Written Analysis 5

Written Analysis 5

            I believe that the theory that best describes my topics Xbox One, PS4, and Grant Theft Auto is Myth Theory. Each of these three artifacts in Popular Culture have several myths attached to them. For example, there is a myth associated with the Xbox One and PS4 that you must be wealthy to own one of these consoles. People believe that because these consoles are so expensive and the upkeep is so expensive that only wealthy people own them, but this is not the case. More teenagers and young children own Xbox’s and PS4’s than older adults. According to Entertainment Software Association, “32% of kids under the age of 18 play video games and 32% of teenagers from the age of 18-32 play video games” (ESA, 2013, p.2). On top of this, there are myths about the game Grand Theft Auto including the myth that this game makes children become violent and that the game is all about violence. No one knows the true story behind the game, the main character was a war veteran that came to the United States to find something important and instead had to turn to violence to make money.

            On top of this, there are many stereotypes associated with each item. With Grand Theft Auto the game makes it seem that African Americans live in the “ghetto” or the slums and that African American men are violent, drug dealers that will attack anyone for money. The race stereotype is the worse one and this one should have been prevented by the company. Also, there are stereotypes involved with Xbox One, PS4 and Grand Theft Auto as well including the stereotype that only lonely, jobless men play these consoles and this game. This is far from the truth, there are many young gamers and a lot of the gamers work. I have an Xbox and I have played video games, the last time I checked I am a young adult female.

            The most interesting thing I found out about these things are that they are artifacts in popular culture and these things are important to people. There are so many myths and stereotypes involving these three things and they all have something in common; they are intended for a specific audience and someone always has something bad to say about each artifact, even if there is nothing wrong. These three artifacts also are all tied together, to play Grand Theft Auto you have to have a console, and if you want to play on a console, you have to have a video game to play.

            Honestly, these three artifacts were very hard to talk about because they really do not go with the topics in this class. I had trouble figuring some of the assignments out. Even though they are involved in Popular Culture, I look at them differently now. I look at these three artifacts differently because I now know the formulas that are involved with developing these things. Each item first has to be sketched out, then the first item created, next the bulk of the items have to be created, and finally the company has to market the product so the public knows the specific details and when the product is coming out and without this step no one will buy the product. 

Written Analysis 4

Written Analysis 4

            With the Xbox One the formula can be different. There is so much that can be done with the console. There are so many components that help make it possible for its users to enjoy the console. On this console a person has the ability to play video games, watch TV, get on Facebook, twitter, take pics, record shows, games, and so on. A person can play adventure, fighting, educational, and shooter games and even see the people they are playing with. It takes so much to put a console like this together first with creating what the console will look like and the specifics of the console, then you have the architect who will put the first model together, and then there is the stage of creating as many of the consoles as possible to sell to the public. The final stage is to market and make sure everyone knows that this console is coming out. This is a tough stage because there are competitors such as the PS4.

            The PS4 is also a console and with this console people have the ability to play video games, interact with other gamers, play online for free, take pictures and videos, watch TV and movies, and even get on the internet. This console as well as the Xbox One gives gamers the ability to play several genres of video games and there isn’t a specific formula for this console. This console has the same steps as the Xbox One and you have the blueprints of the console, creation of the model, creation of all of the consoles that will be sold, and finally marketing to the public.

            With Grand Theft Auto the formula is Action/Adventure. With this game the player has to go through the game as a character and rob, murder, and attack people. As a player you have to move through several phases of the game and earn money and points when you rob someone or murder them. This game can be played on many consoles including the Xbox One and PS4. This games is extremely popular and should only be played by mature adults, even though kids play it.

            This theory applies to the Xbox One, PS4, and Grand Theft Auto because it shows the formula for each one and how each of these items are developed. The architects and companies that create these products like Grand Theft Auto have certain themes in mind such as Action and Adventure. The companies that developed the Xbox One and PS4 have multiple themes and give the gamer many things to do to keep them entertained. I gained the insight with realizing what really comes in the development of each of these items and that these companies have a certain formula in mind when creating each console and video game.

             

Journal Article Paper

JOURNAL ARTICLE PAPER

Amanda Zechar

December 11, 2013

Professor Alomari

HUMN240-H1WW

JOURNAL ARTICLE PAPER

            In today’s society women and men are still not treated equally and there are many bad perceptions of women. Magazines represent women in ways that are not true in this day in age. Not all women are as skinny as the women in magazines and women are not as slutty and are more independent than women on the show Sex and the City. Even though the perception of women and men’s rights have changed drastically over the past couple decade’s things are still wrong.

            In the Book Review Gender & Popular Culture by Katie Milestone and Anneke Meyer, Heather McIntosh covers many topics that these ladies included in their book. These ladies covered many time periods from post war, the late 1970s, and the current time period. According to McIntosh, “They begin with the concept of a “cultural producer,” and then examine the gendering of this concept through advertising and the U.S. show Mad Men, rock and roll and its producers, and the cinematic auteur” (McIntosh, 2013, p. 219). It is perceived that most cultural producers are men and they produce products with masculine concepts.

            Another key concept in this article is that music, advertising, film, technology, and things associated with the workplace are primarily targeted and favor men over women. Also, men and women represent themselves in completely different ways and are the complete opposite and this makes them get seen differently. Women focus more on their body, sexuality, their job, and their home life. McIntosh also states that, “They link these chapters using three major themes of sexuality, the body, and work and home, though the chapter on women’s representations also addresses the complicated intersections of sexuality, morality, and violence” (McIntosh, 2013, p. 219). Finally, the last key point in this article is the way people are able to walk around cities and how it is different in each city. There are many different factors that come into play when someone is walking including their gender and the “assumptions” about that gender.

            This article illustrates how women and men are different and how they are treated and portrayed in society. One way men and women are different is how they are portrayed in magazines and in the media. The overall point of this article was to show that men and women are not equal even though the media claims they are. Women are represented by their body in magazines and the authors try to link the representation of women and serious acts of violence including rape. Milestone and Meyer believe that there are myths included in the coverage of rapes on television and in the media.

            On top of this, society makes it seem as though men are the only producers in society and they go into how workplace expectations favor men over women. According to McIntosh, “The underlying concept comes back to hegemonic masculinity, wherein most cultural producers are male who reproduce masculine concepts within cultural products” (McIntosh, 2013, p. 219). Men get more in the workplace than women do and sometimes it seems as though women are walked over. There is such inequality when it comes to the workplace because to this day men believe that there are jobs just for men and women shouldn’t be allowed. Women are still seen as the “housewife” and belong at home raising the kids and doing housework. Society makes it seem as though men and women are equal but as Milestone and Meyer state,

“[T]here is an ongoing dismantling and discrediting of feminism which offers dissenters no space for complaint. […] It is suggested that feminism is an outmoded, comical ideology which has become redundant because we now have gender equality” (211-212).

            I agree with this article because I believe that women are still not treated equal in all aspects. I believe that society has come a long way but it also has a long way to go. Women should be able to do what they want and work any job they want. Also, why should women have to wear baggy clothes and dress uncomfortably to make sure that they aren’t seen as slutty? If a woman is raped, it must have been her fault because she was wearing a tight t-shirt that showed cleavage. Also, I believe that women have made great advancements in society including technology developments such as Susan Kare who helped bring Apple Computers to life, Hedy Lamarr who created the method of frequency hopping, and finally Roberta Willaims who created video games for the computer. These women were producers of big items throughout history and Milestone and Meyer even stated that men are the main ones who produce and use video games.

            Finally, I believe that this article is important because it lets society know that there are changes that need to be made and women deserve to be treated equally. Men and women should never be treated differently when it comes to work, societies perception of them, and their ability to create or produce items used by our society. When people believe that everyone is treated equal, no one steps up to help correct the problem that still exists. In addition, this article shows the many changes that have happened over time and how the media has played a big part in it.

References

McIntosh, H. (2013). Gender & Popular Culture. The Journal of Popular Culture, 46(1), 218-220. doi:10.1111/jpcu.12022_1. Retrieved on December 11, 2013.

Written Analysis 3: Heroes and Celebrities in Xbox One, PS4, & Grand Theft Auto

                                                           WRITTEN ANALYSIS 3

Amanda Zechar

December 07, 2013

Professor Alomari

HUMN240-H1WW

 WRITTEN ANALYSIS 3

            In all honesty, there are no heroes in the game Grand Theft Auto. Most of these characters are bad people that rob, murder, and rape people in the game. The characters have to choose between killing someone or sparing their life, but that is up to the person playing the game. Grand Theft Auto has become extremely popular and is famous among gamers. This video game has several celebrities that play voices in the game or have their music played during the game including Daddy Yankee, Iggy Pop, Karl Lagerfeld, DJ Premier, DJ Green Lantern, Lazlow, Ricky Gervais, and the famous comedian and actor Katt Williams. These celebrities play the voices and are heard throughout the game.

The famous video game company Rockstar Games created this video game and created it for several video game consoles including Xbox and PS4. The main character of the game Niko Bellic was a great veteran of a war that had no name in Eastern Europe who decided to travel to the United States in search of something very important to him but in the end turned from a hero to a criminal. He was seen as a war hero but got into corruption, murder, and robbery quickly and his story continues throughout each Grand Theft Auto game.

The Xbox One and PS4 have heroes as well, and these would be considered the creators of the consoles. These include Sony and Microsoft. These consoles are made by gamers, for gamers and they are extremely popular and important when it comes to gaming. Chris Lewis with Microsoft is who developed the idea for the Xbox One and has made sure that is becomes famous within the gaming community by putting a blue ray player on it, Kinect device, and is voice control. This console is a great addition to current technology. Finally, Mark Cerny is the architect of the PS4 and is also a hero in the gaming community. He created the new console and made sure that it superseded any console on the market by adding a camera, giving the console the ability to interact with iPhones, tablets, and any smartphone, and finally voice control. This game has grown to be bigger than the Xbox one and seems to be the “celebrity” of gaming consoles. 

Stereotypes: XBOX, PS4, & GRAND THEFT AUTO

XBOX ONE, PS4, & GRAND THEFT AUTO

            There are many stereotypes that are involved with the Xbox, PS4, and video games but in particular Grand Theft Auto. According to Ray B. Browne, “Stereotypes are the generalities of life cut down to a fine point concerning a particular subject and directed usually toward a special goal. Their purpose can be toward either the good or the ill of a particular people or group, and although they can be intended to favor or disfavor a particular group, more likely than not they will be used for negative purposes” (Browne, 2005, p. 102). To begin, video game consoles such as Xbox One and PS4 have the stereotype that people are well off or wealthy if they have a game console. This stereotype does have some sort of merit though, the PS4 is $400 and the Xbox One is $500 and that does not include games or the online gaming package you have to have for the Xbox One. Each new unopened game for the Xbox One runs around $60. There are also accessories that gamers like to get like Turtle Beaches which are headphones that have a mic and they allow you to hear everything around you and help you react quicker. These headphones can cost anywhere from $50 used to $400 brand new. After buying everything you need for the consoles you would think only people that make a lot of money are gamers. This however is not the case, gamers do spend a lot of money on games and consoles but in the end a lot of people have to pawn or sell their consoles to get money.

            Another stereotype involving video games and video game consoles are that the people that play them are uneducated, lazy men that are loners and have no life outside of playing video games. People also believe that gamers have no responsibilities and are able to spend so much money on consoles and video games. Now, a lot of the people that play on these consoles are men and there are a lot that are extremely disrespectful and sexist. They feel that women should not play video games and that women have no chance of being good at video games. As a female gamer I have encountered very nasty people on the consoles and have been disrespected several times. On top of the sexist comments there are way too many people throwing around racial slurs such as nigger, towel head, and etc. African Americans are specifically targeted on Xbox and there isn’t a game I have played were someone hasn’t called an African American man a bad name. People seem to think that the African American men that play Xbox and the PS4 are on welfare and go nowhere in life and just have time for video games. I have seen gamers stay on Xbox One for two or three days straight, they do not take breaks and most of them honestly are older white men. There are people that do not understand that video games and consoles are an outlet for stress and anger. I use video games to release stress and kill people to relieve my anger as well.

            When you play video games such as Grand Theft Auto, you have a ritual and you must follow that ritual to gain advancement in the game. Actually, you use more Rites than rituals because you are doing something to advance and strengthen actions. Grand Theft Auto is one of the most controversial games out for the Xbox One and PS4. This game involves violence, theft, murder, and assault. One stereotype that people have created for this game is that the company is stereotyping African Americans. In this game, the neighborhoods where you play are rundown slums and the characters are African American. The image this game has created depicts that every African American lives in slums, have foul language, and are gang members. According to Cicchirillo, “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was deemed to be laden with stereotypical images of African-Americans and therefore might influence outcomes related to stereotyping more than a condition with a lack of racial-representations” (Cicchirillo, 2009).

            I do not believe in stereotyping gamers. There is such a wide variety of people playing video games and buying consoles including young children, men, women, and people in older generations. The Xbox One, PS4, and video games like Grand Theft Auto are available to everyone and people should drop the pettiness and just have a good time playing. Now that I have focused on stereotypes I can try not to be involved in them. There have been times I have gotten involved in arguments during games and said things to people I shouldn’t have. I have told people they have no life or that they are uneducated because of the way they speak and that is just putting fuel on the fire. I believe that some of these stereotypes against people and games have started from the way the companies are developing these products. If gaming companies and video game developers would make products that suit everyone, these problems may not occur.

 References

Browne, B.R. (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture: A Reader. The University of Wisconsin Press.

Cicchirillo, V. (2009). The effects of priming racial stereotypes through violent video games. (Electronic Thesis or Dissertation). Retrieved from https://etd.ohiolink.edu/

Xbox One and PS4

PS4 and Xbox One

          The Xbox One and PS4 are video game consoles by different companies. The Xbox One is made by Microsoft and the PS4 is made by Sony. These two game consoles are big in Popular Culture and are Icons. These two consoles represent wealth and excellence in sports, fighting, shooting, and problem solving. The PS4 and Xbox One are also limited icons. These consoles will not be around for very long because these two companies will end up developing new consoles in a couple months to a year or so.

         These consoles are how people are playing video games and video games have many theories of there own. Video games are seen to just be made for boys, not girls and do not appeal to girls. According to Browne, Justine Cassell and Henry Jenkins propose a theory of the regendering of digital technology stating that, “They assemble a series of essays that describe and analyze the computer games currently on the market, observing that the majority are violent, designed by men by boys, and frequently carry misogynistic messages and images of females in primarily objectified, victimized positions” (Browne, 2005). Video games give people the sense of control and this is a theory as well, but on top of this, there is adaption as well. People have to adapt quickly so that they can master the video games.

          These theories describe these things because if video games were not around then no one could play video games, which is what some people would want. Video games are violent and there are have been several cases where people claim that they hurt someone because they did it on the video game. I am a female and I do play video games. I play games that are usually only for men but I enjoy playing. These video games do not have female characters and as soon as men find out that I am a female I get attacked and disrespected over the mic. There is a stereotype that only men can and should play video games. People have to adapt to a video game. They honestly have no control over the game, there are several play modes but you cannot change the map or game. You either do what you are suppose to in the game, or you die.

        On top of this, you have to have money to afford video game consoles. Currently the PS4 is $399.99 and the Xbox One is $499.99. This doesn't even include the video games or playing online. To play online on Xbox you have to pay $60 a year and each game is around $60-$70. The funny thing is these consoles will not last very long. In a couple months these companies will develop a new and “better” version of the consoles. When they are released everyone that plays video games will go out and buy the newer version because of the new features. These consoles are the best on the market and no one can compare to these new consoles but they ill definitely try and make them better.

           Honestly, I have played into the video games and video game consoles game. I have purchased video games, consoles, controllers, and much more. I have played these games even though they are not for women. I have let people disrespect me and have always had to play with the image of a man instead of a woman. These companies make so much money off the working people. People go out of their way to work hard and end up spending outrages amounts of money on an electronic. I believe that people buy these to show that they have money and try and improve their status in society. If you are seen playing video games you also are seen as having great eye and hand coordination, fast reflexes, and good judgment, unless you are not very good at the games.

References

Browne, B.R. (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture: A Reader. The University of Wisconsin Press.

Hello Kitty, Aaliyah, & Elmo

The three icons I picked are Hello Kitty, Aaliyah, & Elmo. First, Hello Kitty is a fictional character developed by the Japanese. It was first created in 1974 in Japan. This first started by the company Sanrio putting the image on a coin purse and it was brought to the United States in 1976. From then on it has been extremely popular and has grown from just being for pre-adolescent teens to even the adult population. It is found anywhere from school supplies, clothing, high end merchandise, and even on a television show. Second, Aaliyah Dana Haughton also known in the Hip Hop industry as Aaliyah is a major icon in the Hip Hop World. She released her first album Age Aint Nothing But A Number in 1994 at the age of 15. She quickly traveled to the top of the charts and her album gained Platinum status. On top of her great music career she also was an amazing actress and was in several movies including Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned. Tragically, in 2001 Aaliyah's life was cut short when her small passenger plane burst into flames right after take off. She was only 22 years old at the time of her death. Her music, beauty, and lovely personality inspired everyone including children and adults. She was considered the "Princess of R&B." Finally, Elmo is a puppet character that inspires pre-school children to learn and grow up with great values and morals. Elmo stars on the hit television show Sesame Street.

I chose these three icons because all three have been important in my life. To begin, Hello Kitty has been my favorite character since I was a little girl. Next, Aaliyah was someone I looked up to and even with her fame her family and education was more important and she never changed who she really was. Finally, Elmo has inspired so many kids to be better and a lot of what my kids know is from Elmo teaching them.

I first got a hello kitty stuffed animal when I was seven from my foster mom the first day I met her. I took this stuffed animal everywhere I went. When I had to have eye surgery, that was my comfort. When I had my first daughter, Hello Kitty was right there with me and was the first stuffed animal my daughter held. It always seemed to make me feel secure. This character has now become very popular with my children and nieces as well. My daughter has every single Hello Kitty DVD and it is very important to her.

Aaliyah was a beautiful woman that captivated the attention of everyone all across the world. She was only 15 years old and had such a beautiful voice and had values and stayed true to those even with all of the fame and attention she got. The Hip Hop & R&B industry has so many singers, rappers, and so on that change when they are famous. They begin to do drugs, commit adultery, carry guns, commit suicide, and so much more and Aaliyah didn't do that. She stayed the lovely, beautiful woman she was before all of the attention and money. The day she died I do not believe there was a dry eye in my school. She was extremely popular and her death hit people like a ton of bricks. It felt as though someone in our family had died.

Elmo means a lot to me because Elmo has taught my three children things that have truly helped them in life. My daughter Aleeciah got lost in Walmart when she was with my mother and because of Elmo she knew to go up to an adult with a name tag and give them her Nana's name. The people at Walmart were able to call over the intercom for my mom and she was able to pick Aleeciah up at the counter. On top of this, my kids learned to count and say their ABC's while watching Elmo every morning.

Facebook

Popular Culture is:

Cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses of people. This includes toys, books, television, movies, video games, websites and etc. 

I believe that I must stay in-tune with Popular Culture in my career because I will need to know what the new hip thing is. This can help me develop ideas to stay in touch with the younger generation especially if I am in sales and trying to reach out to certain groups in society. When you are aware of everything that is in Popular Culture you are able to give society what they want and need. 

I believe that Facebook is an artifact of Popular Culture. I believe this because as of September 2013 there are over 1 billion active members all across the world. It is not just in the United States it is also very popular in the United Kingdom and Europe. There are so many different social groups and people that use this website. This website has young children(not good), teenagers, adults, elders and so on. There are business professionals, famous actors/actresses, musicians, politicians, and even companies on Facebook. So many different people use this website. It has grown so much and is able to be downloaded on computers, laptops, phones, xbox 360s, PSPs, and so on. There are many companies that sell their products on this site as well. I have come across several support groups for people that have lost loved ones and people that just need support. 

On this website you can:

• Post photos/videos
• Video chat
• Regular phone calls
• Write on people's walls
• Create life events
• Share notes/stories/events
• Message people
• Add people you know and do not know
• Follow people

This website is extremely popular and so many people are attached to this website. There has not been a single day I have not checked my profile. Some of the women I have met in my Angel Moms support group are my best friends. I have met a lot of wonderful people on this site.