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?