20 Mark Essay response

Discuss how far young people's use of media technology deffers from that of their parents:There are a vast number of different technologies out in the 21st century, all appealing to different target demographics, and all with a specific purpise; to entertain. The diverse range of new media technologies provides the consumer with constant updates and new products. Young people tend to use media technology on a much larger scale than the older, more traditional audience. But how do you define "young" in this modern day and age. Anyone upto even their 40s is influenced by new media, for example; the brand new mobile handsets, gaming consoles, even cars are "iPod" compatible. Most of the modern day gadgets are aimed at the youth audience, for example, in the gaming industry most of the games are aimed at kids around the ages of 20 and lower.
One company which has changed the way in which we consume gaming is "Nintendo". With the release of the Wii and the DS lite, now families can also enjoy the delights of gaming. The Games on the Wii are mostly aimed at young children and families, and the whole interactivity and way in which you play it is especially unique, as it gets everyone off the sofa and involved.

Beware the dark side: The perils of New Media Technologies

1. The way in which we consume to media is constantly changing, and this becomes central to the subject that i am studying; gaming.
2. Privacy is always at risk when using the internet. Personal details can be distributed freely, and accessed by any ISP, for example BT. They track the history of websites and time spent online. Portable devices can be used to 'hack' into others and may be used to steal valuble information. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are another innovation that could have consequences for civil liberties, they cannot be seen by the eye but can be traced to the exact loction.
3. The idea of Peer to Peer (P2P) networks such as KaZaa and Gnutella, have forced millions into commiting copright violations and inevitably stealing. This file sharing is aparent to be harmless, but in reality it is a serious illegal jurisdiction. Entertianment such as gaming have also been criticised heavily, regarding violence and topics of a sexual nature.
4. New Media technologies often contributed heavily to environmental problems such as, in the UK one million tonnes of electronic waste is generated each year, and this is aso very hazardous.

Useful Articles (Unfinished)

Grand Theft Auto: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n14/lanc01_.html
Second life and Religion: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n14/lanc01_.html
Wii TV BBC: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3713281.ece
Kane and Lynch: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3708696.ece
Why gaming will survive an economic meltdown: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/apr/24/games.microsoft1
SpongeBob is the real threat to our kids online: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/apr/10/games.news
Women in the gaming industry: http://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/technology-gaming/abroader-platform-women-in-the-gaming-industry-804794.html
Retro delights: Video games: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/retro-delights-video-games-789734.html

MANHUNT

"The decision by the BBFC probably headed off a moral panic. The first Manhunt game was denounced by the parents of Stefan Pakeerah, a 14-year-old who was murdered in Leicester in 2004, as a factor that contributed to his death. The police disagreed: they said that the game had not played any part in the murder, which had been a robbery motivated by the need for drug money, and pointed out that it was the victim, not the killer, who owned a copy of Manhunt. Not to worry: questions were anyway asked in Parliament by the local MP, Keith Vaz. When Seung-Hui Cho committed his murders at Virginia Tech, there was an immediate fuss about the contributing part that might have been played by video games. (MSNBC headline: ‘Were video games to blame for massacre?’) It turned out that Cho didn’t own any video games, and according to his roommate never played them (nor did he own a TV), which must have put him in a tiny minority of 23-year-old American men."

http://www.lycos.com/info/moral-panic--moral-panics.html
The website above shows a number of moral panics reflecting the attitudes towards gaming in the 21st century

Curbs on computer games to protect children

"Curbs on computer games to protect children" by Toby Helm, Public Policy Editor, 28/03/2008.

"Video games must be given cinema-style age classifications to stop children accessing graphic images of sex and violence, a Government adviser will announce today."

"Her proposals for a strict and legally-binding classification system for video games, similar to that used for films, form the centrepiece of a 224-page report to help parents prevent their children buying and watching unsuitable material in the home."

"Sources close to the Byron inquiry told The Daily Telegraph the report would stress the need for parents to realise that "just because a game is called a game does not mean it is appropriate for children".

"At present, the only video games with age limits printed on their packaging are those showing "gross" violence to humans or animals, sex scenes or material that may help criminals commit a crime."

"Dr Byron is expected to recommend a system combining the cinema-style rating of U/PG/12/15/18 with parts of the PEGI system, which she says is easy to understand and accurately reflects content."

"Dr Byron is expected to warn against what she describes as a "MORAL PANIC" about the internet and the march of technology that has gripped parents and teachers."

"She will emphasise that if society can educate itself better about the dangers it can offer young people opportunities to advance their education."<

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/27/ncomputer127.xml The article can be found here and it really highlights the main issues and debates regarding gaming this year.

Articles regarding gaming controversy

The Guardian Thursday February 14th 08: “Gadget that hopes to boost mobile gaming” by Keith Stuart GAMESBLOG
What its about: Zeemote JS1, a Bluetooth joy pad device designed for mobile games. Californian start up; “Zeemote”. Light device measures 95mm x 35mm x 20mm and houses a small analogue stick. Zeemote wants to bring genuine mass appeal to the underachieving mobile games industry. Supported by: “Sega”, “Eidos”. See Tomb Raider and Sonic.

The Guardian Thursday January 31st 08: “How to fight those foxy forces of evil effectively” by Keith Stuart GAMESBLOG
What it’s about: Fox report on XBOX 360 game “Mass Effect”. Critically acclaimed sci-fi epic was dubbed as sexually explicit, and filled with nudity. Referred to as “Luke Skywalker meets Debbie”. Game developers are exploring more adult themes with a more accurate representation of the human form.

The Guardian Thursday January 31st 08: “How hardcore gamers are being pushed aside by the soft surround” by Charles Arthur.
Whats it about: How Nintendo have beaten both Microsoft and sony in the gaming market. In the Europe: 6MWiis ans 20M DS consoles. PS3 8.5M worldwide. Xbox 16.8M in total. Wii is 20M in total making it a clear winner. Sony’s PSP sold 30M, and DS sold 66M. The hardcore consoles have been beaten by the “soft surround”

Case study feedback #2

Well done Tom, this is a solid start. You now need to add depth by reading some broadsheet articles on current issues like online gaming, second life, and think about the moral panics surrounding gaming at the moment.

Reviews of Sony Playstation 3

Well the PS3 got an overall rating of 8.7 out of 10 from the editor at cnet.com (a reputible review website) and a 7.5 out of 10 as a user rating. The good points (according to Cnets review) are as follows: "swanky" design, quiet operation, friendly interface, blue- ray compatibility, Wifi and Flash reader, HDMI output with 1080p support, no external power supply, and a free online gaming service. As you can see the PS3 has loads of good points, excelling in the functionalty department. The disadvantages of the PS3 are as follows: hardly any games (in comparison to its rival Xbox), fingerprint magnet, no infrared for remotes; only bluetooth, no backwards compatibility. But thats about it says David Carney (editor of Cnet). And finally "The high-end Sony PlayStation 3's larger hard drive and ability to play PS2 games makes it a worthwhile alternative to the cheaper model--so long as you're willing to wait several months for the more promising exclusive titles to hit store shelves. If backward compatibility is your top priority, this hard-to-find model may be worth the search." i will provide some quotes regarding the editors review of the games console, this, hopefully will allow you to make a judgement on whether you are a PS3er.

• "Early prototypes were shown in white and silver, but the PS3 is currently available only in black"
• "One obvious difference between the Xbox 360 and the PS3 is the way you load media. As opposed to the more typical tray loader, the PS3 has a front-slot-loading, Blu-ray optical-disc drive, which contributes to the unit's slicker appearance. Discs slide in and eject smoothly enough, so chalk one up for the PS3 here. "
• "Unlike the proprietary snap-on hard drive of the Xbox 360, the PS3's 60GB internal hard drive is user replaceable with any off-the-shelf laptop drive"
• "Unfortunately, the battery isn't removable, which means that if it dies--as inevitably it will someday--you'll have to replace the entire controller ($50) if you want to play wirelessly. By comparison, the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii controllers offer user-replaceable batteries: AAs or proprietary rechargeables for the 360, and AAs for the Wii."
• "The PS3 can read digital photos from a variety of USB-attached devices, including most digital cameras, the PSP, USB flash drives, and home-burned CD-Rs"
• "Free online play is obviously a big plus in Sony's favor. That said, Xbox Live has been around for years and has had time to mature, and the majority of Xbox 360 games offer some form of online play"

if you would like to read a full review of the PS3 then its here>>>>>>http://reviews.cnet.com/consoles/sony-playstation-3-60gb/4505-10109_7-31355103.html

From Xbox Website

Xbox happens to have 3 360 models: "Arcade", "Premium" and "Elite". These vary in specification and gameplay.

• "The Xbox 360 Arcade System is everything you need to start playing. With a Wireless Controller, 256MB Memory Unit, Xbox LIVE Silver Membership and 5 Arcade Games, there’s never been a better time to jump in. Go play!"
• "If you're a serious gamer looking for the ultimate console, the search ends here. Fully loaded, it's the unsurpassed gaming and entertainment experience right out of the box."
• Introducing Xbox 360™ Elite, the premier Xbox 360 console package that includes a massive 120GB hard drive, a HDMI port, and HDMI cable, all wrapped up with a premium black finish. Xbox 360 Elite also includes a black wireless controller and black Xbox LIVE® headset. Xbox 360 Elite has enough space for a whole library of Xbox LIVE Arcade games as well as downloadable high-definition TV shows, movies, music, and all the other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

As you can see the Elite is the main rival to Sony's PS3. And Microsofts marketing techniques are very similar to that of Sony.

From PS3 Website

The PS3 Boasts 4 main functions which make it induvidual and special. These are:

• Network: "Go online with PS3: Connect PS3 to your broadband connection to play exciting online games, or explore the new PlayStation Store"
• Video: "Are You Sitting Comfortably: PLAYSTATION 3 boasts incredible High Definition Blu-ray Disc playback - essential for movie fans."
• Music: "Sounds Good: Store your music collection on PLAYSTATION 3 for easy access to your favourite tunes."
• Photos: "Picture Perfect: Ample storage and intuitive controls make it easy to show your favourite photos to friends and family."

• "Do it all with PLAYSTATION 3"

• "PS3 delivers the next generation of interactive entertainment. Enjoy Blu-ray Disc movies, cutting edge High Definition games, easy music, video and photo storage, free access to PLAYSTATION®Network and much more."

These are a few quotations pulled out of the official PS3 website. As you can probably see; there is no negative aspects shown, they are all positive attributes of the console. Sony are tryin to sell the console through the website and clever advertising. Sony fails to mention any of the negative points of the console.

"Were all reporters in the digital Democracy"

What is Citizen Journalism?- Citizen journalism is more or less user generated content. According to Emily Bell, a writer for the Guardian it is "one of the most profound changes taking place in the mainstream media is played in it by the audience". In other words it is the way in which "WE" as public contribute to the news by; home video clips, and phone still images.
What ideas does Emily Bell present in the article?- Emily Bell seems to convey a number of key ideas throughout the article. She looks into the more Citizen based contribution of news stories, and she states that it gives the opportunity for "ordinary people" to make their own style of programmes. She also discusses the change of the style in which journalism is presented; such as spontanious reporting and the use of mobile phone videos and still images.
What vision of the media does does "GOOGLEZON" present?Well, after watching the Googlezon video, i thought the vision of the media is portrayed as chaotic and hectic. Its shows the way in which the media tycoon "google" will take over the whole news system. If google combines with popular mail order site "amazon" then it is said that the internet will know about everyone; all details and personal information

PS3 Vs. Xbox360

Basic Specs of the PS3, Xbox360 and the Nintendo Wii
Media Type
BD-ROM , CD-ROM , DVD-ROM
DVD-ROM
Nintendo Wii disc , Nintendo GAMECUBE disc
Processor type
Cell
PowerPC
PowerPC
RAM installed size
256 MB
512 MB
512 MB
Graphics Processor / Vendor
NVIDIA RSX
ATI Xbox 360
ATI Hollywood
Video RAM installed
256 MB
10 MB
Info unavailable
Max resolution (external)
1920 x 1080
1920 x 1080
Info unavailable

As you can see the PS3 and the Xbox 360 are very similar in type!, the resoulution is the same (1080p- real life colours), and also the other differences are verry small. i will need to look deeper into what makes a better console, apart from just tech specs on paper. The Nintendo wii is not really a competitor in the specs department, but looking at sales figures the Wii wins significantly. "Another month, another batch of sales stats. And nope, the Wii shows no sign of slowing down. Japanese data showed Nintendo's console outselling the PS3 by 6 to 1. The Wii shifted 270,974 units compared to 41,628 PS3s and 17,616 units for the 360. Analysts keep saying that PS3 will eventually pull through to maintaining Sony's industry domination. But are they right? Could the Wii actually "win" this console war?" i pulled this from the guardian website from Greg Howsen, and i think that this shows how the taget audience establishes what is fun. For example the PS3 and 360 are both real life graphics, fast pace, massive, online games, yet the Wii has basic graphics, poor games and cant even play DVDS? but who needs all of these additional extras. The Wii is fun and family orientated, and predominantly aimed at children. Its quirky controls and games mke it an instant hit for people of any ages, and as far as simplicity goes, the Wii is the clear winner.
But i still can't honestly grasp the concept of fun, whilst im standing up in my living room waving my hands around like a maniac, but i can see why this appeals to children especially. Though the PS3 Reigns in the spec department, and the Xbox closely following, i can still not yet come to a conclusion to what is better, so i will continue my research further.

Questions!!!! 27-2-8

Endism: A Concept created by John Seely Brown. This Perspective sees new technologies as replacing new ones. A good example of this is; when the CD arrived, people predicted the end of the written book. This is applicible to today; iPods replacing CD players, HD1080p Televisions replacing HD Ready or LCD. Technology has made a tremendous leap over the years, and is still developing further.
Media Ecosystem: Created by cultural critic Neil Postman. He proposed the notion of media ecology. Obviously the idea has come from science and can basically be defined as: the dynamic system in which living organisms interact with one another and with their environment. But The main point he was trying to get across, is "An ecosystem is never static; it's in a state of perpetual ferment"<<< This is the bit we need to remember, as it can be strongly related to the media. The organisms decribed in our media ecosystem include broadcast and narrowcast television, movies, radio, print and the internet. He goes on to explain that the predominant organism is Broadcast TV!!!
Narrowcasting: For Example "SKY" has many narrowcast channels, for example: Extreme Sports Channel. Narrow casting is basically the programmes, or channels specifically for a certain target audience. With narrowcasting the programmer or producer assumes that only a limited number of people or a specific demographic group will be interested in the subject matter of a program. Also for example, music television is presented on MTV (Music Television, VH1 (Video Hits One), and TNN (The Nashville Network); CNN (Cable News Network) offers 24-hour news coverage; ESPN (Entertainment Sports Network) boasts an all sports format.
Differences between "the Internet" and "the Web": The Web and the internet are not synonymous. The web is just one kind of traffic that runs on the internets tracks and signalling. "The Internet is a massive network of networks, a networking infrastructure. It connects millions of computers together globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as they are both connected to the Internet. Information that travels over the Internet does so via a variety of languages known as protocols." "The World Wide Web, or simply Web, is a way of accessing information over the medium of the Internet. It is an information-sharing model that is built on top of the Internet. The Web uses the HTTP protocol, only one of the languages spoken over the Internet, to transmit data. Web services, which use HTTP to allow applications to communicate in order to exchange business logic, use the the Web to share information. The Web also utilizes browsers, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, to access Web documents called Web pages that are linked to each other via hyperlinks. Web documents also contain graphics, sounds, text and video. (taken from Here)
What is a push and Pull medium???: These words basically "capture the essence of where we've been and where we're headed". For example Broadcast TV is a 'push' Medium: the producers decide what content is going to be shown, and the public has no choice, apart from changing the channel, to watch it. The Web is the complete opposite, the public has a choice whether to click on it or not: YOUR IN CHARGE.
What is the positive aspect of blogging?: Blogging can be defined as "keeping an online Diary", and it enables users to publish thoughts (however irrational and pompous!) which others are able to view, and this enables the audience to make judgements. Also the idea of an iradication of this "one-way street" allows users to use this platform as an opportunity.

The Gaming Industry

I have chosen to study the gaming industry as my "New Media Technology". The main topic that i will be focusing in on is consoles, and the raging competativeness between top consoles: in my case: the infamous Xbox 360 and the New Playstation 3!. There have been many debates and arguments regarding these two, but there is still not a clear winner, yet! In this topic i will be choosing to research these 2 consoles, aswell as previous models and failed imitations. The Range of games, accessories, online compatibility and many more.

Feedback #1

Well done Tom - you make some accurate observations on technology and its impact on the film industry. To improve, you needed to find some quotations / stats to back up your observations - secondary sources are vital for this unit. Also - take care with accuracy of spelling on your blog... can you check the last post for typos please.

B/1

How has digital technology changed the film industry?

Production: digital technology has changed the film industry immensely. Films are commonly shot using top of the range cameras, onto digital files instead of more traditional selluloid. A good example of this is the film "300"; shot purely in digital, resulting in limitless image manipulation and an overall crisp shot. The Post Production process consisting of editing: image, soundtrack, imag manipulation, Special Effects added in and the transfer of film to digital, and then back to the original tape.
Distribution: Films are accessed by most through the cinema, or DVD rental but now the illegal streaming and downloading of films had become a lot more common over the past few years. Films are distributed by couriers, and then to the cinamas. These original tapes were a lot harder to duplicate compared to the digital files being used now. Many simply download these films from popular torrent websites for example, isohunt etc... This forces the cinemas to charge high prices, and the reason why many are not going to there anymore.
Exhibition: As Explained abouve, many are not going to the cinema and are simply using legal and illegal services to watch films. for example Lovefilm.com offer a vast amount of films delivered to your house, all via the means of the internet. Home cinema systems; large TVs and Surround sound also are changing the way people act towards the cinema. Why go to the cinema when you can experience exaxtly the same but for a lot cheaper???

These links show the key statistics regarding the film industry:

• This shows the falling cinema admission figures from 1933 to 2003

Task 3

Think back to our discussions on Second Life. What are the social concerns of the development of the kind of technology discussed in this article? How is it changing the way we interact? What are the issues on control and censorship? Who is left behind?

Second life is one of the largest social networks who use avatars for the user. Anybody can make an account and an avatar, looking like whatever they want. Second life is an open environment and accessed by anybody. The site has been criticised by many over the past year. One of the main concerns was the fact that anybody colud get onto it, and it was difficult to ban offenders. by blocking a hardware hash, even with other accounts these offenders could will not make an account, but a hack was found, so there are still so called paedophiles online. There have been several very high profile cases where the users exchange full, real photographs of children via second life. Many have resulted to playing as child like avatars performing sexual actions to others. The use of chid avatars has been removed, but still some are using 'Anime' avatars. This enables the abusers to contact others. By posing as a innocent child, others could be vunerable to giving over information.

Task 2

Who is Chris De Wolfe and what does he say is the future for social networking? What impact will portable hardware have on this area of technology?

• Chris De Wolfe syas that the ever changing future of social networking is blurring online and offline worlds, causing them to evolve. Some of the key ideas involved in this evolution idea is advertising, music and politics. These ney claims are almost laying the foundations of a completely new type of social interaction. De Wolfe also states that the global village is becoming more personal and portable. With the use of mobile devices such as phones and laptops, the boundries of social networking are getting further away. The social aspect of networking is constantly becoming more portable and the industry, De Wolfe states is moving in that direction.

Who is Chad Hurley and what does he say is his company's goal? Is he a positive or negative technological determinist?

• Chad Hurley is the CEO of Youtube, now owned by google, one of the most successful video sharing websites of all time. Youtube's goal is to improove the ease of uploading videos onto the site. They also would want to increase the diversity of the videos, for example; more orientated around: "friends and family, news, music, sports, cooking and more." Chad Hurley is a Positive technological determinist. These believe that the use of new media is a good thind opposed to those who don't, obviously.

What does Maurice Levy say is the challenge for advertisers and what is 'liquid media' compared to 'linear media'?

• The use of 'digital', will enable advertisers to broaden their horizons and begin to advertise via the internet. The use of this web based advertising will give advertisers a chance to really show off their creativity.
• Linear media is said to be giving way to liquid media, moving in and out 'seamlessly' in and out of different settings. In context it gives the user ability to fast forwar throung adverts for example, more multi- tasking

What parallels does Norvig draw between Edison inventing electricity and the development of online technology in terms of searching for information?

What are the issues for the developing world? How is this evidence of a 'digital divide'?

• Due to the poverty of some in Africa, they will not be able to affort these new items of technology. In contrast to this some of the other African entreprenuers are making shedloads of money through telecommunications, creating an almost 'digital divide'.

Podcast

Some key concepts:
Digitality is basically the encoding used by computers, usually binary consisting of lots of zeros and ones. The computer is able to understand these electric pulses.
Interactivity is the streaming of lots of compressed information from a source to other computors either via a wireless connection/satellite or cables. The bandwidth the area you live in determines how much of this compressed information your computor will be able to recieve at a given moment, giving the user the ability to upload aswell as download.
Hypertextuality is the organization of text, whether it is going consecutively in on direction or nowadays shuffel. It may also be used to link more than on text, for examle gaps in television used for adverts etc..
Dispersal is how the information shared is divided through the market, and how it is acessed by the user.
Virtuality is how real something is, and/or how it is presented.
Convergence(a very important concept) is how more than one peice of technology has been combined into 1. for example Mp3 players nowadays have video playback, photos and are wifi enabled. Size was a critical issue when first making these new generation peices of technology but now they are able to be small and useful.

Audience: who uses certain technology?, is this use changing?, is it developing?.
Regulation: Compyright issues. Albums now cheap or else people will download.
Ownership: the brand name determines price, demand etc..