Broadcast Yourself — Under These Restrictions

What does it take to become an “internet celebrity”? Due to the methods of online media distribution that exist today, user-generated content can reach the masses with the greatest of ease, usually after a lot of work on the user’s behalf. However, when the law becomes involved regarding copyright issues, tensions run high between corporations, the creators of reworked media, and the fans who view these creations. This issue is the most prevalent on the largest video site on the Internet, YouTube.com, which is owned by Google. YouTube needs to clarify and stick to their currently vague copyright policies so

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This is Snake: Narrative in Metal Gear Solid 3

“What a thrill…” – not only are these the first lyrics of the theme song to Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, but it is also the way most fans of the popular video game succinctly summarize the experience it has to offer. Released in 2004 by Konami and directed by gaming auteur Hideo Kojima, MGS3 was a groundbreaking title that reached the limits of what Sony’s Playstation 2 console was capable of. At the same time, however, the title was critically acclaimed for what it brought to the table in terms of its cinematic and gameplay experience, especially regarding

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Pokémon Red/Blue Retrospective

So I guess I’m supposed to comment on the first generation of Pokémon games for the Game Boy for Phil here. Sure, Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow defined a generation of gamers here in the United States, but let’s throw Yellow out of the mix temporarily. On February 27th, 1996, Pocket Monsters Red and Green were released in Japan, but that’s not what this retrospective is about either. Although I must say I’ve always found the idea of Pokémon Green intriguing. But I guess that’s why they made an homage to it with the Game Boy Advance re-releases in 2004,

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Executive Vlog: Weekly YouTube Addresses

If there was anything that the Obama presidential campaign yearned for in 2008, it was that we as a nation were beginning an era of change. As we see how our lives can be improved and altered, our eyes first land on the digital media industry. With the internet and all its possibilities, new devices with technological advances, and how television can be affected by these things, it is easy to see how the world is changing. For example, President Obama’s decision to post his weekly addresses to the nation on Youtube.com is one facet that symbolizes the change that

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Your Quest Awaits: Dragon’s Lair

Do something different and you’ll get noticed. It is an idea that has been repeated time and time again with great success in business, and it was no different in 1983 with arcade game developer Cinematronics. In a time where heavily-pixilated art made up the majority of the graphics in games, Dragon’s Lair stood out significantly for all the things it did differently. While several things lead to the game’s lack of success, both gaming enthusiasts and game developers praise Dragon’s Lair for the steps it took in a growing industry. When video game industry was still trying to establish

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On Internet Communities and Social Interaction

As we take steps further into the future, we have to face the reality that the way we communicate is changing. Sure, those whose ages are hitting double-digits through those who have joined the workforce within the past five years or so are realizing how much the digital age is upon us. However, beyond that, there are MILLIONS of people that are still ignorant of how important of a role the world of cyberspace currently plays. For example, when I came back home from college for Thanksgiving, I was catching up with one of my uncles. Our conversation opened my

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