Digital Games- But are they art?

a) How does Adams define art? Do you agree with his definition?
According to Adams the defination of Art, there are different kinds of art, such as literary art, film, television, drama and writing, also included the fine arts, such as sculpture, music, dance and painting. These arts were presented in a narrative way, that means there a story in art. The decorative arts and indutrial art, architecture are also include as art. These art form will involve the artistic value.

        I agree that there are different classification in the defination of Art. Everythings can be difined as art, once it has the artistic value. Art can provide aesthetic experience, it refer to any skill or mastery. Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging symbolic elements in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, photography, sculpture, and paintings. So the defination and classification of art was broad and involve a wide range!

ref; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art

b) According to Adams, what is needed for videogames to be considered as art ?

Adams conclude that video games to be considered as art, they should include the following elements:

• Element of narrative: there is a story in the game
• Game should serves as : Art as expression
• Non-interactivity of public in the development of a game
• Games contain theme, content and ideas
• Games should challenge the player through think, and ways of seeing things
• Games also involve critic and require an artist
• Gaming award should be focus on the aesthetic content

Digital games are art

case study : Limbo

     Picture from Limbo

 Introduction:

¨  Limbo (Latin limbus) Religious "edge of hell“=Theme, style of play "trial and death“

¨  released in July 2010 on Xbox Live Arcade

¨  puzzle-platform video game

¨  2D sides roller

¨  Story: Limbo is a boy who awakens in the middle of a forest ,he seeks his missing sister through dangerous environments and traps.

I think videogames should be included as an work of art. since it share same characteristic, function and value of other art forms, such as sculpture, painting, drawing and filmming. so it should be consider as an art form.

1. videogame involve human creativity and imagination, as well as a serious production with it. The graphs was designed by a professional team involved different skills and techniques. such as the computre programmer, writers and artists etc. videogames compile all of the art worlds tools into one medium, such as drawing, painting, sculpting, creative writing and video art etc, all come together to produce the game. Such as from Limbo, graphics are designed in Black and white tones, picture in jet-black ink and scratches of charcoal. using techniques, such as lighting for focus, and using shadows.

2. videogames serve as the function of "Art for expression". Videogames were expressive, since it convey sense of mood, provoke our curiosity and amusement, and motivate us to explore (serve as the function of film). For example, in Limbo, the gloomy background arouse a  sense of destitution and despair. And its Open-end work with mystery (Ending: Limbo encounters a girl. When he approaches, she stands up, startled; the game ends at this point), it caused different interpretaions, such as (1)religious nature of Limbo or purgatory,(2)Limbo's journey from Hell to Heaven (reached his sister's death),(3)change in setting means the progression of man from child, adult, elder. These interpretation provoke our curiosity and amusement, and motivate us to explore.

3.Videogames contain message and theme. such as in Limbo,the deaths seen as necessary as part of learning and overcoming each obstacle. There are many thoughtful puzzles: with its elegant simplicity, offers up what feels like a world of meaningful possibilities. The story also involve human complexity , stories that stress the consequences of our actions !


4.Videogames contain the element of narrative. Such as in Limbo, there are direct and indirect narration. Indirect narrative created through atmosphere, color, and sound. direct narrative was the story, games’ flow was based on the story of 10 plots. just like the film.

5. Videogames share the characteristic of film noir, such as silent film, they both limited to plot points and dialogue, they use of focus, film grain, fog, and lighting, create silent scenes.

      

                    Limbo                                                                            Danish silent film "Haxan” 1922

Conclusion: Videogames are art, since they involve

• Human creativity and imagination
• Open up new aesthetic experiences
• Expressive: convey sense of mood, provoke our curiosity and amusement, and motivate us to explore
• Characters of human complexity , stories that stress the consequences of our actions
• Art as the creative use of technology

Ref:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeaBbxrVMzM

http://kokugamer.com/2009/10/11/video-games-are-art/

The Ethics of Digital Games: Only Playing ?!

 

•A)According to the film, what are some pros and cons of playing videogames for individuals and societies?

• According to the film, there are some pros and cons pf playing the digital games for individuals and societies. On the pros aspect, digatal games can acts as an educational purpose. such as it can helps to spread knowledge, such as the game of "Americas Army", it's designed to train the people to be soldier and to know more about the American's army. It helps to promote a positive image of being a soldier. Also there are some games that were designed to used by the patient as to let them know more about their sickness and diseases. The game was also serve as a kind of tool that to provide knowledge. This is the pros for the societies.

•On the cons aspect, the negative impact was mainly effect on the individual level. Such as desensitization and immersive.Such as when we are playing the games, we are receiving those violence things and sexualality. The more time we spend on playing the violence the more negative information we receive, as time past by we will become more desensitize of violence and sex.

 

•B) According the film, is there any evidence that digital games can encourage aggressive values and anti-social actions in the real world? Do you agree?

• There are some evidences that prove digital games can encourage aggressive values and anti-social actions in the real world. According to the experts in the film, one has mentioned that digital games could give the feeling of powerful for the player, such as the first killer can get the weapons as to be the most powerful player in the game, thus encourage the player to kill the people and to be more aggressive in the role of playing and also in the reality.

•c)Should governments have the right to ban certain games? Why or why not?

I think government should have the right to control and ban the games. Since games are popular culturral product, they can be accessed by the public, no matter the young kids or the eldery. Due to its boardly exploded in the society, it will bring both negative and positive impact for the community. And game is a commercial product, the developer would be on  the profit-based purpose and goal. Thus they develolper may put in wrong content such as violence, drug, sex, in the game. in order to attract the player. So based on the protection of public correctness and social morality. The government should have a right to control and ban certain games.

Technologised bodies in art

Kazuhiko Hachiya Inter-Discommunication Machine 1993
視聴覚交換マシン


I think Kazuhiko Hachiya's work of "Inter-Discommunication Machine " was really interesting that the machine allows us to experience other people's "world" .The machine was done in 1993. The work was come from the idea of combination of art and science. The machine function like that, two players wear head-mounted video cameras and backpack transmitters with wings, then each player views his or her own image retransmitted through the other player's headgear, thus give us a new vision of our individual perception of the world.


 I think it's a very meaningful experience that we have another chance to explore new vision. We are no longer bonded by our own vision  we can also experience different vision.  Just mentioned by Kazuhiko Hachiya " "borrowed the players' perceptions" in order to create a world of self-discovery". We may not discover or notice about other people's feeling once we stand on our own side. If we could stand on a opposite position, we would definately find out a  greater world. I think its worth for experiencing. And the work just like a Performance Art, a new style of presenting an art. I would like to try the machine if I got a chance !!

  

  

Contructing Identity Online : Who Are You ?

AS the require of the identity used on internet. I register some online  identities as for my convenience. I have about 6 online identities, such as MSN, Facebook, Hotmail, LN student ID, xanga and Yahoo. As a wise net user, I actually didn't use my real identity, there are some differences bwtween my real identity and the online identity. For example, I use different personal data of those online identities, such as name, birthday, address and telephone number etc. Also, I didn't use my own real photo and some times the gender.


There are some benefits the online idetity give itself. Such as I can use the online identity to meet more friends, to make the conection with friend even more easy and convenience, to express myself and let other know more about me. And the most important thing is that I can use the online identity for shopping in the internet, that provides a great convenience for me, it helps to save time and spending.


Of course, a coin has two sides, online identity also has its drawback and causing risks. Once we put all our personal imformation online, we would  face the risk of being steal privacy by the hacker. Sometimes, we may face cyber bully of receiving disturbance. We would loss online property, such as the game property of weapon and money. I always receive some advertising which causing disturbance and virus.

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Mouchette

Description

Mouchette is a digital art work that explore identity. Visitors to the site are greeted with a lurid close-up of a flower, its petals crawling with ants and flies, accompanied by a portrait of a sad-looking girl and the following text: "My name is Mouchette/I live in Amsterdam/I am nearly 13 years old/I am an artist." There are different sections of the web page, the web was designed in a strange way with its special color, images, sound and composition. Each web page is design with a strange picture, such as images of raw meat or sexually suggestive (a tongue licking the screen). Many pages feature interactive Web forms, including multiple-choice questions that trigger delayed-reaction e-mail. The images were full of intensive colors, such as bright red, green, pink and yellow etc. I feel uneasy and weird toward the web-page. I think the artist was too expressive. The work has been regarded as done by a 13 years old girl. But many people think it wasn't done by such a young girl. So the identity of the artist was still a mystery !

The work is controversial

The work is controversal sinces it provokes heated reactions to its portrayal of child sexuality and to the way it constructs and manipulates identity online. It arouse lots of critics and arguement around the web-site. At the same time it also arouse different artist to follow on it's way, there are many we-sites tobe set up as the membership of Mouchette.

 ref : https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/display/MarkTribe/Mouchette

Youtube

Comment on : “Bus Uncle”

1. How many viewers are estimated to have watched the youtube video?

According to Youtube there are more than 100 million people have watched the video.

2. How would you rate the video?

I would give a lower mark for the video.

--. Is it of high quality in technical terms?

Is it interesting aesthetically eg camera angles, use of light, the narrative, and so on? I think the video is made of a poor quality in term of technique, since I cannot find any valuable or aesthetic value on the video, the whole editing technique was quiet common or not special.the camera angles was just like from  a voyage angle, there are no lighting or narrative skills.

-- Does it raise interesting socio-cultural issues? 

It does raise some socio-cultural issues, such as it releases the pressure among the society; it shows that there is a great pressure in the society. It also tells that when we are facing the conflict, we can deal it with a more peaceful way, such as negotiation rather than using violence. And the video shows that people tend to speak louder voice in order to strengthen their position, as we can see from the video, people tend to shake their hands as a mean of settle down or a deal.

3. Do you think it deserved the attention that it received from the internet community?

I think it doesn't deserve the attention that it received from the internet community. Since the video was just about a common arguments among people, it was not special and not worth for paying attention on it. People notice that because it can more or less arouse some noise, just like other video.

4.Do video-sharing sites such as Youtube enhance or worsen creative culture?

I think video-sharing sites such as YouTube does enhance creative culture. Since YouTube or other video-sharing sites provide a platform for the people to communicate, to share ideas and to exchange opinion. Those functions helps to create variety information and collect different ideas, which will make a great contribution for the development of a greater diversity of the society and form a creative culture in a long term. However just mentioned by Marek in "Creativity meets Circulation: internet, amateurs and the Process of evolution”,"It almost seems like there are no external boundaries for the creativity of the community, except for legal issues and digital rights management efforts." The creativity should be put under the protest of the law, if not people's work will be reproduce time by time, such as the original video clip called "Leave Britney Alone!" was reproduced by many other version, such as the digital version of "Leave Britney Alone!" I think the reproduce of a piece of idea does not help to promote the creativity. So I think there should be law to guide the YouTube.

Mission to Earth

The method of filmmaking was different between digital cinema and traditional cinema. Such as the story and appearance of the film. From "The Mission Earth", the technique it used was quiet creative.

Frist, there are no dialogue in the movie, only the voice-over was used to illustrate the story flow. Dialogue should be an important element in the traditional filmmaking as it can helps to traces and understanding the development of the story and the characteristic of the actor. Thus dialogue play an important part in the film of the traditional cinema.

Besides, There are two scene appear in "The Mission Earth", it is quiet weir and also creative for that filming technique. The two seperate frame were captured from inside and outside world from the main character, those two shot also represent the objective view from the outside world and subjective view from the main character. This kinds of filmmaking was much comprehensive for the audience to get a full picture from the character. But this method will also distract the audience's attention from the story. Since there are two scene appear at the same time in the film, which shot should we focus ?! As we are watching two scene, so more or less we will miss some inportant clues from the story when we lose our focus on a specific shot. And the two scene filming mwthod wiil not be presented in the traditional cinema.

Apart from that, on the story arrangement in "The Mission Earth", there are also differences as compare to the traditional one. There are frequent stop, when the scene stop it follows the new scene which was unnatural through the story, sometimes there are only image but no scene was presented, and the plot from the story were no rise and fall, the climax was not clear, it is just like a normal documentry rather than a scientific film. On the contrary, the story flow much smooth, and the plots were also naturally arrange by order in the traditional film. There should be more scientific effects or element be included in the so called Scientific movies, just like most of the Hollywood movie. 

All in all, there are lots of differences between digital cinema and traditional cinema by the mean of editing, story, plot etc.

This film remind me of the digital art. "The Mission Earth" and digital art also share the similarity of slience image. In "The Mission Earth", we can cut off the scene in to image which also allow us to follow the story, the absent of the dialogue between characters form the sence of silence and still life, sometimes the film will also show some pictures, those still image have the similarity of digital art, they all have the abtract idea or the digital effect. 

Digital vs Traditional Photography

1. There are some photographic effects that can be achieved by using both digital and analog technology. Such as to change and add special lighting in order to create the photograpic effects. For example the background lighting. Also, cutting strange and meaningful angle can also be done by digital and analog technology.


 2.There are some photographic effects that can only be achieved by using digital. Such as the function of copy and paste, changing of  pattern, color, adding of text, frame, editing of background, shape and content. Those function and effects can change the original meaning of the photo.


3. There are also some difference between analog photography and digital photography, such as digital photography can create special photograpic effects that can not be achieved by analog photography, for example we can add our figure to a specific location (Tokyo) by using the digital technology. That means we can change the content of the photo by creating different subject. Tha most common example is that we can pretend to have visited Paris by adding our photo to a distinct tourist spot. Also we distort the composition of each subject, suah as to lengthen the nose of the person, to cut the hand of the person, to merge unrelated object to the content. Sometimes the unrealistic or surrealistic image can also be created through digital technologies. Those effects may not be reproduce by the traditional camera, and thus will not be presented in analog photography. So we can see the type, content, form and composition  were different between analog photography and digital photography.