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.
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