Wolverine Origins and the Transmedia Storytelling

What a can of worms I have opened up! First I started off letting my children watch the cartoons. The next step led to action figures, followed by the movies. The tip of the iceberg was the game Wolverine Origins. I started out believing that allowing my kids to view, play and interact with this character was pure fun, and no harm or civic impact. I grew up during the 80's a little after Wolverine was introduced as a heroine on the X-Men team in comic books. Wolverine was seen as a hero that teamed up with others to fight off villains. As time progressed Wolverine evolved as well and has become a true depiction of transmedia storytelling. I will give you a brief history of the superhero Wolverine, the movie Wolverine Origins, as well as discuss the game. The question I'm pondering is was there something naratologically lost in the translation?

History of Wolverine"Wolverine is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics" He first appeared in Incredible Hulk #180 in October 1974. He then joined the X-Men team in 1975. He was born James Howlett, but commonly referred to as Logan. Wolverine is a mutant that has retracting bone claws, and recovers quickly from any wound. He empowers enhanced physical capabilities and is virtually indestructible. Wolverine branched out into a solo comic in Sept- Dec 1982. As a result of his popularity the storytelling was enhanced by introducing crossing over into television. I will discuss the movie Wolverine Origins shortly before indulging in the game.

Wolverine Origins is yet another layer or the next chapter that summarizes the life of this character. In the movie Wolverine worked with the government in special operations, until he disagreed with the massacres and vicious killing that continuously took place in his unit. Wolverine also known as Logan in the movie, discharged himself and moved to Canada. Eventually his past special ops team and his brother Victor caught up with him. By aid of the government Wolverine was able to have his body injected with adamantium. The adamantium made him indestructible and enhanced his physical abilities. This allowed him to kill another mutant that was created from a combination of all the other mutants.

Now I’ll move onto the next page of this book, the video game Wolverine Origins. The video game on Xbox 360 is basically the same story told in the movie. Although, there has been some transformation or adaptation to the games violent content. Wolverine is known to kill other villians but the game takes the graphic vicious killing to a different perspective. One example of the graphic content consist of slicing heads off with blood emerging out. I had to rethink my position on allowing my children to play this game as well as interact with the character. My youngest son couldn't understand why he was able to play with his action figures, (in which he's had several years prior to the release of the game) but not allowed to play or view the game. I do believe that games can have a civic impact on a player. Exposing a young child to such violent acts, or foul language, or even revealing there is no Santa Claus can desensitize and harm them. I have this same belief when reffering to adults as well. Media content as well as life experiences has and is continually desensitizing our society as a whole. Of course Wolverine has changed and adapted to our sexually explicit, reality show, internet crazed, gaming addicted, violent seeking culture. If the creators don't adapt or assimilate they won't retain their loyal fans, and continue to engage and broaden their fan base. This adaptation is exactly what transmedia is about, this is what makes the story and keeps the pages turning. I as a parent will defintely screen all games now and not just base them on their other platforms of media.
As I mentioned previously I didn't have this view of Wolverine prior to the game. The game narrates the story just as a book does. This game and the crossmedia platforms have proven to me that video games are a true form of literature, as well as a form of art expression. Wolverine Origins video game allows consumers new and old, with or without past knowledge of the X-Men culture, to step into this entry point and not feel lost at all. Wolverine Origins does a great job narrating the story and keeping gamers engaged. I was able to follow along and felt like I was in the movie. That is the concept behind transmedia storytelling. I’ve seen some movies and played the game and have felt cheated or deceived. In the case of this game the only dislike I had was the maliciousness in the killing. I guess I still based Wolverine on the character from the 80’s comic as well as the action figure and cartoon character. So as a parent I felt let down, however that is my responsibility to filter games and movie content not the manufacturers. I do feel the violence in the game was more prevalent then in the movie or the original comics. I also had to think about how our society has been desensitized and violence is prevalent in just about every aspect of our lives. This game was not created or marketed to youth. Wolverine Origins is the entry point for adults to become or re-engage themselves in this culture. Here are some links to view clips of the video game and the movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RD2Pyo3ygo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaegoybYHos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3voynRi3QaE

“Transmedia storytelling also called multiplatform, crossmedia or enhanced storytelling, is storytelling across multiple forms of media. This creates multiple entry points through which consumers can become immersed or interactive in a story franchise’s world. The aim of this immersion is decentralized authorship or transmedia play”. Creating multiple platforms for consumers will greatly increase profits and production. Transmedia has become a popular route to market products over a large, diverse population and culture. Marketing X-Men Wolverine via comics brought that "70”s -"80”s generation (which are now adults), and they then introduced their children to this fictional superhero. As the world emerged into this new age technology Marvel has to progress as well. To reach a larger demographic and diverse culture the gaming industry had to look at various ways to market products and increase revenue. Creating action figures and marketing them to youth would create a lifelong customer. As I mentioned earlier, these children will purchase these products and as they grow into a young adult they will seek other products or platforms of this product. bStarting off with the comics, cartoons, action figures, clothing, lunch boxes, stickers, coloring books, books, etc… By the time they’ve become young adults and in most cases still as a youth, they are ready to see the movie. This transmedia storytelling has captured these consumers as a child and continues to reap profits based on this same character and various stages of its existence. My husband started out reading the comic books in 1982 and is now an avid fan of Wolverine. He has seen the cartoons growing up, watched the movies and has now purchased X-Men Wolverine Origins video game. In addition he has recruited our two sons by purchasing action figures, coloring books, clothes and the video game. As you see this new-age storytelling has changed the way companies market their products. Companies such as Marvel have noticed that Transmedia storytelling creates different entry points for different audience segments. This crossmedia marketing has not only revolutionized the marketing of all media but also the structure of our environment.

In conclusion I don’t feel Wolverine Origins has lost its narratology. I believe Wolverine has evolved with time to market all ranges of consumers. Wolverine creators and manufacturers of all of these cross media platforms have maintained the same storyline and narration throughout the last 30 years. No matter what point in time or what form of media you choose to engage in you will experience the same story, however it will be refreshed and based on different experiences. The concept behind transmedia is to expand the market, keep fans engaged, and loyal, while feeding them new experiences through diverse multiple platforms. Wolverine Origins is a true depiction of transmedia storytelling.


References: http://technologyreview.com/
Hale (2007a) Shematic Instances For Transmedia
http://henryjenkins.org/ ~ Transmedia Storytelling 101
Henry Jenkins (2006) Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide
http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/Transmedia_storytelling
Mavel Comics
Utube
http://gamasutra.com/ MIT: Heroes, Narnia Panel Talks Transmedia Storytelling by Chris Dahlen
Ellen Lupton (Princeton Architectural Press, ,2004) Birth of the User

Week 8 US Military & Gaming

Some believe that games and gaming simulations this form are not beneficial in real hand to hand combat. Others say US Military gaming stimulates these individuals through simulation. Every one has a different opinion or view on this subject. There's even a website dedicated to Department of Defense game developers. This site Department of Defense Game Developer's Community, which is sponsored by Darwars, allows its members to network within their organization. This community has conferences, game competitions, workshops and they also have links to articles and new information available to it's members. As I said earlier, there are a lot of gamers that support this genre of gaming and just as much that disagree. How do you feel about it?

The US military, army and CIA have invested time and money into developing this new training strategy. This new form of training aids in developing soldiers in leading and organizational skills. These games allow the soldiers to prepare or enhance their leadership skills so when put in actual combat they know how to be an effective leader. These simulations allow them to make critical errors, learn from their mistakes, and improve or master their skills. These game also aid in recruiting. Games such as America's Army, and Guard Force can be downloaded or picked up at recruitment offices. These games give the prospects first hand view of possible scenarios and a glimpse into the career or position they may be seeking. These games are much more then just games! These games are becoming the new recruitment aid, as well as the teachers assistant. According to a review, Military Training is Just A Game on wired.com, the US military games are eliminating old training techniques such as realistic cockpits and hydraulics and saving the country money, while reaching out to a broader audience.

Carrie McLeroy wrote an article in Soldiers Magazine, History of Military Gaming. This article discusses how games for military training has pre-dated back 5,000 years ago. The military began using using grids and stones and have now revolutionized their techniques and created real life simulations that adapt to today's needs. These simulations allow the military to aid in the development of these individuals hand eye coordination, teamwork building, and decision making skills, as well as to be able to recognize a perceived threat. According to Popular Mechanics Wii All You Can Be? Why the Military Needs the Gaming Industry, these games are crucial in the development of coordination. These games and their controllers give the prospects or recruits first hand knowledge in shooting various types of guns, handling different equipment and reoccurring hand movement and coordination. These games expose them to to pre-military training, allow them to work hands on to enhance their skills with the new technology and equipment continuously being released. However, are these games harming our children and preparing them for anarchy & chaos, by producing a new generation of youth pre-disposed to violence and war preparation? Are these games relevant? Gamasutra seems to believe just the opposite in the article Atomic Games' Tamte Defends Six Days Relevance. Gamasutra believes these games are relevant and depict the real life experiences a soldier will and may have had. They also give us an opportunity to walk in a soldier's shoes for a day, and decide if this is who I want to be and if this is what I want to be doing. But the question remains, are these players really playing for this sole purpose or just to experience yet another shooting game?

Now on to the other perspective of military gaming. Some believe that US military games are propaganda used to brainwash youth into dedicating their lives with false hopes. Michael B. Reagan's article US Military Recruits Children: "America's Army" Video Game Violates International Law discusses this issue and how it's affecting the youth in America. These games are selling these children the belief that they can be all they want to be, while risking their lives to make a difference. These children are lead to believe if they are possibly wounded severely or die in combat they will receive the purple heart or great recognition for their service. This is not entirely true or not always factual. There are millions of homeless, disabled, veterans with untreated mental conditions. These veterans are left to function in society alone with very or no help at all from the government. These children should not be spared the gruesome reality that they may face and be given accurate information so they may make an informed decision. The US military games that are being downloaded and given away at recruiting offices are another way to target youth and increase enlistments. I believe US Military games are beneficial to soldiers but such not be improperly marketed to youth or racial groups to aid in the enlistment. These games should be offered as supplemental training tools to soldiers that have already enlisted. For new recruits their should be a real life simulations in a practice war setting that exposes them to a more realistic experience vs. a video game.

Gaming, Ethics, and Democracy

Reading the first article made me aware of what "Gold Farming" really is. Richard Heeks
describes "Gold Farming" as the real-world sale of virtual goods and services produced in online
gaming. Throughout his paper, Current Analysis and Future Research Agenda on "Gold Farming" Real-World Production In Developing Countries for the Virtual Economies of Online Games, I was able to see exactly how this impacted me. My family has three Xbox 360's and two Xbox live's subscriptions currently. My husband and son play games online and redeem points which is virtual cash used to purchase movies, games,etc... They also spend money purchasing subscriptions and building their avatars. This is "Gold Farming" right here in my own backyard! Twenty years ago I would've never believed that this was a possibility, let alone thought anyone would spend their money to play games online instead of interacting with a friend from down the street. "Gold Farming" is real and a definite asset for Asian countries. These countries can profit off online distribution and interaction. This new world of gamers depend on "Gold Farming" and are addicted to the virtual interaction, incentive and perks that make this market successful.

Andrew Leonard also discusses the topic of "Gold Farming" in his article How The World Works. Leonard paraphrases Heek's article. They both enlightened me regarding the impact this new form of trading or exporting has on these countries. After reading both articles I do believe that this "Gold Farming" aids in reducing unemployment and poverty. If the citizens of China and these other participating countries are voluntarily seeking these jobs, and are given reasonable pay rates, I don't see any major negative effects. They are virtually exporting goods, receiving revenue, aiding their economy, and globalizing the market. In every aspect of life there will be a positive and negative factor, however if the positive outweigh the negative then go with the greater good.

Cheating, the inevitable subject of gaming. Some believe it's just a game why cheat. Others believe it's a mission, use cheat codes, modified controllers, modded consoles, glitching, and clan vs. individuals. Cheaters: A Special Report by Game Informer Staff, gives examples of the anti-cheating tactics the game manufacturers and developers are using to decrease this problem. Xbox Live has an abuse reporting system manufactured by Microsoft, as well as the ability to detect modified games that are played prior to the release date. Infinity Ward also has an abuse reporting system that allows it's WOW users to report cheating or suspicious activity. As gaming continues to evolve and immerse itself into our culture the gaming industry will continue to develop anti cheating mechanism and identifiers. The real question is do they want to produce a system that is incapable of being cheated and has no glitches, or will this detour gamers from continually purchasing their products? Is this possible idea possible, won't there always be a cheater/hacker?

Social Network gaming is a form of gaming that is continually rising in the world today. I'm a member on facebook and have friends that play games on facebook and send invites for their friends to play. Online social network is increasing rapidly and globalizing the world. It was only natural for the gaming industry to capitalize on this market as well. Sande Chen's article The Social Network Game Boom discusses this topic very well. She she states over 200 million people are registered on facebook, this gives these companies access to over 200 million users as well. Social network gaming allows friends or associates to socialize, network, have fun and never physically interact. In return this allows the gaming industry to market to a mass number individuals, increase revenue, globalize the market, advertise, and host for minimal cost with maximum profit. We will continually see advancements in social network gaming as the demand increases.

Do you know someone that has a modified system? Do you know someone or do you have any backup games? Are you part of a clan? After reading Computer Game Modding, Intermediality, and Participatory Culture I could see how these practices are emerging in the gaming culture. Modified systems and backup games are becoming increasingly popular and are always going to be apart of the gaming industry, just like cheating and hacking. For every honest person you show me I'll show you three dishonest people. In other words there is always going to be someone that is motivated to find the glitch, or obtain games at little or no cost. I believe this in part is due to the economic factor in the gaming industry. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that I advocate these practices, however I do believe that the cost of gaming is a main contributor. Game consoles, controllers, cords, games, etc.. cost immensely. Majority of gamers can't afford to spend $60 on a new game, or $200-$600 on a game console. Gamers are going to find any means possible to obtain these products at little or no cost to themselves. I believe if the gaming manufactures or distributors made these items more affordable it would decrease the amount of revenue lost from these practices. Again I'm not advocating this behavior but I do see both sides of the picture. What is your perspective on this issue?

In conclusion, your always going to have cheating, glitches, modified games, backup games, and "Gold Farming" in gaming. These same practices are what define the evolution of gaming. Cheating allows gamers to identify the glitches and imperfections in the game and in return make the developer work harder and bring about advanced technology and newer gaming concepts. Modified consoles and backup games may not benefit the developer at all but they definitely allow gamers that may not had the opportunity to experience the game due to financial constraints, to have access to it. "Gold Farming" is going to continue to increase profits and production because it's benefiting these countries economically. It is also globalizing the gaming industry and allowing gamers to network. All of these practices are characteristics of gaming, deal with it!

Week 6 Gaming As in Life

Starting of with the first article I read, Introduction: The Digital Revolution, the Informed Citizen, and the Culture of Democracy, by Henry Jenkins & David Thorburn. They discussed how the evolution of technology and computers has not surpassed the impact of movies and television, in regards to speaking to the vast public. The article discussed how the internet has brought evolution to the revolution, as a result has allowed alot of people to become aware or conscious on various subjects. However, these items may not be easily accesible for the variations in generations, or financial contraints, to many of of the public that is computer illiterate, or many other reasons. As a results this information is not being widely dispersed to the public as well as the older forms of communication such as print, media, television, and movies. As an example during the Obama campaign there was alot of products, keepsakes, memorables, etc.. that were available online. Alot my friends and peers had access or knowledge as to where to obtain such things, however my mother, and older relatives that are not computer literate didn't. Their main source for products, info, memorables, etc.. was through the media, newspaper, advertisements and magazines. Another example the "Where the Hell Is Matt" dancer Matt Harding that made his infamous debut via the internet. Matt was not as widely known as he is now since he was reveiled to a broader scale of society. If you asked the majority of americans have they heard of the guy that has danced around the world while being videotaped, they will know or at least what you're talking about. Before he was made publicized by the contemporary media alot of my family, friends and even I didn't know who he was. This goes to support that yes, the evolution of technology has brought about a revolutionary approach to reaching the public. This emerge in technology has not demised or depreciated the effect or massive approach and connection that media, radio, news, movies or television to date. Will this technology ever surpass our contemporary form mass communication and information?
The next article I read The Civic Potential of Video Games by Joseph Kahne, Ellen Middaugh, Chis Evans discussed the civic gaming experiences or effects in regards to a study done on 17 year olds. The article states that the teens or youths that play video games are just as equally politically and socially engaged as other non-gaming youths. Further more it goes to say that teen gamers do gain some civic outcomes such as becoming aware of moral and ethical issues, organizing groups or klans, socializing, networking and making them socially conscious. So in various aspects these teens have shown that games do have a civic impact on us and our society. Our future is constantly producing a newer generation of gamers that will use these civic outcomes positively or negatively in life. They are able to distinguish reality from fiction, and leave the vicious, mass murdering, psychotic killing, car stealing, cop killing ideas behind, once the game is turned off (majority of the time).

The third article I read Young Adults and Virtual Public Spheres: Builiding A New Political Culture by Alan E. Rycroft contradicts Henry Jenkins & David Thorburn's article. Alan E. Rycroft believes that the internet is paving the way for young adults to become informed, organized and influentual in the world today. He believes that this new technology of texting, emailing, surfing the web, blogging, etc... is a major form of communication and is globalizing the world politically. This new form of mass communication is truly allowing us to become politically conscious as well as interactive. Just as I mentioned earlier about the Obama memorabillia earlier in my blog that was widely publicized via the internet. I also received text from friends with campaign info, jokes, etc.. as well as having friends blog on facebook. Alot of my friends were not as politically involved as they were this presidential election. This contributed alot to the vast amount of information obtainable through the internet via wireless and non-wireless forms. I agree with Rycroft the internet and the ever changing forms of technology has and will continue to greatly impact society not only in regards to politics but every aspect of the world.

My fourth article A Socio-Technical Vision of Democratic Knowledge Exchange by Brian Whitworth and Rob Friedman, discuss how the internet is bringing about the demise of Academic Journals. The authors believe these academic journals should be absorbed into online journals and also have democratic feed back allowed. This will allow the journals to stay in publication as well as evolve with the revolution of media and public interaction. I believe in order for these academic journals to continue publishing succefully they are going to have to evolve as well. The majority of readers are not going to subscribe to a printed journal and wait for delivery, when they can easily access or download a minimal or no cost from the comforts of their own home. In addition we are interactive society just as we were yesterday. We want our opinions heard, we want democracy and equality. We don't want our forms of information governered totally by the creator, or owner of such publication do we? Most of us want to be able to respond, interact, blog about it, post a comment, even have your response posted (as most newspapers such as Seattle Post Intelligencer or magazine Essence)in a article. If these academic journals aren't absorbed into online journals they will have less of an effect on shaping societies ethics and reaching a bigger demographic, as a result they may continue to decline and we'll only have a prominent few that cease to exist.

Overall I believe the internet and games have a vast effect on our life ethically, morally and shape our society. The games and internet allow us to network with other people that have different views and opinions. These forms of technology allow of to make informed decisions based on the information we receive or search for through them. They also aid us in making moral and ethical decisons based on the knowledge gained, lesson learned or mission accomplished. These forms of technology allow us to become globaly connected and infomed. As a result we are becoming advanced in various aspects of our lives, such as socially inept, health conscious, career orientated, politicaly organized, computer literate, obtaining problem solving skills, and hand eye coordination, just to name a few.

Gender and Race in Gaming

Lynda Lin's article Video Games the Bad Guys Come In All Shades of Stereotypes, she gives two perspectives regarding race representation or misrepresentation in games. One perspective came from a college student doing that perform a study and wrote his thesis on this subject. Robert Parungo feels there is a stereotypical representation of Asians in video games, specifically Kung Fu, Shadow Warrior, Warcraft 3, and Grand Theft Auto 3. Parungo feels the only roles for Asians portrayed in these games or most games are samurais, gang members, or prostitutes. As a result of this misrepresentation stereotypes are being reiterated time and time again.
On the other hand some other gamers like Artie Lee or games affiliate executives such as Scott Miller believe Parungo is reading to much into the roles. They believe there is a balance in stereotypes such as Mario being an Italian plumber, or GTA 3 and the triads, or St. Rows 2 where all the races are gang members, or San Andreas.

Jaime Kuroiwa's article Why I Didn't Buy GTA: Chinatown Wars discusses why he/she didn't purchase the game. Their reasoning was not because of the stereotypical representation of Asians, and she/he is of Asian decent. The reason was because the games plot isn't any different than any other movie or game that has been distributed to this generation. The game failed to provide a newer concept or plot in gaming, then what we're traditionally exposed to.

"Game Developer Demographics Report: An Exploration of Workforce Diversity" This was a survey taken by game developers, and employees in the gaming industry. The results showed a typical developer is a white heterosexual male, thirty one years of age, non-disabled and college educated. He or She has worked in the industry just over 5yrs, is a programmer, artist or designer and agrees diversity is important for success in the gaming industry. In addition some other factors were that whites believe the industry is more diverse then non. In regards to job titles males dominate the positions of content creation roles. There are positions in operations, IT, and human resources that are equally maintained by male and female employees. The survey compared compensation throughout the industry and showed varying degrees of equalities. White males are usually paid more then non-white races due to their extent of time working in the industry, longer or prior to non-white males. Males make approximately 9k more then female colleagues. These unjust wages are not based on the extent of time in the industry, skill set, or any other matter but discrimination. Heterosexuals dominate the industry. Bisexuals, lesbians, and gays don't believe their is diversity in the industry and that is imperative to the success of the game development industry. The survey goes on to show the average game developer is 31 years old, non-disabled, and usually has a short lived career due to getting burnt out. Overall the survey doesn't show much diversity in the field of game development.

Gamasutra News:Opinion Resident Evil 5 -How Does This Make you feel, 'Partner'? by Tom Cross. Tom Cross says Capcoms portrayal of Kijuju (a west African town) in Resident Evil 5 is transparent. Capcom worked hard to emphasize flies, slaughtered animals, skulls and candles in shacks, to depict this town as being dirty, poor and dangerous. In addition it portrays the people and the culture as being violent and dangerous. He felt the plot was a reenactment of most of the movies and games that we already play or view constantly.

After reading all of these articles I do believe we do need to focus on diversifying today's gaming industry. We need a diverse group of gaming developers to focus on diversifying the games with roles, cultures, religions and ethnicity being depicted in realistic, and non-stereotypical fashions. I believe there should be a comparable amount of positively diverse roles . Out of each of the article I seen in every aspect of the game be it a player, a designer, developer, corporate employee, etc... all of these articles showed an aspect that could be diversely developed to relate and intrigue today's society. After reading each article I can see how post colonialism relates in today's gaming industry. Most developers still use the same ideology that colonized or monopolized the market from the beginning. The new games are now post colonized by the old ideas, and stereotypes and being reenacted and represented in today's games. In addition I do see the critical race theory being used in the gaming industry. I mostly see people of color or non-whites being portrayed in roles that are subservient, or stereotypical. I do feel the critical race theory is a factor . The stereotypical image of people of color is still being displayed, and supported while adding diversity to the gaming industry, whether it is negative or positive. The average non-white race is still benefiting from the message and the image that is being projected and obviously supported from the developer. The developer or production company is still receiving revenue while negatively diversifying the games. In the end the industry are still mainly representing non-white roles as being negative, and maintaining the dominant positive roles as white characters. In closing, I'll leave you with one statement that stuck with me, and I strongly agree with. "Games are emerging as the dominant form of art, expression, and culture of the 21st century. There is no doubt in our minds that the industry will benefit from a more diverse pool of talented creators" by Lynda Linn.

Week 4 Gender in Games

Prior to reading each article I've always felt that there has been a form of sexism or steretypes of women in games. After reading the articles I received my confirmation, and a clearer view of roles and gender in gaming. Playing With Fire: Trouble in Super Macho World, broke it down clear and concise. Gonzalo Frasca takes us into Mario Universe and breaks down the difference in gender from the beginning. He allowed me to see the sexism in the game. Mario or Luigi are always the hero in the game with a goal to save the pretty, defenseless princess from the villain. Mario and Luigi can increase size (and are more powerful when bigger), acquire weapons or fire power. They can eat mushrooms or stars and become untouchable, while ripping through the game with force and killing anything in their way, until it wears off. While these characters are doing all the work the women (princess) is waiting patiently to be captured. One these characters make it to the end and save the princess the world is safe again and the princess is so grateful that her life was saved. Frasca also introduces me to a game that I had not heard of which is Super Princess Peach. Super Princess Peach is the opposite of the games that I grew up with, being that the now hero is a woman competing to save a man (Mario or Luigi) from the notorious villain. I feel that regardless of the role change there is still the old stereotypical roles or actions that define the characters in the game. After viewing the clips on Utube and reading the article it seems as if the only reason Princess Peach is the hero in this game, is because she has the ability to be emotional, and that is what is needed to achieve the goal. The underlying theory is the rescues (Mario and Luigi) are powerful through strength and physical fitness, but this game is based on emotions. The portrayal of males in this game in comparison to society is that it's not acceptable for males to be emotional especially publicly. However since the beginning of time women have been portrayed as these emotionally unstable, defenseless, beings. This game has reversed the roles of gaming but have materialized the stereotypes of women and taken it to new heights.

In the other article I read Perils of the Princess: Gender and Genre in Video Games by Sharon Sherman, she emphasized the impact of the game creator's life. She discussed growing up in the 60's and 70's era and the influence it has on the game creators. The difference in roles of women and men back then greatly differ from today's society. Twenty, thirty years ago it was common for men to be the main provider for his family, while the wife stayed at home and took care of the kids and the home. It was common for the man to be seen as the hero or the problem solver. The man made sure there was shelter, food, clothing, and anything else that was a necessity for his family. I'm not saying this was true or an accurate account for all families but for the majority of Americans during this era. If there was a mechanical problem, plumbing issues, carpentry, logging, fishing etc.. I can go on, it was the common role and duty for a man. Out of each article I read I found that the common denominator of gender and roles in gaming was an influence of society, yesterday and today, and a combination of how the game creators view roles in society. I believe and hope that this portrayal will change with the new generation of gamers and creators because we as a people have changed our roles and positions. We are constantly evolving and redefining the structure of roles and gender. Games are pivotal in our society and definitely cultural influences on our literature, jobs, children, decision making skills, etc.. We definitely need to analyze and restructure the gender and roles in gaming.

Gaming Generation and their impact on the world

I was only able to read one of the articles linked on the blackboard which was Got Game. The other article, Computer Games was posted upside down after the first few pages so I couldn't continue on. As a result I will only be discussing Got Game for the first portion of this blog. The article made a lot of relevant points in how today’s "Gaming Generation" is much more technically advanced and competitive in every aspect of their life. The article stressed many factors that can, and may possibly be attributed to this generation's mode of thinking, impact on society, relationships, and the structure of their life. The article states that games are the central factor for this generation’s production in life. I don't feel that is entirely true, however I do feel that an individual that is exposed to games routinely may have a different approach at how they apply themselves in life. I don't feel that gaming is the key or central factor to this, but yet their own experiences, peers, culture, and knowledge, are the central factors to each individuals strategic approach or dedication and application in life. There is big difference in the baby boomers generation and the gaming generation because of the constant and ever changing technicalogical advances in gaming, and how they relate to our modernized computerized culture. Most of the baby boomer culture is set in their ways, un-motivated, have very little knowledge or don't have access to games or computers that would give them the advantages that the gaming generation has over them. From playing games myself and growing up with an Atari, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Dreamcast, Playstation, Playstation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, as well as watching my husband and children play I do believe that gaming has its advantages. Gaming has given our generation the ability to step outside of your world just as literature does, and see the world through another character’s eyes, or be someone else for the moment and get lost in time. Games have given our generation the motivation to become competitive, seek leadership roles, process life as puzzles and see structure in various ways, based upon skills learned and applied through daily gaming interactions. Games have taught us patience, repetition, management, skilled hand eye coordination, computer literacy (if playing online) socialization, organization, math skills, and reading. I can continue on and break it down microscopically. Basically I do agree with the article that the gaming generation has a lot to offer this world and their employers. We as a nation or world are not yet as perceptive to this concept and don't recognize the advantages this has on our society and our world. This generation will bring about an evolution in gaming and its application to our society and the structure of life. Gaming is literature and is shaping a new generation and reaching all cultures and aspects of life. There is a story in each and every game, whether it plays a major role in the forefront or is just implied through the theme or mission of the game.The other article I read was on gamestudyjournal.com Living a Virtual Life: Social Dynamics of Online Gaming by Castulus Kolo & Timo Baur, it discussed the social impact of online gaming. From a personal perspective I can relate to the article because my family spends 85% - 90% of their time on Xbox Live. The impacts that I’ve seen are that they do develop a social network and enhance their online social skills. Online gaming allows them to become whoever they want, create a specific character, name and profile whether it's a true replica of themselves or not. Online gaming benefits these players by enhanced competitive skills, live interactions, international contacts and networking, self esteem, and self efficacy. Some of these skills can be applied to daily non-virtual interactions. These benefits can help these individuals to be successful in ever day life, set higher goals and standards for themselves, and have better opportunities in life. On the other hand these skills can also be seen as an enabler and limit them from various opportunities or advances in life, but I that is a whole different blog.