Blog Post 12

For my final paper I would like argue the idea that while not all video games are considered texts or stories, there are some video games out there that still can be used as a story telling device and could completely change the user opinion of the game. There are hundreds of sources arguing against the use of video games, but I have found some that refute this claim. The main focus of my paper will be examining one game and discussing how it is able to use different narrative devices in order to tell a exciting story while still remaining an enjoyable electronic game.

The game that I will be examining is Mass Effect. Mass Effect is a perfect example of how game creators were able to use narrative and interactive devices to create an excellent video game. While this game has a great story as well as great gameplay, there have been some interesting “bumps in the road” that may throw the user off. This may have been due to the rush to release this game (as many video games are done these days). Besides that, this game is a solid one.

So here are some of my sources that I plan on using.

1. Kendira, A. "Virstory: A Collaborative Virtual Storytelling." Entertainment Computing: International Conference of Entertainment Computing 2006, Cambridge, UK, September 2006, Proceedings. Berlin ; New York: Springer, 2006. 1 Dec. 2010. Web.

This article focuses on a study that was done, where the researchers looked at the human interaction between digital storytelling and 3D gesture recognition technology. I want to use this because most gaming systems that are sold today come with some sort of 3D gesture recognition technology, which could phase out the use of a controller.

2. Jimenez-Diaz, G. "Pass the Ball: Game-Based Learning of Software Design." Entertainment Computing: International Conference of Entertainment Computing 2007, Cambridge, UK, September 2007, Proceedings. Berlin ; New York: Springer, 2007. 3 Dec. 2010. Web.

This article studies the way people, especially young children learn from video games. The authors devised a study where an entire class room was taught in game-based environment which was supposed to give that "virtual experience".

3. Clarke, Andy and Grethe Mitchell. “Film and the Development of Interactive Narrative.” Virtual Storytelling: Using Virtual Reality Technologies for Storytelling: International Conference ICVS 2001, Avignon, France, September 27, 2001: Proceedings. Berlin ; New York: Springer, 2001. 1 Dec. 2010. Web.

This article talks about there are different ways filmmakers use the camera to make the story more exciting. They then go on to talk about these techniques are used in the creation of video games. The authors agree that video games are a good source of storytelling, so this article will really help my report.

4. Lee, Y. “A Context-Based Storytelling with a Responsive Multimedia System.” Virtual Storytelling: Using Virtual Reality Technologies for Storytelling: International Conference ICVS 2005, Strasbourg, France, November/December, 2005: Proceedings. Berlin ; New York: Springer, 2005. 3 Dec. 2010. Web.

I found this article interesting because the author states that gaming systems that are in production today fall under the term RMS or Responsive Multimedia System. He goes on to state that people are able to understand information better through a virtual environment, however each experience was different depending on the user experience, knowledge, age, gender, etc.

Interesting Topic

This semester there were many things, throughout our readings, that caught my attention. The one article that really caught my attention was one of our last readings. "Can there be a Form between Games and a Story" by Perlin. I have always had an avid interest in video games, from their development to the final product, they have been a huge part of my life. While some of my friends say I am addicted to video games, I look at it from another point of view.

When playing video games, there has always been one thing I look for, does the story flow? Does playing this game make sense, do the characters help you throughout the game with understanding the story? These are just some of the things I often look for in a game. I hope to find a job in this area someday, and would like to make games that people will enjoy playing, that will be talked about forever.

Perlins article really opened my eyes to how we "become" the character in our video games, almost going into a virtual world to act like that character. This was quite interesting, because I want to develop a game someday that will be able to have the same effect as some games do now, where the player becomes engulfed in the character.

Video game development will never grow old. It is in our nature to always seek out some sort of entertainment or relaxation in our life, and for some it is video games. I hope to be one of those who will help create the next Halo or Call of Duty.

Research Paper

As an avid video game player, I was very interested in the last two readings ("Genre Trouble: Narrativism and the Art of Simulation" by Aarseth and "Can there be a Form Between a Game and a Story?" by Perlin). I was most interested because I have played video games, especially computer games, which have taken up so much time of my time. The readings talk about how the debate still exists as to whether video games can be used as narratives in stories and texts. After graduating I would like to try to become an animator for a movie studio, a job that will require much imagination and storytelling ability. I am a firm believer that video games improve creativity and inventiveness

I would therefore like to argue that video games are a good source of text and story. I want to look at how video games have the ability to help us improve in all areas. I will look at different studies that have been done. While there are many studies that will argue against this, I will do my best to show how this is being done.

Blog Assignment 5

With the ability to find virtually anything on the internet these days, one question arises many times; is this information credible? Wiki sites have the ability to allow regular everyday people to post information about anything. For example, for according to The Times, a newspaper in London, the birthday for the Queen had been incorrect for just under 4 years!

I found "The Book of Nature and the Nature of the Book" very interesting. I never realized that piracy was a cause for concern in a non-digital world. Information and stories that were passed from people to people early on was never reliable because the information would change from person to person. Also, I never really thought about how manufactures played such an important role in this context. Could they really sell us "fake" books? I was kinda shocked to find that some do this, by changing what the author has written, which ultimately changes the readers perception of the book.

Fixity in a digital age is not always a good thing either. I still find myself having to check out the date of creation or who the author is, when researching online. There are thousands of websites that are not credible at all, yet they are still used by students and others for information.

Blog Assignment 4

I had quite an interesting time trying to figure out what exactly the authors were trying to convey in the article.

The authors argue that many ideas and such knowledge are not only contained within pictographs, but also within their structure, location, orientation, and construction material. I was a bit confused when reading this; I understand how ideas and knowledge can be contained within pictographs, I had a hard time understanding how it could be within the structure, location, orientation, and construction material.

As an avid computer game player, I started to understand how ideas and knowledge are used in pictographs. One game I often play, Starcraft , has been around for a long long time. There are certain aspects of the game that do not offer any explanation, rather it is up to the user to figure out what they mean. For example, many of the controls on the screen don't offer explanations as to how they are to be used or what for, they just make it trial and error. Amazingly, even though there is no instruction on how or what to do, gamers such as myself, don't have a problem deciphering what the picture means.

We live in a society that is driven by multimedia. All the time we are using pictures to tell a story or to explain something. I agree with the authors when they say when ideas and knowledge can be contained in pictures.

Blog Assignment 3

After reading both articles, I was quite amazed by the "10 Reading Revolution Before E-Books" and how it compared to the Ong article. When first reading Ong's article, I was a bit confused when he says "writing has transformed human consciousness". The way one expresses is considered an invention, according to Ong. When applying Ong's work to the reading revolution, I was most interested in parts 7&8 of the article, mainly because it was the transformation of writing and how it was being applied to electronics.

The following sentence really caught my attention: "The development and expansion of computing, too, introduced a few powerful wrinkles, like the conversion of alphanumeric text to binary languages, text written to be "read" by computers rather than humans, and greatly increasing the amount of reading and writing we perform on screens." This is becoming increasingly true when talking about how writing is used in the technology world.

The human consciousness will forever be changed by writing. Everyday we are changing the way people are able to "write", whether it be on a computer or iphone, writing or "communicating" will always evolve.

Blog Assignment 2

Ong discusses in these two readings, the differences in speaking and writing. There are over a thousand languages, but only 106 of them are used as writing or used in literature. Cultures that have both written and spoken "languages", seem to be more advanced than those with just an oral language.

While reading Ong's first chapter of "Orality and Literacy", I came across a small section where Ong talked about "computer language". This immediately caught my attention. With some prior programming experience, I found it interesting that Ong believes that this language is "totally unlike human languages, in that they do not grow out of unconscious but directly out of consciousness." I believe that "computer language" is a remediated form of writing, where we are using precise terms to accomplish a task. Grammar is not usually associated with computer language, while it is very important when writing or speaking.