Module 4.2: Entering the Conversation

Being Governed on Opinion, Not Fact!

Hi all,

I am new to this group, although I have been following the topic of the introduction of an R18+ rating for computer games for some time now. I have done a fair bit of research on the topic, so thought I would contribute one main point that I have found interesting during my studies.
The central argument against the introduction of an R18+ rating classification is that violent video games are bad for children. So, are violent video games actually bad for children?

FACT: Dr. Tanya Byron states that “the right studies are lacking [to accurately ascertain whether violent games are bad for children] due to the nature and complexity of the problem and because a truly robust longitudinal research approach to this question would simply be unethical (i.e. to let children play violent games over time and assess the effects on their attitudes, beliefs and behaviour)” (Byron, 2008).

So, many of these claims that games are bad for children are simply opinion, with little or no conclusive evidence for support. I would prefer a government and a country that is run by fact, not opinion.

Reference
Byron, T. (2008). Safer Children in a Digital World: The Report of the Byron Review. Retrieved January 2, 2009, from http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/byronreview/

Conversation entered: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=12483&uid=174925014675

Module 4.1: Protestors Pounce, as Big Players Kick Atkinson While he’s Down

South Australia’s Attorney-General has suffered a major blow to his immune system recently, with a number of bungles tarnishing his credibility. Mr Atkinson is well known for his prevention of the introduction of an R18+ rating classification for computer games, and with the recent release of the government discussion paper on the issue, his protestors have utilised this as the right time to pounce on the vulnerable politician.

Atkinson voiced a very strong opinion last month in support of the law on the restriction of anonymous blogging. The law, implemented by the Rann government in January, would have seen every blogger and contributor to online discussion pertaining to the upcoming election being required to provide their full name and postcode or else face a hefty fine. A national outcry was heard, as Mr Atkinson’s major defence of the new law was publically disproven, and subsequently repealed the law. Mr Atkinson was bold enough to target a specific online persona, which he publically proclaimed as an opposition plant. Mr Atkinson said, “repeatedly in the AdelaideNow website one will see commentary from Aaron Fornarino of West Croydon. That person doesn’t exist”. AdelaideNow refuted his claims, publically, by publishing a story about the man behind the “Aaron Fornarino of West Croydon” label. What made this exposure so much more entertaining for anti-Atkinsons, was the fact that Mr Fornarino is actually a resident in Mr Atkinson’s electorate, and lives just 500m from Atkinson’s electorate office.

As the public perception of Atkinson’s competency and credibility comes under scrutiny, and even the opposition calling for his termination, one can only assume the scrutiny Atkinson is placing on himself. The famously arrogant and confident Atkinson has finally been made a public spectacle. Whilst the push for the introduction of an R18+ rating for computer games may be completely unrelated to this new controversy, it marks the emotional, mental, and professional breakdown needed to launch a full frontal attack.

Previously silent big player in the computer game industry, EB Games, have now launched a massive online and offline petition in conjunction with well-known advocate Grow up Australia, the results of which will be included as submissions to the government discussion paper. Having EB Games join the cause has been a big win for protestors, as the reach and exposure to supporters has now quantified substantially. EB Games is one of the major gaming stores in Australia, which attracts both online and offline gamers across the entire country. Submissions to the discussion paper must be in by 28 February 2010.

Module 3.2: Introducing Your Topic

Why should all Australians, gamers or not, fight for the introduction of an R18+ rating classification for video and computer games?

Whether you are a gamer or not, there is no denying the gross injustice being forced upon the Australian citizens by the government’s constant refusal to introduce an R18+ rating classification for video and computer games.

In 2006, Australia became the first country to ban the game Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure because of its central theme of graffiti. Ultimately the decision came down to one person, Attorney-General Maureen Shelley. When prompted on television’s current affairs show Lateline to explain the link drawn between crime and this computer game, her response was that they do not need to make a link. The decision is based on whether they believe it promotes crime. So what we are talking about here, are people who do not need to refer to facts, or any type of credible research, in order to form “opinions” and make subsequent laws to govern our society. Attari, the game’s distributor, said in a later interview, “it’s unfortunate that during this day and age a government will implement censorship policies which are tantamount to book burning practices from the past“.

One of the main arguments for South Australia’s Attorney-General, Michael Atkinson, the apparent sole decider in the refusal for an R18+ rating for video and computer games is the potential for violent games to get in the hands of children. This driving force is contradicted by the fact that  many games in Australia that have been classified as M15+ are actually being classified as R18+ in other countries, which means violent content is already being placed in the hands of minors under the current rating system.

In regards to the effects of violent video games on children, Dr. Tanya Byron states that the right studies are lacking due to the nature and complexity of the problem and because a truly robust longitudinal research approach to this question would simply be unethical (i.e. to let children play violent games over time and assess the effects on their attitudes, beliefs and behaviour). So, what are our politicians basing their governing decisions on?

Australia sports the most extensive list of banned games in the world, due to this classification and governmental procedures malfunction. Our politicians claim to be informed enough to make decisions on our behalf, but if one person has the ability to decide a law based solely on opinion, then how is this democracy?

Module 3.2: “The Public Voice” Discussion Questions

• Do you agree with the suggestion in Walker’s article (last week’s readings) that the blogosphere can be seen as a revitalising influence on the public sphere?

Not only do I agree with the suggestion that the blogosphere can be seen as revitalising the influence on the public sphere, but as Walker (2008) states, “[t]he decline of the public sphere has regularly been lamented, and the blogosphere has been proposed as a possible new and alternative public sphere”. With the state of the traditional form of “public sphere” always in question, the blogosphere is a phenomenon that has, in effect, reinvented the public sphere, and shows no signs of slowing down. Traditionally, there has been a clear line between producer and consumer within the public sphere. The boundaries between the two have now been broken down, and bloggers are now writers and readers simultaneously. Contributing to the public sphere is now a lot less lonely, with the immediacy of production and interaction.

• Setting aside the Internet, in what other areas of your life do you contribute to the public sphere?

Prior to my enlightenment (when I discovered the Internet), my sole contributions to the public sphere were the publishings of some of the poetry wrote. I have been published an a variety of anthologies, as well as having published my own collection of poetry in a small book. Today, the Internet is my sole link to the public sphere.

• What blogs do you read for informational purposes? Why?

I have never been an avid blogger, and was only really introduced to them once I started my degree. Similarly, as some other students have confessed to, I do not regularly source blogs for information, and only really access them when referred there by an outside source, ie. university readings or news articles. I do occasionally personally access a blog for information, but none on a regular basis, and none that I can recall. If I access a blog for information it is usually because I have performed a “Google search” and have been coaxed there by some relevant information.

Reference

Walker, J. (2008). Blogs, Literacies and the Collapse of Private and Public. Leonardo Electronic Almanac, 16(2-3).

Module 3.1: Narrating Personal Interest

Why have I chosen to support and blog about the fight for the introduction of an R18+ Rating classification for computer games?

As a child, I grew up in a small country town with very “traditional” parents. Technology, and computers, were something of a rarity. My first computer was a second-hand one from the local council office, which I paid just $50 for. I was 18. I didn’t really know what to do with it, so my main use of it was to play the default games it came with; solitaire, etc. I didn’t have the Internet and had never been online. My understanding of the Internet was very minimal, to say the least.

At age 20, I met my current partner. He was a real computer nerd. When he talked to me for the first time about his computer and Internet hobby, I proudly boasted that I have a computer, too! He was rather amused when I showed him my computer… and I, to this day, have still not lived it down!

It wasn’t too long before his online gaming was detracting from our “quality time” as a couple. Eventually I made the drastic decision to start playing games online, as a means of spending more time with him. Luckily, this idea really excited him, and it wasn’t long before our relationship came into its second season of spring and started to blossom again!

Online gaming was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what I learnt from this experience. My partner and I ended up becoming quite involved in the online community. We ran a gaming clan together and learnt about the development of websites. It is here that my love of the Internet and Web and graphic design emerged, and the fundamental driving tool in my decision to do a degree in Internet Communications. The moral of the story is that the online gaming phase I went through has played a huge role in the personal I am today. I learnt so much, not just about the Internet and design, but also about people and communication.

I don’t think the game I was playing would be considered too violent for children, but everyone is different, and different things stimulate the mind. Just because I don’t like violent games, doesn’t mean I would want to stop others from playing them, and I don’t believe politicians, who have probably never engaged deeply in an online gaming community, should have the right to dictate what games adults should be allowed to play.

I am not a gamer anymore, and my interest in games is minimal. My main concern with what is happening with the fight for the introduction of an R18+ Rating classification for computer games is in the dictatorship feel of it all. The utter arrogance and smugness that South Australia’s Attorney-General Michael Atkinson has demonstrated toward the people by challenging them to take his political seat of Croydon is unacceptable. He is effectively looking down his nose at the very people who employ him; ridiculing them for not having the power in society that he has. We live in a democratic society and I want to see us start acting like one. This is why I am supporting the fight for an R18+ rating classification for computer games. As well as having a great deal of the person I am today cemented in a gaming background, I love seeing democracy in action. People from all walks of life uniting together for a single cause, to fight for their rights, to challenge the government we employ to represent us – it is democracy at its best.

Module 3.1 Discussion Questions

• In what way do you see the function of traditional mass-media and so-called personal media as being different?

According to Luders (2008), “mass media comprise their own function-system within modern societies. Personal media are characterized by being private, non-institutional and more symmetrical than the mass media. Personal media do not comprise their own function-system, but are used increasingly within different social systems”.

Mass media function as an institutionalised and professional body providing factual, edited, one-way information to the masses. Personal media has allowed the rise of the citizen journalist with its non-institutionalised, unedited, often heavily opinion-laden information. Personal media often encourages multi-levels of interaction by encouraging feedback from its readers. With the advent of the Internet and the Web, the boundaries between mass media and personal media are being blurred, and big news corporations are now adopting personal media within their sites. Some examples of this are the regular blogging on New.com.au, and CNN’s iReport, which is an entire subsection of their online news site dedicated to the submission of news articles by its readers. The CNN iReport claim to publish all stories unedited, and then attempt to “substantiate” stories and earmark them with their tick of approval.

• In what way do you see the form of traditional mass-media and so-called personal media as being different?

The forms of mass media and personal media are much the same at the top level. For example: letters, blogs, emails, telephone calls, SMS and MMS, web pages, and newspapers are all “forms” of media and can be utilised in both mass media and personal media. What differentiates mass media forms from personal media forms are the form “genres”. Luders (2008) developed a four-level model of the relations between technique, technology, media form and genre. At the beginning of the cycle there is a technique, stemming from that is a technology (eg. The Internet), stemming from that are forms (eg. Web page), stemming from that are genres (eg. Commercial website, personal website, etc). This model shows the ways in which mass media and personal media can utilise the same media forms under different genres.

• In what way do you see the reliability of traditional mass-media and so-called personal media as being different?

As stated in the functions response, mass media provides a more institutional, professional, edited, factual and unbiased account of events. Personal media is written largely by amateurs, is unedited, is largely opinion-based, and can be very biased. Mass-media have rules and regulations to follow that are governed and enforced by other commercial bodies. The only rules and regulations that must be adhered to with personal media are civilian laws, although with the uprise of popularity in blogging, slowly laws surrounding amateur bloggers are being created.

Reference

Lüders, M. (2008). Conceptualizing Personal Media. New Media & Society, 10(5).

Module 2.2: Copy/Paste & Copyright

* In the light of the information here and the readings you have done, what license do you anticipate using in your non-academic work? Why?

Copyright License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

This license “allows others to download your works and share them with others as long as they mention you and link back to you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially” (NET34: Web Publishing course material, Module 2.2: Copy/Paste & Copyright).

Of all the copyright licenses, I believe that this particular license best suits the permissions I would want on my non-academic works. I strongly believe in the ability to share information and opinions on the Web, and feel that if this information cannot be reproduced and shared amongst the people then it’s presence on the Web is pointless. I do, however, feel that credit should always be given to the original author, and that future reproductions of the work should continue to be accredited back to that author.

* Do you agree with the assertions made by advocates of Creative Commons that copyright is restricting culture?

In many ways I do agree that copyright is restricting culture, however, at the same time it is protecting the rights of those who have put in the hard work to produce meaningful information. The main problems with copyright lie in the fact that the varying licenses are not well-known by many Web publishers, and a great number of publications are likely to be classified under incorrect laws. For example, before researching and learning about the different copyright licenses, I would simply place the “Copyright – All Rights Reserved” phrase under all my non-academic work, even though my desires for the sharing of the piece best fit under the license mentioned above.

Module 2.1 – Assessing Credibility of Information on the Web

“There are a myriad of ways of locating information on the Web, only some of which are covered briefly here. Within the appropriate Blackboard forum, you are encouraged to share with other students your preferred methods of locating and recieving news from the Net.”

If I am seeking particular information, the very first things that take me to a site are the information and URL contained within the Google search listing. Although Warnick (2004) claims that URLs have become “less and less a reliable marker of what type of site it is”, I still have my few trusted top level domains of “.org”, “.edu”, “.gov” and “.com.au”. Beyond that, my first impression of a site’s design is important. I can quickly determine whether it is an amateur or professional site by its typographical design. If the design pleases me, I will look at the content. As mentioned in this week’s module material, I always look at the writing style of the content. Excessive grammatical and spelling errors will turn me away immediately, if not for the lack of credibility, then just for the principle of the matter! If I am searching a topic that is unlikely to be documented by any of my favoured top level domains and I must resort to relying on mere .com’s, then I will cross reference every site I find to ensure that what I am reading is at least widely supported by others. Another one of the most important aspects to content is date of publication and frequency of updates.

“Warnick lays out five criteria cited by lay users as indexes of Web site credibility (Table One). Which of these criteria do you feel you have typically relied upon to determine the reliability of a site in the past? Why?”

I actually observed six criteria in Warnick’s (2004) table:

• Being able to trust the information on a site
• Being able to easily navigate and find what you want
• Being able to easily identify sources and information on the site
• Knowing that the site is updated frequently with new information
• Being able to find out important facts about the site
• Knowing who owns the site

Of these six criteria, the ones I employ mostly are: being able to easily navigate and find what you want; being able to easily identify sources and information on the site; knowing that the site is updated frequently with new information; being able to find out important facts about the site; and knowing who owns the site (which I put down to the top level domain). As for “being able to trust the information on a site”, that is something that is determined after assessing the site with the other criteria.

“Do you agree with Warnick’s suggestion that the emphasis on the author might be replaced by one based upon “skillful design, image quality, usability, information structure, comprehensiveness, absence of self-interest, [and] usefulness”?”

I do agree that the criteria for determining Website credibility is shifting, especially as Warnick (2004) states, the Web is fast becoming an “authorless” publishing space. I still believe though, that ownership of material can still “judged” according to the site that it belongs to, regardless of whether there is a specific author linked with it. I have often deemed an authorless article credible because of the site it was published on, and if the site is credible as a whole, then I am willing to trust it’s published content. Design is definitely important – as with judging credibility on the author’s pride in writing style, I like to think publishers will also take pride in their site design. Absence of self-interest comes under writing style and is definitely of importance. It shows a more formal and professional approach to the topic.

References

Warnick, B. (2004). Online ethos: Source credibility in an “authorless” environment. American Behavioral Scientist, 48(2), 256-265.

Module 2.1 – Mel’s Search Engine Tips!

When reading through Module 2.1 I found this phrase:

“Google Scholar particularly is an excellent way of finding academic articles on particular topics but unfortunately articles are often only available through subscription to a journal. If this is the case, make a note of the journal and issue number/date, then use the Curtin library database to access the article.”

I’m guessing most of us are quite familiar with Google Scholar by now, but for those who aren’t (or maybe haven’t heard of my little tip before), here is some additional info that the course material didn’t mention:

Instead of actually taking note of the article you want and then going to the Curtin library to search for it, you can actually get Google to search the Curtin library itself! Under the Advanced Search link, there is a Search Preferences link. If you go in there, you can add university libraries to the settings and save them. Because I study at two different universities, I have Curtin and Macquarie in my settings.

Once you have done this, just perform your search as usual and if an article is located by Google at one of the university libraries you have entered, it will say it next to the listing. Remember this can only be done in Google Scholar.

This is a very helpful tool and saves all the stuffing around of saving details and searching different universities’ databases in hopes that you may find the right article.

I hope this helps!

Module 1.2 – Choosing a Topic

I have been addicted to a computer game in the past and I occasionally (very occasionally) get on the XBox Live and play a round of Yahtzee or Uno with people from the other side of the world, but I am not a gamer.

My interest, and support, in the fight for an R18+ rating for video games in Australia is fostered by my desire to always do what is right. Apart from the logical problems a lack of classification causes, for example games that are being labelled for mature audiences in other countries are being placed into childrens’ hands in Australia, my main interest in this fight is for the preservation of democracy.

I really like democracy. I know that most (if not all) democracies are not perfect, but the way I see it they are a step in the right direction. Not only should our adults have the right not to be stereotyped as psychopaths for wanting to play violent games, but these decisions should not be determined by ONE person. To pass the new classification in parliament we need all Attorney Generals to agree. Although at this stage we cannot be certain there are not others, it appears to be just ONE Attorney General that is loudly opposing the new rating classification, South Australia’s Michael Atkinson. There is an ongoing fight by gamers around Australia to beat Attorney General Michael Atkinson, and there is even a political party formed to challenge him for his political seat of Croydon in the upcoming election. This is a very interesting battle to watch! This is democracy in action!