Academic Analysis

The article that I found was on Game and Culture journal. The article that I found interesting was titled “Learning Real-Life Lessons From Online Games”. The article tries to look deeper into the environments that games are exposed to and how that actually affects real-life decisions and what type of reactions can be sparked from them. The experiment was designed on an ethnographic investigation using text-based gaming environments. The goal of the experiment was to analyze the dynamics of technical acculturation and to see how self-expression was effected by this type of interaction. The article continues to discuss the consequences and how the effects of the consequences change the context of the game for the individuals.

                After reading this article I starting thinking about experiences that I have had in online games. It’s pretty cool to see that if a game has less interaction and less consequence for the party involved that they natural do not expose themselves truly and can more likely than not act out in different forms that are not socially normal. Where juxtaposed to this, you see that an individual will become more amerced and take a role if the context is relevant and influential to them. If there are relevant consequences to the individual participating they are much more likely to have a higher self-expression that is more true to who they are.

                This is very interesting to see studies done on this type of interaction because the online gaming world is directly affected all the time by the environment that a person makes themself susceptible to. I have witnessed new people come into a MMOPRG environment being very enthusiastic and then they are faced with a bully who is overly aggressive and you can see that person’s attitude change dramatically because of just one isolated incident. Now that persons experience is ruined by someone else who is projecting their feelings in that environment in a completely different way.

Lange, P. E. L. (2010). Learning real-life lessons from online games. Game & Culture Journal. Retrieved from http://gac.sagepub.com/content/6/1/17.abstract

Tech Diary Day

Time	Device	Activity	Time Spent
7:22	Cell Phone	Alarm	5 sec
7:35	Desktop PC	Pandora Radio	16 min
7:51	Cell Phone	Stitcher Mobile App	22 min
8:35	Cell Phone	Texting	12 sec
8:44	Cell Phone	Phone Call	18 min
9:10	Cell Phone	Texting	8 sec
9:23	Laptop	Facebook	23 min
10:18	Cell Phone	Twitter	4 min
10:28	Cell Phone	Texting	28 sec
12:16	Cell Phone	Stitcher Radio App	31 min
12:52	Cell Phone	Texting	10 sec
2:19	Laptop	Research info for class	15 min
2:42	Desktop PC	Pandora Radio	1 hour 8 min
4:48	Desktop PC	AOL IM	2 min
4:52	Desktop PC	Gaming
6:16	AT&T U-verse	Watching ESPN	2 hours 1 min
8:17	Desktop PC	Research for class	53 min
10:21	Cell Phone	Facebook	2 min

After documenting my technology usage on Nov. 18^th I can see that I am predominantly using my cell phone much more than any other device consistently throughout the day. As I wake up I am using my phone as an alarm. Then I get out of the shower and put on Pandora radio. Once I’m close to campus I usually turn my mobile radio apps on. I had a couple texts throughout the day from my wife and my dad but not too much activity there. Most of my cell phone time is spend on some kind of social media platform. Two times on Friday I used my laptop which is strange because I usually am more active with it. You can see when I get home from classes I turn my attention to my desktop PC for most everything throughout the night. This is most of the time how it works for me. The reason is that my desktop PC is much faster than any other device I have and I can access most of the material and people through it. I watched some TV and didn’t some homework for a bit then responded to a question on Facebook and then went to sleep.

                I think one huge advantage that makes me use my phone so much is that I have a newer smart phone on a powerful Verizon network. With a good 4g connection to the web I am easily accessible to the media that I need and want when I want it. It’s nice to actually see your device activity throughout the day because you don’t always feel like you use your technology as much as you really do.  

Video Game Review

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to be selected into the Star Wars: The Old Republic BETA testing. This game is classified as a MMORPG (massively-multiplayer online role playing game). The game is simply put, “EPIC”. The idea is that you’re a hero in the Star Wars saga. You’re story starts thousands of years before the timeline of the movies. You have to choose to either side with Sith(The Empire) or Jedi (The Republic). Within this choice you have many classes to play from. Once you have selected your allegiance you being your story-driven gaming experience. As a former World of Warcraft (Wow) player, I have to say that it is very similar in feel such as the keyboard and mouse controls. It definitely has been upgraded to a faster gaming platform. The graphics are set in a kind of timeless animated look so as not to age the game through the years which I though was smart.

                One of the most interesting things I was cool about Star Wars: The Old Republic (Swtor) is that most every quest throughout the leveling experience is voiced over by an actor or actress. Different sites have estimated that this took 1. 1/2-2 years of work just for the audio. If you are interested in playing this game you must upgrade your computer system to at least a mid-range dual-core processor and a 1GB graphics cards to handle the rendering of images and frames. With so much new technology being implemented into gaming these days, it’s mandatory to stay current with computer components to help drive your gaming experience through the roof. With this also being an online game, you will need a consistent internet connection. You should preferably have a broadband speed of 5MB or more to fully enjoy it.

                While playing Swtor, I felt that I was very enveloped in my gaming experience do to the sound and visual appeal. I was drawn in by the starting areas rich audio running through surround sound and crisp clean video performance with extremely clear animations. The combination of these two elements really makes you feel like you are a part of the environment more than watching it. Instead of countless hours of grinding levels, the voice over acting really picks you back up and makes you participate on a whole new level that MMORPG’s haven’t been to yet. Once this game releases on Dec. 20^th of this year many people will want to be part of its great legacy that it will have.

(2011). Star War: The Old Republic, Retrieved from http://www.swtor.com/info/story/setting

Movie Review

Last weekend I watched a movie called Limitless. It was directed by Neil Burger. It’s about a writer named Eddie who is suffering from multiple life issues all at once. First his girlfriend, whom he has grown to become dependent upon, leaves him and he has a book deadline that he cannot seem to stay current with. Along with his life being a mess, his house and most everything he owns matches his current situation.

While struggling day to day he meets an old friend and the have coffee. While catching up his friend tells him about these pills that let you use 100% of your brains capacity instead of 10-20%. These are not FDA approved; but what does Eddie have to lose. So the story line builds and Eddie gets hooked on them and completely 180%’s his whole life in a matter of weeks. Makes millions, learns new languages and creates white collar enemies. To make the story short, he has to overcome all the obstacles of these now confronting him. He learns to develop a safe pill and outsmart his enemies and eventually runs for government to make the story end successfully.

            So the movie was good and kept my attention, however, I was looking for details to write about for these blog assignments. I first picked up that the movies supported 7-channel surround sound by Dolby even though I only have 5.1. I could immediately hear directional ambient sound coming from behind me. Also I check to see what the film was set for. The Screen size was shot in 16:9 aspect ratio which most movies these days are filmed in. I enjoy the wide screen format because it lets you see about20-25% more of the original view that the director ideally wants in the shot. Now this movie was not shot in 3D but I think that it most definitely could have been successful that way. There are many scenes on large buildings looking down and around the city. One major technology aspect of this movie that I believe set it off was the effects that were placed in scenes when Eddie would take a pill. Once it kicked in you could see the transition effect being implemented for the shot. Shots around the city had a really warm golden amber feel to them and certain angles and views were very precise and clear for the viewer, allowing you to image how his mind was picking up on every little detail.

Rotten Tomateos. (2011, March 24). Limitless-rotten tomatoes [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/limitless/