East Side Story

EAST SIDE STORY IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL

2901 MELROSE AVE.

IOWA CITY, IA 52246

WSSPAPER.COM

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1

MAY 19, 2016

VIDEO GAMES: THEN AND NOW PAGE 6 Will Conrad, Ethan Goers, Nick Haddy, George Liu, Austen Mattingly

DESIGN BY WILL CONRAD

INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM MAY 2016 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3-5

14

Best of West E-Sports

10-11 6

Which Video Game Charcter Are You?

Drew Thayer Profile

12 7-9

Kyler Krupp Profile

Forbidden Planet Pizza Review

15 Batman vs. Superman Review

16 Austen’s Opinion Corner

Games Then and Now

13 Pieper Stence Profile

DESIGN BY WILL CONRAD

WSSPAPER.COM MAY 2016 CONTENTS 2

OPINION

Best of West A YEAR IN Esports REVIEW

BY GEORGE LIU, DESIGN BY GEORGE LIU, PHOTOS BY GEORGE LIU, NICK HADDY AND ETHAN GOERS

With the 2015-2016 school year almost ending, it’s hard to recall the memories from September, when we first walked in . Although summer is right around the corner, it’s time to remember the games that captivated us this past year.

CREATIVE COMMONS PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALESSIO2405, CODIEPLAYSGAMES, MUSHROOMGECKO, DANIEL GARRIDO

3 NEWS MAY 2016 INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

AGAR.IO

SLITHER.IO

Popular Youtubers such as Captainsparklez and Markiplier originally debuted this online multiplayer game during the summer, but once school started, it spread quickly throughout the student body.

The player starts off as a tiny cell, and tries to avoid being eaten by the bigger cells while simultaneously trying to gain mass by eating the smaller cells. Along with an attractive design and sensible mechanics, it’s fun, easy and can get pretty exciting! Though you cannot connect to servers on school computers, this game will still entertain you at home.

DIEP.IO If there is one game that will grip our school next, it will be diep.io. Taking the old Bubble Tanks series to the MMO stage, diep.io sports diversity not found in the other .io online games. Playing as a floating, geometric tank, the only mission is to shoot and kill cells and other players. Killing earns you XP, which lets you level up and upgrade your tank. The possibilities for matchups in this game are endless, making them even more fun and unpredictable. Nevertheless, this game still retains the same fundamentals as the other .io games, so don’t be afraid to familiarize yourself with it early.

Everyone will be obsessed with it soon!

This fun and engaging game follows a path similar to that of agar.io. Having gained players through advertising, it caught the attention of the same Youtubers and rapidly diffused after that. It features the player as a snake, that must grow by eating plasma spawning in the map or from other snakes. This game has been acclaimed as a more fair and balanced version of agar.io, as any snake, no matter how large, will dissolve into plasma when it collides with another snake’s tail. Once you start, it is hard to stop playing this game at home, as it is now banned on the school internet.

SMASHY ROAD A little while after agar.io started gaining popularity, Smashy Road appeared on our phones. Looking similar to Crossy Road, Smashy Road brings the all too familiar blocky, colorful aesthetics, but is played much differently. This time the player is behind the wheel, crashing through country roads, collecting money, and trying to evade the police.

Similar to Crossy Road, money collected goes towards buying new vehicles, but every car is different and encourages different playstyles, contributing to the immense fun this game provides.

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CLASH ROYALE

HEARTHSTONE

4 SECTION MONTH 2015 WSSPAPER.COM

Despite being around for more than two years, Hearthstone finally started gaining large traction at West in early winter.

Despite being a more difficult game, anyone can pick this up and play. Just build a deck of 30 cards, defeat opponents online with said deck, and complete quests to earn gold to increase your deck and buy better cards.. A single game

As the third game released by the illustrious Supercell, Clash Royale definitely meets the high standards set by its predecessors. The game takes the all-too-familiar Clash of Clans characters and squeezes them into a quick, compact card game. Despite this, the game plays much like Clash, with the player deploying troops and casting spells in an effort to destroy their opponent’s towers. The difference lies in the structure of the game, which is similar to that of Hearthstone. Two players face off in real time with premade deck of cards, and whoever either destroys their opponent’s King’s Tower, or destroys more of their opponent’s towers wins. Try this game if you like Hearthstone or Clash of Clans, or if you are looking for something fresh and original to try on your phone.

5 NEWS MAY 2016 INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

ranges anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes, but remember to keep an eye on your battery, as the fantastic graphics and animations of the game do demand a lot of power. After starting, it is hard to stop, as you get swept into the excitement generated by competitive play and sense of accomplishment. Be prepared to use data, as this hefty 1.5 GB game is unplayable on

Rising

Drew Thayer ‘18 By: Ethan Goers

I

n the growing world of Esports, many people are becoming more interested in watching video games, but few think of becoming one of those exclusive individuals who actually play. Drew Thayer ‘18, is one of these people.

At the age of 12, Thayer started playing the game, League of Legends. “I had a friends who introduced me to it three years ago, and ever since then, we’ve had a competition over who could get better.” In three years, Thayer reached a rank in the game known as “Challenger”. Only 200 people in North America are in this rank, many of which are professional players. Thayer’s friend, Hieu Nguyen, who got him into the game said “We used to play League all the time during junior high, we would climb rank together, but high school really separated us, I had to focus on school work. But once in a while I still get on and play with him” Thayer previously held the title of being the youngest “Challenger” out of all 200. League of Legends is currently the largest online multiplayer game, consisting of 67 million monthly users. This huge game also has huge rewards.

In 2014, the World Championship prize pool was $2.1 million.

With such massive winnings you would think that anyone good enough to compete at that level

would. Thayer has certainly considered being a professional player “I’ve thought about it, and right now, I’m too young to join any professional teams, you have to be seventeen for that. But as I get more recognized, I hope to join a professional team.” Some may think that this is a far-fetched dream, but some professional players aren’t even in the “Challenger” rank. Thayer has also competed in many tournaments for League of Legends “I’ve done a couple tournaments, mostly online, but I’ve gone to a few LAN ( local area network) tournaments which are the ones you actually go to. My highest place is second, in the LAN tournament, so, and I’ve been to three of them.” Joining a game with players way better than you can be a intimidating aspect, but Thayer started and is glad that he did, he even has some parting advice. “If you are laning, you always need to get your CS (creep score) and farm up”. Thayer doesn’t just play League of Legends, he says that one of his favorite games besides the Esport giant, is the always growing game “Hearthstone”. Thayer also plans to play the brand new gaming coming out called “Overwatch”, a futuristic game filled with great cartoon style.

In a couple of years when Thayer becomes an Esport legend, you can remember that he went to the exact same school as you.

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

67 Million people play League of Legends

2.1

200

Million dollars was the prize pool in the 2014 World Championship

People in the “Challenger” league

VIDEO GAMES: THEN AND NOW A look back at favorite childhood games

BY WILL CONRAD

DESIGN BY WILL CONRAD

7 FEATURE MAY 2016 INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

BY THE NUMBERS COMPILED BY WILL CONRAD

50 13

million unique Wizard 101 users

Wizard 101 worlds

18 3.2

Starter islands on Poptropica

million Poptropica users

8 1

character code required for Webkinz

year of gameplay for each Webkinz toy

M

ost current teenagers have grown up alongside technology. This is the product of living in the Digital Age. Because the current generation of teenagers is the first to have grown up under these conditions, we are watching changes in child behavior as they occur. Perhaps most interesting of all, the way in which we entertained ourselves as children changed. We flocked to a new medium to get our daily fix of enjoyment: video games. The sentimental value that was once carried in a doll or stuffed animal has now become digitalized into our favorite computer and console games. But the question becomes: Which video games will we teach our children and grandchildren about? In other words, we are looking for the video games that will stand the test of time. The West Side Story looked at three of the most popular and beloved games from our childhood. These games were Wizard 101, Poptropica, and Webkinz.

Each of these games brought a unique element to the table that will be remembered.

The first of these games is Wizard 101.

Wizard 101 was a MMORPG(Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) that appealed to a wide range of children in the current generation. It was released on September 2, 2008 by Kingsisle Entertainment. The game only required a free download to any computer to run.

Upon entering the game, players were asked a series of fun, informative, and entertaining personality questions.

Depending on a given player’s answers to these questions, they would be classified as one of the following seven types of wizards: Ice, Fire, Storm, Balance, Life, Myth, or Death. This was one of the most unique and enjoyable aspects of the game. Wizard 101 allowed players to feel special and individual from the very first moment they started the game. Creating factions, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, made the game exciting and offered many different paths for players to choose from.

After the player was assigned to a certain wizard “type” they would enter the wizard-

ing world. Throughout the main gameplay, the player is given many quests that offer rewards such as spells to be used throughout the game. This aspect of the game allowed for minor symbols of accomplishment throughout gameplay, and made the player want to keep playing to complete more quests, for more rewards. A certain addictive element was introduced that greatly counted toward the game’s popularity.

Some of these quests involved combat with in-game beasts. The combat system of Wizard 101 followed that of several other RPGs at the time. Each time a player entered combat, they would be presented with a selection of spells to cast. These spells varied in terms of the damage they would deal to the beast, and the likelihood that they would hit the beast. Throughout these battles, Wizard 101 utilized revolutionary graphics.

For its time, Wizard 101 was one of the most innovatively animated games, with eye-popping 3-D graphics in battle.

The battle scenes added a whole new level to the game, as players could combine the storyline with strategic combat that tied together the whole experience.

To earn new spells to enhance their combat skills, players could also learn from one of the seven primary schools that corresponded to one’s wizard type. Through this method, players were able to form unique arsenals of spells that matched their wizard type. This was yet another form of customization that allowed the game to thrive.

While the game was spread out between 13 worlds, many of these worlds had to be unlocked via the game’s premium currency, crowns. While this was not enjoyable to players, it allowed Wizard 101 to become profitable quickly by combining superb gameplay with solid business tactics.

Today, new content is still being released, the game is still active and available for download, and it is estimated that there are over 50 million unique

INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM MAY 2016 FEATURE 8

users worldwide. This game was fortunate enough to be brought to a large audience, and bring enjoyment to many young kids of our generation. Because of this, it will surely be remembered as one of the best from our era.

In our generation, 3-D graphics and eye-popping battle scenes evidently weren’t the only way to make a game successful. Another game that enjoyed tremendous success with our generation is Poptropica. Launched in September 2007 by Pearson, Poptropica was a great success.

While Wizard 101 made its name from the aforementioned qualities, Poptropica used simple 2-D animation and entertaining plots to etch its name among the great video games from our generation.

Poptropica did not require a download, or anything other than working internet.

This is because it was played in-browser, by visiting the Poptropica website. Upon arrival to the website, a new can begin gameplay as a guest, or create an account to save their progress. Once this decision has been made, the player is taken to a dashboard that offers them Poptropica news, access to the store, or procession to gameplay.

During gameplay, a player can choose from different islands to explore. Each island has a different, unique plot to it, often with a crime to solve, and an inevitable villain behind it. This system of gameplay provided endless combinations of interesting plotlines for users to choose from, and with new islands always being added, players were always coming back to explore more islands and complete more plotlines.

Upon choosing an island, one enters a 2-D cartoonish landscape. The landscape is also interactive; one can go into buildings, or climb on roofs. This animation style offered a fresh-break from the constant drive for games to be more realistic. Instead, the game returned to the basics of animation, with a simple color scheme and characters created from abstract geometric shapes.

This helped it gain popularity as the game that went against design trends of the era.

Like Wizard 101, Poptropica had its own unique quest system. But Poptropica went

9 FEATURE MAY 2016 INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

even further than just offering arbitrary rewards for its quests. The quests that one completed in-game often gave objects as rewards that had a direct link to the storyline later on. Often the connection was unexpected. This kind of reward system made every action in the game valuable, and provided a direct link between the player’s current task and the final outcome.

Finally, Poptropica storylines often culminated with an entertaining minigame. Once one had completed all actions on the island and headed toward the conclusion of an island, a fun minigame was often employed to wrap up gameplay. This provided an interesting twist and was a much better fit to end a thrilling story than any cutscene could provide.

Today, new islands for Poptropica are still being created. The website is still functional, and offers new content, such as outfits for characters. Simple is truly better in some cases, and this saying easily applies in the video game design world. Poptropica didn’t have to use flashy animations and cutscenes, but managed to deliver a top-notch experience and become one of the revered games of our generation.

While it is thought that technology is replacing the toys of the past, such as stuffed animals, there is a game that proves the two can successfully fuse. Webkinz utilized both the physical world and the digital world to create a truly memorable experience. Launched in 2005 by Ganz, Webkinz accounts could only be created by purchasing a stuffed animal. The stuffed animal included an 8-character code which provided account access for one year.

Unlike the aforementioned games, Webkinz had no free gameplay. To access

the “Webkinz World” one had to buy a toy, either at a store in the USA or Canada, or buy an access code online. This gave Webkinz a much more commercial aspect, and made it accessible to a smaller audience, albeit while providing more revenue.

Once the access code was entered, the Webkin was considered adopted. Once adopted, players could take care of their pets much like a real pet. They could feed, clothe, house, and accessorize them to no end. This customization again played a factor in keeping users enticed and wanting to keep playing to unlock more content.

Also in-game, players could play different mini games, such as “The Wheel of WOW.” These mini games often gave out items that could be applied to pets, or simply collected, as rewards. Mini games were yet another facet that allowed this game to thrive despite its cost.

Today, Webkinz are still available for sale in all shapes and sizes. The website is still running, and has recently undergone improvements. While Webkinz took a risky and more commercial route, it appears to have been a great success. The game was able to bridge the gap between the past and the present, and allow kids to spring forward to the Digital Age. Perhaps in many years, our children and grandchildren will entertain themselves with technology we can’t even begin to comprehend. Our video games could seem as primitive as wooden toys seem to us. But this is not the point. Even if our kids seem as though they are eons more advanced than we can ever be, we will still be able to pull out these games, and show them what is was like to be children of the Digital Age.

KICKING GRASS 1-STEP AT A TIME

BY NICK HADDY ittle league, West Varsity, you need.”

ISC Club; these have just As well as playing on the West been some of the team’s varsity team, Krupp plays on Kyler Krupp ‘18, has played on the ISC ( Iowa Soccer Club) in his seven years of playing team weekly. “My favorite soccer. “I’ve just always liked memory of ISC was probably playing soccer, it’s something when me and Mike (Shilling that stuck to me ‘18) played soccer in when I was younger” Kansas City while it Krupp said. During was snowing outside.” the 2015 West soccer Krupp said. “It was season, Krupp was just a really fun time.” placed on the FreshMike Schilling ‘18, Soph team and also said the same Mike Schilling ’18 later in the season thing about his faput on the varsity vorite time spent with team. This year Krupp made Krupp, “That was probably one the varsity team and is looking of the best times with him as a forward to starting. “I’m really person and as a soccer player,” excited to start this year, it will Schilling said. “Krupp has been give me a lot of experience for my team mate for five years next year and ISC.”Only losing and me and connect really well to Bettendorf, the varsity team on the field.” he said. Schilling is 13-1, and is looking to qualify is also on the West varsity team for state and try to win the state and practices with Krupp daily. title this year. “I think we have a really good chance on getting to state this year, if you have a good strong team and can move the ball around nicely, that’s all

L

DESIGN BY NICK HADDY

INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM MAY 2016 PROFILE 10

WHICH

Which is better?

Marshmallow

Describe yourself

CHOOSE A MEME OR DIE

DEEZ

NUTS

Instagram

hat

Snapc

PC or console?

Kanye

More likely to be president?

Social Media Outlet?

I’M DEAD

OBVIOUSLY A SAVAGE

book Face

START

IX

Studying :(

“A day without sunshine is like, you know, night”

Pick a quote

How do you spend a Friday night?

O ARE E VIDAME CHARACTER YOU? G

TF L NE

11 ENTERTAINMENT MAY 2016 INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

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COMPILED BY GEORGE LIU AND ETHAN GOERS CREATIVE COMMONS IMAGES COURTESY OF MR_LOUDYXD, VALTLAIT, FRY1989, AND USER15432 DESIGN INSPIRATION BY CATHERINE JU DESIGN BY GEORGE LIU

Subzero

Ice cream

Ice cream or Froyo?

Froyo!

Lara Croft

Hanglider

Which is your ideal mode of transportation?

Master Chief

Barbarian King

Mobile!

Unicorn

PC

Beyond belief

sorta?

How pro are you?

Console

Mario

Favorite animal?

“Electricity is really just organized lightning”

PROFILE

A LIFE OF SINGING

BY NICK HADDY

How Pieper Stence ‘18 changed her singing dream into reality.

T

o Pieper Stence ‘18 singing isn’t just a hobby. It’s a lifestyle.

Stence has been singing since she was three years old, and she’s loved every minute.

Stence is the only sophomore girl this year to make the Good Time Company, West High varsity show choir. “Singing is really fun, it’s something I’ve always liked to do” Stence said.

Stence has performed at school concerts, talent shows, and in musicals. She is attending a trip in Europe with the Iowa Ambassadors of Music over the summer. “I’m really excited to go, it will be a great opportunity for me to experience singing outside the U.S.” she said

“Stence has always loved singing and music. She, Madison, and I would always sing trios together.

I’m super proud of her.” Voight said. “It was a little scary at first but everyone was super kind and I had a blast.”

Stence said.

“I’m

seventh grade.

When asked what she sees herself having a singing career, “Maybe teaching, it’s kind of hard to get a singing career now a

When I found out that I made GTC, I was in shock. I didn’t know what to say!

-Stence ’18

Stence isn’t the only singer in the family. Piepers two cousins, Mackenzie Voigt ‘17 and Madison Voigt ‘15 are also singers

out until senior year.”

Another one of Stence’s supporters is Elizabeth Burns ‘18.

“I’ve heard her sing many

SINGING FACTS • • • •

definitely trying

times, she’s an amazing singer and can make any song sound beautiful.” Burns says. Burns and Stence have been friends since

days.”

Stence practices everyday, “When I get home I just go to my room and sing.”

Stence says. “I try to sing some original songs that I have made or just favorite songs from Beyonce.” Beyonce is her favorite singer, and her inspiration.

DESIGN BY NICK HADDY

Has family members, including cousins, previously in GTC Only sophomore to get into GTC this year Has done show choir for entire high school career Has been in GTC for one year

13 PROFILE MAY 2016 WSSPAPER.COM

COMPILED BY NICK HADDY

F RBIDDEN PLANET PIZZA

BY WILL CONRAD AND AUSTEN MATTINGLY

L

ooking for a place to play retro video games and enjoy fresh pizza? The Forbidden Planet located on Dubuque Street, in downtown Iowa City offers the best of both of these worlds. The restaurant employs a typical pizza place atmosphere combined with an arcade twist.

Customers have the option of seating themselves at tables that contain classic 80s video games.

This environment makes the restaurant seem inviting to both the pizza connoisseur as well as the casual video game fanatic.

Our experience was very positive. Upon arriving at the Planet the atmosphere was warm and inviting to newcomers such as ourselves and returning customers. Customers are welcomed with an open door policy and are allowed to seat themselves. We chose the seats next to the two player pacman table. We immediately started playing pacman after seating ourselves. Some of the other games included various pinball games, galaga, tetris, and other retro games. The game consoles were obviously kept in very good condition. The waiters were very friendly and nice to us.

After deciding on our order we continued playing pacman, and the waiters very kind and refilled our water for us. Once the food arrived they brought us several plates and utensils and were very outgoing and asked us if we needed anything else. The food was served on a unique and creative plating.

The cheese sticks at first bite were very delicious.

They had good marinara sauce to dip them in and it was a great fusion of the two flavors.

The food overall was very good and definitely filled our appetites.

After finishing our food there was no rush for the check.

Anyone who wants to just play games is allowed to do so, and we waited for a while before paying. Once receiving the bill, we had realized that they no sales tax . Overall the Forbidden Planet was a great place for food and spending time at. The owners and employees enjoy their time working there and care about their customers and taking care of them. The atmosphere for playing games and eating was wonderful and brought the best of both worlds together.

FAST FACTS • • • •

Located on 111 S Dubuque St. Phone Number: (319)-358-6400 Hours: 11 AM - 12 AM everyday except Saturday(11 AM - 10 PM) Opened Nov. 2014

Compiled by Will Conrad

DESIGN BY WILL CONRAD

INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM MAY 2016 REVIEW 14

Batman vs. Superman

BY NICK HADDY

B

atman vs. Superman has been one of the most talked about movies in the last month. Selling over 862.9 million dollars in box office ticket sales, Batman vs. Superman proved to be a successful movie.Though Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 27%, very harsh and honest; to me Batman vs. Superman was definitely was dragged in the dirt. But this review will be the truth, this is the true review of Batman vs. Superman.

Many kids fantasize over the thoughts of superheroes and how they are the best thing in the world and want to be them when they grow up. But what if your two favorite superheroes are fighting against each other? That’s what kids have to experience in this new movie that ties death with two superheroes.

This movie was only good when Ben Affleck showed up. His new skills as Batman were incredible and wanted to more every minute. Though Superman was not so well acted, I think he did an okay job, though he could have done better with his love with Lois Lane.

Lex Luther on the other hand was one of the best villains I have seen in a superhero movie in a long time.

Batman vs. Superman was one of the best superhero movies I have seen in the last month, with awesome fighting scenes and a very clever and awesome villain, Batman vs. Superman crushed it.

DESIGN BY ETHAN GOERS

FAST FACTS

FAST FACTS

• There is a Batman College Course • His real name is Bruce Wayne • He has a butle named Alfred • He used to be in love Cat-Woman

• His real name is Clark Kent • Superman has some crazy super powers • He can be hurt • He has died in comic books before • His worst villain is Lex Luther

15 REVIEW MAY 2016 INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

OPINION

Austen’s Opinion Corner

BY AUSTEN MATTINGLY

E

very weekday at West High School students come hither to learn. Each class period is fifty-three minutes, except Thursdays, giving students plenty of time each class to learn, with five minutes of passing time in between each class.

Some students, however, feel a need to forget about the last ten minutes of class and stop paying attention to put away their materials for class.

Where is the fire? What rush are the students here are in to be ready to sprint out the door to their next class? It seems to me that packing up early does not help you accomplish very much, depending on the situation. While some students may need a minute or two before their class ends, some students have bad habits of getting ready to leave with at least five to ten minutes left. Many teachers do not appreciate it when students are making all of the noise during class, and sometimes even stop class to comment on it.

Many teachers at West High have strong convictions against packing up early. To me it seems disrespectful to the teachers to pack up early. It interrupts the class and stops the learning process when the teacher has to pause teaching to tell the class to not pack up early. Other teachers may give students a little bit of leeway depending on the situation; before lunch, going across the building, or at the end of the day to get out of the parking

lot.

Some students do think they need the time earlier to pack up, as students feel they need time to get across campus. Teachers can understand that after school students need time with 2000 students in our school and a crowded parking lot.

Overall it seems to me that packing up early can be good or bad, depending on the situation. It can be disrespectful but can also help smooth out the traffic at the end of the day. Teachers and students both share and disagree about this issue, and I think it goes both ways.

It can have both negative and positive affects to the students and teachers here at West.

DESIGN BY WILL CONRAD

WSSPAPER.COM MAY 2016 OPINION 16

CREDITS: WILL CONRAD AUSTEN MATTINGLY ETHAN GOERS NICK HADDY GEORGE LIU SPECIAL THANKS TO SOURCES

DESIGN BY WILL CONRAD

INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM MAY 2016 BACK 17