WEEK 5: Introduction and Bibliography

1. Topic of Interest

My topic is about the gene mutation MTHFR and what physical and cognitive effects it may have on an individual. I recently got diagnosed with this and I want to see if there is a connection between the symptoms I have and studies that have been done.

2. Work Done in this Field

In the York College library website there is not a lot of studies done in this area. Majority of the studies were either too old to use, not peer reviewed, or did not have the full PDF. So I was left with very limited information. An article I found was about this gene mutation and migraines. The background to Samaan et al. study:

“Migraine is a common disorder that often coexists with depression. While a functional polymorphism in methyleneterahydrofolate reductase gene (MTHFR C677T) has been implicated in depression; the evidence to support an association of MTHFR with migraine has been inconclusive. We aim to investigate the effect of this variant on propensity for migraine and to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies of MTHFR and migraine to date”

So in this study they have found that migraine and depression are associated with the                   gene mutation MTHFR.

3. What needs to be done/ Questions

• Since there are not so many studies in this area is this valid information?
• Is the gene mutation the only factor? Did the participants in the studies have any other health issues that could also be the cause?
• Are the participants coming from the same places or is it random?
• I have to find more research to gain as much information to back up my research.

4. How I will fill in the gaps

• Find more research
• Use what I know from my own examinations
• Find out what triggers this gene mutation?
• By having this can it lead to people becoming addicted to drugs/alcohol?

5. Thesis

It is predicted that gene mutation is associated with migraines and depression which leads individuals to become alcohol dependent.

• Relate to Psychology

1. Does the gene mutation MTHFR causes depression?
2. Since I am studying 2 processes, I have realized that migraines and depression are connected. Migraines are so painful and suffering from frequent migraines can lead to someone being depressed.

• This is a very important study that the public should educate themselves about. There is little research on this gene mutation. I was completely unaware about it until I was recently diagnosed with it. You have to refrain from eating folic acid (gluten) because the body cannot break it down. If I eat gluten products I get a headache. According to Samaan et, al. “A common polymorphism from the MTHFR gene, the C677T, has been reported to be associated with both migraine and depression independently”. So what I want to do is create a game that addresses this and educates people about this issue.
• New research

1. I am still trying to figure out what exactly I want to focus on. Some ideas I have is again does this lead to depression or lead to becoming an alcoholic
2. I am still looking for some research articles to help me gain a better understanding.

Review of the game SweatShop

This game was created by LittleLoud Studios. Some background info:

Channel 4 was eager to create a game that challenged young people to think about the origin of the clothes we buy.

Our solution was a strategy game that casts the player in the role of a clothing factory’s middle management. The player is responsible for hiring and firing workers, ensuring that orders are completed in time and balancing the needs of demanding clients with worker welfare.

http://littleloud.com/work/sweatshop/

Learning Elements 

The game gives you insight on what it is like to work in very harsh conditions. The things that we are not exposed to as much but very much so occurs in certain factories that create well known products. It opens peoples eyes to how extremely dangerous/unfair some jobs are. Also, to be appreciative of how some things are created. When playing this game you use physiological, cognitive, social, and behavior processes. Physiological:in the sense that you get frustrated when the work load gets intense. I felt a little worried about if my boss was going to fire me if I made one mistake. Cognitive: you have to think about which worker goes where and make sure no one gets injured. Social: you need to choose and hire people, if you do not communicate you do not know who is good at what. Behavior: especially because the work environment really affects how you react.

Formal Elements 

I played as 3 people. The little boy who was in charge, and the other 2 were workers I hired. The rules are to follow the boss’s instructions and meet the goal for the day. It compliments because as you go up in levels, the goal of the day increases and the level gets more challenging and it makes you really think about what you need to do to complete the game. The whole point is to not get fired. Each time a product is created, you gain money. When you do not fully create the product, you lose money. There are workers that you get to fire and hire depending on their skill.

Dramatic Elements 

The little boy on the cover of the game is the main character. He got promoted because everyone else left, he used to be a regular worker. The little boy has to figure out how he would like to set up the factory. He must master finding a faster,cheaper way to get the job done. It shows that this game has a linear narrative because you don’t affect the story, you just go through it. An achiever player would most likely want to play this game since there are different levels.

System Dynamic

All you need in this game is workers, machines, and products. The setting is at a sweatshop. The levels get harder as you continue.

Fun and Accessibility 

The games is engaging. You do end up learning about sweatshops, however, a person can get so competitive that the only thing they care about is killing whomever just to get a job done and that and they forget the real meaning behind the game. This game is fairly easy .

The game I played was called-The Talk:They Hear You, by Samhsa. This game was both free on computer and through an app. The game was about parents being able to figure out a better way to communicate with their children when it comes to the topic of drinking alcohol. Before you play, their is a short story between the parent you choose to be and a family friend who is with his/her child and they explain their journey on underage drinking. The story line explains a few goals that you need to look at to achieve. Then you begin communicating with your child. You get to choose what you want to say to start off the conversation and it is up to you to control it. Where you do not lose the child’s attention. You get to look at the child’s phone while speaking to him to know what he is thinking . When you begin to lose the child, a helpful hint box pops up to assist you. When you finish, you get to see/hear the opinion of the child which I think is very helpful. Overall, I was surprised to see a game like this. It seem like it can be very effective for parents to communicate better. I did not mind playing this game.

The game I chose was Valiant Hearts: The Great War. The game was about a young soldier who was trying to survive the war to get back to his true love. The game was well organized and guided you through that time. It was very depressing because of the music in the backgorund that made me not very interested to continue playing at times. Overall, I feel like it did promote learning.