Topic 7

Cronenberg- Cinema and Technology.

Screening 

'eXistenZ'

- David Cronenberg's 1999 film, based around the dangers of runaway technology.

- Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law and Willem Defoe

- Video games in this movie are delivered directly into the player's nervous system

- The game sends electrical impulses through an umbilical cord into the player 'bio port', a hole drilled into the base of their spine.

Among other topics, this movie represents the subject of gaming addiction. In todays society, with many different outlets for a gamer to release their need to be in a virtual world and play video games, addiction is definitely present. With xboxes, nintendos, wii's, ps2, ps3, game cube, internet, arcades... these technologies allow gamers to be someone else, to disconnect from the real world and lose themselves in a world where violence, gore and things one usually wouldn't encounter in the real life. 'eXistenZ' was an interesting movie, it really did shed light on the whole virtual reality genre. Compared to similar movies such as 'The Matrix', eXistenZ takes a more intellectual approach to exploring the evolution and mental implications of interactive technology.

Readings

the military-entertainment complex: a new facet of information warfare.

Stockwell & Muir