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