Module 2.4: Play With Me

Image courtesy of TheAmy Tucker via Flickr.

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This week's topic is about a topic which interests me as a game player...it's about gaming and I've decided I want to be a Ludologist.

Ludologist: a person who plays and researches games for a living...hell yeah!

Let me start by agreeing with Sam Stevenson that gaming theory is interesting and important. It's a valid form of entertainment (Stevenson, 2011). Not everyone agrees. Huizinga said in the 1950's that play is voluntary, is not serious, is separate from the real, is unproductive and promotes social groupings. I agree that it promotes social grouping - well some games do. Obviously solitary ones do not. But I do not agree that gaming is unproductive and it CAN be very serious at times, depending on the game of course.

Jenkins' reader The War Between Effects and Meaning: Rethinking the video game debate, stresses that we need to understand the difference between the effects of game playing and the meaning. He declares the effects are seen as emerging more or less spontaneously and that meanings emerge through an active process of interpretation and reflect our conscious engagement. (Jenkins, 2009). He believes that games can be powerful learning tools - look at the military. They use simulated games to train soldiers. Michael Macedonia who is the chief scientist and technical director of the U.S. Army Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation Command (STRICOM) declares that for more than two decades the U.S. military has demon- strated interest in commercial games, beginning with the in- troduction of Mech War to the Army War College by James Dunnigan in the late 1970s. (Macedonia, 2001).

There is an argument that violent games create violent behaviour, however Jenkins disagrees. Research has shown that players who fight one another to death in a game, do actually grow closer as friends off screen. Many anti-gamers only look at the surface of the game and don't look beneath at the emotional meanings, stories and images.

Since the Columbine High School massacre of 1999, game developers have had to have a good look at the level of violence in games and have changed them so they are more challenging - not just about killing, but rewarding for positive behaviour and moral changes. Here is an article about Columbine 10 years on.  Some one had the nerve to develop a game after the massacre aptly named Columbine Game. That is one I am NOT interested in.

The Thornham reader "Claiming a stake in the video game" is a study on gamers. She claims there are clear paradoxes in the way games are simultaneously set up as escapism, fantasy and play by theorists and the industry alike but are claimed by adult gamers as serious, rational and logical pastimes. Adults feel they need to justify their game playing as more than just pleasure or escapism. It's interesting to note that while she was studying the gamers, the gamers declared that the initial purchase of a game console was due to peer pressure and that it was a status symbol to own one. One gamer simply wanted to 'fit in' and to have the power of owning something desirable, which other kids want or admire. An important thing to note here is that the pleasure of gaming is less about the games themselves and more to do with the presence of friends in a social environment.

Discussion 1:
What is your history of gaming? How has your experience changed due to technological convergence (or hasn't it)? How do you rationalize your participation in games?

I am an avid game player and have been most of my life. As a kid I would play scrabble, monopoly, elastics, hopscotch, skipping, jacks and other outside games with my friends and cousins. Most weekends my parents would take me to my grandparents house for a weekly family catch-up with other relatives. There we would all play boggle, scrabble, yahtzee and cards. It was the highlight of my week. It was all about catching up, chatting and sharing. I loved those times.

Sometime in the 80's I was given my first hand-held electronic game - the original Donkey Kong. I clocked it within days! I played this regularly until my brother was given a Nintendo 64 and he and I conquered Super Mario together. Then I married and moved out and didn't play games for years. During the 90's we acquired a 2nd hand computer and it had Leisure Suit Larry installed on it. (Thanks for reminding me about that game, Sam!) Shortly after this we bought a Sega Megadrive (which very soon became obsolete because Playstation took over) and played games on that console semi-regularly. However by this time I was working full-time so game-play couldn't take up much of my time.

Fast forward 10 years and we bought a PS2 and I conquered Lara Croft Tomb Raider's 1, 2 & 3. Goodness knows how I found the time, but my husband does remember calling me to bed in the wee hours of most mornings. lol How I managed to get to work on time is a mystery.

When that machine died, my kids were babies - so again no game-play for a couple of years until 2 years ago! 2 years ago we bought an XBox for our son. Then an XBox 360, then I upgraded my old computer to a fast and powerful laptop with broadband access. Things have never been the same since. We now have smart phones, a Wii, the 2 XBoxes and 2 iPod Touch's. Every day I will play apps on my iPod Touch. It is my favourite toy.

Games define me as much as music and food. I love child-like, colourful games with levels where you collect things. I'm not into killing people any more. I will play games during study breaks, while waiting in queues, waiting in the car for the kids, and to wind down at the end of the day. Over all the game devices in our house, I prefer my iPod touch. I rarely play games off-line any more. If it's a rainy day and the kids are bored, we will sometimes play board games. The only game-playing off-line that I do love is jigsaw puzzles and most school holidays I will get out a 500 or 2000 piece and spend days doing it.

The way I rationalise game play is I play purely for relaxation. I'm not competitive and would often give up if I am waiting on an opponent to make a move! So I no longer play games which require opponents. I think my kids are the same - they play for relaxation and I will only let them play once their chores and homework is done.

Discussion 2:

What are some of the criticisms that can be made about gaming? Do you agree with them?

One criticism that comes to mind is that game play takes time away from family responsibilities. I have to disagree. Firstly I always ensure my kids have done their chores and homework before they play. For myself - I only play to unwind either in between studying, while dinner is cooking, at the end of a busy day. However often I play with the kids. For example my son and I both have iPod Touch's. When he downloaded Angry Birds last year he was having so much fun playing it that I downloaded it on mine. From then on every evening after dinner, we would sit together competing with each other on our iPod's.

Nowadays it's Plants Vs Zombies. We compete by racing each other through the levels and by collecting achievements. We play together, talk together, refine our strategies and cheer when we win a new achievement. The game-playing isn't face to face, but we are next to each other on the couch enjoying quality time together.

Same with my teenage daughter. We both play The Sims and we get our characters to interact in the game like we do in real life. We both have Android phones and we will often challenge each other in games like Angry Birds or Doodle Jump while relaxing on the weekend.

Remediation assessment:
For our remediation assessment I have decided to remediate a movie scene into a comic. I have chosen one of my favourite movies from the 80's 'Back To The Future' starring Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd. I chose a scene near the beginning of the film where Marty (played by Michael J Fox) is summonsed by Doc (played by Christopher Lloyd) to attend the local shopping mall carpark for a surprise. When Marty and Doc's dog, Einstein, arrive they are greeted by Doc and a huge transporter truck. Doc unveils a car which has a very special purpose. I chose this scene because it explains the crux of the movie and that is...well I don't want to spoil it! You'll have to watch it.

References:
Jenkins, H. (2006). The War between effects and meanng: Rethinking the video game debate D. Buckingham & R Willett (Eds., Digital Generations: Children, Young People, and New Media (pp. 19-31).

Macedonia, M. (2001). Games, Simulation and Military Education. The Army Science Board Summer Study, 2001. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ffpiu018.pdf

Thornham, H. (2009). Claiming a stake in the videogame: What grownups say to rationalise and normalise gaming. Convergence: The international journal of research into new media technologies, 15(141). Retrieved from doi: 10.1177/135485650810158

Module 2.3: Entertaining the world: Using media across cultural boundaries

Image courtesy of Vancouver125 via Flickr.

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This week's topic is about media across cultural boundaries. In the iLecture by Dr Thomas Jayaprakesh he  uses Arjun Appadurai's definition of Globalisation as 5 inter-related dimensions:

1. Ethnoscape - flow of immigrants
2. Technoscape - rapid movement of technology
3. Financescape - rapid flow of money via markets
4. Mediascape - flow of images and information
5. Ideoscape - images of democracy, freedom, welfare and rights.

There are 3 kinds of geographical audiences. They are:

1. local - the audience who consumes only local popular culture text
2. diasporic audience - a culture of people living away from their homeland consuming media from their homeland
3. Those who consume transnational culture text like foreign films and TV.

Dr Jayaprakesh quotes Henry Jenkins "media convergence has no end point. It's ongoing, occurring at various intersections between media technologies, industries, content and audience". (Jenkins, 2006).

Youth listen to similar music, TV and wear similar clothes meaning the new media landscape has captured the image of western youth, however Asian youth are more complex than superficial and are quite conservative. Youth are generally attracted to commercially based entertainment programs broadcast by global channels. Bollywood films have sold more tickets in the UK than English language films (Jayaprakash, 2011).

The reader by Henry Jenkins 'Pop Cosmopolitanism: Mapping Cultural Flows in an Age of Media Convergence' defines pop cosmopolitan as someone whose embrace of global popular media represents an escape route out of the parochialism of their local community. (Jenkins, 2006). He states globalisation has profoundly altered the nature of American popular culture and that a growing number of popular culture that Americans consume comes from elsewhere, especially Asia. Media convergence is more than simply a technological shift; it alters the relationship between existing technologies, industries, markets, genres and audiences. This results in surges of lurches and panic.

The media imperialism argument blurs the distinction between at least four forms of power: economic (the ability to produce and distribute cultural goods), cultural (the ability to produce and circulate forms and meanings), political (the ability to impose ideologies), and psychological (the ability to shape desire, fantasy and identity). Within this formulation, Western economic dominance over global entertainment both expresses and extends American's status as a superpower national the flow of cultural goods shapes the beliefs and the fantasies of worldwide consumers, reshaping local cultures in accordance with US economic and political interests. (Jenkins, 2006).

Americans can't get enough of Asian media so the American entertainment industry believes that if you can't beat them, join them! There have been a number of large companies producing films in Chinese, German, Italian and Japanese. Many cartoons shown in American now are actually made in Asia. The Power Rangers, which was created in Japan, was remade for western distribution, re-cast with multi American characters and the dialogue altered for Americans. Pokemon was the first Japanese product successfully received world wide and the first to challenge western dominance in the global production of cultural goods. It made $1 billion in product sales within 1 year. Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! are now unavoidable aspects of children's culture. (Jenkins, 2006)

Pop cosmopolitans are increasingly being drawn to Indian fashion and culture. Madonna used henna and an Indian religious iconography in her 'Ray of Light' Tour.

Image courtesy of Henna by Heather via Flickr.com.

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The reader by Ramesh Srinivasan "Indigenous, ethnic and cultural articulations of new media" defines the term 'digital divide' as the gap between people who have access to technology and those who don't, or have very little. Putnam finds a decline in civic, religious and political participation across American society. (Putnam,2000). Could this be because everyone is online? In virtual communities, social networking instead of face to face? There are benefits of recording videos to get community and political backing. Take a look at the Kayapo tribe of Central Brazil. When they were given video recorders they began recording their history, visits to other communities and documenting issues that affected them. It resulted in international exposure and acquisition of sustainable land. Indigenous communities have also appropriated new media to activate their own cultural, political, economic and other causes. A wide variety of indigenous websites are now in existence (Srinivasan, 2006). He notes that physical distance has no consequence as communication is instant via media technologies. It is obvious the Internet provides small communities and indigenous people a means of self representation. Srinivasan concludes eventually varriers between cultural difference and information/media technology will continue to erode and media research will uncover new empowering potential uses of technology. (Srinivasan, 2006).

Discussion 1:

What is the digital divide? What are its consequences, and how can it be overcome?
Digital divide refers to the gap between people who have access to technology and those who do not. For example third world countries, those of low socio economic demographic, or unemployed, those in remote areas with no Internet access, people over 50yrs old and those with disabilities. I found an interesting paper by the NTIA (the National Telecommunications and Information Administration) who states: "We are
approaching the point where not having access to these tools is likely to put an individual at a competitive disadvantage and in a position of being a less-than-full participant in the digital economy. Most groups, regardless of income, education, race or ethnicity, location, age, or gender are making dramatic gains." (Mineta, 2000).

Despite this report being 11 years old, it clearly shows the steps the U.S has made to connect people. And that is happening here in Australia with the NBN too. Over time I feel there will be no remote areas without internet access.

References:
Jayaprakash, T. (2011). 2.3 Entertaining the World [iLecture]. Retrieved from http://dbs.ilectures.curtin.edu.au/lectopia/casterframe.lasso?fid=599174&cnt=true&usr=15477071&name=not-indicated

Jenkins, J (2006). Pop Cosmopolitanism: Mapping Cultural Flows in an age of Media Convergence. In H. Jenkins, Fans, bloggers and gamers: exploring participatory culture (pp 152 - 172). New York: New York University Press.

Mineta, N. (2000). Falling Through The Net: Toward Digital Inclusion. Retrieved from http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/fttn00.pdf

Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York S. Schuster (Ed.)

Srinivasan, R. (2006). Indigenous, ethnic and cultural articulations of new media. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 9(4), 497-518. Retrieved from  doi: 10.1177/136787790606989

Module 2.1: Entertain me

This week's tutorial and readers were about blockbuster movies, fan fiction and vidding. Let's start by defining some terms.

• A blockbuster movie can be defined as a movie with high production costs and good returns
• A pre-sold identity is an actor who appears in a sequel and already has a huge following from their first movie
• Vidding is when people cut and paste images or video clips and add music to make their own creation, similar to remixes and mash-ups
• Fanfiction (or fanfic) is a work of fiction written by fans for fans, taking a source text or a famous person as a point of departure. It's shared online. Thousands are written daily
• Fandom is a community of similar people who interact in some way through discussions or their creative works
• Fanlore is a wiki—a multi-authored website—that any fan can contribute to. Our goal is to record both the history and current state of our fan communities—fan works, fan activities, fan terminology, individual fans and fannish-related events.

The reader by Henry Jenkins is about the video called Vidding. Vidding is described as an expression, a creative outlet, to give people something to say. Video makers (or Vidders) learn about themselves when making videos as it gives them an outlet for emotion. New vidders arrive on the scene every day, without any historical context or legal fears, and plunk their vids onto YouTube without a second thought. They post publicly and promote themselves enthusiastically, and why not? That's what everybody does on the Internet. (Jenkins, 2008).

The iLecture by Tama Leaver is about Dr Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog - a short series never aired on TV, but released on the internet. The creator, Joss Whedon had created TV series like Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Fireflies and already had a huge following, however his next project Dr Horrible obtained a large following even before it's release. Conversations, not just promotion portals; and participation, not just dissemination (Leaver, 2011). He goes on to talk about the shifting roles of actors into directing, producing or writing; and also the shift from zappers to loyals. Zappers watch TV, casuals commit to one or two shows, but loyals watch the whole series and buy promotional material. Australians download more television per capita than any other nation. (Leaver, 2011). This is because Australia doesn't get new US shows until weeks, sometimes months after the US launch date and Aussies want to keep up to date with the show's online communities.

Image courtesy of Richard Elzey via Flickr.com
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The reader by Marco Cucco entitled The Promise is great: the blockbuster and the Hollywood economy was a very interesting read as I am an avid movie watcher. It tells the history of the blockbuster and the US film industry. From as far back as the 1950's Hollywood was experiencing a slum in movie sales due to people moving to the suburbs, buying houses and cars and having no time or money for the luxury of movies. The film executives, in response to this down-turn, decided to release fewer, but larger (big budget) movies per year and focussing on their promotion. Television had an impact on movie-goers with the release of the VCR. Steven Spielberg encompassed the idea of promoting his blockbuster movie, Jaws on television a week before it hit the cinemas. This defined the future of film promotion from there on in. Jaws was also the first movie to be released on the opening weekend at several cinemas setting in motion a strategy that is still used today. (Cucco, 2009).

Since the 1970's some genres have fallen by the wayside - musicals, westerns, biblical films, war films and films taken from literature. More popular are science fiction and adventure films. A blockbuster is not thought of as an artistic product, but a commercial one, meant to produce money and cover the expenses of those films that have not reached the break-even point as well as those projects that have been stopped during their development. (Cucco, 2009).

Stars are considered pre-sold identities or high concept as they draw in the fans from the original movie back into the cinema for the sequels. From an economic point of view, the star has 2 fundamental functions: to guarantee the movie access to the market and guarantee that the public will be attracted to the cinema. This is possible because stars have turned into brand products. (Cucco, 2009).

Discussion 1
What are some of the ways you participate as fan? Have you ever written fan fiction? Do you participate online in a fan forum somewhere? Why do you think we do this?

I had to think about this question for awhile because I immediately thought I wasn't a fan of anything. After gazing out the window for inspiration I could only come up with this response...

I love Super Mario Bros - and a big thanks to Carissa for the link to the cardboard box game, I loved it. lol I originally had the game on Nintendo 64 and finished all worlds. Then I bought it for my kids to play on their Nintendo DS' (well! for me to play!). Then I bought it for the Wii and finally I liked the Facebook page. That's as far as I go in regards to fandom I'm afraid :(

Discussion 2

Do you use any interactive media texts online? What are they, and what options do you have to interact on them?

The interactive online texts I use are Facebook, the Oasis site, my cooking blog and Best Recipes. I interact with Facebook everyday by posting status updates, commenting on my friends statuses and uploading photos for my friends and family to see.

I use Oasis nearly every day for uni learning, watching iLectures, reading suggested texts and posting in Blackboard. I find Oasis a user-friendly site and look forward to reading fellow student's messages.

When my husband and I renovated our kitchen last year I finally got a new kitchen after 19yrs. Since then I've developed a love of cooking. I joined Best Recipes after searching for a particular recipe. It is an Australian cooking site where recipes and tips are shared. I've uploaded pictures and recipes to the site, posted questions in the forums and have learned valuable cooking tips from the other members.

I also started my own cooking blog. I cook simple, quick and family-friendly meals. They are not gourmet, but they are very nice and great for busy people who don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. Followers can post comments and questions and also print the recipes so they can try them out.

https://www.facebook.com/nell68crab
http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/forums/member.php?u=116758&tab=aboutme&simple=1
http://nellscookingblog.blogspot.com/

Discussion 3
How is the blockbuster film deemed to be different to other types of film? Cucco explains the blockbuster is a film which usually costs a lot of money to make, but also makes a lot of money in sales. They always have a major star and usually has exceptional special effects.(Cucco, 2009).

Are these differences meaningful?
They are meaningful because of the major star, special effects and the money spent on making the films. Cucco explains the reason why the blockbuster came about was because when people stopped going to the movies in the 1950's due to buying expensive commodities like houses and cars, major film companies reduced the number films released each year to focus on a major film (a blockbuster). They are also meaningful because the intent is that the blockbuster will make enough money to compensate for losses of movies which have poor sales and those which don't finish production. (Cucco, 2009) .

Why do you think we associate the blockbuster model with a drop of quality? (And what makes a film a 'quality' one?)
I disagree. I don't know anyone who associates a blockbuster with poor quality. I consider myself a movie buff and see hundreds every year...I must admit I look forward to Thursdays when new movies air at my local cinema. I think what makes a film a quality one is 3 things: a) the main actor(s); b) the special effects; and c) the Director. I will always go out of my way to see a film if I'm familiar with the actor(s), the Director and if I've enjoyed their previous films.

References
Cucco, M. (2009). The Promise is Great: The blockbuster and the Hollywood economy. Media Culture & Society, 31, 215-230. doi:10.1177/0163443708100315

Jenkins, H. (2008). Fan Vidding: A Labour of Love (part 2). Retrieved from http://henryjenkins.org/2008/12/in_many_ways_the_emergence.html

Leaver, T. (2011). Entertain me [Lecture]. Retrieved from http://dbs.ilectures.curtin.edu.au/lectopia/casterframe.lasso?fid=599139&cnt=true&usr=not-indicated&name=not-indicated