Art Form for the Digital Age

I agree with the points Jenkins makes in his discussion of video games as art. I have noticed that this has become a highly debated subject. I don't think it's fair to state that games cannot be art but cinema can be because games are pixelated images. As Jenkins refers to in his mention of Bambi's mother, animated films get the same respect as live action films. How are games any different? Jenkins states that games aren't able to bring tears to our eyes. I would have to disagree with this statement. As the player you tend to become attached to the characters you control and interact with. If, for example one dies or gets taken out of the story, it can be very emotional. This can be illustrated by the death of Aeris in the game Final Fantasy VII. Her complex character structure, background and story line coupled with the unexpectedness of her death affected many gamers.

I think in the coming years critics will come to accept games as art. The evolution of technology and digital media will be the driving force behind this movement.

Dream Machines

Will Wright seems to know exactly what he's talking about in his article, Dream Machines. When I realized it was Wright who wrote the article this became very clear to me. It is easy to relate what he discusses about personalization and customization to the products he produces. His "Sim" games have always embraced these concepts. His games allow customization and this leads to learning.

One passage I could relate to was:

"Just watch a kid with a new videogame. The last thing they do is read the manual. Instead, they pick up the controller and start mashing buttons to see what happens."

This is very true. I don't think I ever read an instruction manual as a child. Wright's point that this leads to experimentation and learning is valid in my opinion. Some adults don't even bother with instruction manuals. My mom always jokes that my dad's first step in constructing something (furniture, toys, equipment) is to throw out the directions.

O'Reilly

O'Reilly's list of Web 2.0's defining features in his article, What Is Web 2.0 doesn't make the most sense to me. I understand that he is making comparisons between "web 1.0" and "web 2.0" but I am so familiar with web 2.0, I have trouble understanding. I guess I was too young in the days of web 1.0 to really understand its qualities.

From what I understand, web 2.0 is basically more streamlined. Things are instant and connected. Companies offer services that make things easier on the user or searcher. One defining feature O'Reilly mentioned that I agreed with was "Software above the level of a single device." I agree that today's web can be defined by the devices that access it. New innovative devices have completely changed the way we view things.

Boyd

When I began reading Boyd's "Streams of Content, Limited Attention: The Flow of Information through Social Media" I immediately thought of Twitter and the piece I had written on it. I then found it fitting that he referred to Twitter in the next group of sentences I read:

"Those who are most enamored with services like Twitter talk passionately about feeling as though they are living and breathing with the world around them, peripherally aware and in-tune, adding content to the stream and grabbing it when appropriate. This state is delicate, plagued by information overload and weighed down by frustrating tools."

This group of sentences beautifully illustrates what Boyd is talking about.

As I continued reading, one thing began to bother me. This may be me being picky but it seemed as though Boyd assumed everyone in the world has access to the internet:

"Internet technologies are fundamentally dismantling and reworking the structures of distribution. Distribution is a process by which content creators find channels through which they can disseminate their creation. In effect, they're pushing out the content. Sure, people have to be there to receive it, but the idea is that there are limited channels for distribution and thus getting access to this limited resource is hard. That is no longer the case."

I understand the point he is trying to make but I don't think it's correct to allude to the fact that obtaining internet access is easy for everyone.

My favorite part of the piece:

"Figuring out how to monetize sociality is a problem. And not one new to the Internet. Think about how we monetize sociality in physical spaces. Typically, it involves second-order consumption of calories. Venues provide a space for social interaction to occur and we are expected to consume to pay rent. Restaurants, bars, cafes… they all survive on this model. But we have yet to find the digital equivalent of alcohol."

Very true.

 

Jenkins

I wasn't quite sure what point Jenkins was trying to make in his post, Why Participatory Culture Is Not Web 2.0: Some Basic Distinctions until the final paragraph. He seemed to contradict his title up until then. I guess I may not know what web 2.0 really is. From what I gathered he appreciates the fact that people with similar interests are able to learn through producing artifacts collaboratively but he doesn't think the web sees it that way. He thinks that the web sees users as consumers and nothing more. I'm not sure if I agree with this or not. I'll have to think on it and hear the class' opinion tomorrow.

Uncomfortable Silences

In class today while someone was preparing their presentation we had a short discussion on silence. Our professor made the point that as the teacher she has the power to talk about nothing ("bullshit") and as students we would listen to it. While we were discussing this a scene from one of my all time favorite films came to mind. I thought I would share the scene. (Warning: there is some explicit language).

I've often thought about this scene and the point Mia makes. As a generally shy person I find myself agreeing with her. When I'm with my friends or family I can appreciate a comfortable silence but when I'm in the company of people who are acquaintances or people who I'm not the most comfortable with I often feel the urgent need to discuss something, anything, just to break the silence. I don't know why I must "feel it's necessary to yak about bullshit in order to be comfortable." As Vincent says in the video, "[It's] a good question."

Major Assignment 3: Digital Media Paper

While brainstorming a topic for Major Assignment 3 I needed to make sure I chose a topic with which I could meet all of the assigned requirements. I began thinking about a purpose. I really struggled to find a purpose for about a week or so. I fell behind because I couldn’t find exigency in anything I was experienced with or interested in. I couldn’t decide on something to argue for or against. I finally decided to meet with my professor and see if she could give me any advice or spark any ideas. After talking it over with her, I decided that I wanted to educate and inform students and families who are inexperienced with or uneducated about the college lifestyle.

The primary reason I chose this topic was because I am the first in my immediate family to attend college. I was unaware of what to expect when I got there. Unlike many students, I didn’t have parents to tell me how to act in new situations that would arise as a result of the college lifestyle. My parents didn’t have access to this information and therefore were illiterate in it. I believe that this illiteracy possibly contributed to some of the choices I made (and didn’t make) while attending college. I wanted to create something that would inform, educate, and entertain students who were excited yet nervous for college. I decided that I was going to create a blog to document my thoughts, experiences, and pieces of advice regarding this topic.

As the first in my family to attend college I think I was a little reluctant to travel too far away. This was something else I wanted to try to address through my blog. I named my blog 80 Miles from Home because I thought it reflected the fact that I was a first time college student living somewhat close to home. I wanted to illustrate that my parents had influence on me even though I was gone to college. I chose to use a blog template with a “highway” background because I felt it went along with the traveling theme that comes with the subject of college life.

My primary audience was originally supposed to be students who had been the first in their family to attend college. I soon realized that many of the things I included in my project could apply to all incoming college students. Some of my blog posts seem to be aimed towards first time families while others could be taken as good advice for any incoming college student. When I was deciding on which topics to include I had to think about my audience and ponder which topics would be important to them and which would capture their interest. I believe that part of the class audience will be made up of students who are either first year or will be first year students in the fall so I think it is important to consider what they think is important and reflect and remember how I felt as a first year and the types of things I wish I would have known back then.

I felt that context was important. I wanted my audience to be college students at any university. The problem was that I was only experienced with Michigan Tech University. I tried not to limit my audience by using too many examples in the context of Michigan Tech. I attempted to write each piece in a general, unbiased way so that any student would understand my references and points.

I think that my piece turned out pretty good. I was extremely nervous about it when it was first assigned. When I fell behind I was sure that I wasn’t going to be able to produce a quality piece. I am fairly satisfied with the work I have done. I wish that I had gotten more feedback on it, however. I am not sure what others in the class think of it because I wasn’t able to test it in class and no one gave me feedback outside of class. I have shown it to a few friends who aren’t in the class but I can’t help but feel that their feedback isn’t as valuable as feedback from those who truly understand the assignment.