Video Game Addiction
Overall, I think that the danger in gaming these days is not necessarily the violence portrayed, but the addictive qualities within them. It’s very easy to just place yourself into another virtual universe, in much the same way that some claim drugs can transport the mind to another place. To those with troubled home lives, or who feel they have little value in life, I think it’s easy to see how massive RPG’s like World of Warcraft could be addictive. They go to these places to become beautiful, to have a social life, or for a million other reasons. In reality, though, they are forsaking their real existences for a virtual one. On a personal note, I was at least somewhat addicted to games like the Elder Scrolls series and The Sims for a while. I don’t consider myself addicted, necessarily, but I used to be a very frequent user. Even though I play these games less now than I used to, I still get an occasional craving to play them. The rewarding aspects are so appealing, and disenchantment with life for one reason or another makes it easy to crave an escape route. If you bomb a test or your girlfriend breaks up with you, etc. you can always escape to the land of Morrowind, where you’re Thrugg, the Level 41 Nord Battlemage, and you can kill a Golden Saint with a single swipe of your enchanted axe. I finally decided to take it out in a more constructive form – writing. I found that by writing fiction, I was even freer to explore my own path than in gaming worlds. I was the director, the producer – I could play God, if you will. Plus, I was creating something that if I kept with it might be able to get me some money. I currently am about halfway through a novel of my own, working on it when I have the time.
This, I think, is the direction that we as a society need to take. When kids devote all their spare time to video games when they should be out hanging out with friends, they miss lessons they won’t get in the classroom. In some areas, I still have the social skills of a fourteen year old. It is a bit of a losing battle in a sense, though, since the game designers are trying to produce a hit product, and with increasing technology, the final products will only continue to be more impressive. My main concern, though, is that we will become so focused and dependant on electronics for our entertainment, that we will miss out on the fundamental parts of being humans. Of course, they said the same thing about comic books in the 1950’s, and kids still turned out all right. So maybe I’m right, and maybe I’m wrong, but what I do know is that there are way too many kids who need to get off the couch and do something constructive in this country.
Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace is Uplifting, Drab, Irritating, yet Decent
This week, I decided to review the relatively new Foo Fighters album released this September, since I hadn’t gotten the chance to hear it yet
The Pretender – An upbeat, track with a very Foo-Fightersish riff. But, Honestly I’m not really a fan – it has a sound and tone very reminiscent of One-by-One era Foo work. As it progresses, the song picks up in my mind, but overall, nothing spectacular.
Let it Die – Like many songs in this album, it features a primarily soft, more acoustic sound, building into a more upbeat, driving sound. There’s nothing particularly spectacular or noteworthy about the track, so let’s move on.
Erase/Replace – In contrast, this track is a driving, hard-hitting track from the very start. Ultimately, though, cheesy lyrics and a less-than-spectacular rhythm make the listener move to the next track before the song is even done, as I’m doing right now.
Long Road to Ruin – At first impression, not a bad song – it has the same feel as other big Foo songs like “Times Like These” and “Learn to Fly” I can see this being a decent single. It’s upbeat and yet decidedly unique.
Come Alive - I can appreciate acoustic at times, but personally it’s not my cup of tea. This song has a certain sound though, which is just overall pleasing to listen to. Much like “Let it Die,” though, it features a soft first 2min. followed by about another three minutes of the same clichéd upbeat guitar that is so characteristic of this album. The solo isn’t bad, and I always like to hear Dave Grohl screaming, but it’s decidedly mediocre.
Stranger Things Have Happened – The acoustic part at the very start of the single is very interesting – I’d even go so far as to call it a little Nirvana-esque at times. It showcases a little bit of that grunge influence still present on the first Foo-Fighters album. All in all a decent track.
Cheer Up, Boys (Your Makeup is Running) – Right from the start, a total contrast to the previous track. It has that classical uplifting Foo Fighters sound, to make an excellent track, all in all.
Summer’s End – As the album begins to wind down, Summer’s End provides a slow steady tune to bring the album toward a close. Ultimately, though, there isn’t really anything special or noteworthy about the track.
Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners – I think it’s really great that the Foo Fighters put this track on here – it has a cool, acoustic sound, and though an instrumental, is worth a listen. The song was written for the Beaconsfield miners, who were trapped in an Australian mine collapse, and while awaiting rescue requested just an iPod with Foo Fighters songs on. Way to repay the favor.
Statues – A nice track overall – it has a good uplifting beat, it features a cool piano part, and what I’m pretty sure is an accordion in the background – a really nice song.
But, Honestly – I consider this the best track on the album. It has an uplifting, acoustic beat, but when listening to it, it can conjure up strong emotion and memories, like other big Foo hits like “Times Like These” and “Best of You” – it has a very nostalgic tone in some ways. They finally got it right when building into a driving climax, though – this is truly a great track. I’d call it one of the top ten Foo Fighter songs thus far.
Home – Not bad overall; like “Statues” it has a piano part as a main part. It’s a good closer, but the album wouldn’t have lost anything by not including it. It’s a little depressing to go from a great track like “But, Honestly” to this. However, it’s not bad. If I were sitting on a front porch in Montana watching the sun set, it’d be awesome.
All in all, The Foo Fighters have produced a mediocre album, I think. I’d give it 3 stars. I’m a little discouraged at the consistency in sound throughout, and their lyrics overall don’t seem to be getting much better. Ever since their third album, they seem to have lost the fluidity present on Foo Fighters and even into their sophomore album. I would say their previous effort, In Your Honor was better album. Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace does make an interesting departure toward a more stripped-down, acoustic sound. There is much more simplicity present overall. What I crave however, is that genius simplicity off their self-titled debut. That album had simple, catchy rhythms, blending what Dave Grohl had learned under the Godfather of Grunge Kurt Cobain in his tenure with Nirvana, and yet a distinctly new, different sound. That new, different sound has been something of a sell-out to typical post-grunge sounds in recent efforts. Still, there is still a certain individuality about this band that will likely never go away, and it’s apparent, if somewhat dimmed.
The Future of Mass Media
Mass Media in its current state is highly dependant on electronic forms of media to convey its points. Right now, we are in a transition state between the traditional forms of media, things like magazines and newspapers, and even television, and moving towards an increasingly electronic field of information. Newspapers are being replaced with blogs of uninformed, often amateur, self-proclaimed reporters. In addition, the newspapers and magazines of America are increasingly transferring to an electronic format themselves. The question is whether they themselves will survive the test of time in the long run; though I think that more people will trust a name like “The New York Times” over a random blog, there is also a general trend of increasing apathy amongst the new generation which ultimately may lead to a decrease in the news industry as a whole. I hope that it never reaches such a point, but it’s certainly possible. What I really find disturbing, however, is that some of these massive RPGs like World of Warcraft and such are actually generating virtual economies and that people are becoming rich off them. Furthermore, people are making new “games” where supposedly people can go to a virtual store and buy real products. I’ve seen and heard some really stupid things before, but this tops them all. We need to draw the line somewhere. Overall, I think that in 10 years’ time, It would not be unreasonable to assume that the newspaper industry and print media in general will be dramaically reduced if not completely erradicated, as new technologies on the internet become more and more advanced over time.
Jake’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Class of 2007
In protest of some of the bands that have made their way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I decided to make Jake King’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and induct the first ten members – because unlike all the bands in the rock and roll Hall of Fame, they actually rock. And I did this just so I can not put The Beatles and Pink Floyd in, because both bands are waaayyy over-rated. This is based off a mix of musical talent (by my standards) as well as total accomplishments, so some of my favorites aren’t even in here (yet).
- Nirvana – in three studio albums, Nirvana completely changed the sound of Rock and Roll, and killed the glam scene of the 80’s. R.I.P Styx, we all hated you anyway.
- Led Zeppelin – A band that never ceased to amaze me – they don’t have all of my favorite songs, but I’ve rarely found a Zeppelin tune I didn’t like. An amazing band. I could listen to them for hours. They have such a huge range, from blues to the psychedelic, and beyond.
- Stone Temple Pilots – some say that STP is your typical post grunge/alternative band, but they are so much more. They have a very distinct sound that is very difficult to brand into a particular genre. I’d almost go so far as to call them an alternative version of Led Zeppelin. They just have that aura - they have so many different variations in sound, and Scott Weiland is an amazing vocalist; I still get a kick out of how he can go from “Sex Type Thing” to “Big Bang Baby.”
- Black Sabbath – The band that defined the genre of heavy metal, and aided their psychedelic brothers in Zeppelin in making the music of the 70’s truly great.
- Aerosmith – What can I say, Steven Tyler’s scream is one of the most amazing things that ever happened to me. I love that hard, driving, riff-based rock. Great stuff. One of the few bands that actually still sounded kinda’ good in the 80’s.
- The White Stripes – much akin to Led Zeppelin, The White Stripes have that same kind of amazing creativity and style. If Jimmy Page and Robert Plant weren’t still alive, I’d say that Jack White was the collective reincarnation of the two.
- The Rolling Stones – A great band, beyond all doubt. Their stuff to me isn’t landmark, listen all the time music, but it’s definitely catchy, and has that element of uniqueness that is vital to a band’s success in my mind.
- Alice in Chains – A truly amazing band – the vocals are so unique and their songs so lyrically dark and deep that I can’t not induct them. I’ve found few bands that can blend heavy metal and acoustic techniques in their sound without being too weird.
- The Smashing Pumpkins – much like STP, they have a really great variation in sound, and “Today” is one of my favorite songs ever. A great band with that really heavy grunge guitar sound, but with some softer elements, making a happy medium between grunge and alternative.
- Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine: after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a list of songs that shouldn’t be played on the radio was published, including “all songs by Rage Against the Machine” – I love em’.
Free Speech
In response to a recent reading on Free Speech and media law, I thought I’d share my views on free speech. I’ll try to make this quick and painless, because I’ve got a game of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion with my name on it as soon as I’m done with this, and as much as I love free speech, I really want a suit of elven armor for my character, Elethor the Bard.
The way I see it, free speech is a common sense matter for the most part – the crazies should be restricted when necessary (or just ignored), but by and large if it’s an educated person, I think that they should be able to say pretty much whatever they want. There are some people I do think should actually have their speaking privileges revoked, among them Pat Robertson, Bill O’Reilly, and Ann Coulter for starters, but they do have the right to say pretty much whatever they wish as Americans. Thankfully, that wonderful, rights-abolishing piece of legislation known as the Patriot Act doesn’t seem to be overly restrictive yet, because they can say things like, say, to assassinate the leaders of certain South American countries (ring a bell, Pat Robertson?) and the media will still make fools of them, as they rightly should. By and large, I think people also realize that people like this shouldn’t exactly be taken seriously, but then, they did elect George W. Bush twice…maybe that’s an overstatement.
My liberal biases aside, I say that as long as what you’re doing doesn’t hurt or defame another person, and that your reporting s accurate, then it should be allowed. By the same token, too much expression can also be a bad thing. Flag burning is alright. Some claim it is disrespectful to the veterans of our country. I think it’s important to show respect to our country, but only when it is worthy of respect. It’s like a little kid – you praise him/her when he’s doing something good, and give him a time out when he misbehaves. This is a little bigger than a time-out, of course, because it’s burning a flag, but the message is more or less the same – “you’ve done something wrong, and you’ve lost my respect for it – fix it now.”
Operation Cheesy Fliers
For this week’s class material blog, I’ll be discussing my rationale for my side of my group’s promotion of the APO Blood Drive. In my part of the project, codenamed Operation Cheesy Fliers, my main goal was to create a series of overly corny, random-humor fliers to appeal to the average college student. After seeing some of the shows that other college students watch, and shows that I watch, it seems to me that the best way to get something noticed is to use a random, witty humor of sorts. Looking at shows like South Park and Family Guy, every episode usually features some random figure of pop culture in a parody of everyday life. Furthermore, sometimes these figures are parodied in advertising of sorts. By incorporating icons like Waldo, Mr. T, and Snarf, I’ve created a completely random ad campaign chock-full of cheesy phrases sure to appeal to the average college student. With these figures ranging as soft as Tinky Winky, and as hard-core as Chuck Norris, it will appeal to the soft-hearted soul, and the masculine, iron-pumping Texas Ranger. In addition, the fact that I’m using a lot of well-known people like Stephen Colbert and the aforementioned Mr. T and Chuck Norris, along with carton characters will help to establish additional humor in the juxtaposition of these random characters in a Blood Drive ad campaign. Really, going across campus, seeing a poster sporting Chuck Norris for an event, and in the next building you visit, seeing a poster of the “King” Burger King; if that’s not odd and humor inspiring, I don’t know what is.
Creedage Cheese
I felt it my civic duty to take a moment to discuss a truly talented band that just kills me every time I hear their songs, because they could truly be so much better. This band is the much-mocked Christian rock group Creed.
Let me first say that though I don’t like to affiliate myself with a particular religion, I respect the beliefs of other people as long as they leave me alone and don’t try to tell me what to believe. So before there’s a cry of “Oooohhh, stone the agnostic!” and Pat Robertson and the 700 Club come busting through my dorm wall in a Panzer, let me just say that
THIS IS A CRITIQUE OF CREED AND THE CHRISTIAN ROCK GENRE; NOT CHRISTIANITY AS A RELIGION.
My main point for writing in this week is to say how awesome I think Creed as a band is, except for the fact that they’re Christian rock. I mean, I really don’t care if a band wants to praise the Lord through head-banging and heavy metal, mostly because I never actually thought I’d find a good Christian rock band! But then I stumbled upon Creed, and my whole life changed. Musically speaking, they were exactly what I was looking for – the heavy, distorted alternative guitars, a powerful lead vocalist, and a balance between the negative and the uplifting. But then I started to actually pay attention to the lyrics, and I became sorely disappointed. Let’s be honest; they’re the Dragon Force of Alternative Rock. Great music, cheesy words. I could live with the Christian lyrics; I don’t care personally, but I consider myself an open-minded person in regards to such things. When you make them ridiculously cheesy Christian lyrics, though, it all goes down the drain. Let’s look at “One” for example. I love the music, but if Creed songs are cheesy, this is the Limburger. Take a look at these lyrics:
“The goal is to be unified – take my hand, be my brother.”
“Unity took a backseat sliding further into regression”
“I feel angry I feel helpless – want to change the world, yeah.”
Please, this is bordering on “Peanut Butter Jelly, Peanut Butter Jelly, Peanut Butter Jelly with a baseball bat.” If there’s anything more drab and uncreative than Creed Lyrics, it’s anything in the rap/hip hop genre
Whatever happened to Kurt Cobain’s poetic vagueness? You don’t spell out the lyrics, silly! You have to make them think about it! Maybe we’re actually mishearing them; maybe the lyrics are genius, but we can’t make them out correctly because Scott Stapp refuses to open his mouth when he sings! I heard a comedian make a joke about the song “With Arms Wide Open” and he parodied it as “My Mouth Won’t Open” – I nearly lost it. What’s perhaps most interesting to me is that Creed persistently claimed throughout their career that they were NOT a Christian rock band. Let’s look at the evidence, shall we:
“I Cry out to God, seeking only His decision,” – My Own Prison.
“Are you ready? Are you ready? For what’s to come?” – Are You Ready
“We all live under the reign – did you know of one King.”– What’s this Life For?
Yeah, I thought so
I’m somehow reminded of that episode of South Park where Cartman decides to make a Christian rock band, and cleverly manipulates the lyrics of other songs by just replacing words like “baby” and “darling” with “Jesus.” He becomes so popular that he sells a myrrh album (the Christian Rock equivalent of Platinum). As I recall, his rationale for forming a Christian Rock band was also “Why not? It worked for Creed!”
If South Park makes fun of it, it is worthy of ridicule – nuff’ said.
Furthermore, let’s look at some other bands of the genre, namely Stryper. Stryper was notorious for throwing Bibles into the crowd to get the audience pumped for their shows.
Personally, I think the whole thing about biting the head off a bat was a little over the top, but I know it would’ve gotten my attention more than a copy of the new testament being slapped in my face.
You’ll also be shocked to learn that Stryper had the same, lyrical cheesiness as their brothers in spirit, Creed.
Back to Creed, though, there are a handful of songs which are either just so good that I can overlook the cheesiness, or they had a stroke of brilliance and didn’t write any to begin with. “Higher,” “One Last Breath,” “My Sacrifice,” and “My Own Prison” are absolutely spectacular songs – “One Last Breath” is one of my all-time favorite songs, period. It sends chills down my spine every time I hear it.
So the moral of this story, if Christian rock is what floats your boat, go for it – but as for me, I’m going to leave rock and roll to Nirvana, Ozzy Osbourne, and Ronnie James Dio. But if Creed gets back together, I’d still go see them…as long as they don’t throw bibles.
Advertising in the 21st Century
In today’s world, the market for advertising has much increased. Essentially, today’s marketing techniques aim for the purposes of establishing name recognition, spreading news about a product, Promoting an image, and adding value to a product.
Name Recognition – The basic premise of the name recognition technique is to establish a recognition of product name. This is done in a number of ways – a product can be connected with a catchy phrase or name. One example I can think of was a Seattle dog grooming salon called “High Maintenance B****” – the shop uses the dual meaning of b**** to create a catchy and memorable name association. It can also involve other techniques, like a catchy jingle or tune to make the product last in the heads of the consumer.
Spreading News about a Product – This method of advertising is basically used to promote an old product with a new ingredient or component. It takes the same old product you’ve been buying and claims that through the addition of new and improved doohickey #25, it will make you sleep a full ten hours without interruption. A good example of this were the early days of Arm & Hammer, where the company ran a series of ads to promote the various uses for its product beyond simply baking. Also a good example is the Dr. Pepper 23 Flavors promotion, in which Dr. Pepper promoted its product as having 23 Flavors to tempt your palette. Considering it’s a soda, I doubt that the 23 flavors is much different from any other brand out there.
Promoting an Image – When promoting an image, the company is basically trying to associate the product with a particular image – there’s the the army of Kellogs Cereal characters, the Marlboro Man, and my personal favorite, and the Doublemint Twins commercials. It’s all about connecting the product with a certain image or feeling.
Adding Value to a Product - By projecting a certain image with a product, it can attract a particular crowd. This is where sex appeal and images come into play. One of my favorite commercials that shows this technique is the Volkswagen commercial featuring Slash, the lead guitarist of Velvet Revolver and formerly Guns N Roses (and, for the record, the best guitarist in the world). Slash’s guitar is plugged into a Volkswagen sound system, and the cinematography seems to suggest that the car is really blasting out the crazy jam Slash is playing. It conveys this distinctly bad-ass image because, well, Slash is pretty bad-ass in my opinion. If I wanted to drive a car and be thought of as a Slash-esque character, though, a Volkswagen would not be first on my list…not even on my list, for that matter.
I Can’t Get No Satisfaction: Who Said Drummers Get All the Action
You know the old joke that the drummer sees the most action? Well I can say for a fact that that is the biggest load of bull-honkey I’ve ever heard, and I know from experience. I was a drummer for eight whole years, and I didn’t even go on my first date until after I quit the band. Granted it was concert band, but still…looking at the drummers that have marked the history of rock and roll, I find it hard to believe that people like this are considered higher up on the social ladder than say, the lead guitarist or lead singer. I felt it my civic duty, therefore, to list the main reasons I feel that this old rock and roll addage is a falsity (or should be) through simple logic.
Hair – First off, let’s hit the issue of not having hair. This was never a problem for me, personally, but seriously, who thinks that is sexy? Not having hair just makes you look worse, no questions asked. Just look at Metallica’s Lars Ulrich. That would scare the crap out of me if I met that guy in a dark alley. Then there’s the issue of having too much hair – perfect example, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters. Listen up Ben Waltz, because this is the only time you’ll hear me breathe a bad word about Nirvana. While Dave was the drummer for Nirvana, his hairstyles were maybe a little questionable (Dave’s in the center) but since he became the lead singer/guitarist of Foo Fighters, he’s not looking too shabby. I wish I looked like that…and had been the part of two of the best bands in the history of rock.
Bad Temper – I know some of the ladies prefer guys with a bad boy attitude, but why it’s the drummer is the most puzzling to me. On tours, when hotel rooms get trashed, take a wild guess who’s usually behind it. I’ll give you a hint - it’s the guy who has a pair of large, wooden projectiles in his hand. I’d be scared to be around Jon Bonham of Led Zeppelin were he still alive and feeling like trashing a room - he called his drum sticks “trees” for a reason. Some drummers just give off a rebellious air. Just take a look at Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, for example - doesn’t he look like the most bad-ass guy you’ve ever seen? I think so. I wouldn’t mess with a guy who looked like that, especially if his name were Lars.
Looks - Let’s first take a look at a prime example of who is NOT in style as far as looks go - former Coheed & Cambria drummer Josh Eppard. Between the suit and funky hat, he looks more like a member of Fallout Boy than Coheed, which would be a step up, at least. Finally, let’s also take a look our good friend Lars Ulrich of Metallica. Look at those teeth!
In response, I’ve taken a lesson from good old Dave Grohl, and put my life of drumming behind me - now it’s lead vocals all the way, and maybe a little guitar in the near future.
Public Relations
In response to this week’s topic of public relations, I think that the way in which the famous can manipulate the media to its eye is a very valuable tool, and especially through the use of publicity stunts it can change the way they are viewed. Case in point – the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake “wardrobe malfunction.” It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that this was a publicity stunt meant to boost record sales for a declining artist. Such has been the case all over – when people want attention, they will use different means to get it, and for those in a position to do so, the media provides a perfect outlet. I would be curious to see just how involved Jackson’s PR people were in the event, whether it’s planning (or not-planning) and the reputation cleanup afterwards. I suspect a similar incident in the case of Michael Jackson somehow; after Nirvana’s 1991 Nevermind effectively showed the world that Jackson really is a no-talent pop star begging for attention, I can imagine why he’d be looking for ways to reclaim the spotlight. The Public Relations career is dedicated to making others look good, and to someone skilled with a pen, a creative mind, and, depending on who you work for, no conscience or sense of moral, it can mean a lot of money. It’s still interesting to me at least, how the field has gone from a career of shouting out the attractions at circuses, to subliminal advertising techniques and minute strokes of advertising genius.
