Does the new digital age affect our mental development?
I've just finished watching a little thing on BBCiPlayer about how reading changes our brain. By reading we fire electrical signals everywhere. We experience a world through another person. The "author" takes us on a journey. Now they're afraid video games desensitises us. While this may be true for PacMan I very much doubt no one cried when Aeris died. I think the media focuses way too much on those shoot the bastards and shoot 'em good type games. We fear knife and gun crime. Because inside every little kid is a wee chav just wanting to get out and knife their classmate.
I think another thing I like reading on the internet are blogs. I don't mean blogs where someone whines about some slut snogging their boyfriend. I don't really give a shit. Well I do to an extent because I like reading about those little emotions and they do make me think. But most of them are poorly written bits of tat.
There are interesting blogs out there. While there's stuff about the latest CPU launched or how ghey the new Windows 7 is with their starter edition, which is nice information to know, I don't think that's what the programme was on about. There are some blogs online that are well written. They document the journey of the blogger from the start to the end (if they've reached the end) of a long journey into a new part of their life. They describe in quite explicit detail and I can imagine it all. While books make you come up with these questions, with a blog you get the opportunity to discuss with the author about your thoughts and doubts about events.
I would next like to explore some "video games". You have many types of games. While yes there are the do X to accomplish Y and get that gratification. Like on a MMORPG you have mission-like things, quests. This itself has many avenues I'd like to explore. For example when you work as a team to defeat a big monster or whatever. A boss thing to gain more EXP. This is possibly a nice example of group work that's good. However even then you still have people who form up a "party" and then sit back in the periphery while the other team members fight and they just get free EXP. Which happens but you can get a healing person who can go round healing the members and someone who'll give the members a power boost to help them fight better. The people playing will also experience other things such as finding in game romance and getting married in game. They also feel the disappointment if they die in game.
A type of "game" that requires a lot less interaction is the visual novel. Most of these tend to be harem eroge games. They'll tend to have a few choices that determines things like your death or which of the females/males you end up with and possibly the opportunity to get a shag. They cover topics from incest and terminal illnesses to comas and moving on and more fun things like polyamorous relationships that result in pregnancy, discovery and murder. In some endings. Fun fun. I have just one quibble with this and that's that the American companies fail with their Americanese.
There's also a little favourite of mine called Narcissu. It takes you on a journey much like an American road trip with an ending which I won't spoil. But it did make me consider life and death and illnesses. There are no choices and alternative endings. Just a sweet short story with the opportunity for voiced version and a nice soundtrack. I really loved the soundtrack.
Also, I want to ask if any one didn't cry when Aeris died? I'm fairly sure that's called "empathy".
These medias go on to inspire people to write their own things. Too bad it's usually about doing Ron up the bum with a toe or or hideous slash fictions. It's still creation none-the-less.
I have a love-hate relationship with the way the Japanese sell things. They have a novel/manga/game/drama and they will go on from that to create anime/manga and then use that to create whatever they haven't made and sold yet. Anime series will soon have a manga and several accompanying drama CDs to accompany the series. There'll also be light novels or gaiden novels. These are side stories. My point is that these medias will draw in sales in books. I have to admit after watching FullMetal Alchemist and Raxephon I did go out and buy the books. So it does work. I did read the books.
They mentioned a decline in the sales of books in America but I would like to point out that more and more people are downloading books off the internet like they do with their music and movies. No one needs the television anymore because TV stations and subscription services provide catch up facilities while file sharing enable the users to download these for viewing whenever they like. With the rise in popularity of the hand-held ebook reader I would be interested in seeing how this affects sales. I do not see DRM lasting long because the world is full of intelligent consumers. Prosumers. They will quickly come up with a hack to stop your device from only reading the proprietary format too.
I did get the feeling the program was very fixated on Wuthering Heights. I've always felt that the classics are always viewed more favourably than modern books by the literary world.
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Lol. I noticed I have a reoccuring fixation with death. I have an odd interest in suicide too. It interests me and I think if I ever went into psychology I would be interested in mental illnesses and suicide. I would also be interested in measuring brain activity during other stimuli vs traditional reading.
And I was thinking teribi when I was trying to type television.
Shame most intelligent individuals spend their time hacking consoles and living on 4chan. However I have in an instant reconsidered that these individuals are probably 400lbs and live with mommy. [Note use of American spelling XD] (I'm not really serious about this. There are lots of intelligent peoples in the world that exist offline too I just think some 4channers could use their time a lot better)
Heh, my little ramble was over 900 words. If this was a 1000 word essay I'd just need some introduction and conclusion. ^_^ This isn't an essay though because I've not presented a balanced argument. I've just been rambling. but my word count makes me happy.
I think my objectives would be to write twice that tomorrow and I'd be very happy. Not that I will because I'll get distracted by some silly anime then I'll rage
- Mood:
Satisfied - Listening to: Narcissu soundtrack