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Games Are Art,. and what to do about it Randy Smith. My personal thoughts about:. How video games are art How better artistry can benefit games Finding and developing the aesthetic center of a game. =. +. CLOSURE is the space between the panels. INTERACTIVITY.
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GamesAre Art, and what to do about it Randy Smith
My personal thoughts about: • How video games are art • How better artistry can benefit games • Finding and developing the aesthetic center of a game
= +
INTERACTIVITY How user input is translated into activity on screen
Distinct Qualities of Cinema:Editing, Cuts, Camera movement, etc. TONS!! Hardly any
Distinct Quality of Video Games:Interactivity TONS!! Hardly any Magnitude of Interactivity =How much the game listens to and appliesthe player’s input
More Interactive Discrete Analog Stepwise Continuous Isolated Connected Designer-Authored Player-Authored
Interactivity Is Technical …for now… !
The Language of Cinema Media Literacy
TONS!! Hardly any !
? Magnitude Of Interactivity ?
Consistent trends in stories from disconnected cultures: Certainty of Death Need for Connection Fundamental Isolation Stories as Functional
Relevance and Honesty How Should I Live My Life? What Is Life Like For You?
Q A Teaches you about life Gets stuck in your head Makes you feel less alone Gets through the thick wall
Great Product Contains Great Art
Top 10 Best Selling Movies • Titanic • Return of the King • Dead Man’s Chest • The Dark Knight • Philosopher’s Stone • At World’s End • Order of the Phoenix • The Two Towers • The Phantom Menace • Shrek 2
The story could not have been written better...The juxtaposition of rich and poor, the gender roles played out unto death (women first), the stoicism and nobility of a bygone age, the magnificence of the great ship matched in scale only by the folly of the men who drove her hell-bent through the darkness. And above all the lesson: that life is uncertain, the future unknowable...the unthinkable possible. James Cameron
MALE AGE FEMALE
MALE AGE FEMALE
MALE AGE FEMALE
11 mil 16 mil 33 mil 40 mil 90 mil 106 mil
11 mil 16 mil 33 mil 40 mil 70-140 mil
Why Think About Games As Art: • You could reach more people • You could make more money
How it works Aesthetics How it feels
I could put my arms around every boy I see, but they’d only remind me of you. All the flowers you planted in the backyard All died when you went away. I know that living with you was sometimes hard But I’m willing to give it another try Because nothing compares 2 U
“Message” comes from: • The topics of the artistic piece • How the piece represents how they work, how they feel
How it works How it feels
How it works How it feels
Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics artist player Players often attempt to knock out the leader as quickly as possible When the leader is knocked out, the rest of the pack scatters I feel like a calculating hunter trying to identify and take out the leader in a quick surgical strike Leader is identical to the others Players can’t identify leader until he gets knocked out I feel like I flail in desperation, then suddenly the pack scatters, and I feel a flood of relief
Possibility Space What is possible in the game world? An understood, designer-authored range of possible experiences
Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics artist player Players often attempt to knock out the leader as quickly as possible When the leader is knocked out, the rest of the pack scatters I feel like a calculating hunter trying to identify and take out the leader in a quick surgical strike Which is the rightaesthetic for your message? Leader is identical to the others Players can’t identify leader until he gets knocked out I feel like I flail in desperation, then suddenly the pack scatters, and I feel a flood of relief
The dogma of FUN! Fairness Goals Clarity ! Balance
Topics Aesthetics, Messages Mechanics Licensed IPYour own ideaTeam project
Topics Aesthetics, Messages What excites you aboutthese topics?Get deeper by asking “why?” repeatedly
Topics Aesthetics, Messages Mechanics What mechanicsand tuning willproduce thoseaesthetics?