Shredded Blogs

I typed the addresses of some of me and my friends blogs into http://www.potatoland.org/shredder/ and came up with these interesting "shredded" versions:

ONLINE IDENTITY: INTRODUCTION AND KEY ISSUES

WHAT IS IDENTITY? WHAT IS DIGITAL OR ONLINE IDENTITY? HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM "IN PERSON" IDENTITY?

• One definition from the Concise Oxford English Dictionary for identity is: "the fact of being who or what a person or thing is, the characteristics determining this." More simply, one might say your identity is the answer to the question: "Who are you?"
• Digital or online identity is a portrayal of who you are in a digital or online format. Like any form of identity, this presents only a slice of who you really are, and in some ways allows a person to more carefully control what that presentation of identity is.

QUESTIONS OF AUTENTICITY

• With the ability to construct your online personas, questions are raised related to the intention behind how this representation is conveyed. Is an online identity a "true" identity or is it something inauthentic, simply constructed by the portrayer.
• "In sum, the selves that we have are composed of multiple identities and contradictory experiences. In late-modern society, it is almost impossible to have a fully unified, completed and coherent 'self'; rather, we all tend to have fleeting, multiple and contradictory selves" (Charles Cheung "Presentations of Self on Personal Homepages", p45)

IDENTITY CONVERGENCE is when you have a crossover between different portrayals of your identity. As many people have multiple online identities this becomes a more relevant issues. Some risks that could come along with this would be if one identity is intended for a specific audience but the audience of a different one of a person's identities encounters both identities. They then might question the person's integrity and character through these contrasting portrayals.

PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE SHARING OF PERSONAL INFO

• Online identities can blur the line between what we traditionally think of as public vs. private information. It also can challenge comfort zones regarding what we might consider personal spheres.

ETHICS ISSUES

• By placing your identity in a digital format instead of a living format, it places this information in a place that can potentially be used by others
• People can hide behind a constructed identity to harm others in ways they might not as their "real life" identities.
  

What is art, videogames?

a) How does Adams define art? Do you agree with his definition?
According to Adams, art can be divided into categories like: literary arts, fine arts, and decorative arts. The line though between what is art and isn't is very blurry and can be complicated by things like architecture and things that are both creative and have a utilitarian aspect.

-art should have some moral values, games can be just an activity
-contains ideas, must have meanings
-if the focus is on how it's used--> less of an art
-if there are critics that review it as art

Drawing lines around what is art seems problematic to me since every boundary that can be drawn is sure to have exceptions. For example saying that art must be recognized as such by critics or by the public would exclude anything that an artist never shares with anyone else. Also saying that something with a utilitarian primary focus is not art might exclude interactive art that is meant to be used in some way. This could go on forever, but what's important is the point that for each qualification of what is not art there is bound to be something with the same characteristic that is art. What seems important to me in this question is the issue of intention. By this I mean if the creator of something intends to be art, then I think it can be.

b) According to Adams, what is needed for videogames to be considered as art?
-If a game has a narrative it can fall into the category of literary arts
-Exploration of aesthetic properties: plays around with issues of perspective, color, and other visual considerations that artists might consider when working with more traditional types of art

It seems like a lot of the arguments related to defining what is or isn't art in terms of video games comes down to the intention and attention of the creator. If the artist pays attention to visual and conceptual considerations in the way an artist would then the video game is pushed into the realm of art. Also it seems like one can say that when a person seeks out to create something as art (be it a video game or not) then it can be considered art, just not necessarily good art, or successful art I would add.

Ethnics of Digital Gaming

a) According to the film, what are some pros and cons of playing video games for individuals and societies? PROS:

• Can be used as a recruiting method for the Military or other groups
• Can be used as an alternative therapeutic method for kids coping with disease, for example playing a game called "Remission" for a boy with Leukemia that treats him about issues such as chemotherapy treatment.
  

CONS:

• Some arguments suggest that violent games can encourage similar behavior in the non-virtual world.
• Playing video games frequently goes against some of the basic things that we consider important in contemporary society such as live social interaction and also physical activity. Participating in these activities in a simulated reality is not a valid substitute.
  

b) According to the film, is there any evidence that digital games can encourage aggressive values and anti-social actions in the real world? Do you agree?

• A brain study showed links between playing violent games and aggressive brain activity, though not necessarily actual aggressive actions.
• In one case, a boy who had only handled a gun once in real life but had significant experience shooting to kill in the virtual world had not only nearly perfect accuracy but also showed a level of desensitization in his ability to shoot his victims in the face.

c) Should governments have the right to ban certain games? Why or why not?
This is a difficult issue because government censorship can be a slippery slope resulting in more things banned than one would initially desire. However I feel that if enough hard evidence can be drawn to make connections between violent games and real life aggressive and dangerous behavior some government action should be taken for the general safety of the public.

I think what is most important is to inform people (especially parents) on these types of issues and helping them to differentiate on their own which games might be dangerous to use. Since perfect education on any topic seems impossible, the best solution may be some sort of government restrictions limiting the use of these types of games but not all together banning them. A rating system (I think some countries already have this?) like what we see with film seems like a good solution to this, only allowing people over 18 to purchase games with potentially harmful content.

d) Interview with classmates:

• Name: Penny
  
• Game: The Sims
  
• Why do you like it? You can control the people, and you can have things that you can't have in real life, for example pets. Also you can make yourself look however you want to look, you can change your face or your hair easily if you don't like what you have to start with.
  
• Does this game encourage any ways of thinking or behavior that you find questionable or worrying? It might make people respect real life less and not appreciate the life they have or the things they have in it as much.