Arjun Appadurai contends that globalization flows along a series of -scapes with often contradictory and disjuncted outcomes.

With reference to his model of globalization, the culture (and politics) of fear, discuss how the online response to Halo 3 might be representative of the looming disagreement between the Cosmists and the Terrans. Models of Globalisation are extremely complicated because of the huge number of elements that they must encompass. It is no longer enough to describe Globalisation as the push and pull between homogenisation and heterogenisation of individual cultures. Appaduri has presented a model that looks at Globilisation in a much more extensive way. Using this model it is possible describe the influences that something as seemingly simple as a video game can have on the global community. Halo 3 was released in September of 2007 amongst a lot of media hype and speculation. It was a product of new technologies and it was expected to make large amounts of money for the Microsoft Corporation. By using Appaduri's model it is possible to examine some of the cultural influences on Halo 3 and the response to its release. Appadurai, A contends that the current models of globalisation are often over simplified and do not take in the complexities of today's world. Appadurai claims that the current models that are aware of the tension between cultural homogenisation and cultural heterogenisation are simplistic often not acknowledging that forces introduced to a new culture tend to become indigenised in some way or another. (Appadurai, A) The new global cultural economy has to be understood as a complex, overlapping, disjunctive order, which cannot any longer be understood in terms of existing centerperiphery models. To explore the complexities of this global economy Appadurai proposed a model that looked at the relationship between five different dimensions of cultural flow. Appadurai's model comprises five different -scapes. He uses these -scapes to model the complex disjunctions of globalisation. The -scapes are comprised of; technoscapes (the flow of technology across boundaries), ideoscapes (the flows of ideologies and counter-ideologies), finanscapes (the international flow of money), mediascapes (the flow of multi media including across international borders) and ethnoscapes (the movement and changes of people). With reference to Halo 3 Appadurai's model can be used to examine the use of the video game through technoscapes (the product itself, in this case Halo 3), finascapes (economic interests surrounding Halo 3), mediascapes (Halo 3 in the media), and ideoscapes (the ideology and politics of Halo 3), and ethnoscapes (movement of people). Halo 3 fits into each of these -scapes to a greater or lesser degree with the least relevant probably being ethnoscapes. Halo 3 is a first person shooter game released by Microsoft for the X-Box 360. The story of Halo 3 is centred around the interstellar conflict between 26th century humanity, and a collection of alien races known as the Covenant. The main character known as the Master Chief, is a cybernetically enhanced super soldier. The game has the rating and warning M- Moderate science fiction violence. Gaming experience may change online on the cover. Technoscapes Halo 3 is the epitome of the ability for technology to flow across international boundaries. Halo 3 can be used as a multi player on-line game creating new literacies through the use of game related language and abilities. (Squire, K. 23) The technoscape of Halo 3 is not just tied in to the current technology it is the product of years of changes and advances in technology and testing to see if the technology will work and to create new technologies that will be attractive to both old and new players. (Thompson, C. (Microsoft)). The technological advances made and tested by Microsoft were designed to make people want to play Halo 3.

Not only were technologies designed to make people want to play with Halo 3 but they were also considerable advances in information technologies in general. In particular the advances in file sharing techniques and graphics are further advances in information technology. (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/20959454/) Ideoscape The ideology and politics of Halo 3 are extremely complicated. The response to Halo 3 as a game ranged from those who loved the game to those who declared the game was mass produced filth. (http://www.christianchronicle.org/article820). America and Australia are both multicultural societies with dominant secular and Christian ideologies. So for an analysis of the response to the release of Halo 3 it is important to look at the impact that Halo 3 had on these ideologies. The Christian on-line response to Halo 3 was one of divided views. This can be seen by many of the responses to articles in Christian media. For example when Plugged in Online (www.pluggedinonline.com) published an article on the use of Halo 3 as an outreach tool ( a tool designed to connect an organisations idea's or practises to the general public or other groups; for example teenagers) it received a huge response to this activity. In a follow up article entitled 'Readers Pull Trigger on Halo' Plugged in Online reported the response to this use of Halo 3. Plugged in claimed that they personally thought using Halo 3 was not a good option as an outreach tool. They then claimed that 75% of their readers had agreed with them with responses like (www.pluggedinonline.com); "Kids have to fight temptations every day at school and with peers. They should not have to face these temptations at church as well." "I no longer allow [Halo] into my ministry because it tells the teens that it's OK to make those decisions when it's all just pretend. But Philippians 4:8 reads, 'Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirableif anything is excellent or praiseworthythink about such things.' I do not find anything that is true, noble, pure or right in the video game Halo, so I will not let my thoughts dwell there or allow the thoughts of the teens I am responsible for to dwell there while they are in my care." "Here's the thing ... is the Lord really telling His church, His chosen bride, to use a violent, foulmouthed game to bring kids into His house? I truly don't think so. There are other games out there that churches could use." Other's felt that the introduction of Halo 3 was a good thing; "You guys really seem to get worked up into a major fit over this, but I think the 'controversy' is really a fairly simple one. At the end of the day, does it matter if a kid got saved at a Halo party or in the middle of a Sunday morning service?" "Halo 3 is a powerful tool to get people into a church when they would otherwise be scared to set foot into one. It's just a matter of whether they are playing Halo 3 at home, or with their friends learning that Christians can play video games, too." (www.pluggedinonline.com) Although the Christina online response to Halo 3 is in the main more critical of the idea of using Halo 3 as a Christian tool there are articles published by Christian magazines devoted to showing Christians how they can best use Halo 3 to discuss the bible with their non-Christian friends. For example the article How to Share your Faith using Halo 3, published by (www.christianpost.com) suggests using the argument;

Yet while the battle between good and evil on full display in Halo is imaginary, in the real world there really is a cosmic battle between the forces of good and evil! Ephesians 6:12 says: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (NIV) Other arguments are also advanced with tips on asking appropriate questions to help bring up topics about Christian faith. Alternatively the secular response to the Christian use of Halo 3 as a recruitment or outreach tool was also dominated by a negative attitude. One gaming magazine Destructoid.com (www.destructoid.com) published an article entitled Creepy Church Tactics: Ministers use Halo 3 to lure kids into Christ's arms. The article by Jim Sterling opens; I just stumbled upon this rather sinister piece of news about church ministers using Halo 3 nights to attract impressionable youngsters into their clutches. Anybody who knows me will know my disapproval of many Christian tactics, especially when it comes to children who don't really know enough to decide for themselves whether or not religion is rubbish, but it's creepy and sneaky little ploys like this that really get under my supple flesh. Responses to this article were mostly critical of the church using Halo 3 as a recruitment tool with many being of the opinion that it was hypocritical for the church to declare thou shall not kill and yet play a game that focused on killing. (www.destructoid.com) Other concerns were that the I may not be one bit religious, but even I can see that the idiots that do this are just debasing their religion further. Yes, Halo 3 is an amazing game, and a fuckton of fun. But, far as I know, church is supposed to be neither. It's a place of worship, where you can go to be fulfilled in life. And again, far as I know, Halo 3 is neither of those. Unless you're a really hardcore fanboy. In which case, go get laid. That is a crate full of hippos if every I did see one. Maybe they can host a big Resistance: Fall of Jesus tournament in Manchester Cathedral too? Similar concerns about the hypocrisy of the church was expressed through the blog http://panasonicyouth.buzznet.com Here comments were not so concerned about the idea of killing but more the concept that the church was using a game that had as its main bad character a race of religious zealots. I saw this a while ago, but it wasn't until I actually got my own 360 and a copy of Halo 3 (haven't played the preceeding ones you see) that I realised the fatal flaw these idiots overlooked - the bad guys are a religious order whose idiotic beliefs are going to wipe out the universe... The ideoscapes of Apadurai's model are not limited to religious ideologies. They can also be seen through the perspective of educational ideologies. (Squire, K) suggests that Video games such as Halo 3 epitomise a potentially disabilising wave of technologies whereby students can access information and social networks at any time, anywhere. This easy access to new technology and literacies challenges idea's of control that are part of the current ideology of education. The technology inherent in Halo 3 gives students the ability to find information where and when they want it and to contact others with similar goals. (Squire, K) This does not necessarily fit in with the ideology and expressed preferences of parents, teachers and

other figures of authority. This intermingling of the technoscape and ideoscape of the Appadurai's model of globilisation represents a conflict that is shown in other issues such as those represented by the transhumanist belief in the global conflict between the Cosmists and the Terrans. Transhumanism is the ideal of gradually moving towards a posthuman society where a persons brain and consciousness become software that can be placed in a receptacle, this may be a human body or it may be a machine, robot or other device. Cosmists believe in the use of technology and the goal of using technology to enhance the lives of those who need it. Terrans feel less entranced by technology and may want to stop the Cosmists from going too far in their use of technology. (de Garis, H 2005) believes that this will eventually lead to a global civil war with those who are pro technology fighting an ideological and later physical battle against those who are against the extreme progress of technology. Finanscapes When Halo 3 was release on 26th of September 2007 it grossed 3 million dollars in its first week. (http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN0438777720071005) On its first day of release Halo 3 was sold in seven different countries including America and Australia. By the second day of release it was sold in Europe and Japan. For a corporation this is a huge and valuable injection of finances with money flowing across cultural and physical borders. Video games such as Halo 3 are changing education by providing a richer more interactive environment which benefits those who can afford it. But as (Squire , K) claims those who can afford the new technologies can benefit from the use of them those who cannot afford them may be excluded from games based learning. Currently technological changes benefit those in affluent countries far more than they benefit those in poorer countries. According to (Dinerstein, J: 570) technology reinforces the dominance of affluent societies. Those from less affluent states have less access to changes in technology. This means that they will be slower to take up technological changes and may have less ability to do so. This can be seen in the difference between acceptance of technological developments between Australia and emerging nations. (Cuttance, P) The Australian Government has made information technology a priority The National Goals for Schooling for the Twenty-First Century (The National Goals for Schooling [1999]) state that when students leave school, they should be confident, creative users of information and communication technologies. Other poorer states may not have this option. As education becomes more a matter of access to technology it also leads to the fear of where these technologies can lead and what inequities they can perpetuate. This feeds into the current anxieties fostered by the current political and socioeconomic climate resulting in a culture of fear. Mediascapes Media has a role to play in the introduction of Halo 3 to the community. Before the release of Halo three there had been a build up of media hype surrounding the game. Ausgamers (www.ausgamers.com/news/read/2524476) announced the release of Halo 3 on the 16th of May 2007. Halo(R) 3," the final chapter in the groundbreaking "Halo" trilogy, is set to shatter day-one entertainment sales records when it is released worldwide beginning Tuesday, Sept. 25. Created by legendary developer Bungie Studios and exclusive to the Xbox 360(TM) video game and entertainment system, "Halo 3" will set a new standard for interactive storytelling and social gaming by engaging consumers worldwide in Master Chief's epic battle to save humankind. "Halo 3" will be available to audiences around the world starting Sept. 25 and will release in Europe on

Sept. 26. The adds leading up to the release of Halo 3 foreshadowed some of the religious and ethical debates that were evident once the game was released. The ads were done in a series of mockumentaries (mock documentaries) featuring a battle scarred soldier talking about his experiences with Master Chief, "the man who gave the world faith" and made humanity "believe again." (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003888002_brier17.html) Within hours of the release of the game critics had played it and reported on the game, most of these were excessively positive with some commentators such as Zero Punctuation from Escapist Magazine (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/8-Halo-3) giving a possibly less superfluous approval to the game. Yet when a teenager was convicted of murdering his mother and attempting to murder his father the judge commented on the similarity of drugs and video games. It's my firm belief that after a while the same physiological responses occur that occur in the ingestion of some drugs. And I believe that an addiction to these games can do the same thing. The dopamine surge, the stimulation of the nucleus accumbens - the same as an addiction. Such that when you stop, your brain won't stand for it. (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Judge-Believes-Halo-3-Murderer-to-Be-Influenced-byVideogames-102336.shtml) This reaction to a tragic event that had little to do with the actual game was reported in many different media sources with comments about the dangers of video games and how they can affect a persons life. As Dr Carmen Lawrence argues (Tamatea 20) the culture of fear is a product of political and media manipulation. Video games and other emerging technologies form a backdrop against which many of the cultural and socio-economic concerns of our time can be measured. Halo 3 can be examined in terms of its potential in education, its role in the media and the developments in technology that have lead to the production of the game. It can also be looked at in terms of the response it has engendered both positive and negative. Halo 3 can be placed into the culture of fear that is being perpetuated by political and media manipulation, but it is important to realise that Halo 3 is a game. It is not the use of the game, or the technology that was part of the development of the game that will or has caused problems; it is the way people have reacted. Video games can be used in both a positive and a negative way. By utilising the technology of video games education can benefit by becoming more accessible to people who struggle with current teaching methods. Technologies like the ones developed for Halo 3 are important to the changes in the world economy. Becoming familiar with them and using them gives a person an advantage.