Future of Gaming

Every time I log onto the internet I am greeted by a pop-up trying to sell me something. The majority of the time I just close them out. Thanks, but no thanks, I’m not interested. But once in a while I come across a pop-up that peaks my interest and I’ll actually read it – or play it.
Today I was logging onto the internet and a pop-up come on my screen and it had a mini-golf game. Of course I played a little bit and thought what a clever way to get people to actually look at your pop up instead of instantly closing it out.
As the first generation of Americans that grew up with video games are now reaching their late 20’s and early 30’s and gradually accumulate more disposable income, I think we’ll see more companies finding creative ways to reach this prime demographic. And one way to do this is to use video games.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing insurance companies, investment firms, and auto makers incorporating video games into part of the marketing campaigns for younger Americans. It only makes sense that these companies find a common ground to meet their consumers at. Whether it’s a basic pop-up or a more advanced game kiosk at your local auto dealer or a direct mailing of a game for your home computer, I can see companies turning to games to help reach this age group.
Who knows for sure what the future for gaming
holds, but one thing is for sure, the first company to figure out how to effectively incorporate gaming into their marketing plan will have a direct path at the 19-34 key demographic.

"DOOM"-ed

I think in recent years video games have become a scapegoat for the lack of parental involvement with their children, especially dealing with issues of violence and anger management. The easy solution is to blame video games and the desensitizing effect they have on young, developing minds. But the real problem is the lack of parental involvment and supervision.
I understand the addicting power of video games and how the effects of constant exposure to violence and death, but in the end these games are only just games – a fantasy, fictional playground. Unfortunately, constant exposure to this fantasy wonderland can start to blur the line between fiction and reality. This is where the parents need to step in.
Parents need to be more involved in their children’s activities and teach their kids what is acceptable behavior and what isn’t. Just because you see violence in a game or a movie doesn’t mean that it is acceptable behavior. But when kids are spending hours a day entranced in video games, they are reinforcing these ideas that violence is acceptable.
I don’t see anything wrong with playing video games as long as kids can differentiate fiction and reality. And the compass guiding their decision making process is the parents.

Can Open Source Technology Aid Democracy?

Open Source Technology is democracy at its roots. I think the open source technology only aids democracy because it provides a more convenient forum for all citizens to gather and express their views on politics.
Just as the advent of television changed politics, I think the open source technology will have a similar impact. Maybe not as impressive as television, but the power of open source technology is definitely a force to be recognized.
The 2004 presidential election saw press credentials disturbed to bloggers covering the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. And both candidates acknowledged the influence of the internet on their campaigns as both parties had official blogs. Enid Burns reports in the story “Political Blogs A Presidential Election Force” posted on May 16, 2005 that, “The Republican side generated 955 messages between blogs and press materials, while Kerry's campaign issued 835 messages. Media coverage across 16 major media Web sites was also monitored.”
Open source politics offers a level of interaction in the political process that we’ve never had before. Instead of waiting for the nightly news report or the morning paper, citizens can blog about their views or visit blogs of the candidates. Citizens can also meet in open sources with other citizens to discuss views and share opinions. I will be very curious to see the influence of open source politics in the next presidential election.

Pitfall and Asteroids

I clearly remember playing our first Atari and thinking it was the greatest thing ever invented. Although the graphics are a fare cry from the games today, the concept of playing video games in your own house instead of traveling to the arcade with a pocket full of quarters was a novel idea. I also remember being dumbfounded on the fact that my parents seemed so clueless on how to play the simple games like Asteroids and Pitfall. The games were easy for me to pick up and navigate, so why couldn’t they do the same?
The answer was the generation gap and the evolution of technology and culture. When my parents were kids they didn’t have video games, heck, they definitely didn’t have a television in their room. Just as people change over time, so does technology and it seems the rate at which change happens has increased over the past few years.
Take the internet for example. In the short time span it has existed, the internet has continually evolved and expanded its capabilities. We have seen the evolution from the Web 1.0 concept to the Web 2.0 concept.
I think the Web 2.0 concept is simply a result of the evolution of the internet and is merely a plateau in time and space as we continue to evolve to new and better capabilities. Taking a look at some of the changes from the Web 1.0 concept to Web 2.0 are pretty interesting.
Take the personal use of the internet in the Web 1.0 model. Personal websites were the rage in the Web 1.0 model. This was the first time people could carve out their very own plot in cyberspace where they could list their interests, possibly include photos and links to their favorite sites. As the Web 1.0 concept evolved to Web 2.0 we see that personal websites gained a more interactive perspective. Instead of users simply stating their interests, they now participate in blogging and have a hand in the flow and distribution of information on the internet. The “blogoshpere” was born.
I think the concept of Web 2.0 is a legitimate claim, and not just a corporate buzzword. There are visible difference between the Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 that justify this, such as the change in the personal use of the internet. I think the concepts of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 will become more evident as we move forward to Web 3.0 and start to realize all the advances that we have made. Web 3.0 will further push the envelope of interaction as the users roll evolves from passive to participatory in terms of the producing and distributing news and information on the internet.

“What it’s Like to be an Astronaut”

Space Camp was one of my favorite movies growing up because it touched upon all the elements of what makes childhood so innocent. The movie had the fantasy aspect of kids traveling to space as well as the happy ending. After watching Space Camp, myself, probably like many other kids, also wanted to go to Space Camp. But, without the aid of the internet the only way I could get more information about Space Camp was to write a letter and wait for a response.
Well, a lot has changed since then and now when kids, adults, anyone, wants answers they turn to the aid of the internet and the many users to help them remedy their questions through online collaboration.
One of the sites I stumbled upon while researching online collaboration is a great education website that helps students answer questions they have related to school projects. The first question proposed on the website
asked, “What it’s Like to be an Astronaut?”
I think education is one of the great benefactors of online collaboration. Just look at me, I’m taking an online class at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT where we are studying the Introduction to Interactive Communications. The class is run through an online blackboard that hosts a discussion board where the students and professor discuss the topics of the week. This discussion board allows us a forum to express our opinions on course material and also to learn from other student’s experiences and views. Since many graduate students like me also have a full-time job, taking an online class is very convenient since we can complete the work on our own schedule.
In addition to the convenience factor of an online class, students who participate in online learning are also constantly being exposed to the latest technology and trends. I believe this is the greatest byproduct of taking an online class is the fact that you are not only learning the material of the class but you are also keeping up with new technology and maintaining your “media literacy” at the same time.

License, Registration and Blood Count

I guess it’s only ironic that the same week we are reading about surveillance for our class there is a front page story on the Hartford Courant involving a high-tech form of surveillance that many people don’t even know exists – of, course, until you read this article.
Courant Staff Writer Tracy Gordon Fox reports that a 45-year-old Suffield, CT woman was pulled over by inspectors from the state Department of Motor Vehicles because she had set off a nuclear radioactive alarm. The alarm that the woman had set off is only the size of a pager and is designed to detect hazardous materials that are being transported inside large trucks. The woman set off the alarm because she had a radioactive substance in her bloodstream from a common medical test.
After reading this story I couldn’t help but think what type of other devices are law enforcement using to keep surveillance on the general public. We’re all aware of the video cameras at stores, restaurants, banks and ATM’s, but what else is out there? And how much privacy do we really have?
I understand that the devices are meant to help protect the public by stopping large trucks that are transporting radioactive material, but it just makes you wonder what other devices are being used. I guess it’s just a reflection of the times that we live in and the fact that we have to give up a little bit of our privacy to secure our safety and I think most people are ok with this. However, I can see where someone could feel slightly violated because they were pulled over due to something in their bloodstream.

MySpace, Our Problem

The internet is a wonderful communication tool that can bring people from different ages, races and locations together. This is the positive feature of the internet, but it is also the negative.
As much as we as a society have taken a step forward with all the advancements of technology, we have also taken a step back as information sharing sites like myspace.com bring light to problems that have existed for many years.
The Hartford Courant reported on Friday, March 3 that Federal law enforcement officials arrested two out-of-state men who allegedly had sexual contact with two young girls from Connecticut that they met on myspace.com. The Courant reports the two men were considerably older than their targets. One man who is 39, is accused of traveling all the way from Elrama, Pa to have sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl. The other man, 22, from Queens, NY is reported to have had sexual contact with an 11-year-old girl.
These cases of older men preying on younger children – not just girls – seem to be popping up more and more in the media. I remember an investigative piece by one of the major national networks last year that did an undercover operation to nab sexual predators in their track. The piece repeatedly showed numerous men appearing at this same house to meet a juvenile and were quite shocked when they found out they had been set up.
These recent stories shed light on the problem of sexual predators and how the internet is making it easier for them to target their victims. Authorities are trying to counter this problem by running undercover operations and monitoring sites like myspace.com, but they can’t be everywhere.
I think this is a problem that will only continue to get worse until parents take a more active role in monitoring and educating their children about the dangers of the internet.