Media and my Day

Though it doesn't really feel like it, outside of my friends and family (who are also affected by the media) the media has probably been the biggest influence on how I think and feel about just about everything.

To have an opinion on something you have to have knowledge about that subject (ideally). Where does that information come from? The media. Not just in the sense of TV and newspapers and other large media sources but other things like the teachings of those around you who have been influenced by the media and the people around them who have also been influenced. Media means so many different things and it touches our lives in so many different ways that it is near impossible to really grasp what is original thought and what is a bi-product of media stimulation. I appreciate qualitative over quantitative thinking, so for me at least, it's not something that can be neatly summed up in some "this happened, causing this" type of statistic or chart. Media is too broad a term to be pinned down and examined.

How does the media influence my everyday life? How doesn't it? From the shampoo I use to my after class activities the media is a driving force behind my daily activities and life goals.

Video Games are the Devil

Playing video games myself, I know that I am already more prone to disagree with whatever negative comments about gaming come my way like in the videos we watched in class. However, I don't think I am an unreasonable person and if they had put forth some acceptable criticisms backed up by credible evidence I think I would have accepted their point. This did not seem to be the case however. I think a large part of that was that their argument was far too broad. Saying that video games create violent behavior in players would mean that everyone who plays video games would be more prone to these violent tendencies and those who don't play games wouldn't, and that is just not the case.

I think a lot of these criticism's come from a misunderstanding of gaming and gamers that has gone on since video games became popular. People see video gamers as the weird nerdy guy who smells bad and sits alone at lunch and then shows up with a gun one days and goes on a killing spree. Especially with the development of modern gaming this stereotype just doesn't hold true for the majority of gamers. Playing video games has become an incredibly social event. These days most games come with online play where you communicate and collaborate with other players either playing with or against each other. With the invention of online play, gamers social and communication skills have only improved over the past several years. And gaming has never been a solitary act. From Pong to Dungeons and Dragons, you need more than one player to make the game fun or to play at all. Games are designed to be social. It's unfair that a couple of people who were mentally unstable to begin with just happened to play video games and suddenly video games get a bad reputation. They stated in one of the videos that video games put you into a state where you are more susceptible to learning and what you are learning is violence. Well, if that's the case what about those people who get into that hyper active state watching sports? Sports are violent but nobody attacks them because they are part of mainstream popularity. People use these few examples of bad people who happen to game as tools for their own personal agendas. Of course there is no such thing as bad publicity so to all you uptight over protective moms who should take more responsibility for your child's upbringing than some video games,as someone who hopes to be in gaming professionally eventually, for the sake of the gaming industry please keep it up and keep games in the news and on peoples minds, thanks.

So back onto my main idea, despite the criticisms of those in the videos, games are extremely helpful developmental tools. They improve social skills,reflexes, reduce stress, stretch your imagination, and are just something to enjoy. They are far more beneficial to developing your mind than TV is and it's just as violent. All I'm really trying to say is that this isn't a black and white subject that can be proven with quantitative thinking and statistics. These things might impress a general public who doesn't have an understanding of the gaming community, but if you talk to anyone who does, I'm sure you'll find they would also disagree with these methods.

sources-

Media Studies Reader, "Talking About Videogames" pg. 464

NBC Archives, McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2004

Music and the Media

Music is such a big part of our lives and a big part of our media that they are practically inseparable. I really notice this whenever I'm watching a movie or a TV show and they don't have music playing in the background. The fact that I notice when there isn't music in something instead of when it does tells me that I have become both addicted to it and at the same time numb to the experience. I know I'm addicted because watching something that doesn't have music just feels wrong to me anymore. Like it's empty or something is missing.

I don't listen to a lot of radio because I find most stations will play one or two songs I like, then a gratuitous amount that I don't. I know this isn't the radio stations fault because they just play what will be most beneficial to them. But that means I get hooked on new music via friends or the internet. Who in turn get there music from their friends and the internet. But where does the cycle begin? To get music out there you need someone to plug your songs, that's where a professional plugger comes in. Plugging new music might not sound too hard but to be any good you have to be completely dedicated to your job and go the extra mile for your clients. I tend to be pretty fickle when it comes to my music and I probably wouldn't be very good at pretending to like something that I really didn't just to get it played so it's probably not the job for me.

My point in all this really is thank goodness for pluggers that get new music out there for people like me to enjoy.