The Diffusion of Innovations Theory discusses how different forms of technology have emerged and changed over time, often through the widespread use over time throughout a population or certain group of people. The theory helps to illustrate how more people in a society become more used to an invention or innovation, and how many people join the majority in getting the new invention or innovation. For example, our smartphones are consistently getting re-releases and upgrades, which pushes more people to buy newer versions or models of their current smartphone. Games can also be analyzed under The Diffusion of Innovations Theory in the same way, as innovations and changes within the industry occur all the time.
In analyzing video games under the theory, I want to focus on the 2010s era of video games, where the internet started to become more mainstream and many people were able to contact one another globally. New games that still hold up today, such as Minecraft, were introduced to the world in the 2010s. As more people got smartphones, mobile gaming was easily accessible, as people with phones could now bring games with them on the go. More modern consoles that were higher in processing power were created, and games overall looked better and had way more improvements than before. E-Sports was coming to the forefront in the minds of gamers everywhere, as more citywide teams were developed to compete nationally and globally.
Some notable pioneers of the Game Industry at the time would be Reggie Fils-Aime, former Nintendo of America president, who largely changed how Nintendo was viewed in a positive light throughout his time as the CEO. He took a modern approach to Nintendo's appeal in the eyes of the public, as well as helping to innovate new ways to play and enjoy Nintendo games, especially during a time when Nintendo was viewed only as a company making video games for kids. During E3 2014, Nintendo teamed up with Robot Chicken to create skits based on the Nintendo characters during the event, an unexpected action by Nintendo at the time.
A short video compilation on all of the E3 2014 Robot Chicken skits.
A big movement for the growth in video games was bolstered by the easy access to the internet and online gaming, another reason why E-Sports was on the rise. As more people gained access to the internet, more video games offered great support options to be able to play with their friends and other players on a global scale. More countries are starting to integrate internet, and as a result, are introducing more people to game culture as a whole.
In comparing video games to the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, the Innovators of the industry are mainly people who pioneered the use of internet and online gaming within the industry. Many good games came out during this time, as well as new iterations of the consoles, with Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft coming out with the Wii U in 2012, and the PlayStation and Xbox One releasing in 2013, respectively. The Early Adopters would be composed of people who did not own video games, and wanted to become a part of the culture. Early and Late Majority would likely be the long-term consumers of video games that were engaged in video games and may not have had the means to purchase a new console at the time. The Laggards are likely people who are not interested in video games, however, the people in this group most likely started to play video games during COVID, especially after the release of the Nintendo Switch in 2017.
Some negative effects of a world full of games are that it can be hard to find a balance between work and play. Especially for people who enjoy games as a hobby, it can be hard to make time to play video games. On the opposite spectrum, some people can spend plenty of time in front of a stream which can lead to long-term health effects if there is a severe lack of exercise. Also, some tech developers try to innovate too quickly, part of the reason I am so adverse to VR in some aspects.
Overall, video games have cemented themselves as a favorite, still-growing pastime of many people around the world, as it leads to connections formed and stories to be experienced among many people, even becoming a recognized sport with millions of viewers a year. The use of video games continue to grow in access, enabling people with disabilities to play with adaptive controllers, and the games industry is becoming more focused on accessibility in gaming so many people with different characteristics can play to what's comfortable and challenging for them.
The technology presentations we conducted in class informed me on the origins of different technologies that I was not familiar with before. I enjoyed all of our presentations, as well as hearing how many of the different platforms and modern day inventions gotten their start. Out of all of the ones we discussed, I want to talk about the effects that YouTube and podcasts have had on our society in terms of the spread of information to many people at one time or various times.
Personally, I use YouTube almost, if not, everyday, whether it's for listening to music or watching videos on my interests and recent news in the Games Industry. I follow Nintendo, PlayStation, and independent news outlets that cover the latest information in gaming, from game and accessory reviews to convention coverage, and even game developer interviews. YouTube has been a good platform for me to use as it is easily accessible for millions of people to find relevant news, funny videos, educational content, and entertainment media for whatever purposes people need. YouTube's systems, albeit imperfect, enable users who create channels to upload their content to the platform for free. It is a good way to spread information to others, however, not all of the videos on YouTube are age-appropriate nor content-appropriate for younger ages. Also, many verified streamers and content creators often claim having difficult issues with YouTube's monetization rules, often one of the primary ways these content creators are earning their money if they are not working a job other than YouTube. The platform, being free to use, covers a variety of topics from news to fashion, and from sports and fitness to technology and gaming. The content is very open to all users to publish their personal works to show off their creativity or to get others to laugh at funny videos.
I was interested in the discussion of podcasts, because I don't listen to the radio that frequently. Podcasts allow people to come on talk shows and voice their opinions on a topic, as well as providing a steady platform to record and replay messages from people over a matter of time. I enjoy podcasts, whenever I have a chance to listen to them, for the variety in topics and diverse opinions, especially in an age where a lot of our media comes from mainstream, potentially biased and skewed sources. During my freshman year, I listened to a podcast series titled "Dolly Parton's America", where the host of the podcast had a chance to interview Dolly Parton and what inspired her to create her songs that are well known throughout the country. Podcasts cover a variety of topics that fit a person's specific interest, and I am glad that podcasts are such an open-ended form of getting the news or word out. In a way, if the concept of "universal" open-ended speech was truly carried out within our site, podcasts would truly feel like the exercise of the First Amendment right, just by allowing these podcast creators to voice their opinions in a respectful, constructive manner.
I found a great link to a website listing suggested podcasts to listen to during this year. As I browsed through the summaries, a few titles caught my eye. I noticed how different and varied each topic was, from an analysis of African-American history in the form of a podcast on the Green Book, to a few that interviewed different true crime cases, especially some absurd ones. I also found one on The New York Times' website where Dr. Nikole Hannah-Jones speaks about the facts of her book, The 1619 Project, in a podcast. The varied topics that people can cover is a testament to how diverse podcasts are and will continue to be over the years.
Looking at how these two major forms of communication are used in our daily lives, I think about how YouTube and podcasts enable people to spread their views, both good and bad, that can reach globally with our current technology. A big downside to these forms of technology are the negative views that can lead to discrimination and disrespect towards members of marginalized groups. Although these views are not protected by the First Amendment, based on what we learned in class, people who choose to spread views not agreeable with the majority still gain support in some ways. However, these same sources of media can be used to spread positive messages and open-ended ideas enabling listeners and viewers to reflect on their actions and their personal response to the topic in conversation. Personally, I want to learn how to better use and verify my sources, as well as gaining diverse opinions on global topics, and what I can do to exercise my free rights in order to change things.
Based on the topics we have discussed in class, a lot of the mainstream media we viewed has been tailored to each person's likes and dislikes. One of the reasons we wrote a blog post on our top media sites was to see how what we watch, read, and pay attention to influences our perceptions on certain news outlets. I just feel that a lot more of the diverse opinions that should have an equal say or statement are just being silenced.
After taking a look at the websites listed, I feel that no one really knows about the opinions of people who are anti-war, as many of those opinions are often pushed aside to make room for the majority. That is not okay, especially not with how far we have come within our own society. America has not lived up to its standards of being a place for everyone, especially when minorities, such as myself, are still fighting the same battles that should have ended over 50 or so years ago, yet we are still dealing with social and institutional racism, as well as microaggressions, a lack of overall love and respect, and leaders of countries who are not willing to work with one another other than profits.
I read an article from antiwar.com on how the Western countries apparently barred attempted peace negotiations that the Israeli Prime Minister was trying to facilitate between Russia and Ukraine. The article goes to show just how much the government keeps hidden from us, and it seems like we don't have enough sense or understanding at times to call out the government on the mistakes made, despite having plenty of rights and support to do so. I, personally, want to see a more positive change, but often get caught up in my own life and forget political and social activism. A lot of these forms of conflict were mainly based on the profits that countries involved gain from the war, and many lives are being lost at the time of writing this. Knowing that these issues are happening, and not taking the actions to speak up, either because I don't want to get silenced, or I don't know what to do, it really makes me upset.
Another article discusses how soldiers in the United States, often because of negative stereotypes and stigmas, are not able to get the proper help they need to live a normal live after combat. These "fentanyl soldiers", as they are called, are suffering from severe drug addiction and are not getting the help they need. We have people who formerly served our country with the highest honors, not getting the proper respect or support needed for when they return home. I still wonder how we, in a country dedicated to keeping freedoms and rights alive, still struggle with providing basic needs to people of all backgrounds.
It's a shame that after all of these years of the establishment of a formal United States, not many people are aware of the rights they truly have, or how our rights actively work. Because of the many outdated aspects of the Constitution, I believe that there should be a big overhaul of how the Supreme Court interprets the Constitution, as well as making more amendments that facilitate equal treatment under the law, while simultaneously keeping the core concepts of personal freedoms, as outlined in the amendments, safe for everyone to use freely.
Over time, it has been interesting to see the new advancements of technology within our surrounding environments. Many people have made new discoveries to improve existing technologies, and I become really excited to know how we are making games look better, feel cool to play, load faster than before, all with new tests, results, and ideas. However, we did not get to video games being like they are today without proper cause. Video games got their humble start to become the global entertainment machine they are today.
Video games first emerged around the 1940s, but did not come more into the public view until the introduction of "Spacewar" in 1962, created by students from MIT. The game served as a basis for more to come down the line, especially with the growth of new, lifechanging technologies after the end of the war. The Magnavox Odyssey was the "first home video game system", created by Ralph Baer in 1968.
Moving into the 1970s and 1980s, the world saw the development of educational video games, such as "Oregon Trail", as well as the introduction of Pong, Atari's rise as a recognizable video game company, and its unfortunate fall, and the establishment of more modern game companies we see today. The Video Game Crash took place in 1983, as a result of a crowded market, too many options, and a severe lack of sales. The Nintendo Entertainment System, released in 1985, helped pave the way for many of the most recognizable characters to take the forefront, all starting with Super Mario. A personal favorite, the first "The Legend of Zelda" was released in 1987, giving rise to one of Nintendo's more popular franchises, with a number of releases over the years and in different forms of media.
The 1970s also introduced new technologies that would improve how games and code were stored and played. Jerry Lawson, the first African-American game designer, was a leading developer in the industry for inventing the Fairchild Channel F, the first game console to use cartridges that the player is able to swap. After this new invention, many companies took after his work. Jerry Lawson is a personal inspiration to me, especially being a leading African-American working to improve how we all play video games today.
The first PlayStation, released by Sony in 1994.
Throughout the 1990s, gaming starts to take more of a trend towards 3D capabilities. As more technology was introduced, more companies were taking advantage of the new capabilities that 3D games could offer. New companies were created, and more established companies were getting used to the expanding competition. Sega, a company in competition with Nintendo, needed a good mascot who could connect to players, as well as being a sort of foil to Mario. They came up with Sonic the Hedgehog, a blue mammal with a cool personality and the ability to run at high speeds. Sega released Sonic's first outing in 1991, along with the release of their new console, the Sega Genesis. During the 1990s, one of the game industry's heavy hitters, as well as being a lead competitor in today's environment is PlayStation, established by Sony in 1994. The first PlayStation console started out with 3D graphics, and was targeted at a much older audience, often people who grew up playing video games. Because of these reasons, games developed for the PlayStation often tended to be more mature in content compared to Nintendo, to better fit their target audience. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board, otherwise known as the ESRB, was created in 1993 in response to a concern of increased violence, graphical content, and explicit themes in video games. The ESRB is still used today, as well as more establishment of regional rating systems in other countries, such as CERO and PEGI.
A Nintendo Wii bundle featuring Mario Kart Wii, one of the more popular Wii games.
Moving into the 2000s, the first Xbox was released in 2001, to much fan appeal. The Xbox released with a popular franchise that continues to live on today in the Halo series. The further development and improvement of the internet today also led to more improvements in online play as the years go on. Mobile gaming sees a rise in popularity and accessibility as more phones become easily accessible for everyone to have, among the most popular being Angry Birds in 2009. Nintendo releases the Wii in 2006, a console that changed the way many video games are played, as the console introduced motion controls into many games on the platform. The Wii was also marketed as a family console, so many families could come together to play games from their favorite Nintendo franchises.
The 2010s get us closer to the modern age of gaming, as more indie games take center stage. Before being bought out, Minecraft, created in 2010, was at the forefront of many gamers' minds, kids to adults alike. The 2010s also saw the rise in toys-to-life gaming, which was the marketing strategy of buying figures or physical toys that could interact with the game using an NFC reader. The main toys-to-life gaming series were the Skylanders series, created by Activision, Disney Infinity, and Warner Bros.' LEGO Dimensions. All three sold well over the course of their lifetime and gathered many fans of their respective franchises with what each series allowed the player to do or become within the respective game worlds. E-Sports starts to take hold as a growing media platform through platforms such as YouTube and Twitch, allowing users to stream media live around the world. Augmented and Virtual Reality, abbreviated as AR and VR, respectively, began to emerge as a forefront. Augmented Reality games, among one of the most popular being Pokémon Go, which released in 2016, led many people to think about how games and gameplay could be creatively merged within the real world. After the commercial failure of the Nintendo Wii U, as well as lagging behind their competitors, Nintendo releases the Switch in 2017, a hybrid console allowing the user to play games docked and connected to a TV or to take on-the-go throughout their day. The competitors came out with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One a few years before, and were dedicated to traditional couch console gaming.
Finally landing at the 2020s, COVID likely caused a greater rise to playing video games, as COVID locked everyone in their houses for months at a time. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, was a game that helped alleviate the boredom many players felt having to constantly sit in their homes. The adorable life simulator enabled players to connect with friends near and far by visiting their islands, collecting materials, and making gifts to give to your wandering villagers on your personal island. New big names have been released, and "The Game Awards", a Hollywood-type awards show for the biggest games has gotten its name out to many people worldwide as the most prestigious show to celebrate our love of video games not simply as a pastime, but as a part of our expanding pop culture.
From a young age, I have loved playing video games. Video games have become a meaningful part of my identity, and is what I am studying right now. The industry is always changing and expanding because of the emergence of new tech and ways to create videogames, so there is a lot to learn and a lot of hard work in order to become a game designer. There are also huge numbers of teams working on video games over the course of a few years, that have the chance of being really good, or something that could flop. I feel that when people were originally working with programs in the 1940s, their aim was to create simple simulations or tests of scientific experiments. Little did these computer engineers know, they started one of the most popular pastimes globally, one which is still growing today.
Looking back at how video games have made its way into the mainstream, many good and bad things have resulted from it. Gaming has allowed people to connect with one anther on a large scale, especially during the mainstream pandemic, when people were unable to physically see one another. Games have served as an output of creative stories and lovable characters for all ages. No game is the same, and each game is marketed towards a targeted audience or fanbase. However, there have been many reported incidents of gender discrimination and harassment from various companies, as well as there not being enough minority representation within the industry, something I hope to change. Games also take a lot of time to make, and because there is no one universal set plan for creating a game that a business can rely on, the varied game industries often don't have the type of workers' support as some other industries have employed. As more of these issues come to light, more change is being made in a flexible, ever-growing industry.
The discussion we had in class on the "8 Values of Free Expression" really helped me to see how many policies the US Government is not following. As I go around this world and think about how many people have to deal with being disrespected because of their identity and beliefs, I wonder what I could do to make things better and more respectful for everyone in our current world. I can relate my feelings about free expression to the value of promoting tolerance.
Based on the recent events we have heard in the news, as well as the movement Congress is making to potentially pass a bill that can criminalize hate speech, I was on the fence about my position on the matter. On one hand, I feel that racism is completely unacceptable, especially in today's society, as well as being a member of a prominent minority group in the United States. On the other hand, the points made in the values noted how hate speech, unfortunate as it is, is protected by the 1st Amendment right of free speech. As much as I hate to say it, we do not need a law to combat hate speech and racial intolerance, but rather non-violent action.
Previous events on our own campus, events that have facilitated thoughts and actions of disrespect towards many African-American students, have upset me in that there are some students on campus who I may not know that do not respect me for who I am. (Insert link of flyer in blog.) For example, one of the most recent events at the time of writing this was an event that the College Republicans of High Point planned on hosting. They planned on watching a documentary titled "The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM". In my personal opinion, it is okay for someone or some group to be affiliated to a specific political party. However, based on the way it was presented, I felt offended by this event not just because of the content, but the fact that this same group made the same mistake of making another event not just offending myself, but members of student population who look like me. As I previously mentioned, this is not the first time something like this has happened, as "incidents" like these occurred back in my freshman year on campus. As it relates to the topic, I just want people to be more aware, and I feel that the establishment of a law that criminalizes hate speech would not only increase the output of mass silence on social media, a repetitive action that the government has started to use, but also would be hard to penalize someone for using hate speech unless secret tech is activated on the mini computers we carry around with us every day. As much as I hate being disrespected, especially for the color of my skin, I still know that it is important to communicate to my friends and family to make more positive change, as challenging as it can be sometimes.
After reading a few different articles on the uses of free speech, I noticed how many touched on the uses of free speech within our lives. One article I found from NBC News discusses how students felt with the uses of free speech within the school system. Based on the results of gathered statistics, many students felt like they were limited in what they were able to say, and that they felt their free speech was not as well protected as it used to. Knowing about what the government has been doing, I do not blame what students like me are saying. I read another article from TechCrunch where the article discusses issues that are hurting the ways we think about free speech, and how to promote a good, beneficial form of free speech as a whole. The sad fact is that this is not the only example of racial discrimination that has been promoted by hate groups on the internet, and it is just as prevalent a problem today as it was throughout the 1950s-1970s.
We live in a time where our voices can be silenced in an instant, and I want to put an end to that. So, what can I do? I really feel like I can do better to help facilitate the message to others, but I need to be willing to get out of my comfort zone in order to truly promote a more racial tolerance, and to be present in places where people may not want to see someone who looks like me. One good way to spread the word is through this blog, which could be a good way to inform others about the issues that often go unnoticed in the public eye. We also need to be more willing to talk with those groups promoting harmfulness and hatred, while being safe of course. To sum things up, we don't need laws to protect us from hateful messages. What we need is positive activism to take charge against a corrupt system that continues to victimize others voices and actions on a daily basis.
