The first game I played was the sci-fi RPG-shooter Mass Effect 2. In this game the references aren’t direct, but rather the plot and the surrounding world are a pastiche of previous sci-fi works. I don’t think I encountered a single original element in the universe or plot development that I hadn’t seen or heard in sci-fi movies or TV shows before. The plot drew especially from Babylon 5 at more than one stage.

The second game was Alan Wake, the much-anticipated psychological thriller from Remedy (from Finland!). In terms of pop culture references, the game is completely unapologetic and definitely tongue-in-cheek in how it treats its references. My favorite was probably when FBI agent Nightingale is described as not being fond of the pine trees of Bright Falls and especially hating the local coffee. This is of course a direct reference to Twin Peaks’ main character FBI agent Dale Cooper, who could not stop gushing about the pine trees in Twin Peaks and whose catchphrase of sorts was “Damn good coffee! And hot!” It doesn’t stop there. Alan Wake’s plot borrows heavily from the Johnny Depp movie Secret Window (2004), the game’s physical surroundings are directly copied from Twin Peaks, the “villain” that is the dark presence was inspired by Lost’s smoke monster, the upcoming event in the game “Deerfest” is borrowed from Northern Exposure’s “Moosefest”, the axe scene as well as the maze from “the Shining” are there, the hooded raincoat killer from “I Know What You Did Last Summer” makes a cameo, references to “the Outer Limits”… The list just goes on and on.

The third game is “Red Dead Redemption“. This game is more akin to Mass Effect 2, but with only a single source of inspiration. The game feels like an unauthorized game version of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns. Even the score is so much like Enrico Morricone’s classic compositions that I was surprised to learn that the score is an original (or rather, “original”) work. All the characters and plot turns are familiar from Leone’s films. The main protagonist is of course not unlike Clint Eastwood’s lone gunman character.

If these games had been made as movies, they would be probably regarded as complete hack jobs and outrageously unoriginal. But in video game format, they work remarkably well. I personally enjoyed all three games immensely and was very much absorbed in their plots. Spotting the pop culture references and in many cases “acting them out” was probably the biggest thrill in all of the games. And this is what really interests me: what is it about video games that lends itself for this type of very obvious intertextuality? I guess it has to do with the player (you) assuming the role of the protagonist and thus allowing for better immersion in what’s happening. The game doesn’t have to “convince” you into emphasizing the lead protagonist as much as with other cultural products. If anyone out there has any good references for why this is, please let me know.

Video games have been criticized for unoriginality for ages now, the favorite gripe being that “every other video game is about bald space marines”, which really is a pretty apt description, but for some reason these types of games still seem to top sales charts. But I don’t know if this is something that will last or is it just something borne out of lack of alternatives. Maybe video game literacy is still developing and in time these too-obvious references will become less appealing. But for time being, game designers probably should raid the treasure chest that is pop culture with abandon.

The previous Mortal Kombat movies were for the most part true to the games and a bit on the light side. But this short movie is nothing if dark. See, for example, their version of the character “Reptile”:

The idea of shooting test and sample footage of a potential movie project for studio heads is of course not new (personal favorite, Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones). But including consumers in this decision making process definitely is. As you may have guessed, the clip was posted on YouTube and other video sharing sites. The clip has already gone viral and is serving as a great way for the producers to get some immediate fan reactions from the video comments to throw at the studio brass. I’ve skimmed through some of the comments, and the response seems for the most part very positive. There are also a lot of great observations, reactions and other utterances that should prove invaluable if the movie moves to production. I personally hope the movie gets made.

But the bigger question is, of course, will we be seeing more of these short movie “probes” for movie ideas? It’s something that definitely has potential and is very “co-creative”. But also could spell disaster if used the wrong way. Nobody likes cultural works made by committee, for one. You need to find a balance between consumer engagement and artistic authorship.

Here’s the whole short film:

Because of the way the hamster takes his red hood off in the beginning, that’s why.

Whoever made this ad really did their homework. The amount of details in this ad is almost staggering, and they all contribute to the authenticity of the aesthetic.

Three Wolf Moon is/was a rather ugly t-shirt that became a somewhat inexplicable viral phenomenon. It’s a somewhat kitch and unremarkable t-shirt that was on sale on Amazon. But when somebody posted this review on it…

Pros: Fits my girthy frame, has wolves on it, attracts women

Cons: Only 3 wolves (could probably use a few more on the ‘guns’), cannot see wolves when sitting with arms crossed, wolves would have been better if they glowed in the dark.

… all hell broke loose. In a very short period of time, it got more than 1000 similar “reviews” and spread quickly thanks to Digg and people sharing the Amazon link on Facebook. I’ve seen more than a few photoshops where famous people have been depicted wearing the shirt, including Barack Obama.

Well, fast forward to today and look what I found on /Film:

There’s just something about mashing up obscure internet phenomena with Star Wars, I guess…

I mean sure, it underlines a bit too clearly what its message is “about”, but the use of imagery and contemporary cultural cues (especially local) is commendable. Rooney’s part was especially touching.

Hat tip to Kaarle

What distinguished this structure was an architecture designed to maximize the visibility of inmates who were to be isolated in individual cells such that they were unaware moment-to-moment whether they were being observed by guards in a central tower. More than a simple device for observation, the panopticon worked in conjunction with explicitly articulated behavioural norms as established by the emerging social sciences, in efforts to transform the prisoner’s relation to him or her self. This disciplinary aspect of panoptic observation involves a productive soul training which encourages inmates to reflect upon the minutia of their own behaviour in subtle and ongoing efforts to transform their selves.

The panopticon is the famous prison design by Jeremy Bentham that Michel Foucault used as the ideal metaphor for modern societies need for discipline and normalise through observation. Foucault argued that this type of “control through observation” was not only a feature in prison, but all hierarchical structures such the army, schools, hospitals and factories. Though the panopticon design itself was actually not commonly used, thanks to Foucault it has remained iconic.

What struck me was how I recognized from this idea how people’s awareness of being monitored making them reflect on the minutia of their own behavior. I have more than have a few friends who have become camera shy because they know that any images taken could end up on Facebook with their name on it. Some people even immediately remove all photo tags of themselves as soon as they appear. As Facebook has become more mainstream and people are befriending more broadly (relatives and colleagues instead of just university buddies), it has caused many people to dial back on their candidness when it comes to how they represent themselves online. As evidenced by Facebook’s recent changes, the functionality of the site is intended to leave more and more user information open to the whole world, and in some cases you have to go a rather strenuous process to hide your personal information.

The overall trend in all social media seems to be about openness. Some people seem to embrace it, especially the more extrovert and dare I say egocentric ones. But some are put off by this trend of, as so eloquently put in the article, “groups which were previously exempt from routine surveillance are now increasingly being monitored.” Naturally, it’s a bit of a stretch to compare Facebook to the panopticon prison. So much of this Facebook surveillance is just us learning to “be” on Facebook, but as long as the technology is enabling this surveillance (and increasingly so), we should at least be mindful of it. As we are becoming more digital each passing year, the notion of escaping the digital gaze might become more or less socially impossible. I’ve heard a few predictions that in the future your online presence is what works as your reputation or even resume. “If you’re not online, you don’t exist”, the thinking seems to go. It’s already happening as many companies are already googling any new job applicants and going through their blogs and social media profiles.

Just be mindful of what Facebook (and social media in general) is becoming, or rather that you are being watched more and more on Facebook. At least you don’t want to end up on a site like Failbook before you get it.

Article: Haggerty, Kevin; Ericson, Richard. “The surveillant assemblage” British Journal of Sociology Vol. No. 51 Issue No. 4 (December 2000) pp. 605–622

So you may have heard about the global Playstation 3 meltdown (or ‘ApocalyPS3′) earlier this week when a small error in the system’s internal clock as it relates (I assume) to leap years rendered many systems unplayable for a whopping 24 hours.

I imagine I don’t need to tell you, some people flipped.

The conspiracy theories flew, and the fury and threats boiled over, and it was quite the spectacle to behold if you cruised by some gaming forums in the heat of it. I’ll admit, I was personally thankful that I’d finished Heavy Rain the night before. I’d have probably been a little irritated to find that I couldn’t sit down to play it after work. But man oh man… forget corn, we need to get our scientists working on a way to harness nerd-rage as a renewable energy source.

We laugh, but I think this speaks volumes on how we relate to technology and gaming. In the deep end of things, it can even come to this:

What are you supposed to do when Forbes ranks your city as the most miserable in America? Rally city supporters and create a tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign.

That’s what Positively Cleveland, the Ohio city’s convention and visitors bureau, has done after Forbes proclaimed the city as the country’s most miserable last Thursday. Tami Brown, Positively Cleveland’s vice president of marketing, says the day the article came out, the bureau commissioned a local improv troupe to put together a video poking holes in the miserable title. In the video, actors gripe that there are too many sports and live entertainment options in town, and that commutes are so short they don’t have time to do their make-up in the car. There’s also a funny bit where upon hearing that Cleveland has been called the most miserable city, a group of Cleveland people jump up and cheer – which of course, doesn’t make them seem all that miserable.

As I argued in my Kanye West post a while back, thanks in large part to the Internet marketing communications has changed from a brute force approach of bombarding people with a predisposed message until it sticks to something more dynamic where you adapt to what’s “out there” in terms of what’s your brand’s place in culture. To use an analogy, it’s branding by aikido, not by karate. I think you can see the change in thinking in Clevaland’s case as well. Instead of trying to “fight” their new infamous title, they decided to engage it head on, by embracing it and then giving it a meaning makeover.

The sixth and supposedly last season started yesterday in the US (the parts are available in Germany always one day later), however in the last couple of days / weeks a few marketing gigs have already taken place. Such as this one: you can book a flight on Oceanic 815 from Sydney to L.A. on kayak.com – for a horrendous price, of course. Quite a nice idea!

I think this is a step beyond amusement parks like Disneyland, “a miniature Paris in Las Vegas”, and other oft-used examples of hyperreality. And it’s not really alternate reality gaming, cosplay or siteseeing either, it’s something else. I just don’t know what to call this.

But I know Jean Baudrillard would approve.

Lately I’ve stumbled upon two similar examples, which further highlight this trend, but in different ways. The first is an example of just plain ignoring copyright. The way the Internet has opened up commerce is that there’s now a supplier for pretty much everything you could wish for. Take this Ironman sticker I just ordered for my laptop from China. There’s no possibility that a company like Marvel (which holds Ironman’s property rights) could keep track of all of these sellers to shut them down (especially since it’s in China), and the thing is, small retailers like this usually have these great niche ideas such as this that probably wouldn’t make out of the corporate boardroom. They’re creating a unique product that I feel benefits Marvel and Ironman more than it hurts them in lost revenue. (Hat tip to /Film, again).

The second example is closer to the t-shirt example: going around copyright by obscuring your references and use of intellectual property. A graphic designer called Albert Exergian has created some really cool minimalistic movie posters for TV shows. Again, he’s not using anything that could compromise him for legal action (save for the trademarks) so he’s flying under the radar in that sense. But I can really appreciate the creativity that came from these legal constraints. He’s given all these TV shows a unique twist, sort of riddling them.

I think we’ll be seeing more of ventures like these that both challenge copyright but also challenge the consumers’ levels of cultural knowledge. I guess you could call it “piracy done with style”? Or something.