media ecology

From a media ecology standpoint the environmental impact of videogames stretches very wide. By looking further at the three foundational cornerstones of media ecology we can isolate the scope of that impact to a fuller extent. The three master metaphors of media ecology include: evolution, physical space, and space unto itself. Taking videogames as the object of scrutiny, I would like to explore this medium further as a space unto itself. Videogames as a form of media have literally carved out a space in our environment which we inhabit on a regular basis. Following McLuhan’s laws of media covered in McLuhan’s Wake, which include: enhancement, obsolescence, retrieval, and reversal, we can truly inspect videogames and the environmental impact which they have created.
Videogames inhabit every facet of our daily lives whether or not people realize it. People have videogames at home, at work, on their phones, on the plane, in the car, etc. People who take a stance saying, “I don’t play videogames! I have a real life to live!” do not even realize how permeated their own lives are by the influence of videogames themselves. Looking at McLuhan’s first law of media, enhancement, we ask the question, “What medium are videogames augmenting or amplifying?” Although they are enhancing a variety of mediums let us first take the example of literature. Countless videogames take the medium of books and in turn amplify it into a new evolved medium. For example the game Bioshock developed by Irrational Games very heavily borrows from Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged in order to create its unique and intricate game world. In a March of 2006 Game Informer interview on Bioshock, Irrational Games’ Ken Levine has this to say regarding the link between the game world and that of Atlas Shrugged:
“‘I’ve always been interested in Ayn Rand and her crazy utopian view of this extreme capitalism, and what that could bring about if it were focused –celebration of the individual versus society,’ explains Levine. This exaltation of mankind goes so far as to defy the gods by building an entire civilization underwater. ‘Their attitude, no matter what the challenge, is ‘we can beat it.’ And they almost do.’” (McNamara 37)
This extreme level of detail that developers are striving to recreate from literature is truly commendable. Not only are developers taking one form of medium and recreating it but they are adding to it as well. In this example they have taken a rough version of Ayn Rand’s world and recreated one that anyone can visit visually as opposed to the unmoving pages of a book. This example illustrates well how videogames are environmentally impacting our world through McLuhan’s first law of media: enhancement.
On the opposite end of the spectrum we also have to examine videogames using McLuhan’s second law of obsolescence. Here we have to examine what videogames are de-emphasizing or taking away from. Many obvious examples ironically include that which they enhance. Videogames deemphasize the importance of books, radio, magazines, etc., because they are promoting their unique form of visually and mentally stimulating media and not that of others. They are purely building upon the media which has come before them and therefore they inevitably are taking away from those older forms of media. For example a game is currently being promoted for release entitled Dante’s Inferno. In a recent preview Phil Kollar has this to say:
“For those who think it’s crass for EA to adapt this literary classic, the first question that must be asked is ether you’ve read ‘Inferno’ yourself. Visceral has put in tons of material either referencing or directly drawing from the original poem…In fact, they often compare their game to one of the visual maps of hell that the poem inspired in the 14th century. Those familiar with The Divine Comedy will immediately notice Virgil’s contributions-he serves as a narrator, describing each layer of Hell in lines lifted from the poem-and the Shades, sinners trapped in Hell whose vices are pulled word for word from Dante’s text.” (Kollar 107)
This game is obviously very directly “enhancing” an older medium but at the same time it is reducing the importance of the text. It is promoting the classic tale in a new way and through advertising designed to generate money it is in turn encouraging the consumer to experience something new and not to go read an old dusty book. Building from this example it is evident that videogames are clearly detracting from old media in order to obsolesce the way for new media.
Thirdly we must inspect what it is that videogames are retrieving in terms of media. Here it is important to recognize that although videogames are detracting from old forms of media they are also bringing the popularity of storytelling back to the public. A large portion of the population are not interested in books or other media and videogames offers up an enticing alternative which can still deliver many of the best parts of older media: storytelling, heroes, values, mystery, knowledge, etc. In this way videogames are helping reignite the lost interest today in one of mankind’s greatest achievements: storytelling. For example a game by Lionhead Studios entitled Fable II, emphasizes the importance of the “fable” to an enormous extent. It encourages the player to literally “live” their own “fable” with many classic storytelling stereotypes in place: heroes, good and evil, dragons, love, war, etc. The player enters a world full of possibilities and choices which create a unique story for each player. By taking this unique approach Lionhead Studios has managed to reinvigorate the consumer with a desire for storytelling and in turn serves to “retrieve” some lost media.
Lastly we will look at how videogames are reversing in relation to McLuhan’s laws. When videogames are pushed to the very extreme of their limits what will they become? This inspection is more hypothetical than the previous three laws because videogames are still evolving and have not yet topped out on their potential. Some possibilities in reference to upcoming technology could be that we might soon cease to just play video games and we might end up playing with them. Upcoming technology from Microsoft Corporation entitled Project Natal intends to revolutionize videogames like never before. Perhaps here we will see a reversal of the characteristics of videogames. In a fairly recent article on www.telegraph.co.uk. the extent of this new technology is outlined. Natal intends to let the player interact with the media of videogames in a completely hands free setting and with programming that predicts your every move or desire. It will give you things it reads from body language alone or allow you to simply interact through hand motions. Technology such as this will change the videogame environment forever and completely reverse what we have known so far (Beaumont 2009).
Videogames have invaded much of the environmental space which we inhabit today. In terms of media ecology they interact and influence us in many ways. Particularly examining videogames in the sense of the new space it has created to be inhabited we see videogames crossing over as a new, interactive media. Videogames are enhancing old media creating a new space or niche to be inhabited by the dominant form of media today. They are in turn detracting from the old books, movies, radio, etc. that we treasure but they are doing so by building upon these things as foundational roots. Lastly they are headed to new horizons as a reversal of the characteristics of videogames might be closer than we think. McLuhan’s laws of media serve as a proper tool to examine the unique form of media in videogames and bring a fuller understanding of how they affect our everyday environment

Works Cited
Beaumont, Claudine. (2009, June 3). E3 2009: Project Natal hands-on preview. Retrieved
December 7, 2009, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/e3-2009/5437978/E3-2009-Project-Natal-hands-on-preview.html
Bioshock. 2k games, 2007.
Fable II. Microsoft Corporation, 2008.
Kollar, Phil. “When Epic Poetry Meets Epic Action.” Game Informer Dec. 2009:107.
McLuhan’s Wake. Dir. Kevin McMahon. Perf. Marshall McLuhan. Disinformation Studios, 2007.
McNamara, Andy. “Bioshock.” Game Informer Mar. 2006: 47.
Rand, Ayn. Atlas Shrugged. 1996. Signet Publishing.

narrative criticism

Stories have been told since the beginning of time. They began with the oral traditions of ancient times, to the use of plays to relate tales and dramas, to books, and all the way to movies and TV shows. All of these methods of storytelling have evolved with the human race throughout the ages. Today we live in an age of technological prowess in which electronic media has become the new standard for human narrative. Following this train of thought we now ask, what has storytelling evolved into today? Although most of the old methods of relating narrative still exist today, what has become the new standard? Video games have become and continue to grow as an amazingly complex and vibrant way to not only tell stories, but to interact with them. This level of connection with human narrative is something that tales of the past were unable to achieve. Now we can not only continue to pass on old and new stories, but we are able to virtually live them. The question that is then raised is “Are video games the evolution of storytelling today?” In order to determine the answer to this question we should explore the different features of narrative and see where video games stand in relation (Foss 401-406).
Stories are set in a variety of interesting and fantastical places and time periods. We have stories of great battles, intense emotional dramas, mystical realms, galactic conquest, and numerous other milieus. Video games take these amazing settings to a new level. Games are set in gritty crime areas, realms of fantasy, the far reaches of space, just to name a few. Although traditional storytelling is able to stimulate our imaginations by making us imagine these exciting places and times, video games allow us to interact and visually “look at” these realms. We are able to virtually “be there” and experience these settings for ourselves. Just as novels go to great lengths to fill their worlds with exquisite detail, video games equally, if not more so, travel to great lengths to recreate locales in amazing detail. Rockstar Studios’, Grand Theft Auto IV created a world which recreates a version of New York City in jaw dropping detail. Trash blows by on the streets, your game character receives calls on his cell phone, cars drive by and other people walk by you on the sidewalk carrying on their virtual lives. The childlike fantasy of wanting to be able to “go inside” the world of a book has now become a reality in the realm of video games. We are now able to not only venture into the worlds of these fantastical realms but we are able to explore and interact within them. A game by Bethesda Studios, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, thrusts the player into a magical realm reminiscent of Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Here you witness skyscraping fortresses and castles set amidst a land of mystical beasts and dragons. You can set your sights on a mountain far off in the distance and literally ride your horse across the landscape until you reach the peak of the mountain and then view the surrounding landscape from your perch high in the sky. This level of presentation and interaction truly shows how far narrative has evolved. People are now able to live in the legendary tales which have been told for generations.
One of the most important parts of stories is that of characters. Our society has been formed around the narratives of larger than life characters such as Beowulf, Odysseus, Jean ValJean, Captain Ahab, etc. Reading about these great heroes, and villains, of literature has been the pastime of children and adults alike. Videogames take these legendary characters and allow us to step out of our ordinary lives and live an extraordinary one. We are now able to wrestle sea serpents at the bottom of the ocean floor, outwit a Cyclops, evade capture as a hunted fugitive, etc. For example, a game by Bungie Studios named Halo, places the player into the boots of a super soldier known simply as Master Chief. As events unfold far in space you, as Master Chief, are thrown into a galactic conflict in which you are the sole hope for humanity against the overwhelming odds of an invading alien force. Although this story setup would make for an entertaining book, it does more than that by allowing you to be the hero of humanity and not just read about it. A recent review by Andrew Reiner in the November issue of Game Informer magazine, regarding a game called Uncharted 2 by Naughty Dog Studios, had this to say regarding the use of characters in video games,
“The divide separating video games and motion pictures is expansive, but moments like this one bring them closer together. I’m not saying games should be movies, or vice versa, but exploring characters in different conditions, emotional or physical, can open the doors for more dynamic storytelling and gameplay in games. Uncharted 2 is testament to this idea.” (Reiner 102)
This level of immersion in video games is unparalleled by any other form of medium ever created. Video games do not just create characters; they create you into a character of legend.
Narration in traditional narrative comes about in a variety of ways. We sometimes are given a first person narrative, third person narrative, etc. Regardless of how a book or movie is told it still unfolds in the same sense; the viewer or reader is shown the story as it unfolds and it does so in a linear fashion. Although the narratives of video games have a definite beginning and end they have the unique ability to be more malleable in terms of narration. Although video games are telling the player a story, it is the player who molds the story through his actions. Players are not always set into a linear sequence of events. They create their own story through their actions and choices in a game. Do I save the hostages and sacrifice my squad? Or do I capture the enemy leader and sacrifice the hostages? Choices such as these allow players to not only enter these incredible stories, but to create the story as well. This unique ability that video games possess, form it into a narrative medium of an entirely different kind than ever before witnessed. In a way video games have now become a tool of narrative creation. Following this evolutionary train we have now seen narrative go from medium we would read such as books, to being able to “enter” books through video games, to now being able to create narrative while being a part of it.
Stories are filled memorable events and scenes which burn into the reader or viewers memory and make a societal impact as we converse and share these memories with those around us. Many conversations begin with the phrase, “did u see that scene in…” or “have you read the chapter where…” because we want to share these fictional experiences we have attempted to experience through books or movies, etc. In video games this same phenomena happens often, but to a fuller extent. “Have you gotten to the sniper level in Chernobyl? Wasn’t that so intense?” or “I was out of ammo with no shields but I held off the entire offensive front using my fists and my wits!” Moments like these occur repeatedly in a video game offering a very visceral experience that you could not receive from another type of narrative medium. For example in Bethesda Studios’ game Fallout 3 you find yourself wandering a post-apocalyptic wasteland armed with shotguns and handguns and at one point you encounter a wandering group of soldiers. You decide to travel with them and suddenly encounter an ambush of mutant creatures. As soldiers are being killed all around you, you grit your teeth and hold your ground popping off round after round. Suddenly an enormous mutant giant emerges out of an abandoned subway wielding a sledgehammer with a head the size of a small car. The soldiers draw back but you stand firm and defeat the monster in an epic battle earning the respect of all around you. Another good example of incredible immersion is described well in a game review, concerning a Batman game, by Ben Reeves in the September issue of Game Informer,
“…then-from out of nowhere-batarangs knock their guns away and Batman single-handedly takes down 20 men. Arkham Asylum is filled with these moments, but now you’re the one kicking guys in the head…” (Reeves 82)

Moments like these plunge the player in the world of the game’s narrative to such an extent you literally can still feel the adrenaline pumping afterwards. This excellent use of particular, memorable events in video games once again offers up an experience out of reach for the everyday person.
The use of time in narrative is exercised in a variety of ways. Stories can be told that focus on a brief period of time or they can relate tales that take place over many years. They can be told as a collection of memories from different points in time or as a linear recounting of past events. Some stories even focus on characters actually travelling through time. The variations on the use of time are many, but useful for determining how you want to affect your audience. Different approaches are better for different stories. An example of existing media that utilizes a unique use of time would be the TV show 24. 24 follows its narrative’s characters one hour per episode. Video games similarly follow the molds for temporal usage of narrative found in novels and visual media. Many games utilize flashbacks, time travel, brief time periods, and long dynasties just to name a few. For example, Lionhead Studios’ Fable series follows your character from his childhood all the way to his last days as a grizzled, gray headed adventurer. This unique use of time provides for a very immersive experience as you follow your character as he literally grows up. This dimension of narrative would probably be where the most similarity can be found between traditional storytelling and video games since they both utilize many of the same techniques.
The audience of all narrative varies from case to case and a niche for all kinds of unique audiences is readily available. There are books for children, adults, elderly, etc. The same can be said for video games. However, videogames are generally stereotyped for children and young adults. This mistake is discouraging because many people of different audiences are missing out on all kinds of amazing medium just waiting to be taken advantage of. Although a large amount of games are indeed directed towards children, the amount of games for mature (not just in the violent or graphic sense) audiences consists of at least half, if not the majority, of games available today. Some efforts are being made to target audiences which have lain dormant. The Nintendo Wii gaming system has released a series of commercials which are trying to bridge this gap. They have commercials picturing elderly people gathered together playing bowling on the Wii, demonstrating how user friendly and “unscary” video games can be. They also have a series where the whole family is gathered around the living room playing Wii as a group activity thus trying to bring mom and dad into the gaming picture. Efforts such as these are commendable and hopefully will continue to break the stereotypes in place which prevent many people from enjoying such a rich form of narrative available in today’s society.
Throughout the ages important and often controversial themes arise in narrative that challenges us to think and search for our own moral foundations. Many of the most revered authors of our time bring up some of the most brutal and obscene issues and situations that further explore the human psyche. William Faulkner repeatedly brings up the issues of racism, suicide, murder, and incest in his works and he holds a throne as one of the greatest American writers. The fact that most “great” authors focus on serious themes adds to quality and depth of their narratives. This same focus on serious, important themes can be found in video games today. A great example of this would be Bioware’s epic Mass Effect. In this game the player takes control of a military government agent who has the legal freedom of the CIA. As you patrol the galaxy trying to prevent the impending doom of the galaxy, your are forced to confront moral conflict after moral conflict. In one series of events you are forced to make a decision between saving your comrade from death or saving the woman you love. In another instance you decide between committing genocide upon a potentially dangerous race or letting them live. You face countless decisions which all hinge around very controversial topics and challenge the player to not only decide what they will choose to do in the game but to pause and think about how these decisions expose who they are morally in real life. Games that offer this kind of intense moral exercise serve not only as a form of entertainment but as a psychological quiz to test where we stand on serious issues surrounding us today.
Storytelling has come a long way since the days of cave men and wall paintings. We have watched it evolve into something that is transports you visually, integrates you into another persona, allows you to create your own story, lets you live extraordinary moments, transports you into many dimensions of time, is accessible for any willing audience, and openly confronts serious issues that affect us today. Videogames are the evolution of narrative in our present society. In the many dimensions of narrative videogames not only meet the highest standards, but they exceed them (Foss 401-406). Videogames have become, in their own right, a complex work of art that should be appreciated by all.

Works Cited
Foss, Sonja. “Narrative Criticism.” Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration & Practices. Ed: Sonja Foss. Waveland Press. 1996. 399-477.
Reiner, Andrew. “The Adventure of a Lifetime.” Game Informer Nov. 2009: 102.
Reeves, Ben. “The Best Batman Game Ever Made.” Game Informer Sep. 2009: 82.

culture jam

In my Culture Jam project I am exploring the influence video games have on society. Specifically, I am trying to “jam” my audience into thinking about video games from a different perspective. In order to do this I have created five different flyers that each bring up a thought provoking question in the realm of videogames. I plan to spread this paraphernalia around the UTD campus where it will be seen on poster boards, etc., and hopefully make people think outside the box. My first flyer addresses the commonplace presence of violence in videogames while linking it to the real violence happening everyday. Secondly I reference classical heroes in comparison to video games. The third flyer tackles the idea of classic literature and videogames beginning to approach the same status. Fourthly I bring up the growing connection between art and videogames. Lastly I question where we find entertainment today, videogames being one of the growingly common answers. Hopefully these five simple flyers will bring up some interesting questions for people and perhaps change the way some people think about how videogames are affecting society today.
My first flyer has a picture of a soldier from a popular war videogame, Call of Duty. Underneath the picture reads the question, “An American soldier died today. What did you do?” By using the picture of the soldier I will hopefully address the concept of violence as entertainment in videogames. In times past gladiator fights were commonplace entertainment and that same concept has begun to resurface under a different disguise today. Countless people, myself included, play games such as this one where your goal is to kill the enemy troops and protect your own. This game however attempts to portray real military violence occurring today as opposed to outlandish space battles or epic monster fights. Although I am not here to debate the morality of violence as entertainment, I am here to point out that people tend to forget what is going on in the real world when games such as this are commonplace diversions. This game depicts soldiers killing each other on realistic battlefields mimicking real life conflicts and places. Although this is definitely very entertaining for numerous people we should stop and recognize what is being represented. There are brutal sacrifices being made by real soldiers around the world everyday. Maybe if somebody sees this flyer they will give a thought to the real troops sacrificing their lives daily. The next time tehy have another frag-fest with their buddies perhaps they will stop and think about what this game is ultimately representing. The point of this flyer is to point out the desensitization games can have on people. We tend to forget that real soldiers don’t get a respawn point and they are not fighting in the comfort of their own home on a television screen.
My second flyer has an image from the popular game Halo. Above the image reads, “Odysseus invented legendary mode.” Here I am trying to draw a connection between the epic stories and heroes which are present in videogames today and those in classic legends such as The Odyssey. Even in ancient times people were dazzled by fantastical stories of mighty men who accomplished impossible feats. Odysseus conquered numerous beasts and obstacles in his amazing tale just as Master Chief overcomes countless odds to save the world. Today we loved to be dazzled by impossible tales just like people thousands of years ago and this happens commonly in the medium of video games. By establishing this similarity between ancient epics and videogames I hope to make people stop and consider the evolution of videogames as a respectable form of storytelling. Videogames are the evolution of the spectacle today. In the past we were dazzled by amazing stories (we still are) and now we are able to interact and watch them.
The third flyer has a similar criticism to address. However, instead of addressing the amazing “spectacle”, it addresses the question of what should be considered a classic. In the flyer I have a picture of some old classical looking books and then among the stack is a copy of a videogame. Above reads, “Caught up on your classics?” By putting this game together with these respected books I am suggesting that games have the ability to be considered classics but why are they not? If they are evolving as a storytelling medium with dazzling, artful visuals, then why can’t they attain classic status? Videogames are a medium that take countless hours of work to create so when will they be respected and gain their own “classic” status? Perhaps this will cause people to stop and question the standards in place to judge what is or is not a “classic” piece of work.
Fourthly I have a flyer with a humorous edited picture of the Mona Lisa with Mario’s head replacing hers. The caption reads, “What is Art?” Since the beautiful paintings that have been created throughout time are regarded as “art” without debate, why aren’t videogames? They have amazing visuals that take painstaking skill and effort of countless artists, and yet they are considered the playthings of children and not an accomplishment worthy to be considered art. People need to see that videogames are an extension and evolution of art by the human race. We as a race have taken still images and learned how to create moving images which we can electronically control. This idea would have been ludicrous a hundred years ago but now it has become a reality. Despite this great technological accomplishment people are quick to dismiss games because society tells them they are frivolous. Trough this flyer I want people to question this biased standard of society.
The last flyer addresses videogames in a broad sense. It has a picture of a movie theater that says “arcade” in glowing neon lights and different game titles listed where movie titles would normally be. Underneath a simple question reads, “Entertainment Today?” (Not the magazine). In today’s society, if you asked someone what constitutes as “real” entertainment they probably would not reply by saying videogames. Acceptable answers would most likely include movies, books, sports, etc. However what is the distinguishing factor between these things and videogames? All of these things are just different forms of the “spectacle”. Each one is “dazzling” its audience with exciting new sights and ideas. If we find enjoyment from a trip to the movie theater then why can we not acknowledge that the same thing is to be gained from playing a game? The amount of entertainment to be found in videogames in today’s society is becoming more and more substantial and should be recognized as such.
In this Culture Jam experiment I hope to show people how videogames are pervading our society in a huge way which becomes larger everyday. Even though we refuse to acknowledge it on a general level, they are affecting our society everyday. Our children play them, countless adults play them, our bosses play them, our teachers play them, yet society as a whole refuses to accept them as a respectable medium. They recreate our battlefields with startling realism. They invent epic heroes that carry out grand adventures too fantastical for the real world which dazzle and delight. They tell intricate stories just like those stuck on the unmoving pages of a book. Visually they can be as magnificent and stunning as a painting, sculpture, or a movie. Videogames have become the evolution of art and entertainment in our world today and hopefully these pieces of propaganda will make people stop and think the next time they try and dismiss them as a silly child’s plaything.

Writing Assignment #2: Ghost in the Shell

The Ghost in the Shell is a very beautiful and thought provoking film which raises many questions, but I think one rises above the others in importance. That question specifically is, “What does it mean to be human?” Although this question may seem a broad unanswerable entity argued about through all of time, The Ghost in the Shell presents it in a new light which strikes a chord very close to home.
Throughout the entirety of the film many themes and issues are touched on but I want to focus particularly on the emotions and development of the major characters throughout the story. We see Major Kusanagi, Batou, Togusa, and the Puppet Master all evolve not only as characters but as actual beings. The transformation from their normal, although incredibly cool, lives to their new states of mind at the end of their journeys is monumental.
This movie sets itself in the not too distant future in a world where the line between humans and androids has become a very, very gray line indeed. Not only do androids that look like humans exist, but humans that are part android are just as common. The important distinction in the minds of the people in the story is that you are still human if your “ghost” was originally human. Throughout the story the term “ghost” most closely represents the mind or soul of an entity. While this setting is unique and interesting, I think its relevance is more impactful because the audience can see that the ideas present are not too far off from our own world. Also since the people and androids all look human, we can relate further and the question begins to arise, “what does it mean to be human?”

The main characters of the story look particularly human, despite their countless robotic enhancements. Major Kusanagi’s pervading female sexuality is frequently displayed to portray this gray link between android and human. By having very “human” characters who happen to be mostly machine, the audience is pushed to question the definition of humanity.
The story itself unfolds naturally to the audience without a narrator to guide its way. The viewer is left to piece together all of the events which build on each other. Although numerous things occur in the story some of the major “kernels” include scenes where people’s minds are being controlled directly by a terrorist, then that terrorist being revealed as an artificial intelligence which has become aware of himself, and now has a “ghost” just like a human would. These developments not only rock the viewer’s world, but they flip the major characters’ world upside down. All of these events unfold rather quickly concerning the passage of time, and they unfold in an orderly manner.
Some major themes raised throughout the movie are sexuality, homosexuality, humanity, justice, religion, and love, to name only a handful. Because of this broad range of very serious issues, I think that the particular audience The Ghost in the Shell is aiming for is a bit hard to pin down. It is obviously targeted more towards eastern culture than western culture given its origin as a foreign film but this in no way diminishes its relevance for all kinds of people. To give a very broad but relevant answer, this movie is directing itself at all of humanity.
All of these elements come together to form a tale which challenges that which we take for granted. It shakes the very essence of being able to say “I am human.” Specifically in the case of the Puppet Master we are asked to reform our definition of humanity. If an artificial intelligence can possess a mind and soul then what distinguishes it from a human? This is the exact dilemma that the characters of the story begin to face and the Major takes this concept even further at the story’s finale. This main question in the film is one that has very deep philosophical impact but it manages to break free of the archaic stereotypes we usually give philosophy by presenting it in a freakish world which is almost identical to our own. Are we human?

Song of fire and Ice

So i recently started a new series by George R.R. Martin. The series is called a Song of Fire and ice and i believe has three or four entries so far. I had always heard people recommend this series as an amazing achievement of fantasy. Like most things i take such grand statements with a full salt shaker. However, recently I ran into someone who once again claimed this series his favorite of all time. Intrigued by the growing track record of positive responses I suspended my suspicion momentarily. I then asked if these novels were so great what was the plot? He then unfolded a highly intriguing tale involving feudal families, a north and south continental divide, a wall similar to China's, a race forgotten for thousands of years, people living across the main lands over vast oceans, dragons, seasons that lasted not months, but lifetimes, and battles on a lord of the rings scale. Even more intrigued at this point i hurried to my nearest half price bookstore and picked up a copy for 3.98. I havent put it down since. For anyone interested in the credibility of George R.R. Martin, he has won numerous hugos, nebulas, and countless other awards. if you didnt register that last sentence then this probably isnt your cup of tea lol. Otherwise i encourage you to take a look asap. By the way the first book is called "A Game of Thrones".

Artifact selection

I have chosen video games as the pop culture artifact I will examine this semester. Whether we realize it or not video games pervade countless aspects of our society. While they may have started with simple roots in Pong, video games are now as commonplace as movies and books. Little children play on game consoles in their homes. Old people are playing Wii. Construction workers are playing WOW. The number of citizens who play games is astounding. Even if you claim that you don’t play video games you probably don’t realize that you actually are. Solitaire at work and those cheesy games at the bar count as video games. Our society has evolved the entertainment of a movie or book into a medium that draws on the qualities of both while most importantly being interactive. You cannot interact and make calculated decisions while reading a book (Choose Your Own Adventure does not count) or watching a movie but you are forced to interact and think with the story of a game. Games are the evolution of entertainment in our world today. While there are games of all types of complexity their ultimate goal is to delight their audience while forcing them to actively think and interact. I want to investigate and explore the effects video games have on our everyday society. I want to see how the influence of games has grown over time, how it is influencing now, and what it may bring in the future. Hopefully as the semester continues we all will be able to see how games are a beneficial medium and what its effects are.

5 things

My favorite movie is the Matrix. I like the matrix because not only is it an entertaining movie but the philosophical ideas and concepts dealt with are very thought provoking. It challenges the passivity of people today with an in your face metaphorical story. Musically my favorite artist is Eminem. Once again i appreciate his music because it is aesthetically catchy and pleasing but more importantly because of the clever and skillful way in which he mocks, dissects, and explores problems and issues in the world today. My favorite tv show right now would have to be It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. This show is flat out hilarious and uses many character stereotypes to tackle all kinds of entertaining political, social, a current issues. My favorite commerical off the top of my head would be the Cadbury eyebrow chocolate commercial. This commericail is very quirky and definitely challenges the norm. I like it because it succeeds in entertaing due to its complete wackiness and seemingly non existent connection between chocolate and eyebrows. In a way it is "jamming" our regular train of thought and turning our brains a different way. My favorite comic would have to be the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. This is a very abstract work in which we follow the adventures of the literal "king of dreams" or the "sandman". Personifying this mythical character provides for a very thought provoking read and makes one think outside the box. All of these things which i have chosen are very satirical items and their influence gains power from this. By commentating and investigating those things that are happening around us in a funny or thought provoking way these shows and books are helping us explore and learn.