As I was writing up my assignment on my big bingo adventure I remember a few years back there was a short documentary about Dundee and its love of bingo. Well after a bit of searching I finally stumbled across it. You might think I was mad when I was scared to sit in someones luck seat but watch this and you may also feel the fear ha ha!
This is such a great wee documentary and in a weird sort of way makes me proud to be a Dundonian. You hear people talk about strong Dundee women and it is so true. My gran used to work in a Jute Mill in Dundee and I used to love hearing the stories of what she did. She even got to meet the Queen! Can you imagine that, the Queen in a Jute Mill!!!
I wish I had found it before I wrote my novella about my trip, pretty much somes up what I said. Hope you enjoy it, its only about 20 mins long and if you need me to translate just give me a shout.
I'm not sure how to get the video on my blog just yet but I will add the link below for now.
SheToon - City of Bingo (click here)
Friday 15 April 2011
Semester 2: Assignment 5 The Proposal
The Proposal
In today’s society children are being exposed to a greater amount of advertising then ever before. With children orientated television channels on the increase and personal computers with access to the internet becoming standard in many family homes companies can reach children so much easier. What effect mentally and physically does this have on young children as they grow and develop? Is this an issue that we should be worried about? After reading into this subject before I came across development psychologist Jean Piaget who would argue that there is an issue as he believes that as young children grow they “develop the ability to see the world from the perspective of other people.” Looking at the work from Piaget and similar research carried out by Ed Mayo and Agnes Nairn for their book, Consumer Kids which I had come across after looking at Piaget, this proposal intends to investigate several things. Firstly it will build on the research already begun on the actual effects advertising has on young minds and secondly what can we do to prevent and control this issue.
To gather my own data and build upon what has already been researched an experiment would be conducted that would expose a group children to carefully selected adverts and at the same time show another group of children someone plainly describing the products using the script from the adverts whilst holding the item. The constants in this experiment would be the products, the information about them and the time each product was on the screen. The groups would then be given a short interview asking questions concerned with what the had just watched. The groups would then be swapped so that each group would have a chance to watch the real and reworked adverts, however a different set of commercials would be used.
Piaget found that a children grow their mind develops through different age stages, These stages were 0-3, 3-7, 7-11 and 11+. For the experiment and interview I would focus on the 3-7 and 7-11 as this would concentrate my findings to a smaller age band but also allow me to still see if there was any significant jump between to age groups. For each age stage I would recreate the experiment several times to that I can gain as much information as possible. Using an experiment like this will allow a large number of children to be tested in a short amount of time. This would permit the team to be in full control of what the children watched and would stop them being distracted by anything else if, for example this was conducted in the home.
The interviewee would ask specific questions to get the same sort of answers from our volunteers so that we would learn what each child thought a certain product or advert. This method is useful as each person is answering and giving their own view on the subject which is unique to them, this way we can see if there is any similarities. To help keep the information clear and simple a matrix chart would be created so that the data was complied on the sheet so comparisons and patterns could be spotted quickly and efficiently.
This process would need a team of at least four people for the experiment but more could be used to get the interviews done and work through the findings and I would estimate that it may need several months to conducted from start to finish.
There may several problems that arise whilst using these methods however. We might not get the number of participants that we require to give us a good amount of information which could alter how our findings go. Another problem could be that we do not get a specific answer and our findings are far to varied to one solid conclusion. In the event that this would happen another method will have to be implemented. I propose that we create an observation pack that we can hand to families that are willing to take part without the inconvenience of coming to a research lab. Parents would be asked to observe their children’s behaviour after viewing adverts catered for them, paying close attention to there requests for a specific brand or toy which was out of the ordinary. A blank matrix chart would then be filled out by parent with each of the columns asking different questions about the advert there child saw and how their behaviour has changed. It would also ask what action the parent would take in this situation. There will also be a general questionnaire that will gather generic information so we can build a profile to see if any patterns emerge with certain types of family. Creating a chart like this would allow me to gather the information I needed without to much upheaval to the family. With the information gathered on the behaviour of children due to advertising a conclusion could possibly be drawn on whether or not this is an issue we should be concerned about. After this was completed I would use the concept of polysemy and show the children altered images of toys and brands that they should be familiar with. Their responses would be noted and then the original unaltered image would then be shown and again the responses would be noted. Using this method I would be able to see if what , if any, effect adverts have on children. I have already used these methods and saw that results can be similar or vary greatly from one another. Which ever way the results may go a conclusion will be drawn as to whether advertising can effect children.
By recording information about individual children and their families it is hoped that a connection can be made between the child’s behaviour due to adverts and messages they receive from their parents. Only then can we start to look further into what it is that they are doing as individuals so that methods can be developed to address the problem that advertising has on youth development.
5 books to read over summer
In today’s society children are being exposed to a greater amount of advertising then ever before. With children orientated television channels on the increase and personal computers with access to the internet becoming standard in many family homes companies can reach children so much easier. What effect mentally and physically does this have on young children as they grow and develop? Is this an issue that we should be worried about? After reading into this subject before I came across development psychologist Jean Piaget who would argue that there is an issue as he believes that as young children grow they “develop the ability to see the world from the perspective of other people.” Looking at the work from Piaget and similar research carried out by Ed Mayo and Agnes Nairn for their book, Consumer Kids which I had come across after looking at Piaget, this proposal intends to investigate several things. Firstly it will build on the research already begun on the actual effects advertising has on young minds and secondly what can we do to prevent and control this issue.
To gather my own data and build upon what has already been researched an experiment would be conducted that would expose a group children to carefully selected adverts and at the same time show another group of children someone plainly describing the products using the script from the adverts whilst holding the item. The constants in this experiment would be the products, the information about them and the time each product was on the screen. The groups would then be given a short interview asking questions concerned with what the had just watched. The groups would then be swapped so that each group would have a chance to watch the real and reworked adverts, however a different set of commercials would be used.
Piaget found that a children grow their mind develops through different age stages, These stages were 0-3, 3-7, 7-11 and 11+. For the experiment and interview I would focus on the 3-7 and 7-11 as this would concentrate my findings to a smaller age band but also allow me to still see if there was any significant jump between to age groups. For each age stage I would recreate the experiment several times to that I can gain as much information as possible. Using an experiment like this will allow a large number of children to be tested in a short amount of time. This would permit the team to be in full control of what the children watched and would stop them being distracted by anything else if, for example this was conducted in the home.
The interviewee would ask specific questions to get the same sort of answers from our volunteers so that we would learn what each child thought a certain product or advert. This method is useful as each person is answering and giving their own view on the subject which is unique to them, this way we can see if there is any similarities. To help keep the information clear and simple a matrix chart would be created so that the data was complied on the sheet so comparisons and patterns could be spotted quickly and efficiently.
This process would need a team of at least four people for the experiment but more could be used to get the interviews done and work through the findings and I would estimate that it may need several months to conducted from start to finish.
There may several problems that arise whilst using these methods however. We might not get the number of participants that we require to give us a good amount of information which could alter how our findings go. Another problem could be that we do not get a specific answer and our findings are far to varied to one solid conclusion. In the event that this would happen another method will have to be implemented. I propose that we create an observation pack that we can hand to families that are willing to take part without the inconvenience of coming to a research lab. Parents would be asked to observe their children’s behaviour after viewing adverts catered for them, paying close attention to there requests for a specific brand or toy which was out of the ordinary. A blank matrix chart would then be filled out by parent with each of the columns asking different questions about the advert there child saw and how their behaviour has changed. It would also ask what action the parent would take in this situation. There will also be a general questionnaire that will gather generic information so we can build a profile to see if any patterns emerge with certain types of family. Creating a chart like this would allow me to gather the information I needed without to much upheaval to the family. With the information gathered on the behaviour of children due to advertising a conclusion could possibly be drawn on whether or not this is an issue we should be concerned about. After this was completed I would use the concept of polysemy and show the children altered images of toys and brands that they should be familiar with. Their responses would be noted and then the original unaltered image would then be shown and again the responses would be noted. Using this method I would be able to see if what , if any, effect adverts have on children. I have already used these methods and saw that results can be similar or vary greatly from one another. Which ever way the results may go a conclusion will be drawn as to whether advertising can effect children.
By recording information about individual children and their families it is hoped that a connection can be made between the child’s behaviour due to adverts and messages they receive from their parents. Only then can we start to look further into what it is that they are doing as individuals so that methods can be developed to address the problem that advertising has on youth development.
5 books to read over summer
- I am going to read Consumer Kids by Ed Mayo and Agnes Nairn. I read a chapter in first semester and i found it a really interesting. Would like to see what else the book can offer.
- I enjoyed reading the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell so I am going to give another of his books ago, Blink.
- We have been encourage to constantly to break down barriers between disciplines this year and because I used to study architecture and because of the likes of Japan I am going to look at Design Like You Give A Damn:Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises.
- Again to keep the barriers breaking down I am going to read D'Arcy Thompson's On Growth and Form. Nature as always dumb founded me by the natural structures and patterns it can create so it is time to find out why.
- Last book i am going to read The Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam purely because I haven't had the chance to read it yet and it looks like it may come in very handy.
- Lisa Maclean (facebook and twitter)
- Kate Pickering (facebook and twitter) think it is important to stay connected with these girls as they are of similar age and in a few years time I will be at their stage, hopefully ha ha, and it would be handy to annoy them for advice. Plus they are amazing, super helpful and would be awful if we never talked again.
- JB (twitter) he always has something interesting to say whether you agree or not and finds really useful things on the web which can be of value to our studies.
- Professor Mike Press (twitter) found his lecture really interesting and I have been to a few meetings with him. Would be good to keep in contact with someone older with a good bit of experience in the field of design (not saying you don't JB but you have been given a reason already).
- Sigurd Bronger (email) Norwegian jeweller who I am currently studying for my design research project. We have sent each other emails and I think it is no time like the present to start networking, especially now I have the opportunity to connect with someone from another country. His knowledge of jewellery and of Norway and Holland could prove invaluable.
- I will start putting posts up more regularly.
- I plan to create a twitter account so i will link my blog up with that. (Also want to try create my own web page so everything can be accessed from that centrally).
- Want to create a more unique look to my blog, add some of my personality to it. Make it stand out from the crowd.
- Would like to organise my blog so that when my readers come to have a look they can access my posts via tabs and quickly find what they are looking. For example all my design studies posts would be in a tab or page exclusively for design studies.
- Finally I plan to delete this blog and move over to wordpress. From what I have seen from other peoples blogs it looks slicker and more professional.
Semester 2: Assignment 3 The Big Bingo Adventure
Servie Design Tools
The Big Bingo Adventure
For our third assignment this semester we were asked to go someplace we had never been before such as the bingo, football match or casino. We then were asked to go along one week and observe what was going on, paying particular attention to how people acted within this environment. An environment in which they should be right at home in.
Being an avid supporter of Dundee Football Club and enjoy the occasional roll of the dice the bingo hall was my only option. This assignment was intended to make us feel a little lost and uncomfortable and I have to admit I was feeling a tad bit anxious before I went anywhere near the bingo. My earliest experience with the game was way back when I was a wee lad in primary school. Every week my mum, gran and auntie would go along to the game with the hope of winning the big money. Tucked up in bed pretending to sleep my mum would come in and check in on us and regale both me and my brother with stories of how our granny was awaiting on that elusive last number or how the three of them would split the winnings, even if it was just a tenner ha ha! Not to sure if everybody does this but it seems to be an unwritten rule of the game.
One of my mothers tales was when one week they sat at a random table and some ting bruiser of an auld Dundee woman come tottering up and shouted at them for sitting at her lucky table. For some strange reason this story has always stayed with me. I really do not like any form of confrontation and I was for this reason I was feeling a tad apprehensive about going!
Unfortunately you don’t get anywhere in life if once in a while you don’t stick your neck out and go for it (bit dramatic for the bingo I will agree but being a Dundee lad I know how competitive the local women can be about their game…no offence mum ha ha!) So go for it I did! A few days before the class had intended to go I decided to register in case it would take time for my membership to go through.
My bingo hall of choice was the Mecca hall situated on the Nethergate. First thing I noticed was their enormous sign sat atop the roof like a spire competing with the church’s next door. (This building is on the site of the old Green’s playhouse cinema which the bingo did occupy before it burnt down in the mid-90s. The building that we see today is a rebuild and they have given a nod to the original by keeping the cinema style sign.) It is constantly lit with the giant letters flashing in different sequences. You can see it from far away and is a constant reminder that it is there.
The Nethergate Mecca Bingo
Entering the main lobby I was surprised how dull it was. As there is no natural light coming in from the entrance the light doesn’t really change during the day but stays constant. You could easily spend hours in this space and loose track of time. Could this be planned or an accident? I will come back to this later.
The golden staircase and reddish carpet may possibly make the players feel almost important and celebrity like in status. The walls are adorned with framed posters advertising the massive cash prises you could win and cheap nights that are coming up soon. There is also fancy wooden side table with leaflets that advertise special offers and booklets on how to play the game. Two tings that I took from was firstly that framing the posters and using fancy tables reinforced the “faux classiness” of the bingo however small a detail they may be. Secondly before I had even reached the desk to join up I already knew what I could win and I would have a rough idea of how to play. Having paint stained clothes on, a bushy ginger beard and my trademark coloured tammy on I decided to not bring anymore attention to myself and sneak up the stairs and avoid what has to be the worlds smallest escalator. Making that transition from the entrance up to the desk you have already made a physical and psychological decision that you are going in to play.
As I approached the desk I was greeted by a semi smart suited gentleman which I presumed was the deputy manager. I made this assumption as he was spending what I thought was a lot of time behind the desk operating the till even though there was plenty of staff. I do not think the general manager would have the time spend there going by what I have witnessed with my own store managers I have worked with in the supermarket where I work. He was also the only one at the time wearing a suit as everyone wore a pink Mecca polo shirt, which are very recognisable which will be so people can identify them quickly if they need help or information. All the staff wore name badges with their first names on it. This gives the place a certain characteristic, almost like and extended family. It would make people feel more at ease when asking them a question. The situation is therefore less formal and more relaxing.
The smart dressed man then smoothly handed me over to a colleague in pink after a rather brash conversation in which I explained that I would like to join. Perhaps because of my appearance or that I was on my own and did not fit the usual profile of a bingo player but I felt the smart man dismissed me quite quickly. Level of comfort falling very quickly, the urge to run out of there rising ha ha!
The pink shirted colleague presented me with a form to fill my personal details out before entering them into his computer. Having a boy of similar age to myself help me join the bingo added to my uneasiness and to be honest made me feel like a right idiot. This is down to me being silly and caring about what people think but so far my experience at the bingo was not enjoyable. A couple of standard questions and clicks on the keyboard later and voila I was a fully fledged member of the Mecca bingo. A welcome pack full of information about special games nights and the rules was handed over to me with my own personalised membership card. These alone can have a big impact on someone. The membership card is yours and yours only confirming that you are apart of something special- the Mecca family! It also reminds you of what you could miss out on if you do not go. This makes you want to go and gamble whilst being apart of something. Getting the card and packs quickly meant you could play straight away and part with your money quicker.
As I hurriedly left through the main entrance I was almost blinded by the sunshine outside. I had only been in there for about 15 minutes but my eyes reacted like I had been in a dark box for days. The lighting inside would appear to be rigged so that people could not easily tell what time of day it. The whole experience is similar to what I have seen in photographs of the interiors of Las Vegas casinos. People have a tendency to start heading home when it starts to get dark or venture out if they see the sun shining. This building does not allow for this and so people stay to play making the hall more money.
Natalie let me take lead as I had to learn and experience this for myself. Following the old ladies to the desk I saw that they were handing over their membership cards to the smart dressed man who would scan the card and greet them as they entered. Handing over my card I get the same personalised greeting as the ladies before me, “Good evening Grant, have a great evening.” Hold the boat. I have mixed feeling about this. Okay this makes you feel special that they go that extra inch and welcome you with your name. Nice for older people who are perhaps playing on their own and it makes them feel welcome and it seems the staff glad you came. However, I felt uncomfortable by this. This gentleman has only saw me twice, if he remembers the previous encounter before this, and anyone can read a name of a screen. The biggest issue I had with it was the he used my Christian name and not Mr Herron. Firstly he isn’t a friend and I haven’t invited him to refer to me as Grant. Secondly my parents call me Grant, and my friends call me Granty both of which he is not. Although I can understand why they use this type of friendly informal language as it keeps the place relaxed and welcoming. I am perhaps being just picky and possibly slightly biased towards him for I don’t know him myself and he may be a nice guy ha ha!
We are then herded between two desks, one offering electronic game pads the other selling the old paper style books. I decide to go old skool and get the books. The pink polo shirt wearing ladies behind the desk ask us if we want extra books for extra games and a chance to win the big national game all for a few pound each. Again the bingo is constantly trying to get you to play more and spend more. We cave and buy extra books and a pen for Natalie ( I was conveniently supplied with one in my pack so I was ready to play.) Already I have spent a tenner on free night!!! A well why not, this is my first time and it’s turning into a proper wee night out. My nervousness clearly getting taken over by excitement. Still worried I will sit in a luck seat though. As we pass these desks we enter the next section which is full of puggy machines. Not even heard the call of the numbers yet and again I have the opportunity to gamble and win big prizes. This room is mirrored and is duller than the lobby. The lights and sounds from the machines fill the room and are a feast for the sense. The atmosphere could be described as exciting and it is easy to see how people can get wrapped up in it all. The players in this room vary from mid-20s to old age pensioners with the majority of them being working class. This is due to their dress sense of white trainers, tracksuits and cheap looking chunky gold jewellery all of which is common in the working class.
After leaving the small amusement room the building opens into a brighter hall, which I had expected to be much larger. The hall consisted if three main areas; firstly a slightly raised level with calling desk, big screen and tables and chairs, secondly a balcony level that wraps around the whole room with tables and chairs and lastly the lower area that contained most tables and chairs, along with snack shop, a bar and another small amusement area.
The snack shop at the end of the hall was offering snacks and full meals for a very cheap price and the bar next to it was selling some of the cheapest pints I have seen in Dundee. This encourages people to have their meals there in between sessions without having to move and get unsettled. Everything is under one roof. I spot and old couple reading a broadsheet and knitting, with the lady wearing her slippers. They are clearly comfortable in this environment that it has become an extension of their home. I know that I part with money easier if I am in an enjoyable and comfortable situation. For example in a restaurant, if the meal was amazing and the service impeccable you are more than likely to leave a good tip and perhaps have a coffee to extend your enjoyable experience rather than try to escape pronto because it was awful.
The blue rinse brigade is the main bingo player but as I look around I spot more younger people with what could be their mum or aunts. There is also a neighbour of my parents with his wife who are middle aged and both professionals so I guess they are their to let the hair down and have some fun without the children there to annoy them.
The bingo is not just someplace to win money, although many go purely for the money, whilst others go to have fun and meet up with friends. During the break I notice an old man and woman sharing a laugh and having a good wee chat. The man then leaves and sits on his own in time for the next game leaving the lady on her own. Are they old friends? Ex-lovers? Start of a new relationship? Or simply lonely polite people sharing a conversation with bingo as their common interest? Who knows but ihabve found interesting that when people get old and grey they seem to get a pas that allows them to talk to anyone who is old and grey despite the fact there could still be a 20 year age gap ha ha! Perhaps it is a generation thing when people were polite and had manners and it has stuck with them. There is something oddly quite romantic about it all. Just waiting for Clark Gable to burst through the doors and start calling the numbers!!!
On the slightly raised area I noticed two white haired ladies staring down at us with a look of utter distain strewn across their faces. It felt as if we had entered into their hall without prior permission from them. For the majority of the evening their icy stares would continue…between games of course. I wondered if we had upset them by being there. Perhaps they did not like a group of youngsters taking part in an old persons scene. It is maybe the only place they don’t have to put up with us young whipper snappers and now we were taking this from them. Or maybe they were just curios to see a large amount of try to play bingo with no one having a clue what was going on! Not everyone was that icy mind you, as we had to older women who were both sitting on their own more than happy to share their knowledge of the game. They had obviously sensed the panic and confusion from our table and cheerily shout across with advice.
My first experience of the bingo will stay with me for a while. It’s a strange place, almost a little world of its own. Its sole purpose is to make as much money as it can from people, like any business does. And at the end of the day it is a business, but you can be forgiven for thinking differently as you are treated as a good friend, a part of the family as soon as you walk through the door.
After all that observing I was keen to get involved and see what all the fuss is about. Between you and me dear readers, I maybe converted ha ha! It sure is addictive and the adrenaline rush…I was shocked! Will I go back? Perhaps one day. After all I was only waiting for one damn number for the national prize!!!
This semester we have been introduced to service design tools. These tools are useful as it can help you gather more specific information about a subject you are looking at or how well you design will be received by others. One tool which I felt would have been useful in my first project is the Wizard of Oz Mythology tool. Its name derives from the great Wizard himself but as he was hiding behind his curtain. The Wizard of Oz would have allowed people to get up close and personal with my piece whilst I was watching them without them knowing. I would hear and see everything that they said or did to my piece. Our first project was a vessel project in which we simply had to create a vessel of some kind. Like many of my pieces I invited people to pick it up and explore it. I like to create little rewards for the viewer that only by picking it up and becoming almost child like curiosity will they find. Using this service tool would therefore allow me to see if my piece had the desired effect.
Vessel Project
Vessel ProjectThe Big Bingo Adventure
For our third assignment this semester we were asked to go someplace we had never been before such as the bingo, football match or casino. We then were asked to go along one week and observe what was going on, paying particular attention to how people acted within this environment. An environment in which they should be right at home in.
Being an avid supporter of Dundee Football Club and enjoy the occasional roll of the dice the bingo hall was my only option. This assignment was intended to make us feel a little lost and uncomfortable and I have to admit I was feeling a tad bit anxious before I went anywhere near the bingo. My earliest experience with the game was way back when I was a wee lad in primary school. Every week my mum, gran and auntie would go along to the game with the hope of winning the big money. Tucked up in bed pretending to sleep my mum would come in and check in on us and regale both me and my brother with stories of how our granny was awaiting on that elusive last number or how the three of them would split the winnings, even if it was just a tenner ha ha! Not to sure if everybody does this but it seems to be an unwritten rule of the game.
One of my mothers tales was when one week they sat at a random table and some ting bruiser of an auld Dundee woman come tottering up and shouted at them for sitting at her lucky table. For some strange reason this story has always stayed with me. I really do not like any form of confrontation and I was for this reason I was feeling a tad apprehensive about going!
Unfortunately you don’t get anywhere in life if once in a while you don’t stick your neck out and go for it (bit dramatic for the bingo I will agree but being a Dundee lad I know how competitive the local women can be about their game…no offence mum ha ha!) So go for it I did! A few days before the class had intended to go I decided to register in case it would take time for my membership to go through.
My bingo hall of choice was the Mecca hall situated on the Nethergate. First thing I noticed was their enormous sign sat atop the roof like a spire competing with the church’s next door. (This building is on the site of the old Green’s playhouse cinema which the bingo did occupy before it burnt down in the mid-90s. The building that we see today is a rebuild and they have given a nod to the original by keeping the cinema style sign.) It is constantly lit with the giant letters flashing in different sequences. You can see it from far away and is a constant reminder that it is there.
The Nethergate Mecca BingoThe golden staircase and reddish carpet may possibly make the players feel almost important and celebrity like in status. The walls are adorned with framed posters advertising the massive cash prises you could win and cheap nights that are coming up soon. There is also fancy wooden side table with leaflets that advertise special offers and booklets on how to play the game. Two tings that I took from was firstly that framing the posters and using fancy tables reinforced the “faux classiness” of the bingo however small a detail they may be. Secondly before I had even reached the desk to join up I already knew what I could win and I would have a rough idea of how to play. Having paint stained clothes on, a bushy ginger beard and my trademark coloured tammy on I decided to not bring anymore attention to myself and sneak up the stairs and avoid what has to be the worlds smallest escalator. Making that transition from the entrance up to the desk you have already made a physical and psychological decision that you are going in to play.
As I approached the desk I was greeted by a semi smart suited gentleman which I presumed was the deputy manager. I made this assumption as he was spending what I thought was a lot of time behind the desk operating the till even though there was plenty of staff. I do not think the general manager would have the time spend there going by what I have witnessed with my own store managers I have worked with in the supermarket where I work. He was also the only one at the time wearing a suit as everyone wore a pink Mecca polo shirt, which are very recognisable which will be so people can identify them quickly if they need help or information. All the staff wore name badges with their first names on it. This gives the place a certain characteristic, almost like and extended family. It would make people feel more at ease when asking them a question. The situation is therefore less formal and more relaxing.
The smart dressed man then smoothly handed me over to a colleague in pink after a rather brash conversation in which I explained that I would like to join. Perhaps because of my appearance or that I was on my own and did not fit the usual profile of a bingo player but I felt the smart man dismissed me quite quickly. Level of comfort falling very quickly, the urge to run out of there rising ha ha!
The pink shirted colleague presented me with a form to fill my personal details out before entering them into his computer. Having a boy of similar age to myself help me join the bingo added to my uneasiness and to be honest made me feel like a right idiot. This is down to me being silly and caring about what people think but so far my experience at the bingo was not enjoyable. A couple of standard questions and clicks on the keyboard later and voila I was a fully fledged member of the Mecca bingo. A welcome pack full of information about special games nights and the rules was handed over to me with my own personalised membership card. These alone can have a big impact on someone. The membership card is yours and yours only confirming that you are apart of something special- the Mecca family! It also reminds you of what you could miss out on if you do not go. This makes you want to go and gamble whilst being apart of something. Getting the card and packs quickly meant you could play straight away and part with your money quicker.
As I hurriedly left through the main entrance I was almost blinded by the sunshine outside. I had only been in there for about 15 minutes but my eyes reacted like I had been in a dark box for days. The lighting inside would appear to be rigged so that people could not easily tell what time of day it. The whole experience is similar to what I have seen in photographs of the interiors of Las Vegas casinos. People have a tendency to start heading home when it starts to get dark or venture out if they see the sun shining. This building does not allow for this and so people stay to play making the hall more money.
Whilst I had been signing up the staff member had mentioned that the Thursday night was free night and that I had a token in my pack that would allow another member a free evening of play. Simple but effective salesmanship as I went along that Thursday and brought my best friend Natalie along as she was desperate to play as she was getting it free. Everyone likes anything that free ha ha! Just to prove how effective that information was, that Thursday saw the majority of the jewellery class attend the evening session!
My bingo pack and game cards
My bingo pack and game cardsWe are then herded between two desks, one offering electronic game pads the other selling the old paper style books. I decide to go old skool and get the books. The pink polo shirt wearing ladies behind the desk ask us if we want extra books for extra games and a chance to win the big national game all for a few pound each. Again the bingo is constantly trying to get you to play more and spend more. We cave and buy extra books and a pen for Natalie ( I was conveniently supplied with one in my pack so I was ready to play.) Already I have spent a tenner on free night!!! A well why not, this is my first time and it’s turning into a proper wee night out. My nervousness clearly getting taken over by excitement. Still worried I will sit in a luck seat though. As we pass these desks we enter the next section which is full of puggy machines. Not even heard the call of the numbers yet and again I have the opportunity to gamble and win big prizes. This room is mirrored and is duller than the lobby. The lights and sounds from the machines fill the room and are a feast for the sense. The atmosphere could be described as exciting and it is easy to see how people can get wrapped up in it all. The players in this room vary from mid-20s to old age pensioners with the majority of them being working class. This is due to their dress sense of white trainers, tracksuits and cheap looking chunky gold jewellery all of which is common in the working class.
After leaving the small amusement room the building opens into a brighter hall, which I had expected to be much larger. The hall consisted if three main areas; firstly a slightly raised level with calling desk, big screen and tables and chairs, secondly a balcony level that wraps around the whole room with tables and chairs and lastly the lower area that contained most tables and chairs, along with snack shop, a bar and another small amusement area.
The first game of the evening session had begun as we came into the all so we just grabbed a table in the lower area beside a group of my fellow jewellers. Luckily the place was quieter than I had thought it would was relieved to have not sat in anybody’s lucky seat ha ha! Instead of jumping straight into the game I decided to take the opportunity to do what I was hear to do and observe. The majority of people within the hall were old age pensioners with many sitting on their own. Everyone was spread out evenly through the hall on all levels. Apart from the caller shouting out numbers and the random scream of “HOUSE” the hall was deadly silent. The players gaze firmly fixed to their books, pens furiously marking numbers off. The atmosphere is quite intense. A bellow of “LINE” cries out interrupting the silence. Everyone sighs and carries on their conversations where they had left off and I hear the famous “I was just waiting on one number,” line coming from a few sitting close to me. In between games you have the opportunity to play the table game for a pound a turn. A section of your table has a smaller fixed game card on it which you place counters on top when your numbers are called. You put your pound in the slot next to you and the prize fund increases on the screen. Another example of how the bingo can easily make money from people. For a cheeky pound you could make £70, surely worth the risk and a small thrill while you wait for the big game to return. This can be quite dangerous as you could do this all day, the player may miss it by a number and tries again because they were so close last time. People hold up ten and twenty pound notes in the air. This attracts the attention of the Mecca staff who happily change their notes for pound coins so they can play the table games. Makes playing even easier that not even having the correct change can stop you as they have it all covered. The staff were super friendly and would come over to my group of friends and make sure they were doing okay and knew what they were doing. It may have been because it was a table of attractive females that caused so much attention but they appeared to be like that with everyone there to a certain degree. Good service like this makes for a more enjoyable experience and makes you happy to return.
Some of the Dundee faithful
Some of the Dundee faithfulThe snack shop at the end of the hall was offering snacks and full meals for a very cheap price and the bar next to it was selling some of the cheapest pints I have seen in Dundee. This encourages people to have their meals there in between sessions without having to move and get unsettled. Everything is under one roof. I spot and old couple reading a broadsheet and knitting, with the lady wearing her slippers. They are clearly comfortable in this environment that it has become an extension of their home. I know that I part with money easier if I am in an enjoyable and comfortable situation. For example in a restaurant, if the meal was amazing and the service impeccable you are more than likely to leave a good tip and perhaps have a coffee to extend your enjoyable experience rather than try to escape pronto because it was awful.
The blue rinse brigade is the main bingo player but as I look around I spot more younger people with what could be their mum or aunts. There is also a neighbour of my parents with his wife who are middle aged and both professionals so I guess they are their to let the hair down and have some fun without the children there to annoy them.
The bingo is not just someplace to win money, although many go purely for the money, whilst others go to have fun and meet up with friends. During the break I notice an old man and woman sharing a laugh and having a good wee chat. The man then leaves and sits on his own in time for the next game leaving the lady on her own. Are they old friends? Ex-lovers? Start of a new relationship? Or simply lonely polite people sharing a conversation with bingo as their common interest? Who knows but ihabve found interesting that when people get old and grey they seem to get a pas that allows them to talk to anyone who is old and grey despite the fact there could still be a 20 year age gap ha ha! Perhaps it is a generation thing when people were polite and had manners and it has stuck with them. There is something oddly quite romantic about it all. Just waiting for Clark Gable to burst through the doors and start calling the numbers!!!
On the slightly raised area I noticed two white haired ladies staring down at us with a look of utter distain strewn across their faces. It felt as if we had entered into their hall without prior permission from them. For the majority of the evening their icy stares would continue…between games of course. I wondered if we had upset them by being there. Perhaps they did not like a group of youngsters taking part in an old persons scene. It is maybe the only place they don’t have to put up with us young whipper snappers and now we were taking this from them. Or maybe they were just curios to see a large amount of try to play bingo with no one having a clue what was going on! Not everyone was that icy mind you, as we had to older women who were both sitting on their own more than happy to share their knowledge of the game. They had obviously sensed the panic and confusion from our table and cheerily shout across with advice.
My first experience of the bingo will stay with me for a while. It’s a strange place, almost a little world of its own. Its sole purpose is to make as much money as it can from people, like any business does. And at the end of the day it is a business, but you can be forgiven for thinking differently as you are treated as a good friend, a part of the family as soon as you walk through the door.
After all that observing I was keen to get involved and see what all the fuss is about. Between you and me dear readers, I maybe converted ha ha! It sure is addictive and the adrenaline rush…I was shocked! Will I go back? Perhaps one day. After all I was only waiting for one damn number for the national prize!!!
Semester 2: Assignment 2 Adverts and Polysemy
For our second assignment we were asked to read an essay by Roland Barthes entitled “The Rhetoric Of The Image”. It discusses the relationship that is present with images and text and introduces us to the concept of polysemy. Polysemy, as a definition, is the existence of many meanings. So, for example, if I were to describe an image as being polysemic then it would have more than one meaning, which most images have. Barthes however states that this multiple meaning can be changed if we are to add text. Now adding text does not always give it one meaning but it can allow different meanings to emerge on a similar theme.
Believe it or not I would recommend Barthes’ essay to at least likeminded creative types, even if for a bit of bathroom reading ha ha! Okay so it took me several attempts to get into it and another couple of rereads and many a look in the dictionary just to understand half the words to roughly get the gist of it…selling it to you yet?? It is an interesting read, if a bit beige but does introduce some curios ideas that some people might find useful if they are trying to create a winning image or advert for their wares.
For this assignment I chose to do option 3 and look at advertising. Having looked at child advertising and the effects it can have on children in a previous assignment I was interested to find out by simply manipulating an existing set of adverts, in this case removing the text, how people would perceive the image. It was also an opportunity to find out peoples reaction to the advert once I showed them it with the text and brand logos.
Advert 2
Advert 3
Advert 4
To get a good number of responses in a short time I decided to create a small questionnaire that I split into 3 parts. First part showed the new altered images and the following questions:
1) Explain in your own words what do you see?
2) How does this image make you feel when you look at it?
Second part was something JB had told us to stay clear of whilst doing the questioning and do it at the end but I decided to do it in the middle to see what the initial responses would be. I asked them:
1) If this image was to be included in an advertising campaign what do you think it would be for?
The final part was the pictures unaltered, as you would find them in magazines, and the following questions:
1) What’s your response to the image now you know what the advert is?
2) How good do you think this is as an advert?
I ventured out an asked some people and collected the results before analysing all my information.
Already full aware of what the images were getting used for I was surprised by some of the response I got for a couple of the images. Advert 3, for example, was an advert for Adidas swimwear. To begin with my responses were varied in terms of how the viewer felt towards it and what it could possibly be advertising. Out of the six people asked, a third were confused by it, another third were intrigued by it and the other third were disturbed by the image. Four of them thought it was for something positive like energy drinks or fitness clothing. The other two flipped it and went dark suggesting it was a self harm campaign or steroid abuse. After they were shown the real image everyone unanimously liked the advert commenting that the idea behind it (that wearing Adidas swimwear makes you swim as though you were a fish!) worked perfectly. One person actually said it would make them buy the brand.
The responses for advert one went slightly differently. Five of the six thought it was funny and made them laugh. Most suggested it was an advert for waste reduction or being green and a car advet because, as she said, “they always do stupid things like that!” The sixth response felt angry about this image. He described the image as being a vandalised bench and suggested it to be an advert for the police force. After they were shown the real image the group split into to camps. First three did not expect it to be about saving water but were still positive about it claiming it was a great advert that got the point across whilst keeping it fun and light hearted. The second group, containing the angry man, hated the advert claiming it was stupid and really thought it could have been better.
Looking through the results and seeing how varied the answers were when the people were shown the altered images it reinforced the thoughts of Barthes who explained that an image can conjure up several different ideas but with a simple piece of text you can focus peoples views to a similar conclusion. However I think that what this experiment has highlighted for me is that depending on the knowledge of the people would determine on what message they picked up on. Barthes talks about an advert containing 3 messages (using advert 3 to demonstrate), these are a linguistic message (this would be the Adidas logo and text), a coded message (this would be the knowledge that Adidas is a sports brand and it has a swimwear range) and a non-encoded message (this would be the knowledge that fish have are great swimmers and they have gills to breath). Due to peoples own personal knowledge and experiences it will determine what answer they give. For example the responses that suggested advert 3 maybe a self harm campaign or the angry man saying advert 1 was for the police may have a reason to do so. These people might have had some personal experience with these subjects. With the text restored everyone is steered towards a similar conclusion.
The use of images in adverts varies really good to poor if we are talking purely about the image. Some adverts can get away with no text and only a logo of the brand, others need both before it can be fully understood. How effective these different types of adverts work depends on the individual, this small experiment show it can vary from advert to advert and person to person.
Believe it or not I would recommend Barthes’ essay to at least likeminded creative types, even if for a bit of bathroom reading ha ha! Okay so it took me several attempts to get into it and another couple of rereads and many a look in the dictionary just to understand half the words to roughly get the gist of it…selling it to you yet?? It is an interesting read, if a bit beige but does introduce some curios ideas that some people might find useful if they are trying to create a winning image or advert for their wares.
For this assignment I chose to do option 3 and look at advertising. Having looked at child advertising and the effects it can have on children in a previous assignment I was interested to find out by simply manipulating an existing set of adverts, in this case removing the text, how people would perceive the image. It was also an opportunity to find out peoples reaction to the advert once I showed them it with the text and brand logos.
Four images were then chosen that did not make it to obvious what it was trying to sell. The original unaltered images are as follows.
Advert 1
Advert 1
Advert 2
Advert 3
Advert 4To get a good number of responses in a short time I decided to create a small questionnaire that I split into 3 parts. First part showed the new altered images and the following questions:
1) Explain in your own words what do you see?
2) How does this image make you feel when you look at it?
Second part was something JB had told us to stay clear of whilst doing the questioning and do it at the end but I decided to do it in the middle to see what the initial responses would be. I asked them:
1) If this image was to be included in an advertising campaign what do you think it would be for?
The final part was the pictures unaltered, as you would find them in magazines, and the following questions:
1) What’s your response to the image now you know what the advert is?
2) How good do you think this is as an advert?
I ventured out an asked some people and collected the results before analysing all my information.
Already full aware of what the images were getting used for I was surprised by some of the response I got for a couple of the images. Advert 3, for example, was an advert for Adidas swimwear. To begin with my responses were varied in terms of how the viewer felt towards it and what it could possibly be advertising. Out of the six people asked, a third were confused by it, another third were intrigued by it and the other third were disturbed by the image. Four of them thought it was for something positive like energy drinks or fitness clothing. The other two flipped it and went dark suggesting it was a self harm campaign or steroid abuse. After they were shown the real image everyone unanimously liked the advert commenting that the idea behind it (that wearing Adidas swimwear makes you swim as though you were a fish!) worked perfectly. One person actually said it would make them buy the brand.
The responses for advert one went slightly differently. Five of the six thought it was funny and made them laugh. Most suggested it was an advert for waste reduction or being green and a car advet because, as she said, “they always do stupid things like that!” The sixth response felt angry about this image. He described the image as being a vandalised bench and suggested it to be an advert for the police force. After they were shown the real image the group split into to camps. First three did not expect it to be about saving water but were still positive about it claiming it was a great advert that got the point across whilst keeping it fun and light hearted. The second group, containing the angry man, hated the advert claiming it was stupid and really thought it could have been better.
Looking through the results and seeing how varied the answers were when the people were shown the altered images it reinforced the thoughts of Barthes who explained that an image can conjure up several different ideas but with a simple piece of text you can focus peoples views to a similar conclusion. However I think that what this experiment has highlighted for me is that depending on the knowledge of the people would determine on what message they picked up on. Barthes talks about an advert containing 3 messages (using advert 3 to demonstrate), these are a linguistic message (this would be the Adidas logo and text), a coded message (this would be the knowledge that Adidas is a sports brand and it has a swimwear range) and a non-encoded message (this would be the knowledge that fish have are great swimmers and they have gills to breath). Due to peoples own personal knowledge and experiences it will determine what answer they give. For example the responses that suggested advert 3 maybe a self harm campaign or the angry man saying advert 1 was for the police may have a reason to do so. These people might have had some personal experience with these subjects. With the text restored everyone is steered towards a similar conclusion.
The use of images in adverts varies really good to poor if we are talking purely about the image. Some adverts can get away with no text and only a logo of the brand, others need both before it can be fully understood. How effective these different types of adverts work depends on the individual, this small experiment show it can vary from advert to advert and person to person.
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