New Header and a discussion on image editing

As of February 15th, 2018, this blog has had a new header, designed in Photoshop. The two images used in the new header, "Dualshock 3", originally posted on flickr.com by the user "Joo0ey" with some rights reserved under creative commons, primarily that attribution has to be given, but can be . The other image used, "untitled" (really, it doesn't have a title) on pxhere.com, unattributed (both the creative commons license states it can be used without being attributed to the original photographer, and there is no hint at his name on the site to begin with). The reason behind using these two images is simple: beyond the fact that they're both creative common licensed, the idea of using a game controller to be the representation of this blog- a blog specifically about video games, and their community, feels like it's a proper fit. A controller is a player's gateway into actually doing what they enjoy, and no matter what they use, it might very well be the biggest connecting factor within the video game community.

The creation of the header for this blog involved the use of many Photoshop basics- I'm not an expert in any capacity with it, but the main process involved were the use of four layers, with the top two layers being the creative common's pictures mentioned above. The title of the blog was written out and turned into a transformable object on the third layer, below the pictures, and finally below that was the background, which was removed and turned transparent, so the color of the blog itself would show through. A blur filter was applied to Dualshock 3 specifically, and the two images were brought together to minimize any gaps between the two, before merging layer one and two into a singular layer so they would show through the clipping mask. By using the multiple layers, editing what appeared in the image- that the remote controllers showed through instead of the background, was easy, by simply shifting the where the overlap occurred. The expediency provided by image editing software like Photoshop- To quote Matthew of 'Articles from computation culture', "Instead of working on a single design, with each change immediately (and in the case of physical media such as paint or ink, irreversibly) affecting this image, she now works with a collection of separate elements." (Matthew, "inside Photoshop") The use of multiple layers made changing the design to be more aesthetically pleasing a speedy process, instead of having to start from scratch like if it was done with physical media.

I think anyone who's used a windows computer within the last couple decades at least has some knowledge that MS paint is a thing. MS paint is a free software (Well, free in that it comes with your $600+ computer, so I think that technically makes it really expensive) that only accepts a single layer at any time. This means that if you wish to make any edits to what you've drawn, you very well might have to rework entire portions of the image instead of a singular layer of it. This doesn't mean anything made with it is inherently bad or wrong- People have drawn photo-realistic images using it, but it makes any mistake possibly cataclysmic. The mindset behind the use of something like photoshop, or adobe illustrate though, is perhaps the starkest contrast to the likes of MS paint and other programs like it, " painting programs allowed for the capture of free-form gesture. This produced a lack of precision but also an increased capacity for expression." (Davidson, "Because of the pixels.") MS paint isn't meant to be used professionally- it's for goofing around, making things because you feel like it, not because you're being paid to. It's to draw photo-realistic Santa Claus because you feel like you want to, not because it's to be professional or sold. Adobe products, and most products with multiple layers available, have a strict "business" feel to them. They're designed to be sold, and that's probably why the program costs an arm and a leg to even purchase access to if you aren't using Pirate Bay to get it illegally.

Welcome to Games Versus Contemporary Issues (or: GvCI)

When it comes to leading hearts and minds in the first world, mass media certainly seems to come out number one. The movies and shows of a day can show just how matters and issues were discussed and viewed at the time, giving us in the modern day a glimpse of just how public opinion has shifted. Movies and TV aren’t the only media in production though that have been changing to compensate for new views on the world: one of the newest, and by far one of the most controversial, and under-discussed, forms of media today, yet also one of the most popular, is the realm of video games. In the same way that people can obsess over their favorite movies, people do the exact same for their favorite games- but with how modern this media is, the fandoms and subcultures that have arisen are nearly entirely online. 

What this blog is for is to document how social shifts and changes have been mirrored in the world of games, and perhaps even more importantly, the responses of the fans. The fact that the subculture that watches and plays games on a more-then-casual-basis, collect and meet nearly exclusively online has made the most vocal also exhibit the worst traits associated with the less popular sides of the web: name calling, death threats, an overzealous attitude towards any attempts to change… This is a blog that’ll attempt to sum up and explain some of the more confusing and obscure controversies in gaming subculture, including those involving race, sexuality, and gender in a subculture that not many know much about, and hopefully be useful to both people who never played a game, and people who want to understand just what their friends are getting all up in arms about because the main character of a video game happens to be black.

Can't have minorities in our recreational time according
to some people.
(Watchdogs 2 by Ubisoft, November 15th 2016, image acquired from Wccftech.com)

The images on this blog are protected under U.S fair use laws; specifically Section 107 of the U.S copyright act. According to it, "for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research", the use of copy write protected material is allowed. (Columbia University, "Fair Use"). Video games are a primarily visual media- the use of images will be necessary at points to give context to issues pertaining to it. The alternative would be to use only images protected under creative commons, which allows sharing and usage of an image for free, with stipulations ranging from having to attribute the source to not being able to sell or modify the image in any way. Creative commons is much more easy- but, with it, the ability to critique would be limited, as I'd be limited to images like this.

Not much to criticize here, admittedly.
Art found at pixabay.com

Sources Cited: