Bogost

Make-up blog post: I wanted to comment on Bogost's chapter of Habituation. This was by far my favorite chapter because it conveyed an interesting point in such a simple way. Bogost said "a game needs to be easy to learn but hard to master." This is so true for the majority of quality games we see today in GTA, Zelda Series, Pokemon, etc. The game is intended to be hard enough to become "addictive." There were many other chapters I found insightful but this was the most intriguing. I also just wanted to say thanks to Kyle and everyone in the class for making it such an interesting semester. I learned a lot into a subject I was previously very unaware of.

Bogost - The End of Gamers

In the concluding chapter of “How To Do Things With Videogames”, Bogost analyzes the future of the games industry and gamer culture. He reveals that games are becoming more and more popularized and more mainstream throughout society than ever before. He exposes how technology like the internet, television, and computers used to be something ‘special’ and exclusive and are now a part of daily life for many people. Bogost illustrates that indeed games are coming to this. They are no longer going to be something special and unique, serving a particular purpose. Games are now and will be serving many different purposes, representing many different things as they become more mainstream. He says that this will thus put an end to gamer culture, as less and less individuals will be identifying with games as their primary media diet. Now people from all different walks of life will be partaking in games. He suggests this is both a positive thing and a negative one. From my perception of the reading, Bogost wishes in a sense that games would remain more exclusive and ‘special’, but at the same time he seems to admire the fact that games are making such an impact on society and culture. In a sense, I feel the same way. I think that classic gamer culture will eventually die out, while games become a positive mainstream part of people’s daily lives.

Snapshots and The Personalization of Media

In Bogost’s chapter on snapshots, he reveals the fascinating similarity and difference between snapshot photographs from 19^th and 20^th century Kodak and today’s various game making software. When Kodak developed the snapshot beginning with the Brownie camera in 1900, it changed the way photography was used by consumers as a medium. These personal, affordable cameras made photography available to the public and introduced the snapshot – which allowed for regular people to capture the precious moments in their lives with practically no photography skills needed. Today’s game making software allows for regular people with practically no computer or gaming skills to create games and use media the same way that Kodak’s snapshots did. The fundamental difference between Kodak’s snapshot camera and today’s game making software is that game making can never be fully automated like the camera. Cameras are a mostly automated process while computers and game making require uncommon skills and programming of some sort. Snapshots personalized photography and cameras in the sense that regular people could take personal photos of moments of their lives that are significant to them, in a simple and affordable way. Today’s snapshot games and media allow personalization in multiple ways. Social media is very personalized. Some games like Sims Carnival deal with personalized topics and allow for users to interact and personalize the game itself. It is fascinating that snapshots and snapshot games aren’t simply just pictures or games but are pictures and games that can be personalized and used for a variety of different purposes.

Snapshot

When I read Bogost's chapter on Snapshots it made me really think about the idea of what a snapshot truly is. It means more than just taking a picture that gives you a "Kodak Moment", it means something that is meaningful to you even when it could mean absolutely nothing to someone else. It has sentimental value and although it could mean nothing to your friend John, it could mean a fond memory to you. The personalized levels of "Little Big Planet" tell stories from their creators and offer a inside peak into a specific part of their lives. I believe this kind of storytelling is remarkable and an extremely innovative idea that connects us as gamers on a level that otherwise, could not be established within the previous boundaries of gaming. This facilitation of personal connections throughout gaming has the potential to unite gamers from around the world on a personal level. It has the ability to show gamers the underlying unifying factors that us humans all have. This kind of connection can always appeal to people because everyone has these similar characteristics. These basic connections can be explored through expression from the players and can be interpreted from the other players who play these forms of expression. When Kyle talked about the boy who wrote about the death of his brother I realized that this is relatable to everyone. After all everyone has lost someone and that universal truth makes this story relatable, although we may never truly understand what it's like to lose someone like a brother, we can all relate to the loss of loved one. The snapshot chapter certainly got me thinking and I find it one of the most interesting things I have read in this class. I never realized how personal something in a video game could be until I read this chapter. I really enjoyed reading it and it has forever changed my perspective on "snapshots", specifically in gaming but in general as well.