Overall, I thought
this was one of the best projects we have done all semester. I liked the fact
that we didn't have to write a paper and have it flow smoothly with the rest of
our group members. Having group members made this project better in that we
were able to look at our other group members posts and be able to take ideas or
go in different directions based on there posts. Working with group members has
taught me that communication is highly important and being able to work with
others to get a job done is important because that’s something your going to
have to do in life. Like Anneliese said, I also enjoyed being able to pick the topic that we
wanted to blog about. By doing this it gave us freedom to make this blog
personal and blog about something we thought might be interesting or something
we weren't quite familiar with. I think the gaming community was
an interesting community to choose because I personally am not
a gamer so before even starting this project I had my stereotypes of a
typical gamer, glasses, a nerd, sitting in front of there computer all
day. But by taking the opportunity to get out and explore the gaming community
I have learned that not everyone that plays video games is a 'nerd'. This
project really helped to open me up to another community outside of my own and
break those stereotypes I had. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this project, I thought it was very engaging and one of the best projects we have done all semester.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Conclusion
After all the research that I have done over the course of this project I have come to the conclusion that video games are starting to take over the world and arcade games aren't as popular as they once were. I was also able to draw the conclusion that video gaming in the United States is more something people do for fun, in there free time. While people in other countries, South Korea for example take video gaming really seriously and it has become a major problem, even resulting in death. This made me stop and think, if video gaming can lead to death and have major consequences they why are people trying to defend video games and say they aren't bad?
Observation and Questionnaire
A couple days into the project I had made a decision to take a survey as to what people of varying ages thought about video gaming. The majority of the elderly people rejected the idea of gaming. Most thought it was "A waste of time" or "they are bad.", and replied with sentences such as; "They kill your brain cells"and "I don't like them. They teach the children horrid things." When I asked people between the aged of 18 and 21 most liked the concept of video games. When I asked, 8 out of 10 males had a video gaming system in their apartments/rooms. For the females the outcome was 4 out of 10. I then took the freedom to ask each person if they would categorize themselves as having good hand-eye coordination. As I predicted more males than females stated that they did indeed have good hand-eye coordination. When I asked children between the ages of 9 and 14 most of them thought of video gaming as a positive and amazing thing. Most didn't see any negatives of it. I then asked them what their favorite methods of study were. Most replied.."electronically." Most children these days are now using ipads, computers, and electronic devices to study from and educate themselves with.
I thought these observations were quite interesting. Some of them I could have predicted but other answers I was definitely not expecting.
-Anneliese Feldner
I thought these observations were quite interesting. Some of them I could have predicted but other answers I was definitely not expecting.
-Anneliese Feldner
My Reflection
Looking back on this project I would say that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. My first impression of the project was that it would not be very engaging, but as the observations continued I realized that it really can be. It just depends on how much one is willing to put into it. Overall it taught me several things:
1. Never judge. Just like the saying "Never judge a book by its cover" neither can we judge people based upon their appearance. You never know what other people are going through or what they have been through in their past. I learned not to judge people by their looks because some of the people who dress poorly are some of the most intelligent, funny, and even caring people out there.
2. Observing isn't just about watching. It's about watching and engaging, interacting, and being apart of the community; whether it be solely physical or by just your presence.
3. We all have our different ways of cooping. What might seem weird to us is normal to others. Some turn to shopping while others turn to video gaming and the community of people who engage in that form of entertainment.
4. Being friendly and open is the best way to get to know someone, especially strangers.
I enjoyed this project much more than I did with the previous projects. I liked this one a lot better due to the fact that we as students were able to pick and choose our own topics to write about. It was much more free writing and experimenting than the others. I also liked how we got to work as a group yet can post our own writings and did not have the stress of collaborating everyone's ideas into a flowing paper. Personally I liked the community that we chose. Even though I myself am not a gamer, I find that community fascinating.
-Anneliese Feldner
1. Never judge. Just like the saying "Never judge a book by its cover" neither can we judge people based upon their appearance. You never know what other people are going through or what they have been through in their past. I learned not to judge people by their looks because some of the people who dress poorly are some of the most intelligent, funny, and even caring people out there.
2. Observing isn't just about watching. It's about watching and engaging, interacting, and being apart of the community; whether it be solely physical or by just your presence.
3. We all have our different ways of cooping. What might seem weird to us is normal to others. Some turn to shopping while others turn to video gaming and the community of people who engage in that form of entertainment.
4. Being friendly and open is the best way to get to know someone, especially strangers.
I enjoyed this project much more than I did with the previous projects. I liked this one a lot better due to the fact that we as students were able to pick and choose our own topics to write about. It was much more free writing and experimenting than the others. I also liked how we got to work as a group yet can post our own writings and did not have the stress of collaborating everyone's ideas into a flowing paper. Personally I liked the community that we chose. Even though I myself am not a gamer, I find that community fascinating.
-Anneliese Feldner
Thursday, May 8, 2014
South Korea Computer Gaming Culture
Ping Zhou states, “South Korea is a country infatuated with video games. It is a
place where professional gamers earn six-figure contracts, date supermodels,
and are treated as A-list celebrities. Cyber competitions are nationally
televised and they fill-up stadiums. In this country, gaming is not just a
hobby; it’s a way of life.
Most
Koreans play their games outside of their homes in local gaming rooms called
“PC bangs”. A bang is a local area network gaming center were players pay an
hourly fee to play multiplayer games. Most bangs are cheap anywhere from $1.00
to $1.50. South Korea currently has over 20,000 active PC bangs. They compared going to a bang like going to
the movies or the bar.
For
people in South Korea video gaming truly is a way of life. It’s considered a
national sport. There are currently 10 professional gaming leagues in the
country. The rewards for winning a league were enormous. Some of South Koreas
most famous gamers could earn up to $400,000 a year from gaming and
sponsorships.
I
decided to do more research on this after my class shared the idea of how
intense video gaming can be in other countries. This came as a shock, I didn't
realize how big of a deal video games could be. I see video games as being more
of a leisure activity something people do for fun. Never did I ever think about
it being a competition.
But with so many people in South Korea involved with video
gaming, gaming addiction is now one of the major problems South Koreans face. Video
gaming has become a life-threatening epidemic.
“In
2005, a 28-year-old man died from cardiac arrest after playing for 50 hours
straight. In 2009, a married couple got so immersed in a game where they took
care of a virtual infant that they neglected to feed their real life infant,
which eventually died of starvation. The parents received a two-year prison
sentence”.
The
country has tried to bring a stop to the heavy addiction. The government has
spent money on clinics, campaigns, and programs to minimize the problem. In
2011, the government imposed a “Cinderella Law” which was a law that prevents
anyone under 16 from playing online games from midnight to 6 a.m.
This
was something new for me I knew nothing about competitive video gaming and the
consequences it could have. But all I can say is they must be hard-core gamers
in South Korea.
http://geography.about.com/od/culturalgeography/a/South-Korea-Computer-Gaming-Culture.htm
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Reflection
Overall I really enjoyed this project. I thought that using a blog gave me much more freedom than being limited to a paper. I was able to post links, pictures, and interviews that I had found in my research. Another thing I liked about this project was that we could work in groups. I especially enjoyed using blogger, because it gave me the opportunity to read through my group members posts and use some of the information they had learned in my posts, and vise versa. I enjoyed being able to present our progress to the class as well. This gave me a chance to hear opinions and suggestions from our classmates about what they felt would be an effective way to further progress our blog. In the long run, I would highly suggest this project over a final paper, as it gave students a chance to express their opinions and research in a way that many of us have never done before.
Conclusion
After looking farther into the culture of video games, I was able to come to a conclusion. By researching the difference between the United States and other countries it was obvious that video games where looked at very differently. In foreign countries, video games are thought to not only be a source of relaxation, but a source of income.
In my research I was able to a store clerk at the Game Room. I specifically asked him about competitive video games, after peers in my class directed me in that direction. He mentioned to me that in some places, video games are as popular (and in some cases more) than actual sports. This news came shocking to me. I could never see something like that happening in the United States.
Previous to this project, I was aware that competitive gaming was a popular hobby to many in the U.S. And I knew that by winning these competitions, one could make a couple thousand dollars. But that was all it was to me, a hobby; I would have never guessed that people can make a career out of video games.
The conclusion I have made is that video games are more than a source of relaxation in foreign countries, its a way to make a living. And I truly believe that something like this will never be possible in the U.S. After reading and talking to video game advocates, its obvious that a culture like this is frowned upon in the U.S. People look down at people who spend their days playing video games, a deem this lifestyle socially unacceptable; unlike foreign countries where this would be completely normal.
In my research I was able to a store clerk at the Game Room. I specifically asked him about competitive video games, after peers in my class directed me in that direction. He mentioned to me that in some places, video games are as popular (and in some cases more) than actual sports. This news came shocking to me. I could never see something like that happening in the United States.
Previous to this project, I was aware that competitive gaming was a popular hobby to many in the U.S. And I knew that by winning these competitions, one could make a couple thousand dollars. But that was all it was to me, a hobby; I would have never guessed that people can make a career out of video games.
The conclusion I have made is that video games are more than a source of relaxation in foreign countries, its a way to make a living. And I truly believe that something like this will never be possible in the U.S. After reading and talking to video game advocates, its obvious that a culture like this is frowned upon in the U.S. People look down at people who spend their days playing video games, a deem this lifestyle socially unacceptable; unlike foreign countries where this would be completely normal.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Game Room observations
When I was walking to the Game Room over on 17th & "O" Street all I was thinking about was, really okay, I have to go spend a good amount of my time, watching preadolescences play, loud obnoxious, noise making boxes, while drinking Mountain Dew and eating Cheetos. This type of environment or community is extremely foreign to me so honestly I was not looking forward to the next couple hours of my life.
As I approached the store I noticed a really cool, very colorful store front, with the name spelled out in what I would probably call "Pac-Man" font. I thought hey this is kind of cool. As I walked in I was expecting to experience sensory overload from blinking lights, and various beeping sounds, but what I found was more of a retail atmosphere, somewhat quite, more subdued and patrons focused mainly on playing gaming consoles and not so much on what I would call "arcade" games. In fact the arcade games were located over in a back, virtually unused.
The people/patrons of the Game Room probably surprised me as much as the atmosphere did. I found the diversity of the group to be interesting, stemming from UNL Athletes, to dead beat adults, to just a few of my dreaded preadolescences, to what I would refer to as "Gamers".
After a few minutes of observing I decided to make an observation of the general relation between gamers and that community of people to their appearance. I counted; 8 out of 10 people walked in wearing clothes too big for their form. Most smelled like smoke and when they smiled their teeth had been yellowed and worn down. Most of the women had their hair dyed un-natural colors. As for the men, about half of them had long hair, enough to pull back into a ponytail. The other half's hair was greasy and tousled. Overall their physical appearance was not in tip top condition; however, I probably heard them laugh more than the general person. It made me realize a couple things. It forced me to see that people are and can be very content and happy with life without having all the luxuries of a rich man. It also made me see a pattern in the community. The way people dress is very dependent on how the people around them dress. For example most sorority girls will curl their hair, put on a nice dress and a big blingy necklace. That is a commonality for a sorority. For the gamers here, it appeared to be the thing to dress the way they do; oversized shirts and baggy pants, maybe a pop cap and usually some sort of gold.
The interesting thing was how all of these people interacted with each other, sharing a common interest, and relating to each other through this one commonality Gaming.
-Anneliese Feldner
As I approached the store I noticed a really cool, very colorful store front, with the name spelled out in what I would probably call "Pac-Man" font. I thought hey this is kind of cool. As I walked in I was expecting to experience sensory overload from blinking lights, and various beeping sounds, but what I found was more of a retail atmosphere, somewhat quite, more subdued and patrons focused mainly on playing gaming consoles and not so much on what I would call "arcade" games. In fact the arcade games were located over in a back, virtually unused.
The people/patrons of the Game Room probably surprised me as much as the atmosphere did. I found the diversity of the group to be interesting, stemming from UNL Athletes, to dead beat adults, to just a few of my dreaded preadolescences, to what I would refer to as "Gamers".
After a few minutes of observing I decided to make an observation of the general relation between gamers and that community of people to their appearance. I counted; 8 out of 10 people walked in wearing clothes too big for their form. Most smelled like smoke and when they smiled their teeth had been yellowed and worn down. Most of the women had their hair dyed un-natural colors. As for the men, about half of them had long hair, enough to pull back into a ponytail. The other half's hair was greasy and tousled. Overall their physical appearance was not in tip top condition; however, I probably heard them laugh more than the general person. It made me realize a couple things. It forced me to see that people are and can be very content and happy with life without having all the luxuries of a rich man. It also made me see a pattern in the community. The way people dress is very dependent on how the people around them dress. For example most sorority girls will curl their hair, put on a nice dress and a big blingy necklace. That is a commonality for a sorority. For the gamers here, it appeared to be the thing to dress the way they do; oversized shirts and baggy pants, maybe a pop cap and usually some sort of gold.
The interesting thing was how all of these people interacted with each other, sharing a common interest, and relating to each other through this one commonality Gaming.
-Anneliese Feldner
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