"describe the best DTC project you saw (not your own), either from the other class projects people had at the DTC Showcase or from the games you saw for this class, and connect what was good about that product to key principles from this class and other DTC classes."
I really enjoyed being able to see so many projects from the DTC showcase. A lot of the projects were very inspiring and fun to watch. I could tell that a lot of these projects had a lot of time and effort put into them. As for my favorites or the best ones, it's hard to choose.
I really enjoyed watching all the animations that people created. I personally, don't want to pursue any kind of animation as a career, but if I had more spots open for elective classes, I would definitely take one. So in my opinion, the two best projects were the ghost diner animation and the Minecraft animation.
For the ghost diner animation, I thought it was well animated and also told a really nice story. It had a nice beginning, middle and end that held the attention of the viewer which is important for story-telling. I could easily see a more polished version as a Pixar short before a movie. In class we talked a lot about interaction of the player with the game. Even though this was an animation, I feel as though it interacted with the viewer as well. The animation played off of the viewer reaction to a cute ghost who wants coffee but can't pick up the coffee mug. While it was simple and amusing, I feel it did everything an animated short should do and more.
The other project I really enjoyed was the Ironfall animation. I am a fan of Minecraft and I felt as though the animation was well done. Right now, YouTube is huge, it maybe hit it's peak a couple years ago, but it's still the number one source to find videos. On YouTube, creating your own content really generates success. If you post something that's already done before, it doesn't "go viral". Another part of having success is having content that people want to watch. In class we discussed Bogost's ideas on creating or developing for the client or industry and creating for you. This felt as a perfect blend. For this genre of video, gamers want to see parodies of their favorite video games. This video took two very popular video games and put them together in a mash-up parody. While this probably started out as creating something personal, since there is an audience for it, it is also catering to that audience. So overall it really hit several themes we've talked about in class.
Overall I really enjoyed the DTC showcase and I really look forward to continuing classes in the DTC department.
Comment 1, Comment 2
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Friday, April 18, 2014
Video Games and their Music
While reading Bogost's chapter on relaxation, I thought about the many ways I like to use video games as relaxation. I do enjoy playing Solitaire, but mostly because I'm bored, not because I need to relax. I really love playing Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon like he mentioned in the chapter, however, maybe their relaxing qualities were more subconscious for me. I mostly play Animal crossing if I don't my villagers will forget me....
In Harvest Moon, I tend to just keep on farming solely because I'm broke and need to upgrade my tools and farming stuff so I can make more money.
When I tried to think of a single game that I played only to relax, I couldn't think of one. I usually will just play video games in general in order to relax. So whether it be shooting zombies in Left 4 Dead, shooting the enemy in Black Ops 2, or simply playing whatever game I'm in the middle of (Currently Bioshock Infinite), I just relax through the act of playing them and getting into a world where I don't have homework or job responsibilities.
One way I do choose to use video games in terms of relaxation is through their soundtrack music. If I
had to choose one song to relax to it would be Vigil from Mass Effect. It starts off quiet and ambient and slowly builds. This is the first song you hear when you start your epic journey as Commander Shepard to save the galaxy. I could listen to it on repeat for hours. In my music playlist, I have soundtracks from Mass Effect, Portal, Halo, Journey, Animal Crossing, and even more. I'll listen to them while doing homework or cleaning. Especially with Portal, some of the songs are much more upbeat and I'll save those songs for when I'm working out or just need motivation.
I find video game music very interesting. We went from chip tune music to full on orchestras. Yet both are being used today in more way than one. There'd are many games that come out today that have the same music style and graphic style as they did 20 years I ago, they are designed hat was on purpose, not because that's the extent that video games have. However, most games today have orchestras recording the soundtrack or electronically creating the entire soundtrack with a giant soundboard. There are orchestras that will tour to many cities solely playing video game music, sometimes, they games they are playing music from are even playing in the background.
And the music we have for some of these games are interesting. Much like a movie soundtrack, the music is supposed to evoke a certain emotion while we accomplish this task in a video game. However, in a video game, you can just stand there. You can not move the controller and if your in a spot where you aren't getting attacked, you can just stand thee for hours. In a movie, there character doesn't do that, the character keeps moving and the music doesn't play on repeat for hours. In video games, if you stand there, your music keeps playing. I definitely know there are some games where those songs get stuck in my head and they will just play on repeat for hours. But a challenge that video game soundtrack composers face is composing music that won't want to make you want to rip off your ears when you listen to it over and over it again. I like Koji Kondo's approach to composing music for many Mario and Zelda games.
I truly think that video game music is very interesting and sometimes can be underrated for everything it has to do at once. And if you are ever looking for 5 hours of relaxing video game music, here you go:
In Harvest Moon, I tend to just keep on farming solely because I'm broke and need to upgrade my tools and farming stuff so I can make more money.
When I tried to think of a single game that I played only to relax, I couldn't think of one. I usually will just play video games in general in order to relax. So whether it be shooting zombies in Left 4 Dead, shooting the enemy in Black Ops 2, or simply playing whatever game I'm in the middle of (Currently Bioshock Infinite), I just relax through the act of playing them and getting into a world where I don't have homework or job responsibilities.
One way I do choose to use video games in terms of relaxation is through their soundtrack music. If I
had to choose one song to relax to it would be Vigil from Mass Effect. It starts off quiet and ambient and slowly builds. This is the first song you hear when you start your epic journey as Commander Shepard to save the galaxy. I could listen to it on repeat for hours. In my music playlist, I have soundtracks from Mass Effect, Portal, Halo, Journey, Animal Crossing, and even more. I'll listen to them while doing homework or cleaning. Especially with Portal, some of the songs are much more upbeat and I'll save those songs for when I'm working out or just need motivation.
I find video game music very interesting. We went from chip tune music to full on orchestras. Yet both are being used today in more way than one. There'd are many games that come out today that have the same music style and graphic style as they did 20 years I ago, they are designed hat was on purpose, not because that's the extent that video games have. However, most games today have orchestras recording the soundtrack or electronically creating the entire soundtrack with a giant soundboard. There are orchestras that will tour to many cities solely playing video game music, sometimes, they games they are playing music from are even playing in the background.
And the music we have for some of these games are interesting. Much like a movie soundtrack, the music is supposed to evoke a certain emotion while we accomplish this task in a video game. However, in a video game, you can just stand there. You can not move the controller and if your in a spot where you aren't getting attacked, you can just stand thee for hours. In a movie, there character doesn't do that, the character keeps moving and the music doesn't play on repeat for hours. In video games, if you stand there, your music keeps playing. I definitely know there are some games where those songs get stuck in my head and they will just play on repeat for hours. But a challenge that video game soundtrack composers face is composing music that won't want to make you want to rip off your ears when you listen to it over and over it again. I like Koji Kondo's approach to composing music for many Mario and Zelda games.
I truly think that video game music is very interesting and sometimes can be underrated for everything it has to do at once. And if you are ever looking for 5 hours of relaxing video game music, here you go:
Monday, April 14, 2014
YA and Our Students.
"Games can be construed natively as art, within the communities of practice and even the industry of games, rather than by pledging fealty to the fine art kingdom" (11). This quote really stood out to me. As a fine arts major I can see both sides to this argument of whether video games are considered art. I truly believe that in time, video games will be featured in galleries and art history courses of the 21st century. When certain art movements came about, the art world didn't immediately recognize it as art. Even though Dadaists considered their art to be art, other artists and the art world at the time were very skeptical. Last summer I went to an exhibit at the Experience Music Project in Seattle. The exhibit was dedicate to the progression of art in video games. From ground breaking side scroller games to the latest in 3d graphics, they featured many games from each console that stood out and made progress for the art aspect of gaming. So already games are beginning to be considered art by other industries and hopefully in good time the art world will consider it themselves.
This argument immediately made me think of another argument in the world of books and novels. In the last several years, young adult books have struggled to be recognized as profound books that students should be reading in schools. YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association, makes a very good argument for why Young Adult novels should be read in classrooms. According to the article, in 2012, high school students are only reading at a 5th grade level, and that's just sad. I remember all throughout high school, my peers didn't like reading, at all. But based on the books we read in high school, I don't blame them. Yes they are classics and teaching us lessons or whatever they are trying to do, but why can't more recent books do the same thing? As an avid reader myself, I truly think that my peers would enjoy reading if they found books they liked instead of being forced books they don't like. They are forced to read books that are boring to them and it leaves a bad taste in their mouth. This article states that, "Teens, like most readers, appreciate characters and situation that are familiar to them and their lives. Readers have a stronger connection to the text when they can see themselves and their struggles in the story." I can't see myself struggling through a Puritan town like in the Scarlett Letter. Are there really no other books that can teach the same lessons? Many young adult novels are being banned from schools which makes readers and authors very frustrated with they way their award winning books are treated in these school system. After another school district banned his 2006 Printz Award winning book Looking for Alaska, the author John Green tweeted "Really disappointed that a school board would decide to remove my book based on excerpts instead of reading the book."
I find the argument for Young Adult novels in the classroom is the same as wanting video games to be considered as art. Like the quote from Bogost, readers and writers of YA novels, we considered them profound books that teens can learn from. Maybe they can even teach them more about these lessons we want them to learn than these other books we are forcing them to read do. And maybe these books will spark an interest in reading in students. The community accepts these books and librarians across the nation push these novels on teens while their teachers push them away. But as Bogost implies, as long as gamers and creators consider it art, then it is. We don't need to bother with the fine art world, they will make up their minds eventually. We can keep pushing but it might be better to just get more gamers and creators on board with art styles in video games rather than getting games displayed in galleries or taught in art classes.
http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2012/04/09/why-ya-in-the-classroom/
Comment 1, Comment 2
This argument immediately made me think of another argument in the world of books and novels. In the last several years, young adult books have struggled to be recognized as profound books that students should be reading in schools. YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association, makes a very good argument for why Young Adult novels should be read in classrooms. According to the article, in 2012, high school students are only reading at a 5th grade level, and that's just sad. I remember all throughout high school, my peers didn't like reading, at all. But based on the books we read in high school, I don't blame them. Yes they are classics and teaching us lessons or whatever they are trying to do, but why can't more recent books do the same thing? As an avid reader myself, I truly think that my peers would enjoy reading if they found books they liked instead of being forced books they don't like. They are forced to read books that are boring to them and it leaves a bad taste in their mouth. This article states that, "Teens, like most readers, appreciate characters and situation that are familiar to them and their lives. Readers have a stronger connection to the text when they can see themselves and their struggles in the story." I can't see myself struggling through a Puritan town like in the Scarlett Letter. Are there really no other books that can teach the same lessons? Many young adult novels are being banned from schools which makes readers and authors very frustrated with they way their award winning books are treated in these school system. After another school district banned his 2006 Printz Award winning book Looking for Alaska, the author John Green tweeted "Really disappointed that a school board would decide to remove my book based on excerpts instead of reading the book."
I find the argument for Young Adult novels in the classroom is the same as wanting video games to be considered as art. Like the quote from Bogost, readers and writers of YA novels, we considered them profound books that teens can learn from. Maybe they can even teach them more about these lessons we want them to learn than these other books we are forcing them to read do. And maybe these books will spark an interest in reading in students. The community accepts these books and librarians across the nation push these novels on teens while their teachers push them away. But as Bogost implies, as long as gamers and creators consider it art, then it is. We don't need to bother with the fine art world, they will make up their minds eventually. We can keep pushing but it might be better to just get more gamers and creators on board with art styles in video games rather than getting games displayed in galleries or taught in art classes.
http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2012/04/09/why-ya-in-the-classroom/
Comment 1, Comment 2
Friday, March 28, 2014
Nerds Fighting on an Island?
I am here today to share with the world, a group of people who "live" on an island. Nerdfighteria Island to be exact. They seem to have some access to the internet on this island, because they have a huge online presence. This island takes on many different forms. When searching for a map, there were many different versions of maps and many different sizes and shapes that the island's form took place. This seemed to be the most detailed map:
The people who inhabit this island are said to be made of pure awesome. It is their mission to decrease worldsuck and increase global awesome.
They have their own motto
their own gang sign
their own theme song,
and they all look up to and follow the creators of Nerdfighters and Nerdfighteria, John Green and Hank Green.
John green is a best-selling author of books like Looking For Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars. His brother Hank is known for his music and various YouTube channels. Together they started making videos back and forth to each other under the name Brotherhood 2.0. Now, they call themselves the VlogBrothers. Together they still make videos under the VlogBrothers channel, but they also have expanded and they make videos on different YouTube chancels such as SciShow, Crash Course, and the Art Assignment. Hank Green created and puts together the annual YouTube Convention called VidCon. Hank and John Green also use their online presence and the Nerdfighter Community to promote their annual campaign to raise money in order to decrease worldsuck. Every year they put on Project For Awesome which raises money and awareness for thousands of charities. In December of 2013 they rained more than 860,000$.
If you would like to be a Nerdlfighter, you probably already are. Just in case: here's a video to help you understand what you're getting into:
All in all this online community brings together people from all countries. They all come together and promote each other's videos. They work together to help each other in need. And they really are made of pure awesome.
Comments :
1,2
The people who inhabit this island are said to be made of pure awesome. It is their mission to decrease worldsuck and increase global awesome.
They have their own motto
their own gang sign
their own theme song,
and they all look up to and follow the creators of Nerdfighters and Nerdfighteria, John Green and Hank Green.
John green is a best-selling author of books like Looking For Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars. His brother Hank is known for his music and various YouTube channels. Together they started making videos back and forth to each other under the name Brotherhood 2.0. Now, they call themselves the VlogBrothers. Together they still make videos under the VlogBrothers channel, but they also have expanded and they make videos on different YouTube chancels such as SciShow, Crash Course, and the Art Assignment. Hank Green created and puts together the annual YouTube Convention called VidCon. Hank and John Green also use their online presence and the Nerdfighter Community to promote their annual campaign to raise money in order to decrease worldsuck. Every year they put on Project For Awesome which raises money and awareness for thousands of charities. In December of 2013 they rained more than 860,000$.
If you would like to be a Nerdlfighter, you probably already are. Just in case: here's a video to help you understand what you're getting into:
Comments :
1,2
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
My Childhood
Dear Younger Brothers,
I see you guys just got your fancy new XBox One. I'm perfectly happy with my xbox 360 and Playstation 3. I don't even have time for a lot of games, so I mostly use them for Netflix. Oh Netflix. I see you guys always watching Netflix when I look at my Xbox Friends list. It's nice being able to watch TV and Movies like that. Being able to instantly stream you favorite tv shows and movies. You can watch them over and and over again and it's all digital. Do you two remember all our tapes....VHS....? No? Yeah I think you were a little too young when we finally switched to DVD and now all our streaming movies and tv. I was only last year that Mom finally got rid of all our tapes. You boys were glad to see them go to free up room for video games and DVDs. It was a sad day for me... There goes my childhood.
I remember watching movies over and over again when I was younger. I would literally watch the movie, rewind it, and watch it again. I hated waiting and watching all the previews so mom would right the time the movie started on the VHS box so we could fast forward to the exact spot it started. I remember you boys would never rewind the movie when you watched tapes. Mom would put it in for you so you wouldn't break it. We had to teach you not to mess with the tape but all that was quickly forgotten when we got DVDs. No more rewinding, no more fuzzy lines at the top when the tape was wearing out. I still remember how awesome it was to get to go to Video Only and rent a movie or TV. I even remember where on the shelves the Little Mermaid Tv Show tapes and the Gumby Movie were because I would rent them so much.
DVDs and Streaming are a lot nicer I must admit. But not everything is on DVD or streaming. All the Mickey Mouse cartoon that Mom taped from Tv or the movies that were never covered to DVD... Now we have to find a way to convert all our old home movies, otherwise we can't watch them since our only tape player eats all our tapes.
Have fun with your xbox one,
Love,
Your older sister.
I see you guys just got your fancy new XBox One. I'm perfectly happy with my xbox 360 and Playstation 3. I don't even have time for a lot of games, so I mostly use them for Netflix. Oh Netflix. I see you guys always watching Netflix when I look at my Xbox Friends list. It's nice being able to watch TV and Movies like that. Being able to instantly stream you favorite tv shows and movies. You can watch them over and and over again and it's all digital. Do you two remember all our tapes....VHS....? No? Yeah I think you were a little too young when we finally switched to DVD and now all our streaming movies and tv. I was only last year that Mom finally got rid of all our tapes. You boys were glad to see them go to free up room for video games and DVDs. It was a sad day for me... There goes my childhood.
DVDs and Streaming are a lot nicer I must admit. But not everything is on DVD or streaming. All the Mickey Mouse cartoon that Mom taped from Tv or the movies that were never covered to DVD... Now we have to find a way to convert all our old home movies, otherwise we can't watch them since our only tape player eats all our tapes.
Have fun with your xbox one,
Love,
Your older sister.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Engaging the Student
I think that the use of technology in a classroom is useful and should be implemented in more classes. When I go to class I really love taking notes on my iPad. I can type my notes and format them to be very organized. I can draw anything on my notes to help remember something later. I can easily take those notes and change them to flash cards. With almost every test I take, I study with the website/app StudyBlue. With StudyBlue you can join your class, see what flash cards your peers have posted, make your own flash cards, and study on the go. It has definitely helped me get better grades. If something like StudyBlue was promoted or used in the classroom, student would be able to do better in school.
While the program Angel has it's problems, I feel that if it is used correctly, it is very helpful. Being able to check my grades, look at lecture notes, and turn in my homework all from my iPad or phone really has it's advantages. When professors post their lecture notes before class, I can download them onto my iPad and take notes right on their slides. When professors have power points everyday in class but don't provide their notes to students, I find those classes much harder and boring. Even when classes don't have attendance, if they are interesting and engaging, I'll go. Classes that require attendance but are boring and not engaging are the worst. I find myself not wanting to go or simply not paying attention in class.
I honestly believe that classes that allow you to use your own technology or engage the student in how they learn would make students more willing to go to class. If you have to require attendance because so many people aren't going to class, then as a professor, you should reevaluate how you are teaching your class.
Comment 1
Comment 2
While the program Angel has it's problems, I feel that if it is used correctly, it is very helpful. Being able to check my grades, look at lecture notes, and turn in my homework all from my iPad or phone really has it's advantages. When professors post their lecture notes before class, I can download them onto my iPad and take notes right on their slides. When professors have power points everyday in class but don't provide their notes to students, I find those classes much harder and boring. Even when classes don't have attendance, if they are interesting and engaging, I'll go. Classes that require attendance but are boring and not engaging are the worst. I find myself not wanting to go or simply not paying attention in class.
I honestly believe that classes that allow you to use your own technology or engage the student in how they learn would make students more willing to go to class. If you have to require attendance because so many people aren't going to class, then as a professor, you should reevaluate how you are teaching your class.
Comment 1
Comment 2
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Action Reaction
McLuhan states that "We have had to shift our stress of attention from action to reaction. We must now know in advance the consequences of any policy or action, since the results are experienced without delay. Because of electric speed, we can no longer wait and see" (63).
I feel as though many games today follow this same pattern he is noticing. There are many games that choose to base the game play on your choices. What you do effects the ending. Sometimes, people don't like that at all and they will search out guides that will tell you how your choices will affect the outcome.
Andrew Hardin states that "different people become immersed in games in different ways. Several people I work with find games unexciting no matter what kind of game, or how good. They will probably play few games in their life, and wouldn't even if they died and went to gaming heaven. Many people don't want to play anything besides a party game, and some will play just about anything. It's not a question of theme, it's a question of how that theme immerses you in the game. It's not a question of mechanism, it's how that mechanism immerses you in the game."
I feel as though the appeal to games that give you different outcomes based on your choices rely mostly on mechanics. I have play a variety of these types of games and they might have some similarities in theme, but the mechanics in the game is what makes these games interesting.
In order to get the player immersed in the game, these game designers are choosing to make the player choose their game. Some really good examples of this type of game play are Mass Effect, Telltale's The Walking Dead, and the Stanley Parable.
In the Walking Dead game, you have similar dialogue and action choices. However, in this game, you have a time limit. If you don't say anything, then that character will remember it. There are also quick time events that require your action as well. Telltale even tracked player's choices to help write further installments of the game.
In the Stanley Parable, your choices are a little more subtle. You have a dialogue wheel to help see what all the choices are. If you stand around deciding, the narrator will notice and say something about it. Simply going through the right door instead of the left will give you a different ending. This game has about 20 different endings.
In all these games, choices matter. Our actions cause reactions that we can see almost immediately. These games all have different themes to them like saving the galaxy, surviving the zombie apocalypse, and figuring out what's going on in your office. However, they all have the game game mechanic of choosing your story. The game becomes yours. Each play through could be totally different than the last. Players become so immersed in the game. Some players will actually seek out guides to know what their choices will decide so they can get the play through they want.
Going back to McLuhan, he says that these types of games have become popular because of the aspect of choosing. I know from experience, I wanted to know what I needed to say in order to keep characters alive in Mass Effect. I wanted to say all the right things to get the ending I wanted. I didn't look for guides and I wound up getting the perfect ending (in my opinion). I did keep multiple save games in case something went wrong. I believe that McLuhan is absolutely right when it comes to video games since more and more of these types of games are coming out.
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