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"Ok, in todays general studies, we are going to look at a bit of history."
There were moans and grumbles from the class, most of them didnt want to be there in the first place, General Studies, what a waste of time!
"Im going to tell you a story that begins back in 1975. When Sony released a brand spanking new machine. Everyone was amazed by it, it did the unthinkable! What was it called? What did it do?
"It was called Betamax, and it recorded stuff off of the telly, onto tape. Big deal you may think, but remember, this is the mid-70's.
"A year passes and Sony have sold over 30,000 machines in the US alone. Then another machine comes along. Its made by JVC, its called a VHS recorder. It does the same thing as Betamax, almost.
"There were a few differences. The VHS had double the recording capacity of Betamax, 2 hours instead of 1. But that is the only advantage VHS held. Betamax was a vastly superior machine, it had some functions built in, that VHS did not include until the late 80's early 90's, automatic tuning and autmoatic program search being just two examples.
"The VHS machine began to outsell Betamax. In a big way. Why, you may ask, did VHS sell more if Betamax was a better machine? The answer lies in better marketing and the mass market opinion im afraid."
"What do you mean Sir?" Came a quiet question from the back.
"Well, I suppose an example from your generation would be the Playstation games console. When it was released, there was a machine out with equal power, the Amiga CD32, and one that was twice as powerful, the Atari Jaguar. Yet the PSX managed to outsell them both and still be around today, even though it wasnt the best quality option available at the time.
"Through mainly pleasing the mass market, instead of the relatively small proportion of "hardcore" gamers that were around at the time, as well as having a cunning marketing strategy, Sony managed to conquer the console market with their first attempt."
"Where are you taking this Sir?"
"Going back to the console analogy again, do you think the Dreamcast would have sold more if the mass market and the media didnt hype up the PS2 so much? Didnt you feel a bit of pressure from your mates to buy a PSX rather than an N64? It's decisions like these that we need to make ourselves, not have them decided by the mass market, who quite often, get it wrong. As is obviously the case with Betamax and VHS.
"All im trying to get across to you is that just because "your mate" says that something is the best, doesnt make it so. Again, just because something is the best-seller, it doesnt mean that it fits your requirements, everyone is different and we all want different things.
"Decide for yourselves, buy what you want to buy, dont feel pressured by adverts/your mates etc. At the end of the day its your money and you can spend it on what you want. You may all know someone, or have done it yourself, where you have bought something you werent too sure on, but due to peer pressure you bought it anyway. Only to find, after a while, you wished you'd spent your money on something else.
"The moral? Buy what you want. Dont always believe the hype, or the marketing. Be your own person."
There were moans and grumbles from the class, most of them didnt want to be there in the first place, General Studies, what a waste of time!
"Im going to tell you a story that begins back in 1975. When Sony released a brand spanking new machine. Everyone was amazed by it, it did the unthinkable! What was it called? What did it do?
"It was called Betamax, and it recorded stuff off of the telly, onto tape. Big deal you may think, but remember, this is the mid-70's.
"A year passes and Sony have sold over 30,000 machines in the US alone. Then another machine comes along. Its made by JVC, its called a VHS recorder. It does the same thing as Betamax, almost.
"There were a few differences. The VHS had double the recording capacity of Betamax, 2 hours instead of 1. But that is the only advantage VHS held. Betamax was a vastly superior machine, it had some functions built in, that VHS did not include until the late 80's early 90's, automatic tuning and autmoatic program search being just two examples.
"The VHS machine began to outsell Betamax. In a big way. Why, you may ask, did VHS sell more if Betamax was a better machine? The answer lies in better marketing and the mass market opinion im afraid."
"What do you mean Sir?" Came a quiet question from the back.
"Well, I suppose an example from your generation would be the Playstation games console. When it was released, there was a machine out with equal power, the Amiga CD32, and one that was twice as powerful, the Atari Jaguar. Yet the PSX managed to outsell them both and still be around today, even though it wasnt the best quality option available at the time.
"Through mainly pleasing the mass market, instead of the relatively small proportion of "hardcore" gamers that were around at the time, as well as having a cunning marketing strategy, Sony managed to conquer the console market with their first attempt."
"Where are you taking this Sir?"
"Going back to the console analogy again, do you think the Dreamcast would have sold more if the mass market and the media didnt hype up the PS2 so much? Didnt you feel a bit of pressure from your mates to buy a PSX rather than an N64? It's decisions like these that we need to make ourselves, not have them decided by the mass market, who quite often, get it wrong. As is obviously the case with Betamax and VHS.
"All im trying to get across to you is that just because "your mate" says that something is the best, doesnt make it so. Again, just because something is the best-seller, it doesnt mean that it fits your requirements, everyone is different and we all want different things.
"Decide for yourselves, buy what you want to buy, dont feel pressured by adverts/your mates etc. At the end of the day its your money and you can spend it on what you want. You may all know someone, or have done it yourself, where you have bought something you werent too sure on, but due to peer pressure you bought it anyway. Only to find, after a while, you wished you'd spent your money on something else.
"The moral? Buy what you want. Dont always believe the hype, or the marketing. Be your own person."
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How many have you won fish?
Cheers fish! Thats quite a compliment coming from a regular like yourself.
Thing is, do you think it can win?
Thing is, do you think it can win?
I've wrote another shorter review of the PS2 titled
Invest in the Future of Gaming : Invest in a Playstation2.
Its nowhere near as comprehensive as your review, however its easier to read! The point is you dont have to be too comprehensive, in fact it probably helps if your not as it allows people to discuss your topic. If people are still undecided about purchasing a game or a console then they'll often ask your advice..you can then tell them in all the detail they need. For example, someone may ask:
Is the DVD playback any good?
or
Should I get a Dreamcast?
It just helps to keep things short in or in paragraph.
Invest in the Future of Gaming : Invest in a Playstation2.
Its nowhere near as comprehensive as your review, however its easier to read! The point is you dont have to be too comprehensive, in fact it probably helps if your not as it allows people to discuss your topic. If people are still undecided about purchasing a game or a console then they'll often ask your advice..you can then tell them in all the detail they need. For example, someone may ask:
Is the DVD playback any good?
or
Should I get a Dreamcast?
It just helps to keep things short in or in paragraph.
I thought it would be a nice idea to write a review on the console in case people were undecided about buying one- as I have had one myself since release day.
I agree with the english point you made also- I should really have numbered the points I made or bullet pointed them-it would have made it clearer. I should have known- I did get an A at GCSE for English Language! Thanks for the comment Jimmy.
I agree with the english point you made also- I should really have numbered the points I made or bullet pointed them-it would have made it clearer. I should have known- I did get an A at GCSE for English Language! Thanks for the comment Jimmy.
So, The New Jimmy is Apocs English Tutor...You Master of Disguise, You!
OK Ive read it...
A comprehensive review Damospud, However its a bit long and covers perhaps too much! You would have been better off spacing your paragraphs more i.e.
paragraph 1
paragraph 2
This would make the whole thing easier to read and take in.
The article has potential, but shorter points are easier to disscuss!
A comprehensive review Damospud, However its a bit long and covers perhaps too much! You would have been better off spacing your paragraphs more i.e.
paragraph 1
paragraph 2
This would make the whole thing easier to read and take in.
The article has potential, but shorter points are easier to disscuss!
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