Corey was a charismatic speaker who talked about 'Oligopoly' (from the Greek meaning few sellers) and how large corporations have traditionally exerted control over media markets through controlling the means of production and distribution, thus acting as the few sellers of information. But Corey is adamant that this is not for much longer; production and distribution can be homegrown, and big ideas can be done on a small scale, cheaply and independently. Corey argued that the traditional Oligopolists are folding, dying right before our very eyes. He talked about Print media, particularly newspapers and the monthly decline of hardcopy readership; the Music industry, where traditional store sales of CD and other physical media look to be in terminal tailspin. Although Films are still being watched, the way we watch them is changing: to home cinema's and downloads that no longer force us to watch adverts, if we ever really did. And TV? Corey delivered the diagnosis, and it's not benign. The omnipotent Twentieth Century media is now fragmenting and declining as viewers turn to other media for engagement to news and entertainment. And finally on the chopping block were Video Games...
What? I hear you say. Games, dead?! Well according to Corey, certainly the big production, cinematic games developed by big studios that currently rule the roost. Oh yeah, and the idea of the console. They are both dead. The studios and console manufacturers know it, they just won't admit it. Big games with big development processes are built on risky economics: they can often cost $10 million per game, and a bad game can take down a company. The hardcore gaming market is becoming shaky, and there is a very short shelf life at the point of retail.
Because of these risks the Games Industry has adapted processes resulting in creative constraints that perpetuate the same tired old genres and unimaginative ideas. No-one can afford to take big risks. But Corey predicts all this is going to change as the 'Indie' Game Developers assault the front line of the Gaming Industry: sidestepping the need for consoles, making more original games because they can afford to take risks, leading the field. He draws a comparison here to what has happened to the music industry in recent years. Corey's cultural predications include new uses for Video Games, the de-stigmatization of game playing so it's no longer a dirty word to the wider world (he compared the use of Manga in Japan and increasingly elsewhere and its use for education, training, and communicating with a wider audience). He also described an increasing blurring of boundaries and distinctions between the industries producing Video Games, Virtual Worlds, and Social Networks, a rise of new genres of games not just for hardcore gamers, smarter games for smaller market segments, and a rise in downloadable games, ultimately bringing the death of the console.
Food for thought?
Now to Jenkins and Johnson. Jenkins looks unassuming, putting me in mind of Yoda, (and as the talk progresses this is amplified, he plays the role of the wise disseminator of knowledge perfectly), wandering around in front of the stage prior to his discussion with Johnson, he chats to a few people in the audience and seems completely at ease in his public persona. He stops occasionally to pose, in a well rehearsed manner, for the many photographers hovering around him. Luckily he wasn't aware of my photography!
Johnson leads the discussion and introduces Jenkins as 'A defender of Popular Culture'. Jenkins starts by presenting ideas regarding how young people have been able engage with new technologies and assert their own autonomy, a 'New Literacy' for New Media. He states that many parents fear this new literacy because they can't understand it. Jenkins believes we must address the 'knowledge cultures' that have developed through this new media, and look at developing new curriculums in Schools that acknowledge, promote, and guide students by using different models for the delivery of teaching. He feels there is resistance because the traditions in teaching and learning date back to a renaissance model.
Jenkins then asserts that we need to look at new models for the work place to recognise and benefit from peoples' skills developed outside the work environment. He uses an example of a nurse who finishes her shifts and then goes home and writes a blog, sells items on Ebay, manages personal accounts online, creates photo/film files, uses a digital manipulation programme, plays a couple of games etc... Are her self-taught skills being used in her job? Or to advance her career? How are all her skills being measured and then developed?
Jenkins is a staunch supporter of Wikipedia, and the currency of shared information or 'collective intelligence'. He believes that more recently, and due to more academic usage and constant adjustment, this resource has become increasingly more valuable. He also declares himself as an 'Obama Boy' and talks passionately about the influence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He explores the idea of 'We' as opposed to 'I' - a central tenet of both Senator Obama's campaign and the Civil Rights philosophy of MLK. He believes in the importance of having positive visions for the future and makes a suggestion that we all read Stephen Duncombe's 'Dream: Re-imagining progressive politics in an age of Fantasy'. I'm off to the book store shortly!
Jenkins poses the question, 'How can we use technology to build a better society?'. He sees Blogs, Games, Mobiles etc. etc. as space for opportunity, not just to make money, but to actually improve our everyday experience through 'participatory culture' and grassroots action. He is charming and affable, and communicates his wealth of knowledge in a direct manner. He takes complex ideas and delivers them with ease but when pushed is like a warrior fighting for his vision. You can see the Yoda thing now, right? Go check out his blog and find the ways of the 'New Media' Jedi!
All the keynotes, discussions, panels at SXSW will be podcast and available from the website by March 20.
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