Online Piracy, is it really that bad?

Is online piracy really crippling the music industry? That is the main question I would like to know. It is hard to judge the effects of online piracy because one side is going to inflate stats to favor them over the other. It could just be the recording labels that want the money from the CD purchase, however there have been many artists quoted on praising piracy for the aspects of sharing music as a gift, the ability to access the music if funds are limited, and that over all the places that the fans spend their money would be on shirts, concert tickets, and other band swag that they can get their hands on. Bands and singers such as Slipknot, Jack White, and Lady Gaga.

 "...[Y]ou know how much you can earn off touring, right? Big artists can make anywhere from $50 millon for one cycle of two years' touring. Giant artists make upwards of $100 million. Make music--then tour. It's just the way it is today," Gaga said.

The main bulk of money made is on touring these days. Artists do not sell millions of copies of albums anymore because of the digital age. People buy the songs they want to hear or download them from various torrenting websites. It is easier, faster, and cheaper for us these days because everyone barely has time anymore. So saving a little time and money here and there can really be worth it. Driving to the Best Buy, buying the CD, taking the 30 minutes to get the stupid plastic off of it, driving back home and then finally listening to the album to determine if you like it is time consuming and costs a little more money.

So, is it really the artists that are suffering from this, or is it the record labels wanting to make fat cash stacks?

Gaga quote - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/06/lady-gaga-jack-white-norah-jones-musicians-piracy_n_1258319.html#s666777&title=Neil_Young

Parental Involvement in Online Bullying

Now, what I am going to say about this topic is going to be biased on the count of, I have personally dealt with stuff like this before. I have been bullied and such before and I know it is not fun or enjoyable. Also, I understand the very developmental and difficult times in middle school but, from a personal side of the one being bullied, it is just something you either have to own, ignore, grow a thicker skin, or fight back. Though the options have varied success, just letting the bullies take advantage of you like that is what lets them get off on it. When they feel like they have defeated you is what they strive for. I believe that the reason more kids are being bullied online these days is it is easier, you don't have to confront them face to face, and that children are being coddled by their parents more then ever.

I believe that children are being more coddled in these times is because the parents are overly scared of the outside world. They dont want little Billy to get a scrape or bruise and on the other end of the spectrum, there are more creeps around these days. The only solution is to keep them safe and at home, right? The answer is no. You have to let them experience things as they happen and guide them when they need to talk about it. In Amanda Todd's case, I am not 100% sure on the details, but it seems like they just had her switch school or run away from the problem.That is not how problems get solved.

Also children bully online because it is easier to do, more people can see it, and they dont have to see their face. With the growth of the internet, this is bound to happen. More and more kids are online and have access to many resources. If you have ever stepped foot into an Xbox live Halo lobby, you will know right away that kids are much different online. The amount of vulgarity that spews from some of their mouths is outrageous. Posting it on facebook for everyone to see is not much different. They are trying to display dominance and by allowing them to control and dominate you only empowers them. There is noting more unfun to a bully then not getting a response.

Coming off my soap box; yes, what happened to Amanda Todd is a travesty. I am not saying she did the wrong thing or the right thing. There could have been many other ways to deal with this. Involving schools seems a little overboard and invading on privacy. Online or not, people will
get bullied. Enforcing stricter punishments won't solve the bullying problem. The only way to help the situation is to talk to the kids and see what they have to say instead of making all the decisions for them based on parental complaints. It will help kids learn how to deal with this issue and cold possibly prevent further events of this happening because the kids will know the effects of it. However; for now, straight out suspending or expelling a kid for bullying seems like a little much.

Online Ethnography

Ethnography of mtgsalvation.com

When people think of card games, they usually think of children or very overweight men sitting in a hot, sweaty room playing with these little pieces of cardboard. However; the time I have spent browsing and including myself in conversations on http://www.mtgsalvation.com, shows that the people involved with this Magic: The Gathering take the game to a completely different, intellectual level, one that is much more complex then what people on the outside see it as. 

The game itself has been around for 21 years and has over thirteen thousand cards in it. Based on a story of certain wizards called “Planeswalkers”, each set visits a different plane that has its own story along with it. With each new set of cards that gets released the most frequented area of the forum, The Rumor Mill, is exploding with action. There are people with speculation of the effectiveness of new, recently released cards and how they work with other cards in the other formats. When any new Magic: The Gathering news is released, this is the first place everyone looks to learn and talk about it and give their opinions on the new information and how it will effect the standard format as well the other formats.

            Standard format, also known as type two, consists of the two most recent core sets and the most recent six themed sets split into 2 themed blocks. As the most popular format because of the ability to get a hold of these cards rather easily, it makes for MTGSalvation’s Standard forum second most frequented by people who visit the site.

The conversations in this forum range from assistance on standard deck lists to single card discussion. The conversation in this forum, much like the other conversations that take place on the website, is usually very helpful, constructive and informative. The conversations generally include ways to play certain cards, what cards that might be better then others in certain kinds of decks and as new blocks rotate in and out, what cards work with older ones. When the old cards rotate out, they don’t just become useless, in fact they can potentially become more useful and increase in monetary value and used in older formats. These older formats are Modern, Legacy, Elder Dragon Highlander, and Vintage.

Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH), also known as Commander, is a “for fun” format which is much different then the other formats because of how the decks are built and which cards are allowed. The deck is organized by choosing one legendary creature for your commander, which is placed outside the game, and a ninety-nine card, singleton, deck except for basic lands. This format can be the most casual to very competitive. With the amount of cards you are allowed to have in your deck, it is very possible for infinite combos to show up which can make infinite creatures, do infinite damage, take infinite turns, and gain infinite life. The people who hang around this forum are very easy going and are also knowledgeable on card combos and which ways cards can be utilized. However; the tastes range from very casual to very competitive. The players have names for the types of people. Timmy, Johnny, and Spike. Timmy players love playing the gigantic creatures that practically shake the table when they hit the field. Johnny players like their decks to win in unique creative ways or “comboing out” and Spike players are the play to win kind of people.  While many people in EDH are mixtures of Johnny/Spike or Timmy/Spike, the people that play Modern, Legacy, and Vintage are another story.

The Modern and Legacy formats harbor much more experienced players and much more expensive cards. The players who play in these formats are generally older then the players who play in the standard format mainly because of the expense of the cards. Modern format decks can cost anywhere from 50 dollars to 1,200 dollars and in legacy, decks cost 3,000 dollars on average mainly because of the power level of these cards and the fact that most of the cards are 20 years old that are being used. They are rare to come by so they are extremely expensive for a hobby and these players just eat up everything about these formats. Having involved myself in online versions of these formats, where I didn’t have to buy these cards, the power level of these cards is outstanding and refreshing.   

With the low mana costs and high output, the players who play this are very critical of new cards that are released and when they find something new that has potential, they get those cards as soon as possible to test them. In the forums for these formats, the conversations move away from new set hype and new deck lists and more into discussion of certain strategies and how to counter other decks playing certain cards. When speaking with these players, their knowledge of the game emanates from them. They know how to determine plays in situations and which cards will do the job. When asked questions, they are more then happy to help out and give their advice and why certain cards make it into this format. Cards that make it in these formats are considered eternal and shoot up in value. However; when talking about monetary value, one can not forget about The vintage format.

The Vintage format is the realm of turn 1 wins and extremely expensive decks. These players, much like Modern and Legacy players, are very intellectual about the game and have an extensive knowledge of the game. Many of the have played the game since its creation. They engage in conversation much like the legacy and modern players except the one thing that sets them apart is the expense of the cards used. With one of the most powerful cards in magic, the Black Lotus, costing upwards of 4,000 dollars and every vintage deck requiring 1, the decks quickly reach unimaginable prices. But with this format comes immense knowledge. There have been books written about certain cards in the vintage format such as the card called Gush. The knowledge, experience, and devotion of these players is incredible and inspiring.

The magic players on this forum are extremely intelligent about the game and they are mostly genuine people who are eager and willing to share their knowledge and advice. Situations in which someone would want to involve themselves with this sort of community is someone who enjoys playing Magic: The Gathering and would like to talk with other people who are just as invested in Magic as they are. My impression about this phenomenon of virtual communities is that they are extremely useful resources for those who are interested in these niche hobbies. Communities are not always readily available for the hobbies that people are interested in. Luckily enough, Magic: The Gathering has many card and hobby shops in which tournaments are help as well as larger tournaments in which bonds can be formed, however for other hobbies that don’t have such a readily available community, these online communities are potentially the only way people can reach out to others with the same interests. Thus, online communities are extremely valuable to everyone who has a hobby.

Works Cited

http://www.mtgsalvation.com/

http://www.tcgplayer.com/