Unreal Engine: Door Idea

CREATING A DOOR
While learning about the basics of Unreal Engine 4, I have pitched an idea on a somewhat unique door that players can discover during gameplay. 

SKETCH:

CONCEPT: 
The concept of the door is to be in the shape of a sphere, but in 2-Dimensional form. After a player walks close enough to it, a motion censor will trigger the opening of the door which will make the interior of the sphere move out of place in order to make an entrance for the player. 

THE 'DOOR PROBLEM': 
During actual gameplay, players may be confused at first sight on how the door actually opens. For example, there's no buttons to push, so it may seem puzzling to players. It be also be troubling to know what lies beneath the door since players may question whether or not there are enemies behind it. It may also be questionable if the door can be opened again from the inside. 

The Door Problem:
https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/LizEngland/20140423/216092/quotThe_Door_Problemquot_of_Game_Design.php

Online Footprint

It's hard to believe that social media wasn't a big part of our lives decades ago, but now it seems to be the only thing we depend on. Whether that'd be for gaining information, communicating with friends, or even for job opportunities. Even though I personally don't enjoy using social media as much as I used to, I feel as though I have to use it if I want even a chance at being successful. As unfortunate as that sounds, it's becoming a harsh reality. Truth of the matter is, I am a much happier person when i'm not consuming social media.

If I do say so myself, my online footprint is fairly large based on my involvement. I understand how ironic that sounds based on my previous statement, but it's a fact. Funnily enough, however, the only website I have of myself is the one I had made for my first year seminar course during my freshman year. It is still public for everyone to see, although.

Apart from that, I have my fair share of using lots of social media sites. Those which include: Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, LinkedIn, SoundCloud, and YouTube. My first social media I got to use was Twitter back when I was about 14 years old. For whatever reason, I wasn't allowed to have any others until I was 16 even though I consider Twitter to be the worst of the worst. Either way, I definitely had some of the most embarrassing tweets, but thank god it wasn't under my real name. As of today, I hardly ever use social media. My only purpose of using them now is to promote my music career. In addition, every once in a while i'll tease a new song, post flyers on upcoming events, and so on. With that being said, I don't use it for anything else. I guess that makes me a rare individual. 

Most of my social medias I've used in the past are now private. Which I find to be a positive thing. Especially cause I like to keep those between me and my family and friends. This also means that even if some stranger tried to gain any information off me indirectly, the only thing they could really find is that I aspire to be a musician. As well as a picture of my face, of course. Unless they tried to really stalk me. Unfortunately there are weirdos like that. 

When it comes to private information, I've definitely voluntarily given out my e-mail, but only for business purposes. Especially when it comes to my music career if any promoters or organizers are trying to reach out to me. Therefore, I always have my email listed on all of my social media platforms. Which are all public pages if I may add. As i've previously mentioned, it seems crazy to think that this is really one of the only ways I can hope at becoming successful, but if it helps it helps.

In conclusion, I simply don't think social media is what it once was. I think it used to be a fun way to catch up with our friends that we haven't seen in a while, and it can also be used to write a public diary of our lives. However, it seems to be abused to the point where people are losing touch with real life connections. This can be tied into The Atlantic article which questions whether social media makes people feel lonely or isolated. My response would be that indeed it does because it's becoming more apparent that people are forgetting how to be social in the real world. I can easily say I'm guilty of this too. Although, I can't be too negative. As there are certainly lots of positives about social media to be grateful for. Without social media, I would not have met some of the most amazing people I have in my life even if we live far apart from each other. As well as the fact that I get to laugh at a bunch of memes that brighten up my day even more. Overall, it's fair to say that social media has taken over our lives. Time will only tell how long it'll last before something else takes over.

My social medias:
https://www.instagram.com/gammetamusic/
https://twitter.com/GammetaMusic
https://www.facebook.com/GammetaProductions/
https://soundcloud.com/gammetamusic

EOTO Project: Whistleblower

As crazy as this may sound, I have always been unfamiliar with what a whistleblower actually is. Even though I have heard the term numerous of times, I never actually understood the meaning behind it. With that being said, I was pleased to be given a proper explanation from one of my classmates who gave a presentation based on the same topic. 

The biggest piece of information I picked up from the presentation is that a whistleblower is someone who exposes information on a person or an organization for being engaged in illegal, illicit activities. This alone made me remember the recent incident that involved Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. In addition, Tony Bobulinski, someone who attests to being Hunter Biden's former business associate, recently came out to speak on behalf on Biden's relationship to Ukraine. 

With that being said, I thought my classmate explained this topic well, and it makes me happy to finally understand the meaning behind 'whistleblower.' Now I won't feel as stupid when watching the news.

Hunter Biden scandal:
https://www.newsweek.com/tony-bobulinski-biden-whistleblower-sit-interview-fbi-over-hunter-biden-business-dealings-1541751

EOTO Project: Policy Issues (Media Consolidation)

Prior to my last EOTO project on SoundCloud, I had recently been teamed up to do research on policy issues as a follow up project. For this scenario, I decided to do my research specifically under media consolidation which happened to fall under the same category. To quickly summarize what media consolidation is based on further analysis, it is a deep dive on who controls all of the media the majority of people consume on a daily basis. In other words, if someone ever wanted to know who owns the news networks they watch on television, media consolidation is what helps to answer that question. As of today, AT&T, CBS, Comcast, Disney, News Corp, and Viacom are the all of the companies that own almost all of the media we have.

To provide an extended background on media consolidation, it first started to become an issue in the public eye after the 1970s. In addition, the U.S. government found that it was too dangerous for companies to have too much of a voice over the people. Therefore, regulations were set on corporations to ensure that they did not have an overwhelming number of newspapers or TV stations that would allow them to reach 'too large' of an audience. Little did the government know, at the time, that it would continue to be an issue in the next century. Of course, there are some advantages to media consolidation. One of the most important being that the people get to choose what they watch based on what the media provides. However, there are just as many disadvantages.

One of the first issues that revolve around media consolidation is that there is a lack in alternate viewpoints. In addition, it is a common fear that large media houses will silence those who do not agree them. This, as a result, can be damaging to diversity of thought. Which sounds dangerous considering the fact that the media is where the majority of people get their information from. This can also be applied to biases in political views. One of the biggest examples of this has been the huge amounts of censorship from big tech companies on conservative voices. As well as the fact that the majority of the media outlets are more left leaning; especially corporations like CNN which is owned by AT&T. On a final note, another well known issue with media consolidation is that money is more favored rather than public interest. In other words, because a large global audience is pretty much guaranteed for media houses, the top priority is now earning more money. With that being said, this only makes consumers have to pay extra, and who wants that?

If you had to ask me, I would personally say that the cons outweigh the pros. Which is not something I normally say. However, after researching media consolidation, it leaves me with no doubt that it is a policy issue. It even worries me that it will only get worse before it gets better. At the end of the day, we can only hope for the best.

Companies that own all the media:
https://techstartups.com/2020/09/18/6-corporations-control-90-media-america-illusion-choice-objectivity-2020/#:~:text=As%20of%20September%202020%2C%20the,Fox%20News)%2C%20and%20Viacom.

Pros and cons of media consolidion:
https://opinionfront.com/pros-cons-of-media-consolidation

How it became an issue: 
https://billmoyers.com/story/media-consolidation-should-anyone-care/

 

The Fall of Privacy

It is no secret that the internet has many dangers within it. Whether that'd be through potential cyberbullying, scamming, or even hacking. However, one of the many things I never realized is how much one's privacy can be in jeopardy. In other words, if you had told me that the federal government collects data off of what you do on your phone or computer on a daily basis, I would have laughed at you. Although, it is becoming more apparent that this is factual, and not a lot of people seem to realize it. In other words, I was completely unfamiliar with how our law enforcement use automatic license plate scanners to collect information. That in itself is scary to think about. Overall, while I don't necessarily see this as a major threat to our society, it is definitely something that I think more people should be more cautious of. Especially myself. 

Ways to protect information:
https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/technology/blog/are-we-taking-online-privacy-seriously-enough/

Through the Lens of the Diffusion Theory

The Diffusion Theory, as explained by Professor Everett Rogers, is a means of helping people understand how, why, and at what rate a new idea or technology spreads over time. While researching this theory, there was only one example that struck me in an instant. Which includes the rise of virtual reality.

Virtual reality has been grabbing peoples' attention for years especially when it comes to video games. This is due to the fact that lots of people who play video games love the idea of feeling like they are actually in the game which is just what virtual reality is capable of. However, this does of course come at a cost. While there are many other virtual reality headsets that are purchasable, the price range is expected to start at $399. This doesn't include that some headsets require a working PC in order to be used which also adds to the shopping cart. Because of this, there are large numbers of late adopters or laggards.

Virtual reality is also controversial in a way. In addition, it is arguable that virtual reality causes lack of human connection in the real world. As well as the fact that it can become very addictive. While these are fair arguments, there are also some advantages to virtual reality that many seem to realize. The first being that people can be creative with it in terms of making their own virtual worlds they have always dreamed of. It is also fair to say that in some cases virtual reality can be healthy. In other words, rather than sitting down playing on a controller, you are actually moving around which can lead to physical exercise while using a virtual reality headset. More importantly, virtual reality is commonly used as a simulation for trainees in work environments. With that being said, it is fair to say that there are more positives than negatives. Especially since some of the disadvantages can be avoided. 

For me personally, I do not own a virtual reality headset. This is because it is out of my budget for the time being. Not to mention, I just recently invested in a new PC. However, I do plan on purchasing one in the future once I have saved up enough money. Therefore, making me a late adopter. 

Price ranges:
https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/16/18625238/vr-virtual-reality-headsets-oculus-quest-valve-index-htc-vive-nintendo-labo-vr-2019

Pros and cons:
https://skywell.software/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-virtual-reality/

EOTO Project: History of Steam

After discussing the historical background of SoundCloud, I had the pleasure of learning about other technologies from other classmates. One of the technologies that resonated with me the most is the history of Steam. Mostly because it is a platform for games. As someone who really enjoys spending my free time playing video games, this particular subject was something that really intrigued me to gain more information from.

One of the first things I learned from my classmate's presentation was that the current logo of Steam used to be completely different back when it was first released in 2003. In addition, the logo used to be green rather than blue. While this isn't a huge difference, it was definitely something that caught me off guard. Apart from that, it was also interesting to learn about how Steam is apart of a company called Valve Corporation which was something unfamiliar to me as I thought steam was a company of its own. It was also a fun fact to learn that Steam is now the biggest platform for gaming on a PC. However, the biggest piece of information that I picked up from the presentation is that anyone can actually sell their games on Steam as long as you have an entrance fee. In other words, I always thought there was more details behind publishing a game on the platform. 

Overall, I thought my classmate's presentation was very well done. Even though there were some pieces of information I was already familiar with, I had learned a few things that caught me by surprise.

EOTO: Team 4
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wArQVIxvgblEeB4FnM6EFmvTXmyhwTjw2l2hn_9mpWY/edit?usp=sharing