Author Archives: Andreea Ogledean

Reflective Summary

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Reflective Summary over RCS module

This module was, personally, a challenge. Not only the language changed for me, but also, the swap from high school to university environment was major. I feel like this module managed to provide a true academic experience: during lectures time we had the chance to listen to explanations and ask questions about the information that was provided, and we could deepen more into the topic while doing our research. I think it’s amazing the fact that we had the opportunity to choose from a couple of questions each week, since people could focus and research what they like.

One of the lectures that had a great impact on me was the History of Indie. I feel like this lecture and the information provided opened my eyes to what is actually happening at the moment in the video games industry. It’s not been long since I have been introduced to the ‘indie’ term and I didn’t really think about the indie game developers before and what they must overcome in order to achieve success in the industry today. After the lecture and research for my questions, I have to say that I would like to become an indie developer, even if there are lots of obstacles and challenges to overcome that I am now aware of. Seeing other people manage to achieve their dream in the video game industry makes me feel excited about it, and knowing that they created what they wanted, without being constrained by big companies’ rules is astonishing.

In this module, while I was doing my research I’ve learned how to reflect on the works of others, how to reference their work and how import it is to give them the recognition they deserve. Whenever I was doing my projects or essays before, I didn’t use to reference what I was writing, but now I know that it was wrong, and in the same way I wouldn’t like people to take my work and say that it is theirs, I shouldn’t do it either. “I have learned, however, that realness or genuineness, or congruence – whatever term you wish to give it – is a fundamental basis for the best of communication.” (Rogers, C., 1980, p. 15).

One of the things didn’t go that well for me in this module is the fact that 500 words is not enough to deepen as much as I would like. Therefore, now, after finishing my tasks, I think that some of my answers are a bit superficial. If I had more time, I think that I would revaluate my essays and make them more compact.

Overall, I believe that this module managed to wake me up and make me realise where I am and what I need to do. I feel that I have achieved new skills such as applying critical and reflective thinking, how to utilise learning and communication resources and problem solve and effectively work to deadlines skills.

 

References:

  1. Kovanto, A.: “The Improvements for Indie Game Development”, Karelia University of Applied Sciences, 2013, available at: https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/55620/Antti_Kovanto_The_improments_for_Indie_Game_development.pdf?sequence=1
  2. Rogers, C., 1995. A Way of Being. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Week 9 – OWN

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A) What do you see as the positives and negatives around copyright?

As Wilhelm Schnotz says, in an ideal world, no one would use your materials without your consent, or attempt to make money by peddling intellectual property they didn’t own. This is not an ideal world, but copyright laws help people and companies protect their work. I think that a strong point of copyright laws is that it automatically extends to all creative works as soon as you publish them. Also, copyright gives the creator of a piece of intellectual property the sole right to produce and reproduce their work as well as authorize it (John Oman). You, as a creator, get protection, copyright preventing your work from being stolen or misused by others. Last but not least, I believe that the fact that the copyright has a limited time only is a good thing because after that period, your work can be shared in the public domain and people can feel free to use it for creating new pieces of work.

Although copyright law grants protections and rights to copyright holders, the system is far from perfect (Wilhelm Schnotz). I believe that copyrights key advantage is also its primary disadvantage. The inability to share it is a weak point – people cannot use your work or distribute it, even if they are not doing it for profit. This can mean that your work is disseminated slowly or not at all. Furthermore, authorship is not ownership (Kelley Keller). Being the creator of the work does not always guarantee ownership. Another negative thing about copyright is that it can be expensive for some small companies. For example, legal representation may be needed in some cases and small copyright owners might have difficulty affording long-term representation. Lastly, I think that copyright can sometimes be confusing and ambiguous, as well as time consuming.

B) Give some examples where you see games being clearly influenced by other work?

Living in the internet era, I think that it is much easier to find inspiration and do your research. Game designers take inspiration from everything that surrounds them. For instance, the famous M.C. Escher inspired many artists. In The Bridge, we can see the influence of his Day and Night drawing. Also, critics compared the Monument Valley’s visual style to a vibrant Escher drawing (Liz Stinson).

M. C. Escher – Day and Night, 1938

The Bridge, 2013

                       

                       

M. C. Escher – Belvedere, 1958 & Waterfall, 1961 vs Monument Valley, 2014

The influence of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work upon Final Fantasy is clear the farther back you look. The first Final Fantasy game has humans, dwarves, orcs, and dragons, while adding mermaids, robots, and other such creatures. Much like the quest of Frodo and the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring, the main storyline of the game involves The Four Light Warriors travelling to vanquish the works of Chaos and the Four Fiends (Allie Dawson).

 

First Final Fantasy, 1987

J.R.R. Tolkien – Lord of the Rings, 1954

 

References:

  1. Wilhelm Schnotz, “Pros & Cons of Copyright Laws”
  2. John Oman, “Copyright: Advantages and Disadvantages”
  3. Kelley Keller, “Owner or Author – What’s the difference?”
  4. Allie Dawson, “The Influence of J.R.R. Tolkien on Modern Video Gaming”
  5. Carol L. Robinson, “Electronic Tolkien: Characterization in Film and Video Games.” From Medieval Afterlives in Contemporary Culture, Ed. by Gail Ashton, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015
  6. Andrew Heisch, “Tolkien in Videogameland,”

 

External Links:

https://www.gov.uk/copyright

https://www.bl.uk/business-and-ip-centre/articles/three-reasons-for-copyright-protection

http://copyrightkills.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/copyright-advantages-and-disadvantages.html

https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/pros-cons-copyright-laws-5170.html

https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/simple-explanation-trademark-copyright-laws-9985.html

http://kelleykeller.com/owner-vs-author-whats-the-difference/

https://www.wired.com/2013/12/monument-valley-a-gorgeous-game-thats-like-an-m-c-escher-come-to-life/

http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/articles/top-10-art-direction-video-games

https://the-artifice.com/jrr-tolkien-video-gaming/

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qbxm9d/the-most-beautiful-video-games-inspired-by-famous-artists-211

http://www.nintendojo.com/features/specials/tolkien-in-videogameland

 

 

Week 6 – Artificial Intelligence

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A) Behavioural modelling is an important part of NPC development for games. Should emotive modelling be part of that development?

Player behavioural modelling is of increasing importance in modern video games (Recent advances in machine learning and game playing). The main reason for this is the fact that the artificial intelligence’s (AI) purpose is to entertain the player, rather than defeat him (Opponent modelling and commercial games). I believe that the more realistic a video game is, the better the game experience is.

Player modelling has many roles in a video game (Opponent modelling and commercial games). In the companion role, the game AI must behave accordingly to the expectations of the human player. For example, if the human player wants to hide, the NPC must act accordingly. Otherwise, the human player won’t be pleased. In the coach role, the game AI monitors closely the behaviour of the human player, and dependent on the goal of the game redirects the player’s focus, or encourages a certain course of action. In the opponent role, the game AI must be able to match the playing skills of the human player, and respond adequately to the player’s playing style. I believe that these goals can be easily achieved without emotive modelling, but I think that the emotive modelling would only make a game more interesting and entertaining. For instance, when a player is in danger of dying because of low energy, there may be a compassionate NPC who would donate him some food so that the main character doesn’t die. I, personally, would be really thankful.

The Walking Dead, 2010 – Emotional Video Games

B) A lot of people are scared by the prospective of AI. What do you think would be the ramifications of us achieving true “strong” AI?

The true ‘strong’ AI’s goal is to develop artificial intelligence to the point where the machine’s intellectual capability is functionally equal to a human’s (A Holistic Approach to AI). I believe that the humanity has come a long way. From the human discovery of fire, we can now fly to the moon and back. Despite the fact that there are now decades since people try to achieve ‘strong’ AI, I do think that the humankind will be capable to finally achieve it (maybe in a thousand years, but it will). I took more than 2 million years after the discovery of fire to invent a light bulb, after all.

If ‘strong’ AI will be achieved, I think that robots will eventually bring both advantages and disadvantages in our lives. No doubt the life is much easier than how it was 10 years ago due technology, but many jobs have already been replaced by computers or machines, leaving people without a sustainable income; and this is only a common example today. Achieving ‘strong’ AI, I think that from a certain point, robots may be somehow able to further develop themselves. At that point, the human race will officially be inferior technology. My only wish is that robots will be smart enough to help the world instead of destroying it, as people do, but I don’t know to what extent this would be possible, since the fact that in the end, they learn from us.

References:

  1. FĂźrnkranz J.- Recent advances in machine learning and game playing – ÖGAI-Journal, 26 (2) (2007).
  2. Van den Herik H.J., Donkers H.H.L.M., Spronck P.H.M. – Opponent modelling and commercial games – G. Kendall, S. Lucas (Eds.), Proceedings of the IEEE 2005 Symposium on Computational Intelligence and Games (CIG’05), IEEE Press, Piscataway, New York, USA (2005).

 

External Links:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1875952111000486#b0035

http://ethicapublishing.com/ethical/3CH12.pdf

https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~arihuang/academic/research/strongai3.html

 

 

Week 3 – Skill, Stamina and Luck

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A) Select one example to outline the key concepts of the interactive narrative genre?

Combining traditional narrative with visual arts and interactivity (Pause & Effect), interactive narrative’s purpose is to place the person reading/playing/learning in the digital environment, so that they believe their choices are central to the unfolding of the story (Interactive Narrative: An Intelligent Systems Approach).

Episode is the mobile storytelling component of the inevitable interactive entertainment wave. It’s a app where you can read and interact with the characters, where your choices decide the path of your story (About Episode). By definition, interactive narrative implies that the actions of the player guide the outcome of the story. Being able to make changes and influence outcomes in the actual story makes the experience engaging: you can change your look – dye your hair, change your clothes, act as you may not normally do in real life. Good immersion gets the player to feel like they are participating in a realistic experience.

As Christopher Pappas explains, stories contain relatable characters, settings and struggles, which form an emotional connection to the player, making the experience even more unique, things that couldn’t be achieved in traditional books, because the characters have already had their destiny written. I think Episode successfully manages to illustrate the interactive narrative genre because the stories also let the player step outside of “the real world” and into a world that challenges them, that presents an opportunity to be more than who they are. I believe this creates excitement for the player as they explore new ways of acting without serious consequences.

Episode, 2015

B) Does the interactive narrative still have a role to play in video games today? Give exemplary examples?

I think that even today, interactive narrative has an import role to play in video games. In Beyond: Two Souls, which was only released in 2013, you can experience the most striking moments of Jodie’s life as your actions and decisions determine her fate. As she traverses the globe, Jodie will face incredible challenges against a backdrop of emotionally-charged events never seen before in a video game (IGN).

In Heavy Rain, for example, as Lark Anderson says, the goal of every story is to form some degree of connection with its observer. Most often, this link is fleeting at best, but every now and then, a much deeper bond is formed. This bond is one in which the observer is less of a passive participant and more of an emotionally engaged accomplice.

Furthermore, Galatea is an expressive, forward-thinking work of interactive fiction (IF) by Emily Short. You’re an art critic, standing in a room, observing a statue. The whole experience takes place in a fixed position, as you interrogate this magical, talking piece of sculpted rock for your report.

I believe that all these games manage to offer a unique experience since they genuinely let the player have his say. They let him involve in the game, making him more than just an outsider and allowing him to influence the character’s fate. Therefore, I think that the interactive narrative plays a very important role in video games today, providing a distinctive experience to the player.

 

References:

  1. Stephen, M., 2017. Pause & Effect. New Riders.
  2. Mark Riedl and Vadim Bulitko’s article on interactive narrative and computational systems: “(Interactive Narrative: An Intelligent Systems Approach”, available at: https://www.cc.gatech.edu/~riedl/pubs/aimag.pdf?utm_campaign=elearningindustry.com&utm_source=%2Finteractive-narrative-learning-effective-elearning-strategy-6-reasons&utm_medium=link
  3. Pappas C.: 9 Creative Ways to Reinforce Key Concepts in Online Training, available at: https://elearningindustry.com/creative-ways-reinforce-key-concepts-online-training

 

External Links:

https://home.episodeinteractive.com/about

https://elearningindustry.com/interactive-narrative-learning-effective-elearning-strategy-6-reasons

http://uk.ign.com/games/beyond-two-souls

https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/heavy-rain-review/1900-6251617/

Week 5 – Human-Computer Interaction

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A) Select one example to outline the key concepts of human-computer interaction. Reflect upon the role of the “human”, the “computer” and the “interaction”

Human-computer interaction (HCI) is an area of research and practice that emerged in the early 1980s (interaction-design.org Staff). HCI consists of three parts: the human, the computer and the interaction between the first two. The human is any user or group of users that need to use the computer. The computer is any piece of technology that one can think of. For instance, a tablet, a phone, a desktop, a printer, etc. The human-computer interaction attempts to make sure that both the user (the human) and the computer interact with each other in a successful way. Therefore, HCI is the study of how people interact with computers and to what extent computers are or are not developed for successful interaction with human beings (cs.bham.ac.uk Staff).

The goals of HCI are to produce usable and safe systems, as well as functional systems. A usable system is easy to learn, easy to remember how to use, effective to use, efficient to use, safe to use, enjoyable to use (cs.bham.ac.uk Staff). A very simple and conclusive example of good interaction between the human and the computer is, I believe, the earphones. I think that children and maybe even toddlers nowadays know that the earphones jack is meant to be in the phone’s round hole to be able to listen to music. Also, the only buttons that you eventually get are the pause/answer calls one or/and the volume ones. When one sees a pause icon on a button, they will obviously know what that button does. It is the same with the plus/minus icon buttons. It’s very simple to learn that because of the design. I believe that the characteristics that the earphones present make them a usable system and the human-computer interaction is effective.

Earphones

B) Discuss the relationship between games design and human-computer interaction.

I think that most of the games nowadays are quite simple to use because the game designer wants the gamer (the user) to have a great experience while playing the game. Therefore, the game designer chooses to make an accessible game interface for everybody. Sometimes, complicated games may be harder to play since the interface becomes busier and that is where the HCI fails. I believe that when designing a game, the game designers and developers must consider the HCI if they want the game to be enjoyable and more than that, they must consider who they are designing for. The game design is very important in terms of colours, style and theme. In the same manner, a game for children needs to be easier to play than a game for gamers who have been trying and playing games for years.

Consequently, I strongly believe that the human-computer interaction is one of the things game designers must take into consideration before starting to design a game. This way, the gamer (the human) will be able to enjoy the game (the computer) and to efficiently and effectively use it.

Farm and Fun Interface

World of Warcraft Interface

 

External Links:

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/human-computer-interaction

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/book/the-encyclopedia-of-human-computer-interaction-2nd-ed/human-computer-interaction-brief-intro

https://www.cs.drexel.edu/~introcs/Fa14/notes/04.3_HCI/BadDesign.html?CurrentSlide=7

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5368956/?reload=true

https://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~rxb/Teaching/HCI%20II/intro.html

Week 4 – Indie Games

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A) Why could you say that the “Indie” game scene is not a new thing?
 explain and give examples

The “Indie” term defines a person or a small and independent group of people who create art as they want it to be, without being constrained by big companies’ rules (dictionary.com Staff). The word was first used in 1920 with reference to film production (Google Books). The video game industry has since developed and among the times’ huge developers such as Nintendo or Naughty Dog, there have always been small indie groups that competed with them. I believe that there’s no doubt that the Indie game scene is not a recent or a new thing because there have always been people who didn’t like to obey the rules, people who wanted to express their feelings and themselves without having to explain and to limit their works of art to what a company says and wants. Being an Indie developer means that you can experiment, you can be pretentious, you can be personal, weird without being judged. For instance, Super Meat Boy is an indie game designed by Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes. They created a vulnerable but brave enough character who wants to save his girlfriend no matter what (Adams, I.). Also, Jonathan Blow designed Braid as a personal critique of contemporary trends in game development (Dahlen, C). Now, there are lots of successful indie games that managed to break the internet despite the fact that they were often built on a low budget: Cave Story, Stardew Valley, Spelunk, Inside and many more.

Super Meat Boy

Braid

Therefore, you can say that the indie game scene is quite a common thing, rather than a new one. Even with obstacles such as a low budget or game publishers’ competition, I think that indie game developers managed to successfully express themselves through their games along the years.

B) Has the term indie become meaningless?

Even though indie game developers face rough times nowadays (Bhargava, V.), I believe that they do remain the ones who provide the most fun and entertaining game experience. Regardless the nature of the obstacles that these indie game developers have to overcome: the already mentioned low budget, no resources (it just isn’t the same thing when big companies involve motion-capture technology and 160 actors e.g. Beyond: Two Souls and then indie game designers film themselves falling down the stairs), not protected work (Rodain Joubert, the developer of Desktop Dungeons discovered a clone of his game, called League of Epic Heroes), publicity, etc, I think that these game developers still manage to compete against the world’s most wealthy game companies, being on the same market. These indie developed games offer a more personal and artistic experience to the gamers. Hence, I do not believe that the term indie became meaningless. I think that as long as indie game developers exist, and they do exist, because there is no way all people are fine with the commercial pressures or interference, the term won’t become meaningless. I believe that as long as there are people who are willing to try to overcome some obstacles, who know that they should make games because that’s what they want, not because it’s their job, indie games will long live.

Beyond: Two Souls motion-capture technology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QZN2IC0vOo

Desktop Dungeons vs. League of Epic Heroes

 

References:

  1. Adams, I.: Interview: Super Meat Boy’s Silly Take on Classic Platformers, available at: https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/30885/Interview_Super_Meat_Boys_Silly_Take_On_Classic_Platformers.php
  2. Dahlen, C.: Game Designer Jonathan Blow: What We All Missed About Braid, available at: https://games.avclub.com/game-designer-jonathan-blow-what-we-all-missed-about-b-1798214678
  3. Bhargava, V.: The Challenges Faced by An Indie Game Developer And How To Overcome Them, available at: https://blog.getsocial.im/the-challenges-faced-by-an-indie-game-developer-and-how-to-overcome-them/

 

External Links:

http://www.pocketgamer.biz/stateside/61563/the-indie-dream-is-dead/

https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/AdrianRusu/20170404/294995/Indie_Games_Scene__2017_Overview.php

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/10-best-indie-games-top-indie-games-on-pc-and-consoles-1300583

http://tig.wikia.com/wiki/History_of_Independent_Games

https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/KateReichert/20121101/180767/Top_5_Problems_Faced_By_Indie_Game_Developers.php

Week 2 – Avant-Garde

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A) What does the term AVANT-GARDE mean?

The French term ‘avant-garde’ is a military jargon. It was used to designate the detachment exploring the unknown field to prepare the advance of the army.

Later, the term changed its meaning, but it kept a link to its origin. Avant-garde is a complex term which, broadly, defines the expression of the new replacing the old. Therefore, an avant-garde is not a traditional or common work, it is a major change bringing new orientations, it is radical, unorthodox. It tells people what to expect from what is coming (Ciocaniu, C.).

In the historical sense, avant-garde is an artistic phenomenon that has occurred at the beginning of the 20th century, affirming some movements connected through their similar characteristics: the radicalism, the total rupture of tradition, the obsession of absolute art, the aggressive tendency. The most important avant-garde movements are the futurism, the abstract expressionism, the dada, the constructivism, the cubism, the pop art, the Bauhaus and le nouveau rĂŠalisme (Onofrei, M.).

Avant-garde Jazz painting by Leon Zernitsky

B) Is it still possible to be truly ‘AVANT-GARDE’? If so, provide game examples.

The game industry has been widely developed during the last couple of years (Stuart, K.). Despite the fact that the design of a game is always different than the other’s, I do believe that lots of games are similar. When I think of an avant-garde video game, I think of a game that doesn’t only offer a new design and idea, but also a new experience for the player.

I believe that Donkey Kong (1981), for instance, was an avant-garde game for its period, because it was the first platformer game, bringing a new perspective over video games (Perish, J). Likewise, Duck Hunt (1984) could be an avant-garde game since the first-person perspective hasn’t been used before. As the demand of video games increased (history.com Staff), more and more games have been created. New ideas, designs and perspectives have been approached. Nowadays, we are able to choose from a tremendous range of video games.

Donkey Kong (1981), Nintendo – 2D perspective

Duck Hunt (1984), Nintendo – First-Person perspective

During the last years, game developers took inspiration from everything, always trying to approach new ideas so that the player has a new type of experience. Ideas can always be changed, new, fun, having such a wide range of inspiration sources, but I think that the perspective the player has in a game has a crucial role. I can’t imagine any perspective (other than 2D Side Scroller Direct/Angled, 2D Top-Down, 2D&3D Hybrid, 3D First/Third person, which have already been used in many video games) that could make a game possible to play.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that one can fully enjoy a game that was built on a new idea, but I think that in order for a game to be truly avant-garde, it needs to bring something more than an idea, it has to be fully innovational, making visible a radical change. Therefore, I don’t believe that it is still possible to be truly avant-garde, since all the perspectives that make a video game possible to play have already been used.

 

References:

  1. Onofrei, M.: Romanian Literature: Baccalaureate – essays, Booklet, Bucharest, 2008
  2. Ciocaniu, C. (coord): Romanian Language and Literature, Niculescu, Bucharest, 2014
  3. Stuart, K.: The digital apocalypse: how the games industry is rising again
  4. Perish, J.: Five Critical Moments in Platform Game History

 

External Links:

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/avant-garde

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/definitions/avant-garde-art.htm

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/may/17/video-game-industry-changing-virtual-studios

https://www.gamespot.com/forums/games-discussion-1000000/what-was-the-first-platformer-26639878/

http://www.usgamer.net/articles/five-critical-moments-in-platform-game-history

http://gaming.wikia.com/wiki/First-person_perspective_video_games

http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-video-games

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1NyIsZXeqU

https://mozzastryl.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/types-of-game-perspectives/