Home Gaming Watch Dogs 2 tackles big data

Watch Dogs 2 tackles big data

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Watch dogs 2 1

The first Watch Dogs game tackled the issues of surveillance – ctOS was watching you, invading your privacy and leading to some dire consequences. Watch Dogs 2, however, looks at the concept of Big Data. The big bad isn’t trying to invade Marcus’ privacy, he is selling and manipulating all the data on people. It’s pretty scary stuff, but also much more interesting to fight against. Here is the video explaining more.

I think move of us have already accepted that we live on the grid. I mean, I’m not comfortable with the idea of video surveillance, but I know all my online activity is tracked. As our lives are increasingly spent online, that means more of our lives are available to big data. They know the site I browse, the articles I share on social media, what I shop for online, and so much more. Just check out your Facebook ad preferences and you’ll see all the things Facebook thinks it knows about you. Mine isn’t totally accurate – it thinks I like “male interest” topics, but at least it got the parenting, friends of newly engaged, away from hometown and my political leanings correct. Now, there is nothing inherently bad about what Facebook knows about me, but in a more sinister world, my data could be used to profile me or target me in ways that go beyond the incessant advertisements for pregnancy tests.

Watch Dogs 2 is Ubisoft’s flagship game this year seeing as they aren’t shipping an Assassin’s Creed or Far Cry game. I am hopeful that it will be an improved experience, and I’m excited to step into Marcus’ funky shoes and explore the world of San Francisco. Are you interested in the story, or is it all just a backdrop for the real thing you do in Ubisoft open world sandboxes – play mini games and go on side quests.

Last Updated: October 5, 2016

16 Comments

  1. Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

    October 5, 2016 at 08:12

    Facebook….. because apparently it’s mandatory or something

    Reply

    • Original Heretic

      October 5, 2016 at 08:40

      Screw that. I stopped using it about 2 years ago and I don’t even miss it.

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

        October 5, 2016 at 09:16

        Ditto

        Reply

  2. Admiral Chief

    October 5, 2016 at 08:12

    Having a dead ADSL line at home for about 6 days (fixed yesterday, yay!) I tend to agree.

    We’ve changed how we consume data at home, by being quite dependant on it (whatsapp, youtube, streaming, gaming etc)

    Reply

    • miaau

      October 5, 2016 at 11:43

      Totally, no internet at home…. Hard to contemplate.

      Reply

  3. Alien Emperor Trevor

    October 5, 2016 at 08:12

    The best thing about big data is… it’s really big. So big as to be unwieldy in many cases. Their main problem isn’t collecting data – which by itself is fairly useless – it’s analysing it & turning it into information.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief

      October 5, 2016 at 08:19

      Also true

      Reply

    • Admiral Chief

      October 5, 2016 at 08:19

      Big data means nothing without big analytics

      Reply

    • Dungeon of JJ

      October 5, 2016 at 08:31

      Spoken like a true analyst 🙂

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief

        October 5, 2016 at 08:34

        *ANALyst

        Reply

        • Dungeon of JJ

          October 5, 2016 at 08:35

          XD

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief

            October 5, 2016 at 08:54

            😀

    • miaau

      October 5, 2016 at 11:43

      Something I am all too familiar with. Designing large system, collecting masses of data. Gets fun.

      Point is to make it into a pyramid type thing, data at the top of the pyramid is information not data.

      Reply

  4. Skittle

    October 5, 2016 at 09:32

    I’ve never been less hyped for a game.

    Reply

  5. HairyEwok

    October 5, 2016 at 10:14

    They know EVERYTHING about you, is data problem? Yes, yes it is.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief

      October 5, 2016 at 10:15

      xD

      Reply

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