Smith’s same innovative revelation. We started haggling and arguing and creating new rules.

For example, if you went bankrupt after landing on someone’s property, the person with the most money was forced to get you out of debt as a form of charity. If you were bankrupt beyond return, you were considered dead, having to distribute the properties you owned to the remaining players as a will and testament. Alliances were made and broken, unfair trades littered the board and the four of us had so much fun.

While the history of Monopoly is one of greed, domination and betrayal, the game creates a space where people can be creative and understand how an economy functions. Elizabeth Magie’s name isn’t officially printed on the box, but by continuing to rebel against the rules, her legacy lives on.

MAGIE PUBLISHES HER GAME WITH THE ECONOMIC GAME COMPANY

CHARLES DARROW SELLS THE GAME TO THE PARKER BROTHERS

ELIZABETH MAGIE PASSES WITHOUT RECOGNITION

PARKER BROTHERS PATENT MONOPOLY

Console Evolution

BY YAMIR BENITEZ-VENTURA Staff Reporter

Today, 53% of American households have a game console, however, it wasn’t always like that. In 1972, Ralph Baer released Magnavox Odyssey, the first-ever home gaming system that further inspired multiple generations of consoles. This first gaming system wasn’t a success, selling only 350,000 units. However, console gaming has gained major popularity over 50 years; the most popular gaming system, PlayStation, has sold over 150 million units.

Sequoia staff and students share their thoughts on the evolution of gaming consoles:

Octavio Rodriguez, Biology teacher, is impressed with the graphics featured in games today.

“Now it’s crazy, the 3D animation and all the graphics. Some of them are really crazy, just really out-there type of graphics. So it’s amazing,” Rodriguez said.

Sophomore Oliver Linden notes the improvements made to controllers.

“Consoles definitely have gotten better exclusives over the years, better graphics and better controllers. Now they have the adaptable controllers,” Linden said.

P.E teacher, Atiba Williams further emphasizes the excitement of console evolution.

“I think the amazing graphics are insane, all the games technology. And now you guys got these graphics and games. It’s unreal. It looks like TV,” Williams said.

TTimeline of gaming systems (consoles)

1970

The first at home game console.

1975

ATARI HOME PONG

First game console that became popular in many households

1977

ATARI 2600

Made one of the first advancements to software and allowed swappable cartridges. Allowing arcade games, such as Pac-Man, Asteroids, and Space Invaders to be played at home. Introduced the world to most of the modern concepts of gaming, such as 2-D platformers, RPGs, and adventure games Video Games became accepted into the mainstream. Super Mario Bros., Mike Tyson's Punch Out, Kirby s Adventure, Ninja Gaiden were all created for the NES.

1985

NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

1999 SEGA DREAMCAST

The final system Sega released, which included a massive upgrade

2006

NINTENDO WII

Innovated and improved upon motion sense controls and its interesting controller that made gaming more interactive with games like Just Dance

1989

SEGA GENESIS

The system that put Sega on the map as a household name. Introduced games such as Sonic The Hedgehog, Streets of Rage 2, Castlevania

1995

SONY PLAYSTATION

This was one of the most popular consoles. It was extremely powerful and had multiple future upgrades.

2001

MICROSOFT XBOX

Microsoft released a new console that became a competitor to Playstation PS It would eventually have multiple upgrades.

2017

NINTENDO SWITCH

This gaming system can be used at home on the television or on the go, as a portable system

2020 PLAYSTATION 5

A diskless console that no longer uses CDs or cartridges, as games are all digital

Magnavox Odessy gaming console, released1970

BY PRIYA ANSNES Staff Reporter

Picture this: you’re playing 8 Ball before first period starts and you’re one hit away from winning the game. You line up your stick and you go for it. You miss the shot and your friend rubs it in your face for the rest of the day. Although that’s not the most fulfilling way to start your day, you had fun and are excited for the next round.

GamePigeon is a widely known and popular app made by Vitalii Zlotskii that you download on your phone as a texting game. The app was released in 2016 and is still very popular today. There is a wide variety of games to choose from, the most popular ones being Cup Pong, 8 Ball, and Archery.

GamePigeon was very popular when it had just come out, but leading up to 2020, it slowly lost popularity.

Once COVID-19 hit, its uprising started as more people used the app to spend time with their friends without being in their presence, according to the GamePigeon Website.

play the game. This frustration brings out the entertaining competitiveness, which is a crucial part of the game’s success.

“It shows which people get frustrated easily by losing. Some people like to play until they win, while others just give up and refuse to play certain games against certain people,” Wu said.

People play the GamePigeon in class or whenever they have nothing to do. It is an entertaining way to pass the time and play games with your friends.

“[I play] whenever I’m bored and have nothing to do or if I’m only waiting a few minutes for something,” Wu said.

Abigail Ma gives insight on the thing people like the most about GamePigeon.

“I love how convenient and accessible it is and how it allows you to play with your friends over text so you can talk and play and that it’s not really a separate software,” Ma said. Competitiveness is what GamePigeon leans on.

An interview with freshman Avalina Wu who enjoys playing this popular game brought further detail to what she thinks of certain games on the app.

“Sea Battle is so garbage. It just takes too long and I think it’s just dumb,” Wu said.

Sea Battle, if you are not familiar, is based on the physical game battleship made by Milton Bradley in 1967.

When friends play GamePigeon most of the time someone is going to get frustrated with their inability to

“It reveals a different level of competitiveness you would normally only get to see if you played sports with your friends,” Ma said. Certain competitiveness can lead to people disliking some of the games. The most hated games for many would be paintball and twenty questions.

“Twenty questions ruin lives” Ma said.

GamePigeon is a fun game that lots of people enjoy, it reveals the competitiveness of players and a fun way to spend your free time. If you don’t have it, download it now!

Art by Abigail Aguayo

Teachers logging on

BY CAROLINE SIELING Staff Reporter

Since the invention of the first video game in 1958, gamers have grown up with their favorite games and continue to play throughout their adulthood. Despite video games being characterized as a hobby for teens and children, many of these “gamers” also include adults and teachers.

History teacher David Hartford

Favorite Games: Fallout, Skyrim, Breath of the Wild, Minecraft

Q. What are your go-to kind of games?

A.“Predominantly, I really like larger, open-world story-based games but those take a lot of time and during the school year, I don’t have a lot of time. So during the school year, I like to play games that are easy to pick up and put down.”

Q.How did you get into gaming?

A.“My family had an original Nintendo and original Sega Genesis [that] was just kind of there. I didn’t really start playing a lot until basically when the original Pokémon games came to the United States, there was a huge explosion of the Pokémon frenzy, and I think that was the area where I got into it.”

Q. How does gaming affect teacher-student relationships?

A. “I feel like a lot of being a student, especially when you have a new teacher is trying to develop some form of trust with that teacher. And academically, there’s always going to be that hierarchy between teachers. Whereas when you start talking about things that they’re doing outside of school, you have that common connection and it becomes a little bit easier to bridge back.”

Science teacher Eve Kenyon

Favorite Games: Dark Souls, Monster Hunter, World of Warcraft, Apex Legends, Stardew Valley, Subnautica

Q. How have video games affected your social life?

A. “A lot of my friends, especially for video games, are on Discord servers, and we play games on our Discord servers. Even when we’re not playing games, we’ll just hang out on the server anyways and chill and talk. Even though we’re not gaming, gaming is what a lot of times brings us together and then just gives us a place of community.”

Q.How can gaming benefit your relationships with students?

A.“[Gaming] creates a lot of good conversation and you get to know their personalities a little bit better whenever students are just talking about school stuff, they tend to be a bit more shy, they don’t talk about it as much. But if you can get them talking about something we really like, they open up a lot more and you see more of their personality. If they like you better, they also want to get more into what I teach.”

History teacher Carlos Villa

Favorite Games: Baldur’s Gate 3, Crusader Kings III

Q. How does your knowledge of video games affect your teaching?

A. “I mean, it helps that I have a nephew that’s a similar age [to the students]. A lot of these students play [games] like Fortnite and all that so I can get some of the terminology [from my nephew]. I have used some of that terminology, when we’re doing an assignment where I’m able to connect it to them, so it’s easier to engage those [students] who like playing.”

Q. How do you manage time management with gaming?

A. “I think it’s just, I don’t allow myself to play a game until I do what I need to do. I’ll have a list and I stress that with students to where it’s okay to game as long as you take care of your other responsibilities.”

Photo of Mr. Hartford at his home gaming setup

Photo of Mr. Villa at his at home gaming setup

Photo of Ms. Kenyon with her gaming headset

How D&D helps students connect

BY EMMA NARDINI Staff Reporter

Though Dungeons and Dragons was created over 50 years ago, it still remains a relevant storytelling game today, having had the most players recorded in 2017 with over 12 million players in North America alone, according to Wizards, the American Dungeons and Dragons publisher.

Dungeons and Dragons, more commonly referred to as D&D, was created in 1974 by Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson as a game that allowed players to choose a personalized character that battles against other players and follows a fictional storyline.

master (DM). This person is a primary storyteller and a referee for the game. It’s their job to choose an adventure for the game. Next, each player selects a character and a job for their character, called a class. A dice is rolled and players must work together to complete the adventure.

“Just being able to be with people and just bounce ideas, and there’s a lot of critical thinking strategy that goes into it,” history teacher Carlos Villa and advisor of the D&D club said.

Just being able to be with people and just bounce ideas, and there’s a lot of critical thinking strategy that goes into it.

Carlos Villa, history teacher

The mechanics of the game may be overwhelming at first but it is actually quite simple. The game starts with one player being chosen to be the dungeon

Villa thinks the game remains relevant today because of it providing an open space and allowing players to play around with ideas and analyze their situation.

“People like being challenged and, if there’s a safe space to do it, [students] are more likely to do it,” Villa said.

At Sequoia, the Dungeons and Dragons club meets every Friday. Club

members enjoy getting to spend time with their friends and engaging in creating an adventure. Ethan Rudy, a member of the club and player since middle school, enjoys playing D&D for the social aspect of it.

“It keeps your creativity flowing, keeps improv pretty high. All that stuff is big. Plus, it’s just a good way to hang out with friends,” Rudy said.

D&D can be played by almost any age, and as the years have gone on, D&D has not only become more popular, but also more socially acceptable.

Sequoia history teacher and longtime player of the game, David Hartford, explains the game has been opened to all types of people. He started playing in the second edition and now being in the fifth edition, he says the game is more open to people who want to try it.

“When I was in high school, D&D nerds got beat up and put in lockers, whereas now it’s much more culturally accepted, you see a lot more diversity within the community and use that community as a means to spread diversity,” Hartford said.

Photo By Warsaw and Tech Edvocate

The evolution of Pokémon

BY ALEXANDER CORPOS Staff Reporter

Combining his childhood hobby of bug catching and interest in anime, game designer Satoshi Tajiri created the small game series titled Pokémon. With its exclusive release in Japan in 1996, the independent role-playing video game (RPG) ran on Game Boy consoles all over the country.

The international release in 1998 of the games Pokémon Red and Blue on the Game Boy instantly became hits among Nintendo fans during the increase in gamings popularity in Japan. The games were planned to be very different from their final versions.

Video game YouTube channel “DidYouKnowGaming” discovered a

forgotten game feature from an inter view with Satoshi Tajiri. Pokémon was originally planned to generate a random number for a “secret ID” every time you booted up the game, correlating with a unique map for the player to explore. However these original plans were scrapped in favor of three separate versions for every main series game.

Each generation (what console a game come out for) of the games introduced different mechanics to use in battle. The first generation introduced Pokémon battles, the second had items the Pokémon held to give certain effects, the third continued to give the Pokémon more abilities, and the fourth developed a physical/special split to the game. The physical/special split made it

so that types that were strictly physical or strictly special had move change attributes.

The fifth generation popularized double, multi, triple and rotation battles. Double and multi battles are very similar, with double battles using two of your own Pokémon, whereas multi battles have you use one of your Pokémon and your ally uses one of theirs. Triple battles allow you to send out three Pokémon, and rotation battles are similar but you have one Pokémon at the front which you can rotate out to have another Pokémon attack.

With the jump to 3D in the sixth generation, the franchise took a little bit of a nosedive when they started introducing “gimmicks” (new moves and forms for Pokémon) with mega evolu-

Pikachu sprite to 3D model throughout time. Graphic by Alexander Corpos

tion, Z-Moves, Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing and terastallization. These all added something for their respective generations but none were permanent.

In 2016, the Pokémon company partnered with Niantic Games to make Pokémon Go, which was a huge success and revived the franchise. Pokémon Go grew in popularity for a few years because it successfully got people outside.

However, the trend went downhill when people were walking into busy roads, cliffs and sports games, causing Pokémon Go to lose attention by 2018, with news and media sources cautioning people from engaging in the app.

In 2020, the pandemic brought a lot more people to the game in search of an activity during lockdown. For a while

in 2020, they kept Pokémon Go the same. One feature called “remote raiding” where you could battle exclusive Pokémon was really popular because you didn’t have to leave your home or current location to fight in person.

But in 2023, Niantic made harder to participate by making it twice the price (in Pokécoins, the in-game currency), and while remote raiding your Pokémon only did a fraction of the damage it usually did.

This was to encourage people to go outside, but Niantic started receiving immense backlash from this decision. This eventually led to Pokémon Go losing players, but with Sinnoh tour (an exclusive event where you can catch new and old Pokémon) coming out in Feb. 2024, we might get a lot more coming back.

Pokémon Go app. Photo from Pokémon.com

Icon or object?

Lara Croft and the sexualization of female video game characters

BY NATALIE EWING Staff Reporter

When Lara Croft stepped into the world of Tomb Raider in 1996, she became known in the gaming world for two things: being one of the first female video game protagonists and having a big chest.

This sparked decades of conversations about female characters being empowering or sexist.

“I think that there are definitely some women in games who are well portrayed, but I think many of them are pretty hypersexualized, even if they’re minors, often wearing skimpy outfits for battle,” freshman Mia Dunstan said.

Dunstan points out the argument that female video game characters are designed around a male fantasy, rather than for mobility in their given environments.

“They are not always given a personality, they’re more used for creators to say that ‘we have female representation in our games, we’re not sexist,’” Dunstan said.

There are many examples of this. In the action-role-playing game, Genshin Impact, fans point out that the female characters are unnecessarily sexualized to sell the game. “Women in Genshin Impact from what I’ve seen are very sexualized by the fandom even if they’re children,” Dunstan said.

The action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto is also criticized for its digital mistreatment of women. In the game, there is a side quest where players are instructed to grope a female stripper without getting caught.

Despite this, there are also

many female video game characters that fans believe do not fall under the previous category.

“In Splatoon, there are a lot of great female characters. They help players save the world,” freshman Nathan Kibre said.

“A really good female character who is very empowering is Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn. She has a really deep story. She appears feminine, isn’t very constricted by sexism and has a really great personality,” Dunstan said.

SEQUOIA STUDENTS:

How well do female video game characters represent women?

(1 being not at all and 5 being very well)

reotypes around video games men play and video games women play. It makes it really hard for [women] to get into the game because they can’t see themselves well represented anywhere, relative to men who have more main characters,” Dunstan said.

Many women have also experienced misogyny against them in gaming spaces.

I think there are definitely some women that are well portrayed, but I think many of them are pretty hypersexualized.

Why does gender representation even matter in video games? Dunstan voices the argument that the lack of female protagonists adds to stereotypes about the types of games women should play. This leads to intolerance of girls playing games stereotypically seen as boy’s games.

“There are a lot of different ste-

“I’ve heard that women don’t want to go on voice chats because a lot of people can be misogynistic there,” Kibre said.

As time passed from 1996, Lara Croft’s character design shifted and she began looking more human as well as swapped her shorts for pants. Did she have a negative or positive impact on gaming culture? Her initial design was arguably sexist. However, her debut showed that women could be strong, independent, and complex, and she proved that video games were not just for boys.

Lara Croft, photo from Tomb Raider

Mia Dunstan, freshman

BY CAMERON REYNOLDS AND ADEN RICHMAN Staff Reporters

As the grueling seconds tick by in the classrooms of Sequoia High School, students have been finding it difficult to keep their attention on classroom activities. To cope with this low attention span, many students turn to online games, trying to keep their brains stimulated during long lectures.

“There have been times when I get really bored during lessons and play games,” sophomore Sam Richman said.

This boredom seems to be a constant feeling among students, especially for senior Olivia Murman who has a preferred time of day to play online games.

students to get to know each other and to participate in activities together instead of making it solitary.”

As students move through the class period, however, their game playing can quickly come to a halt if they are not careful.

Classroom gaming surge: or

“I don’t think [I’ve ever gotten caught playing games in class]. I’m pretty quick with switching the [computer] tabs,” Murman said.

All the students who play video games, whether they do their work eventually or not, end up losing in the long run.

Jesse Bustos, history teacher

“I play games mostly later in the afternoon. Especially during the second semester,” Murman said. “I’d say [I play] once every class.”

The constant need for this stimulating activity may also be a result of long lectures during the class period.

“[Sometimes in class] I’m genuinely doing nothing [and] I’m just going to be sitting there staring at a blank piece of paper. Whereas if I’m playing a game, at least I’m doing something with my time,” Murman said.

Teachers understand the distraction that comes with a long lesson. Some teachers have ideas to make these lectures more interactive and enjoyable for students.

“I like the idea of us playing video games together as a class and in groups,” World History teacher Jesse Bustos said. “I think it’s a fun way for

While students might think they are able to get away with it, teachers are well aware of their tab switching.

“Most of the time, it’s easy for teachers to tell [if students are playing games]. Students think they’re sly. Students think that they’re clever, but teachers know when you’re clicking around,” Bustos said.

Video games in class have resulted in low attention spans for students and an overall drop in other academic skills, according to some Sequoia teachers.

“I’d say the biggest piece of evidence [from] teaching for the last 25 years [is] seeing the overall decline in student’s ability to read and write and especially the ability to follow anything that goes on for more than a few minutes,” history teacher Bradley Ramezane said.

While this decline in academics may be a problem for students, some have seen no impact and believe that playing games in class isn’t harmful to a student’s ability to learn.

“[I’ve seen no impact on my grades]

because the only classes that I play games in are the ones that I have good grades in and that I’m not worried

While these games may not negatively impact all students, Ramezane believes it might still be effective to limit the use of devices in class, so that everyone is following along with the lesson.

“The school would need to have a policy just about devices overall. And then with those devices being controlled, I think the other apps and games would follow,” Ramezane said.

The overall use of technology and games in class can not only affect a student’s grades or comprehension abilities, but also other factors like connection-building skills.

“The students who play video games, whether they do their work eventually or not, end up losing in the long run,” Bustos said. “They lose out on the social skills to connect with each other and the confidence to ask for help. They end up disconnecting themselves so much, it’s hard to reconnect.”

The most popular games Sequoia students play on computers

Art by Cameron Reynolds and Aden Richman

The idea of a crossword may seem like an outdated form of entertainment in the digital age, where the in stant gratification of social media often outweighs the concentration and pa tience required to solve them. But with the New York Times and its portfolio of online games, the platform has brought crossword and other word games back into popularity for a new generation of puzzlers.

According to the New York Times (NYT) Games, the original crossword puzzle began circulating in print issues in 1942. In 2014, the platform branched out to other word and logic games with The Mini Crossword, Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed, Tiles and Vertex. Since then, the NYT has continued to expand by acquiring Wordle at the beginning of 2022 and creating Connections in 2023. Axios reports from exclusive ac cess to NYT data that combined, the games were played more than 8 billion times in 2023.

While Wordle, Connections and the Mini are all free to play, the games have

been incredibly effective in marketing the NYT to new subscribers. Their other game offerings like the Crossword require a separate paid game subscription to play, also increasing the revenue the NYT can gain from game development.

Some stumble upon the games from the New York Times website, but it is also their presence on social media that brings in new players.

“I saw people on TikTok play them, Wordle specifically, but then I saw

with the objective of creating as many words as possible with 7 letters.

For Chemistry teacher Jonathan Holcomb, his love for Spelling Bee came from his fascination with words. From reading about new words to learning about their history, he cites etymology (the study of the origin of words) as a longstanding interest.

“The Spelling Bee is my favorite because, it’s a flex for me, it’s all about how many words you can make. It helps me to get better at Scrabble [...] and I am really good at unjumbling things in my brain,” Holcomb said.

For those who want to enjoy NYT puzzles but aren’t the biggest fan of spelling or vocabulary, the newest game Connections is a perfect mix of words, strategy and trivia. Apart from Wordle, Connections is one of their most popular options.

“Connections is a great place to start because that’s a good gateway game or entry point. There are plenty of people where spelling is not fun or easy. And it is tough with Crossword and Spelling Bee if you know the word but you’re unsure of how to spell it Graphics

edited by Allison Wang

nections,” history teacher Danny Bliss said.

In the era of fast-paced adventure and strategy games, the skyrocketing popularity of simple word games with younger generations is an interesting phenomenon.

“When I saw students talking about Wordle, I assumed originally it was just going to be a Fortnite-type game. And then I was like, wait, that’s fun, [Wordle] is academic. [...] How cool is it that students are finding this fun, and it’s just words,” Holcomb said.

One explanation for why they are so popular could lie in how there is only one puzzle available a day

“Instead of playing a lot and getting bored, you play once a day and then you have to wait for the next day. It keeps you on your seat like, what’s it going to be tomorrow?” junior Lyn Leonard said.

The anticipation of waiting for a new Wordle or Spelling Bee puzzle also contributes to the growth of the games as a social activity, whereas other similar games are more independent.

“It wouldn’t be as fun if everybody was doing different ones because you couldn’t share your results,” Bliss said. “A lot of people subconsciously enjoy or crave a monoculture where [...] multiple people are focused on the same thing instead of all these divergent games.”

The shift from a form of entertainment based on pen and paper to a digital platform also brings new opportunities to make the games appeal to a younger audience.

“It’s very clear that the NYT is bringing in younger folks to write these. Those younger people are really smart and also are with it on, ‘How could we introduce a component of this to be more social?’” Holcomb said. “I can hit this button and easily share [my Wordle results] [...] I think that is critical to the shareability and that’s critical to the growing popularity.”

From the structure of the games themselves to the social component that comes with sharing results and competing, the same evolution has begun to change their legacy puzzles like the original Crossword.

“[The Crossword] has definitely changed. It’s a lot more current, I found the older ones were really difficult because I had no idea what a lot of them were talking about. They tended to be a lot more vague back then [with the clues],” Leonard said.

With the introduction of younger NYT Game editors, the outdated cultural references will likely fade. In their place, a growing slate of simple and satisfying word games will continue to draw in younger generations of players.

“That’s one of the reasons I like the New York Times. It’s academic, they’re really well done. And they’re packaged up in a way that is appealing to young people,” Holcomb said.

Graphics from the New York Times Games editors

The better chess website

Why you should play online chess on lichess.org, a completely free, open-source chess website, instead of chess.com, where everything is hidden behind a paywall

BY COLLIN LIOU Staff Reporter

Since the release of the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit” in 2020, chess has seen a surge in popularity. Many new players turn to playing on chess websites, which offer a variety of tools beyond a physical chess set: you can play games against people from around the world and train using puzzles, game reviews, the opening explorer and more.

As an avid chess player for over 10 years now, I’ve played games across five different chess websites, including both chess.com and lichess.org. While I see most players at Sequoia using chess.com, the world’s most popular chess website, I can definitively say that lichess.org is the superior chess website. Here’s why.

full game review analysis per day, just four moves in the opening explorer, and annoying advertisements across your screen, to name a few.

“I’m not a serious chess player, so I’m not going to pay for premium,” senior and chess.com user Eli Schlager said. “It’s annoying that I can’t play more than three puzzles.”

On the flipside, Lichess is a completely free, open-source, and non-profit chess website with no advertisements, no paywall, and no user data collection. It offers unlimited access to all of its features for free, including unlimited puzzles, unlimited game analysis, and infinite opening explorer.

the solution, I just need to know what piece to move then I’ll see the tactic. I like that in chess.com.”

Interface

I would definitely say that Lichess is better because it has more resources and no paywall for accessing more advanced analysis and puzzles.

Tav Gur, sophomore Accessibility and Tools

Many players using chess.com quickly encounter a discouraging barrier: the paywall. Unless you are willing to pay for one of the subscription plans, which cost $50 to $120 per year, chess.com’s free plan significantly limits access to its features: three puzzles per day, one

“If I want to play puzzles and not an actual game, then I go on to Lichess,” Schlager said.

There are still some, very minor features that chess.com has over Lichess, such as the hint for its puzzles.

“[Lichess puzzles] don’t have the hint, they only have ‘show solution,’” Schlager said. “Sometimes I don’t want

I find Lichess’ interface much sleeker and more user friendly than chess. com’s. You can queue for matches directly from Lichess’ homepage, making it really easy to send and receive challenges from friends. At the top are dropdown menus allowing access to its aforementioned features. The default color scheme is really clean but also customizable, with neutral colors such as white, black, a gray-scale, gold, and a cremeand-brown board. Both dark and light user interfaces are available.

As for chess.com, the homepage contains a weird mixture of buttons to its various features along with annoying advertisements. A sidebar menu allows access to its features as well, but the flashy icons and non-neutral colors make it feel disorganized, especially with aggressive advertisements across your screen. You are only able to send and receive challenges while in the “Live Chess” page, and challenge requests only appear as a small pop-up in the bottom right corner, making it very difficult to queue for matches against your friends.

Still, many chess.com users find its interface more preferable simply because it is what they are used to.

“[Lichess] doesn’t feel as targeted,” Schlager said. “Chess.com feels like it’s

a video game to get kids to play. It’s good at engaging the audience. Lichess is just chess.”

Gameplay

The most significant difference between the websites’ gameplay is premoving, which is the ability to queue a move during your opponent’s turn that will play instantly once your opponent makes a move.

On Lichess, you can only queue one premove at a time, but you lose no time when it is played out. On chess. com, you can queue up to eight premoves during each of your opponent’s turns, but each one removes 0.1 seconds from your clock. While a tenth of a second may seem insignificant, it is actually very important for speed chess players like myself when we have only a few seconds left on the clock during endgames.

“I think it’s ridiculous that you lose a

The percentage of Sequoia students who use each chess website

that it was one that I started using,” Trinklein said. “All my friends use chess. com, so it’s easier to play against them. My brother plays on chess.com so we can do friend matches super easily.”

Additionally, the Elo rating that players accumulate on the platform leads to a lack of incentive to change sites.

“[Chess.com]

[Chess.com] has trapped me. I started playing there, so now I don’t want to change because I’ve already got my Elo there and everything.

Eli Schlager, senior

tenth of a second when you do a premove,” senior and chess.com user Adam Trinklein said. “That should be instant. But I really do like the fact that you can make multiple in a row [on chess. com].”

With more accessibility, an easier-to-navigate interface, and better gameplay, Lichess emerges as the superior chess website.

Overall

However, as much as I’ve tried to convince others to switch over to Lichess like I switched over in 2019, it seems that too many people have already firmly established their accounts in chess.com.

“The reason that I use chess.com is

has trapped me,” Schlager said. “I started playing there, so now I don’t want to change because I’ve already got my Elo there and everything. It’s like when you buy your first Apple phone and then you buy Apple forever. You never switch to Android even though it may be better.”

However, I may have been successful in my Lichess crusade with one person.

“I always used chess.com because that’s what everyone else was on,” sophomore and chess.com user Tav Gur said. “But I would definitely say that Lichess is better because it has more resources and no paywall for accessing more advanced analysis and puzzles.”

White to play and checkmate in two moves. Board and pieces from lichess.org

Excelentes bocadillos para jugar

POR ARELY BRIZUELA Staff Reporter

A los jugadores les encantan sus bocadillos. Desde Takis hasta Goldfish, disfrutar de un delicioso bocadillo puede mejorar fácilmente la experiencia de juego. Según los conocimientos de los consumidores de Newzoo que encuestaron a 21.000 personas, más del 80% de los jugadores comen bocadillos mientras juegan. Los tres bocadillos favoritos de los jugadores son los snacks salados, los refrescos y los snacks dulces, incluidos galletas,pasteles o barras de chocolates.

A Allison Hyde, maestra de Desarrollo del Idioma Inglés (ELD), le gusta jugar juegos de mesa y de cartas. Le gusta comer bocadillos saludables como frutas o salsa de hummus con

verduras mientras juega.

“Mi bocadillo favorito son las palomitas de maíz, las preparo en la estufa, no en el microondas. Le puse un poco de sal, un poco de aceite de linaza y algo llamado ‘levadura nutricional.’ Es saludable y delicioso” dijo Hyde. Las palomitas de maíz tienen un alto contenido de nutrientes importantes, como la fibra . Las palomitas de maíz son uno de los bocadillos más saludables y populares del mundo. Hacer palomitas de maíz en la estufa ahorra calorías y excluye las grasas saturadas y el alto contenido de sodio.

Maeva Guillaume, estudiante de segundo año, disfruta jugando juegos de mesa como Clue, Game of Life y Catan,

Art by Abigail Aguayo

pero su juego favorito es Uno. Prefiere los bocadillos salados a los dulces. Sus bocadillos de juego favoritos son los anacardos tostados con miel y los guisantes Harvest Snap.

“Los bocadillos que saben bien siempre serán mi primera opción, estar saludable es una venta ja adicional”, dijo Guillaume.

Great snacks for gaming

BY ARELY BRIZUELA Staff Reporter

Gamers love their snacks. From Takis to Goldfish, having a yummy treat can easily enhance a gaming experience. According to Newzoo’s consumer insights surveying about 21,000 people, over 80% of players eat snacks while they’re gaming. The top three favorite types reported by gamers are salty snacks, soft drinks and sweet snacks, including cookies, cakes or

chocolate bars.

Allison Hyde, English Language Development and ethnic studies teacher, likes to play board and card games. She enjoys eating healthy snacks such as fruit or hummus dip with vegetables while she plays games. They are great to share with family or friends, especially for game-nights.

“My favorite snack is popcorn. I make it on the stove, not in the microwave. I put a little salt, some flax seed oil, and something called ‘nutritional yeast’ on it. It’s healthy and delicious,” Hyde said.

Popcorn is high in important nutrients, including fiber. Popcorn is one of the world’s healthiest and most popular snack foods. Making your popcorn

on the stove saves calories and excludes saturated fats and high sodium content.

Sophomore Maeva Guillaume enjoys playing board games like Clue, Life, Catan and Uno. She prefers savory snacks over sweet treats. Her favorite gaming snacks are honey roasted cashews and Harvest brand snap pea chips.

“Snacks that taste good will always be my top choice, being healthy is an added bonus,” Guillaume said.

The allure of cozy games in a hectic world

What are cozy games, anyway?

Even as creatures of habit, human beings are not immune to the stress and boredom of a repetitive schedule. In a world full of responsibilities, virtual world-building is the cozy escape you may be looking for.

Often characterized by their life-simulation style, cozy games carry themes of nurture, gratitude and positive selfgrowth. Most feature anthropomorphic non-playable characters (NPCs) that the player can socialize and interact with, sometimes even building relationships with in the game.

A classic game like Minecraft has captivated the attention of gamers for 13 years. Players can choose their own adventure in the sandbox-style game, either taking on enemies and strengthening in combat or choosing the creative route and craft ing a little world.

“In Minecraft, building houses is fun, you have your own little creation,” sopho more Jacob Wallace said.

Whether you are a hardcore gamer or just looking for a fun activity in between studying, video games can help you wind down after a long day.

“Gaming calms you down and it’s fun, it’s like a reset. Playing with friends is nice, it’s [fun] and it’s not stressful,” Wallace said.

BY ZORAYA KING Co-Feature Editior

In a broader sense, cozy gaming provides a virtual escape for players, letting them create their own world and explore self-expression in an open-ended space. Cozy gaming is a comfort that is readily available to anyone needing a break from a mundane reality.

Beyond their relaxing properties, cozy video games can exercise critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In the indie puzzle game Baba Is You, players can alter the properties of objects and change the bounds of the game in order to get their character to the finish flag. As junior Sana EndamneWamba puts it, “cozy gaming has really positive effects [on my mood and] makes me think about life in new ways.”

“Baba Is You [caused me to go] down a biology rabbit hole and I learned about abiogenesis (the theory that life originated from non-living matter) and [got invested in that],” EndamneWamba said.

Because of the accessibility of cozy games on multiple platforms like iOS phones and Mac computers, players can get invested in the puzzles of their virtual worlds at any time.

“[I usually play games when] I’m at school, during break or lunch [and] I just feel like doing something with [my] hands,” EndamneWamba said. “Usually, I play them when I finish homework and I still have time.”

EndamneWamba expressed how cozy games have had a personal impact on them, positively affecting their way of thinking and reaction to difficult situations.

“[Baba Is You taught me that] trial and error is a lot easier than trying to [find an immediate solution] and getting stuck. [...] It’s really cool, it really makes you think,” EndamneWamba said.

With themes of community building in an open-ended game, Stardew Valley takes the farm lifestyle to heart. A storyline is woven throughout gameplay, as your character transitions from the mundanity of an office job to the peace and solitude of a small farming village, much like the escapism that a player might be looking for.

“[Stardew allows] you to start back from zero [and create your own home], instead of going through the daily stress from sitting at a desk for nine hours. You get to live this dream of living in a community, making new friends and living [a relaxed life],” sophomore Dash Habecker said.

Multiplayer modes are available to gamers that are wishing to cultivate their farm with a team. Community gameplay with friends can enhance the Stardew experience and even help players gain achievements faster.

“The biggest reward is playing with friends because it makes everything way more fun. Everything you do feels so much better because someone else is seeing it.You’re talking together and just having fun. [You] can make any game [into a] chill experience [just by] being with friends,” Habecker said.

Within the storyline, Stardew guides the player to build friendships with the NPCs and find their own place in the alternate universe. Players can even form romantic relationships with the NPCs if they choose, giving the game another layer of personal connection.

“I really appreciate the lore of all the different characters in the game, because it gives them all these personalities that the game wouldn’t feel right without. [...] The community feels so alive, and the world-building [format] definitely helps that [vibe],” Habecker said.

Whether it’s someone’s first download or a new addition to a game collection, Stardew is an easy and engaging cozy game for anyone looking for a new world to dive into.

“Stardew Valley is very welcoming to new players because you don’t have any rush to do things,” Habecker said. “There’s so many ways to play, you don’t have to do it [in] one specific way. There’s no stress attached to doing something wrong. [...] There’s no real threats.”

of the spirits she encounters and accompa-

them into the afterlife. Spiritfarer’s story can help players reason with their own troubles, providing a comforting outlook on grief and acceptance.

Exploration awaits in adventure games

BY JAIME PEREZ Staff Reporter

Whether you are battling mythical beings in Greece, or are a cowboy in a changing world in 1899, or even are in a zombie apocalypse, these games are known as adventure games.

“

According to Acer Corner by Bryron Clarke, adventure games are a genre of video games that usually follow a narrative story led by a character that the player can control. There are many types of adventure games such as escape rooms, point and clicks, interactive and more.

and what happens to them as the game progresses. There are many other aspects of adventure games like side quests, a game mechanic that gives the player rewards and is typically not part of the main storyline.

I prefer adventure games over a lot other games because I can play the game how I want where my choices affect the story of the game.

Alejandro Tapia, junior

Adventure games were created in the late 1970s and were played on the computer. These had few graphics and longer text that provided instruction.

of War, Red Dead Redemption, The Last of Us, Legend of Zelda and Mario. Many Sequoia students play adventure games. Junior Alejandro Tapia is a fan of Elden Ring, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Minecraft, Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War.

The most popular adventure games usually include a combat system, which consists of fighting an enemy using any equipment that the character has. Adventure games always tell a story about the main character’s background

Later, in the 80s, as video games became more popular and advanced, adventure games also evolved, allowing for more graphics-based games. By the 90s, with the invention of the CD ROM disc, higher-quality gaming consoles were created, allowing for better graphics and more elaborate games. Popular modern adventure games include God

“I prefer adventure games over a lot of other genres because I can play the game how I want where my choices affect the story of the game,” Tapia said. Red Dead Redemption is one of the most popular adventure games, gathering a lot of fans who enjoy it for its details, story and many other unique game mechanics. Junior Jayden Nolasco is a fan of this game specifically because it exemplifies the adventure game genre.

“I think that Red Dead Redemption is a good example of what a story game is and it shows all the stuff that adventure games are meant to be,” Nolasco said.

God of War Ragnarök, photo by David Jaffe

Five Nights at Freddy’s

BY IDANIA QUEVEDO Staff Reporter

With a total of 13 games, multiple books, theories, fan games and now even a movie, it is no surprise that the Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) franchise is one of the most well known games among gamers and non-gamers alike. So how did this happen and why has it become as popular as it has?

The first game was released on Aug. 8, 2014, by the indie game developer, Scott Cawthon. After being disheartened by the failure of his earlier works, he decided to lean into the creepy nature of his creations that he had been initially criticized for.

Upon release, the game received a lot of positive reception, which really surprised Cawthon, and led to him creating a second game soon after.

The game centers around the player being a security guard trying to survive their shift until 6 a.m., all while being hunted down by Freddy Fazbear’s animatronic mascots. Its un settling atmosphere and simple gameplay made it easy for people to play and still feel scared, and it soon gained attention from Youtubers,

which sparked a growing fandom for an already-loved game.

“I like the mystery around it. I think there’s still some things that haven’t been discovered yet. [...] I think there’s still a lot more to go for it.”

A lot of fans were amused at watching their favorite creators record their reactions at playing the game, setting off a reaction where newer content creators would try to gain popularity by playing the game as well. The surge in popularity lay in the audience, mostly children and teenagers around the 2010s, especially with its mysterious lore and countless theories. Horror games had already been on the rise, and a new game with a unique, simple gameplay style and story seemed to pique the interest of many.

One of the most defining factors of the franchise is its reputation for having incredibly confusing, yet intriguing lore surrounding the gameplay. Hidden hints, clues and easter eggs really sold its replayability factor.

“I like the mystery around it. I think there’s still some things that haven’t

been discovered yet. [...] I think there’s still a lot more to go for it,” freshman Lilly Swint, a recent fan, said.

Even after years of its initial wave of popularity, it still manages to get new theories with one of its most recent releases known as FNAF: Help Wanted 2. The game came out in December this year and gained a 9/10 score on Steam, despite being a little over a month old.

Even after almost a decade after its initial release, many audio clips from the games or fan made creations are widespread and still used and mentioned on social media, regardless of the platform.

“I’ve heard a lot of sounds that were actually from the games. I didn’t realize until I actually got into the fandom,” Swint said.

On Oct. 27, 2023, the FNAF movie was released with good reception from game fans, and bringing further testament to the large community surrounding the franchise and its continuous love for the game. The movie garnered attention, with an 87% audience score despite the 32% of the Tomatometer by critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

“I definitely had a great time watching the movie and geeking out about little details with friends,” senior Angie Marquez said.

Bonnie, Freddy and Chica, photo from FNAF Steam Page

FNAF: Help Wanted 2 9/10 score on Steam

Lilly Swint, freshman

The fame of the franchise

The Last of Us 2 Remastered: the perfect experience

BY REESE SILVA Staff Reporter

The Last of Us 2 Remastered, developed by Naughty Dog and released Jan. 19, 2024 is set five years after Ellie Williams and Joel Miller’s venture across the zombie-infested United States. The two have found a home in Jackson, Wyoming surrounded by a flourishing community of survivors. Despite the threat of the infected and other dangerous survivors outside of Jackson, they have found peace and tranquility. The game focuses on two characters: Ellie Williams and Abby Anderson, who both embark on a quest for revenge after a tragic incident changes the trajectory of their lives.

Throughout the game, players control 19-year-old Ellie as she seeks revenge on Abby, a member of the Fireflies which is a highly-skilled revolutionary militia revolting against FEDRA,

or the United States government’s military. Abby is a skilled fighter who crosses paths with Ellie and Joel early in the game. However, her black-andwhite view of the world is challenged as she pursues vengeance for those she loved.

There are many changes from the original release that make the game more interactive and fresh for players beyond the same fights and exchanges. For example, No Return Mode is a stealthy and violent survival mode that allows players to fight as various characters in randomized combat encounters. Between each combat scenario, you return to a Hideout where you can prepare and choose your next fight via a path laid out on a corkboard. Players can choose between five scenarios; if you complete all five, it will end in a boss fight ranging from six different bosses. Every encounter has a different

mode including Assault, Capture, Holdout and Hunted.

What makes this mode extremely hard for me is that death is permanent, meaning you lose all weapons, items and upgrades collected and restart with a new set of encounters. Furthermore, the enemies can sometimes know of your presence and some are invisible only being seen through their projective shadows. In my opinion, this mode is only completable for aggressive players who focus on combat instead of the story. Since I am not this type of player and honestly, a horrible fighter, this mode is incredibly tough to complete.

In addition, players will have the chance to play three “Lost Levels” or unfinished game segments with developer commentary and a video introduction that never made it to the original game. The first level is called “Jackson

The Last of Us 2, photo by Naughty Dog

Party” where Ellie nervously attends it, consisting of seven commentary points provided by Banun Idris, the Lead Game Designer at Naughty Dog. What I didn’t like about this level was its state. It had no audio, no facial animations, and barely any effects. I can’t expect much from an unfinished segment but it was oddly quiet in contrast to the other two levels. On the other hand, what I liked most about this level was how the developers demonstrated how peaceful the Jackson community is compared to the world around it.

The second Lost Level, “Se attle Sewers” has 16 com mentary points from Pete Ellis, the Design Director at Naughty Dog, and is much further along than “Jackson Party.”

I liked this level the most because it best displayed Ellie’s PTSD. However, what I didn’t like was having to traverse the active water current and always hitting dead ends because it brought forth those feelings of being trapped in the sewers.

The third and final Lost Level is “The Hunt” with five commentary points voiced again, by Banun Idris. In this section, players are hunting a boar in the woods. The thing I enjoyed most about this level is how the developers showed Ellie’s obsession with violence as she ruthlessly hunts this boar that maybe in her eyes, isn’t a boar at all. We are forced to sympathize with the boar as it fights for survival, revealing what it’s like for enemies of Ellie’s as she’s tracking

What I didn’t enjoy was having to chase down the boar while it attacks us because as I said before, I am a horrible fighter. Overall, “Lost Levels” is my favorite addition because it gives me a chance to see what a game looks like months before completion. Even though I wish they would have kept these in the game, it created unnecessary pacing issues. Still, it has an engaging and new environment for returning

players like me.

Moreover, there is a new free-play guitar mode for players who enjoy the original game’s guitar scenes. You can play as Ellie, Joel or Gustavo Santoalalla, the composer of the series. Players can also exchange the guitar for a banjo, nylon, jazz, rock or steel resonance guitar. In addition, players can change locations to a movie theater, Ellie’s home in Jackson, a farm and a music store. To customize, filters and depths are also available. Finally, the last thing that can be fixed are the FX pedals.There are 10 different versions to choose from and each version has its own abilities. Unlike the game itself, it’s a much-needed refresher for players during the game’s violent and aggressive roots.

Naughty Dog has also added brand new photo modes with dynamic framing, gaze direction, tones, intensity, drawing distances, and more. As for the visuals, shadows, lights, textures and quality, they have definitely been worked on but arguably didn’t need many changes to begin with. All in all, adding No Return Mode, Lost Levels, and more to an already noteworthy game makes The Last of Us 2 Remastered the perfect experience for new and returning players alike.

The Last of Us 2 Remastered, Naughty Dog

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ACROSS

3. A good snack for gaming

5. Female protagonist of Tomb Raider

7. Original founder of Monopoly’s last name

8. The highest level of government in the US

9. Popular GamePigeon game to play over text

10. Video game console introduced in 1995

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1. Publication that owns Wordle and Connections

2. Teacher whose favorite game is Crusaders Kings III

4. Traditional game in Filipino culture

6. Mascot for the hockey team of San Jose

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WORDLE

GAME PIGEON

SOCIAL MEDIA

UNCLE SAM

CONNECTIONS

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