Wii - This is fun.

In the introduction chapter of his Convergence Culture, Henry Jenkins discusses the New Orleans Media Experience, a media based convention held in New Orleans to generate dialogue concerning the new frontiers of media interaction with consumers. One particular anecdote from the convention pits Sony and Microsoft against one another in search of the ultimate video game console whose functionality would reach far beyond its originally intended, youthful, obsessive gamers - into the world of media functionality for the whole family unit (Moms, Dads, Grandfathers etc.). Jenkins says that the questions confronted in this session of the convention were "What was mom going to do with the console when her kids were at school? What would get a family to give a game console to grandpa for Christmas?". This morning when I woke up, I took a shower, fixed myself some bacon and toast and a nice, large glass of orange juice, and then sat down on the couch for my morning dose of news and weather on the TV. However this morning I thought to do something slightly different than what my regular routine asks of me. Instead of turning on the cable to catch CNN or MS NBC, I instead looked to my brand new Nintendo Wii console (thank you Santa Claus) equipped with a wireless enabled Internet connection for News and Weather reports. I read about Bush's commemoration of MLK day, a fatal airplane crash in southern California, the sunny skies that were predicted over Baton Rouge today, and I followed all this up with a relaxing though invigorating session of Super Mario Galaxy where I suffered three consecutively fatal "Game Over's". Could this be the very convergence on which Jenkins is so focused? Of course it is. The Wii console, unlike most of its predecessors, is multifunctional: game console, Internet interface, anchorperson, and meteorologist. This multifunctional capacity elicits interest from a larger array of consumers than older consoles did. Through its revolutionary sensor remote controls, the console also doubles as a baseball field, tennis court, and bowling alley. Mom, dad, grandpa, and little Johnny or Suzie can all satiate some electronic hunger with the Wii at their finger tips.
Yes, Jenkins would call the Wii a "delivery system" or "tools we use to access media content". However, the interaction of an entire family unit, from the youngest (and probably the most technologically inclined) to the oldest (and possibly less technology savvy) of our society, with the media and cross-relative activities that the Wii console provides is what Jenkins would call "protocols" or "social and cultural practices that have grown up around [a given] technology". Though the console is somewhat limited in its Internet accessibility and offers a limited source of news that is pre-programmed to list only a small amount newsworthy stories a day, the door is open for more projects of similar capacity to darken. So, convergence culture is truly here, as Jenkins assesses. There is no denying it - in fact, there is only identifying it and labeling it in every facet of our cultural lives because it is everywhere. While we all - as members of this specific course (LSU: English 4304) or members of any and all societies- attempt to identify and define the many manifestations of convergence culture, Ill be sure to keep you up to date on my Super Mario Galaxy skills as they hopefully progress with time.