Great Games and What Makes Them Great.

To bring the semester to a close, I have decided to do a custom blog that correlates to my work on the final group project game.

1.      Mario Kart – Nintendo 64      

Mario Kart is successful for many reasons. The game has very few buttons and anyone can pick up a controller and successfully navigate through a course. The courses are grouped by category from easiest to hardest. This allows users to select the difficulty of the game. If that’s not enough, users can select different handicap levels to even out the game. The game allows up to four people to engage in the game at once, and the face-to-face competition is extremely fun. The game’s pace is very fast so if there are more than four people, players can swap in and out quickly. My group’s final project game will also be fast-paced and face-to-face which will encourage lots of people to engage.

2.      Capture the Flag – Real Life and in tons of video games.

Call of Duty - CTF

Capture the flag, or CTF, can be played in real life or in video games like Call of Duty and Halo. The rules of the game do not change from platform to platform; everyone knows how to play capture the flag, and that simplicity allows all sorts of people to engage. Though the rules are simple, CTF can involve a great deal of strategy and split-second decisions. Routes can be mapped out, hiding spots discovered, and quick adjustments and quick thinking always are useful when either capturing or defending the flag. Our game, Directioner, will force players to think quickly as rounds are timed and points are at stake.

3.      2048 – Smartphone or Tablet App

2048 only has three rules that anyone can pick up, even if they ignore the game’s first instructions. The game’s pace is dictated by the user. One can play slowly and calculate every move, or one can play impulsively and still reach success. I prefer to play quickly, only making extremely calculated moves in the game’s later stages. The game entices players to keep trying to reach the number 2048 by recording their high score. Even if one isn’t close to winning, if they are about to set a personal record, they will be inspired to keep trying. 2048’s pace is similar to our game because with speed comes risk: quickly rushing through Directioner cards may result in someone uttering a banned word and losing points. If the Directioner decides to take their time in order to avoid error, they will not be able to read as many cards as desired. The choice 2048 forces users to make will also be at play in our final project game, Directioner.

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Blog Post 9 - Photography = Art?

In class, we have discussed whether photographs are considered art. Some of my classmates stated they believe for something to be art, it simply must evoke emotion. That definition does not make complete sense to me, though emotion is a key element in determining art. If I get socked in the face, I'll have an emotional response, likely embarrassment, anger, or sadness, but the jab isn't a piece of art. Different emotions would arise from different contexts; if the punch came from a stranger, I'd likely be mad, if I knew I deserved it, I'd probably be sad, and if it were to occur in public, I'd be embarrassed. The consideration of photography as art applies to the same rule of context. If one takes family photos, they're not going to be considered art, unless possibly effects were added such as blurring the image or changing color tones. If a picture of a sailor kissing his lady is taken (and you all know what image I'm referring to), it's going to be considered art. But was it at the time? It's all about the context when determining whether a photograph is art. Likely any photo created by a disposable camera is not going to be art. This type of image would be defined by Ian Bogost as a snapshot, a term which he reminds us is derived from hunting and shooting at the hip (Bogost 70). Context is everything in any type of medium. For example, I'd provide a works cited at the end of this post if not for the context of our class, in which we all know who Bogost is and what book I am referring to. What is interesting about photos is that when and where they're viewed, in part and in coordination with the viewer, determines the context. Bogost reminds us, "Photography doesn't make such a distinction; a camera can just as easily take a landscape as a portrait" (Bogost 72). If a photo is of a landscape, and your friend is showing it to you in a slide show of their vacation, you will view it differently than if it's on the wall of a museum. Context is everything in determining whether a photograph is art or just a photo.

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Post 7 - Online Communities

I used to be what they call a "sneakerhead", or someone who collects shoes. There are tons of websites designed for sneaker enthusiasts; I used to frequent the Nike SB forums, Solecollector, and HypeBeast. Already you're probably thinking, "What's a hypebeast?" A hypebeast is someone who wants to obtain a pair of shoes purely because there is a lot of discussion and anticipation or "hype" for the release of a sneaker. I may or may not have camped out overnight for shoes. Some terminology that is commonplace to shoe collectors , but foreign to most include: heel drag, number of stars, B-grades, limited releases, and quickstrikes. Heel drag is when the heel is worn down; this usually occurs when someone is rocking shoes too big for their feet. Number of stars refers to how many stars are left on the bottom toe of the shoes (Nike puts tiny little stars on certain shoe lines so you can tell how worn they are). B-grades are shoes that are nearly top grade, but there is a minor discrepancy such as poor stitching. Limited releases, or LR's, refers to a company only releasing a very small amount of shoes. I own one of ten pairs of Nike SB "Tokyo Mids" that were released, or dropped, in the state of Washington. Quickstrikes refer to a release that is limited and comes with little or no prior warning. Now that I have to spend money on more practical necessities, it seems ridiculous how obsessed I was, but to this day I am proud of my 30+ sneaker collection, which is sorted by model in my closet. I have all the boxes too. A legitimate box makes the pair complete. I even own some sneakers that are "deadstock", or unused and in mint condition. I keep telling myself I should cash out, but I know I never will. Maybe my future grandchildren can sell them for some serious money someday. Sounds outlandish, but just google Jordan Eminems, or Nike Dunk Supreme's; they're worth ridiculous amounts, climbing into the five digit price range. Once even, at a particularly anticipated release for the coveted Nike SB NY Pigeons, a man was beaten with a baseball bat...over shoes. Some people are willing to sell their soul before they sell their soles.

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Post 6 - "When I was your age..."

"When I was your age, we didn't have all this technology; we used whiteboards instead of fancy projectors and smart boards."

"I can't imagine you in grade school, but what's a whiteboard?"

"Exactly what it sounds like; a  big old white board that you can write on with special markers."

"I can't even imagine that! All the erasing and you couldn't even view it online later"

"Yeah, there are many downsides compared to what you lucky kids have today. We had to translate teachers' handwriting- you wouldn't believe how awful some were! It also could be hard to see depending on where you were sitting, what color pen the teacher used, and even the weather."

"The weather?"

"You better believe it! If it was sunny out there would be glare on the board."

"Gee whiz! The whiteboard sounds awful!"

"I can't believe kids say that again; my mom's mom said that."

"Whatever. Were there any advantages of the whiteboard?"

"Well, the teacher never could write much faster for me, so the note-taking pace was ideal. It also gave students a chance to participate in class by writing in the board. Certain reminders could also be in the corner, like maybe what was due, the schedule, or even who couldn't go out to recess."

"I'll wax you in four-square!"

"I suppose you would, we played tackle football before all these ridiculous lawsuits, but that's beside the point. The death of the whiteboard is more symbolic of a trend that began in my day and became a reality. You know the news used to be called the 'paper' and it was delivered to your door?"

"That's nuts, but what's your point?"

"Nothing is in print anymore. We used to have phone books delivered with all your town's businesses and information. We used to have to write by hand in class and doodle upon notebooks, we used to twiddle our pens- some kids even snacked on theirs, we used explore the library, we used to curiously turn pages and hold a world in our hands, we used to get handouts that we could scribble ideas on; do you ever even use paper anymore?"

"Not really, and that's because you used to use the phone book as a seat booster, you used to doodle- I work on other stuff when I'm bored, you used to throw out clothes ruined from ink stains, you use to trudge around with heavy backpacks, you used to scribble- I type."

"Well maybe someday you can sell my library and buy a new iWhatever they make next."

"No, for some reason, I want to keep those books."

"I know." (smiles)

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Post 5 - Thoughts on A Better Pencil

Technology certainly has a place in the classroom. In an increasingly digital world, it makes virtually no sense to not integrate classrooms and pedagogies with at least some of our technological capabilities. As a kid, I remember when my small school first installed smartboards in the classrooms; kids actually wanted to go in front of the class and write on the board. In high school, I appreciated having an online system, which is very similar to the Angel program many WSU classes utilize. I find the use of technology in classes to be enriching to my own education. I have learned a lot over the past four years from electronic mediums, whether it be videos, software, virtual class, and even video games. I do not view the use of technology any differently than print mediums; they can be extremely successful or they can fail miserably. It truly depends on the classes' context and how the teacher incorporates the medium into the course. In large classes, technology has been used to ensure attendance and provide students with opportunities to engage in the class, despite being one of only a few hundred students. This happens due to iclickers, which allows students to answer prompted questions and earn points. Any class with clicker questions forces students to remain engaged in class. I also see ebooks as becoming increasingly present in education. I have used multiple ebooks while studying at WSU. It is nice carrying my ipad to class as opposed to a 6 lb textbook, half of which I'll never need for the class. Despite the advantages of going paperless, I still prefer an actual hard copy, a hardback book that allows me to more easily mark pages, record my thoughts next to the author's, and I find it easier to reference.

Post 4 - Story Arc and Agonizing Decisions in the Stanley Parable

Jonathan Degan defines story arc as "What I call Story Arc in a game is the quality of having the situations and decisions metamorphose during the course of a single game so that the player has the experience of participating in a story with a wide sweep". In the Stanley Parable, originally the game seems to have a rigid plot, but that is because I made the decision to listen to the narrator. After a few run throughs, it is clear that the Stanley Parable is not just one story, but instead a collection of stories with diverse endings. There is however a clear story arc because the gamer does face multiple situations that pose multiple choices. The user writes Stan,why's stories as their motives change during the game's progression. The story arc of the Stanley Parable quickly escalates, as each route you take has its own unique ending. The game has incredible scope, meaning that the game utilizes the same resources over and over, but the context hat the resources appear in is frequently changing (Degan). How the user chooses to respond to the context and use the resources decides the game's story arc. These choices dictate the course of the game and so clearly the Stanley Parable has a story arc with user interaction, even if it's hard to see originally.

These choices that he user is faced with can be seen as agonizing decisions, or as Degan puts its, "those difficult decisions which determine whether you, the player, will come out victorious or blow your best opportunity and hand the game to your opponent". The Stanley Parable has many agonizing decisions. The choices you make are immediately followed by consequences that are often drastic (beating the game, dying, ending the game in various ways, countdown timers begin). Because it is easy to become confused and frustrated, these decisions become increasingly agonizing as the story arc is worked out.

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Blog Post 3

I think that McLuhan took too much acid in his time or something. He seems like a paranoid schizophrenic man who is overcome by anxiety as new technologies emerge. He doesn't realize you do not have to abandon your entire lifestyle just because new technology emerges. It reminded me of that commercial for a smart tv where the dad is singing to some girly hip hop and his daughter comes in to tease him. The ad reads " so easy an adult can figure it out". So clearly technology still intimates people. I will admit I dreaded switching from windows to the Mac operating system, but eventually I did and Iw as glad I did. It's pretty funny to watch most adults try and play video games. I can only imagine my dad trying to play the Stanley Parable. He would quit within minutes and he wouldn't enjoy it at all. The game's interface allows almost of much freedom to make it playable for people without prior gaming experience. I think the best interfaces for games re those that are simple. Flappy bird literally only has one thing a user can do, tap the screen, and it is so popular that the creator had to take it down due to unwanted attention. We see this trend continuing on other gaming platforms. N64 games are more expensive than Xbox games on eBay today because people still cherish the simplicity of game play.  McLuhan may have been so sweat prophetic in the sense that technology does now play a major role, but he need not be so abrasive but rather should become embracing.

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