New Combat Game for Isreal Vs Iran

Raising Eagle, a free download first person shooter with a high propaganda rating. The image shows a in game spray of the president of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a monkey. Inset: the games ' financier Sydney businessman Kevin Bermeister.

The game, which contrary to its setting does not include any Palestinian fighters, is an update to earlier versions of the game set in Paris and China. It pits the Iranian Revolutionary Guard against Israel's elite Golani Brigade in a first-person shooter setting.

In an interview with Fairfax Media's Jerusalem Correspondent, Jason Koutsoukis, one of the game's Israel-based designers, Yaron Dotan, said it would be "taking things too far" if the game had Israeli soldiers fighting against Palestinians.

But Dotan, 34, was delighted at the suggestion that his game, which includes billboard-size photographs of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad looking like a monkey, might cause offence to Iranians. He describes the Iranian soldiers as "the Waffen SS of today".

"I want this to upset people. I hope it causes the biggest shitstorm in history," he said.

In the game, players can choose to play either as the Israelis or the Iranians. Bermeister said in an interview he hoped this would encourage people on both sides to log in and communicate with each other in a non-threatening, virtual setting.

"People will get to know each other in a competitive battleground environment, get to text each other, speak to each other, connect with each other and figure out that they're human beings and they can get on with each other," he said.

But Bermeister conceded the game would inevitably make a political statement. (SMH)

Raising Eagle joins America's Army and the Hezbollah's Special Force in pitting real world enemies against each other in virtual environments. Spreading the message of hate into the 21st century.

Words. Logic. Meaning

Lawrence Lessig, a lawyer, demonstrates rhetoric and logic in a deconstruction and analysis of a statement made by Republican Vice President Candidate Sarah Palin suggesting her lack of experience was “normal” for many Vice Presidents from the history of the United States.

Australian Digital Media and Politics

The digital battle between political parties in the run up to the Australian federal election continues. Today, following an interest rate rise, the opposition Labor Party employed a technique from machinima cinematography. Because they are not allowed to use recordings from parliamentary proceedings they got an actor to impersonate the voice of the Prime Minister John Howard, saying "Working families in Australia have never been better off." The video advertisement can be seen here.
The Prime Minister did take part in a webcast last night but he shared the screen with the leader of the opposition Kevin Rudd, as they both appeared before an estimated 100 000 Christians gathered in churches around the country.
The digital divide between the two parties was most obviously manifest in the discovery by Federal Member for Corangamite Stewart McArthur that someone had posted a fake MySpace site slandering him. The site has been online for THREE MONTHS!! Not a fan of social software applications, Mr McArthur (pictured) said "Good people, whether they be public figures or private citizens, should not be at risk of having their reputation harmed on the Internet." It seems it is the uncontrolled ability for ordinary citizens to create media content that troubles the Australian government with one newspaper report stating:

The Web 2.0 phenomenon which includes sites like MySpace, Facebook and YouTube has come under increasing fire from government and industry due to its largely user authored content which is notoriously difficult to regulate

So far in the digital campaign it seems to be the opposition Australian Labor Party that is gaining ground. While the government is using digital media such as Youtube, it has not successfully embraced the more powerful opinion forming aspects of digital media such as forums, live chat and viral media. Maybe its on its way.

Digital Politics in Oz: The Rhetoric of the Image

While the use of digital media in a political campaign is well worn ground in the USA, the concept has just taken off in Australia for the upcoming (not yet announced) Federal Election. According to the Sydney Morning Herald in "Campaign '07 ... baby kissing is out and hip websites and video clips are in". Yesterday the opposition candidate and leader of the Federal Labor Party Kevin Rudd launched his own website, complete with forums, blog, a shop and archive. Both the Prime Minister and Rudd have been releasing videos on YouTube, to somewhat mixed responses:

But professionals who specialise in web marketing have criticised Mr Howard's approach, saying he has tried too hard to control the message when the main benefit of online campaigning is to actively engage the audience.

In Howard's Youtube message on Climate Change comments were deleted and spam took over the site. At the time of writing the comments have been completely disabled. The visual image of John Howard sitting at a desk in a suit and tie flanked by the Australian flag and beginning his message with "Good Morning" seems little removed from the TV appearances of politicians that began in the 1960s. Such an arrangement is an interesting example of intermediation that attempts to fit the digital format back into an analogue box.

Now for Kevin Rudd's videos. Rudd is also adopting the format of television but in a far more engaging style than Howard. His Australia Day Message video is a slick piece of mini doco and personality piece. It is clear he has taken to the medium assisted by some people who know what they are doing. Visually rich and integrating music, voice overs and cross fades. The comments section is not exactly overflowing (35 at the time of writing) I suspect they are being managed but there are some particularly negative ones ("kevin rudd and gillard are left wing communists, put them on the first plane to russia." Crompton58) so it is not being done that heavy handed.

A third example of political messages on YouTube comes from the Green Party. In somewhat more imaginative approach, "Australian Greens climate spokesperson Senator Christine Milne joins forces with Eskimo productions and comedian John Clarke to reflect on climate change action." in video entitled The Polar Bears. It is surreal and humorous with a parable like message for viewers.

The Polar Bears was posted on February 17 2007 and has had 10,884 views. The Rudd video was posted on January 25, 2007 and has had 2,867 views. The Howard video was posted on July 16, 2007 and has had 58,204 views. Ratings for each are four stars, three stars and two stars respectively.

Stop that Thought: Digital Rhetoric, Bibliographies & Knowing when to Stop

It has taken a week or two but it has hit me now; I am back at work. On Friday I got a reply from one of my supervisors on my first attempt at an academic paper. Considering it was the first draft it was not too bad a response but it was nevertheless not good news. Problems seem to be trying to say too much, or saying to much and not getting to the point or having too little analysis in too much text. An economy of words is what is needed. Words should not just tumble out but rather I need to slow down and consider a) what it is I am trying to say and b) What is the best way to say it. This leads me to my increasing interest in rhetoric. Why oh why was I never taught rhetoric?
To the library...must read rhetoric! While the ancient texts would be interesting I thought to look into digital rhetoric, which seems to be developing as a field of study. Here are three good bibliographies:

wra 415: digital rhetoric

Digital Rhetoric A Selected Bibliography

An Idiosyncratic Bibliography for Working with the Visual & interactive Aspects of Texts, whether the texts be on screen or on paper