Wednesday 21 March 2012
Wednesday 7 March 2012
The Impact Of New Digital Media - Gaming
The impact of new digital media
Step One - Generating Topic Ideas for Individual Case Studies:
A study of the impact of new and digital media on
· Music promotion
· TV broadcasting
· Advertising
· Media and democracy
· The role of distributor
· The internet & social networking sites
· Role of media institutions
· The heavy up rise of smart phones
· How the gaming industry has evolved
Step Two: Identifying relevant theories/ issues & debates
Some well known theories/ issues and debates on the topic of new and digital media include:
· Web 2.0
· Hegemony
· Marxism
· Pluralism
· Cultural Imperialism
· Globalisation
· Post-colonialism
· Regulation and censorship
· Ownership
Step Three: Choosing individual topic area and relevant theorists
Possible ideas for case study
The impact of new and digital media on the internet
· How its easier to access
· The use of smart phones
· Different institutions owning websites eg. Google, twitter and YouTube
· Globalization “ alone together” by turkle
· Cultural imperlism – highest trends, explore people cultures
The impact of new digital media on how the gaming industry has evolved
· Technology being more efficient
· Competitors such as Microsoft Xbox and Sony ps3
· The use of online play
Theory | Source | By who |
Globalization | “Alone together” by turkle – although we use the internet independently, we are all alone together which many users across the world. | |
'A ship arrived from London, and here is the news it brought' A.Giddens | ||
Because of globalizations we all live in “global village” by Mc Luhan | ||
Web 2.0 | Information sharing, allows users to connect. “ second generation of the web, which enables people with no specialised technical knowledge to create their own websites, to self publish, create and upload." O Riley | |
“The medium is the message” the internet provides us with all this information, could be found in forums and educational websites | ||
Culture imperialism - | Cultural Imperialism theory states that western nations dominate the media around the world, which then affect the third world countries. The dominance of one culture’s media." Tolinson | |
Hegemony | This states that dominant groups in society maintain their dominance with the values and ideologies that they carry including the subordinate and working class people. | |
Telling the truth is always revolutionary – Gramsci 'Common sense is not something rigid and immobile, but is continually transforming itself' A given socio-historical moment is never homogeneous; on the contrary, it is rich in contradictions | ||
Pluralism | According to a pluralist model, power is exercised by the mass of production rather than a small elite group. A basic symmetry is seen to exist between media institutions and their audiences, since in McQuail's words the 'relationship is generally entered into voluntarily and on apparently equal terms'... and audiences are seen as capable of manipulating the media in an infinite variety of ways. A free and diverse media are an indispensable part of the democratic process. They provide the multiplicity of voices and opinions that informs the public, influences opinion, and engenders political debate. They promote the culture of dissent which any healthy democracy must have...If one voice becomes too powerful, this process is placed in jeopardy and democracy is damaged |
Sources that will be used for case study
· Playstation – free online
· Xbox – paid subscription
· Microsoft – online
· Games – call of duty
· Efficiency of products
· Online gaming & Future
· Institutions merging
· Use of applications – bbc I player
· Profit figures of institutions
Has new and digital media had an impact upon ownership and control of the media institution(s) involved in your case study area? Explain in detail any impact and what exactly has changed
New and digital media has not had an effect upon ownership and control of the media but has had an impact on the content of gaming institutions now; an example of this is through the institution that creates one of the top gaming consoles in the world Playstation. As of February 2nd 2012 they announced that 62 million units were sold and has not made a lot of profit since its November 2006 release. Only till June 2010 Sony announced that they were now making profit of each console they sold which brought their profit figures to £56 million. As new digital media is on the rise, institutions such as playstation have had to make alterations to their content on the playstation 3. Another competitor against Sony’s playstation is Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console, both Sony and Microsoft still continue to dominate the gaming industry but Microsoft seem to make more profit as in 2011 they saw an 57.6 million profit which is way more than Sony’s playstation. Another competitor against Sony and Microsoft is Nintendo Wii which has drastically proved itself in the gaming market as it is the leading company by earning 94.97 million as of December 2011.
With Nintendo dominating the gaming market, it also announces its see new gaming console which is the Nintendo wii u which is an upgrade from the Nintendo wii, this graph shows how many tweets were linked with the sales of Nintendo wii during the Christmas period which goes to show that the Nintendo wii was the best gaming console.
PICTURE
What impact has there been on the way in which the audience now consume the media products/ texts involved in your case study? How does it differ from what went before? Consider (SHEP)
There has been a huge impact on the way audience now consume media texts as the heavy up rise of smart phones has also threatened the gaming industry overall as vice president of glitch developer tiny speck Kakul Srivastava says that “mobile gaming platform is for the future” and also says “it is what is happening right now, I think the killer console is going to be your mobile device” this so far has seem to become true as smart phones such as Blackberry, Android and Apple have released a lot of games on their phones. Console makers have tried as much as possible to compete with mobile phones but might have to accept that there is no market left in portable gaming handhelds. Sony`s Playstation psp vita and Nintendo’s latest console 3ds both recorded as making a loss in its first week of release as psp vita only sold 72 thousand units where as Nintendo sold 4 million units
Both Xbox and the Ps3 have new feature which allows audience to consume different texts as both companies introduced additional feature to their consoles such as Xbox kinnect and playstation move. These are motion less controllers which allows gamers to interact with the games by moving around instead of sitting down and playing with a controller. Microsoft and Sony introduced this new feature to try to compete with the Nintendo Wii but have not been as successful as they thought. Audience`s now consume texts different and this has a strong correlation with the Nintendo wii, as this is dominating the gaming market, more and more people are using this console as a way of socialising with each other, the wii has also been branded as a “family” console. The huge difference is the content of the game available on the playstation and Xbox as they have a range of games from different genres however the Nintendo wii has games which involve gamers to move about instead of the traditional sitting behind a T.V screen.
What impact has there been on how the media institution now has to produce the texts and the way in which the texts/ products are distributed and exhibited? This should involve a detailed textual analysis of at least 3 texts to demonstrate the point.
There has been an impact on Sony and Microsoft in which way how consumers reach out to their products and how they are distributed. Last year in 2011, Sony was faced with controversy as the playstation had supposedly been hacked which had access to many playstation users credit card details and information. The network was closed down for a month which meant that no online gaming could possibly take place; this meant that Sony had to protect the network again and make sure that it was not easy to hack. Games are distributed amongst different retailers in the United Kingdom which means customers have to go and purchase these games from shops, recently best buy one of the U.Ks major technology supplier recently closed down as it couldn’t battle with its competitors such as game, gamestation, curry`s etc. Also with the heavy up rise of new digital media, consumers also purchase their games online so that it is delivered to their house the next day, by doing this they are saving their own time but also has an impact on retailers who are also suffering from the loss of profit.
“The global village” Mc Luhan who states that we are all in the age of a global village, in the sense this is very true as online gaming has developing and gamers can communicate with each other wherever they are across the world while they are sitting in the bedrooms playing games.
Institutions such as THQ have thought of new methods in order to produce games and distribute them to retailers, an example of this is through the new wrestling game that was released in November 2011. WWE 12 was available to pre – order which meant customers would be guaranteed a copy but by pre – ordering the game THQ was offering “The Rock” as a free character in the game where as if you were to purchase WWE 12 now you wouldn’t be able to play as The Rock.
Games who are a major retailer of games have many branches located across the United Kingdom which allow them to carry on selling games to many its customers. Games that have a high demand often have a midnight release such as Call of duty modern warfare 3, game was open at midnight so that customers have the chance to purchase their game, distributing games has been an important factor for institutions as they have to rely on retailers to sell their games,
Is the size of the audience any different now than before the impact of new and digital media (or has the pattern of usage changed)? E.G. consider for the impact of new and digital media on TV broadcasting the change in audience ratings for programmes as a consequence of the deregulation of TV. (Prior to deregulation audience figures could be 20m+ for Eastenders etc to a situation today where, due to the massive number of channels now available, audiences are vastly reduced and fragmented).
The size of audience has changed drastically due to the impact of new and digital media, as Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony`s Playstation offer a total different online gaming experience to its other competitor Nintendo Wii. Although Xbox users have to pay for their online subscription which is the “gold membership” which costs £39.99 for 12 months which entitles customers to a variety of features however users can also purchase 4 gold memberships for £69.99 which allows users to do a more variety of things such as online gaming, watch sky sports/movies, face to face chat, socialising, listening to last fm, unlimited music with zune pass, multiple Xbox live gold memberships
Who are the primary target audience now and has this changed? Who was it before and how do you know?
The primary target audience for gaming has changed drastically throughout the years as gaming is commonly stereotyped teenagers locked away in the bedrooms on their gaming console. The actually statically fact regarding target audience is really children from the age of 8 – 30. This has changed drastically as people in their 20`s still continue on to play console games on a daily basis however people over the age of 30 say the still own gaming consoles but hardly find the time to play them due to the size of family increasing or older people are getting married. However, this points has been proven wrong due to the fact of the Nintendo Wii being released and being strictly aimed at families which is a market that Nintendo have finally hit as it proves to show that they are dominated the gaming market by leaving Microsoft’s Xbox in 2nd place and leaving Sonys Playstation in 3rd.
How have the audience responded to the changes? Is there more customer choice? Is there evidence of a more pluralistic model? What evidence do you have to support this?
The audience of gaming overall has had a major respond to the changes due to the impact of new digital media. As there are 3 console which are dominating the market at the moment, mobile gaming has also come into play as many more smart phone users are using the games on their phone and gain entertainment out of this. Customer choice is only narrowed down to the 3 top gaming consoles which are available on the market at the moment which is Sony’s PS3, Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo Wii. Social networking sites such as facebook have joined up with gaming creators have created online games which allows consumers to play games and socialise at the same time. "The medium, or process, of our time - electric technology - is reshaping and restructuring patterns of social interdependence and every aspect of our personal life. It is forcing us to reconsider and re-evaluate practically, every thought, every reaction." McLuhan
What concerns/ considerations are there (if any) for the media institutions involved in your case study as a result of the impact of new and digital media? (e.g. deskilling or multi-skilling of the workforce/ decline in workforce etc)
There are some concerns for institutions who produce gaming consoles due to the rise of new digital media and how much of an impact it has had on the whole world overall. The heavy up rise of smart phones has also been considered by institutions due to the fact that smart phones are now 3g which means internet can be accessed from anywhere. The graphics on the games on the I phone are considered to be better then Sony’s playstation 1 & 2 which is a proper gaming console. A recent study results showed its findings suggest the UK's games industry workforce shrank by over 10% between 2008 and 2011, with 41% of the employees lost between 2009 and 2011 relocating overseas – mostly to Canada, where tax breaks have heavily subsidised the domestic games industry. Tiga has calculated that the loss of jobs in British games studios has seen the Exchequer receive nearly £100m less in tax revenues.
What are the political and social implications of the new technologies and the methods of their consumption? E.g. moral panics etc?
There are many political and social implications regarding the new technologies and consumers around the world have found new ways to consume there media texts. Due to the heavy up rise of smart phone, the social implications are that more and more people are able to play online games with each other on different platforms. Sony`s playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 allow users to connect to online and compete with other gamers online.
Gamers were introduced to the new world of online gaming which was more heavily advanced then the playstation 2 as wires were not needed to connect to the internet directly but could the Playstation could pick wireless networks. Online gaming has brought the world of gamers into community where people entertain themselves behind a screen and microphone earpiece. Gamers can now talk to each other while playing and this is due to new digital media, with the up rise of smart phones and hands free technology Sony were able to take this feature and add it to their product giving game users the best experience they possibly can have.
There are many political implications regarding the new technologies and the methods of their consumption as many third world countries are starting to be exposed to such technologies which have had a major impact on how news travels in some countries. An example of this was a year ago when Libya dictator Gaddafi was brutally murdered by his own people, as Libya is currently classified as a developing country people living in this country had smart phones and this is when the news travel that Gaddafi had been murdered. Camera phone pictures and videos were used by all major news institutions as proof that the leader was killed. Due to the impact of new digital media these people were able to capture these scenes and act as citizen journalists for their country and for the rest of the world.
Consider the effects so far, and possible effects in the future, on media institutions involved in your case study (media production).
Gaming institutions for the future have a lot of work to consider as the impact of new digital media has taken a rise over gaming consoles such as Nintendo 3ds and the Ps Vita. As mentioned earlier mobile phone games are taken over the rise, companies such as Apple, Android and Blackberry release their phone apps on their market. Although gaming on a whole is considered as social gaming, due to the online gaming which is available on the three top main consoles on the market it is also considered as social gaming. Major games such as FIFA, Modern warfare 3 etc have the better experience of social gaming, In comparison to mobile games which are a huge network where people can play online together from the use of their mobile phone.
Kakul Srivastava says that “mobile gaming platform is for the future” and also says “it is what is happening right now, I think the killer console is going to be your mobile device” this so far has seem to become true as smart phones such as Blackberry, Android and Apple have released a lot of games on their phones. Console makers have tried as much as possible to compete with mobile phones but might have to accept that there is no market left in portable gaming handhelds. Sony`s Playstation psp vita and Nintendo’s latest console 3ds both recorded as making a loss in its first week of release as psp vita only sold 72 thousand units where as Nintendo sold 4 million units
3d gaming is also being considered to a hit in the future and has already been seen in the last 2 years with releases of games such Gran Turismo 5, Killzone 3, Crysis 2 and Tron: Evolution. With the release of new 3d televisions hitting the market, the gaming market have seen this gap and have started to introduce 3d gaming which would require customers to wear 3D glasses.
What issues may there be regarding media effects and /or regulation/ censorship as a result of changes due to new and digital media?
There have been many issues regarding regulation and censorship due to impact of new digital media. In the U.K, The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), originally British Board of Film Censors is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films within the United Kingdom. It has a statutory requirement to classify videos, DVDs and some video games under the Video Recordings Act 2010.
However, recently there has been a new way method of classifying games in the U.K, The video standards council are responsible for this now as the BBFC was responsible as they used the same rating as they would use on films. The PEGI classification system which was a voluntary system is now funded by the government at the attempt to crack down on video game ratings overall.
PICTURE
Another example of censorship for video games which has been at the middle of controversy was linked with the Grand Theft Auto Series. When the release of Grand Theft Auto 4 was released, rockstar games had to edit a particular version for the Australian audience as the game was given the rating 15+ however everyone in the world wide had the full version which was rated at 18. This is due to the fact that Australia do not have a classification system where 18+ is mentioned. The edited version cut of out the fact that players could pick up prostitutes in the game.
Are there any cross-cultural factors and /or effects of globalisation involved in the impact of new technology on your case study? E.g. the internet has been said to be ‘globalising culture’ through its promotion of the English language
Globalisation has a huge effect on the gaming industry as from 2003 when online gaming was introduced on the PS2 it changed everything for gaming consoles. Although online gaming was accessible from PC games for console games this was a new generation. As the playstation 2 required an Ethernet cable enabling consumers to connect their internet to the phone wire to the playstation. The promotion of the English language can be used as globalising culture but for game creators they make options available for at least 12 languages. A prime example of this would be in the FIFA 12, the opening menu to the game asks gamers what language they would like to play in and have a range to choose from. By doing this, gamers are also embracing other cultures by choosing from their languages to play games in.
The impact of new technology has a huge impact on gamers, as people can play online and can talk communicate with each other, the dominant language that seems to be spoken online is English, although many gamers are online and speak different languages, the impact of new digital media has a huge impact on how consumers interact with texts and how they respond to these texts they see i.e games such as call of duty.
“The global village” Mc Luhan who states that we are all in the age of a global village, in the sense this is very true as online gaming has developing and gamers can communicate with each other wherever they are across the world while they are sitting in the bedrooms playing games.
Consider theoretical perspectives in relation to the impact of new/ digital media in your case study. E.g. Representation of certain groups as a result of changes, Marxism & Hegemony, Liberal Pluralism, colonialism, audience theories etc.
Plurist theory can also apply to gaming as the plurist theory states that it offers people the freedom of expression and many choices to choose from. For gaming this links in as they are many wide choices of games to chose from different audiences. Gamers are normally connoted as teenagers being locked up in there room with their glued to the television, but this can also lead to teenagers expressing their freedom of expression. However, this has a strong correlation with video game violence as many people victims of mass murdering as this also follows the copy cat theory as people only continue what they wish to do as they see this type of violence on the television or for in this case in video games.
Gerbner argues that the mass media cultivate attitudes and values which are already present in a culture: the media maintain and propagate these values amongst members of a culture, thus binding it together. This continues to be seen in television and in gaming as creators are influencing many young gamers with these theories behind there games.
Marxists view capitalist society as being one of class domination; the media are seen as part of an ideological arena in which various class views are fought out, although within the context of the dominance of certain classes.
Wednesday 16 November 2011
James Murdoch
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/blog/2011/nov/10/phone-hacking-james-murdoch-live
This article talks James Murdoch facing his trial with court as the metropolitan police keep questioning him regarding the phone hacking scandal. As this is an article produced by the gurdian they are more left wing in political matters which means that the gurdian are not being biased as they providing members of the public with the truth in comparison to the sun newspaper as it is owned by the murdoch family they claim that they are innocent. an article with the sun stating with their main headline "I didnt see the hacking either" which shows that they are being biased as they are trying to cover the truth which shows that they are biased. as murdoch owns the newspapers he is publishing material trying to convince people that he is innocent.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15660023
This article shows both sides of the arguments giving equal oppurtunites as the BBC are giving members of the public an option to decide what they would like to believe. this article heavily quotes on quotes made by MP Mr.Watson. the BBC are always portrayed as being a trusted realiable source.
This article talks James Murdoch facing his trial with court as the metropolitan police keep questioning him regarding the phone hacking scandal. As this is an article produced by the gurdian they are more left wing in political matters which means that the gurdian are not being biased as they providing members of the public with the truth in comparison to the sun newspaper as it is owned by the murdoch family they claim that they are innocent. an article with the sun stating with their main headline "I didnt see the hacking either" which shows that they are being biased as they are trying to cover the truth which shows that they are biased. as murdoch owns the newspapers he is publishing material trying to convince people that he is innocent.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15660023
This article shows both sides of the arguments giving equal oppurtunites as the BBC are giving members of the public an option to decide what they would like to believe. this article heavily quotes on quotes made by MP Mr.Watson. the BBC are always portrayed as being a trusted realiable source.
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