Cheung Ming Wai, SID 10613603, Blog Post 2

The central argument of this essay was the relationship between games and the people. Watkins, S. C., suggested that people using technology to interact with others in the digital age. People might build a positive relationship to social communities through playing games. Playing different games such as video games or some online games would enhance the relationships with friends. They might face to face to play with each other.

Playing games not only bring negative expressions but also positive expressions to the public. I think people might play video game and online game together in their free time. Playing digital games were convenient in the city life because people could play together in indoor. For example, people went to their friend home and played video games together. With video games, people had more common gambit in order to enhance their communication skills.

I totally agree with the author pointed of view. I think the social networking sites such as Facebook is not only help me to make more new friends but also help me to get in touch with my old friends. With the social net- working sites, people could have more chance to get communicate with friends. For me, I played some Facebook games because my friends were playing those online games such as Happy Farm. The games were the bridge to make me closer to my friends. Games were important in my social life. Some of my friends might play those online games face to face. We always talked about games. Games were a part of our friendships.

However, it would bring another problem. Playing games may narrow the communication scope. For example, people may focus on the game issues to their friends. Therefore, they may talk other topic less such as academic, career to others. I agree that playing digital games are benefit in social life. However, people should not addict in games. They should not rely on games to build positive relationship to others. On the other hand, with social networking, people may rely on new technology. Therefore, they might have fewer chance to face to face to communicate to others. It might decrease their communication skills in the long run.

Blog post 2 Student name: Wong Ho Yin SID: 10555468

Student name: Wong Ho Yin  SID: 10555468

Marwick, A. & boyd, d. (2011). To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 17(2), 139–158.

 In this article, the writer research a social network platform of twitter how to become a celebrity to maintain or build relationship for public audience, their fans or increase concern members such as media worker to outstand a exposure. In the wrier view, twitter is the apparently one of the media in network to change the celebrity images, gossip discussion and celebrity production. Moreover, the culture of the celebrity begins on the network to communicate with the fans or express the stance of the activities. In the twitter and method, research discovers the twitter can allow people post 140-character updates. The twitter style shows every user has their own group of “followers”. The twitter as a broadcast medium, however the dialogic culture and ability of the twitter has contributed substantially to its popularity. The purposes of twitter become a celebrity important medium, it should be about public recognition, fan maintenance, affiliation and intimacy. Some celebrity of the political character such as the president of United States America Obama is the twitter user to express his new policy or share his situation.

  In my view, there is no doubt that of twitter is one of the social platforms to affect or change the communication of the public and user. Therefore, I agree the writer the research of celebrity of the twitter. The communication of the twitter is very unique. It is the main reason of the celebrity chooses twitter to announce their latest situation or express the view and so on. Moreover, the management of their personal twitter is indispensable. The function of the network is the affiliation. It means that celebrities need to use network do interaction for their followers each other. Otherwise, the effective of celebrity in the twitter is very short. Meanwhile, If I use the twitter to show my photos and article. I am a production of the trend and some topics. Therefore, it is not only for the celebrity to make more popular, but also common users can become a celebrity in the network. At last, there are question of the twitter. Everyone can become a user or celebrity in the twitter. If some crime people use a twitter to call out or incite illegal behavior. Worst of all the termism, it seems there is a dangerous network or expose the conditional policy. At the same time to consider the positive of the celebrity, we need to think the bad impact in the network. Do you think we need to concern the bad impact of the twitter?

LI Ming Tak Kearny, SID: 10614044, Blog Post 2.

Gaming to change the world? An Extend of Gaming Consumption.

Gaming in a sense, is a necessary devil. The shifting forms of gaming consumption consequently leading to an up-raise level of complexity, largely extended practicality and induced level of mobility as well as the improvement of imbalanced gender coverage.

In comparison to the last decades. Gamers are usually young males, as the overall gaming community can be considered as “build by man; build for man”. In other words, it is a male oriented community. And female can often be “excluded” and “unrelated”. However, there are female figures emerging lately. Sees female oriented games emerged to the market; feministic elements were introduced to the gaming community. Greatly extended the gender coverage, and the imbalanced gender gaming consumption. Such facts echoing Watkins (2009) discusses, gamers nowadays are not only young men.

With the introduction of smartphones, mobile gaming transcended the means consumption of gaming to another level. Pushed the consuming condition from in-door only to out-door everywhere and anywhere. Completely altered the mode of how we play games. “Pokemon Go” is one of the greatest examples, this is essentially a “shot in the dark” conceptual game from Nintendo. But it is undeniably a smart way to brought in-door gamers outside, as this game require players to go out and explore, grouping up a community, creating the “social-lubricant” and “social-glue” that Watkins (2009) discusses. For gamers to extend and maintain their social web.

Gamers now like games which resembled reality. As it resemble things that were unable to accomplish in real life. But it is a bridge to the dream. Hence many simulation games – simulators emerge in the recent decades. The complexity of such simulators are so closely resemble reality, and can be certified to be used in training. A research [1] stated a racing simulator was introduced to real life racing drivers during their training. For instance, Formula one drivers uses simulated data to make improvement to their cars and its development; and acclimatization of new tracks and layouts. An online article [2] suggests real life pilot training simulator system is based on an existing flight simulator game. Such means of training greatly reduces the risk and cost of flight training.

The shifting consumption changed the overall gaming community. Gaming is no-longer “a waste of time” but practical meaningful parts of our life. It help us to gather around and keep our dream close and even making dream comes true. Why would we not just “use” game in a better way, utilize it and assemble the bridge to our dream? We can change our world by gaming, just do it.

Refereneces:

Watkins, S. C. (2009). We Play: The Allure of Social Games, Synthetic Worlds, and Second Lives. The Young and the Digital: What the Migration to Social-Network Sites, Games, and Anytime, Anywhere Media Means for Our Future. Boston: Beacon Press.

[1] http://articles.sae.org/12760/

[2] https://flyawaysimulation.com/news/4699/

Wang XiaoLin,Blog post 2

Name: Wang XiaoLin

ID:20034584

The central argument of The Young and the Digital will certainly resonate with fan studies scholars: Watkins challenges the idea that increasing use of social media leads to social isolation. Instead, he argues, teenagers and college-age adults go online to maintain existing relationships with their peers. A multiyear study of social media use among young people provides compelling evidence to back up Watkins's claim. Indeed, Watkins's vivid description and analysis of research participants' social media usage constitutes one of the most successful aspects of The Young and the Digital.

For the game as a participate in social life. I agree with the results of the survey, that social networking is less about making new friends and more about communicating more effectively with established friends and acquaintances. I always play games with my friends, I often play multiplayer games, such as the Fire Shadow we through the PlayStation platform with my friends and talk to them, video game is a way let us become strong. Not only make the closed with my friends, but also some schoolmates do not contact, we are closing the gap through the game because we are interested in the Fire shadow. We can know each other in PlayStation platform game state.

People can through the gaming to get a new friend.  Because of the game some people will become to the good friends, but in fact they just in order to the game and become to the good friend. That is a benefit, not true friend. Nowadays some people are can't believable, so the gaming can get new friends is good or not?

Hui Kam Yam, Paul (10615697) Blog 2

Blog 2

It is pointed out that teenagers in previous years prefer playing online games rather than watching television, especially men. Apparently, not only have the quality of TV programs been dramatically declining, but also habitus have changed because the technology is fast-growing.

Social games in computer (online games) become prevalent since social games provide an instant and convenient platform for those players to communicate and interact. The platform assembles a large group of people from all around the world and no matter what genders, races or occupations you are, you are welcome to join into this synthetic world. This kind of convergent culture creates its own community, economic value, social value as well as entertaining function. Compare to just passively watch television at home, playing games online requires players to actively accomplish missions or build up their social networking. Watkin (2009) said MMORPGs, such as World of Warcraft, people spend a lot of time on playing social games with “virtual friends” would probably cause social isolation in real life that get along with people. I agree most of his views since it accurately reflects a common social phenomena that youngsters are over addicted to play social games or being captivated by the virtual world. On the other hand, it also plays an important role in educating people, learning something new and making new friends.

Moreover, an interesting viewpoint is carried out by Watkin (2009) that playing MMORPG, the character, behaviours that players have could be a sort of self-representation and it helps people in some way. There are no restrictions that men can only create male characters, but female characters are allowed. Gender stereotypes or discriminations do not exist anymore in this virtual world since players are free to do anything they want.

However, is playing games online in computer still popular in recent years? In my investigations, many of companies which run online games have already shut down in recent years and the consoles games, such as will, ps3 are not good in selling. This is because all of them are being replaced by mobile social games gradually. The function and value of mobile phone are more stronger than playing games online in the computer. Therefore, I would conclude the phenomena as “survival of the fittest”.

No. of words: 378

Reference:

1. Marwick, A. & boyd, d. (2011). To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 17(2), 139–158.

Lee Hei Long SID:10615625 Blog post 2

  In response to one of the chapter in Watkins book written in 2009 titled “The Allure of Social Games, Synthetic Worlds, and Second Lives”. We can first take a look the central arguments made by Watkins in the chapter first. Watkins first put forwards his view over the rise of new media practice among youngsters and the whole society. He stated the situation of youngsters that shift from TV users to the multitasking usage with different media content and the gaming world. The more important thing that he wanted to showcase is that the positive side of gaming that brought to the social life of youngsters. He simply explained that playing multiplayer or opened world game can help to strengthen the relationship between existing friends and family members. Moreover, even got the chance to make new friends from the gaming experience and related discussion. He also uses many case studies and research from scholar to prove his claim like the cases from Curtis.

  To a very large extent, I agree with Watkins point made in this chapter. Because the case can also applied to myself as a casual gamer. I use to play video games everyday at night with my friends. As technology of the gaming system is more advanced nowadays. Through cooperating real time in game, we can communicate and live chat with each other inside the gaming system. This act not only can strengthen the relationship with my friends. This act can also bring more new friends to me since each of us may bring new friends to join the daily chat. The arguments by Watkins were important to the society is because it can help to refute many of the criticism towards gaming. Now people can found out more of the positive side from the gaming world. In fact, there was a lot of gaming live stream and broadcast discussion online that can prove Watkins points. For example the gaming discussion take place in the online forum like www.uwants.com. We can see many social interactions toke place in the gaming discussion part. People will even meet up online in game and play together. This will definitely enhance the social interaction towards our daily life. We have talked a lot of positive sides from gaming in this blog. 

  Yet, a question still remains on my mind. Will it be over emphasis in the virtual friendship nowadays? Is it really a healthy situation for us?

LI Hung Yiu, SID: 10616466, Blog Post 2

Critical Blog Post 2:-

Marwick, A. & boyd, d. (2011). To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 17(2), 139–158.

The use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube by celebrities to communicate with their fan bases is becoming an increasingly widespread practice. Rather than previously having to go through the filters of their management or news media, celebrities can instead now speak directly and immediately to their fans and online followers, seemingly allowing revealing glimpses into their everyday lives, and potentially appearing more within reach than before. For some celebrities, their skillful use of social media can result in large responses from their online audiences .In some of these instances, the example of Lady Gaga and her activist efforts that engage large amounts of her online fans, these responses can often involve explicit and direct action, rather than simple ‘re-tweets’, or ‘likes’ (which, it could be argued, can still possess a fair degree of importance generally with regard to making people aware of causes). In an age where ‘likes’ and ‘re-tweets’ are very often the currency of activity and are somewhat easy to perform.

There’s video resulted in fans recording them phoning their own senators (some of whom had never contacted them before, or even knew who they were), urging friends and neighbors to also phone and leave messages, and then placing the videos on Twitter and YouTube, in an effort to reach a wider audience. Other fans posted video responses to these (Re-tweet), and they were all then collated in an official playlist by Gaga, with another message thanking her fans and urging them to keep inspiring others to also call their senators.

This example demonstrates how powerful and meaningful the reach of celebrity/fan activism through social media can be, when both parties work together as partners through these platforms towards an activist cause. In sum, this skilled use of social media by celebrities such as Lady Gaga to engage their fans and followers in activism is working to reshape our traditional understandings of the possibilities of engagement and action. Communication and motivation are now able to flow directly and horizontally between celebrity and fans, rather than through the filtered and vertical, primarily top-down manner evident pre-social media.  Finally, and most significantly, it is through this process that some fans can be given a strong insight into the potential change they can make as citizens, and instigate their vital and empowering first connections to political and public figures.

Anyway, I was really enjoy the interactive with my idol in twitter, do you?

Reference:

To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter

http://www.tiara.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/marwick_boyd_to_see_and_be_seen.pdf