Reaction to 'Catfish'

***SPOILER ALERT***

On the outside ‘Catfish’ seems like an all too real scenario that could happen to just about anyone.  In fact, there are probably plenty of people out there who have had an experience similar to this, just perhaps not taken quite to the same extreme, or maybe they just never got far enough along into the “relationship” to realize how similar it may have ended to Nev’s story.

The fact is, we all want to find love in some shape or form.  Most people tend to believe love can be found just about anywhere, and often in the places you least expect it.  This is how we get all these interesting stories of how people first met; it is never quite like you expect.  So why is it so far-fetched to believe one could fall in love with someone’s personality over the internet?  Trust is the real issue at play here.  How much do you trust another person you cannot actually see with something as fragile as your heart?

For most people, this would be impossible, but when put in the same situation as Nev, you can clearly see how he was roped in slowly over time.  He didn’t start out meeting this beautiful young girl over the internet.   That would trigger immediate suspicion in most peoples’ minds.  He was drawn in by the amazing talent of a little girl he had inspired.  He was drawn in by an innocent friendship forming between an aspiring artist and a child he likely saw a bit of himself in.  He was drawn in, little by little, until he arrived at what he believed to be a talented young woman whom was trusted by those he already thought he could trust.

What Nev was
hoping for.

When the reality of the situation became apparent, I am honestly surprised he kept himself together as much as he did.  The way Nev was able to treat someone who had so readily toyed with his emotions for seven months with any shred of respect is nothing short of astonishing to me.  I’m sure there were moments that he was less than level-headed, but I believe those were simply edited out to preserve the tastefulness of the film.

What Nev got.

The main point I think this film seeks to drive home is that we are all human.  We see the journey Nev goes on and how he is slowly drawn into a web of deceit and lies.  We see him fight embarrassment as his committal to a scenario that never really existed.  And finally, we see the struggle of a woman trapped in a life she never planned for herself.  We are all human, we all make mistakes, and we all have those desires from time to time to be something we are not.  Hopes and dreams are all too often dashed by harsh realities.  This is, in some ways, the story of that struggle and why I believe the film was named ‘Catfish’ to begin with, because we need those moments in life that keep us fresh, otherwise we may become the star of our own tragedy.

Some may say this looks staged and there is no way this is real.  I think this is foolish.  Nobody wants to believe this could ever have happened to them, so they want to dismiss the story of someone as “naïve” as Nev for having fallen prey to such a thing.  Nobody thinks they would ever have “fallen” for such a thing, so why would anyone else?

The truth is, every one of us would.  Minus the harshest of cynics, there is not a one of us who can say, put in Nev’s position that there is no way they would have fallen into that web of lies.  Perhaps some of us would have varied in how much we did to confront it or how skeptical we were at different points, but this could easily have happened to anyone.

And I don’t think the lesson to be learned here is to be cynical and not to trust anyone online.  Certainly it is a tale of caution, but I also think part of the idea is that we often do not fully understand everyone we meet.  The entire second half of the film is dedicated to understanding the woman behind the lies.  Even though we see her as deceitful in one light, we see she is also a person with real hopes and dreams who feels cast aside in her own life, so she attempts to cope in the only way she can find; creating a new life for herself.  We are often too quick to write people off.

Some may see her
like this

I prefer to think
she was going for this.

Maybe there is no real lesson to be learned here.  Maybe it is for everyone to interpret for themselves, and Nev is just telling his story.  Maybe it isn’t even real.

Regardless of the real answer, I believe in what this film has to say (or doesn’t).  Skepticism rules the world these days, and the film gives us a good reason for that.  But it also shows us that people are not as different as their appearances may suggest.  Deep down we are all just human beings, living our lives the best way we know how.

The Influence of Facebook

Facebook is a large part of our lives as this point, for better or for worse.  We may not like what we “pay” to use these services from time to time, and yet most of us wouldn’t want to spend more than a few days without it (maybe even just a few hours?).

Some of us may debate how reliant they actually are on Facebook and other technology, but that isn’t what I want to talk about.  What I want to talk about is the type of Facebook use we saw in Arab Spring.  The type of usage that makes a real difference in the world, not the useless opinion sharing and the hours wasted perusing someone’s wall and changed relationships status’.  I’m talking meaningful events coordinated through Facebook. 

Gathering of people in "Arab Spring"

 

The difference Facebook made in the lives of these people is both astonishing and undeniable.  That isn’t to say there weren’t other things that played a role in the success of their uprisings, like the plan to spread word using cab drivers or the willingness of people to gather, but it played an extremely important role in helping them organize and spread their unified message of hope and solidarity.  This is what made everything possible.  Word of mouth is not fast or reliable, but the instantaneity of the internet, specifically Facebook, was exactly what they needed.

I honestly believe that without Facebook, or at least another medium like Facebook, their uprising would not have happened, at the very least as quickly as it did.  The situation was such that eventually the people were bound to rebel, but it would have been much sloppier and would have taken much longer.  It might have cost them more bloodshed as well, because if they were not able to show such a united front, they may not have had support from everyone and the government may have been able to more easily suppress the people.

Overall, the influence of Facebook has been vast and far reaching.  Its most impressive feat has to be its facilitation of these uprisings of the people in the Middle East.  Though I’m sure this was not in any way an intended outcome in the creation of Facebook, it happened.  I for one am glad that there is still a voice out there for people who have had everything else stripped of them.

Cyber Male-ism

We always hear about cyber feminism, but where is the cyber male-ism?  I know there is always the argument that cyber feminism, and feminism in general, exist because the majority of culture and "things" are male.  I agree.

Thing is, there are also problems within the male realm that need addressing.  Not to discount the issues with a predominantly male society, but that doesn't mean males don't also have issues as well.  We just might be (debateably) better at hiding them sometimes.

When women talk about the issues with the female image and the way it is portrayed in the media it is most certainly an issue that requires addressing.  The female image as represented by magazines is often (if not always) unrealistic and honestly,as a male, far less attractive than a "real woman".  The thing is, this doesn't just apply to women.

Men are represented unrealistically almost as often, and it affects us as well.  Most men cannot live up to the standards of what we see in movies and magazines, and it can be a huge negative sometimes.  Not that most men expect to live up to these standards on their own, but a lot of the problem comes in when women expect their men to meet these standards.

And I'm not even just talking about looks, but personality as well.  Movies and shows portray all these men as rougher individuals who come around and see things from the woman's point of view.  We are expected to meet these standards of romanticism and fall on bended knee at every turn, because if we don't we are "just another asshole" that "wasn't the right guy for you".

Not to say there aren't those people out there that do not deserve the women they are with, just as there is the opposite situation, but what I am saying is this:

Women; temper your expectations.  Because men; do not always try to meet the expectations laid before you.

Be a good person.  Be yourself.  People have flaws, and we should try our best to fix our own, but nobody is flawless.

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Blackout Day

Slowpoke meme about Blackout Day

Blackout Day has been interesting to say the least.  For me personally, the experience has been a pleasant one.  Not to say I didn't miss having some of my favorite sites, mainly Reddit, Wikipedia and Imgur, but it was pleasant in that it made me feel a real part of change.

Wikipedia during the blackout

I have been helping to actively petition against SOPA for a few months now, signing petitions and sending messages to my representatives whenever possible, and it was nice to see other people, and especially large corporations, joining the cause.  Additionally, as a part of the Reddit community, it does give me a bit of a good feeling as being a part of "one of the biggest sources" of this recent push against SOPA.  Even people I would not have expected to be involved in politics or the goings on of the internet are finding their voice to protest.

My Facebook was full of SOPA protest posts, and it was surprising the number of people who were becoming informed because of this blackout.  It had been bothering me how few people were aware of something as important as SOPA, and now I can finally rest easy (or at least easier) knowing that at least the voices are getting out there.

When I watched the bill being debated over a live stream a few weeks ago, it was disheartening to see the number of supports, and how few of my friends and fellow Oles knew about what was happening.  My biggest fear was that it would pass so quickly that by the time the majority heard about it, it was because it was passed into law and directly affecting them.

Not anymore.  Our voice is out there.  We have demanded to be heard, and we have been backed by some of the largest corporations in the world in an effort to maintain some of the freedoms we hold most dear.  I no longer need to fear a quick passing, and it looks more and more likely that this bill is going to fail miserably.  Just today, several representatives changed their stances in opposition of SOPA.  If nothing else, this is a huge win for everyone that participated today.

However, the biggest success has to be the informing of the general public.  People who had no idea what SOPA was, besides possibly a Spanish dish, are now standing strong, and more importantly informed, along with the rest of us.  Democrats and Republicans alike are coming together to oppose this bill, and it is not too often you can say that.

Empty seat policies at work

Overall this has really helped restore some of my faith in the ability of millions of voices to be heard.  Along with the Occupy Wall Street movement, people are starting to take it upon themselves to actively participate in the law making process, rather than stand along the sidelines and complain.

Government officials should fear for their jobs.  They no longer are able to sit by and vote along party lines.  People are starting to expect them to actually represent their constituents.  No longer will "empty seat" policy makers be allowed to rule.  At least that is what I hope this all means.

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Reginald, one of the top
LoL players in the world

On a completely unrelated and non-academic note, IEM: Kiev starts in the morning.  Specifically at 4 am, at least for League of Legends it does.  These professional gaming circuit events are always exciting to watch, and I will be rooting for my favorite team, Team Solo Mid (TSM), to win as always, and of course my favorite player, Reginald.

Currently, I am very much considering staying up all night to watch it.  I think I can make it.  It would definitely be awesome.  Class tomorrow might drag on a bit, but I really don't want to miss any of the action.

Decision, decisions...

Hacktivism

Occupy Wall Street protesters

Hacktivism is an interesting concept.  It used to be that in order to be an activist and protest something, you needed a physical presence.  For instance, rallies are held, like Occupy Wallstreet, or perhaps a boycott, like that of public transportation during the civil rights movement.  Today, this is not necessarily the case.

Take for instance the voluntary blackouts happening all across the internet tomorrow, including large sites like Imgr, Wikipedia and YouTube.  This is an extremely loud, clear and important message they are sending, and yet it is completely within the digital realm.  Let’s take this even a step, maybe two, further.

Flag for the group "Anonymous"

Hacktivism: using cyber space to creatively work around barriers in the architecture of computers and the internet to send a message.  This message does not necessarily need to be limited to dealings within cyberspace, either.  It can have much further reaching consequences.  The modern day example that first comes to mind is Anonymous.

The way the group itself works is extremely fascinating, but what is even more intriguing is that there are people out there with a wealth of computer knowledge trying that are using it to try and expose corruption and keep people honest all over the world, and in all different sectors.

For instance, Anonymous has been responsible for virtually attacking opponents of Wikileaks.  They have also tried to raise awareness of things posted on Wikileaks that had previously been overlooked by many, and they also attacked the government website of Zimbabwe after they censored Wikileaks.  Much of what they do is ‘in the name of freedom’

Anonymous' message to Sony

Besides Wikileaks they have also been named responsible for exposing potential fraud within Bank of America, and “punished” Sony for obtaining the ip addresses of anyone associated in any way with the Blog of George Holtz, a man they sued.  Finally (or at least the last thing I will mention here, since they have done many things over the past 7ish years) they lead a campaign against the “DarkNet” (which if you don’t know what that is you may want to read up a little bit, with the key point being ip addresses are obscured, and therefore very difficult to track) by taking down over 40 child pornography sites and handing over at least 1,500 names of frequent visitors to both the FBI and Interpol.

Of course, just as with the idea of superheroes, though I guess to a lesser extent here, we have to question if everything they do is “right”, and if they should be allowed to make those judgment calls.  There have been many arrests and investigations in search of members of Anonymous since not even half of what they do is legal.  Some might support it, but just because they have the power to get out their message, and maybe even the message of many, should they?

Though of shit like this starts showing up,
I think the choice is obvious

To be honest, I myself support much of what they have done.  Even though they are a leaderless society of people, they seem to have one over-arching goal they hold to; freedom of speech and information, and equality for everyone, everywhere around the world.  That is something I think we can all get behind.  Even if you do not entirely agree with their methods, at least they are getting a challenging voice out into the world and trying to keep people honest.

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I think I will be slightly on topic today, but more using the idea of hacktivism as a jumping of point.

Warning: some graphic content included

The ability of Anonymous to track down people using the "DarkNet" has gotten me thinking about the existence of something called the "Deep Web", of which the "DarkNet" is really just a smaller part.  You can check out a good explanation here, but the general idea is that there are sites out there that most everyone does not know exist.  These are secret communities, and not the cool kind.  They are often of a more disturbing nature.

This is not always the case, as the Deep Web is simply populated by anything not indexed in a standard search engine, but for those who are using it, this is generally what it is for.  These communities stay hidden, using code words and forums to pass messages along to those "in the know" about where they can go to find what they are looking for.  What are they looking for?  Things like child pornography and where to buy illegal drugs.  I would say these are probably the most prevalent usages, but there are many other out there.

(Check out this guy's experience)

The point of this little additional rant is to inform you.  I'm not asking anyone to necessarily take it upon themselves to do anything about it, or that their thoughts on the internet and cyber space should have their foundations shaken.  I simply seek to inform.  These things are out there.  These are issues that probably need addressing (*ahem* more important than SOPA in my opinion).  But nothing can happen if you're not informed.  And maybe we need a little more friendly hacktivist intervention.

So there you have it.

Cyber Racism

Racism is condemned by the majority in its obvious forms.  Other than the most extreme of bigots, who in their right mind would admit to, or openly support, obvious forms of racism?  The answer is nobody.  But what happens when these lines are not so clearly drawn, and we may gain advantages or information we are not even aware is skewed?

This is where Daniels comes in.  In his study he looked at the fluidity of which students flowed from credible civil rights sites to those that are “cloaked” websites, meaning they pretend to represent civil liberties they do not really stand for upon further examination.  These websites claim to represent facts, but are far from credible.

The study showed students flowed seamlessly between legitimate civil rights websites and cloaked ones.    In this day and age, more and more people are getting their information from the internet, and this can be a great thing!  People can truly educate themselves easier than ever.  Simply with access to the internet one could conceivably teach themselves anything.

The problem is where they find this information.  There are no requirements to the information posted on the internet, and with a little skill you can make just about anything look legitimate and credible.  The URL to a website does not often tell you the full story of the motivations behind the website or who might be funding it.

So what are we to do?  Should we distrust everything we read?  No, and this isn’t the point.  The point is that we need to be as critical of things on the internet as we are in real life (or at least I hope people are).  We need to ask questions, check sources, and gather enough information as to make an informed decision for ourselves as to the credibility of both the information and the person who gave it to us.

What both Daniels and I are trying to say here is that you cannot just believe everything you see, hear or read.  We need to be true academics, and as such learn to question things are find fact and morality for ourselves, and not allow someone, somewhere with a keyboard and some knowledge of the internet to shape our opinions without a little scrutiny.

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Firmly on topic today…

Being that it is MLK day, and that the topic is cyber racism, this would probably be the part where I commend this great man for everything he did, and then embed a video of his most famous “I Have a Dream” speech for all to see.  Sadly, I cannot do this.

I wish I could, but the current copyright laws in the United States say that in order to watch the video, one must pay $10 for the rights to it.  This might be one of the more backwards things I have ever heard.

Nobody would argue the greatness of what this man did, just as nobody (in their right mind) would argue racism is completely gone today.  So why is it that one of the most emotionally charged and important speeches on the topic of civil rights and racism in America is not posted all over for the world to see?  Why is it we feel the need to commercialize one of the most important moments in America’s brief history?

Would you charge someone to read a copy of the Declaration of Independence?  Would you be required to cough up $10 in order to sign our national anthem?  How about paying money to read The Gettysburg Address and be moved by its content?  No you say?

Then why in the hell are we charging people for what should be a cornerstone in the education of any single American?  The answer, put simply, is we shouldn’t.  These are the reasons why things like SOPA and PIPPA are important to everyone.  Copyright laws are often broken, and it’s shit like this that highlights it the brightest.

Be informed.  Understand the decisions being made about your future.  Voice your opinions.

Side note:  Because I cannot post this moving and historically important video, I am refusing to post any other videos, links, or pictures both in protest of this atrocity of law and in honor of a great man; Martin Luther King Jr.  This explanation is the only link I will post.

Geocaching

Technology is often used to enable us to accomplish more tasks more easily and in a shorter amount of time.  We don't usually think of using technology to turn some simplistic idea into, shall we say, an unnecessarily complicated task.  However, this is basically the concept of geocaching.  For some reason, a lot of people are doing it, and for some reason it's really fun.

Not that geocaching is terribly difficult most of the times, but the idea that someone hides something "near" a general set of gps coordinates, does not give you a map or much of any other kind of information about what you're looking for, and says "go find it!" seems to me to be unnecessarily complicated.  But this is why geocaching is fun.  Even kids are doing it, so it can't be that hard, right?

You use technology in a way that does not make it simple for you.  There is work involved, you are in the outdoors, and there is a sense of adventure and exploration we don't get from anything else.  We can't find a new continent or discover a new piece of land nobody has found before (generally speaking of course), but we can venture out into a community and find some hidden piece of its identity.  For instance, the geocache that we found we less than half of a mile away from where I currently live, and that is walking distance, not even drawing a straight line.  These are hidden in plain sight, and that is part of what makes them so cool.

It can also be a great way to explore a new place when you aren't quite sure where you want to go.  Say you're on vacation and looking for something to do to burn an hour or two.  What are you going to do?  Why not geocache?!  There is likely one within 20 minutes or so of you, depending on where you are, and if there isn't, maybe you want to start one?

Personally, I would put mine at the top of a tree.  Then, when they got there, it would just have a small map attached to the tree that guided the way to the actual geocache.... which would be buried 6 feet down about a mille away, up a hill.  But that's just me.

Geocaching is all about being a part of a community hidden in plain sight, and being a part of some insider knowledge not everyone is aware of.  The community can be accessed by anyone, but those that are truly out for an adventure are the ones who will take advantage of this free and interesting piece of cyber culture.

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On a completely unrelated note, this is now my new favorite memes on the internet.  It has to be one of the better ones for sure.  Some of these probably represent me, so I'm not sure that's a great thing, but oh well.  Take a look for yourself!

Online Class

Imagine yourself in a room full of people.  Everyone is talking all at once, doing their best to hear what others say and respond to it, but nobody is taking any social cues as to when they should talk, or what question they should be answering exactly.  It is nobodies "turn" to talk, it's every one's turn.  This is an online chat room.

Some might argue this provides a much freer atmosphere, that it allows anyone and every to voice their opinions and be heard.  That often times in a real world setting one can more easily dominate a conversation and never let others get a word in edge-wise.  My response?  Chaos is not a free atmosphere.

An Internet chat room does not provide for a linear conversation.  Everyone is responding to something else, and things are happening so fast you may never even see a string of potentially important or conversation changing statements.  There is no logic.  You may ask a question that has already been answered, or offer a piece of evidence that has already been discussed or refuted.  You cannot have a real and meaningful discussion when it is the equivalent of everyone yelling over the top of each other, missing every other word being said.

What it comes down to is that there is no replacement for face to face conversation.  The social cues, manner of speech, timing, and anything else that goes into a conversation are just as important as the words that are spoken.  To me, there is no substitute for this.

Was this a fun an interesting experiment?  Yes, it definitely was.  Is it something I foresee ever wanting to do again?  No.  At the end of the day I don't feel like any real progress was made.  For the people who argue that it is a way to make sure they are heard; is it really being heard if you're not sure anyone even reads it?

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On a somewhat related note, chat rooms and things like Skype can be very entertaining to use in your free time.  Skype is great for connecting in a semi-face-to-face manner, but if you are in the business of taking risks, I would suggest trying out Omegle or (if you are very brave) Chat Roulette.

Both of these connect you to real people, the first being chat based entirely (I believe) and the latter involving video as well as text chat.  Things can get rather racy on these sights, so use with caution, however you can meet some pretty awesome people on these sights on occasion.  

Here is one of my favorite videos for a Chat Roulette experience.

Warning: Slightly explicit

Lambda Moo

Lambda Moo was nothing short of hilarious.  It was also very interesting, different, and thought provoking.  It seems to me that your experience within the game is equal parts dependent on your ability to have an active imagination as well as meet other people who are also willing to be a part of this world with you.

Though getting the Moo going may have been difficult for many, I fancy myself fairly tech savvy, so I actually got it going in about 15 minutes.  Once in, I was ready to explore.  I walked around all over the place, using the map provided by the tutorial.  To be honest, before I played it, I mainly thought of the above photo.

After a while I was able to get Dane and Foss into the game as well, and then the  three of us just made it hilarious.  We were chasing each other all over the map, trying to find out which room the other ones went into.  We did some funny roleplaying, as well.  Once, when Foss met me by the hot tub, I asked him to get in and went into a speech, asking him if “he knew why I called him here?”  I then “reached for a briefcase” and proceeded to tell him he had a very secret, very dangerous mission, if he chose to accept it.  Think about:

+

These are the types of interactions you can have in the Moo.  Funny, clever (maybe mine is not as clever as I thought?..) and creative within a space of just simply text.  Amazing how we can still go back and enjoy our time, no matter how little, in a game like the Moo with all the over-stimulation our entertainment today provides.

The Moo has died down from its “hayday”, but it is still an interesting tool.  The requirement of the use of imagination is severely underrated, and honestly much of the upcoming generations will suffer for not having this type of interaction with others.  Whether that is a lack of imagination in real life interactions and/or ones via cyberspace, there is a definite drain on creativity these days.

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As a side note, here is an (what I think to be hilarious) interaction I had on Lambda Moo last night.  Enjoy!

Political Games

They seem to be a great way to lure people in with the prospect of entertainment, and follow that up with some sort of lesson that could potentially lead to further interest and contribution to said cause (though the money contribution is not necessarily a part of it, as is the case with games like balancing the budget). The idea is generally to use the interactivity of games in combination with a cause to get you to feel something for their cause.

These games seem to work on the concept of quantity over quality. What I mean by that is if they wanted to truly make sure every person hears their message, they would come to you in person. Perhaps they do this additionally in some other way, but that is not the purpose of a political game.

No, rather the political game is designed to reach as many people as possible, with the hope that some of them will become interested or invested enough through their time spent with the game and the knowledge given them through this media to contribute in some way, big or small, much like a flyer left on every doorstep in a neighborhood.

Although, I think these are likely far more effective than any flyer or pamphlet (or perhaps you are just as confused as Clark Kent?).  They draw you in, using flashing lights, clever dialog, or a touching story, and they get you to feel a connection to their message. The game “Spent” puts you in the place of someone in a tough spot. Your decisions aren’t easy, and you feel the weight of them as you play.  Yet, these decisions are not real. So why do we give a shit?

We give a shit because we are wired to. We make these choices, we physically interact with the interface and we are given an outcome. Does this outcome really matter to us? No. But we put something in. We spent time on this game and we expect something out, so when you make these tough choices and the outcomes are less than favorable, we want to understand why?! This is what drives many of us to learn what their message has to say, even if many of us forget in the next 5 minutes.

Right now, my political mind is on SOPA. This is a potentially momentous change that is being proposed in Washington, and not nearly enough people know about it. Something needs to be done to raise public awareness, and perhaps a political game is one way to take action. If you haven’t looked into it for yourself, you need to. Now.

Not tomorrow. Not later tonight. Now! This affects everyone, so everyone needs to educate themselves on the decisions being made in Washington. Don’t let corporations decide what is best for our collective cyberspace.   Some of our most visited websites are under fire, including Wikipedia and Google, the latter of which I know has already been forced to delete search results due to supposed "copyright infringement".

Do NOT let this become our new reality.  Tell a family member and tell a friend, because this is not something that is just going away.

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On an only slightly related note, here is one of my favorite internet videos, and it's related to politics as well (HOORAY)!  Regardless of your political beliefs, I think we can all agree with what this video has to say.

Gaming Culture

Gaming culture cannot really be defined in simple terms.  At first glance it seems simple enough; a bunch of dudes sitting around a console or their computers just playing their favorite games.  Probably nerds, likely do not spend a whole lot of time at the gym or playing sports.

These days, this really is not the case.  There are more casual gamers than ever; higher sales for games like Call of Duty than there have ever been for games before.  The term casual gamer is even up for debate with more and more people getting further involved into what you might even call transmedia storytelling.

Gaming today involves much more depth, from forums and pieces of different sites dedicated to everyone’s different favorite game, to break downs of every game you have ever played and heat maps for where you most commonly die, or perhaps spend your time camping like an asshole.  Even the “casual gamer” seems to be involved of these parts of gaming today.

Gaming has even gotten to the point where “E-sports” are getting bigger and bigger all the time (as much as I hate that term).  Thousands of people are watching streams every day, listeing to the banter of their favorite players for hours, just hoping to learn a few tricks or pieces of advice.  I myself am definitely guilty of this.  This would be my favorite player in LoL right now, and my favorite stream to watch.

Dan Dinh

I  have also had my fair share of gaming experience.  I was once one of the best players in the world at a game called NFL Street, which was a bit like NFL Blitz, but not quite as ridiculous.  One of my favorite games I ever played was Halo 2, in which I was in a group that was top 3 in the world for a time.  Now I don’t spend quite so much time at one game, though a majority of my time is spent playing League of Legends, my current favorite.  In terms of Richard Bartle's breakdown, I would place myself somewhere between the achiever and the socializer.

Gaming itself has taken more of a turn toward casual gaming.  From the WII and Kinect to the perks in Call of Duty, they all tend to lean toward accessibility to the lesser-skilled and less-experienced player.  Not to say this is necessarily bad, as there is clearly still room to be more experienced, more skilled, and a better player overall.  What it does mean, however, is that the games being made are geared more toward this group of casual gamers as it grows larger.

Games are less often being made for the honor of being groundbreaking or industry changing, and more often are being made as closely to the most recent success.  One of the current examples of this would be, once again, and sorry for beating a dead horse, but the Call of Duty franchise.  Nobody would argue there are significant changes between Call of Duty 4 and the current game, Modern Warfare 3, however there is argument over how much this matters.

There is no doubt this is the greatest strategy for making money, as this has been shown in the sales of these types of games in the recent years, but is it “good” for gaming?  I myself miss the days of games like Ghost Recon, Rainbow 6, and other shooters that have been pushed out to make way for the types of shooters we have now, the only types of shooters we have anymore (first person Call of Duty-ish shooters).

In the end, how much do we care as a gaming community?  Is it stupid of me to think gaming companies should make these games just because some portion of us might like them, selfish even?  Or is it more a fact that these are the most popular games because they are the only ones being made, similar to how one might argue it isn’t that people want to eat unhealthy, but it is what is most available to them?  I would like to believe the latter.

Tron

Being a bit of a movie buff, it’s always nice to watch a movie, let alone as part of a class period.  Having never seen it before, it was also a chance to expand upon my vast movie trivia knowledge, as well as sense of anything that likely went over my head in Tron: Legacy.

It is always great to see the “this is what the future could be!” types of movies, and right from the beginning you could see that’s exactly what Tron was.  At a time when computers were far too large and complex for the household, it takes a sci-fi look at what the hell a computer even is, or could be.  We are whisked through a crazy adventure in which the movement of data appears to us in the form of intense battles and attempts to conquer the world even outside of cyberspace.  This movie is also likely one of the first in a long (and still continuing) trend of films that ask, “what if computers get too smart?”

For anyone who has not see the original Tron, here is an extremely brief rundown of some key scenes, just to get the gist.  However, if you haven’t seen this movie, I suggest you watch it instead and come back.

Not only was this a great film for its time, but it still has an undeniably great plot if you look past the cgi (computer-generated images) of old, which often look cheesy in the high-definition scrutiny we place movies under today.  However, you really cannot deny how sick this looks.

This movie is also great for the purposes of this class.  As we talked about before, this was really one of the first times we see a real demonstration of transmedia storytelling.  With the game being released at the same time as the film, we get immersed in this very real universe of Tron.  We get to play the same games we see in the film, see for ourselves what the characters have to go through and try our own hand at each of them.  It brings the film to life for us.

On a personal note, this has to be one of the better movies I have seen in a while.  People tend to forget that “amazing graphics” can never compensate for a great story and the ability to immerse the fans in an experience.

Convergence Culture

Convergence culture is extremely interesting to me.  In a way it brings a psychological, as well as marketing, perspectives, into media studies.  It looks at what really makes up shows like Survivor and American Idol, and why they are so popular.

From the standpoint of a psychology major, convergence culture is the ultimate way to draw a larger fan base.  By getting viewers involved in the show through allowing them to actually influence the outcome, through voting in the case of these two shows, it gives the audience a vested interest in the outcome.  It gets people more emotionally involved.  Why watch these shows?  Because you have a say in what happens.

From a marketing perspective this is also a well-thought out idea.  The process of customization is something we all generally like to be a part of.  If I buy a new pair of shoes, I can customize a million things about them if I want to.  This gives me a greater reason to invest my money, because I am getting exactly what I want from it, not what some corporate suit wants me to wear.

This is the same for shows.  American Idol is the best example of a show where the audience gets a say in what happens.  They get to feel as though they ultimately choose the winner.  Though everyone may not be happy with the outcome, and the producers really seem to retain a majority of the say (America votes people into a “bottom 2” but ultimately the decisions are made by the judges), but in the end you either got what you wanted in a winner, or you at least felt a part of the process.

Jenkins also mentions how people like “Survivor spoilers” interact with shows like Survivor.  In their case, they do everything in their power to find out who wins Survivor before it is officially announced.  Using sleuthing skills and apparent distaste for the process of being strung along for months, they systematically narrow down the field of possible winners.  This creates an entirely different game within the game, even if their reasons for participating are because they dislike the game in the first place.

Convergence culture has a weird way of bringing people together and making everyone feel a part of a process, that they may not actually be as much a part of as they think.  Is this a bad thing?  Not necessarily.  Entertainment can be found in many forms, and if it’s entertaining, should we really care why?

Welcome to Cyberland!

Searching for a class can be hard at times.  You need to fulfill GEs and your major requirements, always thinking about your future and what the next class could do for you, but at the same time attempting to balance your interests and attempting to find a class in which the time you spend will be enjoyable.   This interim I was attempting to do just that.  It is never as easy as you think it will be, either.  What you believe to be a 15-minute selection from a limited number of classes turns into a vast 3-hour search. 

When I stumbled across Cybercultures, there was no course description.  The only things I knew about it were that it would fulfill a WRI, something I was in need of, and that it is part of the film studies concentration.  Despite this, however, I chose to sign up for this class based solely on the name alone. 

Cybercultures, or at least what I envisioned the word to encompass, is something I am a part of every day.  I spend hours on the internet, a part of different communities and cultures, all a piece of who I am.  I thought this class would expand what I know about these cultures I am a part of, and perhaps expand the way I think about these pieces of my life.

In this cyberspace I am a part of many different things.  From my Xbox Live “gamertag” and different gaming communities to Reddit and my Facebook, I partake in many different communities, both in their settings and the other people who are a part of them.  These define who I am in cyberspace; some more closely linked to my life outside of cyberculture than others, but all a part of what makes me, me.  I think I am more an active part of the internet and these different sub-cultures than most, so maybe they define me a bit more than the average person. 

The internet and the culture that surrounds it is definitely a large and active part of my daily life.

Transmedia Storytelling

Transmedia storytelling is potentially the most genius way I can think of for companies to get their reach their consumer base on a more consistent level.  By following them across multiple media platforms, it allows for companies to get large portions of consumers more emotionally invested in their products, making them much more willing to continue buying/using their product/service.

A great example of this is when television shows tell you that you can follow the show more closely and receive updates on new shows and developments by following them on Facebook and Twitter.  You can then log on to their website where you can see exclusive content, watch webisodes (which are of course online only), and even subscribe to a newsletter or fan club.  Each of these reaches people in a different area, and each one attempts to get you more of your time, emotion, and possibly money invested.  Not all of us are willing to do these things, but for those that are, which is likely more people than most would believe, it gives them more reason to stay interested.  The shows Chuck and Heroes have both been perpetuators of this trend, with many more I cannot apparently muster the brain power to think of.

Another place you see this is in movies, particularly ones geared towards a younger audience.  You see movies that will then become board games, video games, etc., adding more to a story already in place.  These are aimed at getting you further invested in that company, as well as branding your image for others to see.

I’m not saying this is a bad thing.  People enjoy doing what they want to do, and if you can’t get enough Chuck and you want to watch and own everything that has to do with that show, then great!  However, we do need to acknowledge we are being branded and “bribed” in this way so we can make sure we fully understand what we get ourselves into.