Humane Games: Archive

game made in response to the “kettling” of children who protested cutbacks in education spending in England. Kettling is — according to press reports — the act of containing people out in the open. The conditions were freezing, and the children were kettled for hours.

“[Editor’s note: James Zhang is CEO of Concept Art House, a high-end art service provider based in San Francisco and Shanghai, China. CAH has done visual development work for top social and mobile game companies including Zynga, Crowdstar, Rockyou, Kabam, LOLapps, Openfeint, and Ngmoco.] When asked if high quality art matters in social games, developers’ responses vary widely. To some, art is absolutely critical, while others treat it as an after-thought of game design. To quantitatively answer such a subjective question, let’s look at some ways that high quality visuals might directly affect the success of a game….” —Does [visual] Art Quality Matter in Social Games?

Nov 28, 2010

“Game design is the rapidly growing chosen option at design schools because the art of creating immersive worlds is fascinating besides being a platform to unleash creativity where anyone would like the master of the universe by unveiling worldly environments out of their minds. The time of treating games as a sole form of entertainment had diminished drastically letting wave to a new era where it is preferred system for imparting educational content, explaining core concepts of academics, life or society by different genre of games and enriched social interaction where learning meets fun. In design schools, the subject area to be covered is vast starting from the basic initiation of a structural design to the massive creation virtual environments, character modeling, designing arts and much more. At the Video Game Design School of the Academy of Art University, the Bachelors Degree Program (BFA) and Masters Degree (MFA) covers two different areas of field of interest. The graduation program begins with the game theory & design, visual communication & storytelling, understanding the concept of technology, application of technical knowledge, intermediate levels of animation, besides learning to present the ideas perceivable by the viewers. Playing video games is fun now and always, while designing a complete game is an altogether different experience where the mastermind should know all. The advanced studies offered at design schools exactly hone the skills of everything they have learnt from an amateur artist to a professional game designer. Reputed and huge companies like Electronic Arts, Sony Computer Entertainment, Lucas Arts are constantly looking out for new talents where job roles are aplenty. Based on individual interest, roles can vary from being a art director, technical expert, game designer, level designer, storyboard artist, concept artist for various elements like props, vehicles, environment, 3D animator, visual effects animator and much more. Design schools carry out the task of shaping up virtually talented video game designers, animators and artists with extensive training in the field of gaming. While learning, they get exposed to the real world of industrial experts and professionals for grasping knowledge on what the industry really wants beyond academia. Courses covered analyze special interests and specializing in genre of game design or job role lays the step stone for an astounding career in the future. Attending a good design school makes the learner visually perceptive, to see the world in a new perspective.” —Design School Areas of Study - Focus on Game Design

Nov 27, 2010

Nov 26, 2010

#navigation #space

“Abstract:
This thesis provides a unique game design methodology to realize player-centric Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (DDA) in video games, which creates optimized video game experiences for different types of players. Rather than offering player a passive DDA experience by analyzing incomplete in-game data, this thesis uses Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow theory and provides players with subconscious choices to help them actively customize their optimal video game experiences. It treats active DDA as a new parameter for analyzing video games and seeks to address why certain video games had a wider appeal than others” —Welcome to Flow in Games, Jenova Chen’s MFA Thesis

Play

I quit Facebook some 6 months back. Unfortunately, due to client work, I have recently had to create a secret stealth Facebook account to refer to points of interaction that clients find relevant to our projects.

Experiencing Facebook in this way (with no friends, and under an assumed name) is…

Nov 23, 20103 notes

Machinima artist Paolo Pedercini turns the tables on the U.S. Defense Department’s controversial America’s Army recruiting game in Welcome to the desert of the real.

The 6:37 video uses footage from America’s Army to highlight symptions of post-traumatic stress disorder, an …

Nov 22, 20101 note

Gaming the Network Poetic - Video from the Opening

jafish:

via vimeo.com
Posted via web from Amusement Device | Comment »

Gaming the Network Poetic at Sheppard Fine Arts Gallery

jafish:

via flickr.com
Some photos from my setup at Sheppard Fine Arts Gallery in Reno, NV for the Prospectives.09 festival. Higher quality photos coming soon. There was also some nice coverage of the event in the News Review.

Posted via web from Amusement Device | Comment »

Nov 19, 20101 note

“The ScratchEd project, led by faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and professionals at the Education Development Center, is designing, developing, and studying an innovative model for professional development (PD) of teachers who use the Scratch computer programming environment to help their students learn computational thinking. The fundamental hypothesis of the project is that engagement in workshops and on-line activities of the ScratchEd professional development community will enhance teacher knowledge about computational thinking, their practice of design-based instruction, and their students’ learning of key computational thinking concepts and habits of mind. The effectiveness of the ScratchEd project is being evaluated by research addressing four specific questions: (1) What are the levels of teacher participation in the various ScratchEd PD offerings and what do teachers think of these experiences? (2) Do teachers who participate in ScratchEd PD activities change their use of Scratch in classroom instruction to create design-based learning opportunities? (3) Do the students of teachers who participate in the ScratchEd PD activities show evidence of developing an understanding of computational thinking concepts and processes? (4) When the research instruments developed for the evaluation are made available for teachers in the Scratch community to use for self-evaluation, how do teachers make use of them? Because both computational thinking and design-based instruction are complex activities, the project research is using a combination of survey, interview, and artifact analysis methods to answer the questions. The ScratchEd professional development and research work will provide important insight into the challenge of helping teachers create productive learning environments for development of computational thinking. Those efforts will also yield a set of evaluation tools that can be integrated into the ScratchEd resources and used by others to study development of computational thinking and design-based instruction.” —Award#1019396 - ScratchEd: Working with Teachers to Develop Design-based Approaches to the Cultivation of Computational Thinking

Nov 18, 2010

via flickr.com
I was down in Reno, NV at the University of Nevada last week to install Gaming the Network Poetic at the Prospectives.09 festival (you should check out the website, because every time that you do, this drill from Jonah Brucker-Cohen will drill into the wall at the

Nov 18, 20101 note

Nov 17, 2010

Below you’ll find a video with all five games from Gaming the Network Poetic running in the same video. Some may appear to be a little too fast — I used the “saveFrame” function in Processing to export individual frames so that I could capture in high resolution, but some games have less…

Nov 17, 20101 note

Play

Nov 16, 2010

very brief bibliography from P4games.org housed on bibsonomy.org

Nov 16, 2010

“The example of computer art shows that the computer can be used also in a humane way in the true sense of the word. Seen in this way, it could be considered an example of that ‘gentle’ technology which in future years should gain more and more importance and which, even today, deserves our attention.” —Franke: The New Visual Age

Nov 15, 2010

“SUNNYVALE, CA, Nov 11, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — AMD (AMD 7.58, -0.05, -0.64%) today announced the AMD Foundation, in support of AMD Changing the Game, has awarded a $10,000 grant to the Institute of Play for the creation of a social impact game community within the Gamestar Mechanic game development platform. Gamestar Mechanic, published through a partnership between Institute of Play and E-Line Media, is a new, free, game-based digital learning platform that teaches game design principles, systems thinking and 21st century literacy skills. Gamestar Mechanic features several integrated components, including Game Alley, a Web community for players to publish, review and collaborate on game design with their peers. The AMD Changing the Game Impact Channel will be a featured element in Game Alley and represents another new vehicle to support youth game development-based education. The AMD Changing the Game Impact Channel, which went live today, will also feature regular game design competitions, with each challenge focusing on a social issue theme of the month, such as energy, the environment or health. The project is targeted toward teens ages 13-18, and is expected to reach thousands of players. “The Game Alley program and competition are specifically tailored to create successful gaming experiences for youth and to help them engage their peers on important social issues, two key objectives of the AMD Changing the Game initiative,” said Allyson Peerman, president, AMD Foundation. “The program is an excellent example of ‘stealth learning’ in that players will absorb STEM and critical thinking skills while having fun.” “The AMD Foundation has been a real pioneer in empowering youth through game design,” added E-Line President Alan Gershenfeld, who was formerly Chairman of Games for Change and Senior Vice President at Activision Studios. “We are very pleased to support their mission of harnessing the power of computer and video games to engage youth in the critical issues that will affect their lives in the 21st century.” The Game Alley competitions are slated to begin immediately and the first challenge runs through Dec. 31. The judging panel will include professional game designers from E-Line Media, representatives from Games for Change, the leading non-profit focused on harnessing the extraordinary power of digital games to address the most pressing issues of our day, along with youth judges from Global Kids, a nationally recognized leader in using digital media to promote global awareness and youth civic engagement. Winners will receive an AMD-based laptop computer.” —Game Development-Based Education Gets Another Lift With Latest AMD Foundation Grant to Institute of Play - MarketWatch

Nov 15, 2010

“GREENSBORO – Classes in computer game design are scheduled to become part of the state school curriculum in the 2012-2013 school year. They’re already being held at selected schools across the state. Educators think those classes and others will help boost graduation rates and mean jobs for students in the future. While the classroom at Southeast High School in Greensboro looks like a group of high school students playing computer games, it’s much more than that. They’re learning how to design the games. “I took game design simply because I wanted to further my knowledge in 3D animation and modeling,” said Senior Kevin Shropshire. And while some parents may roll their eyes at the prospects, there are jobs to be had in this field. “It’s a huge industry. It’s right up there with the amount of money Hollywood makes,” said game design teacher Mike Tidwell. The game design program developed by Guilford County teachers will become part of the state’s standard course of study in two years. Administrator says Career and Technical Education boosts graduation rates. “Students who focus on career and technical education programs in are much more likely to graduate than students overall,” said Guilford County School Superintendent Mo Green. Green says, statewide in 2008, students who earned four or more technical credits had a graduation rate of 86.6 percent, compared to an overall graduation rate of 70.3 percent. And administrators say what’s going on this classroom can translate to high tech jobs, either after high school or further down the road. “Somewhere between a half and a million jobs go unfilled in the state of North Carolina,” said Tidwell. ” We are currently second behind California, as far as the number of game design jobs that are available.” Senior Tommy Bui says he wants to further his education in animation or 3D game design. “I would like to work for Pixar or Epic Games to like create the next 3D movies,” said Bui. He also thinks this is helping prepare him for a career in medical imaging. Learning design can also translate to other fields — architecture — and the even automotive industry. ”We do think we are preparing them for today’s economy and future careers,” said Bob Gantt, the system’s Director of Career & Technical Education. Students are aware they’re not just playing games. “It’s really helping me with my future goal of being a computer engineer,” said Shropshire.” —Computer game design classes coming to NC schools - News14.com

Nov 15, 2010

Nov 15, 20101 note

“It was way back in 1983 that I realized that people, not things, were the fundamental element missing from games.” —Chris Crawford: Sixty (via notgames)

Nov 11, 2010110 notes

Nov 10, 2010

“October 29, 2004
Video Games With a Political Message
By ANDREA L. FOSTER
Georgia Tech professor devises interactive ways to look at campaigns and policy debates
Article: A Scholar Who Brings Philosophy to Video GamesBy ANDREA L. FOSTER Playing video games can persuade voters to change their minds on important political issues.” —Video Games With a Political Message - Technology - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Nov 10, 2010

Nov 9, 2010

“Becker College, in Massachusetts, took an unusual step to encourage participation in the state’s upcoming gubernatorial election—the institution commissioned a video game about it. The free online game, Race for the Ballot, allows players to select one of the state’s four gubernatorial candidates and steer the politician around a running track before time runs out on Election Day. Along the way, the players have to avoid politically themed obstacles of pork-barrel spending, red tape, and, of course, the other candidates.” —College Students Develop Video Game to Spark Interest in Voting - Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Nov 9, 2010

“

As part of a research project on computer games produced prior to 1973 (the date of 101 BASIC Computer Games), I have been conducting research on The Oregon Trail, which originated at Carleton College in Minnesota in 1971 by Don Rawitsch, Paul Dillenberger, and Bill Heineman. The game was played in one of Rawitsch’s history classes and in programming and simulation classes taught by Dillenberger and Heineman, then put in storage until Rawitsch copied it onto the MECC computer system in 1974, with a revision in 1975 based on new research. The 1978 version is thus fairly close to the 1971 original, only with more accurate data. The original version also contained more jokes to make the learning process more interesting, but the data was still fairly accurate. Rawitsch testifies to the value of a simulation for teaching:

Although students can find out about the Oregon Trail by reading books, visiting museums, watching movies, and similar activities, the simulation allows them to learn from actively participating in the simulated experiences of people from another era.

Data on the Oregon Trail was collected from books and diaries and provided accurate information regarding the cost of goods, types of supplies to buy, and the frequency of disasters (i.e. bad weather occurs 20% of the time and injuries 5% of the time in the diaries, so they occur at the same rate in the game). The code also detects where the player is on the trail and adjust random events accordingly (i.e. it snows in the mountains and river disasters occur on the plains).” —Oregon Trail Ver. 3 (BASIC 3.1, 1978) « Desert Hat

Nov 7, 2010

Play

Nov 7, 2010

madeleineb:

my jamz

Nov 7, 201015 notes

Play

Nov 7, 2010

jacquescharlier:

[caption id=”attachment_2266” align=”alignnone” width=”320” caption=”Casanova Bridge, (10 cartes dont carte de titre). Dessins de Paul-Emile Bécat, Edition Philibert, Paris, 1960. Impression offset sur carton plastifié, Complet : 52 cartes, 1 carte de présentation et 2 jokers. Collection et ©…

Nov 7, 20101 note

“DADA doubts everything. Dada is an armadillo. Everything is Dada, too. Beware of Dada. Anti-dadaism is a disease: selfkleptomania, man’s normal condition, is DADA. But the real dadas are against DADA.” —Tristan Tzara (via superiordancing)

Nov 7, 2010

“

To make a Dadaist poem:

* Take a newspaper.
* Take a pair of scissors.
* Choose an article as long as you are planning to make your poem.
* Cut out the article.
* Then cut out each of the words that make up this article and put them in a bag.
* Shake it gently.
* Then take out the scraps one after the other in the order in which they left the bag.
* Copy conscientiously.
* The poem will be like you.
* And here you are a writer, infinitely original and endowed with a sensibility that is charming though beyond the understanding of the vulgar.

” —

Tristan_Tzara///dada manifesto on feeble love and bitter love

[για τους ενγχωριους Μανιφεστα του Ντανταϊσμου εκδ. Αιγωκερως]

(via petitmal)

Nov 7, 20102 notes

a videogame by Adult Swim Games + PixelJam

found via BuzzFeed’s weekly [Game Battle]

cross-references:

The Daily Grind (coming soon)
Everyday the same dream

Nov 7, 2010

“

PARA HACER UN POEMA DADAÍSTA.

Coja un periódico.
Coja unas tijeras.
Escoja en el periódico un artículo de la longitud que cuenta darle
a su poema.
Recorte el artículo.
Recorte en seguida con cuidado cada una de las palabras que
forman el artículo y métalas en una bolsa.
Agítela suavemente.
Ahora saque cada recorte uno tras otro.
Copie concienzudamente
en el orden en que hayan salido de la bolsa.

El poema se parecerá a usted.
Y es usted un escritor infinitamente original y de una
sensibilidad hechizante, aunque incomprendida del vulgo.

” —Tristan Tzara: Para hacer un poema dadaísta (via pensamientosimpuros)

For Kellee Santiago, founder of thatgamecompany, video games are an interactive art form. Inspired by hiking, gazing at clouds, and even stories of religious conversion, her games…

Nov 7, 2010

Humane Games

November 2010

95 posts