This article follows the footsteps of the previous article read on ludology. It is an interesting dialogue performed by Dr. Geoffrey Rockwell and Dr. Kevin Kee, where they use certain games to exemplify their points. More specifically, they discuss serious games are able to provide an educational experience however simple and short play they may be. I find Kee makes some interesting arguments about "September 12's" serious and education aspect. Sometimes the player and also the game make must think farther than a simple first person shooting game, but rather to think of the consequences of shooting and how complicating shooting can be in relation to reality. Here is an important quote from Kee that he point out to Rockwell:
This is a conversation starter: some people think that the way to crush terrorism is to fire missiles from 30,000 feet. Frasca makes the point, through the way the game is played, that that kind of anti-terrorism strategy only creates more terrorism.
This sort of ideology can get quite abstract since in reality games are not like television nor like books. In addition, I do believe there are serious games just like there are action and stupid games. Serious games are stimulating and through that stimulating game play often lies an educational side. Is it really up to us to officially define whether a game is serious, or is it up to each individual to decide for themselves while they play? Everyone may have a different opinion on if they think the game is serious or not. What Kee does explain about the September 12 and Civilization III games are very true but you have to think further than what the game is said to be to see them as serious/educational games.
Rockwell successfully counter argues Kee's point by providing us with a different perspective. As the dialogue does on I am slightly confused whether the main focus of this speech is on serious games or education games or simply both combined. They bring into play ancient philosophers and twentieth-century theorists that some of us may be unaware of. However confusing this point of the discussion may be, I must say that a dialogue makes it interesting to view both sides of an argument. I think the goal of Kee and Rockwell was to just give an introduction of serious and educational games and game play. They come to agree that the line separating games and learning does not necessarily exist and that in game designs we can find the beginning of certain serious game plays.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Week 2
3 Game Challenges:
- Game for Pre K to Grade 1-3: I decided to create a more modern version of kid pix mixed with a simplified Photoshop design. The child will be supplied with a bar at the bottom of the screen with colourful buttons (ex. paint brush, stamps, pencil, eraser), and everytime a button will be clicked, he or she will be able to hear the name of the tool. When I was younger, I use to love Kid Pix and I thought it would be a great idea to re-use this game but making it more on the educational level. Games for children need to have the fun aspect with the learning aspect and this game will be able to provide that with endless possibilities for ones imagination.
Once the child chooses his or her tool and hears the name of the tool aloud, he/she is surprised with either rainbow colours, different stamp icons with each click of a mouse, different line thickness with the pencil, etc. Also, the tools will be very varied and one of them will be able to animate your art piece briefly with the paint strokes dancing to a song the kid chooses. This game is best played on the computer but can also be played on the Wii since its family oriented, and on the ipad since they can use their fingers to draw (cleaner than real paint). E for Everyone.
- Game with One Button: The game I came up with using only one button is with a venus fly trap and bugs. One button games are known to be quite addictive in terms of beating your own score. In this game, the player must use the one key/button on a keyboard/remote and persistently click that button so the venus fly trap's mouth stays open. The player must keep the fly trap's mouth open in order to catch as many bugs as possibly but beware, there a certain things it can't eat. This is why you must immediately let go of the button/key so the mouth closes. The player is given 3 lives and calculates the score on the number of bugs swallowed and the time it took before dying.
I got inspired from the analog game Crocodile Dentist when the player must remove the teeth one by one till the mouth closes on your hand. This game will have a very simplistic design and look cartoonish as well. Also, this game will most likely be played on the computer and smart phones since it is like an application (ex. angry birds). Not a complicated game, quite simple yet challenging, and most of all; addictive. E for Everyone.
- Cooperative Game but also Betraying Allies: This game was more difficult to come up with but thanks to the classic game of "Clue", it inspired me to come up with a strategic game. Since there are not that many pirate games and more "World of Warcraft" style games, well, you can guess the rest. The goal of the game is to solve puzzles and win challenges so that the Pirate team the player chooses finds the treasure. Challenges may be to help the player get the map, if one teammate betrays others to find which one it is before he/she steals the gold. The player must cooperate with his team on his ship to guide him to the treasure. Once this treasure is found, the team must be betrayed so only the player can leave with it. The challenges are different everytime depending on the team one chooses.
In addition, this game has a slight narrative but not too much to overload the game and can be rated T for Teen. Be careful that the team does not think the Captain will betray them because if one senses it, the player's Pirate will walk the plank! Designed with complex 3D models, this game can be played on consoles such as PS3 and XBOX.
Review:
"Simulation versus Narrative: Introduction to Ludology" by Gonzalo Frasca
Narratives are essential to ours lives by providing a basis for communication and information transmission. In Gonzalo Frasca’s article, he presents to the reader the contrast between media past and the newcomer: videogames. The narratological position is that games should be understood as novel forms and studied using theories of narrative. The ludological position is that games should be understood on their own terms and should be focused on the rules of the game itself. Though I am not sure to agree with the saying that video games are not held together by a narrative structure, this reading highlights successfully the importance of researching the power of stimulation. I find that that every video game is different and one might be held together by a strong narrative structure in compared to others that have no story at all. Games may not completely be non-narrative nor are not structured like narratives, but do require structuralism since it is the first step to understanding the basic characteristics of the game.
Nonetheless, Frasca goes on explaining that there is an alternative to presentation and narrative that is stimulation. From drawing to writing to composing, these means of transmission are considered linear and representational rather than simultational. However, the contrast in videogames tests the multitude of connections and relationships examined by the player, and thus the nonlinear mode takes shape. To understand between, he explains that, “games are just a particular way of structuring stimulation, just like narrative is a form of structuring representation”. But don’t they all connect in a way? It seems that video games are able to trigger the brain’s behavioral intuitiveness, making use of the body’s perceptivity. From personal experience this is true since the feeling of painting of a canvas is not the same as painting on Photoshop. I guess it is easier to apply narratology than to imagine a new approach.
In addition, with the latest technology on the market, games are able to place the player on a level as enticing as a pure narrative structure. Frasca says that game creators are restrained to narratives. On the other hand, stimulation is not a replacement for representation but rather an alternative.
To conclude, this article discussed two general structures in the simulated environment, ludus and paidia. This reading tends to be quite complex and sometimes confusing because of the terms Frasca employs as he goes back and forth about ludology. Frasca discusses that the basic assumption of a simulation is that change is possible but it seems rather naïve. So what should the next games resemble: more simulation and less narrative, no narrative structure and only simultation? It is up to the programmer and the player to decide.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Week 1
Two Games:
Silent Hill Games - 1999 to 2011
The Silent Hill are a series of video games composed of a mixture of adventure, psychological thriller, and survival horror. It is one of the most well known game in the horror industry that follows the main character in an monster-filled alternative dimension. Every game of the series of Silent Hill connects to one another and follows the original story line of the first game. The objective of the game is to guide the protagonist through a third person perspective within the particular dimension. The camera may switch to different angles for a more dramatic effect such as using firearms during the gameplay. Since the protagonist is an ordinary man that the player can easily identify with, the use of firearms seems sometimes unsteady to express the character's inexperience with weapons. Also, the visibility during the game is often reduced because of fog and darkness therefore the player only has a pocket-size flashlight to illuminate.
The player must navigate through the town called Silent Hill and solve challenging puzzles. Its goal is to discover what happened originally and understanding how the protagonist entered the altered dimension and so forth, while combating creatures. It is not a simple game since it requires critical thinking and patience as well as courage.
Some of the creatures and puzzles presented in the games were based on books such as Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland. Each character has its own characteristics but the protagonist is almost completely left neutral, avoiding forced interpretations of the game on the players. Following this, the soundtrack plays a very important role during the gameplay of Silent Hill. It supports the cold and rusty feel of the games but seems to work independently from its visuals.
Mahjong - 1989 (electronic version)
The second game is completely different from the first one. Rather, Mahjong is an analogue game created to stimulate the brain requiring skill, strategy, and calculations. There are two versions, the four player table originating from China and the single player solitaire Mahjong. The one I will be referring to it the Western single player computer game version.
It is a matching game that uses the original Mahjong card designs but rather as a set of tiles. There are 144 tiles arranged face up in a special four layer pattern. Each tile has a different design which include: suited tiles (circle suit, bamboo suit, character suit), honor tiles, flower tiles, and lastly eight joker tiles. Mahjong's goal is to match identical pairs of tiles, leaving room for the ones under to show. The game is completely when all the pairs of tiles have been removed and the board is empty. This is just a plain simple game with just one camera perspective and no audio which makes it easier to concentrate.
The electronic version of Mahjong is a great way of avoiding the temptation to cheat since the tiles under each other cannot be seen unless paired. Players should evidently open up new tiles with each pair they eliminate. Choosing obvious pairs from the top level will often end the game prematurely leaving the tiles at the bottom covered.
Review:
Video Games and Computer Holding Power
Sherry Turkle, 1984
This article discusses how Sherry Turkle uses video games to discuss the computer culture as a culture of rules and stimulation. In the introduction she explains that video games not only stimulate our imagination, but they also influence our outlook of the world and perspective of ourselves. As she goes on she says, "to them it is not a new technology but a fact of life" which is quite a scary but also exciting thing to say about children since they are the future. It may later on help build a career for many of them or increase violent behavior at home. With video games present, it is a new way of life.
The Myth of "Mindless" Addiction
In this section Turkle analyzes the difference between playing video games and watching television. They are both very different since video games have one important aspect that TV will never have; interaction. She goes on subtly comparing ideologies of adults vs. children, arguing that video games are not mindless and require logic. It is difficult to disagree with what she says since she does an excellent job of revealing the skills that a gamer must acquire to be successful. These skills can be learned, practiced, and developed over time. However, they are just not as visible to the outside observer.
Computation Specificity
The video game world has no bound or limitations to what can be done, it is only limited to the programmer's imagination. To better understand her points, she makes a clear comparison to a pin ball machine and its mechanics versus the more digital mechanism of a video game. Her most important comparison would be when Turkle states: "it is a space where the physical machine and the physical player do not exist". It is entirely up to the game designer to decide what shall be created in the altered world.
Jarish and the Computer Within the Game
Furthermore, Jarish is an example of a young boy who associated himself with video games as a means of feeling good about himself and his talent. Video games are now capable of keeping ones score using his or her initials as well as showing ones level of skill. Players remain nameless, faceless, and more importantly undiscriminated. Physical attributes normally play a major role in competitive activities but that is not the case in video games. Though Jarish recognizes that they're are rules in video games just like in the real world, why does he feel more in control in his games rather than the real world? Because as Turkle explained previously, he is able to change things within the games by simply pressing keys and programming.
To Joust and Beyond
Turkle continues to emphasis that the "spectator's body is out of the picture" and video games solely rely on imagination and identification. When an individual is part of other microworlds such as watching something on television or going on a Disney ride, he or she is entirely on the 'outside' with no use of imagination. The challenge of a game designer is to have the appeal of "Disneyland, pinball, and a Tolkien novel all at one". Turkle explains that games like Joust do not offer the imaginative aspect with a character and a situation that literature can. Though I cannot agree nor disgree with what Turkle says since I have not played the game, I can understand what she means since the first video games were very limited.
Towards the end of this section, Turkle poses a few questions of what the future of video games may be. Since this article was written in 1984, a lot has evolved since and the worlds within video games have become more complex. Players are not capable of moving along with the character within those worlds thanks to consoles such as Wii and Xbox Kinect. She suggests erasing the line between playing a game and making a movie but that is not possible since one is for pure entertainment to watch while the other is purely interactive.
Games, Gnomes, and Computer Culture
Moreover, Turkle continues to use Jarish the exemplify the use of fantastical vision and stimulation in video games and the rules that the world must conform to. The rules for violence, murder, and theft depend on what can happen and how one handles them. Jarish has become a master at manipulating those rules. It is interesting to see that the constraints of video games are imposed by "rule systems and not by physical reality of moral considerations". Then again, Turkle was right when she said there are rules in video games just like in the real world.
Just like a writer, you can invent the world within your books but must acknowledge the peculiarities of the life forms for example. Once the rules are defined, they must be followed as well as passed on.
Losing oneself in a Simulated World
In addition, computers offer the possibilities of creating and working within an artificial world, and sometimes some prefer it to the real world. It is not surprising that Turkle previously mentioned video games to affect real life relationships because they construct lives in two worlds apart. They allow identification with characters from war stories to sports games but leave little room for playing their real roles. In this section, Turkle seems to suggest that there is something missing in these games; open-ended role playing that children offer like being 'mommy' and 'daddy'. There are no rules in role playing, there is understanding, recognition, negotiation, and confrontation that is essential to a child's learning. It is true that children would need both in this case and not just video games. Both help develop a style.
Altered States
Also, video games require the player to have total concentration and a charged state of mind. Playing video games develops this altered state that gives a feeling of being high like standing on the edge of a cliff, this desire of wondering what will happen next. This is very true because having this feeling results in no time for rest and continuously playing can also be quite calming since you are in another world. Ironic no? This is an interesting quote for those in disbelief; "Executives, accountants, and surgeons stand behind the junior-high-schoolers in games arcades. For people under pressure total concentration is a form of relaxation".
Metaphysical Machines & Perfect Mirrors
Likewise, Turkle discusses two promises that video games as a computational object hold; a touch of infinity and of perfection. The player will feel like they are in an endless world especially when he or she is given more than one life for the character. As for perfection, no doubt to say but the artificial world is perfect even if it is a war zone, nothing within the game will be out of place, rather, it is all created for a reason. I am not so sure the game will deliver perfection to the player who has personal issues with his or her body of psychological state. I think it is psychological ideological that the child believes the game is better than reality. The child cannot be able to always escape in the video games and avoid dealing with the real world in contrast to her example of Jimmy. When Turkle says; "when they use these powerful materials to measure themselves, they are at risk" of being addicted and so forth, but isn't everyone at risk then?
Perfect Contests
Lastly, games are a source of developing a feeling of control over challenge. Where the circumstances are going to be the same every time, where is it only you and this sense of urgency from real danger.
Overall, Turkle successfully points out the effects - mainly positive- of video games on children by comparing it with older machine games (pin ball), television, and using Jarish as a key character to back up her ideas. She elaborates on the levels of implication each stimulation structure brings. This is the holding power introduced in Turkle's article title. All games form holding power, each offering a unique game play .
Silent Hill Games - 1999 to 2011
The Silent Hill are a series of video games composed of a mixture of adventure, psychological thriller, and survival horror. It is one of the most well known game in the horror industry that follows the main character in an monster-filled alternative dimension. Every game of the series of Silent Hill connects to one another and follows the original story line of the first game. The objective of the game is to guide the protagonist through a third person perspective within the particular dimension. The camera may switch to different angles for a more dramatic effect such as using firearms during the gameplay. Since the protagonist is an ordinary man that the player can easily identify with, the use of firearms seems sometimes unsteady to express the character's inexperience with weapons. Also, the visibility during the game is often reduced because of fog and darkness therefore the player only has a pocket-size flashlight to illuminate.
The player must navigate through the town called Silent Hill and solve challenging puzzles. Its goal is to discover what happened originally and understanding how the protagonist entered the altered dimension and so forth, while combating creatures. It is not a simple game since it requires critical thinking and patience as well as courage.
Some of the creatures and puzzles presented in the games were based on books such as Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland. Each character has its own characteristics but the protagonist is almost completely left neutral, avoiding forced interpretations of the game on the players. Following this, the soundtrack plays a very important role during the gameplay of Silent Hill. It supports the cold and rusty feel of the games but seems to work independently from its visuals.
Mahjong - 1989 (electronic version)
The second game is completely different from the first one. Rather, Mahjong is an analogue game created to stimulate the brain requiring skill, strategy, and calculations. There are two versions, the four player table originating from China and the single player solitaire Mahjong. The one I will be referring to it the Western single player computer game version.
It is a matching game that uses the original Mahjong card designs but rather as a set of tiles. There are 144 tiles arranged face up in a special four layer pattern. Each tile has a different design which include: suited tiles (circle suit, bamboo suit, character suit), honor tiles, flower tiles, and lastly eight joker tiles. Mahjong's goal is to match identical pairs of tiles, leaving room for the ones under to show. The game is completely when all the pairs of tiles have been removed and the board is empty. This is just a plain simple game with just one camera perspective and no audio which makes it easier to concentrate.
The electronic version of Mahjong is a great way of avoiding the temptation to cheat since the tiles under each other cannot be seen unless paired. Players should evidently open up new tiles with each pair they eliminate. Choosing obvious pairs from the top level will often end the game prematurely leaving the tiles at the bottom covered.
Review:
Video Games and Computer Holding Power
Sherry Turkle, 1984
This article discusses how Sherry Turkle uses video games to discuss the computer culture as a culture of rules and stimulation. In the introduction she explains that video games not only stimulate our imagination, but they also influence our outlook of the world and perspective of ourselves. As she goes on she says, "to them it is not a new technology but a fact of life" which is quite a scary but also exciting thing to say about children since they are the future. It may later on help build a career for many of them or increase violent behavior at home. With video games present, it is a new way of life.
The Myth of "Mindless" Addiction
In this section Turkle analyzes the difference between playing video games and watching television. They are both very different since video games have one important aspect that TV will never have; interaction. She goes on subtly comparing ideologies of adults vs. children, arguing that video games are not mindless and require logic. It is difficult to disagree with what she says since she does an excellent job of revealing the skills that a gamer must acquire to be successful. These skills can be learned, practiced, and developed over time. However, they are just not as visible to the outside observer.
Computation Specificity
The video game world has no bound or limitations to what can be done, it is only limited to the programmer's imagination. To better understand her points, she makes a clear comparison to a pin ball machine and its mechanics versus the more digital mechanism of a video game. Her most important comparison would be when Turkle states: "it is a space where the physical machine and the physical player do not exist". It is entirely up to the game designer to decide what shall be created in the altered world.
Jarish and the Computer Within the Game
Furthermore, Jarish is an example of a young boy who associated himself with video games as a means of feeling good about himself and his talent. Video games are now capable of keeping ones score using his or her initials as well as showing ones level of skill. Players remain nameless, faceless, and more importantly undiscriminated. Physical attributes normally play a major role in competitive activities but that is not the case in video games. Though Jarish recognizes that they're are rules in video games just like in the real world, why does he feel more in control in his games rather than the real world? Because as Turkle explained previously, he is able to change things within the games by simply pressing keys and programming.
To Joust and Beyond
Turkle continues to emphasis that the "spectator's body is out of the picture" and video games solely rely on imagination and identification. When an individual is part of other microworlds such as watching something on television or going on a Disney ride, he or she is entirely on the 'outside' with no use of imagination. The challenge of a game designer is to have the appeal of "Disneyland, pinball, and a Tolkien novel all at one". Turkle explains that games like Joust do not offer the imaginative aspect with a character and a situation that literature can. Though I cannot agree nor disgree with what Turkle says since I have not played the game, I can understand what she means since the first video games were very limited.
Towards the end of this section, Turkle poses a few questions of what the future of video games may be. Since this article was written in 1984, a lot has evolved since and the worlds within video games have become more complex. Players are not capable of moving along with the character within those worlds thanks to consoles such as Wii and Xbox Kinect. She suggests erasing the line between playing a game and making a movie but that is not possible since one is for pure entertainment to watch while the other is purely interactive.
Games, Gnomes, and Computer Culture
Moreover, Turkle continues to use Jarish the exemplify the use of fantastical vision and stimulation in video games and the rules that the world must conform to. The rules for violence, murder, and theft depend on what can happen and how one handles them. Jarish has become a master at manipulating those rules. It is interesting to see that the constraints of video games are imposed by "rule systems and not by physical reality of moral considerations". Then again, Turkle was right when she said there are rules in video games just like in the real world.
Just like a writer, you can invent the world within your books but must acknowledge the peculiarities of the life forms for example. Once the rules are defined, they must be followed as well as passed on.
Losing oneself in a Simulated World
In addition, computers offer the possibilities of creating and working within an artificial world, and sometimes some prefer it to the real world. It is not surprising that Turkle previously mentioned video games to affect real life relationships because they construct lives in two worlds apart. They allow identification with characters from war stories to sports games but leave little room for playing their real roles. In this section, Turkle seems to suggest that there is something missing in these games; open-ended role playing that children offer like being 'mommy' and 'daddy'. There are no rules in role playing, there is understanding, recognition, negotiation, and confrontation that is essential to a child's learning. It is true that children would need both in this case and not just video games. Both help develop a style.
Altered States
Also, video games require the player to have total concentration and a charged state of mind. Playing video games develops this altered state that gives a feeling of being high like standing on the edge of a cliff, this desire of wondering what will happen next. This is very true because having this feeling results in no time for rest and continuously playing can also be quite calming since you are in another world. Ironic no? This is an interesting quote for those in disbelief; "Executives, accountants, and surgeons stand behind the junior-high-schoolers in games arcades. For people under pressure total concentration is a form of relaxation".
Metaphysical Machines & Perfect Mirrors
Likewise, Turkle discusses two promises that video games as a computational object hold; a touch of infinity and of perfection. The player will feel like they are in an endless world especially when he or she is given more than one life for the character. As for perfection, no doubt to say but the artificial world is perfect even if it is a war zone, nothing within the game will be out of place, rather, it is all created for a reason. I am not so sure the game will deliver perfection to the player who has personal issues with his or her body of psychological state. I think it is psychological ideological that the child believes the game is better than reality. The child cannot be able to always escape in the video games and avoid dealing with the real world in contrast to her example of Jimmy. When Turkle says; "when they use these powerful materials to measure themselves, they are at risk" of being addicted and so forth, but isn't everyone at risk then?
Perfect Contests
Lastly, games are a source of developing a feeling of control over challenge. Where the circumstances are going to be the same every time, where is it only you and this sense of urgency from real danger.
Overall, Turkle successfully points out the effects - mainly positive- of video games on children by comparing it with older machine games (pin ball), television, and using Jarish as a key character to back up her ideas. She elaborates on the levels of implication each stimulation structure brings. This is the holding power introduced in Turkle's article title. All games form holding power, each offering a unique game play .
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