Our Class Wiki - So Far

              For the class wiki, I have registered myself as a contributor for the “New Media and Video Game Console” page. I felt that this was the best thing for me to contribute, as it is something that interests me and a topic in which I am very comfortable and familiar with. Unfortunately, I have had no time to add any content as of yet, other than my bio, but hope to post a submission in the upcoming weeks. In preparation I have been doing a lot of research, including exploring X-box 360’s online community, reading articles from magazines and newspapers, and even interviewing a video game journalist.

                A few days ago I was able to contact a close friend of mine, who is a journalist in the videogame industry. We talked for a few minutes, as he graciously answered all of my questions. Francois Chang is the Community Manager for the up-and-coming videogame website Dualshockers.com, which is a popular destination for the latest trends, releases, and announcements in the gaming industry. In my interview, he described how new media has greatly affected video game consoles over the past decade. He stated that new media has instilled a sense of community in consoles, as it encourages users to meet new people, while enjoying their favorite games in the company of friends. He himself has also used sites such as Twitter and Facebook to promote the Dualshockers website in order to increase internet traffic. From my own interactions on video games, I have also discovered that companies use their online marketplaces as a premier destination for instantly downloading new games and other related content as well.

                By combining information from industry experts, articles, and personal experience I hope to make a valuable contribution to the class wiki and show students the major impact social media has had on video games consoles. With a wide variety of sources, I hope to add new perspective and am now in the process of reviewing all of my sources and material and putting it together in an easy to follow format. I am very excited to post my contributions and will hopefully be able to have it up around the beginning of May.