New Media Technologies

new media technologies have revolutionised the way in which society consumes media. Society has gone from a more passive and simplistic way of consumerism concerning media, to a digital democrative society reliant on contemporary sublime media.

Sony's God Of War II PS2 game launch- an ethical controversy

Sony have being slammed by critics upon the releae of their new PlayStation2 game launch 'God Of War II' by the means of how they promoted the game.
Pictures released in the Sunday 29th of April issue of 'The Mail On Sunday' taken from the company's official PlayStation magazine showed the extent of Sony's horiffic promotion stunt.
Images show party hosts standing over the carcass of a decapitated goat symbolising sacrifice which reflects the content of the game which is evidently violent.
Guests at the event were even given the opportunity to reach inside the goat's still-warm carcass to eat offal from its stomach. This quite rightly has infuriated animal right welfares and has sparked a whole new ethical row in which Sony have publically apologised for their actions and have promised to recall the entire print run.
Critics stated tjhe grotesque 'sacrifice' highlighted increasing concerns to do with the content of violent video games such as 'God Of War II' and the lengths to which the gaming industry will go to exploit youngsters.
This evidently further adds to the growing moral panic that gaming is destroying this generations children through obesity, condolence of violence, and negative, stereotypically reinforced representations of women.

Gaming- Moral Panics

Society's fear that gaming is fast taking over and controlling people's lives through its stigmatised influence that it encourages obesity, violence, and negative representations of women is fast becoming a reality.

For example in Singapore, citizens are currently 'beset by a moral panic surrounding young people’s use of online gaming', according to an article written by Catherine Howell.
In Singapore, December 2006, a teenage boy was arrested and sentenced to early military service for illegally accessing a neighbour's unsecured wireless network. His parents had recently become concerned at his recent change in attitude and lack of interest in his schoolwork came to the conclusion that he had been spending too much time gaming which had consequently led to his deviant behaviour. They decided to cut his access to the Internet, resulting in his inability to connect to the Internet and game online. At this, his response was to take his laptop and wander the streets until he found an unsecured wireless network to tap in to. He was discovered by a neighbour who then reported his actions to the police after the boy allegedly became aggressive.
Since then, the issue of online gaming has broke in to a global controversy asking the question: Is online gaming affecting our social values?

I personally believe that online gaming is like a drug. Once you are hooked in to the web of freedom and creativity it becomes an addiction. And curbing the addiction can be a difficult process, resulting in young people becoming frustrated and rebellious that their outlet to release their 'bad' energy in to has been removed from them. I think this consequently could lead to a decline in social values.

The Future Of Gaming

In terms of the rate of consumerism where gaming is concerned, it is continually growing at an alrming rate. The question is, as future gaming platforms develop, how high will the consumer's demand for realism amount to?

In the following article on 'The Future of Video Gaming' by Michael Dolan, he predicts that the virtual world of online gaming is set to become a global village. He determines that 'the average age of the gamer is rapidly approaching 30' and that this will effectively consequent in game genres expanding in order to accommodate these audiences and their discretionary income.

He goes on to state how gaming has become a media outlet for other media technologies such as the music industry. For example, he points out that the latest Beastie Boys single can be heard and replayed in Grand Theft Auto 6. This indicates the rapid development and progression of gaming in to the contemporary society. The race is on for the new media technology which accommodates for all digital devices, and gaming is well on its way to the finish line.

Feedback #2

Well done, some excellent posts here, but you still have some key debates to look at - the future of gaming? Moral panics surrounding gaming / virtual reality? Have a look at ohter students' blogs and follow some of the links on the dept blog too to get you in the right direction.

Key Words/ Terms Applicable To Gaming

• revenue streams
• demographics
• digitisation
• high definition
• blue-ray
• second life
• MMO (massive multiplayer online)
• RPG (role-playing game)
• EDi – Electronic Distribution initiative
• Social interaction
• Community
• Customisation
• Open source

Key Words/ Terms Applicable To My Case Study

• convergence
• lean-back
• lean-forward
• democratisation
• web 2.0
• linear
• push technology
• pull technology
• digital divide
• old media technologies
• new media technologies
• endism
• global village
• narrowcasting

Research Questions

1. How are new media technologies affecting the lives of the consumer?
2. What is the consumer cutting out of their lives to make way for new media technology?
3. What are the advantages/ disadvantages of new media technology?
4. Is new media technology a way of exploiting society or a way of fulfilling society's constant demand for improved and contemporary media technology?
5. What is the profit loss for new media technologies/ old media technologies

Second Life- a virtual phenomenon...

SecondLife is the latest most contemporary virtual online game to date. It outshines its competetors such as 'The Sims' and predominates similar rivals such as 'There'.
It allows the consumer better referred to as 'residents' in the game to create and run their own virtual world.
Its refined detail and provision of an advanced level of a social network service combined with conventional characteristics of a metaverse, hands down towers above any other virtual online gaming product to date.
Consumers are able to create and mould their own avatar which they can then operate to their command, and interact with other gamers.
From a cinema allowing consumers to watch film previews and videos uploaded by fellow gamers, to the consumer's own virtual house complete with furnishings down to the colour of the walls, Second Life has it all.
It has the advantage of making gaming more of a social institution rather than an 'anti-social' activity which passively discourages one on one socialisation. It also actively encourages digital democracy as consumers are able to upload digital footage to share with whoever they wish.
Alternatively, the danger of Second Life lies with the controversial debate that society is fast becoming more and more dependant on digital software. Not only are consumers dealing with the stress and expense of their own lives, but Second Life is also a game where the consumer can make money; from designing and selling add-ons to other consumers, and acting as an outlet for advertisers. This could effectively lead to online virtual games such as Second Life completely taking over people's lives, possibly causing even more stress than needed!
In addition to this, there is also the controversial issue of the rise in obesity. With an easily accessible institution to socialise with friends and with the independance of controlling their own lives to their perfection, there is the risk of more and more of the population cutting out one on one socialisation and indulging in the stationary world of gaming, consequently increasing the level of obesity in society.
Second Life also allows 'residents' to "create weapons and do battle in special areas of Second Life", a factor identified by PC Magazine's review of the gaming product. Consequently, this further indicates the passive encouragement of violent behaviour in consumers. By conditioning the consumer with images of physical violence it can be argued that players will be encouraged to condone physical violence rather than provide an outlet for it.
Second Life is paid for monthly for less than £10 a month. With the millions of people predicted to join Second Life, the creators the gaming product will most likely begin to create updated versions of the game and explore new ways of making revenue from the game. This leads us to ask the question: is this exploitation of a vulnerable society, or compensation for society's apparant need for contemporary digital technology in their lives?

I personally predict that Second Life will be a huge success globally, however i also view this as a negative thing. As digital technology becomes increasingly defined more and more of society who remain information poor concerning digital technology will feel pressured to jump on the bandwagon. Before long, i predict masses of society will be information rich and therefore continually demand higher quality from digital technology. In my opinion, this will effectively lead to society becoming more and more socially withdrawn and 100 per cent consumption based rather than being a unit of production.

Feedback on research #1

Well done Justine - a solid start. You now need to add entries on Second Life and the debates / questions from today. You can print off the slides from the system if that helps you.

Write a list of questions that you are going to address in your study to help focus the rest of your research.

Nintendo Wii

• Is the fifth home video games console launched by Nintendo
• It is the upgrade of the Nintendo GameCube
• It rivals Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 as part of the seventh generation of gaming systems
• Nintendo claims that the Nintendo Wii targets a broader demographic than that of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3
• The Nintendo Wii includes a wireless controller, the Wii remote which can be used as a handheld pointing device and is able to detect motion and rotation in three dimensions
• It also includes WiiConnect24 which allows the Nintendo Wii to receive messages and updates over the Internet whilst in standby mode
• Nintendo revealed the Nintendo Wii in 2005 at the E3
• In the 2006 E3, Nintendo Wii won the first of several awards
• By December 8th 2006 it had completed its launch in four key markets
• The Nintendo Wii originally cost around £133

Xbox 360

• produced by Microsoft
• Xbox Live service alows players access to online gaming and to download arcade games and content such as game trailers, TV shows, music videos or rented films
• It is the upgrade from the Xbox
• Rivals are PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii as part of the seventh generation of gaming systems
• Officially revealed on MTV on May 12th 2005
• It is the first ever games console to provide near-simultaneous launch across the three major regions and to provide wireless controller support at its launch
• Upon release the Xbox 360 sold out immediately and by the end of 2006 had shipped 10.4 million units worldwide
• The original price of the Xbox 360 was around £385

PS3- Sony PlayStation 3

• Sony Computer Entertainment's third video game console
• It is the upgrade from the PlayStation 2
• The PlayStation 3 competes against Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles
• Released on November 11th 2006 in Japan, November 17th 2006 in USA and on March 23rd 2007 in Europe
• It is available in two initial configurations: the 20 GB Basic model and the 60 GB Premium model.
• However, due to lack of consumer demand, the 20 GB Basic model was discontinued in the USA. This indicates that consumers are more interested in the model with the larger memory space, supporting the idea that society is becoming increasingly demanding in relation to their digital interests and requirements.
• The PlayStation 3 controller features finer analog sensitivity, more trigger-like R2 and L2 buttons, a PS ("home") button, and a USB mini-B port for charging the internal battery and for wired play.
• The PlayStation 3 Memory Card Adaptor allows the consumer to transfer data from PlayStation and PlayStation 2 memory cards to the PlayStation 3's hard disk.
• In PC World's magazine list of “The Top 21 Tech Screwups of 2006,” the PlayStation 3 ranked eighth where it was criticised for being "late, expensive and incompatible". This indicates consumerism has reached a new level of demand and expectation of only the highest quality from new media in contemporary society.
• The PlayStation 3 originally cost £425 on its release.

The Gaming Industry- Related Articles

I have chosen to report on the topic of the gaming industry of which there are numerous articles on such as:

the following report featured on the Guradian Online which focuses on comparing the three new major games consoles: the PS3, X-Box 360 and Nintendo Wii. article

the following article featured on the Guardian Online giving a brief review of the Sony Playstation 3. article

the following article featured on the Guardian Online detailing problems in relation to the Playstation 3 prior to its release during its production, and the effect these had on its launch. article

The Five Areas Of Study...

Technology- what does the technology have to offer that is different from previous competitive technologies? What is your chosen technology? How is it marketed? Who is it marketed to? Which companies sell it and how much does it cost? Is it new media or old media being upgraded?
Institutions- How are media institutions converging media interests to increase profits? What new ways are they using to reach their target market?
Audience- How are traditional experiences of the media changing? What media institutions are being sacrificed in exchange for new media institutions? What are the advantages/ disadvantages of new media for the consumer? You will carry out audience research, asking opinions and investigating consumption patterns.
Issues- Will existing businesses/ institutions suffer as a consequence of the new media technology? Does it encourage/ discourage illegal activity? Is it generating any "moral panics?"
The Future- What would happen if the new media technology were to be developed further? Based on current media technologies potential, how could media customs be different in the future?

The Future Of Blogging

The following debates concerning the future of blogging are raised in the following video- www.robinsloan.com/epic

• The moral issue concerning what would happen if the news were edited and featured through computers alone; designed to suit each individuals interests
• The issue of who would be responsible for copyright
• The effect digitally transmitted news has on society
• The idea of a custom content package which allows individuals to receive news personally designed to suit their interests and requirements

In my opinion, news is rapidly becoming a product of the digital age. I believe this is due to the fact that it is accessible at the click of a button and can be read quickly and is updated frequently. Alternatively, traditional newspapers can be classed as 'inconvenient' in comparison to news easily accessed through the Internet, and is seen to not conform with contemporary society's need for fast, easily accessible information.

However, i do not necessarily view this as a positive development as i believe such an intense intake of digital information is damaging our society. For example, in the near future no one will have to do anything for themselves if technology continues to develop and upgrade at such an fast pace. This could lead to the destruction of the traditional society as we now know it and result in the loss of society's function of being a unit of production to it simply being a unit of consumption.

The Guardian- Monday March 20th 2006

"We're all reporters in the digital democracy"- Emily Bell

User-generated content has become the latest phenomenon to run through the mainstream media. It signals the change from media consumers as passive receptors for messages from newspapers, radio and television, to democratic media moguls.

The media has always thought of itself as complete- whilst in the past this would have meant publishing a daily letters page or running a duty log for "ordinary people" to crerate their own programmes. Journalism has always been about the repetitive cycle of creating, marketing and consuming. Over the past three years, media outlets such as the Internet, broadband delivery and digitised media, has affected the speed, volume and type of response from the users.

Digital equpiment such as mobile phones, digital camera and video recorders allow citizens caught up in a news event to record the event and post it on media outlets such as the Internet. For example, when the 2004 tsunami struck on Boxing Day and the terror attacks in London in July 2005, citizens were posting their own images and videos of the tragedies on the Internet just minutes after the events took place. This is a clear example of the phenomenon that is user-generated media.

The Observer- Sunday March 11th 2007

"Writers who work for nothing: it's a licence to print money" - John Naughton

In contemporary society digital democracy has become the latest phenomenon. At the simple touch of a button, society is able to transfer text, images and video footage to various media outlets such as the Internet, TV newsrooms, and magazines. This can be done through a mobile phone, an email or even through your TV set.
For example, the Cumbria train accident on the 24th February which involved the derailment of a Virgin express train heading towards Glasgow. The accident occurred in a remote spot in the darkness in terrible weather conditions which would have made it almost impossible for any member of teh public to have witnessed the crash.
Yet despite this, shortly after the accident an image had appeared on the BBC News Online website. Underneath the image were the words: "Send pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk". This is an example of user-generated content.

The results of the digital universe by technology consultancy IDC were released last week. Authors were amazed by the figures that were revealed. A statement reported that 'last year, enogh digital information- from emails and blogs to mobile-phone calls, photos and TV signals- was generated to fill a dozen stacks of hardback books stretching from the earth to the sun'.

Last year, the world's 'total digital content' totalled up to 161 billion gigabytes, which is the equivalent of filling 161 billion iPod Shuffles.

The reserachers subsequently predicted that by the year 2010 over 70 per cent of all the digital content in the world will have been created by consumers. This comes as great news to the manufacturers of hard drives and various other storage devices. However, what it means to the rest of society is unclear. Optimists view the situation as a great release of contemporary human creativity.

Alternatively, cynics view the situation in a different light. They see it as living proof that giving blogging or movie-editing software to the average individual is ultimately pointless. They argue that the users do not encompass the knowledge essential to support this phenomenom of user-generated content.