Mass Effect and Social Problems

Why are we drawn to certain games over others? Why can we escape into these virtual worlds for so long and become so mesmerized by them? What can they teach us about ourselves? Mass Effect is a game series that masterfully tackles these questions and leaves players stunned.
What makes the world of Mass Effect so unique is it's humanization of alien characters. In a galaxy where humans are the outnumbered species, each race of alien has it's own unique set of beliefs, problems, and traits that set them apart and make them memorable.
The games have garnered much criticism and debate, even at the scholarly level, over its use of themes such as mental disorders, objectification, religion, and sexuality. Each of these "problems" brings life into each character as we watch their struggles and work to ease their suffering.
As players, we are often presented with story-changing choices throughout the series. For example, on my first play through, I found myself honestly arguing with myself as to whether or not I should reprogram a race of robots to follow me or spare them the shame and annihilate them to avoid the threat. We are able to reveal so much of our own personalities through our choices in an immersive virtual world, as some studies have suggested.
Is there a psychological or philosophical side to the Mass Effect Trilogy? Quite simply, yes. Any game that can merit this type of thought provoking analysis deserves to be studied right
alongside Shakespearean literature in the classroom.

Convergence Culture and the Changing Shape of the Digital World

Henry Jenkins and many others believe that technology is continuously evolving. Gone are the days of phones being used simply to make a call, gone are the days off having to be wired to a device to listen to music. Now, phones are more like miniature laptops, and we can listen to music pretty much anywhere in anyway we choose. 

Jenkins sees this as an entire culture, one that is always trying to improve itself at a rapid rate. We are constantly connected, whether we like it or not it seems. Information is being consumed in many new ways each day. We listen to music while researching for a paper in five different browsers. We're instant messaging our friends about the latest episode of our favorite television show while it airs. 

The problem here is making all of these new technologies compatible enough to work together more efficiently. While technology can make us more creative, it can also make us more destructive. Anonymous has made this very clear. But since many technologies quickly become obsolete, it makes these regulations and compatibility issues a never ending battle. 

Stelarc: Genius or Lunatic?

Stelarc is an artist who specializes in using the body as a work of art that is undergoing constant improvement and upgrade. Most notably, he has undergone a surgery to graft an "ear" (basically a headphone and microphone rig) underneath the skin on his arm to create a third ear.

Is this actually useful? It really depends on who you are. If you are the conservative type, you may view this as just plain weird. However, from an interactive standpoint, it's quite an interesting concept. If a functional ear can be created on any part of the body, no matter how rudimentary it may be now, the possibilities are endless.
As Existenz portrays, virtual reality is progressing at a rapid rate. Imagine if the devices could be directly implanted into the body. Many doors are opened. How, then, would real and imaginary be defined? Would it be possible to even tell the difference?

It can be easy to take off a helmet (or unplug a bio-port) but it'd be pretty difficult to dig out a machine from inside of your body. The nightmare would be even more real.

To this degree, however, I fail to see a point to Stelarc's "art." It seems as though the ear serves no functional purpose other than to show that the microphone implanted in his body can pick up sound through his skin. And why add an ear to an arm? How does that add to life? Perhaps if used in a more practical manner, this kind of technology could show signs of usefulness, say, in the medical field.

Existenz: The Future of Augmented Reality?

Existenz, a film by David Cronenberg, deals with the idea of inserting players into a virtual reality by directly inserting the game controller into the person's body. This occurs through a hole placed on the base of the spine that leads to the spinal column. Being actually placed into the game world, the players begin to lose their reasoning, forgetting the difference between "real" and virtual as the game takes indirect control of their actions.

Is there any truth to this premise? The answer is simply yes, it is definitely a possibility. There are many ways this is possible. One of the newest and most widely known examples is the Oculus Rift, a headset device designed to put the screen directly in front of the players eyes, blocking outside interference that could break immersion. This has been extremely effective in horror games, since the player cannot "hide" from monsters without removing the headset and breaking immersion from the outside.
What about in everyday life, not just games? Google has been working on a contact lense-version of their Glass project for some time now. The Glass works in much the same way that a HUD (Heads Up Display) works in many first-person video games. The glasses essentially provide you with the same functionality as a smartphone, except operated by voice commands and projected in front of you eye on a tiny screen. The contacts would work in the same manner, only projecting the image directly into your cornea instead of an external screen. This would be yet another step closer to Existez's future world.
 What can we expect? In a tech world that currently has the Xbox Kinect, Google Glass, Oculus Rift, and a host of other machines dedicated to perfecting alternate realities, is it possible that we could progress to a level where the line between real and fake is blurred? It is quite possible. For now, we have the ability to turn off our consoles whenever we want to leave the game, but what if future games don't want us to leave?

Sword Art Online, an anime dealing with a game that traps its players until they win.

Video Games: Mindless Entertainment?

This question has been asked for many years now: Are video games just mindless, violent babysitters, or can they be a great source of scholastic material? It really all depends on what we are considering "learning tools."
If we think about them along the same terms that we judge books, television, and music, well then yes, why shouldn't they be held to the same level of study? Video games can offer us plots, character development, twists, morals, and ideas in much the same way that a picture book can bring that knowledge to a preschooler. Every game has at least a basic storyline. Pac-man presents us with a simple tale: eat dots, capture ghosts. Yet this game relies on good reflexes and hand-eye coordination, something well beyond ink and paper.
What about us as a whole? What can we learn about humanity in general? This is something I feel has only recently been addressed in video games. My favorite example is the Mass Effect trilogy. In these games, you are presented with many different choices that completely effect the course of the story throughout the entire series. Right from the beginning, you are sucked into this world and become attached to these characters you share the space with. When faced with questions that could ultimately decide the fate of these characters, I often found myself actually stop playing to consider what I was doing and what impact this could have on my character. One in particular too me several hours to think about before I finally chose. I learned something about myself in those games, about my beliefs and my morals. Whenever something can do that, digital or analog, it is a whole new breed of entertainment- it's educational, beyond a textbook.

Another game, The Last of Us, combines emotion, reality, and pop culture into one to create a stunning piece of artwork and literature. Here, we are presented with a post-apocalyptic world full of zombie-like creatures. While death runs rampant, alliances form as well as distrust. You are never really sure who's on your side, but you know one thing: Ellie is important. Ellie is a young girl who comes along with you on your journey. She makes small talk with your character often, adding to the depth of the story as well as your emotional attachment to her. As the story goes on, you feel many things: joy, hope, despair, fear, sadness- and it all makes for a thrilling story.
Can we learn something here? If anything, video games can be viewed as a more emotional book. Don't get me wrong, I have become so immersed in some books that I have spent days just reading it to find out what happens next. But there's nothing quite like a good storyline in a video game, created by a team of passionate "authors" who want you to discover something new about yourself, and when they succeed, the feeling is well worth the education.

Heavy Industries, Light-hearted Stories

Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries presents short stories through quick-flashing words. These stories rely on your reflexes and memory in order to remember the sequence of events presented to you. The more you remember, the better grasp of the story you have.

One story in particular, Dakota, focuses on a group of friends who drink heavily and then go on a long drive. As the story goes on, the people begin hallucinating and imagining people that aren't really there, such as Elvis Presley. The effect of the alcohol kicking in is portrayed through the use of heavy drums and random car noises, and the idea that the car is flying around turns and hazardously going down the road is evident.

Although I acknowledge that there is value in this form of storytelling in the literary world, I found the random flashes to be rather annoying and off-putting, rather than immersive and engaging as electronic literature should be. It's like watching somebody present a slideshow as fast as possible without really explaining their point. You find yourself asking "What did I just see? Why am I here?" An immersive experience would take you into it, not turn you away. Dakota and the other stories presented here would, I believe, serve just the same purpose if they were written on paper. Perhaps a paper version would be easier to comprehend in this instance.

Panther Riders - Perspective #3

I swiped my ID against the reader and pushed the door hard, making a beeline to the empty foosball table that I had spent so much time at during my years on campus. The yellow and black stick figures stared back at me in what seemed like anticipation. They knew a game was about to go down. Too bad I didn’t have anyone to challenge in the empty game room. I angrily spun the closest line of players as hard as I could.

“Excuse me, but do you know how motion sick I get?”

I must have been going crazy. Maybe it was that sub I ate. These wooden guys couldn’t be speaking to me, could they?

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know inanimate objects could feel sick,” I replied in a sarcastic tone.
“Really? You didn’t hear me screaming for help the hundreds of other times you played this table?”
“It’s not like I would’ve known you were talking to me anyway,” I said. “I’m not really used to things other than real people talking. I’m not even sure you’re really talking right now.”
“I’m not, this is all in your head, dude.”
So I was going crazy. Just what I needed.

“Okay, so why am I hearing you now?”
“You’re going through a tough time. You’re failing that class, right? Think of me as a guardian angel,” the wooden man informed me.

“So what great message are you here to deliver?”
“It’s gonna be alright.”
I paused for a moment. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“Really?”
“What else do you want, man?”

By this point, it was hard to hold back my frustration. “I don’t know! Aren’t guardian angels supposed to guide people to whatever they’re supposed to do next?”
The voice of the wooden man in my head stopped. I could tell he was thinking of what to say next. “Do you realize how many beatings I endure in a day?”
“What do you mean?”
“A lot,” he continued without hesitation. “People just like you. People worried about grades. People trying to think of what to do next. They don’t ever really live in the now. They don’t think of how much they’re actually worth.”
“What are you worth?” I retorted. “You’re stuck on a table kicking a ball around all day.”

“I’m doing what I love,” it told me. “I’m playing a game I love and helping others cool off at the same time. I already found where I’m supposed to be. What about you, man?”

I was stunned silent. What was I supposed to say? I was having deep, philosophical conversations with a game table. I might as well continue with my madness.

“What meaning do I have, then?”
“Who knows? This is just the beginning of your life. You have so much ahead of you.You think one failed test will really mess that all up? You have a lot more going for you, dude. Don't let it go to waste.”
I sighed. Why was I so concerned about one stupid test? Had I been forced into thinking this would be an end all, be all for me? I smiled and began walking away from the table. I stopped and turned slightly to see the imaginary audible piece. “I’m sorry I caused you so much pain over the years.”
“Don’t worry, man. Headshots are my specialty.” I swear I saw him grin as I went give that extra assignment one last shot in an attempt to boost my grade.