Sunday, March 20, 2011

Xbox Live: Connecting USA, Germany, and Micronesia

http://www.skinz.org/skins/104/15556/Xbox_Live_fullsize.jpg
Most boys in America love video games.  It is a very legitimate statement, as I am confident that no one would argue with it.  According to Gamespot.com the top 5 Xbox Live games are Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, Guitar Hero III, Gears of War, Rock Band all of which can be played on the international level. I personally have played Halo with kids from in Germany, Madden with kids in England, and a FIFA four person game with a Spaniard, Russian, my friend from New Jersey and myself.  The Internet has created connections like nothing else before it, creating an instant link with people literally worlds apart.  With the press of a on button I can connect with my friends from across the street as well as my friends from across the ocean.  Ins't that crazy?  The fact that we can instantly connect with anyone with the use of a simple ethernet chord and a functioning router.  But it doesn't stop just there.  People can chat and actually meet the people they have to shoot and beat on the other side of the controller, furthermore connecting the world and making boundaries even smaller.  As memorably quoted in Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Mans Chest "The world is shrinking.  The blank corners of the map are being filled in."  The world is clearly "getting smaller" and now with world wide video games, it is another step closer to being just a button click away.
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2 comments:

  1. rosenrMarch 22, 2011 at 9:55 PM

    This whole concept of everyone having the ability to be connected relates to that commonly heard statement, "what a small world!" Although this seems contradictory, considering the world is vast with billions of different people, technology can help make this statement come to life. Not only through video games but through making connections on Facebook and also through getting to know about different countries via following certain tweets. It is interesting because I've played video games when I was much younger and my only companion would be either the person in the room with me or the computer. Although this is extremely interactive, technology has now reached new levels. Competing with people in different countries and actually being able to have conversations with people you have not actually met, creates a virtual community that transcends reality. It is now an major contribution to video games because it lets people communicate in ways that have never been done before! I personally think this addition to video games is a great idea because it makes the game more entertaining! Do you agree?

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  2. SophMarch 29, 2011 at 11:54 AM

    Rian,
    After reading Brandon's post I had similar thoughts. This world is made up of billions of people, but now, with technology, you can connect to any single one of them. This seems sort of like "old news" to us in the new generation, as we've grown up with the internet and cell phones, but with Xbox live and other similar gaming devices on the market, there are even more ways to interact. I wonder why some people prefer interaction through the gaming world rather than through text online or voice on phones. Do you think there is a big differences between the devices that makes one "better" than the others?
    Also, in response to your question, I haven't personally tried Xbox live myself so I wouldn't really know, but what I can say is that I always prefer playing actual people than the "computer" whether its on computer games or video games. It just makes it more fun when there is actually somebody you are competing against. For this reason, i would guess that the game would be much more interesting this way.

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