To examine the role of social video

games.

How do the structures of these games challenge the player text relationship?

Discuss What do we mean by gaming community? Digital gamers form common associations or

relationships with other gamers. 3 concepts of community. 1] communities of

presence, 2] imagined communities, 3]virtual communities

LAN parties

Structure

How are these games media text? Imagined communities... Symbolic

devices Iconography Flynn 2003, notes how writers such as

Baudrillard 1993 and Mitchell 1998 conceptualised home-based wired technologies and /or gaming consoles within cyber utopian framework, viewing them as portals to a fantastical world of speed, danger and freedom.

Do these video games challenge the audiences understanding of what a video game is?

Social play and learning Observing players Playing the game... Or each other?

Are there references to other media forms?

How do they break the audiences expectations?

Read the article from The Guardian and discuss. “How Wii Fit and Ubisoft's Your Shape bring guilt into gaming Breaching the barrier between physical and virtual selves threatens a fundamental part of gaming's appeal”

Does the game have a traditional narrative or a different type of structure?

Where is the narrative anchored? Does it immerses the player... Is it a convincing, intricate believable

world... Does this matter?

Then came the humourously titled Wii. Released in 2006, this machine, I will argue, is pure post-postmodernism. The controller, immediately broke from tradition coming in two seperate parts which were not always necessary. They were never intended to be connected physically with the machine, instead using motion sensor and infra-red technology. And the first part of it, labelled the "Wii-mote" had just seven buttons, the d-pad and nthing else. But though it had less buttons, because of its motion sensor activity, it could do more. Nintendo had gone forewards and backwards at the same time. The motion-sensitivity made it active, in a realm that was the very definition of inactivity and it has even been proven to help develop hand-eye coordination and help its users to lose weight.

Now, had the machine not been a success, this argument would be specious, but in recent months, Nintendo has been almost unable to match demand with supply. It's cheaper too, perhaps signalling an end to the status symbolism of money. It can even be used to surf the internet, and download software originally designed for machines around twenty years older than itself, and even do work. This backward-compatability is another sign of humanity harking back to simpler times with fond overtones. So the Wii is form and function, sociable solitude, active inactivity and work at play. These features are not postmodern, they are in fact post-postmodern. http://www.musingsandpoetics.com/page9.htm  

Let’s play!

Signs & SignifiersBaudrillardStrinatiBrens and Howard 7 rulesPasticheBricolageParodyIntertextualityNostalgicNarcissistic...eclectic?An active audience?

Subject matter : narrative Moralities Setting Characters Sound and dialogue Representation of culture Identity Can it be considered postmodern?

To truly understand how Wii revolutionizes gaming, you have to try it for yourself. Quite simply, Wii is for everyone. The ease of use and interactivity of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk allows for a unique social gaming experience for the whole family. You don't just play Wii, you experience it.

Why do I need Wii? Wii is not just a gaming console, it's a reason to get

together with your friends and family and play today's hottest games. Wii offers legendary Nintendo franchises like Mario, Zelda and Metroid, as well as all new classics like Wii Sports and Wii Play. Create your own Mii character to star in Wii games. Play friends online over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or use the Internet Channel to surf the net from your sofa. You can even download classic Nintendo games using the Wii Shop Channel. Take a look around and see why your TV is not complete without Wii