Ethic of Videogame Presentation

Ethic of Videogame

LEE Kin Wai

1113816

Videogames that I will use for example

First of all, I will introduce the games that I will use for example in this presentation. They are counter strike and mafia.

The first one, counter strike is a famous first person shooting game. It is very popular all over the world. In the game, there are two team of player, counter-terrorist and terrorist.. You can choose to play on police side or terrorist side. Each round is won by killing your entire enemy by using different guns in the game.

Another game is mafia. It is a third person shooting game. In the game, you only can be a ganger. You need to follow the instruction from your boss in the game and finish those tasks. Most of the task are killing people or stealing something, which is always done by the ganger in the reality.

Positive ethical influence

After that, I will talk about the positive ethical influence of these two games. About the counter strike, this game can give some knowledge to the player. Such as the usage of the guns, the tactics of combat, the leadership skill, etc. This knowledge is a part of personal growth too. For example, this kind of shooting game can be virtual training for the army. On the other hand, Mafia can give the players to have a decision making, to decide follow the instruction from the boss or not. This helps their critical thinking in the reality. Also, videogames is a recreational method to relax. Playing games is a way of escaping from all things that trouble them. They can get delight from the videogame after finished the task in the game, killing your enemy or escaping from the chase of the police successfully.

Negative ethical influence

However, videogame also got many negative ethical influences. Shooting game like counter strike, this kind of game always teach skill and ability of using weapon and killing people, this directly cause violence actions. America has many cases of this issue. And Mafia, is will affect your conscious of decision making in the reality because you will used your decision making experience in the videogame to use in the reality. Also the background of this game is base on America before World War 2, so the game is not independent from the society, it is related to the reality. Moreover, the noble quest by the character will give an illusion to the player, their delight come from the game will made they feel that the killing people and steal things is have fun and honor.

Not only these two game, but also other videogames got some negative ethical influences. The videogame is affected people in a psychological way. The games changed the player’s behavior. The wrong behavior will be established after they did something that is illegal in the reality. Also, when people start living his life in videogame, they may find themselves in the real world again. They started behave just like they do in the game. However, the people may not accept this in reality. Then they back to the videogame with more passion. Then they will more addicted in videogame, just like drugs.

Conclusion

For conclusion, there are some suggest of this issue. To the game designer, they should first understand how to design games by focus on the psychological profiles of the targeted players. If your game is targeted teenagers as the players, then it should be less violent elements in the game. And for the players, they should understand how to play videogame ethically. They need to learn how to interpret their action and simulation.

It is reasonable to consider computer game as art?

Hi everyone,

a) How does Adams define art? Do you agree with his definition?

In Adams definition of art, there is three aspects. They are philosophical, historical and formal aspects. Art is having several characteristics which included some message and content in it. People can get these message from the idea with aesthetic quality. That means art should made people thinking.

In my opinion, Adam's definition is more focused on the practical level of videogame. However we are hard to find any philosophical or intrinsic value in video game. Therefore, Adam's definition is difficult to made videogame as art due to the philosophical and formal aspects that Adam's mentioned.

b) According to Adams, what is needed for videogames to be considered as art?

Adams said that videogame should have more elements of art before it to be consider as art. Videogame should not just focus on fun, it should be more focus on the aesthetic quality and intrinsic value that the game want to bring out.

Wai
10/11/2010

Is video game just a game ?

Hi everyone,

After watching the video, I have got some comment for it.

According to the film, some pros of playing videogames is the people, especially young people who play videogames can get some entertainment. When they play the game, they can express their emotion and have a relaxed emotion from it. For example, the video used The Sims to explain this function. People can build their another life which they can control anything in it. Also, young people like to do something that they can not do in the reality when they playing videogame. Such as killing people in the videogame. This is also one way to express their stress and emotion, to avoid them to kill people in the reality.

However, there also some cons of videogames. People, especially young people may be easy confused between the reality and the virtual world. Therefore they may do some illegal action or killing people in the reality after they played videogame. They may follow the character's situation. For individual, people may use many time to play videogame per day, then their daily life will be affected by this action. They may addicted in the fantasy and virtual world.

In my opinion, governments should ban certain games such as GTA. The reason is these kind of game, although this can give people another way to express their emotion and stress, but these kind of game may also bring a aggressive values to those player, especially the young people. They may affected by these aggressive values and do some illegal action or anti-social actions. Japan have many cases that high school student killing classmate after a small dispute. This can prove that the videogame can bring this problem to the society. Therefore, I prefer government to have the right to ban certain games to protect the people.

Last but not least, is the game that I like the most. It is Metal Gear. This is a game that about spy. Player is that spy and this game is a third person point of view game. Metal Gear encourage player to finish the mission without alarming any enemy's attention. However, when you at spotted by the enemy, your only choice is to kill him. I like this game because this game can test my planning to avoid the attention of the enemy. However, the worrying point is this game included the killing and shooting elements. These kind of elements may affected the children's behavior when they play this game.

Wai
03-11-2010

Individual Research Topic - The Ethics of Digital Gaming

Hi everyone,

I have chose "The Ethics of Digital Gaming" for my research topic, here are some basic information for reference.

Two Games that I chose to compare in this project : Counter-Strike and Mafia

Information about Counter-Strike :
Counter-Strike is a first-person shooter in which players join either the terrorist or counter-terrorist team (or become a spectator). Each team attempts to complete their mission objective and/or eliminate the opposing team. Each round starts with the two teams spawning simultaneously. (Wikipedia)

Information about Mafia :
Mafia is a third-person shooter video game initially made for PC in 2002 (and later ported to the Sony PlayStation 2 and the Microsoft Xbox in 2004). It was developed by Czech company Illusion Softworks and published by Gathering of Developers. The game allows the player to take on the role of a mafioso who has to accomplish various missions in order to advance in the game. It received strong critical reaction and continued to maintain a loyal cult following. As of March 12, 2008, Mafia has sold 2 million copies according to Take-Two Interactive. (Wikipedia)

References :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-Strike
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia:_The_City_of_Lost_Heaven

Wai
03-11-2010

Inter-Discommunication Machine

Hi everyone,

I would like to share some of my opinion of this topic.

In compare, I like Kazuhiko Hachiya's Inter-Discommunication Machine more. The reason is this kind of technologised body is more interesting than others. The traditional technologised body always adds some metal parts to human body to replace or help the original body parts. However, Kazuhiko Hachiya's one is not base on this concept. This work is using the equipments to exchange the view between two persons. When you use this machine, you can see what the other people seeing. This changed the original sense of our eyes. We may lost control to our action because we cannot see what we want to see. In traditional, we use technology to help us, but this work is not going to help us in anyway.

Wai
03-11-2010

Identities on Internet

Hi everyone,

I would like to answer several questions that raised in the class.


1. How many online identities do you have?

I just got four online identities on the Internet. They are Facebook account, Messenger account, Xanga account and this blog - Blogger account. However, when we search my name on the internet, it shows many LEE Kin Wai for the result. Therefore, I use another number 0922 after my name to identify my own account and identity.


2. In what ways are they different to your "in person" identities?

To compare with my own identity, those identities on the Internet is more expressive. The reason is it is too shy for me to express my own feeling in my real life. I need to concern other peoples feeling when I express my feeling. However, on the internet, I can said anything that I want to express, because I can choose to private those thing I type on the internet or I can choose not to provide the link of my blog or Facebook account name to those people, then I can share my own feeling to the people who I want to share to.


3. What are some benefits of expressing one's identity online?

As I said before, I can express my own feeling to my target only. Also, we can use other method rather than Online blog. Messenger is a good way to communicate with other people too. Messenger not only type words, but also can made a video call, then we could talk to other people face to face. Also, Internet included many people, I can share my Facebook and other web page which is about me, then I can make many friends by using my online identity.


4. What are some risks?

Actually, nowadays there are many online cheating or bullying. When we create an account, we need to provide some of our private information to te website, sometimes may need to provide our credit card information. This is a risk about our private. Our information may used in an illegal way. Also, when we post many details or photos about ourself on the internet, those information may be searched and shared to some other webpage that we don't want our information shared on. For example, a photo of a beautiful girl may be linked to a pornography website. This may cause a very bad impact on the girl.


Wai
03-11-2010

Enhance or Worsen creative culture?

Hi everyone,

There are many video site such as Youtube is on the internet nowadays. I would like to talk about what is the impact of these website gave to the creative culture.

First of all, those website are open to everyone, we can upload our own video anytime with any topic, and show the video to everyone without time and place restriction. This is the most facility way to share our Work. However, many people said that the video on Youtube and other video website is having a bad quality. This kind of bad quality videos has worsen the creative culture. They think that most of the so called "Video" on Youtube is not a creations. It didn't got any aesthetic and value in it. But I have got another opinion on it.

The new technology gave us a more facility way to create and share our video. Although most video is not a very valued or got many aesthetic elements in it, they are trying to create a work. If there do not have Youtube, we can not assure that all works are very creative things. Nowadays, at least they started to trying to create a work because of the more easy way to create and present their works. More creative means more works have been created to the creative culture. Also we can search see other's work on Youtube, this can help our creativity after absorb other's idea. Therefore I think that Youtube and other video websites have enhance the creative culture.

Wai
08-10-2010

Bus Uncle

Hi everyone,

I would like to share my experience about Youtube and Bus Uncle.

Bus Uncle, a clip on Youtube four years ago, had created a huge discussion in Hong Kong. It is first spread on the internet, after reported on TV news, Hong Kong People trying to find out the clip and started the discussion, about the clip, about the pressure of Hong Kong People and the impact of Youtube. The clip now has more than two millions people watched, but due to the different version of the video, there should be more than two millions people watched it.

Then talk about the video. It is taken by a mobile phone. Four years ago, the mobile phone didn't have any High Definition quality video. It is just a low quality video, we can't see the people in the video very clear. Also, it is just a video shot with a peep angle. The reason is, this clip is taken by a people who sit beside those two who are disputing. Therefore it is not a video with any aesthetic of angle or camera movement. Although Bus Uncle is not a very good quality video, its content and the meaning behind the video is which we most focus on.

We are more concentrate on what the Bus Uncle said in the video. Bus Uncle said that "I have pressure and you have pressure", he had said the feeling of most Hong Kong People. That's why this video created such a huge discussion. This has raised the attention of the social problem. Hong Kong People have pressure during their daily life, after they saw the Bus Uncle clip, they feel the same feeling of Bus Uncle, this kind of sketch, give Hong Kong People a topic to discuss and get some relax of daily pressure.

Another impact is the clip raised the attention of Youtube. People wanna search the clip then they started to use Youtube. This is the first time that people feel the power of Youtube. When one video post on Youtube and spread from mouth to mouth, then this will be a public topic in the society. Also this video enhanced the discussion of the usage of the mobile devices and the internet. If this video is aim to expose someone's privacy and got the same viewer of Bus Uncle, then this will be a very grave result. So the correctness of using mobile devices and Youtube is very important when we use this kind of new technology.

Wai
08-10-2010

Digital Photography

Hi everyone,

About the Digital Photography, I have something want to say about it.

Nowadays, we can use computer to add some effects to the photography, such as copy and paste, remove some part or add some part of the photo, and use software to totally change the things which captured by the camera. This is differ from the analog technology. In analog technology, we can just adjust the colour, light, and the size of the photography, may be can also add some basic graphic to the photo. Unlike analog technology, digital technology not only can adjust these things, but also compose photos. Therefore, there are many fake photos nowadays. We can not recognize which is real and which is fake.

As a student we like photography, I think the difference between digital and analog photo, not only the authenticity, but also the quality. The digital photo is more quality than the analog photo because of the new technology such as the increase of the pixel of the digital sensor. However, some people think that analog  photos have its mood. The un-clear quality of the photos made the mood. People can use it to present their idea with photo by those mood. On the other hand, analog photo need to process, it take times. That's why digital photo is replacing the analog photo. Convenient is one of the difference of digital photo and analog photo too.

Wai
01-10-2010

Screening: “Mission to Earth”

Hi everyone,

After seeing "Mission to Earth", I have got some opinion of it. 

The digital cinema is popular nowadays. So what is the different between digital cinema and the traditional filmmaking? First of all, is the technology used in the movie. We can see that there are about 3 screen we can see in the same time on the screen. The composition of the screen, there is a background, and then three or more small screen are appear surrounding the main screen. This is impossible in the traditional filmmaking, because the traditional filmmaking is just can show one screen at the same time, but digital can change it to the new way. Also, we can see those small screen is now an image which appear in the real world. Those are CG or animation. Making the non-real things on the screen is also impossible in the traditional filmmaking.

In addition, what is the benefit of using these new technology? In my opinion, this can help the director or the fiml maker have more different ways to present their idea as there are more ways such as animation that they can use in their movie to present their idea. Use the composition of "Mission to Earth" as an example, add some other graphic beside the main screen, this can help the film making to present their ideas in a more clear and direct way, prevented the audience having the wrong interpret of their movie. Also, the new technology forced more creativity of movie. Movie now not just the things that exist in the real world, we can create and make many things which is not exist in the real world. That is the most different between digital and traditional filmmaking. 

This movie gave me a feeling like seeing a website, Youtube. We can see that there are many small screen on the background. Youtube also got a screen on the background to play the clips. That's why I have this feeling. Also, both Youtube and the movie are playing the digital movie clips, not using the traditional machine to play the film. Compare with traditional filmmaking, digital movie is digitalized. Not only the quality, but also the length of the movie and the mobility is improved due to the new technology. These are my opinion of the digital and the traditional filmmaking.

Wai

29-09-2010

Photoshop Work

Hi everyone,

This is my work of editing a photo via Photoshop.

I edited this photo with a pop art style.

Original Photo

Edited Photo

Wai

29-09-2010

Proprietary or Open Source ?

Hi everyone,

After reading a few information about the differences between proprietary and open source, I prefer proprietary more than open source.

The reason is, first, about the accuracy of the information. In wikipedia, there are many authorlized people can add, rewrite or delete those information. However, we cant know that those authorlized people well-educated or not. They may be a scholor, but also can be just a teenagers. On the other hand, we also dont know the information they added is a source from research or just a gossip they have heard about. Therefore, if the accuracy of the information is not sure, then the quality of those information should be affected.

About the proprietary, in my opinion, the quality of the information is more important than any other things when we are doing our research or finding sources. That's why I prefer proprietary more. Proprietary is wrote by the authorlized writer which is chose by the publisher of that proprietary. They should be a scholor or a master of that category. This kind of source is more trustworthy than open source. Although proprietary need cost or other authorlize, I think the quality of the source is the most important things when we are doing our research.

Wai
08-09-2010

Modern Times

Hi everyone,

After seeing Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times, I want to share some of my opinion of this clips to all of you.

First of all, in the clips, it shows that the benefits of using the new techonologies. For examples, the products can produce very fast with a similar quality. Also, the boss can know the status of the producing line and give the order to the workers directly and faster than before. On the other hand, machine help the people live in a more simple way. Just like the feeding machine, it help people to eat, make people just sitting on the chair and no need to do anything but people can eat.

However, Modern Times is going to show the disadvantage of machine rather than show its benefits. In the clip, we can see all the workers is working in a same way, they cant do any other things. They seems very boring. Also, their body is affected by these kind of repeated work process. In the clip, we can see Charlie is doing the same action while he is after his work. They doing the same things with same action, they have no freedom to choose, they should do this, because this is their jobs.

Nowadays, internet and computer seems like controled our daily life. However I dont think so. The reason is we can choose. Using computer and internet is not our work, we can rest anytime when we feel tired. There also some people think that, using computer and internet can made us relax after our whole day stressed working. Therefore, using new technologies properly will never gave any bad effect to you.

Wai
08-09-2010

Introduction to Vie-YA

Hi everyone,

My name is Wai. Lingnan University Year 2 student, major in Visual Studies.
So, what is the meaning of Vie-Ya ? Actually... it is just a non-meaningful word.
I use Vie-Ya to represent my own space, my Utopia. That's it.

Today is the first day of my Year 2 uni. life.
Hope that this will be a memorible and enjoyable experience.

Wai
01-09-2010