NOTE: For an optimum viewing experience, please click on the images to view.
1000 word written report:
We have been set a project to write a report on video games that must be 1000 words long (how ever we are allowed a 10% extra/under word boundary.)
Having touched on this topic of video games during my A-level Media Studies lessons and finding it incredibly interesting, I have decided to choose a 'Society and Culture' theme for my written report.
After creating a mind-map of possible questions, I chose to discuss the effects video games have on society.
Columbine Massacre documentary - sums up what happened:
Do video games make a person violent? - Links to Columbine Massacre
A news report to suggest that video games are not the reason for violent behaviour, mental health issues and a bad home-life are:
This television news broadcast fits well into US General's report that school shootings centre on mental stability and home-life, rather than media exposure.
Video game addiction - is it a good or bad thing?
-------------------------------------------------------
In this lesson, I had to write about certain emotions I get when playing a certain game. I chose to think about a game that I had played longest in my 'gaming history' - the world's most popular free MMORPG "RuneScape".
Our task was to think about the game 'start to finish', different paths you can take, and the emotions you feel whilst taking these pathways.
Start ->
Player has to choose their character design ->
Player has to follow a tutorial on how to play RuneScape ->
- this feature made me excited due to the variety of clothing and character themes e.g. woodcutter, runecrafter, miner, etc.
Your decision what to do ->
a) Quests
- feelings of boredom, due to the quest length e.g. Desert Treasure lasted hours
- feelings of excitement, due to the reward at the end of the quest e.g. dragon piece
b) Combat: PvM or PvP
- feelings of excitement and happiness, due to drop rewards or combat level-ups
- feelings of sadness, anxious, due to the potential loss of your weaponry if you die
c) Skilling
- feelings of boredom, due to the slow experience rates per hour for training skills
- feelings of happiness, due to finding the game fun when levelling-up
->
Leading to the outcome/'end' of the game - desired goal fulfilled, e.g. money goal reached, a level 99/skill cape, or certain total level
- feelings of fulfilment
- feelings of happiness
- feelings of relief
For homework, we were asked to write up these feelings into a paragraph:
As I scrolled through various customisable features - gender, outfits and possible player names, that oh-so-familiar feeling of playing a new game began to set in.
What way should I go?
What path should I take? Quester, PvP, PvM or skilling? All of them?
Each choice I made breathed an air of exhilaration.
Each drop, each level-up, each quest complete bought feelings of fulfillment.
The freedom to roam and choose my own objectives accross a virtual world made each experience different to the last, and for that reason I didn't want to stop playing.
After five years, each time I log into the game, I still feel that same feeling of excitement as I did when I first started playing, many memories ago.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In this lesson, we were introduced to a French individual whose work bought together literary criticism, sociology and philosophy on subjects such as games, namely, Robert Caillois. Caillois' intention was to work towards a systematic classification of games.
Fundamental categories set out by Caillois:
Caillois defines two 'attitudes of play':
Paedia - describes a 'power of improvisation and joy'
Ludus - describes the rule-bound nature of games
Definitions of games:
Agon (a conflict between main characters) - This is a category of competitive games, based on rivalry.
Alea (chance) - These are games of chance. Examples of such games include dominoes and backgammon.
Mimicry (imitation of other people) - Mimicry games only have one rule - the player must 'fascinate the spectator' and not fall into a behaviour that will break the spell.
Ilinx (vertigo) - Games in which the player deliberately brings on a sense of vertigo - where they attempt to momentarily destory the stability of perception and inflict a kind of panic upon the mind.
For homework, we have been asked to write up around 20 lines, arguing against Caillois' statement:
As an avid gamer, one would query upon what evidential basis Robert Caillois holds that would allow him to construe such a notion to suggest that playing games is a waste of time, skill and energy. As there appears to be a wide variety of factors to suggest otherwise.
One can infer that Jane McGonigal's research and recognition of games such as 'World of Warcraft' giving players an incentive to learn the habits of heroes, might infact allow us to harness this game power to solve real-world problems. Therefore, this research reflects how Caillois may have been wrong in making the statement that gaming is a waste of energy.
One can reinforce Caillois' inaccuracy in stating gaming is a waste, through taking note of many industries such as the military, healthcare and scientific exploration's use of "serious games". As it appears apparent that "serious games"' educational purposes constitutes to an essential element of human development through allowing the user to stretch their practices in tactical-decision making. For instance, during the 19th century, the military's use of the video game 'Kriegsspiel' reminds us that playing games is not a waste of skill, but a way of gaining skill instead.
Furthermore, one can argue against Caillois' statement with a quote taken from Confucius - "find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life" - with many job positions opening across the gaming industry, such as players gaining 'Machinima' contracts, 'YouTube' partnerships or becoming play-testers, it is arguable that when combined with Confucius' quote, work can in fact be 'play' and capital can be accrued from playing games.
To conclude, with technological advancements running alongside to social development, Caillois' statement that playing games is a waste is entirely debatable in today's modern society.
1000 word written report:
We have been set a project to write a report on video games that must be 1000 words long (how ever we are allowed a 10% extra/under word boundary.)
Having touched on this topic of video games during my A-level Media Studies lessons and finding it incredibly interesting, I have decided to choose a 'Society and Culture' theme for my written report.
After creating a mind-map of possible questions, I chose to discuss the effects video games have on society.
Columbine Massacre documentary - sums up what happened:
Do video games make a person violent? - Links to Columbine Massacre
One can infer that the notion suggested by in the Anderson and Bush report may hold some accuracy upon analysis of the Columbine Massacre of 1999, in which lawyers stated that had the murderers involvement in extremely violent video games been absent “these murders and this massacre would not have occurred."
A news report to suggest that video games are not the reason for violent behaviour, mental health issues and a bad home-life are:
This television news broadcast fits well into US General's report that school shootings centre on mental stability and home-life, rather than media exposure.
Video game addiction - is it a good or bad thing?
-------------------------------------------------------
In this lesson, I had to write about certain emotions I get when playing a certain game. I chose to think about a game that I had played longest in my 'gaming history' - the world's most popular free MMORPG "RuneScape".
Our task was to think about the game 'start to finish', different paths you can take, and the emotions you feel whilst taking these pathways.
Start ->
Player has to choose their character design ->
Player has to follow a tutorial on how to play RuneScape ->
- this feature made me excited due to the variety of clothing and character themes e.g. woodcutter, runecrafter, miner, etc.
Your decision what to do ->
a) Quests
- feelings of boredom, due to the quest length e.g. Desert Treasure lasted hours
- feelings of excitement, due to the reward at the end of the quest e.g. dragon piece
b) Combat: PvM or PvP
- feelings of excitement and happiness, due to drop rewards or combat level-ups
- feelings of sadness, anxious, due to the potential loss of your weaponry if you die
c) Skilling
- feelings of boredom, due to the slow experience rates per hour for training skills
- feelings of happiness, due to finding the game fun when levelling-up
->
Leading to the outcome/'end' of the game - desired goal fulfilled, e.g. money goal reached, a level 99/skill cape, or certain total level
- feelings of fulfilment
- feelings of happiness
- feelings of relief
For homework, we were asked to write up these feelings into a paragraph:
As I scrolled through various customisable features - gender, outfits and possible player names, that oh-so-familiar feeling of playing a new game began to set in.
What way should I go?
What path should I take? Quester, PvP, PvM or skilling? All of them?
Each choice I made breathed an air of exhilaration.
Each drop, each level-up, each quest complete bought feelings of fulfillment.
The freedom to roam and choose my own objectives accross a virtual world made each experience different to the last, and for that reason I didn't want to stop playing.
After five years, each time I log into the game, I still feel that same feeling of excitement as I did when I first started playing, many memories ago.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In this lesson, we were introduced to a French individual whose work bought together literary criticism, sociology and philosophy on subjects such as games, namely, Robert Caillois. Caillois' intention was to work towards a systematic classification of games.
Fundamental categories set out by Caillois:
Caillois defines two 'attitudes of play':
Paedia - describes a 'power of improvisation and joy'
Ludus - describes the rule-bound nature of games
Definitions of games:
Agon (a conflict between main characters) - This is a category of competitive games, based on rivalry.
Alea (chance) - These are games of chance. Examples of such games include dominoes and backgammon.
Mimicry (imitation of other people) - Mimicry games only have one rule - the player must 'fascinate the spectator' and not fall into a behaviour that will break the spell.
Ilinx (vertigo) - Games in which the player deliberately brings on a sense of vertigo - where they attempt to momentarily destory the stability of perception and inflict a kind of panic upon the mind.
For homework, we have been asked to write up around 20 lines, arguing against Caillois' statement:
As an avid gamer, one would query upon what evidential basis Robert Caillois holds that would allow him to construe such a notion to suggest that playing games is a waste of time, skill and energy. As there appears to be a wide variety of factors to suggest otherwise.
One can infer that Jane McGonigal's research and recognition of games such as 'World of Warcraft' giving players an incentive to learn the habits of heroes, might infact allow us to harness this game power to solve real-world problems. Therefore, this research reflects how Caillois may have been wrong in making the statement that gaming is a waste of energy.
One can reinforce Caillois' inaccuracy in stating gaming is a waste, through taking note of many industries such as the military, healthcare and scientific exploration's use of "serious games". As it appears apparent that "serious games"' educational purposes constitutes to an essential element of human development through allowing the user to stretch their practices in tactical-decision making. For instance, during the 19th century, the military's use of the video game 'Kriegsspiel' reminds us that playing games is not a waste of skill, but a way of gaining skill instead.
Furthermore, one can argue against Caillois' statement with a quote taken from Confucius - "find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life" - with many job positions opening across the gaming industry, such as players gaining 'Machinima' contracts, 'YouTube' partnerships or becoming play-testers, it is arguable that when combined with Confucius' quote, work can in fact be 'play' and capital can be accrued from playing games.
To conclude, with technological advancements running alongside to social development, Caillois' statement that playing games is a waste is entirely debatable in today's modern society.
