Final Paper Overview

After much deliberation I settled on focusing my paper around the role of fairy tales in various pieces of media. Fairy Tales have been apart of our culture for sometime and played a huge role in our childhood's. There are many pieces of regular literature with fairy tales, but what I have noticed in recent years is the liberty being taken with re-writing or someone putting their own spin on these classic stories. After researching fairy tales I discovered that many of the stories we love such as Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty are actually much darker then the stories we have been told. Just look at all the Disney movies that are centered around princes, princesses, and other famous characters. I have noticed a trend in video games and interactive fiction of an involvement of fairy tale characters. Many of these games have taken on more adult rated content with adult themes not suitable for children. Two games that exemplify this claim is the Wolf Among Us and The Path. Some themes in the role playing game the Wolf Among Us are violence, murder, rape, infidelity, spousal abuse, and many more issues. These more adult interpretations are actually staying more true to the source materiel than the Disney versions. In this paper I am going to focus on the importance and influence of fairy tales in culture; Also, why authors and creators are constantly creating their own spins on these older stories with different viewpoints of classic characters. Below is the more comical, but adult conversations in the first episode of The Wolf Among Us.

Convergence

Living in a digital age the topic of convergence is starting to appear more often. Technological convergence is basically combining multiple forms of media into one and improving on old devices of the past. Another important aspect of convergence is when new and old forms of media interact with one another. They literally converge on one another to form a greater mean.There are so many forms of media on consoles and devices, eventually we will have one device that is great at having all forms of media. Phones are headed that way currently with being able to talk, text, play games, apps, read books, and so on, but they are not completely efficient in all of these areas. So many people today have an absurd amount of media devices. Take myself for example I have a laptop, smart phone, Xbox 360, and an iPod. Yes, each of these devices are great at their main objective and sufficient in other areas, but it is a pain to haul these things around. Slowly, but surely we are moving toward a time when one device can have and manipulate all forms of media in an efficient manner. 
In addition, there are multiple types of convergence which include Economic Convergence, Organic Convergence, Cultural Convergence, Global Convergence, and Technological Convergence. Each one plays in important role in society and offer different advantages to society. It just goes to show that convergence is everywhere and not just limited to media. Global Convergence is the biggest one of all and helps bring together people of all walks of life. 

 
This brings me to my next point about the black box fallacy. People believe that this is unheard of and will never happen, but I could not disagree more. Look no farther than our current smart phones. We realistically are so close to this black box idea and we are constantly creating awesome new technology. I personally think this hypothetical black box will be like a phone and not a cable box which a few critics envisioned. 

Reaction to Stelarc

Honestly, I have no clue where to start when discussing Stelarc. This was something completely strange to me, but I have to admit it is one of a kind. The passion and dedication required to make something like this is incredible. Overall, Stelarc to me is a few different ideas and aspects. First, one can control an avatar due to motion sensors and controls connected to the persons limb. The avatar mimics your movements in the digital or non tangible world. Also, Stelarc involves manipulating ones body in real life through different aspects. For example, on the website there are multiple pictures of people being hung by strings as if they are idle. In the one presentation when the spider machine was on stage it reminded me of Sid's creepy toy from Toy Story.By pulling on these strings it moves their limbs. In addition, Stelarc focuses on combining different body parts in some sort of strange mash-up. This is apparent in both real life and the digital world. In real life when he inserted the ear into his arm it adds another dimension and can transmit signals. No, the ear does not have a mind of its own, but it is an extension of the man. In the digital world it is crazy with the avatars faces and different limbs being completely detached or attached in strange positions. A face will literally be spinning when an arm or leg pops out of its mouth.

Stelarc and Existenz have a lot of the same concepts and ideas. They both focus on manipulation of ones body on another platform, but the real life body is needed to control the avatar or movatar. This avatar is an extension of ones real body, but it is realistic by the mimicking it does. Both of these platforms immerses the user in a different world and medium. One unique similarity is that in order for one to be immersed they literally have to be plugged into the virtual world. The user or player has to have something attached or inserted into their body. This can easily blur the line between reality and the game. Each of the two properties focus on the process of manipulation of the body and how ones reacts in both real/virtual time. I feel like both the real world and virtual world immerse the user so much that reality gets blurred because we trick our own mind. Lastly, I found it to be some kind of weird coincidence of the ear with Stelarc and the little pink thing  in Existenze from the arcade to be insanely similar. This shows that they have their own way of engaging the user, but many of the same concepts or themes. In summary, both Existenze and Stelarc are something strange, but expand the boundaries of the human body in the real and virtual world through various actions.  

Ender's Game

After reading Ender's Game I want to see the movie because the novel was captivating. The plot had some twists and turns, as well as some mature content which I enjoy. The fact that the main character was a young kid was something different. If the character was an adult I probably would not have sympathized with him as much due to the fact Ender was a kid. This was an important part of the plot on a couple different issues. It helped relate the reader to the character better because he was a young kid who was bullied and taken right from his home. We sympathized with Ender and it caused us to root for him no mater what stood in his way. Also, even though Ender was exceptionally bright, I felt he did not grasp the consequences of his actions. He still had innocence in him even though he killed two different people. If that had been an adult I would have viewed him as an anti-hero and not as attached to the character. 

Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was the relationship between Peter and Valentine. Even though these characters took a back seat to their brother they both had vital roles. I really enjoyed how when they adopted those screen names they essentially took on the opposite persona. After a while their personalities changed and they actually believed what they were typing. Valentine slowly started to act more like Peter and vice versa. For how tough and durable Ender was one can argue that the only thing he feared was Peter. Even after Ender grew older and Peter seemed to be less cynical it was the one person that could instill fear in Ender. I enjoy characters in different forms of literature or media that have such a strong dynamic to themselves like Peter. I did not necessarily root for Peter in the book, but I acknowledge how important he was to the main plot even when he was not present. 

The one issue I had with the book was that I wish Peter and Ender would have ended up clashing or facing off after battle school. I know their relationship was important, but played second fiddle to the buggers. I thought it would be awesome once Peter got in power if they had an altercation. Just imagine both of them leading an army against one another. This is just one minor complaint because overall I enjoyed the novel and look forward to viewing the film adaptation.

 

Alternative Reality Gaming

Over the last couple of weeks we have been examining and playing around with Alternative Reality Gaming or ARG. In high school I was a pretty hardcore gamer and played a wide selection of games. Nowadays I do not play video games to much besides a game or two of NHL on PS3 or Super Smash Brothers on the N64. I was excited to do some research and actually get to mess around a bit with the games. When playing the games, I asked myself are these games actually online literature? At first I thought no way they can be considered a form of digital literature, but after interacting with the material I changed my mind quickly. I view it this way, all these games convey a story and have a medium for their different stories. They all have endings some good and some bad so in my opinion they are not any different than a book or a story. Their is a central theme in the games and they immerse the gamer and they become attached to the characters or the plot. In essence for me playing these games is no different than cracking open a Sherlock Holmes novel, because they all have the same consistencies just a different approach or medium to convey their message. 

Games are so influential in culture just look across the world and see how many people play video games. From arcades to gaming consoles to phone apps the majority of people have played a video game at some point of their life.  With "The Intruder" it includes classic games such as pong and this relates to so many people. The game aspect draws readers in and then the actual plot is what keeps them there. It is like getting rewarded for reading with all the different games and challenges the piece presents. Also, these games the more modern they are have underlying issues in society that are present. It is like a digital representation of certain tragedies or issues we face in our daily lives. Another huge factor in the way we perceive video games depends on the media they are presented. For example, if I sit down to play Xbox I have the intention of playing a game, watching a movie, or T.V. show. When I sit down at a computer I usually have the attention of reading, doing homework, or buying a product. When I experienced interactive fiction I became much more immersed in the text and the overall plot because I viewed more as of a story than a game. Truth be told all game shave plots or objectives, but I had  a much more serious mindset then I would have if I was playing Call of Duty. The mindset that goes along with interactive fiction is much more serious and we think more critically because we perceive it more as fiction than as a game. Over time since we live in such a digital age and with technology constantly advancing interactive fiction will become extremely popular. It combines all the positives with a gaming atmosphere and it hard to compete with that. Overall, these games should be analyzed as literature because they contain the same content just presented in a more challenging, unique, and unconventional way, but produce the same effects as a book.

Personal Narrative

As I stroll through the student union students are sprinting into the tuck to get some dinner before their night class. I keep making my way to Blackington as I ponder various thoughts through my head. A huge project is due tomorrow and it could determine my final grade or even worse my future. Usually, I am cool and collected under pressure, but a little something called senioritis has recently struck me. Starting a project or paper the day before it is due is not something new to me, but this had a different feel. For the first time in a while I am absolutely clueless on a project like a helpless little kid trying to reach a top shelf in a grocery store. All those Thursdays I went to the bar or all the weekends all I did was watch football, maybe I should have worked on this project considering it was arguably the most crucial in my college career. 

    Sashaying my way past maintenance workers blowing leaves in front of Biddle I start to reflect on previous papers and such that I completed at the last second. This one had a different feel and I could not grasp the concept the professor wants us to illustrate. Upon reaching Blackington as I open the door I nod to a few people outside smoking that I know. As I make my through the lobby I notice the regulars who are at Blackington until the wee hours in the morning. The next thing I know I look up and theres a stampede of people sprinting down what my be the narrowest staircase known to man. “Must be late for a test”, I mutter quietly to myself. I go in to the first computer lab to the right and realize there is quite a cast of characters with only one seat open. This seat happens to be next to the girl who is spilling her life story to her acquaintance and my other would be neighbor is passed out drooling on the keyboard.  To top it all off, the would be person sitting behind me looks as if they have the plague and are hacking up a lung. No thanks, I plan on living past the age of 50. Not feeling the people or the vibe of the room I make my into the Mac Lab.  Entering the room, I brush shoulders with some kid who I believe is in my class as he has a look of absolute jubilation and is grinning from ear to ear.  

    It is about time I can get some work done. I exhale loudly  when I sit in the third row of computers directly in the center. As soon as the computer logs me in  I immediately do a bunch of unnecessary tasks like change my fantasy football lineup, check course web for the 40th time, and send out some extremely generic tweet that no one cares about. Anything I can do to put this off I try to accomplish in the next ten minutes. Why am I struggling so much? Have I killed too many brain cells this year? Honestly, it is just a lack of motivation and the fact that I know this is the last big thing to do before I get ready for the real world. I just stare at the screen blankly….. 

 

 

Finally! It hits me, actually no it does not because the concept I am thinking of has no tie to the central theme of the project. As I kick back and relax because I realize I am most likely going to be rotting away in the Mac Lab until 6 a.m. Something from the previous episode from Mad Men I watched comes to me. Don Draper said the best way to critically think is to ponder ideas for a while and just stop thinking then it comes to you. I try this twice, but no luck so hopefully the third time's the charm. Sure enough it is, like some sort of happy ending in a fairy tale. 

   I vigorously hammer away at the keys typing whatever comes into my mind. I am like a machine right now just churning out facts and key points left and right. With Pharrell's “Happy” playing in my head as I wrap things up in impressive time. This is one the best papers I have written and the PowerPoint to show the class is just magical. Then, all of a sudden a power outage and my screen flickers off and on. Some girl screams and hits the deck as if it is a category ten earthquake. Turns out my paper gets lost in the digital world as I get up and just chuck the computer. My frustration is through the roof and I am about to have a heart attack when I sit back down. A loud buzzing sound goes off and I wake up….. in Digital Humanities. What a nightmare.

 

Little Red Riding Hood & Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries

In this weeks assigned readings two pieces stood out to me. The first being Leishman's retelling of Red Riding Hood. I have come across different literature pieces or even video games that have retold fairy tales and I always enjoy them. This piece was no exception because it breathes new life into a story. Obviously, in terms of graphics it was extremely similar to Deviant because of it being the same author. This piece was much different then Deviant and not nearly as frustrating. I knew the ending was going to be much different than the original story, but was not expecting such a curveball. One unique aspect of this piece that intrigued me was when Red is sleeping you can witness her different dreams which are trippy to say the least. Something that agitated me was how short the piece was compared to Deviant. Even if it was just a couple more scenes it would have expanded the meaning of the piece and the viewer could have gotten more out of it.

 

 

 

I would like to briefly touch on the pieces that we looked at from Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries. The pieces were extremely vibrant which definitely kept my intention, but the flashing screen was hard to handle after a long period of time. Even though the stories were unique and different, it agitated me that none of them really seemed to have a central meaning. Of course, I may have missed something, but it seemed like a bunch of gibberish to me. Some people may complain about some of the vulgarity, but I really liked it. Rarely do you read a piece of literature in college that has vulgarity in it. To me, it gave me a sense of realism through the piece as if an average person produced the work. Realistically, the majority of people swear so it was a nice change of pace compared to the uptight and politically correct dialogue of other works.