The raging debate on parent censorship in gaming

http://ezinearticles.com/?Stop-Blaming-Video-Games---What-Happened-To-Parental-Accountability?&id=501362This is a great article which gives view points on the role that gaming has in violence and obesity amongst gamers and society."As a parent or guardian, do you not have the power to turn off the console, take away the potato chips, and simply order your child to go outside and play???"Very good point"Too often in today’s society we want to push the blame elsewhere, and not accept personal responsibility for those things over which we can have a great deal, if not full, control. All this finger pointing may make us feel better about ourselves, but it does precious little to solve any real problems."What Tim Whiston is saying in this article is so very true. Ok we may want to blame other things and shift the blame elsewhere but people have got to take responsibility for themseleves and even thought people like finger point the main fact is that this finger pointing is not solving any problems and nothing will get done if society dint start acting upon it. Ok people may blame else where but parents then still let their children play games 4 hours on end. Public need to start thinking do they want their children turning into sumo's and axe waving maniacs, well if not then reduce gaming time and get outside and play. Take the game outside even at least kids will get fresh air.There have been steps by game manufacturers taken to reduce this violence and obesity even though i do not belive they are to blame for these issues.See Above

how is the gaming industry finding new ways of making money out of the audience?

• Online gaming such as "Second Life", as well as free interfaces such as the PS3's "Home" facility, has opened up a whole new world in which money can be made by practically anyone. In "Home", spaces are available for advertising for up-coming new releases of games and movies, through which the institution can make money beause this advertising space will be popular as it will reach its target audience of gamers straight away. A similar advertising service is available in "Second Life", but here there is also another way of making money. People have now begun to actually live their real life jobs through "Second Life". By purchasing houses and shops etc. in game, users are now selling and exchanging property and items for real money, and a comfortable living can be made out of it.

• Institutions are now selling us "home entertainment systems", not just games consoles, so more people will want to buy one. They are effectively aiming to create a machine which will be able to cater for all of the audience's technological needs, and have a number of customers who are currently loyal to their products so they know that they will be able to sell them when they finally develop the technology. They can then seriously jack up the prices of the games on the market because they know that they will sell to the millions of people who have bought this box which can do everything.

• Add-ons for games are becoming more and more popular, especially with the release of the new PS3, which has a Playstation Store in the main menu in which the user can purchase extra levels and chapters for games, extra characters, locations and weapons etc. For the core gamer who has bought the PS3 in the first place, this is the kind of service which they want, and they will buy into it as it will enable them to get the full experience out of the technology.

Limitation to convergence in the gaming industry

There are major problems with the copyright laws and licensing when companies in the gaming industry want to make a product that ‘does everything’. Also having less pieces of hardware in the house could cause conflicts of interest (when one person wants to use the gadget for one use and another wants to use it for a different reason, when if they were individual items there would be no problem). This is a quality website for general info on gaming. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue23/convergence/

Stats

Company Oct. 2004/Y-to-Y Change YTD 2004, Y-to-Y Change
Activision 166% 77%
Atari -13% -27%
Electronic Arts -4% 25%
Microsoft 19% 38%
Midway 522% 71%
Nintendo 38% 5%
Sony -48% -26%
Take-Two 586% 83%
THQ -39% -4%
Source: NDP Data and Piper Jaffrey Estimates
While Take-Two is enjoying the predicted spike from GTA: San Andreas this year, and its ESPN success, it remains unclear whether the publisher can execute a portfolio outside of the GTA franchise. Likewise, Midway's Mortal Kombat bump may be short-lived. Activision, on the other hand, demonstrates a solid rise in title quality and library depth. The small decline at EA sales in October is evidence of the downward pricing pressure from the ESPN challenge, while overall EA remains on a solid growth track. The jury is out on THQ, since many of its major releases are coming in November, but clearly the company has not succeeded in breaking from its reputation as a provider of second-rate licensed property. Spectrum Warrior was a noble try at establishing itself as a AAA publisher that made only a mild ripple

Virtual me

EA and Endemol have announced that they will be realing a game called virtual me mixing the ideas of big brother with games like the sims.It allows gamers to create an avatar and compete in games like deal or no deal, fame academy and 100s of others.

Case Study

1. Write a list of general terms related to NMT.
2. Write a list of key terminology related to your chosen technology.
3. From your blog, select 10 statements (stats, quotations) that you have found during your research which relate to debates on audiences' changing experiences, institutions response to technology, the future etc. NAME ANY SOURCES

Interactivity – encourages the audience to be less passive and to engage with the media rather than just consuming e.g. red button on Sky. NOTE: non linear experience.

Democratisation – the ability to communicate your opinions and ideas, or share your creative output e.g. blogging.

Personalisation – the ability to offer users a personalised experience e.g. Sky+ allows users to pause live television and record their favourite programmes.

Convergence - The process in which multiple technologies form together to form a new product i.e. VCR/DVD/CD players.

Digitisation - the material, whether picture, text or film can be reproduced by computers digitally in a very long sequence of 0's and 1's. This means the information can be sent digitally through computerised systems, for instance Sky+, and becase the square wave can only be a 0 or a 1, no where in between, there is barely any interference.

Linear/Non Linear - a linear experience is one that starts, goes in a straight line until it finishes e.g. a film at the cinema, you start watching at the start of the film and stop watching at the end of the film. Non linear is different, when someone uses interactive television, they can choose a variety of different extras e.g. alternative voiceover, extra video footage or explanitory text. this will give the viewer a unique experience to that narrative, and is controlled when they hit the red button. This experience then can be described as non linear.

2. MMORP - Mass multiplayer online role playing game.

2b

The internet is used by all different types of media in an attempt to maintain their profits. Newspapers and magazines all now have additional websites in conjunction with their high-street products in order to try and maintain and increase their audiences. An example could be the Guardian which has its own website where all the articles in the paper can be found and searched on the webpage and there are also stories exclusive to the internet. Audiences would be attracted by the different ways to keep up-to-date with the news which are only available on the internet.Television is also available on demand online. An example could be channel E4 which has recently lanuched 4OD, television on demand where users can watch a programme they missed whenever they want up to a week after it was aired. Moreover, audiences can use online technology for more uses than a television can offer and a wider variety and personal preference. Internet users are able to watch films, music videos, documentaries and sketches on the Internet. Also in order to match the demands of their audience, television shows and music artists also have their own websites and information pages so they can keep fans interested and gain a strong following.The impact of blogging is also evident aas they allow anyone to write and publish anything they want and other internet users can view them and make comments. Overall it is clear that broadband has democratised the media world and gives audiences a choice of what they can do. In addition to this, it is likely that the internet will gain dominance of many markets in terms of shopping and researching for products in the near future.

The dangers of new age gaming!!!

The Nintendo Wii has created a new market, for AE's all over the world!! Hilarious injuries have been noted across the hemisphere from angry and over-active gamers. Also Televisions, windows and spectators have been broken due to the physical needs of the Wii. During a bout of boxing in nintendos own Wii sports, a spectator had her nose broken when she unfortunately stepped between the enthusiastic gamer and the metre or so of air he was beating up. Injuries you'd expect whilst actually playing tennis have been recorded, with a woman dislocating her knee! Thanks to the Wii, no longer do we have to fear the common gaming injury of a sore thumb, thank you nintendo! Just watch out for the serious, must win gamers who get slightly excited whilst flailing controllers about! Luckily as to now I havn't fallen victim to this most foul of accidents, but perhaps I'll think twice about whipping the ole Wii out when my girlfriend visits!

The latest victims to fall foul of the Wii's agenda!

Backward Compatibility

This basically means that the user can play games from the PlayStationa and Playstation 2 on the PS3. However, early releases in Europe of the PS3 were sold without an EE (emotion engine: a microchip that's a processor) meaning not all games could be played.Various features such as streering wheels that were compatible for the PS2 are not on the PS3 which is a negative.

MMO's

A Massive Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG or MMO) is a game which as vhundreds or thousands of players, and is played on the Internet. This form of game is played in a giant virtual world. Many argue why small player count games with 200 and under players online are called massive multiplayer online games.MMOs can enable players to compete with and against each other on a grand scale, and sometimes to interact meaningfully with people around the world. Most MMOs need players to spend large amounts of their time on game. Most MMOs require a monthly subscription fee, but some can be played for free.

Playstations portable compatibility

The PlayStation Portable can connect with the PlayStation 3 in many ways, including in-game connectivity. For example, Formula One: Championship Edition, a racing game, was shown at E3 2006 using a PSP as a real-time rear-view mirror. Although this feature did not make it in the final release, Sony confirmed that such connectivity between the two consoles remains an option for the future.

HP contributing to gaming future

Hewlett Packard has announced that it has plans to become a major player on the global video and online gaming market.Although they do not attempt to try and compete with the likes of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. They do hope to offer gaming pcs and normal pc prices unlike those of other specialist gaming companies (Alienware).They have already stated that some of their initial plans
One idea is a curved computer screen that would allow people playing a driving game to see the road to their left and right, and not just straight ahead.
Another prototype is for a handheld device that would let users incorporate real landscapes into their games whilst on the move.
for full article see here

Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii was realeased on December 8th 2006 in the UKIt focuses much more on interactive gameplay than amazing performance and graphics so is targetting the market differentlyFeatures an innovative control systemOnline connectivity and connectivity between the nintendo DSSales
North America - 2,083,880+ as of March 3, 2007
Japan - 2,014,310 as of April 8, 2007

Europe - 2,000,000 as of April 10, 2007

Australia/New Zealand-80,000 / 6,000 as of March 31st, 2007

The Pro's and con's of video gaming

This article goes into depth about the pros and cons of video gaming. It looks on the effect its having on the individual, this is a brief summary of the main points.

Pros

• Scientists have shown that hardcore gamers score better on visual tests.
• General reactions improve
• Strategic games help improve logical thinking abilities and problem solving skills.
• Educational games improve learning, and decision making.
• Some games allow gamers to be able to analyse and find information more quickly without straining.
• Gamers develope stronger thumb muscles.

Cons

• Some gamers develope back problems from sitting in one position for too long.
• Eyes strains have been found to be common.
• Specialists have confirmed that children who spend too much time playing computer games not only are easily susceptible to long terms problems like bad posture and RSI (repetitive strain injury).
• Spending many hours in front of the monitor and not going out enough could also cause social problems thus resulting in them becoming shy and introvert.

Reply to Keith Stuarts article on the Wii

The article can be found here.

I agree and disagree with Keith in a way, the Wii has bred a new wave of family gamers, the simple control style and the prospect of watching the game character mimic your movements excites a large audience. However from personal experience, the Wii has its violent bits as well as its family based games such as Wii sports and Wario Moves. Red Steel can have you making a defeated enemy kneel at your feet while you carve him up. The godfather game relies on the player physically "shaking" the enemy on screen and beating them to a pulp. Call of Duty 3 makes full use of the controls by making you sweat as you wrestle with a German holding a knife to your throat, then turning it back onto him, and you can watch the horror on his face as the knife starts slowly sinking into his neck, at your own doing. So no Keith, the Wii isn't all Universal rated family games, it just targets a much larger audience than the other two, with the exception of dreary film based games like Ice age, Over the Hedge and Happy feet, which all follow the same plot, game structure and so on. Also probably the most violent game of all time, Manhunt, will be making a second game, Manhunt 2 which will be on which platform? You guessed it, The Wii, so I think Keith Stuart has targeted a very small part of Nintendo's audience for the Wii.

In depth look at Microsofts Xbox 360

(because i know nothing of the Xbox360)

The Xbox360 is a more powerful version of Microsofts Xbox. The Xbox360 can also be known as Xbox 2, Nextbox and Xenon. The 360 is a member of the seventh generation gaming platform. Its Xbox Live service allows players to compete online and download arcade games (like the Nintendo Wii) and content such as game trailers, TV shows, music videos, or rented movies.The Xbox 360 is the successor to the first Xbox, and it competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of gaming systems.The Xbox 360 was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged later that month at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. It is the first console to provide near-simultaneous launch across the three major regions, and to provide wireless controller support at launch.Selling Statistics: The console sold out completely at release and by end of 2006 had shipped 10.4 million units worldwide.

Some general facts (thank you wikipedia)

Manufacturer - Microsoft

Generation - Seventh generation era

Computer - 3.2 GHz PCC Tri-Core Xenon

GPU - (Graphics processing unit) - 500MHz ATI Xenos

Media - DVD, DVD-DL, CD, DVD HD (add on)

Storage - 20 or 120 GB hard drives, memory cards

Controllers - 4 maximum (wired or wireless in any combination)

Connectivity - 3 x USB 2.0

Top selling game - Gears of War

Backward compatibility - 309 Xbox games (requires hard drive)

Predecessor - Xbox

Comparison of the 3 main platforms

The article highlighted here is a comparison between Sony's playstation 3, Microsofts Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii.

Sony Playstation 3

Launches: This month [March 2007] in Europe, earlier in US and Japan.
It does: State-of-the-art games consoles with the potential for photo-realistic graphics. Plays high-definition Blu-ray discs, some original PlayStation and PS2 games, DVDs and super audio CDs. Owners get free online gaming and web surfing access.
Has sold: 1.65 million
How much: £425

The PS3 represents a huge gamble by Sony, they make a loss on every console they sell and made a loss of over half a billion pounds for the delay. PS3 offers the latest in photo-realistic graphics and stunning attention to detail. This is achieved by the Blu-ray DVD player which is hoped to be aimed at film lovers aswell, maximising on the recent HD technology.

I own one and it's intense!

Microsoft Xbox 360

Launched: December 2005
It does: Plays high-definition 360 and standard Xbox titles, as well as DVDs and CDs, and can connect to the internet for global tournaments.
Has sold: 10.4 million
How much: £279

Much like it's first model, the Xbox 360 is just a step up in graphics and gameplay. Its big competitive advantage is it's signature games such as Halo.

Nintendo Wii

Launched: December 2006
It does: Less powerful than its rivals, but a 'motion-sensitive controller' has been worked into every game, so playing tennis or conducting an orchestra by waving the wand is a little like the real thing. Plays discs made for the Wii's predecessor, the GameCube.
Has sold: 4.62 million
How much: £180

The main selling point for the Wii is the motion sensor control system, the graphics are less powerful thank the other two but the controllers really bring the gamer into the game more, a key point in the institutional context. Interestingly, in Feb 07, in america, it outsold both its rivals by a margin of 107,000.


As a final note, I own one and it's just awesome!

Five areas of study

1. Technology
What is my chosen technology, who is it marketed to? What has this technology allowed audiences and institutions to do that previously they could not do? Is the media new or old? What company is making the changes, and for what price?

Convergence - The process in which multiple technologies form together to form a new product i.e. VCR/DVD/CD players.

Digitisation - the material, whether picture, text or film can be reproduced by computers digitally in a very long sequence of 0's and 1's. This means the information can be sent digitally through computerised systems, for instance Sky+, and becase the square wave can only be a 0 or a 1, no where in between, there is barely any interference.

Linear/Non Linear - a linear experience is one that starts, goes in a straight line until it finishes e.g. a film at the cinema, you start watching at the start of the film and stop watching at the end of the film. Non linear is different, when someone uses interactive television, they can choose a variety of different extras e.g. alternative voiceover, extra video footage or explanitory text. this will give the viewer a unique experience to that narrative, and is controlled when they hit the red button. This experience then can be described as non linear.

2.Institutions
Institutions have a primary target to increase profit, but how are media institutions converging media interests to maximise profit? How do they create marketing campaigns to launch their new products? Do they listen to audience demands or do they have to educate their users?

3. Audience
What are audiences doing with their new media technologies? How are traditional experiences of the media changing? What are audiences not doing so that they can spend more time interacting with new media technologies? What advantages are there for the consumer? You will carry out audience research, asking opinions and investigating consumption patterns.

Interactivity – encourages the audience to be less passive and to engage with the media rather than just consuming e.g. red button on Sky. NOTE: non linear experience.

Democratisation – the ability to communicate your opinions and ideas, or share your creative output e.g. blogging.

Personalisation – the ability to offer users a personalised experience e.g. Sky+ allows users to pause live television and record their favourite programmes.

4. Issues
Does new media technologies encourage illegal activity (i.e. Limewire) or increased spending, or harm children? Will people lose jobs, affecting the labour market throughout the world? Are new media technologies creating any moral panics?

5. The Future
If the technology is extended, what could happen? How could media practices be different in future, based on the potential of current technologies?

Googlezon, the downfall of media

click here to see the 'googlezon' video


The short video in the link above shows a possible representation of the media if the hype continues about blogging on the internet and user created news.

The film suggests that the creation of Amazon, the extremely popular online store created in 1991 is at the very roots to this sensation. The automated response to what you buy and the suggestions that it gives you for new products starts the individually based responses in computers. Then in 1998 google comes along as the worlds biggest search engine that can link anyone to te site they are looking for in a matter of seconds.

When blogger was set up, many people rushed to post everything about their lives for everyone else to see, their interests, hobbies etc.

It suggests that Google and Amazon will combine into a company called "googlezon" that will practically destroy traditional media in an attempt to combat the monopoly power of Microsoft. With users posting up to date news about anything on Blogger (bought by Google), it creates a very mediated news coverage, with everyones political, moral and social bias shining through in their blog posts. In an effort to fight Googlezon, Microsoft makes "newsbotster" to introduce competition to google news. Googlezon news can email selective news straight to the user depending upon their interests, what they want to know about, and advertise products to them on a purely individual basis using Amazons suggestion alger rhythm which helps capatalism and consumerism survive. Eventually when Epic arrives, all democratisation of media is lost, as there is no choice between different stories, papers etc, where today we have many different newspapers with different political allegiances, (i.e. Gordon Browns latest budget hailed by the Sun but slated by the Mail) there will be none of that.

The New York Times made one final stand against Googlezon, sueing them for copyright violations, taking the case to the supreme court. However Googlezon would be found in favour. Shortly after, The New York Times would be taken offline, providing a print only service to the elite and the elderly.


This film adresses these issues related to new media technologies:

1. "E news" - is it economically sound, let alone ethical to allow a computer to dictate the news to us, will they miss out important moral issues within the story. The delivered product is by an automated system, how reliable is this? Can we be left in the dark if there are for instance power cuts or server break-downs?

2. Copyright Laws - Where does the law apply? No longer is it a case of black and white, but a murky area of grey where large monopolies can bully the smaller firms. Will there even be any laws concerning the use of other peoples materials, and who will they stand for?

3. Privacy - With the automated response system, analysing your hobbies, interests and so forth, even sites and web pages you have previously visited, do we really want to be looking over our shoulders everytime we visit a site? It aboloshes the traditional view that what happens in ones home is their own business.