Entertainment

Discussion - Access to Original Entertainment

Intro: It has never been easier to publish original entertainment.
It has never been harder to see and hear original entertainment.

Discussion: I agree with the first statement because with websites like Youtube, you publish nearly any video you want, this may range from comedy, sport etc. Therefore this could be see as original entertainment. A drawback however would be the fact that you can't post very long videos on youtube because of the video capacity size.
I also agree with the statement that it is harder to see and hear orginial entertainment because of the fact that most of the posts online are copies of things other people have done before. It is very rare to come across a good online original entertainment source.

Discussion - Pirated Entertainment

Intro: What is the advantage of paying a supplier such as Apple for a legal music download? What is the disadvantage of buying a pirate DVD from a market stall?
What is the disadvantage of getting a pirate download of the latest film before its UK release?
What is the disadvantage to you of visiting an illicit music download site?
Does widespread ilicit downloading discourage the funding of new talent?

Discussion: The main advantage of paying Apple for an iTunes track is the fact that you know you are actually getting what you are downloading. For example, if you payed for "In The End" by Linkin Park, you know that you are getting that song, and that song only without any other virus' coming with it.
A disadvantage to buying a pirate DVD from a market stall if firstly that you're not going to get a refund. This means that you are taking a risk if the dvd or cd you have bought will work or not. Also, the DVD or CD may be broken or damaged meaning you are risking with your money when you buy a pirate product.
A disadvantage to downloading a pirate download of the latest film before its UK release is the fact that the quality will be hugely effected. For example, if they are filiming in a cinema illegally, they might get someone standing up and miss a key moment of the film. Also, films like Transformers depend hugely on special effects which would not be shown well enough through a handheld camera.
The main disadvantage of visiting a ilicit website is the fact that the website is more than likley riddled with virus' so if you download anything off that website, you run the risk of getting virus onto your computer.
Personaly, i think the widespread ilicit downloading is discouraging the funding for new talent because record companies will either work on expandin their buisness online rather than finding new talent and market them on CD's. Show such as X Factor find new talent. However, most of the songs the participants are singing will be on the internet somewere just seconds after the live show has finished.

Discussion - Impact of Games Players

Intro: Perhaps one of the largest impacts of ICT on the personal lives of young people has been the explosive growth of home games players or "play" stations. An article in new scientist (23rd October 2004, p.26) stated that $3.8 thousand million of games were sold in 1995, rising to $6 thousand million in 1998 and $7 thousand million by 2003. It is estimated that 25% of these games were violent.
Why are computer games so popular?
Do computer games make you more violent?
Do computer games make you more isolated?
Do networked computer games make you more or less social?

Discussion: Computer games are so popular because it provides an easy way to play games without leaving the house. Also, some people would rather stay in and play computer games rather than go out the play. Also, on the whole, computer games are fun to play.
Also, i would agree that computer games do make you more violent as it is sientificly proven that playing aggressive video games causes a mild agressive arousal in your brain thus making you more prone to agressive outbursts.
Also, i agree with the statement that computer games make you more isolated as you are not generally playing computer games with friends, unless if you are playing online. So if you are generally playing computer games by yourself, you are more prone to be more isolated.
I feel that networked computer games do make you more and less social because one aspect of playing online is that you can play with and chat with friends making the experience more social. However, it lowers the social interaction between two people if you are playing an online game thus making it less social.