mdst_110 / 2007_fall / week_5

warioware, inc.: mega microgame$!: the ultimate video game?

agenda

• discussion: identity online
• storyboarding and web design
• group work on projects
• for next week

keywords

change agent; guanxi; machinima; mashup; tipping point

questions from lecture

1. what kind of dangers do you see in our immersion into the simulated world, whether it is video games/vr or the social networking aspect of it?
2. dvd rip to create original mashup... bad call or smooth move?

questions from readings

sherry turkle, "video games and holding power"

1. how similar is 1980s video game culture to today's social networking culture?
2. do you play video games for access to narratives or access to personae? what are the advantages and disadvantages to the "story" aspect of a video game?
3. how has video game culture evolved since the article was written? how could the movement of video games from a public arcade to one's home have changed why/how people play them? how has the integration of the internet and other forms of media with home video game systems altered the distinction between the "real" and "game" worlds that some of those interviewed for the article discuss?

"the case of johnnie lockett thomas"

1. what did you originally picture thomas to look like? [male/female, old/young, race, clothing, etc.]? what do you think once thomas's appearance was slowly divulged as the reading continued?
2. beyond your garden variety homeland security applications, what other forms of digital surveillance exist in everyday life?
3. does the case of johnnie lockett thomas suggest that digital surveillance is more robust, as robust, or less robust than our worst fears might lead us to believe?

danah boyd, "social network sites: public, private, or what?"

1. does the internet really mirror and magnify ALL aspects of social life?
2. how have the four characteristics of mediated public space (persistence, searchability, replicability, invisible audiences) influenced the way people interact on social networking sites?
3. boyd states that on social networking sites, parents, teachers, bosses, and other authorities hold power over users. but do these authorities hold more power over users, or do peers/fellow users actually hold more power?
4. should responsible educators in the field of media studies be active contributors to social networking sites? and, to quote boyd, "technically, I (your teacher) have access to your profile. should I, or should I not look at it? (why or why not?)"