Interview with my video gaming 14 year old cousin.

The following is in an interview with a 14 year old cousin Kyle, whose last name will not be given.  He is an avid video game enthusiast.  Most of the questions were predetermined.  The planned interview ended up being a conversation in which Kyle touches on many topics relating to the digital native generation. He was very open and honest in our interview/conversation.  I even asked him if there was anything he did not want me to publish or if there was anything he didn’t want his mother to know – I didn’t want to get him in trouble.  He gave the green light.

1.      How would you describe a video gamer?

A gamer is someone who plays games actively and as a hobby.  A real gamer plays more than other people.

2.      Do you fit the description? What games do you like?

I think I do.  I play about 7 hour’s day.   I play League of legends, it’s a multi-player game. You have to use strategy to play.  Being a multi-player game, the players have to listen to each other.  You have to have no ego. If you want to win the game, you cannot put yourself before others and you need to communicate

3.      What is the goal of League of Legends? 

You have 5 teammates and you have 5 enemies. You have to destroy the nexus from other team.  You have to get their base.  You have to work together.

4.      This sounds like fun.  Is it easy to learn?  What is the experience of beginning players? 

You’re not going to be good at first.  You have to get used to the game, but if you want to play it’s something that we can work towards.

5.      Maybe I’ll play.  Do you choose your team or do you get random players?

You can invite your friends and play together.  So we could play together.

6.      You spoke about communication skills during a game, please explain?

 

When someone makes a mistake, you don’t want to criticize them.  You want to tell them in a nice way so they don’t do this again.  You don’t want to make it worse.  Teammates can become enemies. You don’t want that.

You want your teammates to like you.  You complement each other.  If you don’t like the people you are playing with, you are not going to have a fun experience.

7.      What are the feelings you experience during gaming? 

There are many parts to the matches.  There’s climaxes in the game and different feelings. I get an uneasy feeling before fight.  I’m like waiting for something to happen.  It’s the intensity of the moment.  I feel that winning and losing doesn’t matter.  I like the feeling when playing the game, in the moment.  It’s also cool because you are experiencing the game with your friends.  If you lose you definitely want a second chance.

You may be losing very hard but you can win if you put your all into it. Best type of win is a comeback win, with friends. 

When I’m playing games I don’t think about real life. 

8.      Tell me about Epic wins?

Wow, if you win it’s a relief.  Matches can last 40 minutes.  After it’s over, wow that’s awesome. If we win, I feel like a winner. The game says, “Victory!”

9.      What types of skills from gaming can be applied to reality? 

Connection to reality, leadership, teaches you about interaction with other people.  Decision making, real time, right then and there, no time, you have make decisions.  Cooperation with other people, you may not know the people and you must get to know the people and make the best of it.

10.  Are there negative consequences to gaming? 

In some cases it can be bad but mostly positive.

11.  What is your concentration level when you are gaming? 

I am very concentrated; I forget it’s a game. 

12.  What is your concentration level when you are doing your schoolwork? 

Schoolwork concentration depends on subject.  I’m not as intense.  Not enjoying like gaming.

13.  How are your social skills in person as opposed to online? 

I still look people in the eye.

14.  Does gaming have an effect on social life? 

No. I don’t mix gaming with real life.  One thing, people introduce others who like to game and share a common interest.

15.  How would you describe people that you play games online and you know personally in reality? 

Some people that I know have different personalities online and in person.

16.  Are there people that you only know online?  What is your relationship with them like? 

I am playing with people in Canada and Chicago.  I’ve known them 3 years, that’s more than some of my real life friends.  I definitely want to meet them.  We share a common experience and we have bonded.

17.  Do you have other interests aside from gaming?

I play tennis.  I play percussion.  I read books.

18.  Print books?

Yes, print books.

19.  Do you play physical games like Wii?

I don’t really play Wii. The physical video games are for kids.  The intellectual games involve reasoning.  That’s my interest.

20.  Are you more comfortable communicating in online text or in person? 

Depends on the person.

21.  Is it easier to meet someone online or in person?

Easier to meet someone online.  In matches.  In real life it’s situational; in a game you have same interest.

22.  Do you take care of your basic human needs, like do you miss eating and sleeping for video games?

I eat and sleep.

23.  If you are not online do you miss games? 

Depends on the situation.  If I’m at a party and there’s nobody to talk to, I would rather game.  If something is interesting I don’t feel need to game.

24.  Do you use Social media?

I do Facebook and Instagram.  Gaming goes hand in hand, at same time.  The Canada and Chicago friends are my social media friends.

25.  Do you need to be constantly stimulated?

I get bored easily; sometimes I need to be doing something. Yes, maybe I have a smaller attention span.

Week 9: Reflection on Mcluran videos and Jenkins quote

Jenkins (2010) states that for the past several decades media literacy advocates have called on schools to, "foster a critical understanding of media as one of the most powerful social, economic, political, and cultural institutions of our era" (p. 31).

This is an is is ainteresting quote on many levels.  In this course we are practicing the principals touted by Jenkins in this quote.  Among the readings for this week were the multimedia videos: Marshal Mcluran – an introduction by Tom Wolfe and The message is the massage, by Marshal Mcluran.  Among the media literacy advocates who have called on schools to use new media for learning includes the subject of these films, Marshal Mcluran.  Although these videos are many years old, they are a time capsule of a man who envisioned the possibilities and effects the internet would have on human civilization.  It is interesting to note that Mcluran states that the artists are usually ahead of academia in defining an era.  In this case, Mcluran is an academic who was ahead of his time.  He predicted many of the issues and significances of the internet age.

Mcluran was speaking mostly about television and movies which were the new media of his time.  It is interesting to note that Mcluran was not interested in television for his own interests, according to the Tom Wolfe video.  He was interested in watching his 6 children watch TV and use other new technologies at the time.  He observed the children watching TV, listening to the radio and doing their homework at the same time.  His conclusion was that education must be changed.  New media must be implemented into modern educational systems.  As stated in the opening quote, Mcluran was one of the leading advocates of learning and emerging technologies for decades.  He saw the educational potential of new media even before the advent of the internet.

Mcluran noted that the educational system was more relevant to 19^th century reality.  There was a connection from what you were learning in school and real life outside of the classroom.  The advent of new media has changed reality. This new reality is very different from traditional classroom learning.  As noted before, many of Mcluran’s theories were written before the internet.  Now with the reality of social networks, communities and cultures supported by the World Wide Web, new media must be implemented into education.

Mcluran’s advocacy of new literacy and new media fits into Green’s model: operational, critical and cultural.  In the operational component, users are easily able to participate in participatory culture.  All that is needed is an internet connection and a media device.  Schools and libraries usually offer this connection for free.  Because it is so easy to get involved through the operational component, new media should be implemented into classrooms.  In the critical dimension, more multimedia and media rich text is being generated and used.  Instruction in the critical dimension must be provided to help guide the students through the research process.  The cultural dimension is multi layered in the World Wide Web.  New cultures are being generated online as I write this.  Because each information consumer can also be a creator of new internet content, instruction and guidance is needed in the cultural realm.

Deconstruction of a Print Ad

 

 

I really enjoy GEICO advertisements.  GEICO uses characters that are part of our collective consciousness, like cavemen or the pig that went “wee”  all the way home, to get our attention, make us think superficially and make us laugh.  The humor and attention grabbing themes get the viewer interested in the story line of the advertisement.  The story lines make you think a little, but not too much because the advertisers want to reach as many people as possible.  So by grabbing the viewers’ attention, making them think a little and then making them laugh; the viewer will have GEICO burned in his/her memory.

            In the advertisement that I am deconstructing, GEICO does not use a character from our imagination.  The attention is on Baltimore Raven linebacker Ray Lewis doing his signature pregame dance.  I see 2 extremes of masculinity when I look at this print ad.  On one hand, I see virile and rapturous ecstasy exuding high positive energy.  However, I also see a primal, violent and dangerous man getting ready for war.  I don’t think that the advertisers created the ad to be thought about too deeply.  It is very clear that this is a man that is over-excited about impending violent competition.

            The next thing I notice is that the image is framed by red curtains.  This make me think of 2 things.  First thought, this is a theatrical put-on.  Also, the red curtains are screaming for blood.  The background is 2 beat up cars in a serious collision.  The big letters read, “People that switch to GEICO sure are happy.  How happy are they?  Happier than a linebacker at a demolition derby.”  As a sports fan, I find this very funny.

            The humor is lightly thought provoking.  If you look at the 2 main images for the first time, football and demolition derby, you wonder the connection.  The captions clarify the message. This advertisement makes a number of assumptions, most are ridiculous. If a man likes heavy contact in one arena, he enjoys heavy contact in all other arenas.  If you like football, then you like demolition derby.  This ad is bizarre in a funny way.  This assumption has a definite logic, yet it is somewhat ridiculous.  I will use myself as an example.  I love to watch football, but I do not watch demolition derby.  This may be a regional thing, but I do not know anybody that watches demolition derby.   On the other hand, all my male friends watch football. 

Are there other stereotypical assumptions?  My first impression of the image was, what is the connection between Ray Lewis and demolition derby?  It made me think a little.  Does Ray Lewis really enjoy demolition derby?  My stereotypical answer is probably not.  I don’t think that demolition derby’s fan base is African American.  I’ve never seen the statistics, but that is another clichéd assumption.  Another question is, would this ad appeal to women.  I can’t be sure, but probably not unless she is a football fan.  Maybe a woman will look at the image and say to herself, “Isn’t that clever?”  I still believe the target audience to be male football fans.

            I was thinking about the possible consequences of the messages.  I was thinking about other assumptions from these images.  It is very manly to like violence.  Violence is blissful.  Living on the edge is exhilarating.   I can see that in a different situation this would be a destructive message.  But in this particular advertisement, the message of man being innately violent is an obvious joke to bring attention to the product – GEICO insurance.  Another underlying story line is that the cars in the demolition derby definitely need car insurance – preferably GEICO.  This advertisement would be destructive to society if it motivated male viewers to go out and commit violent acts in order to prove their manhood.  But I don’t think that would be a normal reaction to this advertisement.  I think most men would react to this ad with a laugh.  If the message has any seriousness to its message of masculinity, it is that real men switch to GEICO.