Podcast time!

The sound echoes really bad, and I am not sure why. I tried different microphones, but got the same effect or they didn't pick up my voice at all. 

So if you have questions, please ask thanks.

Happy hunting!

Guest blogger

Hello, I am the author of the horror video game blog Scary Pixels and I will be writing about the representation of ghosts in video games.

Ghosts have a long history in videogames, one of the most recognizable being Boo from the Mario universe. Even with their perceived popularity, ghosts appear in very few videogames that ghosts make an appearance each have various representations of what ghosts are and how much influence they have on the world around them.

Video game ghosts are usually portrayed as malicious towards the player are humans in general. An example of this would be Silent Hill 4: The Room, in which ghosts are among the main antagonists and drain player health (Perry, 2004). These spirits do not have any influence over the game world and are similar to residual type of haunting.  In the F.E.A.R. game series, ghostly antagonist Alma exhibits almost total control over the game world and because of this she could be considered more of a poltergeist (McNamara, 2005).

Some games allow you to directly control a ghost as the player character, usually using possession as a gameplay mechanic. In the game Geist for the GameCube, for example, players are the spirit of a recently deceased person who must use the power of possession to inhabit inanimate objects, animals, and humans in order to escape a military complex that is trying to weaponize ghosts—a silly plot, but not every video game needs an award-winning story (Casamassina, 2005). Another game to use possession as a gameplay mechanic is Ghost Trick for the Nintendo DS. The player must use time travel and possess objects in order to save people from an untimely death and solve a murder mystery (Hatfield, 2011). Very few games have used ghosts as protagonists compared to those that use the concept as antagonists.

In the modern gaming market it seems most games shy away from using ghosts, although some exist that portray them in a less-than-favorable light.

References

Perry, D. (September 7, 2004). Silent Hill 4: The Room [Game Review]. Retrieved From: http://ps2.ign.com/articles/545/545387p1.html

McNamara, T. (October 12, 2005). F.E.A.R. [Game Review]. Retrieved From: http://pc.ign.com/articles/657/657310p1.html

Casamassina, M. (August 12, 2005). Geist [Game Review].  Retrieved From: http://cube.ign.com/articles/641/641641p1.html

Hatfield, D. (January 11, 2011). Ghost Trick Review [Game Review]. Retrieved From: http://ds.ign.com/articles/114/1143540p1.html

What to do when you experience phenomena

I mentioned in a previous post that I would post about what you should do when you experience certain types of phenomena, specifically noises and apparitions. 


Noises:
If you are investigating and you hear a noise you should stop for a moment and see if it reoccurs. Whether it reoccurs or not, try to find out where it come from and go to this spot. While at this spot do all you can to figure out what caused the noise. First check any equipment that might have also heard the noise. The begin to check the room for fallen objects and look around the room for things that seem out of place, if you are working with a team ask if they were in the area when you heard the noise. If you still do not know what caused the noise, try to recreate it. You can try dropping objects on the floor, stomping on the ground, or opening and closing doors. 
If you cannot recreate or find a cause for the noise you have experienced paranormal phenomena.*


Shadows/Apparitions:
If you see a shadow or an apparition stop and ask out loud if someone is around. If you get no response, try to think about what could have form what you just saw. Shadows can be causes by lights coming in through windows, or even off equipment that has lights. Like with what you would do when you hear a noise, try to recreate the image. This is easier if you have someone with you**. See if shining a light at a certain angle creates a form or analyze objects and see if they look similar to what you saw. 
If you cannot recreate the image then you may have seen a ghost.*


* If you do not have it caught on equipment it is nothing but a story. Your ears and eyes can play tricks on you.
** For safety and the recreation of images I suggest always investigating with someone else. 

Early beginnings of paranormal photography

In his book Photography and Spirit, John Harvey’s first words are, “There are spirits – and they can be photographed.” (Harvey, 2007) This is a common thought for many people who believe in ghosts and it is now thought that the “coming together of photography and spirit [allies] modern technology to ancient believe and apparatus to apparitions,” (Harvey, 2007)

In the early 1800s, experiments to combine the separation of light and dark and a set of light sensing chemicals to produce photographs started. Despite the difficuly of the task, in 1839 scientist created the first photographical method known as daguerrotype imaging. This is where is all started and the development of photography is still going on today. (History, 2001) But when did it become a medium for the paranormal? 

The first “unexplainable” ghost photograph is said to have been taken by W. Campbell of Jersey City, New Jersey in 1860. (Prairie Ghosts, 2008) The story behind Campbell’s photography is that he took a picture of an empty chair, but once the photograph was developed it revealed an image of a small boy sitting in the chair. Unfortunately for Campbell he could not recreate the photograph and therefore was not well remembered by historians of art. (Paranormal-encyclopedia, 2012)

The most well-known ghost photograph was taken by the Boston photographer, William H. Mumler(Figure 1). (Radford, 2011) He began producing “spirit photographs” in 1861 and continued to produce until being revealed as a “hoaxer”. The ghosts he claimed to have captured were merely double exposures of previous clients. (Radford, 2011)

“Despite ever-increasing technology, real photographic proof of ghosts remains as elusive as ever.” (Radford, 2011)

The following picture was taken by William Mumler.

© 2000 The American Photography Museum, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Used by Permission.
Figure 1

You can find more of Mumler's photographs on  The American Museum of Photography's website.

References

Harvey, J. (2007). Photography and spirit. London, England: Reaktion Books Ltd.

Fi.edu. The History of Photography. (2001). Retrieved from http://fi.edu/pieces/watson/hist.htm

Mumler, William. Master herrod in a trance. his spiritual body withdrawn and appears behind. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.photographymuseum.com/mumler.html

Paranormal-encyclopedia. A Brief History of Paranormal Photography. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com/p/photography/history.html

Radford, B. (2011). When Did the First 'Ghost Photos' Appear?. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/11699-ghost-photos.html

Taylor, T. Spirit photography. (2001). Retrieved from http://www.prairieghosts.com/ph_history.html

Interview with 2 C Paranormal member

 This is my interview with Cindy from 2 C Paranormal 

Me – What type of things has your team found that can cause noises that aren’t paranormal but can be interpreted as paranormal?
Cindy – Many issues can create a noise that sounds like a voice or word. Like a loud banging can simply be something settling. Animals can make and sound like all sorts of things, whether you are in wilderness or a neighborhood. I prefer a place that has no power; this makes it easier to deciphering.

Me –When is the best time to investigate?
Cindy – This is dependent on what type of entity. But night/dark makes it easier to capture lights and colors, for pictures/video  daylight would be your friend. But there is no real time better than the other, each entity is different.

Me –What methods and equipment does your team use when investigating?
Cindy – We use temp, weather, and other reports. Also;

• EMF detector,
• IR video cameras,
• Digital cameras, 
• Trap cameras, 
• Voice boxes 
• Temp meters,
• Laser grids,
• Compass, ans
• Flashlights.

We role-play a lot, so sometimes we use props like;

• Balls,
• Food/drink,
• Pen/paper, 
• Perfume, and
• Games.  

We are not rude, and don't evoke or invoke.

Me –What types of paranormal evidence have you and your team capture?
Cindy – Our team have had some cool experiences/captures at Vulture Gold Mine; pic with a bright face/profile, great interactions several times in the school house, all lasting quite a while; including pics, videos, audios, emf senses and the best: personal experiences. Among other things found here. And many experiences other places too.

Interview with Long Island Paranormal investigator Rob

Interview with Rob from Long Island Paranormal Investigators

Me- How did you start investigating?

Rob- My friend Mike and I started our organization 9 years ago. We began by checking out local urban legends to see if we could find any truth to them. When we first started everything was new and there weren't television shows on the subject. We read a lot of
books and information on websites. We then tested out theories that others presented in books and the internet to see what we would discover and what to believe.

Me- What equipment do you suggest for beginners?

Rob- We generally tell beginners to the field to ignore all the new, fancy gadgets on television and get grounded on things that are more substantial and have been used for a while. Starting out you should have a basic EMF meter, audio recorder, and a camera. Make sure to study and learn the specs of the individual item thoroughly. Once you master what you have, then consider expanding what you have.

Me- What is your mentality when going into an investigation?

Rob- When we enter into a case we go in as open-minded skeptics. We believe in being open to possibilities, but that you shouldn't go in expecting something paranormal to happen. When you get something you must eliminate all other answers before you call it paranormal. Your evidence must hold up to scrutiny if you want others to take you seriously. 

Me-  If there is one piece of advice you would give to beginners, what would it be?

Rob- One piece of advice I give to new people is to remember television is for entertainment. I just say to take things at times with a grain of salt.

Equipment

Science and technology have come a long way. The paranormal is not back up strongly by science, but technology can help you gain evidence that will make your investigation more credible. Equipment is very broad in the paranormal field, but a few pieces of equipment are necessities. These are;

• Flashlight(s),
• Digital camera(s),
• Audio recorder(s),
• Digital thermometer(s), and
• Electromagnetic field detector(s).

These five items are good to have if you are just starting out, but there are other items that can be used.

Many investigators use;

• Video camera(s),
• Thermal Camera(s),
• Motion Censor(s),
• DVR System(s), and
• Computer Program(s).

I will warn you that the five items above can be expensive. That is why I am telling you what you should definitely consider having when investigating and what you may want to check out. Some websites you can find equipment at are;

• Ghost Shop.com 
• Less EMF.com
• Prairie Ghosts.com
• My Ghost Gear.com
• The Ghost Hunter Store.com
• Paranormal Research Tools.com
• Ghost Mart.com

GhostStop.com has the biggest selection but they are the most expensive out of the five I have listed. I found GhostMart.com has the best prices out of any paranormal equipment store. 

Another thing about many of these items is that you can find them in stores other than paranormal equipment stores. If you seem to be having a hard time finding a piece of equipment that fits your budget try Walmart or Home Depot.

Remember that you do not have to buy all this equipment, remember to use what you feel comfortable using and what you can pay for.