Recently, the ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) recently banned the advet for the game 'Kane and Lynch', deeming it too gory. This after the advert for the 'torture porn' film was allowed to run unchallenged.
Dr Tanya Byron reported last month that the games children play and their interaction with various new technologies, are a good and fun opertuinity for them to learn. She also posed the question "why is what we see on alot of television channels any worse than some of the games available?"
Newspapers and television news channels tend to show screenshots form games such as 'Manhunt' and 'God of War' in their stories. This is putting a very negative view on gaming as a whole as many of the games being sold on the marketthat have very non-violent themes.
Naomi Alderman commented in her report that there are many games that are widely accessible to children, free on the internet, that are beautiful, moving and inspiring works of art. The decision of many of these people to label all games as 'violent killing sprees' is quite an old fashioned view based on the fact they did not have the form of gaming when they were young that we are accustomed to today.
It has been stated that film such as The Godfather and Goodfellas contain the same, if not more graphic violence. It is a parents responsiblilty to make sure their children understand the media that they are consuming.
the creators of such gaming phenomenons as Grand theft auto and Call of Duty, have combatted these criticisms by saying, "our work portrays reality, if it offends you take action to change the world around you, not to change our creation. it is our world that is full of violence, not our game!"
The solution being, if our children are playing computer games and their content worries us, we should be playing them too.
Thursday, 24 April 2008
The Wii Fit and Virtual Gyms
Due to the huge succes that the Nintendo Wii had with children of all ages, not just those of a younger age, Nintendo have produced that Wii Fit. This is known as an 'Online Gym'. They are flooding the fitness market and the console is the first of its kind. the games played are called 'exergames' (basically exercise games). Unlike convetional games consoles they are designed, like the Wii, to negotiate the player out of the comfort of their armchair. This is done by incorporating two of the most popular markets today, gaming and exercise.
The new Wii console works with a 'balance board' which, via a wireless remote, co-ordinates your statistics with the Wii. It can work out such things as your Body Mass Index and whats known as your 'Wii age'. It supports four tpes of exercise, Yoga, aerobics, balance and muscle c- conditioning which in turn include such exercises as hulahoops snowboarding and skiing, to name but a few.
The new Wii Fit was well recieved by those that tried it out. They said that the exercises were good and reasonably challenging however many felt that a gym workout would still be thier choice of fitness training. "the skiing was hilarious but a half-hour brisk walk would probably be better exercise." they also commented that the lack of a proper instructor assessing you in person meant that the Wii may have mislead you.
The new Wii console works with a 'balance board' which, via a wireless remote, co-ordinates your statistics with the Wii. It can work out such things as your Body Mass Index and whats known as your 'Wii age'. It supports four tpes of exercise, Yoga, aerobics, balance and muscle c- conditioning which in turn include such exercises as hulahoops snowboarding and skiing, to name but a few.
The new Wii Fit was well recieved by those that tried it out. They said that the exercises were good and reasonably challenging however many felt that a gym workout would still be thier choice of fitness training. "the skiing was hilarious but a half-hour brisk walk would probably be better exercise." they also commented that the lack of a proper instructor assessing you in person meant that the Wii may have mislead you.
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
NMT: Gaming Case Study Research
For my case study on New Media Technologies have chosen to research Gaming - exergames / children and gaming.
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Questions 29/3/08
1. What is endism?
Endism is the theory that sees new technologies as replacing older ones. eg. When the DVD arrived, people prepared for the demise of the VHS.TV (end of) Radio and Movies. TV News (end of) Newspapers
2. What is a Media Ecosystem?
It is an environment where many 'organisms' (in this case TV, Movies, Radio, Press and the Net) interact with each other.
3. What is Narrowcasting?
Narrowcasting television is T.V in which specialist content is aimed at subscription-based audiences and distributed via digital channels. i.e the media's way of aiming to get more money.
4.What is the difference between the internet and the web?
The web is enormous with traffic that runs on the internet's tracks and signalling. The Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP) eg ip adresses. Whereas The web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet.
5.What is a push and pull medium?
Broadcast TV is a 'push' medium. A select band of producers deiced what content is to be created, create it and then puch it down analogue or digital channels at audiences which are assumed to consist of essentially passive recipients. The web is the opposite of this, a 'pull' medium. Nothing comes to you unless you choose it and click on it to pull down on to your computer. You're in charge. So the big implication of the switch from push to pull is a radical increase in consumer sovereignity.
6.What is the positive aspect of blogging?
People can get their opinions across and show each other what they want to know about certain things. They can do this annonymously and without ridicule.
7.How has the Internet added another dimension to digital photography?
Websites such as the ever popular Flickr have added an extra dimension to digital photography through the means of file sharing. Flickr is predominantly a photo sharing website when users can upload photographs from their digital camera to the Internet on their own page, which anyone in the World can view at anytime and download to their own computer. Users are able to search the website for a subject which they want a photo about, and the website will display results of photos that are relative to the subject.
8.Why are people watching less TV?
I believe that this i because the internet has expanded and progressed so much in recent years that consumers can find averything they need on the net. it provides news, tv shows, music, which I believe are the main uses for Television.
9.What are media companies doing in response to this change in consumption?
Microsoft is bringing out Internet Protocol TV, with international partners - including BT, which will use the technology when it launches 'BTTV' over its broadband network later this year. That will allow consumers to watch telly over the Internet. Apple and Sony are likely to develop hardware, creating a single media centre that will allow homeowners to download music and films, store photos and surf the net.
Endism is the theory that sees new technologies as replacing older ones. eg. When the DVD arrived, people prepared for the demise of the VHS.TV (end of) Radio and Movies. TV News (end of) Newspapers
2. What is a Media Ecosystem?
It is an environment where many 'organisms' (in this case TV, Movies, Radio, Press and the Net) interact with each other.
3. What is Narrowcasting?
Narrowcasting television is T.V in which specialist content is aimed at subscription-based audiences and distributed via digital channels. i.e the media's way of aiming to get more money.
4.What is the difference between the internet and the web?
The web is enormous with traffic that runs on the internet's tracks and signalling. The Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP) eg ip adresses. Whereas The web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet.
5.What is a push and pull medium?
Broadcast TV is a 'push' medium. A select band of producers deiced what content is to be created, create it and then puch it down analogue or digital channels at audiences which are assumed to consist of essentially passive recipients. The web is the opposite of this, a 'pull' medium. Nothing comes to you unless you choose it and click on it to pull down on to your computer. You're in charge. So the big implication of the switch from push to pull is a radical increase in consumer sovereignity.
6.What is the positive aspect of blogging?
People can get their opinions across and show each other what they want to know about certain things. They can do this annonymously and without ridicule.
7.How has the Internet added another dimension to digital photography?
Websites such as the ever popular Flickr have added an extra dimension to digital photography through the means of file sharing. Flickr is predominantly a photo sharing website when users can upload photographs from their digital camera to the Internet on their own page, which anyone in the World can view at anytime and download to their own computer. Users are able to search the website for a subject which they want a photo about, and the website will display results of photos that are relative to the subject.
8.Why are people watching less TV?
I believe that this i because the internet has expanded and progressed so much in recent years that consumers can find averything they need on the net. it provides news, tv shows, music, which I believe are the main uses for Television.
9.What are media companies doing in response to this change in consumption?
Microsoft is bringing out Internet Protocol TV, with international partners - including BT, which will use the technology when it launches 'BTTV' over its broadband network later this year. That will allow consumers to watch telly over the Internet. Apple and Sony are likely to develop hardware, creating a single media centre that will allow homeowners to download music and films, store photos and surf the net.
Friday, 28 March 2008
During the 1980s, a small number of publications failed in the view of many to observe the basic ethics of journalism. This reinforced a belief among many members of Parliament that the press council was not a sufficiently effective body. Some of them believed that it would be preferable to enact a law of privacy and right of reply as well as to set up a statutory press council wielding enforceable legal sanctions.In June 1990 Calcutt's report was published. Rather than suggesting new statutory controls, it recommended the setting up of a new press complaints comission in place of the Press council. This new comission would have 18months to demonstrate“that non-statutory self-regulation can be made to work effectively. This is a stiff test for the press. If it fails, we recommend that a statutory system for handling complaints should be introduced.”
fourth estate
The fourth estate is the press, one of the four estates proposed by Edmund Burke in the 18th Centuary (amongst parliament, religion and the courts) He said it is 'the most important estate of all'I think new media technology is mainly responsible for the decline of newspaper consumption. The fact that most news we want is available online at the touch of a button is one reason, another is that newspapers just dont have the same appeal as they once did. Before the rapid incline of digital technology, the only way for people to find out things such as weather, sport results etc was through a newspaper (teletext was present albeit limited) but now, all of this information is available online or on a 24hour satellite Tv station at will.Nick lacey says "maybe the internet is already the cyberspace of the fourth estate"?I believe this to mean that new media technologies such as internet and sattelite tv 'the new media' in general has come to replace 'the press' as the fourth estate in this modern age.
Thursday, 27 March 2008
terms
Digitality: Can be regulated on or off system which pulse through bytes. It is a new way of encoding information.
Interactivity – new ways of streaming information– compressing it through :- air (satellites), isdn cable (broadband) telephone cable, or cable cable enabling to send more than one form of data at once– Busiest on saturday morning as everyone uses it and only holds so much information– Can interact with each other– Can give and receive responses.
Hypertextuality– organisation in text– no longer linear– can jump from a-b to a-t– eg. difference from video to dvd– Able to jump from one text to another
Dispersal– how information is shared and communicated– increases the market
Vertuality– like iconography– how real something is– how representative it is– What is real?– Mimicking and representing the world
Convergence– technology merging into one new technology eg ipod with pictures– Relates to size.other aspects of technology to consider...
Audience – how does it use technology? How do they use it? Does it change the way they use it? Has it changed over time? Has it developed after consumer needs? Who has access to this information?
Regulation and control – is there any control over the technology we use? Who controls it? Should there be any control? Copyright? Is it realistically possible to control things? What impact is there on the government?
Ownership – who owns the technology? Does that make a difference? How do they compete?
Personalisation a characteristic of many NMTs is their ability to offer users a personalised experience. For example, Sky+ allows users to personalise their viewing schedule including the ability to pause live TV and automatically record their favourite programmes. Ipods and the Itunes store allow music to be more personalised than ever, with users enjoying the ability to buy just the tracks they want from an album and then listen to them anywhere.
Linear/ Non-Linear Linear experiences are those that move in a straight line from start to finish. Watching a film at the cinema is a very linear experience in that you start watching at the beginning of the film and and finish watching it when it ends. Interactive TV allows the audience to experience programmes in a number of ways by offering features such as an alternative voiceover, extra video footage or explanatory text. When used, each individual will have a unique experience of the programme depending on when he or she presses the red button. the viewing experience therefore can be described as non-linear.
Interactivity – new ways of streaming information– compressing it through :- air (satellites), isdn cable (broadband) telephone cable, or cable cable enabling to send more than one form of data at once– Busiest on saturday morning as everyone uses it and only holds so much information– Can interact with each other– Can give and receive responses.
Hypertextuality– organisation in text– no longer linear– can jump from a-b to a-t– eg. difference from video to dvd– Able to jump from one text to another
Dispersal– how information is shared and communicated– increases the market
Vertuality– like iconography– how real something is– how representative it is– What is real?– Mimicking and representing the world
Convergence– technology merging into one new technology eg ipod with pictures– Relates to size.other aspects of technology to consider...
Audience – how does it use technology? How do they use it? Does it change the way they use it? Has it changed over time? Has it developed after consumer needs? Who has access to this information?
Regulation and control – is there any control over the technology we use? Who controls it? Should there be any control? Copyright? Is it realistically possible to control things? What impact is there on the government?
Ownership – who owns the technology? Does that make a difference? How do they compete?
Personalisation a characteristic of many NMTs is their ability to offer users a personalised experience. For example, Sky+ allows users to personalise their viewing schedule including the ability to pause live TV and automatically record their favourite programmes. Ipods and the Itunes store allow music to be more personalised than ever, with users enjoying the ability to buy just the tracks they want from an album and then listen to them anywhere.
Linear/ Non-Linear Linear experiences are those that move in a straight line from start to finish. Watching a film at the cinema is a very linear experience in that you start watching at the beginning of the film and and finish watching it when it ends. Interactive TV allows the audience to experience programmes in a number of ways by offering features such as an alternative voiceover, extra video footage or explanatory text. When used, each individual will have a unique experience of the programme depending on when he or she presses the red button. the viewing experience therefore can be described as non-linear.
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