Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Sims Gamers Enter the Public Sphere


            The Sims, a PC Game advanced over the years with the content of the game and carried over to social networking through the EA Games website and The Sims Official Facebook Page. Social networking allow its gamers into the digitalization era to the communication through the public sphere.
            Havermas’ a theorist of the public sphere illustrates his vision of the sphere as an area where people can go to engage in a situation where people can vote on ideas, share ideas, and exchange in different information that can be commented on. It is also believed that through the connection and engagement through the public sphere; can lead to a stronger and well diverse public culture.  
            Facebook is an example of how the public sphere is being connected through culture and the engagement of wide variety of different information provided by users. Not only can people share information and post information about themselves or a topic but can share comments about other people’s posts. This feature is also being seen through many website provided by organizations, groups, and companies. This is a way the fans and the public can engage with others about how they feel on situations.
As the world grows to a more digitalized culture; many ways we do actions and performances change. We are at a time where digitalization allows our society to communicate instantly and could be shared publicly.  Digitization provides people to enter the public sphere at ease to their own individual interests where that can be shared.
            EA Games and through The Sims took the advantage of facebook and their website to engage with their fans and the outside community. By The Sims entering the public sphere through these sources allow people to share their thoughts, ideas, and comments about their experiences through out the game. From what I have seen from The Sims Facebook page is, many users share screenshots of their houses they built in the game and how they fashioned up their Sims wardrobe. Also, usually about every day there is a poll-taking place on different topics of what The Sims gamers like most about the game and different questionable polls.
            To conclude, The Sims took advantage of social networking and the global web to allow its fans to enter into the public sphere. This is a positive feature provided for the fans of the game to communicate with other gamers and provide input and receive feedback.
             

2 comments:

  1. I think it is fascinating that we now have the technology to discuss our games with anyone anywhere in the world thanks to the internet. The internet has allowed the sharing of cheat codes also, which helped me a lot when I played the Sims.

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  2. It is really interesting how much profit, advertising, publicity and marketing businesses can get... all from posting on a free social media page! Do you think that since social media provides similar feedback and requires similar user influence like video games do, that this makes gamers respond and want to interact with a companies Facebook or social media page more so than one who only watches television (and doesn't directly and instantaneously influence that form of medium)?

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