Last Call - Reflections on 813

After the end of a procedural semester, I leave the year with a better understanding of the everyday. Ironically, the study of gaming shines a new light on the idea of reality.

I have never considered procedures to be a form of rhetoric, but now I see how important it is. It's hard to complete my daily routine without considering how it is shaping the way I critique the world around me. Before 813, I felt I had a good grasp on my environment, but the more I ventured into worlds within worlds, it became quickly apparent that reality cannot be defined from within reality. Another contextual reference is required.

Video games offer the ability to experience procedure in a different way. In first life (reality), it's hard to view procedure - your absorbed and typically unaware. WoW and SL offer the ability for people to personify avatars, where it is the user's choice to embrace or to critique the procedure.

Second Life (not a game), offers a procedural experience that is...well...not a procedure at all. Within Second Life, an avatar may do 'virtually' whatever he or she wishes, with minor limitations. Unlike WoW, SL does not require in-game procedures to advance oneself, but people are constrained to an objective-less world.

Learning how to draw in SL was a major plus in 813. SL really opened my mind to consumer-centric designing. The possibilities with SL are phenominal - not just being able to import CAD designs, but assigning scripts and virtually evaluating the usability of objects.

My final reflection on 813 is that I am satisfied...but still hungry for more. I would have liked to have explored more game-design theory. I still crave to know 'why' people enjoy a sprinkle of cartoon in role playing games, where reality is a must in first-person shooters. Why are things the way they are in mainstream games - how can one better understand the design principles? We touched on this area, but never fully developed the topic. In the end, after a semester of analyzing procedural rhetoric, I feel very fortunate to leave with my newfound knowledge.

Rigamarole

Art systems from code-generated displays, in my opinion, is not art. How can a person place a mod within a system and claim it as their own. The discourse within "An Interview with JODI," is astounding - computer dabblers remove textures from a code in attempt to "reveal" the environment. Their findings are cute, yet simplistic. The point of any entertainment (or serious) game is to be removed from reality. We all know that mobs are just number-generating pixels, activated by movement into radii.

Yes, artists dance around the boarders of law - mock copyright, infringe on property, and vandalize...yet the artist is commonly socially accepted. They personalize. It's nice. But, would an urban artist claim their medium (architecture) as their own? I doubt it. The perspective engines discussed in part 2 of the reading seem to take a step too far...it's merely cosmetic, if that.

I battle gibberish like this in my work. I like to think of myself as an artist - painstakingly investing hours, days, and weeks into the geometric design of stuff that may sometimes be nanometers in length. My specific duties are not unique - just like painting with a brush is not unique. But, its my creativity that allows me to continue my work. It's not unusual to visit a trade show and see my work deconstructed - and the creativity falsely claimed for. This is what I see in these "artists." They have pirated a designer's engine [their geometric/statistical design] (their medium), broken it down, and claimed it as their own.

For the chapter on "interdependent Game Development" - I totally disagree. The same bullshit is in the CAD world - there are billions of posts on forums and blogs concerning the difficulty of CAD and that open source tools suck, are not as good, etc. This is all nonsense - CAD just takes time and a spatially-oriented mind to work in. Same goes for animators - so much bitching in the industry about tools and code. Maya takes 6-10 months to adjust to - where your done, your a professional animator. I'm talking about greater than DVD quality, 1080p stuff, photo-realistic design and even throw in some physics generators.

So "can" the small firms make games? Yes. Can they afford the talent? No. Are they willing to learn themselves? Time will tell.

What??? Art and Game

A very important aspect of art is the "transformation from non-art to art" (27).

Isn't this the basis of all art - the evolution of material or fragments into a space?

"Three different modes of relation between contemporary fine art and games [are] appropriation, modification, and production of original games" (29)

1. Appropriation is validated by the needlessness of "in-depth" knowledge of technology or rules

e.g. "Space Invaders" as depicted on p31

2. Modification is in the form on hacks and alterations of the code to further fancy the piece

3. Production as a "Invention in the Form of Mods and Hacks"




What the heck is going on here. To define art is to remove art. A game designer is an artist. A game hacker is a hacker. A game modder is a modder.

Serious taken seriously

I wholeheartedly agree with Bogost on the seriousness of gaming in contemporary society. The "modern education" (p.320), "commercial development" (321), and family values (as illustrated in chapter 9) discussed in the last few chapters are vivid. The procedural rhetoric that all these themes embody are reinforced in many videogames.

Bogost mounts his claim by noting that "to be useful, a serious game must stimulate and involve all players, not merely a subset of players" (321). No matter the procedure, each required party must not only participate but find "value" in the process.

My question for Bogost surrounds family life. I am interested in his opinion on the future of "famligaming"...since exergaming has taken off so well, and clearly Bogost noted the effects of credit on the family, how game could bring back the family. Does he foresee something much more advanced than Animal Life (??).

Comments on Values and Aspirations

Since this is a blog, I'm just going to continue my relaxed, unacademic style.

I think Bogost limited his analysis of values and aspirations in this chapter. A heavy focus on consumerism and religion seem to trump the topics, but his point is well made - most all values and aspirations are procedural (within games).

And going back to my usual commentary on real life, I see this as very true. Bogost's opener on schooling and education is on the money - American schooling is just that, mandating obedience, simple understanding, and limiting creativity.

Maybe that is why we are studying videogames. The proceduralness of our daily lives is 'won' when we become the gamer (or destiny controller). We can relate very well.

The Animal Crossing description on p267 is nightmarish. Bring together families via gaming? Instead of spending 5 pages critiquing the mock-consumerism values in the game, why not mention family values? This is the big news to me.

As for as consumerism, are not video-games pure extensions of this? I don't think you can become more self-actualized (or, excuse me, use your self-actualization time) on video games. I don't know the numbers, but I'd say that most games are not for training purposes, they are pure entertainment. Serious they may be, but entertaining they are. Maybe we should ask Mr. Stein, but it may be worth debating between socializing and shopping vs. solitary video-gaming. Both are outlandishly consuming resources - most importantly your time.

Procedural Literacy

Education

NIU: Mechanical Engineering Video Game



My fav quote from Bogost in this chapter (241)

"They [games] situate meaning in a multimodal space through embodied experiences to solve problems and reflect on the intricacies of the design of imagined worlds and the design of both real and imagined social relationshipa nd identities in the modern world"


Bogost defines procedural literacy by "the ability to read and write processes, to engage procedural representation and aesthetics, to understand the interplay between the culturally-embedded practice of human meaning-making and technically-mediated processes" (245)

Education in procedural literacy is legit - I concur with Bogost. Check out basic problem solving, competition, and most importantly - spatial relationships.

As for procedural history: I agree with Bogost - games allow the user to interact with items in different ways, experience things in different mediums, and allows unique and special interactions. promoting critiques that would not be done in the real world.

Class Notes:
Go Meta: the ability to teach a holistic understanding of the subject.

Licensing and Product Placement

I fail to see how the licensing and product placing of video games differs from any other industry. Video games seem to closely mimic the movie and online-video industry.

The Procedural Rhetoric found in the Japanese fast food games were interesting...the level of detail in the prep of some food versus just scooping something from a prepared product.

Advertising Logic and Realism

The anti-capitalist views of Bogost in his advertising chapter seem to overpower the reality of "space" that is found within many of the video games that I have played.

I think the reason why I enjoy WoW and the nearby Clemson lakes/nature is due to the concept of space - a natural freedom that has been taken from me in real life. I am constantly thrown into advertising...at home, in the car, at work, during my lunch break, when I go to class, when I go home....its just a non-stop stream of bullshit. It's impossible to break away from the Fortune 100 in this country.

So...do I enjoy realism? This is a hard question to pose: are games like WoW and Second Life more "real" than life itself? After spending 15 hours on WoW and SL...I sadly admit yes. I think exploring the caverns, lakes, and forests of WoW are much more real that my commute through HWY 123 each morning. How "real" is a line of 25 fast-food chains with my radio blaring commercials, my logoed-up clothing, driving my gas-guzzling Jeep?

One lecture in my design class focuses on the concept of "space," how natural emptiness and panoramic views of vivid nature are ingrained into human 'reality'. Modern packaging design trends are focusing on the concept of white space and bleeding...where natural and organic textures and images continue through the substrate without border.

Continuing, but on another note...Bogost's "advergames" blow my mind. I knew these existed but had no idea people actually "played" them. The "in game ads" ideas, after some thought, make the game more "life-like"...its nice to know I can continue my daily routine of companies streaming information into my phonological loop in many of the games out there.

Narratives in Games and Education

Does a narrative make a game? Do multi/meta-narratives create interaction...leveling a "toy" to a "game"?

Sim City and the Sims are referred to as toys by many of the authors, but do the micro-narratives become game-like?

Next, do games like The Sims and second life become extensions of realities? If so, how can secondary/tertiary realities be games?

The more developmental time invested in spatial abilities and the environment turn the game less "game-like"...correct? Is it because the software sets limitations/objectives that make true games?

Kostikyan - Games

Wow, this is the complete taxonomy of games. Great source for references in the term paper.

I agree with Kostikyan that games differ from toys, and the objectives of each are dramatically different. But is not the idea of playing with a toy...a game? Who does something without an objective? Can entertainment be a form of strategy/device/objective?

Me likey, Wow

Shaggamuki, Level 15 Troll Mage

Status: Highly addicted

I can really see why millions of people play this game. Within a few hours I met up with other noobs to complete quests and explore the terrain. Within a few days I was comfortable with the game and itching to collect new items and level up.

I think the desire to develop social networks is a major portion of self-awareness/actualization. WoW, in my opinion, allows many people to fulfill this need. For some reason, you feel quite accomplished when you find a new complementary weapon or rare item.

The ability to auction goods, trade, team, and dual are also very emotional interactions in the game. When I visit the larger cities in the game, I am totally overwhelmed with what the future will hold for my character.

WoW brings gaming to a new level.

MUDs

The presupposition for the reading today was on the uneventful side, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the article. I found the learning outcomes to be informative and highly interesting. To think...and online dungeon could mirror such classroom (dungeons to many) realities.

The breakdown of the player profiles: Achievers, Explorers, Socialites, and Imposers reminded me of my classroom. Because I teach a series of social-science 'explorations' in creativity, I find my students breakdown into very similar profiles.

Achievers. Like the MUD, my student achievers only care about the 'grade.' They are far less interested in digging into the software, creating innovative things, using our photo rendering or 3D prototyping tools...just whatever it takes to make the desired grade and away they go. Some achievers branch out into exploration, but it is just a mask for some pointless portfolio addition or a side project for a future interview they have planned for 2 years from now.

Explorers. These are my favorite students, and thankfully, I have lots of them. These students are far less interested in creating what they think makes the A, but to manipulate the projects into something they can use for themselves. I love how these students study the machines, get involved, trouble shoot, and try to run our equipment to the limits. I find these students less interested in the structure, but excel in the abstract

Socialites: I find this to be an interesting role in a MUD. What exactly does a MUD do for them? Why not just enter into a chat room? Interestingly, I have the same question for many of the uninterested students in my classes. Seriously, half my classes are electives...why enroll to just goof off? But, it was not until I read this paper that I finally realized it. I broke my classes down: 80% packaging, 10% graphics and 10% architecture. Graphics and architecture majors are usually the socialites...not that keen on using everything. But, I realized that they love interacting with the packaging students. They are introduced for the first time in my class, and by the end of the semester come in with weekend trips, laughs, and hang-overs. They really just enjoy the company of the structural people...where they are the geometric/graphic influence. I guess just good complements.

As for the killers, I am confident I know who they are. Just like the MUDs, these students seek out groups to join or projects to take on that will cause a disturbance. Last semester there was a student who took on an independent role to develop a catholic birth control package...knowing good and well the background of a hefty percentage of the class. Each semester there are always the students who get a kick out of disrupting class, purposely creating disrespectful media, and the common: poor attendance, non-participation, etc. that find there way inside.

Political Process

Many of the focus points of Bogost's thesis discuss the rules and processes of political systems - how these continuous/procedural 'games' have set rules that must be followed.

I was fascinated by Bogost's "breaking the rules" for improvements. His statement challenges the mundane and promotes the abstract and fascinating. In a similar context, I teach a human factors class where we cover "form vs. function," "flexibility and usability," and other procedural design decisions where the mainstream consider the functional/usable to be boring and stable.

I think this is a good idea. I never thought about the government as a rhetorical 'process' and a set of programed procedures

Procedural Rhetoric in flash games.

Tagged by Bogost...["procedural rhetoric," a type of rhetoric tied to the core affordances of computers: running processes and executing rule-based symbolic manipulation.]...

Leveraging the programming "rules," Madrid cradles the user intimately with program code. As candles are clicked on, they slowly fade out...creating a procedural dilemma: how does one activate all of the candles?

Cynthia linked me towards another great procedural game that has more of a "procedure" to it...

http://www.nofreerefills.org/files/packman/packman.html

As the 'gamer' in you "consumes" pacs, you race to read the next message about packaging and the environment. Interesting how the game affords the learning.

Procedural Mark Ward Sr.

Web 2.0 may not be as helpful as you think.

After a review Mark Ward Sr.'s blog on last weeks topic of "procedural rhetoric," I decided to Google the term to sample how the rest of the world interacts with my keywords.

Interestingly...I found that Mark Ward Sr. has dominated the Google search list with links on 3 of the top 4 results.

Seems that all procedural rhetoric leads back to Mark Ward Sr.

Notes: 9/3

Narratives:

Games as story telling devices. Players make their own stories.
Deep text.
Theoretical framework

Systems/Simulations:

narratives are not needed. Simulation more important.

People involved in games (interest groups):
industry designers, academics, gamers

CyberText: Intrigue and Discourse in the Adventure Game

Cybertext, 100: "Mary Ann Buckles argues convincingly that Adventure can be classified as
"folk art" in contrast to the popular commercial genre it later gave birth to.

What happened in the late 1980s when video game sales declined?

The reader 'is'....or at least produces the story (reference to cybertext)

Autism section is fairly funny....as the characters answer your questions/statements with nonsense...they 'break up' the "magic" of the game.

I think the author goes to the extreme during the analysis of the humor in the game (i.e. "hit leslie w/ flowers). I think it was a joke designed in the game.

Homo Ludens: Nature and Significance of Play

The absorption of play may be biological

Interesting how the gambler will loose himself in the passion of the game, football fans become frenzied

Play is not an abstraction - it cannot be denied - unlike justice, truth, goodness, mind and God

Play is freedom

Play is not ordinary or real life

Play is a necessity

Play is highly organized - in designated areas, special rules, rituals...like church

the spoil-sports ruins the illusion of the game. The cheat is not as bad - as he is still in "play"

Lots of similarities between play "space" an ritual "space"