I've also done a LOT of Googling

Apart from diving into the usual literature and perhaps a K-Pop video or two, I’ve also read online a bit into Korean culture – in particularly how Confucianism is embedded into the country. It’s an interesting contrast to more Western environments (and workplaces for that matter) and I hope it’ll help me out once I’m in the office.

But what am I expecting out of this trip?

Of course, I’m expecting to have heaps of fun, meet plenty of new people and learn a lot of cool things. But getting to the business end of why I’m heading off to the country – I’ll be in an organisation which (as far as my knowledge) has never had an Australian intern work at before.

Would it be a bit optimistic for me to expect a byline or have a story of mine broadcasted on air? Possibly – but it’s one of my hopes. This is vastly unknown territory I’m entering, which is kind of scary but also liberating – there will be chances to propose ideas and do things that I probably wouldn’t have the chance to do otherwise back home.

That being said, I can’t wait. 12 hours and 27 minutes to go…

In roughly three weeks I will be boarding a plane to Seoul, South Korea, where for a month I will be working as an intern for the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), the country’s largest broadcaster.

Seoul - lots of tall buldings and pretty buildings. Photo by Tranquilantus

This is all possible thanks to the Australia-Korea Foundation, which for the past few years have sent out kids from the University of Sydney for similar internships. Alongside a fellow classmate, we will be the inaugural Media Fellows from RMIT University, marking the first time someone other than those Sydney-siders have gone abroad to South Korea for such an opportunity.

I’m pretty excited about this to say the least, and I’ll be hoping to document how it all unfolds. I’m not even there yet and there’s a fair bit to talk about, so please look out for upcoming posts in the near future.

My desk

It was a great experience, and I was lucky enough to put together some stories that were broadcast on air. I even got the chance to talk live on air during the show!

Here are the stories that were broadcast during my time at Radio Australia – I think some of them were even broadcast on Asia Pacific (a news show that is broadcast nationwide).

Divorce law sparks debate in the Philippines

Philippines’ revamps education program under pressure

Debate abounds over the death of farmed fish in the Philippines

Joint Taiwan-China police operation arrests 600 fraud suspects

Live on air discussing the daily Twitter trends

Thankfully there was no huge stamp like this when I was knocked back

I wasn’t too fussed over not getting the job, but it got me thinking: if I can’t get a job persuading people to buy jewelery, how capable am I of being a journalist? Maybe not being successful for the job was a reflection on my persuasion and social skills?

Being a journalist means interacting with people, in all aspects of the job. You have to write for an audience, stay on the good side of contacts you try to cultivate and persuade someone to spill the beans when interviewing them.

I think many of these social aspects of the job carry over in a retail environment, and that working in retail can actually add to a journalist’s skill set. At the very least I can say that working at Target for three years has taught me a few things about ‘handling’ people.

That's retail for you. Well, that's probably journalism too at times

Having said all this, I have complete confidence in my journalism skills, but an extremely small part of me still feels a bit miffed that I couldn’t snag a job persuading people to buy some bling, when in a few years (hopefully) I’ll be persuading people to confide their deepest darkest secrets.

Slowly but surely however, it appears that Apple are beginning to corner the handheld gaming market.

This report on Kotaku shows that research from game industry analysts NewZoo reveal Apple are slowly closing the gap in sales compared to long time handheld kings Nintendo.

According to the research, around 40 million gamers in the US use devices on the iOS platform (ie. iPads, iPhones and iPod touches) for their portable gaming fix. That’s only one million behind Nintendo and their DS console.

These stats show that Apple is catching up in numbers compared to dedicated gaming developers. However, does this necessarily mean a shift in trends?

I don’t think this will make major gaming developers like Konami, Capcom or Blizzard consider moving to the iOS platform to make their games.

I do however think that this is showing that more and more people have less time for portable gaming, preferring quick fixes as compared to getting stuck into a game for lengths at a time.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple overtake Nintendo in terms of market share in a few years. However I think one thing that won’t change is that standout games from the big companies will continue to be predominatly for consoles like the PSP and DS despite the figures.

I’m cutting back terribly on what can possibly be discussed on this issue, but to summarise how I think, having the numbers is only one half of the battle. The quality of games has to continue to impress and I don’t think Apple can win in that regard.

Having said that though, I’d love to see them and gaming developers try to wow gamers out there.

Tell me something I don't know, eh

It’s a pretty poor effort for the country’s part, but that’s not the end of the issues with Kotaku and The Age both highlighting a loophole in Australia’s classification system that the government now wants to close.

PC, console and handheld games must first be classified before being released to themarket, but that same game can be released on the App Store or any other mobile application store without being classified.

Aren't we games? Shouldn't we be classified too?

The Federal Government is now considering a plan to shut down this loophole and make it a requirement that mobile games be submitted to the classification board before being released, citing concerns about the classification of games playable on mobile phones.

The fact that such a loophole exists in the first place clearly displays the antiquated classification system Australia has, as this Kotaku article shows.

Digital distribution services such as Nintendo’s Wii/DSi Ware, Sony’s Playstation Network and Valve’s Steam marketplaces all feature content such as small games that has never been submitted for classification in Australia at all.

Where is the consistency?

What about Flash games online, or games played online in your browser?? Should they be classified too?

This mess is only half the picture, with The Age publishing an article highlighting the possible reprecussions closing the loophole could have on the local video game industry.

Submitting a game to the Classifications Board for review costs developers between $470 and $2,040 per game – a fee that the government collects. The industry is (rightfully so, I believe) up in arms, saying that small/indie developers will die out if the government decides to change things, due to the extra expense. Devs will either be persuaded to not make games anymore due to the cost, or release games at inflated prices to be able to break even.

It'll be raining coin alright... FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?!?!

I also think that it will be kinda hard for the board to try and keep up with submissions – with over 2000 apps being submitted to the App Store every month. And that’s just Apple’s platform – there are numerous mobile content delivery systems out there.

Now there are two issues here that seem to clash with each other – consistency in classification versus what actually should be deemed necessary to classify.

I think it shows that a change in Australia’s video game classification system needs to happen – not just something small either like this plan to classify mobile games but an overhaul.

…before you write him off as a bully and an attention seeker, remember, Mr Latham has experienced an election campaign from the frontline.

Now I’m not too keen on the Australian political scene (or any political scene for that matter) but what immediately rings alarms in my head is that there is extreme potential for conflict of interest getting in the way of journalism here.

I mean, I don’t think it came to play in his story, but it was just something that came to me. Anyway…

I think the big fuss over Mr Latham’s guest gig is that he is parading around as a journo when really, what he is doing on Sixty Minutes isn’t actual journalism.

Journalism is primarily about facts – cold, hard news. Who, when, what where, why and how. That’s all!

The only thing I remembered from first-year journalism (only joking)

Mr Latham’s segment may contain fragments of those, but unfortunately he adds so much more. Including something that journalists are never, ever supposed to include in a piece: personal opinion.

Sorry but I do not want to know how you will (not) vote this Saturday, Mr Latham! And you shouldn’t be telling us anyway, if you were planning to present to us a piece of journalistic work.

Now, I understand that much of the fuss can be cleared up by changing one word. By switching the word journalist with “reporter” or “special correspondent” then his role is changed.

But that still doesn’t excuse him from pushing and shoving his way through a media scrum and aggressively confronting candidates. I understand doing such things in order to add strength and impact to your story – but all you accomplished was just footage of you being “stroked.” Hardly breaking stuff (innuendo aside).

"I haven't been stroked down the front from a woman other than my wife for quite some time, actually" COME ON!!! LOL!!!

To his credit he did do a bunch of other stuff that (in my eyes)  is journalistically sound, such as interviewing Greens candidate Bob Brown and even (shudder) Pauline Hanson for balance and a range of views, but overall that isn’t enough to maintain his integrity as a “journalist” and the overal integrity of the story itself.

So sorry Liam Bartlett, but I’m going to have to call Mr Latham a bit of an attention seeker – but I have a feeling that in the end that’s what Sixty Minutes and the Nine Network wanted. They’ve certainly grabbed my attention, for one.

However, some things haven’t changed from the old days: the trainees will still be required to achieve a shorthand speed of 120 words a minute before being offered a full-time job.

I’m often reminded in lectures and classes that it’s an exciting time to be a journalism student at the moment, with the Internet changing the way we create and intake news.

But then I read something like this and I can’t help but think to myself “oh, looks like we haven’t fully embraced the future just yet.”

Now to be honest I’m slightly nit-picking at this article. I took a 12-week shorthand course last year, enjoyed it and learnt quite a bit (practicing after the 12 weeks, on the other hand…)

I wrote this, but it's been a while. I can only read the first sentence...

Personally I think being able to write in shorthand is pretty cool and it’s a skill that I want to develop – but I wonder what other facets of journalism still have not changed from the ‘old days.’

Apparently many employers will not consider applicants for a position unless they have previously spent time ie. a few years working a regional gig. Now I understand the logic here, but for some people it’s simply infeasible to move to the country just to get your flying hours up only to move back to the big smoke and go for the job you had your eyes on in the first place.

I respect things like time-honored tradition, but only to a degree. I’m more of a  believer of one’s skill (and one’s contacts) ultimately playing part as to whether they get the job, but what do I know, right? I’m only a second-year journo student.

And having said that – I’m only a student – would pretty much invalidate my oppinion to veteran journos out there, if they were to read this. I know experience plays a vital part in journalism as there are some things you simply can’t be taught in a lecture hall.

I know some things won’t change – things like knowing your fundamentals, newsroom hierachy and hazing. I just sincerely hope that by the time I graduate, the guy sitting across the desk from me when I’m in a job interview doesn’t have his mind stuck in the past.

Or who knows, maybe by the time I’m job ready there won’t even be traditional news rooms anymore…

Being a kid in the 90s. Oh yeah!

So I grew up with a number of different game controllers in my hand, and even now in 2010 I still feel the comfort holding a familiar gamepad in my hand, pressing away at the buttons and enjoying a good game.

Yeah, pressing buttons. But it seems that button-bashing in videogames is slowly becoming a thing of the past, with things like the Wii, Project Natal, Playstation Move and even the iPhone innovating the way we interact with games.

But I feel that buttons will forever be an integral part of gaming, no matter what advents in technology come our way.

Controllers like the PS Move and Wiimote still include buttons. The Wii even has a ‘classic controller’ shaped more like a traditional gamepad so players can use it if they prefer. Some Wii games in older, more established franchises are even released for sale with a classic controller bundled with them – perhaps displaying that the people at Nintendo feel that gamers would be more comfortable playing such familiar games with more familiar hardware?

The Golden Classic Controller, to be released with the remake of a classic game, Goldeneye 007

Even the iPhone/iPod touch in its capacitive multi-touch glory has a demand for buttons, as  Melbourne industrial designers CP Design demonstrate a prototype of an iPhone case with in-built gaming buttons.

That touchscreen must feel sad not being touched with those buttons around. Those whores

I think this exact lack of buttons is what holds back the iPhone from competing in the portable gaming market on the same level as the DS or PSP – you simply can’t get the same level of gameplay that gamers look for without the tactile feedback that buttons give.

So even though in a couple years we may be smudging a screen with our fingers, waving around doohickeys or just waving around our arms to play games, I still believe buttons will be around to stay.

Although, watching this video of people using their eye movements to play Mario, I’m not too sure about my prediction now…

——————————————–

Uni assignments and bouts of procrastination seem to come hand in hand, which leads to me not really working on a quiet mention. But the lazy streak has passed (unfortunately the assignments haven’t) and I’m back to write up some more insightful… stuff. Hope I didn’t leave any readers out there hanging for too long.

Not surprisingly commuters are not happy at all, with The Age publishing an article online containing a few choice comments sent in to them.

Have your say! Don't slip though

Now like anyone else I hate late trains – I was victim to a late train myself this afternoon. But when I found myself reading about a disgruntled customer complaining about overpriced admin fees, I couldn’t help but think to myself “hold on – I thought we were talking about late trains?”

The majority of submissions posted in the article are on-topic, but it seems that a few reader comments included are just in there to make Metro look bad.

Another comment (a tweet, in fact) laughs at the fact that Metro staff were reading out loud the trains as they were arriving, as the screens in the station weren’t working. You can laugh at them, sure, but how else are you going to know which train is which? Displays that aren’t working at North Melbourne station have nothing to do with the power outage at Southern Cross or the subsequent late trains, The Age.

Of course, I’m currently not impressed with Metro’s public transport performance over the last few months, but I just feel that the selective picking of these reader comments are a deliberate attempt to cast Metro in a negative light – and as a publication I think The Age should have a think about what they were trying to achieve with this article.

I mean, it’s not like Metro are doing too good at the moment. You’re only adding wood to the fire at this point!