Gaming Culture

1972 saw the rise of the first arcade video game Pong, this was the beginning of generations of gamers and an ever increasing range of gaming cultures. It is important to note that this is not the first signs of play or gaming within society, as a species we have played or indulged in leisurely fun for centuries: it’s essentially in our nature. French philosopher and intellectual Roger Callous put forth the notion that there are four definitions of play, each subscribing to a set of rules that defines it from the other. These forms are defined as:

·         Agon (competition) Are competition type games and the clearest example would be chess.

·         Alea (Chance) Are chance based games such as gambling.

·         Mimesis (mimicry/role playing)

·         Llinx: sense of altering perception such as fun fair rides.

Games are broken down into specific criteria which make a game; they must have a form of rule in order to provide structure. The consequences must be variable for example, you can win or lose dependent on the players input, actions, choices etc. And of course it must consist of a level of player attachment in order to generate interest and develop the need to play or win.

In postmodern culture it is not only the game itself that spawns interest; there is an ever increasing rise in gaming culture and subcultures. People not only play the games developed for a variety of platforms but they integrate different aspects into their everyday lives, the same can be said for industries such as Movies, Advertising and even Toy Manufacturers.

Subcultures of each game divide themselves up from numerous aspects of gaming culture as a whole, this can be such thing as the platform used, the level of interaction with games, skill and even character or aspect of game most favourable.  

Convergance: Content through a multitude of platforms!

Back in the day when Fleet street was in its element the mediums of the media were clearly seperated. TV, Newspapers and Radio all had there own specific content and never the three should meet. As our technological society has grown so have our methods of connection, the internet has developed to such an extent we are now able to sit on a bus playing Texas Hold'em Poker whilst our Smart phone downloads the latest article from the Guardian! This opens up levels not possible for industry and content and convergence plays a significant role in doing so.

Convergence is a term now used to define different types of content that can converge over a multitude of media based platforms. With convergence it can be broken down into two categories, Technological convergence would for example be something that an industry has been able to create a brand synergy from for instance the movie The Godfather. The movie has been converged over different platforms; it’s now available on a console game, mobile phone game and a variety of different merchandised items.

The effect of this creates a whole new dimension to industries development of income. It begins to reach consumers on levels that were not possible in its original form. One of the important points to note about this is that it is not to be confused with intertextuality. Intertextuality is effectively way content and texts refer to others, such as when the Simpsons spoofed an episode portraying Homer Simpson as the Godfather:

Another component of convergence could be participant convergence. New technologies now allow us as the public to participate n not just creating our own content but the retransformation of it. Consumers can now become the creators; with the rise of Photoshop we can put our own faces (or anybody’s for that matter) into media content. As consumers we have learned how to connect and interact with media content in a variety of different ways.

 This level of participatory convergence will fast outgrow what industries and media executives can create as we as consumer create content dependant on our own popular cultures. As we embark on new developments of technology and digitality convergence helps define the imaginative and creative methods that develop along with it.

Surveillance and Dataveillance; Has George Orwell's 1984 prophecy been fulfilled?

The famous George Orwell Novel Nineteen Eighty-Four has created a huge cultural impact, there’s no conspiricy theorist, skeptic or person who is ready to question the establishment that won't refer to it. The dystopian novel portrays a society which is under watch by 'Big Brother' 24 hours 7 days a week and projects strong themes of Censorship and Surviellance. The predictions of this novel reflecting our own society havn't rang true, there is no Junior Anti-Sex-League stopping our species reproducing, (thank god!!) but thinking critically about our situation have we in fact become a surveillance state?

Surveillance is happening throughout the majority of society to so much of an extent data is collected on a huge aspect of our daily lives, no matter how trivial a task you may have been doing. Your credit card transactions, your purchases at the checkout right down to your train ticket purchase is all broken down into specific data, something which is collected analysed and recorded for a purpose. On an average day it is estimated that you could be caught on camera up to 300 times, we have became one of the most watched nations in the world. Aside from the aspect of public security on the streets or public transport etc what is becoming central to great debate is the notion of 'Dataveillance."

Author and public speaker Roger Clarke defines Dataveillance in his works by stating that it is "the systematic monitoring of people's actions or communications through the application of information technology." Through this we gain an understanding that the notion of privacy is being eroded and that we have in fact become a state that is monitored 24 hour 7 days a week. Your internet usage is tracked, your purchases, your travels and even dislikes and likes are recorded through the medium of social media.

Another side to this debate is also the idea that not only are we under surveillance but we allow ourselves to be survived. Facebook's latest feature allows users to 'Check in' displaying their location in news feeds and even 'tagging' who they are with. Is it really necessary to document where you are or are we just getting caught up in the novelty of accessibility and information?

The Information Technology Revolution and the Changes of Networking!

Networks, what are they, how are they defined, what constitutes as a network? Wordnetweb.com defines networks as "an interconnected system of things or people" which can be construed as a huge variety of different platforms. Networks of some description have been established throughout history; even our Neanderthal ancestors would have had some sort of hunting or travelling network. A more relevant and organised example would be the Roman Aqueduct network supplying water and removing waste, essentially 'connecting' towns, villages and cities with something they required. Looking at this from an anthropological perspective you could say the creation and use of networks is a fundamental part of human existence, something as society we always aim to establish in order to improve existence.

In a post-modern society we have the internet, this in many respects is THE network, there’s still flight, shipping and trade networks in place to name a few but the web is connecting nearly all the areas of the globe; and it’s still growing. The Internet is now becoming as much use as your right hand, for most of us using a computer is second nature and regular use of the internet is an essential part of life. In fact the BBC News website states in an article that relates to the internet as a fundamental human right that "Countries such as Finland and Estonia have already ruled that access is a human right for their citizens." So this is the future, as the trading of goods and products still stands in a post industrial society the exchange of ideas and information now takes prestige in a non material form superseding our previous conceptions of networks.

So Albion Shackers I leave you with an influencial quote I found from Dr Hamadoun Toure, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ""The internet is the most powerful potential source of enlightenment ever created."

Advertising

  On a daily basis on your commute to work, trip to the shops or even just walking round your own home how many advertisements do you think your exposed too; Not just when your sat vegetating in front of that flashy sound and light box in your living room when it breaks for commercials but in your everyday life? This morning on the way to a lecture I can’t even count on two hands how many brand labels, posters, billboards and signposts I’ve seen telling me where to drink, what to do, what to buy and even how I can improve myself by buying into weight loss program?
 

You can argue the advertising is one of the most powerful and controlling forces we are ever exposed to there is no way you can go about daily life without coming across it. You may not even realise the subliminal ad "effecting behaviour by bypassing the conscious brain." (Branston, 2006) Essentially placing advertising values into a medium showing you the benefits of wants and needs you had no idea you valued. For example if you buy yourself the Gillette Razor your shave's going to be so good an amazingly sexy girl will walk round the corner and stroke your face because she can’t resist a Gillette shaved jaw! (This may be true; I'm looking into it for the benefit of research) So essentially you cannot escape the dominant force of advertising unless you want to dig yourself a huge hole in the desert and never leave.....

What was that? Subliminal brainwashing, what am I talking about? Well folks, sit down and ponder with me for a tick. I’m sure most of you will have eaten fish fingers at one time or another unless you yourself were kidnapped by the desert hermit as a youngster! Remember Captain Birdseye the bearded fellow with a ship full of children and fish fingers...

Birdseye have had a rebrand and removed the hairy captain, I myself miss the chap and researching into why he was removed from the campaign I can only find this:

Brand recognition one of the greatest tactics a brand can hold in its arsenal of advertisement. Most of the U.K can relate to the Birdseye brand, so now as established as they are they decided to sink the captains ship and introduce something a little more sinister:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsKWjO213EY

The adverts moved from its appeal to children now focusing on the parent, if you’re not giving your kids Birdseye then not only are it bad for them but a frozen polar bear might just nasty. This is what we might class as lifestyle advertising, going way beyond the uses of the product and offering the audience a lifestyle they can buy into by using the product.

As ever readers I have to start to wrap this up, so much to talk about so little time. All I say to you is be aware of the influence of commercial culture, they never stop creating new ideas to make you purchase, subscribe and spend!

As Audiences are we active or just sponges?

Whether or not you like it we are all an audience member of some description, I understand that this may come across as negative but it cannot be taken for granted! As fine citizens of the human species we are walking, talking conscious people with the capability to understand and develop our own perspectives on the world around us. What we may not be so clear on is the level of media content we are all exposed to on a daily if not hourly basis and what effect is this having. What the Albion Shack here wants to go through is to what level are our values, ideas and even personality is in fact our own, or are we a product of media socialisation in a modern world?

Throughout our lives we are socialised through a variety of different social constructions that teach us our culture, values and even behaviour. Primarily the Family, School and even Religion are the institutes that can define an individual. Increasingly over the past decade the new media has established itself as almost an essential part of life, for example I’m sat here now with facebook open just like every time I open up a web browser?

A now deceased American Sociologist named Paul Felix Lazarsfeld initiated a theory that an audience are subjected to an approach entitled “The Hypodermic Syringe model” essentially stating that media content and messages are injected directly into the minds of audiences. This approach dates to around the 1940’s and a clearly negative side is that it automatically assumes that we are mindless carcasses who can only gain our understanding through forms of media and if the media portray it to be true then we will. This is obviously untrue, I mean I just watched The Expendables and I have no desire to blow something up or shoot a group of Columbian Gangsters?

Many theories aim to give us a more accurate reading of the effects of the media on audiences’ such as the “Uses and Gratification Model” which see’s the audience as actively using media for their own purpose E.G. company, interest and pleasure. I would like to think of myself as falling into this spectrum although if I analyze my current traits I firmly believe that there are influences from the media that have influenced me, such as my need to use Gillette razors because they are simply the best a man can get!

When I was a boy playing quietly with the Lego blocks I was always told “Question Everything!” at the time about as much use I could get out of that would be “Why can’t I have any more sweets?” to which I was always told “Because your 12 years old and sporting a waist that would fit Jabba the Hutt!” But aside from the weight issues that ethos has been instilled in me, something which we should all have in our media consumption. Are you buying that Mocha-Choca Latte because you like paying £5 for coffee in Starbuck’s or is it because when you were watching Sex in the City the girls all looked so cool with their overpriced white containers of capitalism whilst discussing who Samantha’s latest orgasm came from?

For a topic so big I could turn this blog into a text book, there are many other theories that give other perspectives of media influence but I have given examples of two that are polar opposite of each other. Essentially the point I belive Im trying to make is that yes the media do effect us, but to what extent is entirely up to the individual. If the weather report says snow then you may throw on a coat, if the news states that Woolworths are closing then you find a new location to get your pick n mix from. If the latest playstation game comes out glorifying blowing up some small village in Columbia because your a soldier does that make you want to kill everything in sight? I live this with you....

Media Culture : Genre

Well folks it's time to whip on your slippers, reach for that bottle of wine in the fridge and listen to another one of Gonzo's journey through Media Culture! As I understand it I've been classed as an academic and to earn such a term I need to produce some academic orientated pieces. I know, I know I have also pondered over the principle of this and have decided to look in depth at genre, in particular gameshows.
Not only will I discuss the backround and history of UK gameshows but factors which have helped it evolve and its ability to survive on our shiney little plasma TV's!

   Starting out as light hearted entertainment in public service broadcasting, competition for audience appears to have propelled the gameshow genre through significant change. It seems to have shed the un-materialistic ethos of fun, becoming a product of social phenomena and a network rating battle. It becomes apparent that audience’s dissatisfaction of prizes, wanting more from a show each time has stepped up competition. Audiences now want more, not only more materialistic value but the means by which this is attained. This has played a significant role in the hybridisation of genre, spawning new generations of Reality Television. Could the increasing audience expectancy be representational of our modern consumer culture?

   1955 brought about the introduction of independent television network (ITV). Significantly different from the BBC, introducing commercials as well as regionalised programming. Double Your Money! Was the first gameshow aired by ITV in 1955 an adaption of an American CBS programme. This was to change the concept of UK gameshow’s forever, creating a battle for audience ratings. A pre-recorded programme with a Celebrity host the contestants aim was to correctly answer a series of questions in order to obtain cash prizes. The notion of winning large sum prize money was un-heard of in previous years of BBC programming and changed the aim of having a jolly good time to a more serious and even life changing development for contestants. The notion of prizes and celebrities had now become a recognisable convention within the gameshow genre, a convention now established throughout the majority of future shows. These conventions now cemented into the gameshow show genre could well be a reflection of the post war era in the UK, developing into a more prosperous and wealthy Country although this may be a result of the competition between networks.

   Prize orientated shows now took precedence in the gameshow industry, leading the way for large valued prizes. The mid to late fifties quiz shows became one of the most popular genres on TV, similar to our friends across the pond in the USA. Popularity in the UK illustrates a link between the popularity of the genre and the size of the prizes. This response could prove to be one of the reasons hybridisation of the gameshow genre has occurred, providing new ways to market a genre to changing audiences. Development into the more recently popular Reality Television such as Big Brother is a creation developed from basic elements of gameshows. Branston and Stafford state “Big Brother is like a genre operating a loose ‘repertoire of elements’, combining two distinct TV forms”. By this we can see that Reality Television shares similarities with both documentary and gameshow genre. Reality television shares the convention of prizes as it portrays the competition through an unscripted, unformatted reality. This ‘reality’ will undergo heavy mediation through studio editing and manipulating time, even the perception of competitors.

   The genres structure composes of a repertoire of elements such as the non-diegetic music, sound bridges and high-key lighting. These create a ritualistic reassurance and familiarity of entertainment for audiences. Branston and Stafford state “Audiences understandably seek the pleasures of the familiar” .Illustrating how genre can provide conventions and codes of the familiar that establish recognition. These conventions and audience expectations were developed and learned over time. Technical codes seen in modern shows such as Deal Or No Deal were certainly not a part of earlier shows such as Spelling Bee.

    Non-diegetic music and sound bridges are a key example of developed technical codes. They create a signifying effect with suspenseful, exciting theme tunes and sound bridges. Often unique to each show and a widely recognised element of modern gameshows they set the atmosphere of the shows narrative. Even the tone of the opening theme tune has developed dramatically. Now conveying a serious and tense emotion in comparison to the simple jingles and light heated melody’s of the 1950’s and 60’s. The dominant sound clips in modern shows such as The Weakest Link almost resemble a heart beat increasing as the pressure builds, amplifying the tense atmosphere.

   Studios now use high key lighting within gameshows. This removes the natural occurrence of shadows enabling the studio to achieve a spot light affect on contestants. High key lighting has always been an element of gameshows although technological advances have enabled producers to create an almost ‘Las Vegas’ effect. Shows now are marked with fast paced editing and lighting. This can almost represent intertextuality between fast paced action sequences in modern Hollywood movies and gameshow entertainment.

   These technical codes not only establish recognition of the genre for audiences but punctuate the shows narrative signifying a beginning, middle and end. These components are now a consistent element of modern game shows such as Deal Or No Deal! They have evolved from a number of stylistic changes originating from earlier, simper generations of gameshows. Originally gameshows seem to have been a simple form of entertainment embedded within BBC public service broadcasting. Consumer culture and Ratings battles between Networks have driven the genre to new heights even hybridising it into sub-genres such as Reality TV.

   Many argue that the BBC’s mandatory license fee has become an outdated concept.  Producing and providing entertainment of high standard which independent networks fail to, an argument the BBC are able to implement justifying the license fee. If this is the case then why would the BBC enter into ‘competition’ for audiences, providing lower brow entertainment such as Strictly Come Dancing or Fame Academy? “Viewing figures are its Alpha and Omega” Illustrating that the BBC also justify its success (and cost) by rating figures. The argument arises that why should a public service be charging its audience if is providing the same standard of entertainment as other networks? Dominic Lawson of the independent states “Public service, in the widest sense, should exist where market fails.” showing that the broadcasting provided by the BBC and ITV networks should be diverse. With the BBC’s broadcasting of low brow entertainment such as gameshows they fuel the concept that programming is becoming similar to ITV and other commercial networks, networks that do not charge a license fee. This argument now begins to empower the notion that the license fee is an anachronistic idea.

 Established at the beginning of the UK’s broadcasting history gameshows began as lighthearted entertainment, programming representational of a simpler time. It becomes apparent the pressure to meet audience expections as well as increase viewing figures has created significant change. Change that developed the codes and conventions we now commonly see within any modern gameshow. Technical codes such as the Lighting and Sound as well as conventions like the Celebrity Hosts and large prizes have all been developed and established over time. Gameshows now begin a dismantling of genre, classic shows such as Family fortunes begin to become celebrity orientated, a strong reflection of modern British culture. From this original genre new hybrids of programming have spawned creating Reality Television. This hybridisation increases the ability to survive with changing audiences and their viewing patterns as well as providing opportunity for exploiting the genre. X-Factor alone creates a brand saturation synergised through tabloid newspapers, music charts and even travelling shows, something Spelling Bee in the late 30’s wouldn’t comprehend as a possibility!

Referances used:

[1] Vahimagi, T. (1994) British Television. Oxford: Butler & Tanner Ltd.

[2] Gameshows (2010) History of the game show [Internet] Available from: <http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/History_of_the_Game_Show> [Accessed 24 December 2009]

[3] Branston, G. Stafford, R. (2007) The Media Students Handbook. Fourth Edition. London: Routledge

[4] Gameshows (2010) History of the game show [Internet] Available from: <http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/History_of_the_Game_Show> [Accessed 24 December 2009

[5] http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/dominic-lawson/dominic-lawson-publicinterest-game-shows-rubbish-1791177.html

 

[6] http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/dominic-lawson/dominic-lawson-publicinterest-game-shows-rubbish-1791177.html