Violent Video Games (Week 11)

I am doing my research essay on violent video games. At the present my research question is "What affect does violence in video games have on teenagers? Are there differences in the affect of video games on males and females?" This topic relates to the new media section of our class. Video games are a form of entertainment popular among children and teenagers and I think it's important to research what type of impact this popular source of entertainment has on them. 

The majority of the articles I've read have focused on the negative aspects of violent video games. They say that video games cause aggressive behavior (which, after a while, gets pretty repetitive and annoying). Other articles argue that it causes people to become desensitized to violence and they are less empathetic to their fellow humans. However there are some articles that point to a positive effect of playing violent video games; some video games improve a player's visuospatial cognition. I thought this was very interesting but there aren't a lot of articles on this subject. A meta-analysis made a point to say that most articles on the subject of violence in video games is biased. 

Based on the information I have presently I would say that video games have both negative and positive effects on the people who play them. While they can lead to increased aggression and desensitization to violence the same video games can also help people raise a player's visuospacial cognition. However I still need to research further into the subject to make a more informed decision. I'm curious to know more about the positive effects of violent video games and I have yet to read the gender-specific studies I have compiled. Will there be a difference in how violent video games effect female gamers? I have also found a handful or articles about players in other countries (Germany for example) and am unsure whether or not to include these in my research essay. What should I do? Any ideas are welcome! 

A Facebook Update In Real Life

Just a video I thought I'd share since our class was reading about Facebook and its privacy settings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvQcabZ1zrk

Apple iPhone 5 Advertisements

The advertisements I chose were both Apple advertisements. While one is for the iPhone 5c and the other is for the iPhone 5 both of the advertisements use similar methods to convince people to buy the products. In both advertisements people are shown using the Apple iPhone 5 or 5c to interact with other people. Even when a person is shown by themselves their mannerisms imply that they are interacting with another person even if that person is not shown onscreen or heard speaking to the person onscreen. Apple appeals to an international audience by showing people of all ethnicities and who speak different languages around the world using the iPhone to speak to their loved ones. By doing this and using people of all ages, languages and disabilities (in the Facetime ad there is a deaf person) Apple links the warmth and happiness of personal relationships to their product. Apple shows that its product can help people keep in touch with their loved ones even when those loved ones are far away. Apple is trying to sell the experience of having an iPhone so that consumers will buy the product.

When I saw these commercials I couldn't help but smile. Almost everyone in the commercials were smiling, laughing and enjoying themselves. Although the clips showed a person or group of people for five seconds at the most the person or group looked to be genuinely enjoying themselves. The simple instrumental arrangement that played in the background was soft and didn't distract from the images presented. Since I prefer soft instrumental pieces in commercials I must admit I was biased, but a fast-paced rock song would not have fit into the atmosphere of the commercial. While Apple is trying to sell the experience that comes with the iPhone I don't think that I actually need an iPhone. If need to speak with someone any old phone will do the job.

I think advertisements like these two serve to remind people what products really should do (apart from their actual function): help people connect with one another. With all the advancements of technology some times people forget to interact with each other and instead use the internet or other new products as a way to avoid people.

The Rising of Popular Culture: A Historiographical Sketch

Popular culture never seemed particularly interesting or important to me. It wasn't that I wasn't aware of it, but I didn't think it influenced the world so much and encompassed such a wide variety of things (sports, logos, etc.). However, once class started I did gain an appreciation of popular culture. Although I might not like or agree with some aspects of popular culture I do enjoy analyzing it.

The Rising of Popular Culture: A Historiographical Sketch provided a brief but concise overview of the rise and study of popular culture through the twentieth century. Robert G. Toll's section on minstrel shows provided a fresh look at a form of contemporary entertainment. He described the "racist appeal and its role in shaping white audience members' misunderstandings of black life" (The Rising of Popular Culture: A Historiographical Sketch 12). Toll showed how a form of entertainment popular among the masses could shape their misconceptions of a group of people and reinforce values already present in their society. It was interesting to learn that there were even black actors taking part in minstrel shows.

I particularly enjoyed near the end of the reading where David Suisman described the paradoxical nature of the music industry. The music industry "could not create a market... without the active approval and participation of consumers." (The Rising of Popular Culture: A Historiographical Sketch 13) I agree with his conclusion as popular culture can be created and contributed to by the general public. Without the public's participation popular culture would wane and might return to the traditional definition of "culture" (the classical literature and arts).