Alex - excellent approach to research on Wii. If you are this thorough on 3-4 areas of gaming you will be well prepared for the exam.
Well done
CF
Friday, 18 April 2008
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Case Study Topic 2- Second Life
Prediction:
As I already know that 'Second Life' is a hugely popular online game, my prediction will be that the level of customisation for every person and the new capabilities that are unheard in other virtual worlds for the reason it is so popular.
Background Research:
Each user gets to create their own 'avatar', their own personal being, which can be either gender, have a wide variety of physical attributes and clothing, even being able to dress up into humanoid forms. Users can change how they look at any time, and at a click of a button, as they find or make new clothing.
Also, the virtual world of 'Second Life' is created and governed by its users, with anyone able to upload 'Linden Dollars', the currency in Second Life, with the exchange rate at around L$226 to US$1. There are two types of account; Basic and Premium, which are outlined;
http://secondlife.com/whatis/plans.php
On the 'Second Life' website, there is a showcase on different activities happening in Second Life; Culture, Music etc., so residents can find out when certain events are and attend. Also a blog and a 'tip of the week' is included, so users can try new things in the virtual world.
A 'Teen Second Life' is available for people under the age of 18, and can do everything that the residents in the 'Main Grid' are able to do; the land for 'Second Life'. However, the economy is dwarfed by the Adult version; there is not nearly as many residents, and L$ have much more value there.
I read an article from the guardian about Second Life;
Summary: The virtual world of 'Second Life' can explore new-found possiblities; 'the music scene is exploding', and smaller businesses are getting involved, with the bigger companies not as dominating as in the real world. Even though the possibilities are endless, there are problems. The quality needed for the graphics and moving; computers can crash and can be slow-moving, so not eveyone has a good quality of play. Also, at that time, there was not a million members yet, so the huge land was largely unpopulated.
Controversy:
The age verification and indentity procedures are not to standard; people are able to deceive people in order to gain acces to the Main Grid, lying about their age as opposed to joining the Teen Grid, which in comparison, is much smaller. The process of e-mail does not fully confirm age and identity restrictions so it is sketchy.
Also, a handful of cases of child pornography have been happening in-world, a news-commodity for tabloids. Lastly, a Gambling ban on all games of chance or sporting events.
Riots have also been happening in the virtual world; discrimination or prejudice because of race, religion or heritage have caused riots in 'Second Life'
Stats: IN MARCH 2008
As I already know that 'Second Life' is a hugely popular online game, my prediction will be that the level of customisation for every person and the new capabilities that are unheard in other virtual worlds for the reason it is so popular.
Background Research:
Each user gets to create their own 'avatar', their own personal being, which can be either gender, have a wide variety of physical attributes and clothing, even being able to dress up into humanoid forms. Users can change how they look at any time, and at a click of a button, as they find or make new clothing.
Also, the virtual world of 'Second Life' is created and governed by its users, with anyone able to upload 'Linden Dollars', the currency in Second Life, with the exchange rate at around L$226 to US$1. There are two types of account; Basic and Premium, which are outlined;
http://secondlife.com/whatis/plans.php
On the 'Second Life' website, there is a showcase on different activities happening in Second Life; Culture, Music etc., so residents can find out when certain events are and attend. Also a blog and a 'tip of the week' is included, so users can try new things in the virtual world.
A 'Teen Second Life' is available for people under the age of 18, and can do everything that the residents in the 'Main Grid' are able to do; the land for 'Second Life'. However, the economy is dwarfed by the Adult version; there is not nearly as many residents, and L$ have much more value there.
I read an article from the guardian about Second Life;
Summary: The virtual world of 'Second Life' can explore new-found possiblities; 'the music scene is exploding', and smaller businesses are getting involved, with the bigger companies not as dominating as in the real world. Even though the possibilities are endless, there are problems. The quality needed for the graphics and moving; computers can crash and can be slow-moving, so not eveyone has a good quality of play. Also, at that time, there was not a million members yet, so the huge land was largely unpopulated.
Controversy:
The age verification and indentity procedures are not to standard; people are able to deceive people in order to gain acces to the Main Grid, lying about their age as opposed to joining the Teen Grid, which in comparison, is much smaller. The process of e-mail does not fully confirm age and identity restrictions so it is sketchy.
Also, a handful of cases of child pornography have been happening in-world, a news-commodity for tabloids. Lastly, a Gambling ban on all games of chance or sporting events.
Riots have also been happening in the virtual world; discrimination or prejudice because of race, religion or heritage have caused riots in 'Second Life'
Stats: IN MARCH 2008
- L$233,772,438 was spent.
- 506 residents spent more than L$1,000,000
- 165 residents had more than US$5,000 on the 'Second Life' system
- 86,379,072 square metres of Second Life land was sold
- 832 islands added to second life and 13693 were owned
Overall: 40% of all transactions in Second Life are buying designer clothes
Audiences are now able to customise themsleves, and with the convergence of all the companies investing in 'Second Life', the popularity and the virtual economy has exploded, with more than 13 million accounts registered (including accounts which aen't being used. Lastly, the residents owning land presents the advancement of the online society; people can throw private parties and prevent any uninvited people from entering, so the user chooses were they want to go, what to do, and how to do it, creating a level of interactivity and customisation never acheived before.
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Case Study-Topic 1 - The Wii
Hypothesis
Wii: I expect to find that the wii remote was more popular than the more traditional controller, used by the seventh generation Xbox 360 and PS3. Also, the personalisation of the mii channel and using your own avatar which you can personalise and change whenever you want. Other things include downloadable channels on the wii and the wii store over the Internet allows a more interactive experience; choosing what and when to download something over the wii store channel.
Background Research
On the company website, all the free services and channels (some needed to download) are outlined and discussed. Also there are reviews of games, video clips to watch, list of games under the 'wii software' heading, and 'wii tv', a compilation of all the video clips of adverts shown on tv.
I also did some research on wikipedia about how successful the wii launch was and found out that:
Wii: I expect to find that the wii remote was more popular than the more traditional controller, used by the seventh generation Xbox 360 and PS3. Also, the personalisation of the mii channel and using your own avatar which you can personalise and change whenever you want. Other things include downloadable channels on the wii and the wii store over the Internet allows a more interactive experience; choosing what and when to download something over the wii store channel.
Background Research
On the company website, all the free services and channels (some needed to download) are outlined and discussed. Also there are reviews of games, video clips to watch, list of games under the 'wii software' heading, and 'wii tv', a compilation of all the video clips of adverts shown on tv.
I also did some research on wikipedia about how successful the wii launch was and found out that:
- it had sold over 600,000 consoles in the first eight days of launch in the Americas
- the Wii had become the fastest-selling video games console in the UK, selling 105,000 in the opening weekend, compared with the Xbox 360's 70,000
- it was mostly successful, but with one flaw. Due to the scarcity of the wii remote and nunchuk, price gouging began, and even when consumers got their controllers, the straps were not properly equipped for the active movement of some of the games; wii sports for one, and some had to be recalled due to the poor design of the straps, resulting in them snapping.
- There were 37 games available on the launch; of these only 23 for the Americas, 19 for Europe, 17 for Japan, and 13 for Australasia, so even though the launch started in Japan, the Americas were targeted with the most software for the wii
Competition
Even though there was competition of the Xbox 360 and the PS3, the Wii came out on top. The Wii has sold20.13 million units, as opposed to the Xbox 360 sales of 18 million, and the PS3's sales of 10.49 million.
I read a review of the wii console;
http://reviews.cnet.com/consoles/nintendo-wii/4505-10109_7-31355104.html
Here's what they thought:
Good: The new motion-sensor controller allows new gaming capabilities, and the built in Nintendo Wi-Fi connection delivers free online services and game play. The compatibility with gamecube games means you can still play them on the wii, and the ability to have the gamecube controllers controlling wii games, so not always using the nunchuk and wii remote. The SD cards also have higher capabilities fr storage of saved games, photos (with the free photo shop channel), and it is the most affordable home console system, (£179.99 for basic package). On cnet, the user comments gave 8.1/10, while on xbox 360, they gave 7.4/10, and for PS3, 7.5/10, which shows the difference in popularity for the Wii.
Bad: The controller uses batteries very fast, so have the added cost of them or buying the special charger for the controllers. Also, the motion sensor control takes a while to get used to. The 'friends code' system is inefficient because both sides have to register each other to even exchange messages, which can be annoying for the user if they want to contact the person over a long distance.
I also read an article from the Guardian website about 'Wii Fit', the unique 'exergame' with the wii remote and new 'balance board' which allows the user to ski, some yoga, hulahoops, and other active excercises.
What the Guardian summed up is, the game allows unique gameplay, and interactivity with their own movement controlling their character. However, there is not a sufficient amount of movement to replace the gym, and no real advice from a real person, so is not totally up to speed in the 'strenous excercise department'.
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Emily Bell Article
1) Citizen journalism is the fourth estate by the audience, expressing their opinions, views and findings, from eye witness accounts, and bystanders involved in an issue. Media consumers are making themselves heard by posting blog entries, so it is not only the owners of the broadcasting industry that are getting the chance to get their views out there, with the possibility of the 'ordinary people' having views and opinions accessible with the Internet. With the accessibility of digital handheld devices, images and videos on mobile phones make it easier to understand the event, and prove that what they're saying is correct. However, the problem with the blogging, and sending of images and video clips across the world, the poor quality compared to the flair of the writing of journalists and the collection of information in newspapers, it keeps the newspapers intact with their sales.
2) Emily Bell presents a range of ideas in her article. Firstly, she states that citizen journalism is of less quality, and is not checked by editors, so there is no actual proof that what they are saying is all true. Exaggeration, bias and false accounts may account for incorrect information. Furthermore, she writes that 9/11 was really the start for the blogging craze, people wanting to share their thoughts and what actually happened during the terrorist attacks. She also makes the point that if a similar event were to happen this present day, he outcome of the coverage would be completely different; the still images, video clips shot from mobile phones, and the widespread blogging would be many times more than what happened at 9/11.
3) The Googlezon video really showed the power of the Internet increasing, with the big names in the industry merging and buying other products, and the huge power of the company if Google and Amazon did a merger of the two companies. It also showed me that the possibilities are almost endless, the virtual world would be nearly impossible not to keep growing, and that in the future, only a handful of companies could end up ruling cyberspace.
2) Emily Bell presents a range of ideas in her article. Firstly, she states that citizen journalism is of less quality, and is not checked by editors, so there is no actual proof that what they are saying is all true. Exaggeration, bias and false accounts may account for incorrect information. Furthermore, she writes that 9/11 was really the start for the blogging craze, people wanting to share their thoughts and what actually happened during the terrorist attacks. She also makes the point that if a similar event were to happen this present day, he outcome of the coverage would be completely different; the still images, video clips shot from mobile phones, and the widespread blogging would be many times more than what happened at 9/11.
3) The Googlezon video really showed the power of the Internet increasing, with the big names in the industry merging and buying other products, and the huge power of the company if Google and Amazon did a merger of the two companies. It also showed me that the possibilities are almost endless, the virtual world would be nearly impossible not to keep growing, and that in the future, only a handful of companies could end up ruling cyberspace.
Monday, 31 March 2008
Key Terms & Digital TV
Convergence: New ideas of interactive TV are repeated throughout the market for digital TV eg. TV on demand, the red button etc.
Personalisation: Different packages come with different providers, and automatically recording programs so the audience can pause, rewind, and watched at any time of the day.
Interactivity: New 'TV on demand' technology allows it to become a 'pull' media, where the audience is actively interacting with the technology. The viewer chooses what to watch, how they watch it (pausing etc.) and when they watch it.
Linear-Non Linear: Since pausing, and skipping parts of TV show is now possible with new utilities on digital TV, shows don't have to be in a set order.
Democratisation: polls on the TV, allow us to express our opinions, even if we don't have to. Everyone has the right to a vote, and democratises the whole interactivity of TV.
Digitalisation: All TVs changing digital in 2010. The set of 0's and 1's can make the broadcasting of the signal clearer, and easier to transmit.
Since there is more interactivity to Digital TV, there is more demand for choice and audiences mostly expect there to be a choice. But with these choices comes some moral panics; obesity from lack of exercise caused by the obsession of TV, and so many channels to choose from limiting boredom, creating a vicious cycle.
Personalisation: Different packages come with different providers, and automatically recording programs so the audience can pause, rewind, and watched at any time of the day.
Interactivity: New 'TV on demand' technology allows it to become a 'pull' media, where the audience is actively interacting with the technology. The viewer chooses what to watch, how they watch it (pausing etc.) and when they watch it.
Linear-Non Linear: Since pausing, and skipping parts of TV show is now possible with new utilities on digital TV, shows don't have to be in a set order.
Democratisation: polls on the TV, allow us to express our opinions, even if we don't have to. Everyone has the right to a vote, and democratises the whole interactivity of TV.
Digitalisation: All TVs changing digital in 2010. The set of 0's and 1's can make the broadcasting of the signal clearer, and easier to transmit.
Since there is more interactivity to Digital TV, there is more demand for choice and audiences mostly expect there to be a choice. But with these choices comes some moral panics; obesity from lack of exercise caused by the obsession of TV, and so many channels to choose from limiting boredom, creating a vicious cycle.
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
New Media Technologies
I will be studying the topic of gaming, and i think some interesting topics to retrieve information on are;
- The new remote control feature on the wii
- Violence in gaming
- Second life and the new interactivity in which gamers can experience playing it
- Moral panics caused by MMORPG's (obsession & addiction)
1) Endism is the perspective that when new media technologies appear, older ones are replaced and forgotten.
2) Our 'media ecosystem' is the collection of media in our society eg. the UK's media ecosystem includes Digital TV, Radio, Gaming, The Internet, and everything else prevalent in our society. Other areas of the world could not have the same media ecosystem since they do not have the same resources we do.
3) 'Narrowcasting' is a TV channel, probably a digital channel, which specialises in one topic, to attract audiences interested in that specific topic. (eg. sports channels(sky sports) cooking channels (uktv food) and comedy channels (uktv gold).
4) The Internet is the whole online system in which the web is one kind of traffic on, the world wide web only consists of the large part of the Internet that are websites.
5)'Push and pull' media are appearing now we have the interactivity we do. 'Push' media is the kind of media you experience every day by simply turning on a TV channel, the broadcaster and personnel associated with the channel choose what to give air time, and what not to. Oppositely, 'Pull' media is appearing through TV on demand, the audience chooses what to watch at any time they want to watch, more commonly appearing throughout the array of digital channels.
6) One positive aspect of blogging is the explosion of ideas that can be read and experimented with throughout the entire world. Blogging software gave the people who had ideas a platfomr so they can share it with the world, so now it is not just up to the people who choose whether to broadcast something or not.
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