Media Diary; Week 6, (The Sims, OK! Magazine & Strike Back)

Media Diary; Week 6, (The Sims, OK! Magazine and Strike Back)

by

Niamh Gallagher

Guilty Pleasure 1; The Sims

My first guilty pleasure is The Sims games, specifically The Sims 3. The Sims is a strategic life simulation video game series developed by Maxis and later by The Sims Studio, and published by Electronic Arts. It is one of the most successful video games series of all time. As of May 2011, the franchise has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide, and is also the best-selling PC franchise in history. Personally I think the game's targeted audience is anyone from the age of 13 upwards as to me it appeals to everything you could have in a game; a story-line, romance, violence, humour and keeps the gamer gripped through its unexpected twists and turns. I think the game is only suitable for the ages of 13 as the game as some more mature aspects such a sex which could be inappropriate to younger audience members.

Honestly I am not ashamed of playing the game as it a text that I usually consume but my guilty pleasure is more how long I can play it for. It is like I get sucked into this hypnotic trance-like state, and time stops whilst I play, causing hours to fly by which I think are mere minutes. It shames me into saying that I've spent and wasted whole days just sat in front of the computer playing The Sims. Also when I play it I turn into some zoned-out zombie completely oblivious to what is going on around her. For example of anyone speaks to me I answer with grunts of  "Yeah", even if that is not the required answer. I take a preferred reading as I enjoy the game, which obvious as I have dedicated so many hours into the game.

Guilty Pleasure 2; OK! Magazine

My second guilty pleasure is the cringe-worthy OK! Magazine. OK! Magazine is a British weekly magazine specialising in celebrity news. In my opinion the target audience for OK! is for females from the age of 16 upwards. I think this because a lot of the articles are female-orientated such as tips for make-up and fashion. OK! isn't normally a text that I would consume as I'm not remotely bothered about the frivolous lifestyles of celebrities or even though I am part of the targeted audience. I feel like I purposefully take a different reading to the text as I just read so I can take swipes at famous people and how delusional they are, yet is secretly envious of their life's. However it completely baffles yet intrigues me that people want to air their private lives for the public to see and are shocked to be scrutinized for their actions.

I personally believe that OK! is a massive guilty habit for me as I'm one of those people who rant all about how much I hate the celebrity way of life; the shallowness, materialism and greed, but I would like to live a life like that just for one day to see what it is like. I also like to read about the scandals as I am sad to admit it but it makes me feel better about my life.

Guilty Pleasure 3; Strike Back

My third guilty pleasure is Strike Back. Strike Back is a British action and military television series, based on a novel of the same name by novelist and former Special Air Service (SAS) soldier Chris Ryan. The series follows the actions of Section 20, a

secretive branch of the British Defence Intelligence service, who operate several high risk, priority missions throughout the globe. The target audience for this text is defiantly young men as it has all the things men stereotypical like; action, sex, swearing and total badassery. This text appeals to me as I like the ridiculousness of it, even though it is suppose to be serious I laugh at the hilarity of it. As the poster says 'Diplomacy is overrated', the characters prefer using their guns instead of their mouths to solve situations. Normally I wouldn't even go near military programs as I just can't stand them as they're always too stuffy and serious for me but with Strike Back I like the way it doesn't take itself too seriously. (Well I hold that view, if it is intentional or not I don't know.)