In Class Work - Media Speculation

     Within the time frame of today and the morning five years from now, to be perfectly honest, I don't think there will be a lot of changes regarding television, computers and phones. The most to happen between now and in the future is the possibility that technology, mainly in the film industry, will be beyond it's time. 3D movies would be viewable without the needs of glasses. Perhaps, the 3D movies will be showing signs of age due to it's constant use and if it is anything we have learn, is that technology is always evolving. 


     If we were to go farther into the future, say, fifteen years, then perhaps laptops having the capability to show 3D movies within the viewing of your computer screens (without glasses) as well as a 3D camera built into one's cell phones so you can take pictures in 3D, but that's just silly.


     But let's say FIFTY years. My view on media and the evolution of technology? There will be such a jump in technology ranging from everything: computers, phones, movies, televisions, cars... it would just be beyond people's expectations. 3D would probably not even be considered 3D, if anything all the movies done now would be considered an oldie or a classic like most movies end up becoming. Video Games will have an interesting view with controllers, take the Kinetic for example, that will become the new technology only the graphics for the video games will become immersive 3D instead of just pretty graphics on a flat 2D screen. However, between now and fifty years, I do expect there to be working flying cars. 

Video Games as a Literature - Professor Layton Series

Professor Layton 

and 

How It Is a Literature

The current age of technology is rapidly evolving, from books going electronic and the fastest source of information lies within the internet, it can be equally said that video games are becoming the new form art as well as literature, just as much as film.

As an individual who loves a good novel as well as plays video games on a regular basis (what with being in a major for video games), it isn't hard to view video games as the new literature. To some, a good book needs a well rounded character, an engaging plot, and an opportunity to engulf the reader into the book's world, and to me, video games are not that far off from a book's objective. Of the many video games that I have played over the course of my life, there is one video game that is just as engaging as book as well as a movie: and that game series is called “Professor Layton”.

With most games being a fast pace, first person shooters, or an extremely violent beat 'em all, Professor Layton as a genre is a point-and-click puzzle mystery, with puzzles being the core gameplay. Ca not cross a bridge? A guard is blocking your path? The only solution is not to beat the guard up or find an alternative route, it is to solve puzzles. What is beautiful about the game, is while the gameplay may be a very slow paced brain teaser, the plot and characters are overly engaging that pulls the player into the world of Professor Layton, with characters ranging from the Professor himself to the side characters that are in need of help to the plot where it becomes a life/death situation and can change it's pace form being light hearted and cheery to dark and serious, Professor Layton's plot is perfectly paced and presented that it could be give as a novel. The story is also told through dialog between characters in game, as well as beautifully animated cutscenes, which gives a feeling of a film like movies; considering films to some is a form of literature.

While a plot is great and helps sell a novel into a powerful literature, characters are what needed in order to make a literature fantastic, and Professor Layton is chalk full with powerful and engaging characters. The main character of the series are well rounded and engaging starting from the main character and his iconic top hat to the villain of each game. 

The players at the start of the game are introduced to the main character, Professor Hershal Layton, professor of archeology that teaches at Grensheller University with a keen eye for detail and an enthusiast for puzzles, he is also a gentleman of the upmost extreme and is always caught wearing his iconic top hat. With him at all time, is his self appointed apprentice, Luke Triton, who is studying under the Professor in terms of loving and solving puzzles and becoming a gentleman himself. He has a unique ability to talk with animals, which has came in handy in more then one situation when it came to solving puzzles. Together, the two gentlemen go off to solve mysteries sent out by people in need of the Professor's wit.

While on the outside, most players would find the Professor a bit one dimensional when it comes to just being a gentleman and solving puzzles, he actually has more depth in to his character then one could assume. The Professor has been shown to be able to solve mysteries faster than the Scotland Yard's top inspector and be able to pull of MacGuyver in every scenario, an example being when the Professor had to rescue a female stuck in a tower, and was able to whip up in less then a minute a flying machine using only a pole, window cloth, a chair, and the female's string. Layton has shown as well to be an expert sword fighter, but, being an English Gentleman that he is, only does so in order to defend himself and not cause harm to his opponent, who is hell bent into killing the Professor because he mistook the Professor for “stealing” his love. 

In one of the later games in the series, it is revealed that the Professor at one point had a love interest; she was the one who game him his iconic top hat (a hat that no gentleman should be without) as well was Layton's inspiration of becoming a Professor as well as a true English gentleman. However, she died in an explosion while trying out a scientific experiment, leaving Layton emotionally scarred.

It is almost impossible to not view Layton as a well rounded character, something that is almost missed in fast paced games and sometimes in novels themselves. So to me, out of all the games I have played with engaging plot and characters, it is Professor Layton that has won to me the best attention to plot and character for a video game and helps shape the argument that video games are, in fact, a new form of literature and should be treated as such.

Lolita and It's Cultural Impact

     When one asks me what I think of the story Lolita, the first emotional and physical remark that I can give is pure disgust. As a lover for the literature art, the book Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov has left an unpleasant mark on me in the sense of the plot and the main character. In a nutshell, the story is about a 35 year old man with a disturbing infatuation with a 12 year old girl, all while the story is viewed from the perverted man's point of view. 

     For some, this may be considered a work of art, what with the character's "amazing" play of words and manipulative ways to trick the readers into viewing the world as he does and how his sexual desire for the child is far from criminal. However, the further I read into the book, the more disgusted I was, and could not even fathom the idea of this book being classified as a work of art. His manipulative and perverted demeanor makes him a very undesirable character (no matter how much he claims he is loved by all) and the idea that he plays with the words to make him sound above the rest of society makes him frightening and downright loath able to me. It does not help by the slightest that his infatuation with the young child, who has a twenty year difference with the main character is disturbing as it is frightening. It does not make him an interesting character and it does not help the idea of romance, this guy, at his core, is a pure pedophile and for that it is unbelievably hard to have ANY form of sympathy or even look at him as an interesting character. 

     The plot is just as disturbing as the main character.  The story of a perverted old man "in love" with someone who could be as old as his daughter is a nauseating story. The main character's action to force her in love with him is horrifying. He chloroforms the girl in order to have sex with her and as such, it is as if the book is saying that "Rape = Love", which again, returns to the idea that this book is down right awful. 

     As someone who loves literature and is very open to different styles of writing, Lolita is easily the worst book I have read in terms of characters and writing style. It sickened me to the core that the main character is a pedophile who manipulates people with his words just so he can get people to view his sick mind without thinking how disgusting of an individual he actually is. I personally have a hard time looking at the book as a work of art and finding any positive benefits as a cultural impact aside from being disgusting and manipulative as it's main character.

Classwork 11/9 - Female Body in Media

Female Body in the Media

     When looking at this picture of the Victoria Secret's model, one has to ask themselves, what is it? And what on earth does it suppose to represent aside from a model posing in lingerie? For starters, this model represents the ideal representation of what a woman's body is suppose to  look like, and how the merchandise can help "enhance" the look. For her appearance, she's a beautiful brunette with a toned body. There aren't any tattoos on her body (at least, none that are visible) and her body posture is one that poses that she is self aware of her appearance. Her facial expression is one that shows little to no emotion aside from the fact that she is making lingerie look both sexy and appealing. The message in the picture could also suggest "amazing" things to people. The picture is shot at a beach-type location to enhance the romantic appeal for the costumers while the sexy model is posing in a near walking stance, beautifully at that, with the clothing item. The message conveyed in this picture is nothing short of trying to sell sex apparel as well as enhance the love life with couples by buying their products.