My Journey with Videogames A Digital Literacies Narrative by Ashton Treadaway

What Technology Means to Me Technology is defined as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. In my life, I have always thought of technology as being the electronic machines which bring me entertainment. The biggest form of technology that has had an influence on my life is video games.

In the Beginning I have played video games for literally as early as I can remember. I had an older brother who played video games and he introduced me to them at a young age. The first consoles I remember having were the Gameboy color, and the original Xbox.

Going Online I originally played video games either with my brother or with friends who would come to my house. However, when I was older I discovered online gaming. The first online game I ever played was called Runescape, and I played in my families communal laptop when I was around the age of eleven.

Social Gaming After discovering online gaming, I got several of my friends into it. I began to use gaming as a way to socialize with friends, and it helped me stay close to friends that I could not see in person very often. When the Xbox 360 released myself and my friends bought it and got Xbox Live which is a way to game online through the Xbox. Since then, I almost exclusively game with friends through Xbox Live.

Social Gaming (Cont.) My friends and I eventually upgraded to the Xbox One, and that is the console that we currently play on. Now that I and many of our friends are going to college and have jobs, it is growing more and more difficult to find time to spend with each other, but it is a comfort to be able to talk to and play games with them whenever any of us have some free time at home. Video games have brought me closer to friends whom I may have grown distant to without them, and for that I am thankful.

Video Games on YouTube My love of videogames also led me to the discovery of a new medium of digital media. There is a large community of gamers on YouTube who create both entertaining and informative videos about games. I discovered this community several years ago and I now watch YouTube as much, if not more, than traditional television.

Video Games on YouTube (Cont.) This year I am moving into a house with my brother and a couple of friends who all share my love of videogames. We have considered taking up YouTube as a hobby and creating video game content rather than only watching it. Here is an example of the types of videos I watch, and will hopefully one day create:

Resources Used https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Color https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved= 0ahUKEwjIkorItoPSAhXjrVQKHZfCBGgQjhwIBQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.technobuffalo.com%2F 2016%2F10%2F18%2Foriginal-xbox-games-should-be-backwards-compatible-on-xbox- one%2F&bvm=bv.146496531,d.cGw&psig=AFQjCNEVjz6BYgxnqo2TWyr0NUH6neaOew&ust=1486 743407878133 http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=7mzGDjoq&id=21F23C9B732746FF83 1B0E3A9F9FC7C0EE30519C&q=runescape&simid=608000631243607150&selectedIndex=52 http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=LXChnUtQ&id=420CD7CAF6CB7985AA 280F10CC98EDD621537EBC&q=xbox+live&simid=608046441361244681&selectedIndex=4 http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=rTsv2pY4&id=21D4D4AC1BF81051C4 77D5DE6E8C660745EF2C65&q=youtube&simid=608053167279574395&selectedIndex=100 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY4uo98U3-s