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My Experience in an Emerging Multimedia Technology Course

In the field of multimedia it is important to keep up with current trends to give the best quality experience to a client. Staying current is not limited to just graphic design, many fields can benefit from contemporary developments, especially in technology. In my Emerging Multimedia Technologies class I learned this fact and many others involving emerging and contemporary tech that I could take with me for the entirety of my knowledgeable life. What I expected from the course was pretty straight forward, what I learned was enlightening and what I retained from the course can help me move forward in my career field as a graphic designer/ animator.

Primary Expectations

I learned many things throughout Emerging Multimedia Technologies, but what I was expecting was very vague. At first I did not know what to expect and kind of figured I would be learning new software in multimedia and how I can use it in my future career. Not only did I predict what I would be learning throughout the course but I learned about new technologies that could change the way live life for the better and how close we are to reaching those goals. Being a student in multimedia, I thought we would stay on the path of graphic design and the business of graphic design but we dove beyond that into the entire world of future technology. I think I can say that the insight from this course was close but broader than what I had first thought.

What and How

A few of the topics that I learned from the course were pretty basic. We learned how to create a 3D printable object in Adobe Photoshop, which I had always wanted to learn how to do, and we learned about what the future of technology could bring to the world. One of the topics that intrigued me is how close we are getting to wearable technology and how smart cities are beginning to take rise in our contemporary life. I had heard about these things very vaguely on social media platforms but never thought that we could get so close to a future we thought could never exist.

YouTube documentaries and simple blog posts about certain topics were where I mainly got the information I learned about emerging technologies. One particular video our professor provided was the Best of CES video for this year’s emerging technology. Many of the featured products in the video reflected my thoughts on future technology and had me picking my jaw up off of the floor. The CES exhibition is something that I would take away from the course on keeping up with current trends in technology.

Key Takeaways

Speaking of key takeaways, besides the CES exhibition and 3D printable objects, I have loads of information on emerging technology that I could retain for my future career. I will definitely be spending some more time on Kickstarter to see what the next big innovation could be for the household and the modern world, even if I do not become a backer for any particular product or idea. Finding out ways to stay current is the simplest takeaway from the course but preventing security risks is something that may need to be practiced. Most prevention techniques I knew simply by hearing others’ ideas and suggestions so it may not be too difficult, but remembering how security risks could happen may come across as a little overwhelming. In retrospect, I can use many of the ideas in Emerging Multimedia Technologies in my personal life as well as my career.

In conclusion, a class in Emerging Multimedia Technologies can benefit anyone, not just multimedia majors. My expectations were underestimating but the class has exceeded my thoughts and ideas on why I needed to take the course as it can be useful for more than my future career. Learning why and how I could find information on future technology was pretty simple and very enlightening, as I did not know all of the innovative products that are currently in development aside from the norm. The takeaways from the course are important to understand and implement and I am confident about using the knowledge in the future, I definitely feel proud of the information I could share to my friends, family and colleagues. Thought the course does not seem like much just by the name, I would definitely recommend taking similar instruction to anyone, be it a student or techie.

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Cross-Platform Gaming

We all know of the game Fortnite, developed by Epic games and one of the top most popular games in the US right now. Though I have never actually played the titular game myself I know that it is rising in popularity for gamers all over the world due to its cross-platform gaming style.

What exactly is cross-platform?

According to Palarium, cross platform gaming allows players from different platforms to play together on the same server. For example, a player on PC would be allowed to play with another player on PlayStation, and so on and so forth. Though cross-platform gaming is not necessarily new, it is rising among MMO games all over the world.

Cross-platform History

Designed specifically for MMO games, cross-platform games began in 2002 with Final Fantasy XI, which earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records by allowing players a first look into playing with each other despite which platform they preferred to use. There was a time when games did not have this feature, however, and even though games were released across different platforms, players could only play with other players on the same platform, i.e. Xbox players could only play with other Xbox players, PlayStation with PlayStation, etc. Once developers released Final Fantasy XI a new era in gaming started to sprout.

PUBG

Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), which started as a PC exclusive, was the next widely known video game to be released as a cross-platform video game after Fortnite, however, according to Cody Perez, from Gamerevolution.com, the only cross-platform play is with PC and mobile. Though the game is technically considered cross-platform, console and PC players cannot play together on the same server as Fortnite demonstrates, yet.

What about Xbox and PlayStation?

There is a very prominent war between the two console giants and many gamers feel the tension with exclusive games and hardware comparison. Though cross-platform gaming is on the rise thanks to Fortnite, gamers were expected to see a collaboration between Microsoft and Sony only to find out that Sony refuses to go on board with cross-platform gaming. With Sony’s stipulation, it seems as though cross-platform gaming will become exclusive to PC – Xbox – mobile and PC – PlayStation – mobile but never across all platforms like Final Fantasy XI once did.

Metcalfe’s Law

Palarium brought up a good point as to why more games are not playable across all platforms in that it involves Metcalf’s Law. To paraphrase, Metcalf’s Law pertains to the value of networks depending on how many users are using that network at once. So for Xbox and PlayStation to play together, the value of the network will decrease, resulting in low potential for the games. However, developers are currently looking into fixing these restrictions to open up more opportunities for cross-platform play.

Final Thoughts: The Future of Cross-Platform Gaming

Due to the diversity of gamers worldwide, I believe that cross-platform gaming will not hurt the industry of gaming but only benefit it. Yes, many gamers are playing MMO games more often and, despite the console and PC wars, there are players out there that still want to play with their friends who are on different platforms and other players who prefer casual games. I think there will still be a competition between consoles as there will be with console and PC, the future of cross-platform gaming is only just beginning and I can see it gaining interest with more games as time goes on. Despite Sony’s refusal to support cross-platform play the future of online multiplayer games is getting dangerously close to becoming all platform, and that’s okay.

References

Palarium. (April 29, 2018). Cross-platform games and why they are so important.

Guinness World Records Limited. (2018). First cross-platform online role-playing game.

Perez, C. (April 3, 2018). PUBG Cross Play Explained: Is PUBG Cross Platform.

Wikipedia. (July 29, 2018). Metcalfe's law.

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Fad or Trend

Staying current on trends, no matter what the topic, is a basic human characteristic that has more meaning than “what’s the next best thing?” Some trends can define a business or define a person’s style, it could change the world or change your personality. Whatever the case, we look back on past technologies and can clearly point out what effects made it through the shifting phase of fads or trends.

A fad is defined as “an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived and without basis in the object's qualities,” thanks to Google definitions. Essentially, a fad is something that quickly becomes popular and, just as fast, fades into history. A trend, however, is something that gains popularity over time and does not seem to fade out, if at all. Google defines a trend as “a general direction in which something is developing or changing.” Which basically means there is no foreseeable future where this trend will end up winking out. In other words, a fad is the Zune and a trend is the iPod/ iPhone.

Emerging technologies can run into the fad/ trend issue just as easily. Rob Thubron from Techspot.com cleverly listed a few technologies that fell into the fad category in the last decade. Among his list, 3D TVs, E-readers, and a few mobile games were noted as being just a fad based on user activity since 2008.

According to Thubron, 3D TVs began as an alternative to watching silver screen films in 3D. Television companies noticed that the public would rather pay more to see a film in 3D rather than see it on a normal screen so they thought they could gain a lead in emerging technology by adding it to our small screens at home. However, just as quickly as we saw them on shelves, 3D TVs dissipated to a trickle. The speculation is that 3D TVs didn’t do well due to lack of content and health complaints.

E-readers may have had its hay day back in 2011 but, due to smart devices, their popularity has dropped more than three times its sale rate since then. Even new-ish mobile games like Pokemon GO are showing signs of disfavor as of late. Even before iPhones stole the show in mobile trends, the Sidekick was a fad that many teens sought to obtain once upon a time.

Though fads and trends may seem like they could mean the same thing they are very different from one another in that trends have longer life spans with popularity from consumers. As we think back to a time before smart devices emerged, what other fads could you remember, and which technologies still hold their rank in emerging technology?

References

Google Dictionary. (n.d.) Fad.

Google Dictionary. (n.d.) Trend.

Thubron, R. (January 30, 2017). Biggest tech fads of the last decade. Retrieved from https://www.techspot.com/article/1321-tech-fads/

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Resources for Keeping Current on Emerging Technology

Let’s admit it, the world of technology is moving so fast sometimes it’s hard to keep up. We are always searching for the next big thing but, when we find it, every one of our neighbors has already gotten their hands on it. However, being technologically “in-the-know” isn’t just for techies. Keeping up with the latest trends in technology can benefit more than just being the person who had it first. I’m here to list five resources to help the average Joe keep current with emerging technology and stay ahead of the game, not just for him/ herself but for their future.

Kickstarter

Let’s start with something simple, Kickstarter is a web site where entrepreneurs and small businesses could create a campaign to release ideas funded by the public. Many new technologies have started here as an idea and completely blown up because of public interest. The Oculus Rift is one company that started the virtual reality trend back in 2016 and now PlayStation is headed that way with PlayStation VR on the rise. However, many Kickstarter campaigns do not make it so it is important to research new technologies and take note of how much the public has funded the idea and if the business has made any progress with popularity.

Backers for ideas can opt to sign up for notifications on updates and consumers who have donated money to the idea have the opportunity to receive a prototype or exclusive releases before the product goes public.

https://www.kickstarter.com/

CES Consumer Electronics Show/ Consumer Technologies Association

CES is an association where innovators can debut consumer technologies and introduce them to the world. Every year CES holds a showcase where each innovative technology is demonstrated and people from all over the world attend to see each new product. Many current technologies register for CES to debut their latest products but new businesses have changed lives after debuting here as well. Self-driving cars have made an impression at CES and continues to wow audiences even through the latest 2018 showing. CES is held in Las Vegas, Nevada typically in the month of January every year. After CES has ended there is usually a recap video that the public could view to see the best innovations debuted at the show.

https://www.ces.tech/

MIT Technology Review

The MIT Technology review is originally a magazine made into a web site where users can subscribe to receive updates on MIT’s editors top picks for new technology. Founded in 1899, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology decided to provide the world with insight on latest innovations influenced only by their editors’ knowledge of technology. One breakthrough technology that the MIT team noted is the Sensing City located in Toronto, Canada. The idea is to place sensors all around the coastal city that monitors air quality, noise levels and activities while AI runs beneath the city to perform menial tasks. To access every article that the MIT Technology Review offers, a user must create a free account and click subscribe.

https://www.technologyreview.com/

Forbes

Forbes is among the most recognized reading materials to find information on the latest business trends. In the world of technology, Forbes has also provided a list of emerging technologies that are worth noting for consumers and business owners alike. For example, in an article titled Forrester's Top 15 Emerging Technologies to Watch, 2017 – 2021, Augmented Reality (AR) has made the list for a technology that could make a positive impact on the world through support systems of engagement, insight, and integration. The Forbes web site does not require users to sign up for notifications or subscriptions but is readily available for anyone willing to search online for emerging technology.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2016/09/25/forresters-top-15-emerging-technologies-to-watch-2017-2021/#2112a7d12564

Wikipedia

If all else fails, which I’m sure it won’t, there is always Wikipedia. This web site has everything from information on a celebrity to contemporary news stories. Though Wikipedia is a user edited web site, I find it as a useful tool for many provided references. On the emerging technology category, a list of examples of current tech can be found and useful information is provided under each topic with links to web sites where the information originated from. Among this list is 3D printing, Cancer vaccines, and robotics.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerging_technologies