Texas Tech University Humanities Discussion

I’m working on a humanities discussion question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn. Question: Make sure you read the two posts below and make two separate peer-reviewed posts on these two comments, research their item and provide additional information.

Post 1: Well,while it was a long time, one of my favorite toys as a kid was a WowWeeRoboraptor, one of the more sleeker toys back in the early 2000s. Sadly, it didlost connection and lost to time as I move back to Raleigh. However, I can seethe likes of such toys changing with new technology by the passing months. Forinstance, in robots such as “Jimu AstroBot Series: Cosmo kit” Kids could notonly build about 3 different types of robots, but also, according to the source“Then, after downloading the Blockly app or a similar block-coding languagelike Scratch, kids get to do the work”(Klein, 2022). This shows how in a sense,some companies would use or exploit(depending on how you look at it) apps sochildren could be more educated or interested in not just personalizing robots,but also how to build and programmed them. Furthermore, there’s also the areaof remote-control cars, where some cars are customized with more sleeker orunique metals or materials than the average toy car at best. According to thesource, Technology.org, it stats “High-grade RC cars were built fromaircraft-grade skeleton made from aluminum alloy. These were enhanced throughtime with features that could resist dusty or slipper surfaces while stillmaintaining speed”(2019). This shows that in a way, people take the materialsof RC cars more seriously at best, as well as using other advancements such asusing smartphones as controllers or even infusing said cars with artificialintelligence, which with the likes of robots, can be use to push the limits ofa child’s mind. When I look back to now, I believe that such changes in toys,are actually helpful if children are more open-minded into being independentand learning to embrace the likes of engineering or robotics if given thechance at best, even if it would be vastly different to industrial robotics, atleast they can learn to give it a persona unlike anything else.

Klein,Szmodis. “9 Best Robot Toys for Kids That Make Learning STEM Fun.” Popular Mechanics, Hearst Magazine Media,Inc., 1 Apr. 2022,https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/robots/g24516168/robotics-for-kids/.

Alius.“What Are the Latest Technological Trends of Remote Control Toys?” Technology Org, Neurotechnology, 11 June2019, https://www.technology.org/2019/06/11/what-are-the-latest-technological-trends-of-remote-control-toys/.

Post 2: As a kid, my favorite toys to play with were trading card gamesand their connected merchandise. Trading card games, or TCG’s, had two mainappeals to me, each of which has been affected differently by recenttechnological advancements. The first was the collecting aspect of the cards,which revolved around purchasing and opening packs of a random assortment ofcards. The feeling that came with finding cool or interesting cards wasunmatched in other toys, and creating a large collection over time gave alasting feeling of achievement. The technology’s that have most affectedthis feature of TCG’s are online market places. I recently got interested inplay a trading card game called Magic the Gathering, which I didn’t have anycards for. When researching the cards and packs that I should buy, I ran intosomething that is summed up well by Jeremy Arnold in his Ninestar Blog. He says”Gone are the days hoping for a specific card in a random selection, andin its place are several easy avenues for collectors to find exactly what theyare looking for” (2021). While as a kid I would have had to purchaserandomized packs, in the present it’s both possible and economically sound topurchase individual cards from collectors. Doing so is much cheaper than thealternative, however it takes away what used to be a big draw towards TCG’s forme.

The second big draw for TCG’s was the actual game that thecards would revolve around. After you collect various cards, you can use themin strategic turn based matches against someone else. These games added a wayto enjoy your collection even after actually collecting it, making it moreinteresting to me than other collections. Technologies biggest impact on thisis the ability to play the games online. TCG’s used to be strictly in persongames, which fostered a community of people with a similar interest. With theability to play these games online, however, the pool of people who choose toplay in person has shrunk, harming the community. With that being said, beingable to play TCG’s online has also made them more accessible, allowing them toreach a larger audience and thus grow the communities surrounding them.

This give and take of current technologies around TCG’s matcheshow I feel about the changes. TCG’s are a completely different experience thanwhen I was a kid and certain aspects are becoming less relevant, but theincreased ease of access and the ability to collect cheaper make up forit.

Arnold, Jeremy. “How Technology Has Forever Changed the TradingCard World.” NineStar Connect, 15 Oct. 2021,www.ninestarconnect.com/2021/10/how-technology-has-forever-changed-the-trading-card-world/.

Additional info for your help: While you are welcome to agree or disagree with the posts, all responses must be appropriate, and grounded in sociological/technical examples. Responses must be a minimum of 250 words not including direct quotations. Also, you need to use in-text citations, as well. When responding to posts, some suggestions

Include Compliment (examples: “I like how…”)

Comment (examples: “I agree that…” “I disagree that…” “I found it interesting that…”)

Connection (examples: “I also have thought about…”)

Clarification (examples: “I wonder why…”)