Modern Age Europe 1348-1789 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Modern Age Europe 1348-1789 - Essay Example For a long time Europe was under the power of monarchs and popes creating a great controversy between the church and the state as to who should hold absolute power. The period between 1350 and 1550 in Europe was also characterized by increased trade among nations, conquest and colonization of states such as Africa and Asia. It was also a period when slave trade was thriving due to labor requirements in plantations, mines, and at homes of the noble citizens. The discovery of the Americas by Columbus also played a great part in the changes that took place thereafter. The aim of this paper is to discuss the political, religious, social and cultural changes that took place in Europe between 1350 and 1550. The paper will thus be divided into four sections. First it will discuss the political changes. Secondly, the religious changes. Thirdly, the social changes will be discussed and lastly, the cultural changes. Political Changes There are various political changes that occurred in Europe from 1350 to 1550. These were necessitated by the various events that occurred during this time such as the bubonic plague, the hundred years war and the rise of national sentiment, the late medieval church the great schism, the renaissance, the reformation age, and the religious wars. ... The noble landowners were the most powerful people but the plague deprived them of their power since it rendered agricultural products undesirable and wages were high thus loss of revenues which was the source of power. The church also lost some political power as it depended on land for revenue. On the other hand, the political power of the artisans increased as their items of trade such as jewelry was on high demand. Due to loss of revenue from agricultural produce the government had no option than to apply restrictive legislations and impose taxes on peasants so as to get revenue. As a result there were increased peasant uprisings which were detrimental to the growth of the economy. Another political change in Europe was the increasing nationalism especially in France as a result of the 100 years of war in Europe. The war took place between May 1337 and October 1453 with the defeat of England by France. Before the war, there was a lot of disunity in France which the Estate General took advantage of to usurp the power of the royals. However, efforts by Joan of Arc to unite the country led to nationalistic feelings in France and desire to have a national identity. This led to a political shift whereby France adopted a centralized form of government as opposed to feudal monarchy. Nationalism also led France to dishonor the Treaty of Troyes which had led to disinheritance of the French king by the English king. France was thus able to elect its own king and gain political power. Another crucial outcome of the war was the end of King Edward’s vassalage to the king of France thus acquiring sovereignty over English territories in France although by the end of the war, England had control of only one French territory

Serious Game Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Serious Game Critique - Essay Example Farmville is a very popular game all around the world. It is meant to improve the intellectual and the creative capacity of the user. Moreover, the environmental aspects associated with the game intend to improve the aptitude of people towards farming and environment. The game has been designed based on the traits of responsibility and regularity. For instance, if a vegetable is planted by the gamer in the morning, the player will have to return on a set time to irrigate it or harvest it so as to maintain the crop. It is the regular maintenance and harvesting of the crops that advances one through the game. As I played the game, I felt that the game apparently stimulates an encouraging emotional change. The mouse clicks, through which the player plough, harvest and plant are perceived as expressions of hard work and dedication. The rewards of harvesting result in a lot of satisfaction through which a positive emotional status is created. I personally felt being proud of receiving the rewards of the labor that I put in. These rewards could further be used to enhance the farming area both qualitatively and quantitatively. As the game is played on the public forum, the farms can be showcased on the social media and can be compared with the farms of the virtual neighbors. This is an important social element associated with the game. It lets you boast over your achievement on the game in the virtual social space. Further as I advanced through the game, I discovered the game to be shallow in terms of its content. As the advanced stages I could not find the process intellectually or emotionally empowering. The game becomes simpler and less laborious as one achieves more rewards in the game. For instance, at later stages of the game the harvesting machine eases the player of the labour of clicking each square plot. Thus my experience the game fails in sustaining the emotional, physical and social excitement which it provides in the beginning. Thus at an advanced level game was delimiting the social and physical improvement of the user The game is obviously growing in its popularity. The provision for the current users to tempt the non-users through their facebook accounts severs as provision for its increasing popularity. These face book ‘updates’ creates a state of obligation for others to join. The game thus can be found to be bound by the principles of obligation along with responsibility and regularity. The commercial success and the increasing popularity of the game suggest the success of the game in catering to the targeted audience. Farmville also bound its users by adding an ethical aspect to it. The game raised almost one million dollars for the Haiti earthquake relief operations. This move could successfully bring in social and emotional change within the community of the gamers. They developed a feeling that they were playing for a social cause. This promoted more people to join the gaming community and further bound the g amers together. The physical change that the game brought forth in its gamers is however limited. The healthy physical, psychological and social development of any individual requires their active involvement in a variety of physical and social activities in the real time environment. For an individual to be healthy, happy, and productive, the integration of their physical activities, social interaction and