Collapsus

(stuff)

Reflection on the Gaming Presentation

One of the key elements we had trouble explaining or defining was who are audience would be. The game concept was so expansive, and adaptable, that it could really be written to accommodate most audiences. The aspect we wanted to hone in on was social interaction in exuberant, extravagant high-spending society, so that would appeal to people in their consumptive stages of life, from teens to late forties.

We had a problem defining the audience, and ultimately communicating what the game would be about, because we didn’t have an end goal in mind for the game. We wanted the player’s options to be limitless in these ‘levels’, these stages of social interaction, but the limitless options would drown the player in purposelessness. We had a hard time trying to find a balance between a sandbox game and real fake life.

The objectives of our game were hard to describe because there didn’t seem to be any. There were plenty of goals, optional conditions a player could meet to gain a reward, but that’s all there were. Like a define-your-own-adventure book, the player would need to ‘create’ his/her own objectives through interacting with the NPCs of the world. It would have been better if we could define a particular objective for each scenario - for example, the player would have to interrupt or stop the wedding in that level. In that case, there would be multiple paths the player could take to stopping the wedding, but each path would have goals that would need to be met to advance towards the ultimate goal (objective) of stopping the wedding.

The rules were difficult to explain for the same reason as the objectives: there wasn’t a defined motivation for the character, so it was hard to define what the character would be willing (and therefore able) to do to fulfill a goal or solve a problem. For example, could the character climb around in the environment? Unless there was some object to obtain or person to talk to on a roof, it seems like that wouldn’t be necessary; but we want the game to accommodate anything the player wants to do.

The goals were easy to define. They were integrated into the interface in the List menu, and would be updated every time a player gains new info about the goal. The mechanics of the game were built around achieving these goals through dialogue and action. There would be potential for mini games built into the context of the game narrative.

Heros and Villains

Here are Corey Longstreth and Ian Reynold's superpeople: http://clongstreth.blogspot.com/2011/02/hero-vs-villain-characters.html

Corey Longstreth created the hero Merman, who contrasts pleasantly with his enemy, Petroleum Man. The lighting in Merman’s animation is very soft and natural, besides his tail, he has almost no shadows. This could suggests that Merman has nothing to hide, and he is a valorous and honorable hero. As far as shadows and symbolism, because the shadow on Merman is in fact on his tail, it could denote that any evil within Merman is the bestial, animal side in him. Merman’s colors are also very bright, and not very saturated. He seems sort of washed out, but this starkness seems to compliment his character. Although Merman shares blue and yellow with Petroleum Man, it’s hues are brighter and more inviting. Merman also has some green in him, which makes him seem more dynamic and whole.

Petroleum Man contrasts very slightly with Merman, which is just fine, as the similarities help the audience believe they are part of the same fictional world. Petroleum Man has many more shadows on and around his figure, which creates a more sinister mood than Merman’s portrait. The shadows also make Petroleum Man seem like he is in deeper water than Merman. The dark, murky depths of the sea is a scary and evil sounding place, so it follows that Petroleum Man is shadowed as such; just as Merman, being the transparent hero, should be closer to the surface, and less shadowed. The similar colors with varied hues also helps the audience distinguish between this good and evil duo. Petroleum man has darker blues, and a duller yellow than Merman.

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This American Life

Click on the title of the post above to listen to Chris Ware talk about superpowers on the radio show This American Life.

Tree Man, concept drawing by Dan Ahrens.

Joke Video Reflection

My internet took four hours to crash trying to load this video so they're not embedded, but here are the links:

Video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XwO60nodM0

Video 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWuFW-3QaPk

Video joke number one primarily uses the concept of limited space to represent the relationship between the mother and her son. They never occupy the same plane in the frame, they are always separated by some sort of space. This emphasis on space between them is best seen in the shot at 1:45, where the mother and son are separated by space along the most dynamic of all, the z axis. The blocking in the video also has an effect on how graphic lines are perceived. The child is often lying down on the floor, occupying horizontal space, which emphasizes his youthfulness. The mother, on the other hand, is often framed within a frame, or next to a vertical mass, that emphasizes her established and experienced personage. The editing pace of joke number one is quicker, which gives it a faster rhythm.

The editing pace of video joke number two is slower, but this fits better with the old silent film style. Quick cuts were used, however, a few times, to punctuate a particular punch-line in the story. Space was also used to visually communicate the story. At 1:00 in the video, the child is framed in the lower left third, drowning in the space of the blank wall behind him. This shot could represent the humbling experience a child has when he or she is caught saying something naughty. The majority of movement on screen happens at a right angle from the camera, either going left or right. This bias of movement along that plane could emphasize the stark duality in perspective between the young energetic child and old tired mother.

Fear and Loathing

Click on title

Reframing

Original on bottom, modified on top.

I cropped Helen Frankenthaler's image in a way that personifies, or anthropomorphizes the image in the center. By reframing the image in a slightly tighter view, the audience's attention is immediately grabbed by the warm splash of orange that lies on the left imaginary vertical line and in between the two imaginary horizontal lines that outline the rule of thirds. The space in front of the orange splash acts at nose room, that further personifies the splash as a sort of head. Also, by cropping the image down and omitting the right side of the frame, the image becomes flatter without the contrast of the blue edge and the faded pink. The flatness of the image helps focus the audience's attention on the subject; the flatness makes the picture feel like a portrait.

The line that runs from the bottom right to the middle of the portrait is the essential connector between the other bits of color in the center of the frame, it acts like a backbone that provides structure. It is a very dynamic line, especially when compared to the relatively flat line of the blue floor. Because this line is dynamic, it provides visual movement that guides the eye up and forward, giving the impression that the figure may be flying over the surface of some water.

Given the anthropomorphized nature of the subject in the middle of the picture, there could be some tension to the picture, especially when considering the graphic weight (visual rhythm)? of the objects in frame. The two largest, warmest splashes of color are supported precariously by a very small graphic object, an almost line, that may or may not be anchored to something big enough to support it's load. If the orange is a head and the red/pink is flesh on a backbone, the audience feels tension, because it seems like the figure it going to fall over into the water.