‘Produsage within games and it’s potential future impact on identity and perceptions of reality’

By Jake Sinar

Structure of the Presentation

IntroductionSocial Networking

Character CustomizationBuilding your environment

Existing GamesCurrent Development

How does this Affect your identity?ConclusionReferences

Introduction• For my presentation i will be looking at players having complete control of their game...

Create their own rules

Create their own characters

Create their own environment

Meet new people and socialise

They will be live in their own world/ their own ‘dream world’

Will the player see the fictional life more appealing than reality? And be confused with

reality and the digital world?

Could this be the future?

My presentation will look into development of the relevant technologies, and how these will

affect our lives in the future..

Most of the current andnew games around nowhave a social networkingfeature – where they can talkto anyone in the world..

Social Networking

• There are now some websites known as networking sites, where you can upload your own photographs and personal information ..

• What will the affect be when all of these features are developed into one game?

In some games they allow the player to create their own character – the way they would like themselves to look and be seen...

Character Customization

Build your environment..Some games also allow the player to create their own environment also..

Existing Games

The Sims

Second LifeRule Your World• In Second Life, you can reside in

a place that is as unique and special as you are. Live in a friendly neighbourhood or buy that private virtual island you've always dreamed of. Perhaps you'll become a landlord, or just host a party for your friends. Here, the weather never puts a damper on your plans.

• www.secondlife.com

Virtual land is like a 3D web site: a blank space where you can

make anything happen.

A 3D world, where anything can happen? Like reality, without the 5 senses, if these were developed in to gaming also, what would be the difference between virtual and reality?

3D

Ipad• The Ipad has a feature similar to Microsoft Word – but instead of a key board it can

be hand written.

• Why do we need items in reality when we have this?

Project Natal - Kinect

Development

www.xbox.com

Video Kinect easily allows you to video chat with friends across the country, at no additional monthly cost. What's great about Video Kinect is that you can easily watch and listen to all kinds of media like news, movies, music and sports with your friend at the same time.

Phill Bowser, June 2010

Technology is STILL developing - Epoc Head Set

Mike Steere, CNN, 2008

How Does This Affect Your Identity?

Jason Rowe - Rurouni Kenshin"The computer screen is my window to the world. Online it doesn't matter what you look like."

Philip Rosedale - Philip Linden "As thinking beings, we can imagine a world much better than the real one. Second Life lets us actually build that imagined place."

Can Gaming Affect our Identity?Do Avatars represent ourselves? Or a character of our

imagination?

The online world offers players new freedoms - a chance to act away from the real world. Avatars can walk, talk and shop but they can also fly, kill, and be re-born.

Alter Ego: Avatars and their Creators", Robbie Cooper May 2007

The imago affect ( – avatar psychology 13.3.2007 ) - Tony Walsh states‘

‘Avatars are masks, your idealized representation; a form of anonymity, freedom from social constraint ‘– players may act differently, more confident when meeting new people online, as they are more comfortable in their new identity.. The person they are interacting with does not know them, they just act on what they see online..

‘Avatar choice communicates a sense of personal identity or mood state. It helps the player develop an understanding of self through personal fantasy construction.’

ConclusionThis is where reality can be confused, you may meet someone who is not who they say they are... So are you really meeting them?

Almost Everything is now possible online;

• Shop Online – shop with friends online?• Chat Online – Socialise – go to a bar online?• University Lectures Online – Teach & Learn• Work from Home Online• Meetings Online• Catch up on TV shows Online• Watch films Online – Share with Friends• Share photographs etc Online• Go for a run with your friends – Online• Go to the gym – Online

The way things are going... It seems we are becoming dependant on machine and technology.

From looking into game development I think the digital world is going to be more and moreconfused with reality, the younger generation are growing up with this technology the digitalworld will become the norm..

I think if this does happen there will be a rippled effect on people in regards to addiction, andbecoming lost between worlds not knowing the differences between reality and digital... Thedigital world will become their world..

ReferencesWalsh.T (2007) The imago affect – avatar psychology available at www.witchboy.net/wp-content/.../The%20Imago%20Effect021408.ppt

Video Game Genres, Wikipedia (last modified 10.04.10 at 21:28) available athttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/video_game_genres (accessed April 2010)

Futurich - Future Gaming Technology: Project Natal –available athttp://www.futurich.com/future-gaming-technology-project-natal- (Accessed May 2010)

Steer.M (16.09.2008) The Future of Gaming is all in the Mind – Available Athttp://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/09/08/Futureofgaming/index.html - (Accessed May 2010)

Cooper.R (2007) Alter Ego: Avatars and their Creators – Available at-http://www.opendemocracy.net/arts/alterego_4620.jsp (Accessed August 2010)

Bowser.P (June,2010) Kinect Features video chat, movies and more – Available at-http://www.examiner.com/xbox-live-in-national/kinect-features-video-chat-movie-controls-and-more(Accessed August 2010)

Xbox (2010) Kinect Starts with You- Available athttp://www.xbox.com/en-GB/kinect (Accessed August 2010)

www.secondlife.com