Mobile Gaming in the Present Day

    When it comes to video games, I would say that I'm definitely in between being a casual gamer and a hardcore one.  I anticipate big game releases and stay updated on the current events of the gaming world, but I by no means let it control or ruin my life.  With that being said, I've always found that my preference for gaming has always been on actual home consoles (the xbox 360 to be specific).  This preference dates back to the sega dreamcast and ubiquitous N64.  Though I preferred home consoles, I still was a huge mobile gamer back in the day.  I had every gameboy device from the original gameboy and all its variations all the way up to the DS (notice the 3DS doesn't fall under that category, more on that later).  I've had my iphone for three years now and I can honestly say I may have played three to five non-iphone mobile games since; I just lost interest.  Iphone gaming has taken the market by storm and my question is, is there any more room for widespread success in mobile gaming anymore or has Apple completely conquered yet another market?

    Here's a quote from the online gaming publication IGN about the matter, "There are 150 million of these things in circulation - compared to 3DS, which is still well shy of 10 million. If Vita ever hits 10 million sales, it would surprise many critics who believe the world has no call for an expensive, dedicated handheld gaming system. No, the world of mobile gaming belongs to Apple."  The quote reminds me of yet another quote, when rapper Jay-Z so eloquently stated "Men lie, women lie, numbers don't"; modern-day shakespeare that guy is.  Anyways, IGN brings up a valid point.  There are approximately 140 million more people with an iphone than Nintendo's relatively new, 3-D technological feat, the 3DS, so why would consumers fork up extra hard-earned cash on a mobile gaming system, when they already have a highly capable one in their pocket?  Now, I am not an iphone gaming fiend like most seem to be (angry birds and peggle withstanding), but it is clear that most iphone users are.  I think that the problem for mobile gaming has always been how noticeably inferior the graphics were to their home console counterparts, well for me at least.  I would only play my gameboy when I was in the car on the way to school or any other locations that weren't home to kill time.  Though pocket size, they're also another item the one must lug around on their person, causing for a miniscule yet relevant inconvenience.  An iPhone user (if their at all responsible) have their phone on them at all times.  Because of this, mobile gaming is that much more convenient.  My final opinion on why I think iPhones games are as successful as they are would have to be the price tag on games.  A 3DS or Playstation Vita (the next optimistic iPhone competitor) run at around 30-40 dollars; that's minimum.  IGN just gave Infinity Blade II, an iPhone RPG game, a perfect 10 rating and the game only costs seven dollars.  If that's not a bang for your buck then I really don't what is.  And that's what I think it ultimately boils down too; iPhone gaming is the epitome of bang for your buck.  

Music in the New Media Frontier

    A recurring theme in this year's class that I noticed was the emphasis on the public's need to stay connected to the internet at all times.  The Internet has become a necessity to the lives of billions and serves as a mediator for endless data and entertainment.  I was watching a show on the Fox network where one of the character's had been playing basketball overseas for two years and became completely dis-connnected from anything news-related in the states.  On his return, he was involved in a slew of job interviews but denied a particular position because he lacked knowledge on certain pop culture references that had become popular in his absence.  To remedy the problem, he endures an all-out media blitz through use of the internet to get caught up on two years of missed media.  Though an exaggeration, this example speaks volumes to the perpetual amount of information on the net that is only one click of the mouse away.  However, have we as a generation become spoiled in our need for instant gratification?  In constant search for the next new tidbit, have we become insatiable in our quest to soak in info at any given time?  I think the answer can be partially seen in how the music industry has evolved with the prevalence in use of the net.
   In recent years, the music business has found its footing in profiting off of a business that was dealing with one of the largest piracy scandals ever seen.  With the help of itunes, more frequent touring, and other financial strategies, artists and record labels have seen a substantial increase in profit than in previous years.  However, the music business has used what was once their achilles heel, the internet, as their backbone to newfound success.  The process of initially "leaking" one's album on the internet for free but illegal consumption, has basically become a given tactic in the music business; it's no longer a matter of "if" an artist's new material will leak but simply "when" it will.  Record Labels and Imprints have embraced this accepted format and have launched strategies to work with the inevitable pre-release date leaks.  Record labels have started Facebook pages for their artists and once a priced piece of work is on the way for mass consumption, the label will allow for a free stream of the album as long as you like the page.  Instead of shying away from the thought of free consumption, they are embracing it and allowing for listeners to get previews of albums before they are released.  Embracing free music has become an important component to their success, but has also caused a widespread desire for instant gratification.  This is the new style of successful music artist; release material for free, build a fanbase, and hope that the fanbase will buy a retail album.  The constant availability has caused for a constant need for more music.  Instead of four year hiatuses from successful artist who reap the benefits from highly profitable albums, albums are released more frequently due to leaks and the subsequent lack of sales.  If an artists fails to provide this material more frequently for the fans, then the next one will.
 

Technology and Social Interaction

    In my personal opinion, I believe that the omnipotence of technology in our everyday lives has not negatively impacted everyday face to face interaction.  Obviously, society has instilled mannerisms into our psyche regarding the proper times to use technology; no texting at the dinner table, phones away during work meetings and school classes, etc.  Though these unwritten rules are frequently broken from time to time, face to face interaction has been severely jeopardized.  Just because someone is buried in their digital interface on occasion doesn't mean they can't communicate properly in person anymore.  However, I do believe that the availability of these technologies can cause for distractions in an everyday face to face situation.  Questions like "Has my twitter feed been updated?" "Have I gotten a text from so and so about so and so yet?", could cause for a compulsive need to check your phone in mid-conversation but I think that problem lies in the realm of ethics more than an inability to communicate with another human being adequately.
    I am actually a vehement advocate of virtual relationships.  I can't see anything wrong with meeting your soulmate on an online dating service; I mean if you can't find that special someone in everyday life why not go the virtual route?  Now, if one is not putting forth an  acceptable effort in face to face communication to find that type of connection than that could be problematic but if you've tried to establish that connection and its simply not working, I see no shame in trying to find a compatible match online.  Though I can't give a personal opinion on online dating, I can speak on message boards more in depth.  I am a member of the Kanye West fan site "http://kanyetothe.com".  The site isn't just an everyday infatuation with all things West, but is honestly one of the most diverse sites on the net in my opinion.  From sports, to other musicians, to television, to gadgets and games, it is a site that covers basically everything that interests me in life.  Heated debates rage on in every section and subsequently virtual relationships and feuds are the result.  I have friends on that site whom I've never met based on their love of all things Houston Texans and Curren$y (my favorite rap artist) related.  Now, in no way would I describe the friendship as meaningful due to the fact that I have never met them, but they are rewarding friendships nonetheless.  I have in-depth conversations regarding an array of subjects that I don't have in real life due to the lack of interest from my real-life friends in these same subjects.  A heated debate on why Pilot Talk 1 is better than anything else Curren$y has ever done is a debate exclusive to KTT (kanyetothe), one my real life friends would find no interest in.  These normal debates cause for relationships to be formed and more serious matters are discussed from time to time.  The point being that online forums provide escapes from the real world and allow you to discuss topics that you find interesting more in-depth than you might in real life.  They can also provide a safe-zone for members to explore more serious topics that they wouldn't in real life due to their anonymity.  I can honestly say that KTT is my virtual family and I have no shame in admitting that.
    I think the addition of "real" public space to discuss political/social situations could have a positive outcome but I don't think that it is exactly necessary.  Political forums and discussion boards have a very powerful presence online and allow for heated debates with the cloak of anonymity; this is the key.  In real life debates, people might hold back or refrain from giving whole-hearted responses due to their personality or what not, online debates hold no punches.  Though this anonymity can cause for vulgarity or uncensored brashness, the point is that intelligent debates can be held online so there is really no need for a real space for these to occur.  The only strong upside I see in real-life debates are the face to face communication aspects and further refining people skills but there are other outlets of meeting places where that can occur.  I think that online forums are just fine.

Social Networking and Privacy

    There's no denying the ubiquitous presence of social networking.  It has become permanently engrained in the conscious of today's internet-savy generation whom feel the need to be constantly updated throughout the day.  I do find myself falling into this pattern of constant updates; I check my Twitter almost hourly.  Now due to the insignificance of my daily routines, I tend not to bore my one hundred and four followers with hourly updates; I usually tweet once to three times a day.  Rather, I enjoy absorbing he news others have to offer as I'm scrolling my beloved timeline.  It's a nice way for me to stay connected without having to surf the net for info.  If something major occurs, the people I follow are most likely tweeting about it.
    I prefer Twitter over for Facebook and I verbalize this preference often.  I would say there are three glaring reasons for this preference.  The first reason would have to be the intimacy of twitter if that makes sense.  I have over six hundred friend on Facebook and that is by no means a boast, it's just how it is; I've been a member since 2006.  With this overabundance of 'friends', there is a flood of info from people who I honestly don't really care to know that much about.  On twitter, all of the people I choose to follow are people who I know well and who's daily updates I truly care about.  It's an overall more engaging and intimate social networking experience.  The second reason would be the overall simplicity of Twitter's setup.  There's a timeline, a place to search for twitter users, trending topic updates, and individual profiles.  That's it.  No photos, no apps, no clutter and no annoying advertisements.  It's a much cleaner experience than Facebook.  Finally, my favorite aspect of twitter would have to be having the opportunity to follow celebrities.  Sure celebrities have Facebook pages, but they're more than likely fan pages or simply run by a publicist in the star's camp.  Twitter has verified celebrity accounts and they'll usually keep you updated on the big news they have planned.  It's a direct path to the life of idols, and their is always a chance of the coveted retweet; where a celebrity notices your tweet about them and decides to share this tweet with thousands of other people.  That's a dream of every twitter member; I guarantee it.  These are unique benefits that can only be found a social network.
    I believe the cultural move to social networking is mostly positive transition.  I was watching a segment on CNN that said Facebook is creating jobs and providing ample opportunities to small businesses who place advertising pages on the social networking site.  Due to the millions of members on the site, this provides an undeniable luxury to small businesses.  Computer science is proving to be an ever growing industry and social networks are providing jobs that were simply not possible twenty years ago.  Sure, there are complaints regarding privacy but I honestly don't see that being a problem.  If one conducts themselves properly and maturely when in social situations where facebook photos can be taken, there should be nothing to hide.  If someone is truly worried about their privacy to the point of outrage, maybe they should reconsider their presence on a social networking site.
    I have rarely tweeted anything that I truly regretted and I usually catch myself from tweeting something that will not get a positive response.  If I do in fact tweet something that I regret, I simply delete and think nothing of it.  As an average joe, my tweets are more than likely not gonna outrage to many people.  For the most part I feel my privacy on these social networks is in no danger.  For twitter, I use an alias so only people I want to find me on twitter can.  It is also locked and can only be viewed by people who I have allowed to follow me.   As far as Facebook is concerned, I understand that many companies and federations have the control and right to hack and view my profile.  I do see this as an invasion of privacy but I truly have nothing to be ashamed of on my page.  Then again, I rarely use my facebook so I'll probably never even notice a breach in privacy.  Go figure.

My Social Media Diet

    After a week of annotating my social media diet, I believe I can now accurately express my habits and preferences.  I'd say that I spend at least three to four hours visiting the internet daily through the use of my Macbook Pro.  I use the default apple web browser safari due to it's undeniably convenient "top sites" feature.  Through this feature, My top twelve sites are constantly available and updated throughout the day and are only one click of the mousepad away; However, this feature is both a gift and a curse.  Obviously, there is no denying the convenience of having my most coveted websites all in one virtual space but this also poses the problem of distractions.  My top sites, which consist of four music-oriented sites, ESPN's website, two all purpose sites (music, sports, men's style and fashion), three social networks (twitter, tumblr, facebook), and the gaming/pop culture website IGN, are where I spend all of my time online.  It's almost a sort of nervous impulse for me to click on the 'top sites' icon and check on these sites; it's second nature.  By frequently checking these sites, I can lose track of how long I have spent on the net and can forget about urging matters I must attend to in the real world.  I am capable of showing self-restraint for the most part, but that doesn't mean I can become easily side-tracked from time to time.
    As far as television concerned, I mostly just have the TV on to have it on.  I occasionally look up from my computer screen to check scores and highlights but the TV is undeniably secondary to the Internet.  My default channel is ESPN and I rarely change channels.  I watch all of the actual TV shows online because I usually forget when they come on and almost always miss their original showing.  These shows are usually HBO comedies, FX's phenomenal comedy Louie, or ABC comedies Modern Family and Happy Endings.  Not really big on dramas.
    I'm not proud to say it, but the only physical reading I do is completely school-orientated.  These reading usually take up 2 hours of my day but if I'm not reading an article or novel for class,  I'm most likey not reading recreationally; unless J.K. Rowling decides to pick up a pen again anytime soon.  All of my reading is done digitally.  I read sports articles, gaming articles, music articles,  and any other extended reading my top sites provide.  I know this is not ideal but I feel as if many kids in my internet-savvy generation are heading down the same path.
    I believe my social media diet pretty much says that I'm a frequent internet user and can occasionally become dependent on it.  My time on the internet is mostly spent on music based sites and that is the area where I like to be updated most.  I honestly believe that my generation vastly prefer the internet over TV because it provides information exponentially faster and almost everything found on TV can be found more quickly on the internet.  News sites such as CNN and MSNBC frequently update their sites so as opposed to waiting for the CBS evening news to come on at seven, an intrigued consumer can simply go to  a news-based website and fulfill his itching inquiry on the day's events.  This is the main reason I believe our generation are so internet-crazed; we get our information faster.  I personally see nothing wrong with this ideology and see no reason to change my internet consumption.  I use the internet for informative purposes mostly though the information does interest me.   I could cut down on how long I spend my time on the internet but I do not think it's jeopardizing any part of my life.  It's how today's society gets its information and there is see no shame in that.  No shame at all.