Look carefully at the list of areas of further study (below). Choose one then:
a) Find a link to an external source about that theorist
b) Explain the theorist
c) Link that theorist to Minecraft, using information/evidence from the information pack
Regulation – Sonia Livingstone and Peter Lunt
New technologies (in this case the convergent devices with access to internet, Bluetooth, etc.) opens up opportunities and risks that complicate regulation.
Cultural Industries – David Hesmondhalgh
Explore how cultural industry companies attempt to minimise risk and maximise audiences. The game has a large fan base and is owned by a division of a global conglomerate. The purchase of Mojang for US$2.5 billion illustrates that Microsoft are clearly attempting to harness the popularity of this franchise to encourage sales both of the game itself and promote Windows 10 and their smartphone market.
Identity – David Gauntlett
Gauntlett conducted a series of studies based around the use of Lego to create and share ideas and has also compared this to how audiences use the internet (one giant allotment). Making is Connecting is all about how people build a stronger sense of self-identity through creative practices. Minecraft adopts the same principles and shows how audiences are not only ‘making and connecting’ but are infinitely more creative through the use of the internet. The critical response of Minecraft as a media text highlights how the game is a way for people to socially create and interact is testimony to this idea.
Fandom – Henry Jenkins
Video games offer social experiences (online multi-player options) as well as communities outside of the core game experience. Jenkins’ key quote ‘if it doesn’t spread, it’s dead’ can be used as a discussion point to track the birth and popularity of the franchise. Minecraft has a strong, well developed fan base that could be researched in more detail in relation to Jenkins’ ideas about participatory culture.
https://alevelmediaguilsborough1730spencer.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/media-theorists-henry-jenkins-fandom/
ReplyDeleteFandom - this is the idea of community in which a group of people share the same type of enjoyment this can be the case for many different types of media, such as video games, TV shows and sports teams. In this case Minecraft. This idea that the fans aren't just acting as consumers but also as producers and that they create a form or creative media, this can be applied very well to Minecraft. This biggest example is the You-tubers and media personalities that use Minecraft to then produce instead of just consume. Consumers can also use Minecraft to create new maps and gameplay with the building blocks provided to them, this again makes the consumers into producers.
Jenkins defines a participatory culture more specifically as one that consists of:
1. Relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement
2. Strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others
3. Some type of informal mentorship in which the most experienced members pass along their knowledge to novices
4. Members who believe their contributions matter
5. Members who feel some degree of social connection with one another and care about other members’ opinions about their contributions.
All five of these points can be compared to Minecraft's fanbase. All of these points together create and stronger fanbase, and as Jerkins quotes "If it doesn't spread, it's dead". This idea that without the fanbase and the growing numbers in players it wouldn't allow the game to grow. With consumers creating media this helps benefit the creator of the game by spreading the word to thousands of possible viewers and also helps the consumer who is now a producer. Its free promotion and with the possibility to join and explore with other users its creates a loyal fan base which helps constantly promote and spread an already popular and exciting gameplay experience.
Henry Jenkins - Fandom
ReplyDelete1) https://alevelmediaguilsborough1730spencer.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/media-theorists-henry-jenkins-fandom/
2) His theory of fandom is about people who share the same tastes all coming together over a popular culture which they not only consume that culture they can even become producers off from it. Media fandom in particular encourages creative expression and production by the participants.
3) This theory is very suitable for Minecraft because Minecraft is a very popular game and over the years it has become a gigantic culture loved by a lot of people around the world. The theory mentions that you can become a producer and this applies to Minecraft because the way the participants become producers is when they make tutorials, videos about the Minecraft and through this they are getting a lot of views which in tail gets that person money off from the people who created the actual game.
https://alevelmediaguilsborough1730spencer.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/media-theorists-henry-jenkins-fandom/
ReplyDeleteHenry Jenkins was a theorist who looked into fandoms and how the participatory culture worked. He saw that a fandom is a community built around something such as a popular TV show. He called this a participatory culture and said that it consists of 5 different areas.
1. Relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement
2. Strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others
3. Some type of informal mentorship in which the most experienced members pass along their knowledge to novices
4. Members who believe their contributions matter
5. Members who feel some degree of social connection with one another and care about other members’ opinions about their contributions.
He said that in fan cultures their artistic expressions take various forms such as fan fiction or fan art etc. He believes that fans take what they want from the media and interpret it in their own ways. From this they can create their own social groups in which they can express themselves and create critical perspectives of gender, sexuality and other norms promoted in the media industry.
This theorist can link to Minecraft, as there is lots of fan made media across social media platforms such as fan sites and blogs, creating an active community of gamers who share the common interest of Minecraft. For example the group “The Yogcast” who produce videos that have billions of views collectively. Also Fans have made clones of the games, which are now very popular across the app stores, and official and unofficial (fan made) merchandise is very widely available.
Henry Jenkins https://alevelmediaguilsborough1730spencer.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/media-theorists-henry-jenkins-fandom/
ReplyDelete. Fandom theory
. Fan cultures are an example of participating cultures, which means fans are not just consumers but prosumers.
. Jenkins contrasts participatory culture with consumer culture, suggesting that fans "poach" from popular media and adapt it creatively for their own uses.
. They've now created spaces where they can critique the media they have consumed.
This can be applied to Minecraft as loyal fans of the game have created their own groups where they can play against each other. Players are able to take what they see in the game from other players or online tutorials and adapt it to create their own world. Not only do these fans play/consume the game but they become prosumers by critiquing it and giving feedback that allows the creators to alter and improve the software. There is also lots of fan-made media linking to Minecraft, such as YouTube channels that feature many different videos/tutorials relating to Minecraft
In fan cultures, these creations and artistic expressions take the form of fan fiction, fan art, fan videos, cosplay, filk songs, and other interactions with a person, group, or fictional universe.
ReplyDeleteFandom, is a term which describes communities built around a shared enjoyment of an aspect of popular culture, such as books, movies, TV shows, bands or sports teams, etc. Fan cultures are examples of participatory cultures. Participatory cultures involve fans acting not only as consumers but also as producers and creators of some form of creative media. Jenkins defines a participatory culture more specifically as one that consists of:
1.Relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement
2.Strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others
3.Some type of informal mentorship in which the most experienced members pass along their knowledge to novices
4.Members who believe their contributions matter
5.Members who feel some degree of social connection with one another and care about other members’ opinions about their contributions.
In relation to Minecraft
In Minecraft there is almost no barriers to creativity and artistic expression as it’s an open world where you can build almost whatever you want. These worlds can be shared with friends or fans and played by these people.
Jenkins talks about the “Strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others” in Minecraft this is very common with videos shared on YouTube, with creators who have over 15 million subscribers. Jenkins also talks about the creation of ‘filk songs’ which are parodies/songs created by fans, on YouTube there are many of these ‘filk songs’ made using Minecraft characters some of the videos having almost 180 million views. This is where Jenkins quote “if it doesn’t spread, its dead” works.
Jenkins mentions the fact that more experienced members pass on their knowledge to others this is done with tutorials on YouTube and books have been released to step by step instruct you how to build set tasks.
Members can feel that their contribution matters in the way they create worlds that can be played by the public and they can also sell made mods/worlds for real money. This makes the consumers producers but does question if these people making money are true fans or they are in it to make money.
Cross media convergence is also used to create a fandom as people can play the game on any device, smartphone, tablet, Xbox, PlayStation etc. this also means you can play with anyone around the world on any device and feel connected. It also relates to Jenkins first point about low barriers, if you can take the game anywhere with you then there are no barriers to when you have to stop playing.
https://alevelmediaguilsborough1730spencer.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/media-theorists-henry-jenkins-fandom/
Deletehttps://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/media-regulation/book235674
ReplyDeleteSonia Livingstone theorises how the new ways in which media tries to be accessible to new audiences it loses its ability to successfully regulate how their product is used and sacrifices security for the sake of accessibility to the highest number of consumers to their game as possible
This relates to Minecraft as it is a game so basic and so accessible, anyone can add something to their own version of the game due to its complete lack of security, this makes it hard for the company to regulate what its consumers are doing with the game. Meaning consumers can later their game to any extent without persecution from the company that sold the game (within reason). This does however open up the person to more viruses or hacks as there are no safety measures in place to stop anything that may come about from using Minecraft as a product.
http://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultural-theory-and-theorists/fandom-and-participatory-culture/
ReplyDeleteMedia convergence flows the content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, the behavior of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want.‘Convergence is a word that manages to describe technological, industrial, cultural, and social changes depending on who’s speaking and what they think they are talking about.’ Basically meaning the media being described by how an individual has taken it. Jenkins makes the argument that convergence is less about a technological process and more about a cultural shift as consumers are encouraged to speak their own opinion on the connections made through their society and what they believe in contrast among media content.
We can relate this theory to minecraft as fans of the game have gone from playing the game on the minecraft platform to creating their own layouts and game setups so that they can interact with other players who can use their features and they can share setups between them, which takes mine craft from an individual game which people would use themselves to taking the game and using it to make things themselves and minecraft encourages their consumers to do this and use their creativity. For the fandom theory it says that 'the behavior of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want' which I think is and isn't true since for the main game it is easily accessed and brought online and is available on multiple platforms so they don't have to go out and search for it however for the fandom aspect of it and interacting with people who enjoy the game also they can go out search and find people that created music, music videos, review of the game, video themselves playing the game, make tutorials and they can use this to enhance their game play but it is also used as another form of entertainment from the game. But then from this you get people making money from putting out these videos as it is a big audience of people that would watch them and then is it that the people putting out the videos are still fans of the game or are they using the game to create revenue for them. Places like YouTube are big spots for this theory since Jenkins makes the argument that ‘convergence is less about a technological process and more about a cultural shift as consumers are encouraged to speak their own opinion on the connections made through their society’ and in this case the society would be the minecraft consumers and how they are talking more about their own opinions would be in the comments sections which would also be in places like blogs or Facebook groups as they can interact with each other, get other people's responses or opinions and then share theirs or adapt theirs with what they hear from other people.
http://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultural-theory-and-theorists/fandom-and-participatory-culture/
ReplyDeleteFan Culture, or a fandom is a term that describes communities built around a common enjoyment of some sort of popular culture; which can come in the form of books, TV programmes, bands or sports. A fan culture is an example of participatory cultures. Participatory cultures involve fans acting not only as consumers but also as the producers of forms of creative media. Most fan cultures, even including sports supporters and fans of bands, have elements of participatory culture. Media fandom in particular encourages creative expression and artistic production by its participants. An example of participatory cultures is fan fiction, fan art, fan videos and cosplay.
This theory heavily relates to Minecraft, as many aspects of the game have had additions created by the community of the game. The PC version of the game is popular for its modding scene where prosumers would alter the gameplay mechanics, change the assets and develop new skins and textures for other fans of the game to use. Custom maps can also be made by prosumers, where they will spend time on the game creating a map that other people can play after it has been published online on a site that mods and maps are shared among the community. These websites are forms of participatory culture as they have no relation to the actual Minecraft developers or companies associated by them, as it is all fan run and fan based.
However, the main form of participatory culture within the Minecraft community would be the YouTube scene. ‘YouTubers’ can create videos while playing the game and talking over them, this creates almost a form of free advertising for the game, the companies are not even involved with the creation of these videos. These videos bring in millions of views worldwide, which further markets the game towards new audiences. As a form of participatory culture, this benefits both the companies involved with the creation of the game and the content creators, as it is a chance for them to earn revenue through these videos.
Sonia Livingstone communication theory states that the increasing power of global media corporations, together with the rise of convergent media technologies and transformations in the production, distribution and marketing of digital media, have placed traditional approaches to media regulation at risk. Minecraft is most definitely a continuing form of evolving technology. Minecraft being an open source software makes the game accessible to friend and family playing on different consoles. Introducing the internet and Bluetooth features makes playing Minecraft more opportunities to be more creative. However this also have drawbacks, Sonia Livingstone talks about the phrase ‘screen time’. Screen time has increased evidently; ‘45 percent of teens say they are online nearly constantly’. It is becoming a top worrying concern for parents. Technology is making children more depressed and technology can cause anxiety as well. Playing the game too much can be seen as an unhelpful catch for learning and communicating with family and friends. The game normalises talking online rather than face to face.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGUPaYlsi6s
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/tech/how-much-screen-time-too-much-here-are-limits-10-ncna877136
Fandom- Henry Jenkins
ReplyDeletehttps://www.slideshare.net/FayJessop/audience-fandom-14524102
Fandom theory is the media convergence where we are able to communicate stories across many different forms of media it describes the communities built around a shared enjoyment of an aspect of popular culture for example books, movies, tv shows, video games etc. Fan cultures are examples of participatory cultures which involve fans acting as producers and creators as well as the consumers.
Jenkins' research into video games was influenced by his interest in the debates around emerging popular culture media forms as well as his parallel interest in children's culture. Fandom theory therefore can be linked to Minecraft as it uses digitally convergent media to make the video game more accessible and allows gamers to communicate with the online multiplayer options. Cross media content helps to maximise profits as well as reaching new customers helping to make a bigger fan culture.
Henry Jenkins- Fandom
ReplyDeleteFANDOM, is a term which describes communities built around a shared enjoyment of an aspect of popular culture, such as books, movies, TV shows, bands or sports teams, etc.
FAN CULTURES, are examples of participatory cultures. Participatory cultures involve fans acting not only as consumers but also as producers and creators of some form of creative media.
Jenkins says Participatory culture consists of low barriers to artistic expression, strong support for creating and sharing creations with others, the members believe their contributions matter and they feel a social connection with other members, caring about their opinions and contributions. Finally that there is generally some type of informal mentorship, where experienced members pass along their knowledge to novices.
In fan cultures the members can be producers of creations in the form of anything such as fan fiction, fan art, fan videos, cosplay and other interactions with a fictional universe. Fan interaction with media becomes a social activity where members are able to express themselves within the community they've created.
Minecraft has a large fan base where many consumers become producers or creators, with one of the most common form of fans acting as part of a participatory culture being tutorial videos on youtube hitting up to 6,389,024 views(most watched minecraft video). When videos begin to get a large amount of views the producers will gain financial income themselves off of the media form (minecraft) they originally consumed as a fan, possibly gaining fans off their own from their creations/ interpretations of the media. The game allows for muliti-player options which allow members of the communities to continue with the social interaction online.
https://alevelmediaguilsborough1730spencer.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/media-theorists-henry-jenkins-fandom/
https://alevelmediaguilsborough1730spencer.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/media-theorists-henry-jenkins-fandom/
ReplyDeleteHenry Jenkins - Fandom
Participatory culture - fans acting not only as consumers but also as producers and creators of some form of creative media. Jenkins describes participatory culture more specifically as;
‘Relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement’, Minecraft allows players to create almost anything with relatively low skill. Civic engagement is shown through online playing; where players can create and communicate with one another through the game.
‘Strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others’, in Minecraft players can view and explore other players creations through multi-player.
‘Some type of informal mentorship in which the most experienced members pass along their knowledge to novices’, playing in survival mode and working together to survive.
‘Members who believe their contributions matter’, in multi-player players work as a team to create a world and survive.
‘Members who feel some degree of social connection with one another and care about other members’ opinions about their contributions.’
In fan cultures, these creations and artistic expressions take the form of fan fiction, fan art, fan videos, cosplay, and other interactions with a person, group, or fictional universe. Fan interaction with media becomes a social activity, and this process allows fans to build their own communities in which they can express themselves. In doing so, they create spaces where they can critique prescriptive ideas of gender, sexuality, and other norms promoted in part by the media industry.
Minecraft has a huge fandom this is obvious through many media-outlets. For example, YouTube has become one of the main applications used to express the fandom, Rooster Teeth is an example of this with their Minecraft videos having millions of followers. Minecraft merchandise is sold all other the world.
http://davidgauntlett.com/making-media-studies/theories-of-identity-new-media-studies-a-as-level/
ReplyDeleteDavid Gauntlett is a British sociologist and media theorist. He studies specifically contemporary media audiences – making and sharing of digital media highlighting self-identity and self-expression. After publishing ‘Media Studies 2.0’ online in 2007 - he argues that the audience can become their own producers thanks to media like YouTube and through this we can gain our own identity, even influencing others. Web 2.0 has allowed the ability and freedom which means it is highly acceptable to be different and individual.
David Gauntlett – Identity: Minecraft is an intensely popular digital game in which players can build whatever they want, within a blocky world, inspired by LEGO. The online game has enabled many players to communicate and connect allowing them to make and share ideas through digital media and gain a sense of self-identity and self-expression by being creative. Players can get involved and socially interact and build allowing them to construct their own identity and even influencing others as they do so. Sharing ideas allows all players to get involved and assemble structures from their own imaginations, demonstrating originality and ingenuity amongst players. A gamer can construct their own world, connecting other players to their world allows them to socialise and explore their constructions which highlights the players self-expression on this digital platform.
https://alevelmediaguilsborough1730spencer.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/media-theorists-henry-jenkins-fandom/
ReplyDeleteJenkins theory is about how fan interaction with media becomes a social activity. Playing the game is a social experience (online multi-player) and then communities are formed outside the game too. A fandom is a community of people who are all fans and share a common interest in a specific aspect of a popular culture. For example, movies, TV shows, games, books, celebrities, sports teams etc. Fans interact with each other which becomes a community where people can express themselves in any way they like. Jenkins suggests that fans “poach” from popular media, taking ideas from the text and then coming up with their own creative ideas that they share, and it works for their benefit. Minecraft would be a prime example of this theory; the game has built a very large and strong fan base and this community has then come up with many ways to interact and express themselves outside the game. One way they’ve done this is with YouTube videos, Minecraft videos have been watched more than any other game with a rough total of 47 billion views. This works for the fan's benefit, making these videos has gained people fame and a lot of money.
Fandom theory
ReplyDeleteHenry Jenkins argues that the fan culture of a modern media text is what makes or breaks the success of it. Jenkins key quote ‘if it doesn’t spread, its dead’ can be used to describe the importance of the game being popular over online communities. Jenkins defines a participatory culture as one consisting of a relatively low barrier to artistic expression and civic engagement and having strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others. If these two points are met then a large fandom will emerge. Once a fandom is created members can identify within the group, the group is made up of different layers and stereotypes, such as women writing fanfiction; while memorising trivia or collecting merchandise is associated with men. Within the group Greek hierarchies exist between members, this can lead to judgement. Although the members higher up the hierarchies can pass along their knowledge to newer members, Jenkins describes this as another important part of a thriving fandom culture.
This can be applied to Minecraft as there is a very low barrier to entry as the game can be played on almost any modern device, with over 120 million users there are giant communities that share their creations with others. Minecraft is the perfect game for building a community as it was about sharing artistic creations from the start of the game. Due to the game being going for nearly 10 years there are knowledgeable players who can help the newer players, forever creating new players.
https://www.slideshare.net/zlorhenley/david-gauntlett-6970521
ReplyDeleteGuantlett published media studies 2.90 online in 2007, which states that classic media falls in to two categories “audiences” and “producers” they unite together when media is made.
But because of web2.0, we as audiences can become our own producers thanks to websites such as YouTube. Through this we can create our own identity that is different and more creative than things we have seen before, that can influence people to do the same. This is unlike something we haven’t seen before as it gives us as audience ways to express ourselves publically, with minimal amounts of money.
Through this gender identity, has become less constricted to previous representations, as we are at a new age of representations (e.g. boys wearing makeup) web2.0 allows us to create our own unique style that does not follow traditional understandings of gender. The ability and freedom that web2.0 allowed means it is now far more acceptable to be different and accepted for our individuality publically.
The game Minecraft allows the audience to do this, they are able to get creative and make what they are thinking, and express themselves creatively. Guantlett uses Lego as an example, and comparing to Minecraft it is a similar idea as there is sets you are able to build (like in Minecraft there is already made maps that you can adapt) but you also have the option to create what you want and you are free to use Minecraft to express yourself creatively through the digital game. You can also publish your ideas on the game for other people to look at and this can influence the “audience” making you the “producer”. You alternatively could publish your idea on social media platforms such as YouTube and creative tutorials of your ideas, making you a successful “Producer” on a different platform.
Identity – David Gauntlett
ReplyDeletehttp://davidgauntlett.com/making-media-studies/theories-of-identity-new-media-studies-a-as-level/
This theory allows people to create their own identity that is unique to them, and doesn’t follow traditional stereotypes (such as gender stereotypes). It accepts people for their individuality and encourages people to express themselves in a way that they want to. Gauntlett suggests that media can be places of conversation, exchange and transformation – and that by using media and participating in group activities, a person can feel included and a sense of belonging.
Minecraft allows people to interact with others while playing – the multiplayer mode can enable more than one person to play on an account, this can make playing the game a social activity and they can work together. A public server is also available, where the player can join in with several others no matter where in the world they are, and a chat window is available where they can type messages to one another – this can be good because it supports Gauntlett’s idea that media can be a place of conversation, and they can feel included. Also, Minecraft allows people to freely express themselves through their creations, therefore supporting individuality and not having any restrictions or stereotypes to follow. Players can also exchange ideas in groups through Minecraft forums or chat rooms, and through advertising their creations on social media platforms.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCultural industry - David Hesmondhalgh
ReplyDeletehttps://curriculum-press.co.uk/uploads/downloads/Media%20Studies/168-The-Cultural-Industries.pdf
The term ‘cultural industry’ refers to the creation, production, and distribution of products of a cultural or artistic nature. Hesmondhalgh considers cultural industries to be those that deal primarily with the industrial production and circulation of texts. Minecraft itself however, whilst being a digital games cultural industry, didn’t initially focus on the circulation of texts or industrial production, as the game was initially marketed on Linux (a lesser known open source operating system) and had a severe lack of advertising.
Once the game gained a lot of traction and developed a large audience there was a purchase by Microsoft of Mojang, for $2.5 billion, that allowed for the interconnection between the Advertising, marketing and public relations cultural industry of Microsoft, to merge with the company’s and thus allow a much greater potential of interconnectivity and globalisation.
Microsoft utilised the globalisation potential of the game and marketed the game with other companies such as Sony on the PlayStation, and Apple on the appstore. The company also utilised the games popularity as a tool to market Microsoft’s other products such as its smartphones and the windows 10 market. Hesmondhalgh would argue that this is an example of the cultural industries ultimately serving the interests of their owners and executives, and their political and business allies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGUPaYlsi6s
ReplyDeletehttp://eprints.lse.ac.uk/24556/1/The_regulator_the_public_and_the_media_%28LSERO%29.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9x_B1-lLSk
There is struggle within the regulation policy between censoring harmful information to the consumers and allowing them to further their interests. With an increase of media corporations as well as convergent media technologies and transformation this has placed a more traditional approach as to how media is regulated is at risk. Removal of structural constraints in the market place would provide the public with the opportunity to express its views and concerns through consumption choices.
The theory of regulation relates to Minecraft as there is accessibility to it being a video game and consumers may feel violated with some contents in it. Minecraft being an open source software makes the game accessible to friend and family playing on different consoles. Introducing the internet and Bluetooth features makes playing Minecraft more opportunities to be more creative. With consumers being able to adapt their game this constructs a sense of risk and safety to the player which Minecraft are finding hard to regulate what is portrayed shown of the game due to how easy it is to customize due to low levels of security. The removal from the original version of the game breaks the barrier of security exposing it to people’s opinions and concerns. Livingstone also mentions the idea of screen time and how many children/teenagers are addicted to it later causing depression and anxiety due to contents that isn’t strictly regulated affecting their mental health.
http://davidgauntlett.com/making-media-studies/theories-of-identity-new-media-studies-a-as-level/
ReplyDeleteDavid Gauntlett is a British sociologist and media theorist, he specializes in studying contemporary media audiences, the making and sharing of digital media, and the role of such media in self-identity and self-expression. Minecraft is a popular digital game in which players can build whatever they want, within a blocky kind of world, inspired by LEGO; and in turn, LEGO eventually formed a partnership with the Minecraft people to make LEGO Minecraft sets, which offer quite a ‘back to basics’ version of LEGO where you get lots of blocky bricks and you’re meant to make whatever you want). The game allows gamers top use their imagination, to express their own identity by building digital world, which they can share their identity, people build a stronger sense of self-identity through creative practices. Minecraft adopts the same principles and shows how audiences are not only ‘making and connecting’ but are infinitely more creative through the use of the internet.
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/24556/1/The_regulator_the_public_and_the_media_%28LSERO%29.pdf
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9x_B1-lLSk
In Media Regulation, Peter Lunt and Sonia Livingstone examine the challenges of regulation in the global mediated sphere. The book explores the way that regulation affects the relations between government, the media and communications market, civil society, citizens and consumers.
This relates to Minecraft as it is a game so simple and so accessible, anyone can add something to their own version of the game due to its complete lack of security, this makes it hard for the company to regulate what its consumers are doing with the game. Meaning consumers can alter their game to any extent without persecution from the company that sold the game (within reason) this allows for many versions of the game to be made by the consumers, ultimately making them producers. This does however open up the person to more viruses or hacks as there are no safety measures in place to stop anything that may come about from using Minecraft as a product.
http://davidgauntlett.com/digital-diy/making-things-workshop-with-lego-minecraft-and-music-in-a-library/
ReplyDeleteThe Identity Theory suggests audiences have changed how they are involved with Media forms, becoming less passive and having more of the traits of a producer - prosumers.
auntlett conducted a series of studies based around the use of Lego to create and share ideas, he then compared this to how audiences use the internet to share their identity's within Media (such as Minecraft). ‘Making is Connecting’ is all about how people build a stronger sense of self-identity through creative practices. Minecraft adopts the same principles as Lego and shows how audiences are not only making but connecting as well leading to an infinitely more creative consumer base using the internet. The critical response of Minecraft as a media text highlights how the game is a way for people to socially create and interact is testimony to this idea.
An example of this would be "where prosumers would alter the gameplay mechanics, change the assets and develop new skins and textures for other fans of the game to use”. This shows that that typical passive consumers have transformed into an active, producing consumer base that uses the Internet as a platform to be a prosumer.
Identity – David Gauntlett:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.slideshare.net/zlorhenley/david-gauntlett-6970521
Overview – In 2008, Gauntlett put forward a proposition to rework audience studies, where media users are regarded as prosumers. This argues that audiences change to become more so active than passive towards media, and that people build a stronger sense of self-identity through creative practises.
Link to Minecraft – Firstly, this theory can be linked to Minecraft because the development of fan made media means that many people share a common interest linked to Minecraft, whether through social media or through video media applications such as YouTube and online blogs. This is key in supporting the idea of media users being regarded as prosumers. To expand, many people who have played Minecraft make videos of themselves playing the game, or talking about Minecraft, and these are available for anyone to watch. Fans also make Minecraft blogs and sites for people to look at and perhaps sign up to. This links to the idea of audiences being active towards media, producing their own media as well as just passively consuming it (playing Minecraft). In addition, there are also several fan-made clones of the game, as well as magazines and books, all of which are able to be purchased online (app store/online shopping) or in shops, examples including the mobile game ‘Survival Craft’ and the many handbooks including tips for playing Minecraft. This again supports the idea of audience being prosumers and being active towards media. Moving on to the concept of self-identity, the game itself is free-world and you can almost do anything you want. You are able to download mods and create individual worlds which are completely unique. You can also change your avatar’s appearance in the game, allowing audience’s to have their own identity in-game, strengthening their individuality in life.
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ReplyDeleteDavid Gauntlett - Identity
David Gauntlett is a British sociologist and media theorist. He specializes in studying contemporary media audiences and has moved towards a focus on everyday making and sharing of digital media and social media, and the role of self-identity and self-expression. He focuses on the way digital media is changing the experience of media in general.
In 2007, Gauntlett published an online article ‘Media Studies 2.0’, which argues that the traditional form of media studies teaching and research, fails to recognise when the categories of ‘audiences’ and ‘producers’ come together and when new research methods and approaches are needed. Gauntlett states that because of web 2.0, we as audiences can become our own producers thanks to websites such as YouTube. Through this, we can create our own identity and even influence other peoples.
Link to Minecraft – Minecraft is a video game, inspired by LEGO that allows people to be creative by building different things by using big blocks. The game allows players to get involved and socially interact with one another. It also allows them to build up their own identity and even influence others. There are a several number of prosumers on YouTube and across blogs who have created their own dedicated channels discussing Minecraft, offering tutorials or who just want to show off their gameplay or promote their own creations. By doing these things they are able to share their own individual identity.