Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Serious Games
What is flow?
Flow is that force or state of mind that you're in when time seizes to exist and you just go with it. For example, when you're reading a book that you just can't put down. You end up staying up til 3 am because you can't stop turning those pages. That is a state of flow. This is something that we experience in games and in other aspects of life.
Cartoons were originally made for entertainment; they were made to make people laugh. What if we move cartoons to the other side of the continuum? What if we use cartoons to make a political statement?
What if we take this same idea and employ it with games?
Consider the "game," September 12...
The purpose of this game is to kill terrorist.
This "game" is really a statement by one person on how they view the war on terror.
The more terrorist you try an take out, the more you incidentally create. Because they are all running around in a narrow space there is no way to take out a terrorist without taking out an innocent civilian. What does this say about what's going on in Iraq?
The creator is asking, "How do you deal with something as complex as terrorism?"
Another example of this is the Madrid game...
The purpose of this game is to keep the memory of the people lost in the Spain terrorist attack and the people lost in terrorist attacks throughout the world.
So, what do you gather from this game? Frustration. This game provokes that emotion of frustration; frustration stemming from not being able to keep the memory of everyone alive.
Visual aspects of the Powerpuff Girls game...
-the main characters really stand out from the backdrop of the game
-the colors scheme is simple (i.e. two shades of blue, one for the sky and one for the ocean, and then the tan sand)
-the visual components, like the game's objective, is simple yet effective in serving its purpose
-the visual elements found in the game are very similar to the visual elements found in the actual television show
*This evokes the flow mentioned earlier. It facilitates an environment for the player
similar to that which they watch on tv; hence, each player gets to be their favorite
powerpuff hero.)
Flow is that force or state of mind that you're in when time seizes to exist and you just go with it. For example, when you're reading a book that you just can't put down. You end up staying up til 3 am because you can't stop turning those pages. That is a state of flow. This is something that we experience in games and in other aspects of life.
Cartoons were originally made for entertainment; they were made to make people laugh. What if we move cartoons to the other side of the continuum? What if we use cartoons to make a political statement?
What if we take this same idea and employ it with games?
Consider the "game," September 12...
The purpose of this game is to kill terrorist.
"This is not a game. You can't win and you can't lose. This is a simulation."
This "game" is really a statement by one person on how they view the war on terror.
The more terrorist you try an take out, the more you incidentally create. Because they are all running around in a narrow space there is no way to take out a terrorist without taking out an innocent civilian. What does this say about what's going on in Iraq?
The creator is asking, "How do you deal with something as complex as terrorism?"
Another example of this is the Madrid game...
The purpose of this game is to keep the memory of the people lost in the Spain terrorist attack and the people lost in terrorist attacks throughout the world.
So, what do you gather from this game? Frustration. This game provokes that emotion of frustration; frustration stemming from not being able to keep the memory of everyone alive.
***
I never realized that games could be so serious. It's interesting to see how games--similar to movies and books--have the power to move us this way. They have the power to do more than entertain but to educate us and to facilitate change (or at the very least encourage dialogue about change).Visual aspects of the Powerpuff Girls game...
-the main characters really stand out from the backdrop of the game
-the colors scheme is simple (i.e. two shades of blue, one for the sky and one for the ocean, and then the tan sand)
-the visual components, like the game's objective, is simple yet effective in serving its purpose
-the visual elements found in the game are very similar to the visual elements found in the actual television show
*This evokes the flow mentioned earlier. It facilitates an environment for the player
similar to that which they watch on tv; hence, each player gets to be their favorite
powerpuff hero.)
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Progress Report 11/8-11/15
Overview
My partner Jennifer and I will be planning and executing a fundraiser for Providence Christian Academy’s library. The fundraiser will not be a formal or elaborate one; rather it will be simple and effective and we will end it with a “drop-in” type of event. Making the fundraiser a success (i.e. collecting numerous books for PCA’s library) is going to take a lot of preparation and diligence by both Jennifer and myself. For this reason, Jennifer and I have come up with numerous ways in which we will utilize visual communication in generating buzz around this fundraiser.
Work Completed
So what have we accomplished so far?
We accomplished a lot last week and not quite as much this week but only because there’s not a lot left to do. Now that we have our flyers designed, our t-shirt designed, our location secured, and our pizza supplier settled on…it’s just a waiting game.
Next Step
We will be offering our class the opportunity to commit to purchasing a t-shirt during class on Thursday. Unfortunately, we still don’t have a t-shirt proof but hopefully it’ll be e-mailed to us prior to Thursday’s class. If, however, we don’t receive the t-shirt proof we will bring it to class along with an order form next Tuesday.
Brief Conclusion
Please consider purchasing an event t-shirt. Your purchasing a t-shirt and wearing it could count towards community service hours!!!
My partner Jennifer and I will be planning and executing a fundraiser for Providence Christian Academy’s library. The fundraiser will not be a formal or elaborate one; rather it will be simple and effective and we will end it with a “drop-in” type of event. Making the fundraiser a success (i.e. collecting numerous books for PCA’s library) is going to take a lot of preparation and diligence by both Jennifer and myself. For this reason, Jennifer and I have come up with numerous ways in which we will utilize visual communication in generating buzz around this fundraiser.
Work Completed
So what have we accomplished so far?
We accomplished a lot last week and not quite as much this week but only because there’s not a lot left to do. Now that we have our flyers designed, our t-shirt designed, our location secured, and our pizza supplier settled on…it’s just a waiting game.
Next Step
We will be offering our class the opportunity to commit to purchasing a t-shirt during class on Thursday. Unfortunately, we still don’t have a t-shirt proof but hopefully it’ll be e-mailed to us prior to Thursday’s class. If, however, we don’t receive the t-shirt proof we will bring it to class along with an order form next Tuesday.
Brief Conclusion
Please consider purchasing an event t-shirt. Your purchasing a t-shirt and wearing it could count towards community service hours!!!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Games
We might think that business use has driven the development of computer graphics but that is not the case. The development of computer graphics has been driven by games.
Computer games transport you into some sort of fantasy world. You then can create your own story to go with it. Consider the game space invaders. Back in the '70s games like space invaders, in lieu of there simple graphics, had the powers to transform you into the space pilot. You sat in your little spaceship and fought the aliens...preventing them from landing at their space station. You get to be the hero and save the world from the alien invasion.
In the beginning, these games required special software to run. You couldn't just view them on any old computers. Computers were created with the purpose of playing games (i.e. Atari).
Why?
Computer games transport you into some sort of fantasy world. You then can create your own story to go with it. Consider the game space invaders. Back in the '70s games like space invaders, in lieu of there simple graphics, had the powers to transform you into the space pilot. You sat in your little spaceship and fought the aliens...preventing them from landing at their space station. You get to be the hero and save the world from the alien invasion.
In the beginning, these games required special software to run. You couldn't just view them on any old computers. Computers were created with the purpose of playing games (i.e. Atari).
Microsoft's top-secret touch screen
Here's a link to a video of the touch screen interface I commented on in class. Check it out! It's insane!
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9723647-1.html?tag=cnetfd.mt
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9723647-1.html?tag=cnetfd.mt
Computer Graphics
What are computer graphics?
-Computer graphics are computer generated images.
What is the goal of computer graphics?
-The goal of computer graphics since it's beginning is photo realism.
If you don't have the best actors or stories, how do production companies convince you to see their films?
-utilize special effects that will blow people away
-i.e. 300, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter
With computer technology we are now able to create scenes, plots and stories that take us beyond what film could do previously. Before this was called special effects. Films today, however, are filled with so many special effects that we have to ask ourselves what are "special" effects?
When we did the exercise with digital remix we see one of the obvious benefits of digital imagery. Computer graphics, computer generated images, have given us a wide variety of options. Our own imaginations are the only limit to what we can do.
What else do computer generated graphics allow us to do?
Computer generated graphics allows us to think differently about how we operate our computers. When Bill Gates heard about these two guys who had produced this new operating system called Mac he gave his employers marching errors to create something similar. We now know this system as Windows.
Shows you all the information that you can do rather than you having to write the code out (i.e. DOS). This gives the user and understanding of how the system works just by looking at it. You see it digitally!
EVERYONE in the WHOLE WORLD works like this. They look at the same pictures and the same interfaces. Wherever you are, if you get a computer and you start it up you get the same think in China that you'd get in the United States.
-Computer graphics are computer generated images.
What is the goal of computer graphics?
-The goal of computer graphics since it's beginning is photo realism.
If you don't have the best actors or stories, how do production companies convince you to see their films?
-utilize special effects that will blow people away
-i.e. 300, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter
With computer technology we are now able to create scenes, plots and stories that take us beyond what film could do previously. Before this was called special effects. Films today, however, are filled with so many special effects that we have to ask ourselves what are "special" effects?
When we did the exercise with digital remix we see one of the obvious benefits of digital imagery. Computer graphics, computer generated images, have given us a wide variety of options. Our own imaginations are the only limit to what we can do.
What else do computer generated graphics allow us to do?
Computer generated graphics allows us to think differently about how we operate our computers. When Bill Gates heard about these two guys who had produced this new operating system called Mac he gave his employers marching errors to create something similar. We now know this system as Windows.
Shows you all the information that you can do rather than you having to write the code out (i.e. DOS). This gives the user and understanding of how the system works just by looking at it. You see it digitally!
EVERYONE in the WHOLE WORLD works like this. They look at the same pictures and the same interfaces. Wherever you are, if you get a computer and you start it up you get the same think in China that you'd get in the United States.
Progress Report 11/1-11/8
Overview
My partner Jennifer and I will be planning and executing a fundraiser for Providence Christian Academy’s library. The fundraiser will not be a formal or elaborate one; rather it will be simple and effective and we will end it with a “drop-in” type of event. Making the fundraiser a success (i.e. collecting numerous books for PCA’s library) is going to take a lot of preparation and diligence by both Jennifer and myself. For this reason, Jennifer and I have come up with numerous ways in which we will utilize visual communication in generating buzz around this fundraiser.
Work Completed
So what have we accomplished so far?
FINALLY, we have an event name!!! In fact, not only do we have an event name but we also have an event slogan! As you can see, I'm elated! Anyway, here's what we've come up with (any and all feedback is welcomed) :
Event Name
-Once Upon a Time Book Drive
Event Slogan
-Happily ever after begins with a book...
Event date & time
When?
-November 27, 2007
-from 3:30 - 4:45
Where?
-in the Communication Studio
Event flyer
-a copy of our event flyer is posted in the blog so check it out!
Font
-Gigi
-This font will be utilized on our flyers and on our t-shirts
T-Shirt Design
-white shirt
-the front of the t-shirt will have the event name and date
-the back of the t-shirt will have the event slogan printed at an arch (i.e. the top of the arch will say Happily ever after and the bottom will say begins with a book...)
-in the center of the event slogan we will have a picture that will either be drawn or an actual photo (we prefer an actual photo)
-the concept behind the image is two school aged children (my son Cameron and my little sister Amber) holding hands while looking up at an empty bookshelf that towers over them
T-Shirt Cost
-John Earle, from Tigertown Graphics (downtown Clemson), will be printing our shirts
-1 color front print and back print $10.00 (for this price instead of using an actual photograph there will be a drawing)
-1 color front print and four color back with actual photograph (price based on 12 shirts)
Next Step
-we will be offering our class the opportunity to purchase a t-shirt
-we will be bringing a t-shirt proof to class along with an order form next Tuesday (if you already know you want a shirt please let us know today)
-there's a 12 shirt minimum to place an order
Brief Conclusion
Please consider purchasing an event t-shirt. Yes, the more t-shirts ordered the less the cost but that's not why I'm encouraging you to make the purchase. I'm encouraging you to purchase a t-shirt because once upon a time we were all children and we all believed we could do anything; we believed we could be anything. As adults, however, we know that not everyone gets to be an astronaut and not every fool gets to fly a plane. We understand that we are not entitled to a happy ending but rather we have to make our own. We know that in order to make our own we must seek out knowledge. As adults, we know that happily ever after begins with a book.
Did I mention there will be free pizza and drinks? Get excited!!! We are!
My partner Jennifer and I will be planning and executing a fundraiser for Providence Christian Academy’s library. The fundraiser will not be a formal or elaborate one; rather it will be simple and effective and we will end it with a “drop-in” type of event. Making the fundraiser a success (i.e. collecting numerous books for PCA’s library) is going to take a lot of preparation and diligence by both Jennifer and myself. For this reason, Jennifer and I have come up with numerous ways in which we will utilize visual communication in generating buzz around this fundraiser.
Work Completed
So what have we accomplished so far?
FINALLY, we have an event name!!! In fact, not only do we have an event name but we also have an event slogan! As you can see, I'm elated! Anyway, here's what we've come up with (any and all feedback is welcomed) :
Event Name
-Once Upon a Time Book Drive
Event Slogan
-Happily ever after begins with a book...
Event date & time
When?
-November 27, 2007
-from 3:30 - 4:45
Where?
-in the Communication Studio
Event flyer
-a copy of our event flyer is posted in the blog so check it out!
Font
-Gigi
-This font will be utilized on our flyers and on our t-shirts
T-Shirt Design
-white shirt
-the front of the t-shirt will have the event name and date
-the back of the t-shirt will have the event slogan printed at an arch (i.e. the top of the arch will say Happily ever after and the bottom will say begins with a book...)
-in the center of the event slogan we will have a picture that will either be drawn or an actual photo (we prefer an actual photo)
-the concept behind the image is two school aged children (my son Cameron and my little sister Amber) holding hands while looking up at an empty bookshelf that towers over them
T-Shirt Cost
-John Earle, from Tigertown Graphics (downtown Clemson), will be printing our shirts
-1 color front print and back print $10.00 (for this price instead of using an actual photograph there will be a drawing)
-1 color front print and four color back with actual photograph (price based on 12 shirts)
Next Step
-we will be offering our class the opportunity to purchase a t-shirt
-we will be bringing a t-shirt proof to class along with an order form next Tuesday (if you already know you want a shirt please let us know today)
-there's a 12 shirt minimum to place an order
Brief Conclusion
Please consider purchasing an event t-shirt. Yes, the more t-shirts ordered the less the cost but that's not why I'm encouraging you to make the purchase. I'm encouraging you to purchase a t-shirt because once upon a time we were all children and we all believed we could do anything; we believed we could be anything. As adults, however, we know that not everyone gets to be an astronaut and not every fool gets to fly a plane. We understand that we are not entitled to a happy ending but rather we have to make our own. We know that in order to make our own we must seek out knowledge. As adults, we know that happily ever after begins with a book.
Did I mention there will be free pizza and drinks? Get excited!!! We are!
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