The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Have you ‘played’ the news today? Posted: 04 Aug 2011 05:00 PM PDT AUG 5 — I always thought I was all hip and up to date with the latest in all things media, and I made sure I bragged about it to my students and everyone else too. Then, during a lecture one day, a small and scrawny student of mine raised his hand and asked if I enjoyed playing computer games. "Zan, what do you think of computer games?" he asked while adjusting his spectacles. "Ha! Video games are for people who can't do the real thing but just like to fantasise that they can!" I laughed. I was obviously poking fun at scrawny nerds in front of TV screens pretending to be hot shot English Premier League football players or mutant super heroes who save the day. "Have you heard of news games?" he went on. "News what?" "News games, sir. It's computer games that are based on news and current affairs." Apparently, there is a new medium for journalism and it's actually video games. Basically, you get your news from playing a game instead of the newspaper. This is very interesting because it is a perfect example of how journalism (or the media in general) has adapted to suit the modern-day audience. When newspapers first came about a gajillion years ago, the characteristics of the readers were that they enjoyed analysing news and understanding it better. Newspapers allowed this because readers could take their time reading and digesting the news by picking up the newspaper whenever and for however long they wanted. Then, when broadcast news emerged, the characteristic of the viewers and listeners were different because it was the start of the consumption of "instant news." Those who turned to broadcast wanted news that was quick and had more impact, with audio and visuals to assist in the consumption. Today, the development of games to present the news is obviously a reflection of how the public these days aren't satisfied with just knowing the news. It doesn't just end with consumption. What people want is to actually feel and experience the news based on the few pioneering news games that exist today. Many of these news games offer the "players" the opportunity to put themselves in the situation of whatever news that is currently happening. Take for example, "Inside Disaster", a news game developed soon after the tragedy that is the massive Haiti earthquake (insidedisaster.com). Very similar to role-playing games, it offers "players" the opportunity to experience the tragedy from several viewpoints: the journalist's, the aid-worker's or the survivor's. Then there is "Play the News", which allows "players" to predict what is going to happen in the future after knowing the latest news (playthenews.com). The game allows "players" to express their opinions by deciding what should happen, or, to make predictions by expressing what they think will really happen. Another deeply engaging news game is "Play Spent", which highlights the global economic depression that is going on (playspent.org). "Players" of the game are to navigate through different economical and financial situations such as looking for a job, buying health insurance, or renting a house, etc. At the end of the month, it shows if you've managed to make it or not. And, of course, surviving without being in financial ruins is the challenge of the game. So it's obvious that today people no longer want to just read the news or view the news. It is so passé now to meet someone and say "Have you heard the news today?" Instead, today's opening remarks between people when something big happens would more likely be "Hey, have you played the news today?" * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
| Between fictitious and true unity Posted: 04 Aug 2011 04:55 PM PDT AUG 5 — There is a strong emphasis on unity in Malaysia. It is easy to rationalise why this is so. The country has been diverse from the very beginning of its modern history. Each group largely lives differently. While difference and diversity can be sources of strength, it is also a source of conflict. Some believe that race relations nowadays are worse than they were in yesteryears, but the worst race riot of the country happened in Kuala Lumpur in May 1963. Another big race riot happened in Singapore in July 1964. Conflict between the races was part of the reason why Singapore was expelled from the federation in 1965. Those conflicts have left behind a deep scar in Malaysian society, even as many Malaysians today never witnessed a race riot first-hand. These old fears are becoming irrelevant but it is still part of what describes our society. So entrenched is the fear of history repeating itself that many are mindful of the tiniest possibility of a race riot. To the mindful and those who are trapped in the 1960s and 1970s still, they believe in the narrative of unity. They believe in unity being the answer to Malaysian divisiveness. As the wisdom goes, if everybody is united, there would be no reason to quarrel with each other. Nobody would say anything hurtful to the collective ethnic consciousness. In a united Malaysia, everybody would laugh together while waving the Jalur Gemilang happily. On the surface, the unity narrative is appealing. The ideal provides a stark contrast to the chaotic Malaysia of the 1960s and the period of time after that. Yet, scratch the skin and it will reveal a rotten core. Their particular unity narrative ignores differing viewpoints. At best, it considers differing positions as being foreign. "It is not part of our culture," so the typical response goes. Malaysians holding differing ideals are accused of having their minds colonised by outsiders. Imagine in these times of globalisation, one still talks of neo-colonialism. One has to be either paranoid or stuck in time. When differing viewpoints become too intellectually challenging for the simple narrative, threats are issued. When there is nowhere to go within the realm of pure reasons, talk of feelings. File a police report when feelings are hurt. In the unity narrative, one is not supposed to hurt anyone else's feelings. And some fly the flag because the government demands so. The government even threatened to do something to remedy the failure to fly a piece of cloth back in 2006. In Ipoh in 2010, businesses had to fly the Jalur Gemilang if business owners wanted to renew their licences. One can see how pretentious that unity is. See how it belligerently pushes aside liberty. It seeks monotony. It rejects colours. It is either you are with us, or against us. Unity is not mutually exclusive of liberty, of course. In fact, true unity can only come up under a free environment, where every person is free. It will be hard to achieve unity under such a set-up because individuals in a free society will have differences but if ever dialogue and understanding overcome the differences, then everybody will unite of their own free will. That is the route to true unity. It is tough but it is the unity that is sincere. The proponents of unity who are trapped in the 1960s possibly know this. They probably realise the tough road to true unity. Too cowardly to trust in individual effort to bridge the gap perhaps, they choose the ersatz version. That version of unity is one that is shown only because there is a big stick somewhere, waiting to be taken out if someone dares to say, no, I am different. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
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