The Payne Of Redemption: A Look at Videogame Addiction

Article first published as The Payne Of Redemption: A Look at Videogame Addiction on Blogcritics

The videogame industry plays an important role within a person’s life. This isn't something that can be generalised or stereotyped. A hardcore gamer may even consider it an insult, if I was to say; “…plays an important role within a child/teen’s life.”


In the videogame world, every player gets infinite chances of coming back from the dead. A mistake can easily be undone each time the reset button is pressed or the game is restarted from the last checkpoint. If only the same philosophy applied to life! Let's take some time to uncover the darker element to videogaming. 

Videogames open the vortex to another world; have another atmosphere, one that encourages an escape from reality. Of course, these days it’s no surprise, videogames look ridiculously realistic as they use the latest animation technology and the graphics engine of game platforms.

The latest technology leaves a plethora of opportunities for game developers — add a captivating storyline, and boom! You have yourself a game that can’t be put down! Blizzard’s World Of Warcraft has been used as a classic example of addiction in the past. To be honest, I don’t see the attraction myself, but that's neither here nor there. Today, games such as Rockstar Games’Max Payne 3, and Naughty Dogs’ Uncharted franchise alongside others, deliver an excellence sense of realism, as well as movie magic.

Douglas Gentile, a professor of videogaming addiction, and media violence. His latest thesis alongside three other experts in the area--Edward L. Swing, Choon G. Lim, and Angeline Khoo-- appears in the piece, "Video Game Playing, Attention Problems & Impulsiveness: Evidence Of Bi-Casualty."  For the piece, Gentile and his team, carried out a study involving a large number of children where it was discovered that those who dedicate a majority of their time to videogame play are more likely to experience attention problems and impulsiveness.  It was found that excessive gameplay is associated with some attention problems; however, it's still important to consider that age, sex, and race can also lead to the same road.

Have you ever wondered why a person becomes an addict of anything? It’s an escape from reality! Even so, it’s not an excuse to give in, and let the game (in this case) play you. A young adult might say, “It helps to relieve stress while playing a first or third person shooter," and it does as it helps them escape, and the research bears this out.

Psychologist, author of many titles including Aggression & Violent Behaviour (2007), as well as an assistant professor at Texas A&M International University, Christopher J. Ferguson, echoes the theory. In my interview with Ferguson, he states  “…We see four main motives why kids play, and adults are probably not too different: Simply to have fun, to relieve stress, as a social activity with others, and as something to do to kill time when they’re bored. The social motive is particularly interesting given the stereotype of gaming as a solitary activity, but it’s becoming increasingly clear most people use games as a social activity.” 

Videogaming addiction has yet to be labeled as a formal diagnosis in the medical industry. However, Ferguson brings a brand new Monopoly game to your table — he primarily blames the interference game play causes in the average person’s life; school, work, quality family time, and other fundamental responsibilities. It’s almost as if excessive gaming can lead to a person completely forgetting about the natural foundation of life.

“Videogame addiction is not 'yet' a formal diagnosis. However, as a more general rule, to the extent that video game playing interferes with other life responsibilities, (work, school, family, health, etc.) We’d probably say that the gaming behaviours have become pathological…do you persist in excessive game playing despite the rather obvious costs (failing grades, crumbling marriage, whatever) of that game play,” says Ferguson.

Speaking of addiction, can gameplay detect drug use? Again according to Ferguson, and other sources videogame addiction helps medical experts detect drug abuse.  “…Some individuals are probably prone to addiction in general, so I’d expect to see at least some small correlations.”

Ferguson believes videogames reveal a sense of achievement, and offer the opportunity for own to become their own hero within their own lives. This is a burning factor within all of this, which cleverly shows not only, why gamers play, but also offers the suggestion that game play doesn’t have to be an addiction if you don’t want it to be. It’s down to you, and your perception on life.

Videogaming has its perks, it’s a window to another aspect of your life, the stress free version, of course. Just like Christopher Ferguson said “It’s really fun!” It also can benefit a person’s visual perception.

Don’t be afraid to play the game, just control yourself and not just Max Payne, Nathan Drake, or Lara Croft. That’s the remedy to knockout this potential addiction!

Review: Beats By Dre Studios

Article first published as Review: Beats By Dre Studios on Blogcritics.

The time has come; the moment you’ve all been waiting for is here. Monster Beats By Dre sent me to music heaven and back. It’s been a long time that I’ve put on headphones that made me say “OMG, this is amazing!"

Today, I entered a local tech store and experienced the comfort and the realism of sound with Monster Over The Hear Studio headphones. These sleek, and stylish headphones are embedded with comfortable padding that give your ears a breath of fresh air.

Since this was an in-store demo, I wasn’t able to see what was in the box. However, if you’re dying to know, head over to YouTube and watch the unboxing of this bad-boy. The Studio range come in three colours; black, red, and white, all as stylish as one another.

 

I've got to be honest with you - the first time I put these Monster Studio headsets on, I wondered how headphones such as these are capable to produce outstanding base. 

 

It was amazing! It honestly felt like you were in your own studio with Dre right beside you. If you’re like me, and can’t go a day without listening to music, these headphones will become your best friend.

If I had one complaint about these headphones, then it’s the following: sound leaks - sure these headphones provide amazing sound quality. However, sound leaks can ruin a masterpiece. These leaks provide nothing but disturbance for your surroundings.The Studio Over The Ear range is ideal for the semi-professional studio producer and DJ.

If you want the sleek and pro look then Studio is the way to go. To hear every beat pounding in your ear is music to dedicated listeners'. Beats By Dre: Over The Ear is personally suited to the users' ears, for the headphones can be adjusted to your liking without any hastle, and they sit comfortably on your head. The packaging is just as beautiful, as it comes with a durable black case decorated with the 'B' emblem, and a microphybic cleaning cloth to keep the shine on going.

Of course, every product can have a downside. I'm sorry to say Monster left an enormous, and painful footprint on the price. That's right, these profesional headphones come at a hefty cost. If you want to own headphones with Dre's signiture, it'll cost you £200 ($322). Even though this will be an expensive investment for your ears, it's definetly worth a consideration!

Gone But Not Forgotten: Post-Mortem Success In Music

Article first published as Gone But Not Forgotten: Post-Mortem Success in Music on Blogcritics.

Death is the nature of life. The passing of a popular musical artist is, it seems, a motivating factor for a significant surge in record sales. Hearts around the world recently filled with sorrow and devastation upon learning of Amy Winehouse’s death on July 23. Since then, sales of her music have soared.
The world was shaken in much the same way on June 25, 2009, by the death of Michael Jackson. Within hours of the news breaking, his music began selling at an especially rapid pace. According to the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph, on the day of his death, both Amazon.com and U.K. retailer HMV reported a significant rise in record sales. On July 1, 2009, The New York Times reported three albums in particular — Thriller, along with two greatest hits compilations, Michael Jackson Number Ones and The Essential Michael Jackson — brought big numbers to the table, combining for a total of 422,000 copies sold in the week following his death.

Now, we see the same pattern re-occurring in the wake of Amy Winehouse's death. Her albums are once again in high demand both on retail shelves and at digital outlets. This pattern is by no means new, however.

For example, the BBC has reported that 12 days after John Lennon's murder on December 8, 1980, the former Beatle's song, “(Just Like) Starting Over,” topped the U.K. Singles charts. Others cases to consider are of Nirvana and The Notorious B.I.G.: In the week following Kurt Cobain's death in 1994, sales of Nirvana’s albums totaled 777,000 copies, a boost of over 150 percent. And Biggie's album, Life After Death, which had already been scheduled for release when the rapper was killed, ultimately sold 689,000 copies in its first week on the market.

One can’t help but wonder what inspires such post-mortem sales surges. Do consumers attach a new-found sentimental value to the deceased artist's music? Is it a matter of them feeling guilty for not having paid enough attention to the artist before? Are they just buying the music in order to understand what the big deal was all along?

Both of Winehouse's studio albums are currently represented on the iTunes 200 charts, with Back To Black at number 18 and her debut LP, Frank, at number 94. On the Amazon.com Top 20 Album Chart, Back To Black is at number two. Why do some people only appreciate an artist’s contribution to music after he or she has died?

"The death of the artist usually draws heavy media coverage," Eb Rainbergs, a lawyer in the entertainment business, explained recently to CBC News, "which either rekindles a fan's interest or sends others on a shopping spree to see what made that person so well liked in the first place."
Even though the music industry plays a major role in this selling game, it's not the only one to consider. Other industries — those of film, television, and video games, among others — produce merchandise and memorabilia that generates profits. Whether it's in the form of CDs, MP3s, concert films, biographies, documentaries or t-shirts, as loyal fans we almost see it as a duty to purchase everything that bears the name of a late musician we so idolize. It's a way of denying the truth — to accept that the artist is gone.

Hacking Just Got Starry-eyed, Be Careful, Or You Could Be Next!

If someone told you that you were going to live on a desert island, what three things would you take with you? I'm almost certain, you would choose your phone and its charger as two of the three items. We all become attached to our mobile phone, let's face it, it's the truth! You think your privacy is safe? Trust me, it’s going in one ear, and out the other. Think about the celebrities we know and love. The first thing that came to mind was the recent scandal caused by British tabloid newspaper: News Of The World (NOTW).

A tabloid that sat on our shelves for 168 year, its publisher was the News International, a news corporation owned by media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. The tabloid was forced to shutdown, as allegations were made against the staff who hired private investigators to hack thousands of mobile phones of murder victims, including Milly Dowler, a teenage girl from the U.K, who was registered missing nine years ago.

NOTW was laid to rest, after 168 years of publishing news to over 7.5M readers. The company published its final issue on July 10, 2011. The front page read: "Thank you & Goodbye". Here are some of the many thousands of celebrities whose privacy have been violated by Murdoch’s News Corp. According to International Business Times, the following celebrities are the victims of the phone-hacking scandal:

•    Sky Andrew – former Olympic and Commonwealth games. In addition to being the first black sports agent.
•    Jude Law – actor
•    Hugh Grant – actor
•    Gordon Brown – ex Prime Minister for the U.K.
•    Chris Brynt – MP for the British Labour party.
•    The Royal Family

I won’t have time to mention the thousands of other celebrities that were cornered by the newspaper. As you would expect, the scandal killed its reputation. Many important people from The International News Corporation, Scotland Yard, MPs, and Metropolitan Police resigned from their position.

On Sunday, August 17, according to British broadsheet newspaper The Guardian, former chief executive of The International News Corp, Rebekah Brooks was arrested. Brooks claims she did not have any knowledge of the phone hacking.

How do we prevent this from happening? In my opinion, it can’t really be stopped. Superman is not coming to the rescue this time! Technology advances each and every day of our lives. A new device, or program creeps up from behind us that gives us another thing to worry about.

PCWorld magazine reports, a victim of the phone hacking scandal former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, strictly requested a private investigation to take place.  You’d think since we’re living in such a tech-advanced world, we’d have security down by now.

If you want to stay safe, add a PIN to everything. Once you have a PIN activated, there’s nothing to worry about, right?. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as everything can be hacked, if you try hard enough. For example, most of the victims’ mobile phone voicemail, required a PIN to access information. Nevertheless, that was hacked too, with private investigators watching like a hawk.

Thanks once again to PCWorld magazine, for providing us with the advice, we need to stop hacking. It might leave some people disappointed, but here's what you need to do. Don’t use the one thing, we rely on to take our messages. Ask your network provider to turn voicemail off. If you need to be reached, encourage your callers to use SMS or e-mail. We live in a smartphone world. Take advantage of it. Voicemail is old school!

If you insist on having voicemail on, then this paragraph is for you. Set a default PIN, yes, I know we talked about PINs, and it not being completely secure, but wait like a magician, I’m about to pull out a magic trick that’ll keep you worry free. If you change your PIN regularly, then you’ll keep the hackers guessing. Sooner or later, they’ll give up.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying SMS and e-mail is the safest option to keep the hackers away. If you’re using a smartphone, I could be stating the obvious, but whatever you do, don’t download apps from unknown publishers.

These apps can be the easiest way to access your data, according to PCworld magazine. One final thing, always update your phone with the latest software updates, these updates provide the tools to keep your phone out of harm’s way.

The Changing Face Of Glastonbury 1970-2011

Article first published as The Changing Face Of Glastonbury 1970-2011 on Blogcritics.

Oh Glastonbury, oh Glastonbury, how wonderful it is to have you in our lives. OK, I know what you’re thinking--what’s going on here? Glastonbury 2011 fllew past as fast as Superman. It was on June 22 till 26 when Glastonbury screamed once again as music lovers treated their ears to the sound of music.
This four-day extravaganza set Worthy Farm Pilton UK on fire. Well-known acts including U2, Coldplay, Beyonce, and Wu Tang Clan joined the stage to make the crowd roar with excitement. Believe it or not, I’m not here to talk about this year’s festival. Did I surprise you? Let’s begin to understand the real reason behind this article.


This festival has taken centre stage in Pilton UK for 41 years. It built up a reputation of being a rock 'n roll territory. You can’t help but want to delve deeper, and find out just how it all began. Join me on this journey of adventure as we uncover the changing face of Glastonbury.

Page one of this exciting story is the first Glastonbury Festival, which hit the stage on September 9 1970.

The grand opening was held a day after Jimi Hendrix’s death. It must have been one of those moments when a British citizen screams out, “I’m proud to be a Brit, Hallelujah, God Save the Queen”. All the artists featured were representing Great Britain on that day. These artists included the following;

•    Marc Bolan - Singer/song writer and guitarist who's best known as a solo artist. However, he was previously part of a group which he also founded, entitled Tyrannosaurus Rex.

• Keith Christmas - Singer who released his first rock album, Stimulus, in 1969.

•  Stackridge - A group of four men, one of whom looks a little like Winston Churchill (sorry, I know I went off track for a second there). Anyway, the band had all the girls screaming in the 1970s, with their self-titled debut album released on August 1971.



Oh, and a few others I’ve never heard of, until now. Despite it being Glastonbury’s first event, It was still an impressive turn out of 1,500 people getting together to celebrate and appreciate music.

As The Glastonbury Festival grew, it started to be identified as rock 'n roll territory, where listeners bopped their heads to their favourite rock anthems. Back then in the 1970s, the entrance fee was £1 ($1.60). In 2008, tickets cost £155 (approximately ($249). However, in 2010, tickets slightly increased, and attendees paid £165 ($265).

For 38 years, the Glastonbury Festival was rocking out. it wasn't until 2008  when changes started to happen, when hip-hop invaded the rock 'n roll territory. potentially opening the doors for a music war.

The festival organisers made a decision to try and boost ticket sales by making changes to the traditional line-up. Roc-A-Fella CEO Jay-Z was announced as the first rapper ever to appear on the Glastonbury stage. Many other rappers were amongst Jay-Z, including Dizzie Rascal and Lupe Fiasco.

According to MTV, the attempt to boost ticket sales wasn’t as successful as Glastonbury hoped. The rappers' appearance at Glastonbury didn’t really maximise ticket revenue. It only sold 10,000 on the first day; prior to this event, tickets usually sold out in a matter of hours.

The changes to Glastonbury, made a lot of people unhappy, including rockstars and their fans. Stars like Noel Gallagher, the lead singer of the British band Oasis, made this statement to MTV in 2008: “If it ain't broke, don't fix it, If you start to break it, then people aren't going to go. I'm sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance.”

According to an NME report in 2008, Glastonbury boss, went completely against the “Wonderwall” singer. Michael Eavis, founder of the Glastonbury Festival, said

Jay-Z just worked for us, it could have gone the other way, but the crowd were into it,  They knew all the words, that amazed me, it's very fast street New York poetry, isn't it? It amazed me people knew all the words, and two of those were my grandchildren!



Despite all the drama, attendance was notable with 134,000 weekend tickets  and 137,000 backstage passes sold.  Since 2008, Eavis has continued to push the boundaries with festival fans.

Future line-ups proved no different to 2008.   Bear in mind, these are not so much hip-hop acts. So, instead of drinking gangster juice, choose to go pop. Let this be a reminder for you, as it proves just how quickly Glastonbury is changing, and making us feel numb, particularly rockers.  Last year, the following acts ‘rocked’ the pyramid stage: Shakira, Pet Shop Boys, and Stevie Wonder.  This year, this trend continued as Queen B of R&B Beyonce, Wu Tang Clan, Tinie Tempah, and Plan B, wowed the audience.

How can something that started out to be ‘rock land,’ turn into hip-hop/pop central? I would think it has to do with money. Do I agree with it? I don’t really know. I believe music has a right to expand. It has the power to bring people together; that I don’t doubt. If you wanted my opinion, I’d say; “Let music unite us, whatever the genre is."

We all love music, so why not enjoy it together right? I understand it’s a tradition which is now broken. Remember, change is sometimes good. On the other hand, I realise that some people don’t like change. These people who refuse to accept changes don’t want the chain to break, especially when it has been working seamlessly for 41 years.

Come on, is this really necessary? If I’ve learnt anything from life, its that everything changes in time, whether you like it or not!

Music Review: Streets - Computers & Blues

Article first published as Music Review: The Streets - Computers & Blues on Blogcritics.

I realise I’ve kept with the Glastonbury theme since my last two articles, but stick with me, because I’m on a roll here! The Streets, a British rap group led by Mike Skinner from Birmingham, England. The Streets was first constructed in 1994, and made a scene in the U.K. garage scene with the likes of Craig David and Artful Dodger.

Enough about the history, let’s get down to business.

The group released their latest album, Computers & Blues in February 2011. Their lyrical flow is cleverly random, and still able to make sense, if you get what I mean. For example, the opening track “Outside, Inside”, and the songs that follow, “Puzzled By People”, and “OMG” capture the essence of this album. It demonstrates the skill set, of the Streets in terms of their selection of words, which makes it fun, and humorous for listeners. It delivers exactly what you would expect from any hip-hop/rap artist.


It's an album of 14 tracks that’ll make you laugh out loud and roll on the floor, and on "Cry Me A River Of Tears", it'll make any male as emotional as a female.

In “Outside, Inside” The Streets rap: “The world is outside but inside warm/inside informal outside stormy inside normal”.

Is Skinner suggesting that the world outside is cruel, but when you step back inside, into your own comfort zone, everything is OK again? Going further by using “outside stormy, inside normal,” is a metaphor to prove the statement I made earlier.

One of the most meaningful, and favourite tracks of mine has to be “Puzzled By People”. Here, the lyrics are cleverly written, as it gives you the illusion that the lead rapper is in the middle of a crossword puzzle.

It is in the first verse of this deep and meaningful song, Skinner raps:
“I'm pretty good at puzzles but puzzled by people, and I don't trouble, trouble, and trouble. Don't trouble me.
Stare at the paper, fold it in two.
Facing the walls are the soles of my shoes”.

This opening verse of this track is pretty interesting, as The Streets could be suggesting that sometimes they fear their closest friends can turn into a "fren-enemy". So in their mind, it’s better for them to keep out of trouble, and “fold it in two”.

Skinner continues: “Puzzled by people, loving isn't easy/You can't Google the solutions to people's feelings ... Sometimes you have to find out for yourself/Sometimes you need to be told. Sometimes you never find the answer”.

This is very interesting, as the Streets try to explain the complications of life, in a very clever and creative way. The Streets are able to combine the struggles of life and modernize it with something up to date, like the Internet.

Computers & Blues illustrates the fact The Streets love to live spontaneously. A track that suggests this is “Without Thinking”.

In it, Skinner says: “I'll go out without a blink, out without a blink, I'll go downtown without thinking and shout over a drink [2x], all the people in the place [2x]”.

Computers & Blues provides an intriguing vibe to hip-hop, as the beats are eccentric, and not always the traditional beat, which makes it fun to listen to. With tracks like “Those That Don’t Know”, The Streets explain the day-to-day life of living in a big city like London.

The album also demonstrates a moving overview of life, with songs like “We Can Never Be Friends”, which talks about the emotional connection between two people, preferably a male and female. Furthermore, “OMG”, and “Trying To Kill M.E” also shows a deep connection between music and his personal life.

For example, he raps the following:
“Pull some paper out the printer, pick up a pen and pen into the winter. The oldest cell in my body's only 10 years old,

With the smell of the kitchen, I dwell on the kissing of my missus
Holding a bowl and reminiscing”.

“ABC” is a fun song that goes through the alphabet, but not like you would expect. “A you cant say what you B/I don’t C what you seeI hear a meloDy/To drop with a mellow E/Hell not, never give an F/Never shit a G”.

As I listen to the album, it reminds me of why The Streets deserved to be performing at Glastonbury this year. Songs like “OMG” and “Puzzled By People” strongly prove my point, as they're able to provide strong lyrical content and value.

Virtual Concert Review: Chemical Brothers, Jessie J & The Kills at Glastonbury 2011 (Via YouTube)

Article first published as Virtual Concert Review: Chemical Brothers, Jessie J and The Kills at Glastonbury 2011 (Via YouTube) on Blogcritics.

This is a first, even for me. I present, live performance reviews from Glastonbury 2011. But wait! I wasn't actually at the event. Well, let's just say, "My spirit was at Glastonbury, while my body was elsewhere." There’s a first time for everything, and it’s happening here.

I want to have your attention for a couple of minutes, as I review three performances. It's a three-in-one article, so what more do you want?

I bet some of you recognize this lyric, “Hey boy, hey girl, superstar DJ, here we go,” which slowly merges with a funky beat in the background that has you jumping on the dance-floor.

Here I am presenting you my live performance review of the Chemical Brothers at this year’s Glastonbury. Thanks to the footage that was provided by BBC's official YouTube Channel.
If anyone was to ask me my opinion of the Chemical Brothers, two words, “Too repetitive”. When a beat is on-going, and lacking lyrics, it doesn’t really catch my attention. Only my views, and I know it’s worth two cents, but I thought I’d make them heard for the sake of this article.

The Chemical Brothers bring you a stage performance of their song “Don’t Think.” It looks to be a basic setting, with lights to mesmerize the audience. The words "Don’t Think" hit you in red, similar to a traffic light as soon as the lyrics are said. The words are staring at you in the face. However, there wasn’t much activity on stage, besides the red lights flashing to the beat of the track.

The camera finds the need to switch back and forth between the stage and the audience. Interestingly enough, I didn’t fail to notice that most of the crowd was waving flags that represented the following countries.

•    St George’s flag (England)
•    Israel
•    Denmark

There were a few other countries represented as well. Why? I’m still struggling to understand the reason.

However, Chemical Brothers did manage to entertain the crowd, as the audience was bouncing to the beat without a care in the world.

Thanks to a YouTube user head1969, I am able to bring you my opinion on Jessie J’s performance of “Price tag.”


Jessie J, a 2011 Brit Awards winner, released her debut album, Who You Are in February of 2011. She’s always reminded me of “I Kissed A Girl” hit-maker, Katy Perry. I don’t know why. Could it be the hair, and makeup? Hmmm, that's one to think about.

An interesting, and cute performance of “Price tag” comes from Jessie J, sitting on her throne, and inviting one of her little fans in the front row to sing a duet. With little Shay by her side, they start singing it.

However, I did notice a couple of other things. According to the BBC Three, prior to her performance, the singer requested mud to be put on her face. This is mentioned at six minutes, and five seconds of the video below. Maybe she's trying to set a new trend? Hey, Let's call it "mud makeup." Maybe she wants to be as wacky as Lady Gaga.

For me, the fact, Jessie J featured one of her fans to sing with her showed how much she loves her fans. It became personal for her, something that I expect, she’ll never forget. During the performance, I also noticed that the singer never got up from her throne. Was she injured? It certainly looked that way.

Finally, up next is The Kills, performing “The Last Goodbye.” Special thanks again to YouTube for providing us viewers with the video. This rock band recently released their latest album, Blood Pressures. The Kills is a band who is half-American, and half-British. They embraced the Glastonbury stage with a quiet performance.

In my opinion, the performance seemed to be very mellow and lacking energy. However, despite the lack of activity, lead singer Alison Mosshart gave a presence that forced you to delve deep into the back of your mind.

So, there you have it, folks! These are my thoughts on this year’s Glastonbury performances, so if you saw them too, did I make the right judgement? I thought I’d give you a review with a twist, by providing you with an article of established, up-and-coming, and less familiar acts, and help you discover some new music.