Addicted to words

Mia Dixon-Slaughter, Co-Editor-in-Cheif

March 15, 2013

At the start of 2012, the app Four Pictures One Word became known throughout the student body at Downey High. This app not only caught the attention of students but also teachers such as Miss Piho.

Out of the 46 million mobile apps offered by the App store, the one that has become the new popular game to play is 4 Pics 1 Word. People of all ages are playing the mind-boggling game in which you are shown four pictures that all connect to one word that you are left to guess.

The game continues to draw people in with its puzzles. Some give up after the words start to get harder to decipher, while others persevere towards mastery, something very few have accomplished.

Amber Quesada, 10, was not only one of the few who finished the game, but she completed it in one night.

“I finished the game overnight with only the help of my cousin,” Quesada said. “The game is very addicting and I couldn’t put it down.”

The game becomes an obsession for some; they begin to play in most of their spare time. When a difficult word comes up they turn to their friends and even social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Aron Ramirez, 10, a former 4 Pics 1 Word player, finds the fact that people are using social networks for help defeats the whole purpose of the game.

“I don’t understand why they go to Twitter,” Ramirez said. “There’s no fun in answering if somebody gives you the answer. Its almost like they’re playing the game for you.”

As the difficulty of the app increases, it makes people feel inferior when they can’t figure out the word. This explains why some players of the game feel the need to ask for help anywhere they can get it.

Cindy Bautista, 11, continues to advance in the game but with a great deal of struggle and still doesn’t give up.

“I got stuck on level 257,” Bautista said, “but I can’t give up because I feel like a failure if I stop.”

With its increasing number of downloads, now over five million, 4 Pics 1 Word continues to capture the minds of many by pulling people in with its puzzles.

About the Contributors

Mia Dixon-Slaughter, Co-Editor-in-Cheif

Mia Dixon-Slaughter, Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Downey Legend, stepped into the world of journalism 3 years ago as a sophomore. After a great deal of persuasion from her two best friends, who were on staff at the time, Dixon-Slaughter submitted her application at the semester and was welcomed shortly after. “I love writing and always have,” Slaughter said, “but I’ve always stuck strictly to literature so branching out into a different style and type of writing has helped me develop as a writer.” Although writing essays and covering stories can be polar opposites, the writer adjusted without much trouble. During her time at The Downey Legend, she has covered numerous stories, fiddled with the camera, and established the newspaper’s credibility on social media. She is competent enough to know what it takes to have efficient deadlines; all Slaughter has to do now is to guide her staff in that direction. If the writer is not covering stories happening around school, she is still somehow always somewhere on campus. Juggling AP classes, an ASB position, and her role in newspaper, Slaughter often finds herself with a hectic schedule. This being said, when genuine free time presents itself, she takes full advantage of it. “I love getting lost or ending up in places spontaneously because it feels so great to not have an agenda sometimes,” Dixon-Slaughter said. While the senior is busy getting ready for college and balancing out the rest of her responsibilities, she hopes to provide the staff with an exemplary example of the amount of greatness that can rise from commitment.

Alexandra Menendez, Photographer

Returner Alexandra Menendez took up photography for The Downey Legend her junior year. Since the purchase of her first camera as a mere 6^th grader, photography has been a point of interest for the 17 year old; the school newspaper is just one on a long list of creative outlets she uses to express her photography skills. “I like having the ability to capture a memory before it’s gone forever.” Menendez says. Outside of campus, she refines her skills through photo-shoots with her friends and sister along the railroad tracks and otherwise simple backdrops. She plans on enrolling at San Francisco State and studying to be a professional photographer, but if all else fails, she aspires to at least be a qualified teacher. Currently, she is attending the ROP class Principles in Education to guide her into being the ideal photography instructor she aims to be. The soft-spoken Menendez lives her life to the fullest of its potential each and every day. She is a proud film enthusiast, lover of Asian cuisine, and self-proclaimed introvert – though she claims to enjoy wasting away the weekends with her friends. Nonetheless, rather than having a traditional quinceñera with the spotlight on her, Menendez chose to travel Europe alone. “I’ve always wanted to go, just to see new places I’d never seen before.” Menendez says. “I wanted something new. She still longs to travel the rest of the world – all the while, documenting her trips through a camera lens. A small girl, Menendez has big dreams ahead of herself.