Gaming has become a large part of society nowadays, with
everyone ranging from young boys to older girls seemingly interacting in gaming
with one and other. This “gaming” includes hardcore gamers who play multiplayer
shooters, to casual gamers who play candy crush on Iphones on the way home. It
also provides gamers with almost never ending content in the world as
Raessens describes, computer games can easily be “modified, copied and
distributed without the loss of quality” (2005, p. 374).
This week’s readings of Joost Raessens give an interesting
insight on gaming and how it has and will continue to affect the media. He
stated that the “young mass audience" (Raessens, 2005) will explore the
notion of multimidality, virtuality, interactivity and connectivity through gaming.
A recent example on how far gaming has affected are culture is on the topic of
the new game GTA V, where gaming has become so popular that a recent
game has reached $1 billion income in 3 days, breaking the all time record for
profit in all areas of media. This is one of many examples of how gaming has
impacted our lives, and clearly will continue to affect the world around us.
I consider myself a casual gamer, someone
who plays video games once and a while (on my phone when on a bus or tram), and
I think many video games are an art and a form of
escapism from reality. I use video games to escape from my
problems and they provide me with “a window back into our world.” (McCloud 2005).
While gaming can provide social interaction with other people, it is important that
it does not serve as a replacement for communication.
It is worth noting
the different range of media forms that have developed in this current media
culture, and although I do not see myself as a hardcore gamer, I do think that I
unconsciously follow the range of aspects of this current culture. Thanks to
the current era I interact, develop and express a portion of my ideas online,
and due to the enhancement of globalisation and the internet, the power of media
cultures will only grow stronger every day.
Reference List:
Link: http://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2013/9/23/technology/gta-v-sales-speed-past-1-billion-three-days
Image 1: https://dov5cor25da49.cloudfront.net/products/921/636x460design_01.jpg
Image 2: http://scienceblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/video-games-reality.jpg
Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR8p2lkuq14
Raessens, J 2005,
‘Computer games as participatory media culture’, Handbook of computer
game studies 2005, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass, pp. 373-388
McCloud, S 2005, Scott McCloud: The visual magic of
comics, TED.com, http://www.ted.com/talks/scott_mccloud_on_comics.html
Hi Makato,
ReplyDeleteYour blog is oddly worded at points which makes it a bit hard to follow. Improved sentence structure that could be achieved through proof reading would make it flow better. I felt that your examples did not support the quotes you stated from the reading. You could have exemplified how the $1 billion income of GTA V has impacted lives specifically. Great use of images, video and connectivity which breaks up your blog making it more engaging and exciting.
Hey Makato,
ReplyDeleteI like the way you used a lot of personal input in your blog to exemplify your points and also the strong use of media to break up your blog post. It makes the article flow better and overall is a very good use to increase readability. You finish your post really well linking back to the topics discussed and almost signing out with your own personal view once more. Overall a great piece, keep them coming!
Hi Marko,
ReplyDeleteMarko, I found your post interesting but I had to read it a couple of times to fully understand your points of view. As a gamer I agree when you say you play games to forget a bit your stress and problems but I have to disagree when you say games do not serve as a replacement for communication. Some games like strategy where you have to play in a team help communication skills and critical thinking. Others like sports games I specially mean FIFA EA Sport can give a nice and friendly competitiveness between people.
Marko I like the images you've chosen, particularly the poster about 'Reality - for Losers Who Don't Play Video Games'. Hilarious. I agree some of your syntax is a bit strange but I think I do understand what you're saying, that games should not become a substitute for real people-to-people communication and yet that even as a casual gamer you are participating in the process of prosuming these products and sharing yourself online in the process. I like Sergio's point above too, that some games can really foster communication between people who are teaming up or competing against each other.
ReplyDeleteMakoto the extra life picture really made me laugh. As a gamer I think gaming is far more than an entertainment now. Nowadays, professional gamer are even considered as an athlete---the player of a new kind of sport which is E-Sport. They can win money by winning a major tournament. As you stated that gaming can be as simple as candy crush, or can be as complicated as StarCraft! In my opinion, I think more different genres of games will be developed in the future, following the steps of smartphone industry.
ReplyDelete