Jesse Schell
1) What is plausible and what is implausible about the future that Jesse Schell describes and, most importantly, make a clear case for why?
I think that main plausible idea Jesse Schell describes is that we will want to learn more and do more on daily basis because we will want to gain more points. Since he describes future as one very large and long game, he claims that people will want to achieve more and more points for watching TV, eating cereal, playing piano, etc. While I think it is a possibility for out future world, I also believe that there are many disadvantages in playing games to survive. One of the implausibilities is that not every person in this world plays or enjoys playing games. For example, I, myself, wouldn’t feel comfortable being in continuous competition with everyone I know. Another malfunction with this idea is a constant watch over people. Schell openly says that we would always be watched by little cameras to track our progress, but has he ever realized that even now as we don’t have cameras all over our houses, we are still being watched. Therefore, once we do install these gadgets and gizmos in our houses, it will be impossible to avoid government’s vigilant eye. Just imagining it in my head, I keep thinking “wow, i would have no where to go if I ever want to be alone because essentially I would be always watched some way or another.”
2) How do you think current city screens (such as animated billboards) and future ones (as described in Living Skins) will factor into a future where we continue to be constant contributors of data?
I think having so many distractions all around us, we would all have ADHD. I do realize how far fetched this sounds, but when I think about it, it makes sense to me. We are always bombarded by information; wether it is useful to us or not, but it still affects us everyday. When looking up term”procrastination”, you will find that it was first discovered in 1997, which leads me to realization that with more and more ads, commercials, and billboards people have become less focused. I can’t think of the last time when I just sat down to listen to the music. A music for me, as it is for many people, is a distraction from the train ride, homework, or a workout. We need to be somewhat stimulated by the beats in our ears to keep doing whatever it is that we are doing. I think that game of Ping Pong in Philadelphia is a great way of amusing passersby, because they get to reboot their energy levels by relaxing and playing this game on the street. Although billboards are a great way for companies to sell their products, they are still distractions. However something like BIX installation in the Kunsthaus, is a beautiful way to utilize public space and turn it into something interactive and amusing for people. While yes it is distracting for someone who is driving a car, but it is also a better way of using buildings and making them into an artwork rather then always having Burger King’s “spend more money on our greasy and unhealthy substances which don’t even look like real food” with a group of young and healthy people enjoying food from this fast food. ( i might have twisted the Burger King ad into my own interpretation). Going back to my main point, I believe that we should eliminate amount of ads we have around us.
This is a photograph of New York as of today. There are absolutely none buildings which do not some type of ad, commercial on them. I find it very distressing because I don’t even see the city itself anymore, now when i think of New York, the first word that pops in my head is “advertisement.” I don’t think about skyscrapers, place where “friends” was filmed, Central Park; I immediately flash back to this image. Some people might argue that it is a city of opportunities because you could have your own ad on one of those buildings but I think this photo below looks more welcoming.
Right here, you can see the bridge, you can see the buildings and their original design, and the city itself looks pleasant. Again I realize that it is very much a question of opinion but I would appreciate being able to focus more on certain things instead of always looking for “another thing to do while I’m typing, drawing, eating.etc”
3) How might gaming factor into this (or not)?
Gaming industry has grown so immensely large ( and it is not slowing down), that everything can be connected to it. I hope that in the future we don’t have to play for life, but gaming will always be present in our lives. It is already starting to affect social media such as Facebook, twitter, youtube, pinterest – the more views you get the higher chance you have of getting famous and recognized on the street as the guy who posts funny videos on YouTube. I believe that our society is cluttered with ads, commercials and “like”buttons and hope that someday majority of people agree with me,