americanstudies334

LIVE-LAUGH-LOVE

[americanstudies334-blog]

pokemon

from the internet 

Tried my best :)

disclaimer I only copied a drawing I saw online for our mission.

The fandom I chose was pokemon. When I was growing up pokemon was a very popular fandom. Pokemon started off as a game, and slowly evolved to t.v. shows, movies, and also trading cards. The whole concept started with a pokemon trainder by the name of Ash and his trusty side kick Pikachu. Anyone who was growing up around that time knew of this dynamic duo and the fun adventures they would go on to try to collect all the different types of pokemon. It was fun to play the game on your gameboy and attempt to train all these pokmons you collected from venturing off as well as fighting different gym leaders. There was also villains that you were trying to avoid called "Team Rockets." They were always out to get Ash and pikachu. After playing the game as a child I would always watch the t.v. shoes and movies. Another alternative to play pokemon was by collecting the hundreds of cards with a different pokemon on each card with their different STATS. There were different editions, shiny cards, powers etc. with the cards, which made it really fun to collect. I remember having so many different shiny cards and places wanting to buy them for $50-$100 plus but being a huge fan I never gave them up. Playing the games, watching the t.v. shows, and movies made me feel like I was in a whole other world of training my different pokemons to fight battles and win. This was my second most favorite show and fad besides Sailor Moon as a child. Being able to collect the different characters was really fun to be because of the huge variety of pokemons there was. As a child having 50+ pokemons collected I felt like it was a huge accomplishment and the fact that my parents put pikachu on my gold hawaiian bracelet was the happiest moment in my life when I was 7. I felt playing this game gave me a sense of control of how I was able to play the game as well as the responsibility to make sure I took care of my pokemons.

Pokemon still exists today with a decent fandom but in my opinion it isnʻt as popular as it was when I was little. Also, the pokemons have changed compared to what they were back then. 

After drawing the characters I did not feel a closer connection with this fandom, I think it just reminded me of the good times I had as a child and how cute pikachu is!

[americanstudies334-blog]

oppa gangnam style

Gangnam style is a very popular song with a dance that relates to the song and dance with the harlem shake. Gangnam style originated from a South Korea by a man named Psy. His debut of this single was the first video that hit one billion views surpassing all other celebrities. The song itself was a neologism that referred to the lifestyle of the people of the Gangnam District of Seoul.The song and its video hit the world viral worldwide, and also received a place in the Guinness World Book of Records for the most liked video on youtube. It became a great phenomenon with its catchy tune and dance. It is very similar to all those other songs that have a catchy dance to it, (i.e. cupid shuffler, electric slide, etc). I believe the video became popular and went viral because anyone at any age was enjoying the tune and dance that went with it. If you were to youtube all the types of videos that were created you would see from little kids, to zombies, and to even a mother and son dancing to this catchy tune. I think the radio played it so much that even those who first thought of it as annoying grew to enjoy the tune as well as the neat dance that went with it. Because of the popularity of the video of all the interesting dance moved many people all around the world took part in this internet sensation. This video also received a few awards for it as well, giving more exposure to people, which made it become very popular. By the end of 2012 the song Gangnam Style topped more than 30 countries as the number one hit song as well as many different political leaders all knowing the song as well, but also the meme died. Eventually people grew tired and annoyed of the song and the song eventually was no longer played on the radio. There are still fans out in the world for this viral video, song, and dance but the popularity of this video has declined increasingly. 

i provided a link below for you guys to watch the video.

[americanstudies334-blog]

walden 2.0

So I decided to take a chance of this whole 24 hour no technology connection or use while on vacation on Maui during spring break. Basically, it was not to hard for me to lose all ties with technology since the household lacked any internet connection let alone CABLE! I literally could not believe the risk I took coming up there just so I could see my boyfriend, but I guess love makes you do crazy things.

Anyways,  my journey began of no technology, the morning my boyfriend left to work with my phone and I was stuck in a house with absolutely nothing to do. I tried really hard to just sleep the day away but it was hard because of the sun beaming through. I decided to eat. By the time I finished eating basically everything there was it was just only 1:00 p.m. I ended up taking a shower after eating all that food and forcing myself to try to take a nap. I ended finally being able to take a nice long relaxing bath when I realized how nice it is to actually have some peace and quiet for myself. I was able to just stare out into the beautiful view they had from their house and just reflect on a lot of things in life and actually take the time to appreciate the beauty of Maui. After 2 hours passed by I found myself slowly becoming agitated because although it was nice and quiet time was going by slowly. I did not know what else to do with myself before my boyfriend came home, and for some odd reason I felt like time went by a lot slower in Maui or maybe it is because I did not have T.V. or a cellphone to keep me occupied. By the time my boyfriend finally had made it home I was able to build a little fort with the pillows and invent weird snacks with all the household foods to occupy my time. I really do not know how people can live without social media, online games, or social networks but at the same time I never realized how dependent I was to all these different technology things. I think doing something like this really shows you different appreciation for different things.

[chris-amst334-deactivated201410]

On Friday’s class, we finished the video about video games and the military. I feel that it is a smart tactic that the military is using video games to attract new recruits. It’s good to see that the military is using technology to attract the new recruits because technology is something that...

[americanstudies334-blog]

I agree that the military is using technology to its advantage by the use of these centers were people can come and play military games, but they should find a median for the game especially if minors are exposed to this. I believe that although these military games arenʻt realistic compared to actual war the fact that people are exposed and possibly minors is something that should be regulated to an extent. We discussed that people worried that people who played this type of games would not really feel emotion and become disconnected when they play these type of games when it comes to certain circumstances. I strongly believe that these type of games can do that heavily to a lot of people who play, and the fact you stated that the military should find a in between the use of recruitment is very true!

[americanstudies334-blog]

oh yeah?

Stahl Militainmentʻs reading as well as this past Wednesdayʻs video showing were two items I wanted to write about first being the video we saw. I thought it was really interesting that military men who go to war and suffer with ppd are able to approach the situation in a different perspective, by the use of a virtual game. I really think that is awesome that this new technology resource is helping in a positive way. I couldnʻt imagine how hard it must be for someone to transition from being on the front line to being at home. Also another interesting thing I saw in the video were the drones I thought that was such an amazing new form of technology for the military to use. I think it is very interesting that these air pilots can go to war without actually having to go to war. Although they try to make the experience similar to as if they were at war I know those are two completely different experience and the people who are fighting with the use of drones will never feel the same type of experience as the people who are physically out on the front line but to just know these people can go to war and still engage in military activities but in a safer distance is something great. As for the reading I thought it was interesting how games that were designed for the military as stimulators can eventually be carry out for the rest of the population to play. I think it is very interesting that people who have no experience or knowledge of military life are able to engage in similar activities. I also thought that it was interesting that the military used these games as another form of recruitment when there was a need of recruiting soldiers. 

Overall the reading and the video were both very interesting to learn about, and the fact that video games or the concept of video games are actually use in the military is pretty cool.

[komoca2hi]

In class we watched a video about how much time and money people are using towards online video and computer games. I think that people are spending way too much time playing these games online. They should be outside doing something active or working. I use to play a lot of Madden and NBA on my…

[hayley-jane-hughes-deactivated2]

Never having grown up with video games I face a different dilemma with our generations video game addiction. Because so much of the youth’s time and money has been spent playing videogames there is so many pop culture references that go over my head. It wasn’t until this year that I realized the characters name was “Link” not “Zelda” and I am 21 years old for christ sake! I do agree that video games can be a waste of time and money but they also help bridge cultures and bring people together. That’s not to say that those things can’t be done outside of these virtual worlds, but it’s obvious video games aren’t going anywhere so it’s important to utilize them as a tool for communication and education. I guess Mcgonigal is getting to my head a little because I used to have the exact same opinion on videogames as you. It was so hard for me to imagine them as being beneficial tools but i’ve opened my mind and now I get it! 

[americanstudies334-blog]

I have to agree with you guys that video games arenʻt going anywhere. If anything the use of video games are progressing and are unlikely to be going anywhere so its better if we just go with it and use this new resource to our advantage. I believe that video games are beneficial in a sense people who play these games find people who share a common interest that makes it easier for them to communicate virtually versus in real life, and sometimes these virtual relationships can carry out to real life to. I believe that video games do have its down when it comes to having kids do the old fashion playing outside meeting other kids with extra curricular activities, but sometimes some kids just arenʻt in to that and use video games to their advantage and find joy in it and meet people in that way. Overall I do not feel that video games are a waste of time all the time it can be time consuming but there are many other things that do that. 

[americanstudies334-blog]

Billionaire U

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/billionaire-u-why-harvard-mints-200315236.html

"Havard has graduated some 52 billionaires, with a collective fortune of $205 billion, to lead Wealth-X's global list of universities ranked by alumni worth $1 billion or more. That's nearly twice as many as the No. 2 school, the University of Pennsylvania, which has 28 billionaire alumni worth a collective $112 billion." 

Its crazy that one University can produce this huge amount of successful billionaires. I was really amazed of all the net worth of the people who came out of this school. I think it is amazing how one school can produce that much people with such high incomes. Everyone in America knows about this particular University but I am sure that no one realized how much success came out of it.. People do not realize the biggest factor besides the excellent education this school provides is the major networks, and networking database this school has, which is why many of these people end up being so successful. I thought it was pretty interesting to learn about all these different top school and how they came to be the best schools out there, and to realize it was not only the education they provided but also the various amount of networking they provided for students as well. The fact people could start considering sending their children to this prestiges school because of the rate of successful outcomes just amazes me, I am sure every parents wants this type of successful high income and since statistically its been proven that this school does have a high risk of producing success many parents could start looking into sending their children there.

[americanstudies334-blog]

blogify the world

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/safrica-police-pistorius-detective-faces-065748063--oly.html

Recently there has been an ongoing investigation with Pistorious who was the first man to compete in the olympics with both legs removed, and used blades to substitute the lost of his legs to compete. On Valentineʻs day Pistorious was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend Steenkamp. She was pronounced dead on the scene after her boyfriend Pistorious shot the bathroom door that she was in 4 times. He is currently being convicted of premeditated murder, and recently according to this article the detective that is on his case has been charged for attempted murder, and apparently now the statements he made on the stand are being called into questioning due to the different circumstances that arose from everything he said at the stand. A lot of the information that he had provided as well as the evidence that was collected and recorded has now all been called into question due to the lack of protocol necessary for crime scenes. The fact that a detective that is currently trying to convict Pistorious of the same type of crime that he committed a few years ago is something I found baffling. How is it possible for a detective to prosecute and stand trial when he himself is still undergoing a similar conviction. I hope these isnʻt some scheme to help Oscar Pistorious find a loop hole around the murder of his gf due to all these lack of care in gathering evidence and also having a detective that shouldnʻt be on the case, which taints the whole case and lets Oscar go. I find it really sad that a man that once was seen as a legend and idol has 360 and became a murder. Whatever the situation was and circumstances on why he did what he did Oscar Pistorious needs to be brought to justice, and the Safrica police did to do a better job at putting together a strong case at him and not let minor things like these rise.

[tp-jsc-blog]

On the topic of the fairness of using money to buy virtual money for games, I think that it depends on the game. For example: I think that paying someone to level your WoW avatar up is unfair. However, I do think it’s fair to buy virtual currency in games that actually incorporate it. Although…

[amst334sp13-deactivated20160822]

+5 Media Literacy! +15 Critical Engagement!

[americanstudies334-blog]

I totally agree with you jake I believe depending on certain games using real money to purchase coins or items in online games are okay. Personally for myself I buy coins in certain apps on my phone to help enhance the look of my game. Many games that ask for you to purchase certain things do not necessarily make it unfair for other gamers in my opinion and these are the type of games I see no problem when it comes to purchasing whatever it is you want to. As for games like MWC or diablo for people to pay money in order to advance in the game or have better advantages when playing I believe that is unfair and clearly draws some form of questioning. Overall I do agree with the points you made about the use of real money to purchase virtual things, it really depends on the situation.

[americanstudies334-blog]

Pandora Radio

Pandora Radio station has become a growing media app as well as website. Pandora Radio provides users to a variety set of music, and easy access for two different ways to use their apps, and station. Pandora Radio was founded by Will Glaser, John Kraft, and Tim Westergren. The purpose of their creation was to bring different styles of music together to a predictable pattern. Pandora has grown tremendously, and now according to Wikipedia, "In July 2012, Pandora announced that their radio streaming service had 54.9 million users, which was a 48% increase from 37.1 million one year ago.”  Within one year the use of Pandora has increased and the fact that Pandora is very mobile has added to the reason of the increase in use. Pandora is easily accessed through mobile devices, computer, ipads, kindles, etc. The fact that people are able to access Pandora at the tips of their fingers is a huge factor in why the number in use has increased. Also the fact that people are able to use Pandora radio station without having to pay is also a huge factor in its popularity. I believe their target audience is not a specific group of people because of the huge selection in music they provide. There is music for children, teens, young adults, adults, and even the elderly. They provide a huge genre of selection in types of music as well. People are also able to give feedback on the songs played, and also purchase the song and album if they want to. Which I think is another form of marketing for the people in the music industry. This site does not allowed any illegal actions and provide another form of marketing for these artists, which makes it very easy for them to provide their new material and get feed back. The fact that people are able to access this radio station for free is I think a huge market for the use of this app. Although people are using these apps the company makes money by the use of adds. For the people who do not subscribe and do not buy an account they are required to listen to a series of different adds every 3 songs that go buy, which is where the company makes the money for the allowance of free music people are required to listen to ads. For the people who do purchase their $39.99 prescription they gain a lot of customizable access to their station. They are able to listen to music without any interruption of ads, they can customize their individual stations, edit certain music they do not want, and add a lot more genre and artists to their account. Having the free subscription limits you to all the benefits to the paid ones, but in my opinion does the same thing. I am an avid Pandora listener and I believe out of all my apps I use this one the most because of the access to the music, and the fact it is free. Many people love apps that are free, and the fact Pandora allows us to use their app for free, pushes people to eventually subscribe. I believe Pandora allows people to sample and purchase music a lot easier compared to itunes, and other sites that sell music. The fact you can sample and see the lyrics then buy the music or album to me is a huge plus for accessibility, and convenience. I can see Pandora station to continue to prosper and expand as time goes on.

[americanstudies334-blog]

OH YEAH?

This weeks Reading "The Life of the Chinese Gold Farmer" was something I found very interesting. I have personally experience this type of situation playing an app game on my phone. According to the reading these people worked to farm gold so that other people who are into the game could purchase them at ease and these companies would make a huge profit from selling these golds that were farmed. As a game player myself I have been addicted to a game where I would pay a few dollars to get extra percs for the game, and I have also been at the other end where I have played a game and there were so many people who were considered hackers that made the game really miserable to play because no matter how hard you try you could never win because all these hackers were just to good. This is not exactly the same situation with our reading but I find it very similar in some ways. These game players who really want to progress in the game will do whatever it takes to get there and these companies are milking the profits by providing services that will allow these people to move forward at ease by the use of real money. I think that it takes out the fun in playing games when people can cheat like that. I understand that some people donʻt mind putting out the cash for it but what about the other people who do not have the luxury to spend money and have to play the game the old fashion way? Overall I think these Chinese Gold farmers are okay to have but I donʻt really condone it.

[hadden-27]

Last Wednesday in class we watched a film that discussed how people are motivated and if rewards motivate people. I think that rewards motivate people even though that it goes against what was said in the film from TED. Dan Pink argues that rewards dont always work. I can prove this wrong. My…

[amst334sp13-deactivated20160822]

+5 Media Literacy! +15 Critical Engagement!

[tienyu-deactivated20130615]

I agree with you that reward does motivate people. This also applies to our class too. Our class is basically a form of on-line class that we earn points or maybe I say gaining reward for completing missions. If it does not offer rewards point I guarantee that no one would be doing these missions. Most people will not do anything unless there is a benefit or gaining some forms of rewards. This works most of the time, even in the case we go to school. The final reward is the diploma and so we get the ticket of entering the real world. Moreover, in the animal world, the rewards (treats) are always the best way to train them just like you train your dog. Thus I say reward or something utilitarian is necessary to live in the world. 

[americanstudies334-blog]

I totally agree with you, when you state the people would not be doing these missions if there was no award or reason to. Everyone does these missions because their grades depend on it basically. I mean I have noticed that I myself didnʻt realize the importance of these different missions until recently because I procrastinated like an idiot and now Iʻm scrambling to do all the missions because if I donʻt completely a certain amount of missions I wonʻt get the required points needed to participate in the mini boss. So I totally agree that with many things in life people do things because they know it has to be done. If you do not work you wonʻt make money and if you donʻt make money you can not pay your bills. Its like a ripple effect and although the reward may not be something you see right away it actually is a reward in the long run. I think in life everything needs to be done and there is a type of a reward in the end.

[foxlj]

Last Wednesday we watched Daniel Pink’s TED talk… where he makes a case about incentives linking to performance and success. It’s a topic that we don’t really think about on a daily basis, but it is something that we all do through out our days, multiple times a day with out even knowing it. In...

[americanstudies334-blog]

I totally agree with you at the end of your text! I am a huge procrastinator when it comes to certain things, and in the end I always finish everything that was needed to be done. I would have to say a lot of the people I know are the type who need order, and schedules but in the end, they end up procrastinating because they feel that they still have time. I know personally for myself I am scheduler and I will write down everything necessary but I always end up waiting until the last minute to complete certain things. I find that I work a lot better and efficiently when I am under pressure. I think that when Dan Pinkʻs discusses about the different reward system is brings good points that we, like you stated donʻt really think about. The fact that it was brought up did make me think about it and it actually did make sense everything he said with certain things. 

[americanstudies334-blog]

california shooting

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/21242134/several-dead-in-southern-california-shooting-spree

Recently there was a shooting that involved a 20 year old guy who decided to rob a woman and in the process of fleeing he shot other people. Totaling his kills to 4 people then himself. I really donʻt understand how a person can just do such a malicious act and take the easy way out by killing himself. I find it ridiculous how these young adults are having easy access to theses guns and going crazy killing innocent people. Lately gun safety laws have been brought up for debate after all these horrible acts have been occurring, which raises the question should guns be banned for public access? Many people believe that banning guns would be pointless due to the fact that the underground black market is so big that people will still have able to gain access to guns, legally or illegally. I think that law makers should find other alternatives in gun control instead of attempting to ban guns as a whole. There will always be loop holes for these people to attain these guns, so I think it is better to educate the people about the use of gun rather then taking away something that will be impossible to take away as a whole. Educating people and making sure the people who are obtaining these guns do understand the responsibility of owning/handle could have some positive influence.

[jtmokun-deactivated20130517]

Interactive Cinema in video games have become popular recently, even last year there was a download video game (also made available retail) called “The Walking Dead” Season 1 developed by Tell Tale Games. The game mechanics involves role-playing with point-and-click adventure and dialogue...

[americanstudies334-blog]

I completely agree with you that many video games and also movies/tv series are becoming very diverse between one another. I have started to notice that a lot of games that are popular are becoming movies or tv series and also a lot of movies and tv series are becoming games. I have noticed especially on the disney channel they monopolize heavily on their shows and products. A lot of their tv shoes and movies have games were the children who watch are able to control the outcome of their favorite tv show or movie, and I think that is really interesting how disney finds different ways to monopolize on their shows. As for the walking dead I personally have never played it but I know a lot of people who are addicted to the tv series and end up playing the game because they are really into the tv show so they donʻt want to stop watching or playing especially when a season ends. 

[oduhsan]

McGonigal describes may virtual realities that help encourage society to interact with each other to make their lives more positive while having fun. She explains that having an online game host a healthier lifestyle is something that is pretty successful. I want to disagree. I think there are...

[americanstudies334-blog]

I would have to agree with you that it is absurd someone would want to wake up that early to just clean the toilet to win points in order to win the privilege to play with the radio station. In my opinion I can see that everyone is different and people function and live very differently from one another and that some people would find it more entertaining to make their life into a video game because thats basically all they know or do, but it is very true that in the end people who do not understand their methods of living will think they are completely weird and more than likely would never do such absurds things like that but I found it interesting that, that couple lived their life like that and that game playing heavily could influence how people live their lives. I agree completely that games as a innovative way to learn for younger children would be more effective compared to adults. Great post!

[maddawg808-blog]

The phone app game “Paper toss” is probably one of the most simplest games to understand, yet people still seem to enjoy and play it. It is very similar to the game you’d play when you’re at work, or school or anywhere in particular, you have a piece of paper that you want to throw away and you...

[americanstudies334-blog]

I have to agree with you madi! All this game does provide some form of excitement when you play it you, it really does depend on a the person. Not all people fine excitement at throwing a piece of paper in the rubbish can while theres a fan blowing at it and the little minimal obstacles this game does have. I know personally for me I find this game absolutely pointless because is the same thing over and over again. To me I find the fact that the game doesnʻt change that much after each time you earn so many points and pass "levels" it makes me lose interests in it. I believe and feel that the game should change more as people earn more points, or maybe it does but I just got bored after playing 10 minutes of it and basically seeing the same thing over and over. I rather see obstacle changes as well as the level of difficulty to change to in paper toss but other than that it is an okay game to play if you donʻt mind doing basically the same thing over and over again.