Archive for July, 2009

Development of concept

I have been reading through The Art of Computer Game Design by Chris Crawford who has helped me develop my concept.

The Art of Computer Game Design defines elements of computer games and attempts to generate a taxonomy of different computer game genres. The text creates an academic framework which I found useful in directing my concept toward a more concrete idea.

My general feelings toward what I would like to develop throughout this paper can be boiled down to a simple, yet impossible goal: To design a “perfect” game. While it is obvious that creating a perfect game is an impossible task, I feel that it is a worthy pursuit which will provide a valuable learning experience and a (hopefully) successful outcome.

My next step will be to continue my literature research and to create a set of smaller requirements that I feel are required to create the perfect game, ie. The game should appeal to as wide an audience as possible; The game should scale to the player’s skill level.

Aesthetic development

I have been playing around in blender, creating the objects I intend to use in the “enviroment” I’m making for my performance. So far I have made a pillar-type object that has an oscillating lump in the middle intended to be in time with the rhythm of the music.

pillarWork1

I have been experimenting with different types of texture and rendering methods to find a look that I like, this is how it’s looking so far. I chose to go for quite a stylised look because I think this provides the visual impact that a VJ perfomance requires. This method will also hopefully allow me to cut and layer my alpha’d renders cleanly, although I haven’t tested this just yet.

pillarRender1

Initial ideas

For this project, I intend to expand upon a previous project (from DESN 386) to develop an interactive soundscape. I intend to develop a modular 3D environment in Blender which I will then transfer to Quartz as separate video layers.

I hope to create a cohesive aesthetic between the visuals and audio, however, exactly what this aesthetic will be is undecided at this point.

res1

res4

Precedent concept images from DESN 386.

Concept

I intend to explore the genre of the casual game and how the game mechanics for them are developed. The casual game is typified by it’s focus on simple, widely appealing gameplay coupled with attractive, stylised graphics.

From Wikipedia: A casual game is a video game or online game targeted at a mass audience of casual gamers. Casual games can have any type of gameplay, and fit in any genre. They are typically distinguished by their simple rules and lack of commitment required in contrast to more complex hardcore games. They require no long-term time commitment or special skills to play, and there are comparatively low production and distribution costs for the producer. Casual games typically are played on a personal computer online in web browsers, although they now are starting to become popular on game consoles, too. Casual gaming demographics also vary greatly from those of traditional computer games, as the typical casual gamer is older and more predominantly female, with over 74% of those purchasing casual games being women.

The focus of this project will be to find out what it is about the casual game which makes it appealing to such a wide audience and whether it’s appeal is derived from human nature (ie. pattern recognition). By pragmatically analysing the game mechanics of a selection of popular casual games and traditional games, I hope to uncover game mechanics which have a universal appeal. These game mechanics will then be used to develop a small video game.

Research will be performed into traditional games such as:
Chess
Tic-tac-toe (naughts and crosses)

Research will be performed into popular casual video games such as:
Bejewelled
Zuma
Peggle
Plants vs Zombies

Concept generation

I am having some problems coming up with an idea to pursue throughout this paper, the topics are so varied and broad that I just don’t know where to start.

I would like to do something which allows me to research gaming, interaction design or music video production because these are the topics which interest me the most.

Making a game (or game-like piece) is probably the most attractive medium for me, and I have always been interested in creating a game which expands upon the usual idea of a game, or expands to an audience wider than the typical gamer.

Creating a physical interaction piece interests me because it explores he trend toward expanding computers beyond the traditional keyboard + mouse + screen set-up, however, I am wary that the quality of my work would suffer from creating a physical object.

Creating a music video would allow me to develop my video production skills and would result in an accessible portfolio piece. However, simply making a music video runs the risk of the project becoming too one dimensional, and I would have to bring someone else in to create the music as my skills in that area aren’t up to scratch.

Some sort of combination between a physical interaction piece and a game-like program could be an interesting route to take, but determining a narrower topic to explore is difficult at this stage.

VJing and Live A/V Practices Reading

Bucksbard, Andrew. VJing and Live A/V Practices.

http://vjtheory.net/web_texts/text_bucksbarg.htm

The text draws comparisons between musical/audio composition and visual composition and how this relates to VJing. It speaks of how the traditionally musical notions of rhythms, tones and tempo are all transferable to a visual medium and used in a VJ performance.

The article highlights the role of the performer and the interface used in a live VJ performance to create an experience. The article makes the point that the experience created by a live performance is one the most important aspects of a VJ performance and should be taken into consideration.

From this reading, it is clear that I should strive to use the improvisational aspect of live VJ performance to develop an experience for the audience.

Emergent Aesthetics

This is the final paper in your course of study with the Digital Media programme. Its purpose is to allow for reflection on the concepts and skils you have developed during your academic path at VUW, while simultaneously giving you freedom to develop your own brief with few constraints. As such, this course operates in a way that is somewhat analagous to graduate study. For some of you then, it may also serve as a transition to more advanced levels of academic pursuit. To provide some beacon of focus, this course employs a matrix that will guide you towards selecting a topic. One dimension of this matrix presents three methods of production, while the other axis provides three general conceptual domains.

Possible design methods:

2D: print media, web design and linear video production with or without some simple form of interactivity.

3D: game design, 3D animation, or any design approach that is thought of as immersive or virtual.

4D: tangible (physical) computing, wearable computing, and any other design approach that uses technology, but is not focused on a keyboard/mouse/screen means of engagement.

Project topics:

Cyber-Therianthropy.
Therianthropy refers to various myth and folklore where beings are part human and part animal. This category requires designs that utilize technology to assist animals, either individually, or pan-species.

The Somatic Web.
The WWW, with all of its social networking tools, eCommerce portals, and troves of information, performs as a mental space. We easily forget the materiality involved: energy used to support these virtual systems, the proximal and distal effects WWW transactions relay to our personal bodies and personal relationships. Projects addressing this theme should deliver a somatic Web presence. In other words, projects addressing The Somatic Web theme should focus on the physical.

Mitigating Adversaries.
The recent Uighurs/Han conflicts in Western China, the mongoose and the cobra, signal and noise, life and entropy: our universe is full of opposing forces. Create a design that interpolates and mollifies the tension between two chosen adversaries – human, chemical, galactic, moral, philosophical or of any other dimension you chose.

http://blogs.mediazone.co.nz/2009-dmdn412/

Expanded Media

MDDN 311/Expanded Media is an investigation into new forms of digital media production and postproduction techniques including: non-linear narrative, audience interaction, stereoscopic environments, and real-time graphics. MDDN 311 addresses the need to explore emerging forms of production and post-production techniques through experimental audience engagement. This course also utilizes the cutting edge facilities of the School of Design Media Lab to produce works that expand the role of screen-based work to include time, space, location and audience factors.

During this course students will create projects that engage with new forms of storytelling and new ways of engaging audiences through a real-time live performance methodology. With the advent of digital media, new modes of accessing media content through non-linear techniques have become widespread. However ways we experience cinematic content has remained ingrained in ideas of old media. How can digital technologies create experiences that engage audiences of the future?

http://blogs.mediazone.co.nz/2009-mddn311/

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