Patrick’s Birthday Party
Saturday, January 31st, 2004Following Khalid’s party, Rae and I drove across the City to Frankie’s Bohemian Cafe on Divisadero to catch the tail end of Patrick’s belated birthday party. The dinner was just about ready to break up when we got there, but we at least had the chance to say hello and happy birthdy to Patrick. He recently returned from China and was showing everyone his photos from the trip.
Afterwards, the group dispersed to go to an 80’s party where DJ Bam was spinning records. Rae and I decided not to go and headed back down 280 to the South Bay.
Earlier in the day, Rae, Susan, Bryan, Petrice, and I went to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts to check out the Bang the Machine: Computer Gaming Art and Artifacts gallery. I really enjoy art exhibits where you can interact with the pieces on display. Walking into the gallery, one’s first impression might be, “This looks like an arcade!” The gallery featured a playable demo of American’s Army, a first-person shooter that puts you in the place of an American soldier. What’s unique about the game is who developed and markets the game, the American Army! It’s said to be a good recruiting tool for the military. What I wonder is if it is causing certain populations of people to be objectified as “the enemy.”