The Importance of HCI: A Summer Internship Research Report; The Worst Video Game in History: The Failure of the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Video Game

The overarching theme that unites my technical report with the STS research paper is the examination of the dynamics between external factors and technology. These external factors may encompass users, developers, or concepts. Both works emphasize the significance of these interactions in shaping technological outcomes. The distinction lies in the factors they employ and the results they produce. My technical report concentrates on using concepts that positively impact the technology, while my STS paper examines how users, developers, and ideas contributed to the downfall of a specific technology. Despite opposite outcomes, both papers analyze the influence of external factors on technological results.

My technical report analyzes what I learned from my summer research abroad in South Korea. Although my research centered on articles about Human-Computer Interactions (HCI), it repeatedly emphasized ubiquitous computing, the seamless integration of computing into daily life. I developed a methodology proposing how interest, resilience, and interaction can guide future ubiquitous computing designs. These elements are essential for successful integration. I detail in what specific ways developers can implement these principles and what benefits they procure concerning ubiquitous computing. This technical report examines the concepts of interest, resilience, and interaction (external factors), evaluating their collective influence on fostering a positive impact of technology.

Conversely, my STS paper uses external factors to evaluate a technology's failure: the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial video game. My argument attributes the failure not only to the rushed development process but also to the broader context of Atari’s workplace, the 1983 video game crash, and the popularity of the game Raiders of the Lost Ark. These elements created a "perfect storm" that led to the game's collapse. John Law’s Actor-Network Theory (ANT) highlights that varied actors in a network produce unpredictable behaviors, supporting the argument that the game’s failure stemmed from interacting influences. My research aims to demonstrate that technology developers are not always to blame when their work fails. It seeks to accentuate the importance of external factors in shaping responses to technology.

Working on these two projects simultaneously added value to the other. My technical report helped me gain an understanding of how to cultivate elements for a design that can positively impact the success of technology. Therefore, it helped me understand what factors would be detrimental to a technology's success, which helped me break down what negative factors contributed to the E.T. video game’s collapse. The STS research paper helped me understand how different factors can interact and increase their impact as they accumulate on top of each other. Consequently, it helped me know what I had to develop and plan to effectively make sure that I could achieve the goal of curating a plan for the success of ubiquitous computing. In summary, working on both my technical report and STS project has assisted me in learning more about the complexities involved in the relationship between outside influences and technological outcomes.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Technical Advisor: Rosanne Vrugtman

STS Advisor: Benjamin J. Laugelli

Technical Team Members: Stacey Luki