As a linguist university student learning Italian, I have always been intrigued by the Italian language and culture. I have travelled to Italy several times and visited many cities all over Italy. However, last summer, I decided to go to Naples for the first time and I started to check the web for any interesting places I could visit. While I was searching online, I kept seeing a strange phrase about the city of Naples, “Vedi Napoli e poi muori”, which, in English, literally means “See Naples and then die”. I then soon found out that it was linked to the charm of the city, which is considered so beautiful that you could die happily after seeing it. This piqued my interest enough to make me willing to personally go and check whether the proverb was indeed true.
When my plane landed and I felt the Italian sun kissing my skin, I was happy to start my adventure. I then hopped on a bus and went directly to the city centre. As soon as I stepped off the bus, I was greeted by quite a shocking scene, to say the least. The sun was beating down on a city that was already scorching, the air was thick with pollution and mixed with the aroma of freshly prepared food from nearby markets, as well as the sound of cars and vespas honking every second added to the chaos. The first thing that came to my mind upon arriving in the city centre was: "What on earth have I gotten myself into?", because of how rundown everything appeared: from the many cracks and holes in the roads and pavements to the old buildings, completely covered in graffiti.
On second thought, I believe that I was being a little dramatic, even though I must admit that what I was witnessing was not what I was thinking when I was imagining the city of Naples. Perhaps the first impression I had wasn’t the best, but I decided I wanted to stay open-minded about this new place.
I started to feel hungry, I was ready to taste the local cuisine and, of course, it is superfluous to say what kind of food I was looking for, being Naples is the city that gifted the entire world pizza. After a quick Google search, I soon decided to go for one of the most known pizzerias, “L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele”, simply called “Da Michele”. It was a little further from the city centre and I had the impression that it was a real authentic pizzeria, frequented by locals. I ordered the most traditional pizza on the menu, the famous Margherita, which was named after the queen of Italy Margherita of Savoy.
The pizza was absolutely delicious and tasted completely different from any pizzas I have ever had. While I was enjoying my tasty Italian lunch, sitting down outside, among the several fancy little tables on the sidewalk and with the cars zipping past me constantly, I began to feel like a true Italian. Having satisfied my appetite and feeling more optimistic, I was now ready to start seeing all the beauty that Naples had to show or that was perhaps hiding, ready to be discovered and fully appreciated.
In the afternoon, I began exploring the city and visiting its famous monuments and churches. As my sightseeing of the city progressed, I started to look past the rough edges, and I did start to notice the breath-taking scenery and the warm hospitality of the locals, which southern Italy is famous for. My perception of the city shifted in just literally one day, I started to grasp the charm of Naples and I started to adore this city more and more, as the days went by. People went out of their way to make me feel welcome, which is quite a rare feeling to experience in a big city. One downside was that I speak and understand Italian quite well, but almost all Neapolitans spoke their own dialect, which made my communication and interaction with locals challenging.
In the end, beyond its rough edges, Naples has its unique beauty and charm, which you can only really deeply appreciate once you experience it. I must say that Naples was unique to me, it is indeed quite a big city, but it feels like a small town thanks to the hospitality of the locals. To conclude, here is my honest advice: give it some time to captivate you, and I guarantee you'll have a wonderful experience in Naples. Said that, can I confirm I can die after seeing Naples? I’m not too sure, but I am happy I experienced this one-of-a-kind city within my lifetime.
By Adam Carter
THOSE OF US who were born in the '90s can remember that gaming has always been associated with a certain amount of nerdiness when it comes to consumers. I still remember it being a small demographic of people who played games daily back then. In comparison, it is common to see all types of people play video games daily from kids to your grandparents. Nowadays, it is so easy to play video games and you can play using a wide range of devices, but when I was a kid, I would have to wait for the TV to be available just to play some games. I simply wasn’t free to play as much as I wanted, as I had school, homework and other chores to do around the house. However, mobile gaming now literally makes it accessible wherever I am or what I am doing.
In 2024, the gaming industry is bigger than ever, and it’s projected to be worth around 312 billion dollars by 2027. You may be wondering where this massive increase in popularity came from. In my opinion, it comes from how easy it is to play games for free now and especially on mobile devices. Everyone seems to enjoy playing from time to time, but I believe many big problems will arise from this in the not-so-near future. Now, allow me to explain why mobile gaming has the potential to surpass all other gaming consoles in terms of popularity as well as the problems that will come with this.
Considering how big mobile gaming has become, the question is whether this is a good thing. Phone addiction seems to be a major issue in 2024, with people using social media and video games as ways to escape reality. As well as the games appearing free, they often trick you with many in-game purchasable transactions to help you advance levels instantly for some real-life cash. In addition, they attract everyone using flashy videos with often fake footage of the actual game just to get users to download it, to try it out. I must admit that I am guilty of personally falling into this world, and I find myself playing for hours just because of the convenience and accessibility and wasting precious time. The main fact is that many people use their phones constantly throughout the day and it can be quite negative and should make us realise that excessive and sometimes even compulsive use never brings positive outcomes. The development of mobile games is indeed impressive; however, we should try to not fall into the addiction that society is keen to easily, and sometimes unconsciously, embrace.
There is no doubt that pretty much everyone owns a smartphone or a tablet nowadays. Whether you're at your house or outside, you seem to always have your phone with you. This makes it possible for literally everyone to play whenever and wherever they wish. Whenever someone has a spare minute, you see them instantly glued to their phone and looking for a quick fix of entertainment to satisfy their boredom.
An older person could be endlessly scrolling through Facebook and suddenly see a colourful advertisement for a fun game, which is free to play, and may instinctively think “Why not download it and try it out?” Similarly, kids who watch videos on YouTube or other platforms often see adverts for video games. In this case, since most kids don't have the means to make purchases online, the ads for free video games work perfectly, pushing the viewers to download as many as they like.
When compared to their console counterparts where you often have to buy games, the majority of mobile games can be downloaded for free or at a very low price, while brand-new console games can cost as much as £60. This marketing approach is genius because it allows game developers to make money through advertisements and in-game purchases as well as build a major fan base, and this also allows gamers to test out a wide variety of games without breaking the bank.
The release of new, powerful Android phones and iPhones has now opened up a different experience with mobile gaming. In the past most mobile games were very simply designed and basic, but now with the strong chips they’re able to run console games on the go. It’s basically like having a mini, powerful computer in your pocket at all times and game developers have now the opportunity to be as creative as possible and without limits.
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