Megan Vrolijktag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//442007-11-17T04:05:07ZComputer Games Theoary and Practice - UDIST30013
California College of the Arts, Fall 2007. Instructor: Andy CoxMovable Type 3.31Final Projecttag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.8052007-11-17T03:59:35Z2007-11-17T04:05:07ZI will be working with Marc on the Sims piece (which he describes in excellent detail in his blog). We will be having one person, the player, conducting the movements of the avatars of a nuclear family, as in the...Megan Vrolijk
I will be working with Marc on the Sims piece (which he describes in excellent detail in his blog). We will be having one person, the player, conducting the movements of the avatars of a nuclear family, as in the game. Since the setting will be the Nave, the props will be minimal, but the we will be attempting to adhere to the game. Outside disruptions, such as robbers, natural disasters, and neighbors, will be outside stimulus, as in the game.
Indigo Prophecytag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.6752007-10-29T22:07:16Z2007-10-29T22:16:34Z Indigo Prophecy is less linear than a movie but is not free reign. Each choice the character makes that you are controlling effects the outcome of the story, but in a controlled way. There are a limited number of...Megan Vrolijk
Indigo Prophecy is less linear than a movie but is not free reign. Each choice the character makes that you are controlling effects the outcome of the story, but in a controlled way. There are a limited number of outcomes, even if you are unable to decipher it as the player. For example, when the two cops are boxing, you have to be Carla. Certain choices are made for you to allow the story line to continue.
Another example is when Tyler goes to the book store. You are not able to decide to leave the store until you have completed the mission. I think the game works more as a fission model in that each path is still defined, although as the player you can pick the path. This is much different from King's Quest in that, although you can move freely around the world you are in, the game and storyline will not change depending on your choices. Whether or not you kill the witch, you still have to go up into the clouds. While in King's Quest there are two paths to the same place, in Indigo Prophecy, there are multiple paths.
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Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Lit.tag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.6192007-10-16T03:06:31Z2007-10-16T03:16:25ZI think that the idea that the "cybertext reader is not safe" is one of Aarseth's important points when comparing the article with the games we played on Monday. Not only does the player have an avatar who they often...Megan Vrolijk
I-Ching to action adventure games. An additional difference between the two that he partially explores is that in a book the reader can subsequently explore the other options in way that is not available to a player. In a game, all the options are not apparent. While a player may be able to discover all of the options, one does not realize what all these are without much time and effort. However in I-Ching, one only has to look at the number of pages to realize the number of choices.
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Force More Powerfultag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.6012007-10-10T22:02:36Z2007-10-10T22:02:58Z A Force More Powerful is, as most people have expressed, frustrating and slow moving. While the concept could be interesting, the interface is difficult to navigate. Even when I was doing well at the game, I was unable to...Megan Vrolijk
A Force More Powerful is, as most people have expressed, frustrating and slow moving. While the concept could be interesting, the interface is difficult to navigate. Even when I was doing well at the game, I was unable to figure out what tactics were helping my cause. Also, while in many games you build upon knowledge, A Force More Powerful does not use this technique. I think that if you were introduced to ways of diffusing situations and could then see the successful results of these procedures, it would be much less difficult. For the most part I received messages such as the one in the picture informing me that I was unable to complete a task. It also seemed that the reasons were always the same. I think that some techniques to make the game more user friendly and interesting would be to have the player build upon skills that are introduced throughout the game, a more cause and effect method, and better graphics.]]>
Serious Gamestag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.5872007-10-10T20:05:20Z2007-10-10T20:09:03ZThis article by the Washington Post is pretty interesting in that it compares the U.S. constitution to a video game at the end of the article. The main section of the article is commenting on serious games such as Food...Megan Vrolijk
Washington Post is pretty interesting in that it compares the U.S. constitution to a video game at the end of the article. The main section of the article is commenting on serious games such as Food Force (the U.N. game). I think that the comparison of real life to serious games raises the question of how technology has morphed our perception of reality. If positive serious games are compared to reality, where do other games such as America's Army enter into the discussion?]]>
News Article 10/3tag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.5242007-10-02T05:24:26Z2007-10-02T05:38:20ZDuring my search for a subversive video game, I came across a game put out by Chevron. Energyville attempts to utilize the medium to sell more petroleum, which seems like it would probably have done succeeded when society had more...Megan Vrolijk
Chevron. Energyville attempts to utilize the medium to sell more petroleum, which seems like it would probably have done succeeded when society had more faith in the oil industry.
However, a pretty funny subversive video game is Los Disney. This game's premise is that Disney has bought Florida and your job is to infiltrate the park and find Walt Disney's frozen head.
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America's Armytag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.4592007-09-25T05:26:40Z2007-09-25T05:44:06ZI think that the video game America's Army affects the amount of recruitment and armed conflicts engaged in by the U.S. as much as the any other media system. While the level of realism within a first person shooter is...Megan Vrolijk
I think that the video game America's Army affects the amount of recruitment and armed conflicts engaged in by the U.S. as much as the any other media system. While the level of realism within a first person shooter is more intense, a war movie can often serve the same goal as in Top Gun. I think that the role of media as a whole (video, photographs, video games) allow individuals to become detached from the realities of war. Often video and television play a large role in creating heroism having to do with the military. America's Army adds a different dynamic by allowing the player to see what the army portrays serving as. However, what I wonder is how much different is this portrayal than a movie like Black Hawk Down or Saving Private Ryan? Each of these movies embody the heroism that the military relies on. The difference between the video game and the film is how the audience relates to each.
News Post 9/26tag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.4452007-09-24T22:15:56Z2007-09-24T22:20:04ZThis book seems like it would be really interesting in terms of the class in that it explores the worlds that games create. It seems that examining the endless possibilities in game design in reference to what has been created...Megan Vrolijk
This book seems like it would be really interesting in terms of the class in that it explores the worlds that games create. It seems that examining the endless possibilities in game design in reference to what has been created is an important study from numerous perspective.
http://www.spacetimeplay.org/
Edited by Friedrich von Borries, Steffen P. Walz, Matthias Böttger
"SPACE TIME PLAY" IS A JOURNEY
THROUGH THE PAST, PRESENT
AND POTENTIAL SPACES OF
COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES.
Have you ever wondered what's behind a perfect Tetris-wall?
Have you ever freed a 3D world from terrorists?
Have you ever made polygon friends in networked fantasy realms?
And do you know what happens when these games never end?
_________________________________________________________
The richly illustrated texts in "Space Time Play" cover a wide range of gamespaces: from milestone video and computer games to virtual metropolises to digitally-overlaid physical spaces. As a comprehensive and interdisciplinary compendium, "Space Time Play" explores the architectural history of computer games and the future of ludic space. More than 140 experts from game studies and the game industry, from architecture and urban planning, have contributed essays, game reviews and interviews. The games examined range from commercial products to artistic projects and from scientific experiments to spatial design and planning tools.
"Space Time Play" is not just meant for architects, designers and gamers, but for all those who take an interest in the culture of digital games and the spaces within and modeled after them. Let's play!
Half Life 2tag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.4422007-09-24T21:59:45Z2007-09-24T22:11:16ZWhile the story line was engaging, the graphics can be challenging for someone with a tendency toward motion sickness. The concept of a police state after a disastrous event has been illustrated numerous times in literature and movies. In many...Megan Vrolijk
While the story line was engaging, the graphics can be challenging for someone with a tendency toward motion sickness. The concept of a police state after a disastrous event has been illustrated numerous times in literature and movies. In many ways, the idea that technology will eventually create a situation in which human nature will become so repressed that the individual will obviously be faced with this oppression has been expressed as long as technology has been developing (most pointedly since the 1950's). I think Half Life 2 is a natural response to the feeling of oppression in a closed society. Science fiction has also been a popular form that has expressed these emotions. The closed world that Half Life 2 creates around the player exemplifies physical claustrophobia to express the confines a developing world imposes on those that live there. (A great book on these ideas is Closed World). I also think that violence is inherent in expressing the desire to break out of this system.
Midterm Projecttag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.4192007-09-19T16:39:47Z2007-09-19T16:40:30ZI would like to investigate Tetris, because it has consistently maintained popularity as an abstract game....Megan Vrolijk
I would like to investigate Tetris, because it has consistently maintained popularity as an abstract game.
Article for 9/19tag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.4182007-09-19T16:36:59Z2007-09-19T16:38:02Zhttp://www.uh.edu/admin/media/nr/2007/09sept/091207neato_weightloss.html NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: A demonstration of the NEAT-o Game is available on the Web at http://www.cpl.uh.edu/Neat-o-Games. WEIGHT LOSS GAME LOOKING FOR ‘NEAT-O’ RESULTS UH Professor Hopes Everyday Moves Inspire a New Addiction HOUSTON, September 12, 2007 – Finding a...Megan Vrolijk
http://www.uh.edu/admin/media/nr/2007/09sept/091207neato_weightloss.html
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: A demonstration of the NEAT-o Game is available on the Web at http://www.cpl.uh.edu/Neat-o-Games.
WEIGHT LOSS GAME LOOKING FOR ‘NEAT-O’ RESULTS
UH Professor Hopes Everyday Moves Inspire a New Addiction
HOUSTON, September 12, 2007 – Finding a way to motivate the billion people in the world who are overweight to lose excess pounds can be an overwhelming task, but a University of Houston professor is meeting that weighty challenge with a challenge of his own.
Ioannis Pavlidis, a UH computer science professor, and research assistants Yuichi Fujiki and Kostas Kazakos, have developed a computer game that translates physical activity into video games, such as races and logic puzzles. Dubbed Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT-o) games, they can be played on any hand-held personal digital assistant (PDA) with users wearing a lightweight, wearable sensor that detects movement like running, walking, bending over or even foot tapping.
That data is then transmitted to the PDA via a wireless connection, and the player can see his or her game avatar move in real-time to their movements. For example, in the race game, the player’s physical activity propels the avatar around the track – the more active the player is, the faster and farther the avatar goes.
“When you see the avatar move when you move, you really become connected to the game,” Pavlidis said.
Capitalizing on the buddy system for working out, users can link to other gamers by cellular phone networks and compete against multiple users in the next cubicle or the next state. The game can run all day in the background as users go about their daily routines while earning points and propelling their avatars as they walk to the copy machine, take coffee breaks or walk the dog.
The lack of daily mild exercise is largely responsible for the world’s obesity epidemic, according to James Levine, a Mayo Clinic physician and leading authority on obesity. Levine coined the ‘NEAT’ term to cover all physical activity that is not conscious exercise. Since hitting the gym for a regular workout might be too much to expect for those returning to the fitness fold, these games encourage small, everyday lifestyle changes, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking a few spaces away from a store entrance versus driving around to find the closest spot available.
“We hope the games can increase physical activity, add a dosage of everyday fun and embed NEAT in the modern lifestyle,” Pavlidis said. “We expect an almost ‘addictive’ behavior resulting from this game, much like the habit of playing solitaire during breaks is an everyday ritual for many people. Because of the way we live today, people are sitting all the time, so moving more is always a good thing.
“The allure of computer gaming and competition with other users encourages players to make small lifestyle changes that can add up to big health benefits,” Pavlidis said.
A computer science student who was one of the first to try out the devices lost 40 pounds in five months. The games also have been a hit with early test groups and received rave reviews from players at an April academic gathering of computer scientists.
Along with the straightforward racing game, Pavlidis also recently rolled out his version of Sodoku, a logic-based numbers puzzle that has become wildly popular. In this adaptation of Sodoku, the points players earn through physical activity can be used to fill in another square on the grid, providing clues to solving the rest of the puzzle. More games designed to appeal to a variety of age groups are in the works.
Levine’s lab at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., is gauging the games’ effectiveness in a large trial experiment that began in June. Financed by an endowed fund and a National Science Foundation grant, Pavlidis hopes the game will be available to the public before the end of 2008.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.
About the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
The UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, with nearly 400 faculty members and approximately 4,000 students, offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in the natural sciences, computational sciences and mathematics. Faculty members in the departments of biology and biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, geosciences, mathematics and physics have internationally recognized collaborative research programs in association with UH interdisciplinary research centers, Texas Medical Center institutions and national laboratories.
To receive UH science news via e-mail, visit www.uh.edu/admin/media/sciencelist.html.
For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
Reading for 9/17tag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.3792007-09-15T23:54:38Z2007-09-16T00:13:59Z "Abstraction in the Video Game" by Mark Wolf discusses the reasons abstraction in video games has become less and less common. Older games, such as Space Invaders, reflect the necessary use of abstraction in older games due to the...Megan Vrolijk
"Abstraction in the Video Game" by Mark Wolf discusses the reasons abstraction in video games has become less and less common. Older games, such as Space Invaders, reflect the necessary use of abstraction in older games due to the inability to render more representational figures. While Space Invaders is representational in that the player can identify the surrogate-based space ship and the aliens, both are also an abstraction from reality so as to fit into the perimeters of the technology. However, while working to fit into the perimeters, the game is forced to render a playing space that is accessible to the consumer. In utilizing abstractions, Space Invaders keeps the player engaged and creates empathy. Scott McCloud's work suggests, "abstraction can help to increase identification, the game's diegetic world is easier to enter into if it resembles the real world." I think that it is necessary for their to be a balance between abstraction and representation due to the player's desire to access the game fairly easily. If a game were to ease a player into a more abstract world, this may allow it to become more accessible or have more empathy.
News article 9/11tag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.3362007-09-11T20:12:26Z2007-09-11T20:36:27ZI am commenting on the article called Software Firm's Got Game. The report covers ExperiencePoint, a company engaged in making "serious gaming." They produce a set of scenarios to train executives on how to handle business situations. It is explained...Megan Vrolijk
Software Firm's Got Game. The report covers ExperiencePoint, a company engaged in making "serious gaming." They produce a set of scenarios to train executives on how to handle business situations. It is explained as:
In a typical exercise, participants work in teams to gather information from the simulation. Then they have to work together to decide on the biggest problems facing the imaginary troubled company, what solutions are appropriate and how to implement them. The teams get immediate feedback as the sophisticated program shows how many employees accept the new strategy, and how many resist the changes.
It is highly appropriate that in the West there would become companies like ExperiencePoint that would utilize a medium that has been engaged in by the younger generation by the majority of one's life. In many ways, the use of a game to train individuals is not at all new. However, it is interesting that the reactions of the employees is recorded within the game, changing the way an executive may perceive real life decisions. The question of how our interactions with the world change when we have previously engaged in them on an artificial level has been engaged when talking about other technologies. Whether the realization of employees as individuals (which often becomes distorted at some level in capitalism) is morphed by this game is debatable. A study on the perception of the workers after this game has been used would probably show change in how the individual then interacts as a person of authority within the company. I also wonder if this kind of training game could be compared to any other kind of training game.]]>
Reading 9/7/07tag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.2682007-09-08T00:06:07Z2007-09-08T00:20:05ZUnderstanding Media The article reflects a brief evolution of games within society. While noting that war games as well as other types of games have been utilized in more primitive societies as a "model of the universe," new technology has...Megan Vrolijk
Understanding Media
The article reflects a brief evolution of games within society. While noting that war games as well as other types of games have been utilized in more primitive societies as a "model of the universe," new technology has obviously changed how these games are played. And while there are points conveyed in the article that relate computer games to art (as reflecting culture) and to the more primitive games, it does not address in what ways a war game played on a computer effects the player compaired to a war game in real life as in New Guinea.
Computer games, more so than physical games, allow the player to step into a role much more outside of himself. Understanding Media indicates that this allows "new relationships and postures" and a "respite from customary patterns." The new patterns are chosen and could be expressions of repressed desires. As the author states, "it is the pattern of a game that gives it relevance to our inner lives."]]>
Computer Games News 9/7/07tag:www.twcdc.com,2007:/megan_vrolijk//44.2672007-09-07T23:32:41Z2007-09-08T00:05:39ZCALIFORNIA CONTINUES COURT BATTLE TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES California Political Desk The California Political Desk provides information, news releases, and announcements obtained from communication and public relations offices throughout the state. California Political Desk September 6, 2007...Megan Vrolijk
CALIFORNIA CONTINUES COURT BATTLE TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES
California Political Desk
The California Political Desk provides information, news releases, and announcements obtained from communication and public relations offices throughout the state.
California Political Desk
September 6, 2007
Yee applauds Schwarzenegger’s move to appeal video game ruling.
SACRAMENTO – Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Los Angeles) today appealed a ruling by United States District Court Judge Ronald Whyte that struck down a law to prohibit the sale of ultra-violent video games to minors. The law’s author, Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), applauded Schwarzenegger’s decision to file the Notice of Appeal.
“I am very pleased to see the Governor’s commitment to this issue,” said Yee. “This is a common-sense law that empowers parents by giving them the ultimate authority over whether or not their children can play in a world of violence and murder.”
“We have a responsibility to our kids and our communities to protect against the effects of games that depict ultra-violent actions,” said Schwarzenegger. “These games are for adults, and the law I signed ensures that parents have the chance to determine which video games are appropriate for their children.”
The law was intended to prevent the sale and rental of extremely violent video games to anyone under 18 years of age and require that such games be clearly labeled. Retailers who violated the act would be liable in an amount up to $1,000. On August 6, 2007, Judge Whyte made a permanent order barring enforcement of the law.
In the ruling Judge Whyte stated, “The desire to regulate the exposure of minors to senseless violent acts is understandable and, perhaps, more important than regulating exposure to obscenity...Most parents hope that their children will grow up to be non-violent. If exposing minors to depictions of violence in video games makes them experience feelings of aggression and exhibit violent anti-social or aggressive behavior, the state could have a compelling interest in restricting minors' access to such material.”
“The deliberations in this case took over a year, which shows that the ever-growing body of evidence that violent video games are harmful to children is getting harder and harder to ignore,” said Yee, who is also a child psychologist. “The medical data clearly indicates that these ultra-violent video games have harmful effects on kids, and thus we have a state interest to protect them.”
Judge Whyte also stated that the State must prove that the video game industry’s rating system does “not equally address the state’s interest in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of children.”
Recent Federal Trade Commission studies suggest that the video game industry's rating system is not working. In fact, nearly half of the children under age of 17 were able to purchase M-rated games which are designed for adults.
“The $31 billion video game industry has fought any attempt at regulation every step of the way,” said Yee. “They fought efforts to publicize their rating system because they thought it would impact sales, and now they’re again putting their profit margins over the rights of parents and the well-being of children.”
According to the National Institute for Media and the Family, eighty-seven percent of children play video or computer games, and approximately sixty percent of their favorite games are rated M for Mature. Mature-rated games are the fastest growing segment of the video game industry; in fact the top selling games reward players for killing police officers, maiming elderly persons, running over pedestrians and committing despicable acts of murder and torture upon women and racial minorities.
Another example is when Tyler goes to the book store. You are not able to decide to leave the store until you have completed the mission. I think the game works more as a fission model in that each path is still defined, although as the player you can pick the path. This is much different from King's Quest in that, although you can move freely around the world you are in, the game and storyline will not change depending on your choices. Whether or not you kill the witch, you still have to go up into the clouds. While in King's Quest there are two paths to the same place, in Indigo Prophecy, there are multiple paths.
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