This game is built to symbolize the creator's interpretation of life. I noticed some interesting features after a few playthroughs. If you choose to "fall in love" and have the woman join you: 1) You earn twice as many points as you would if u were to travel alone. 2) It becomes harder to navigate around the world with. 3) Both times I played with her, she ended up dying before I did. I took all this as the creator's direct opinion that all marriages have their constraints, but the time spent with your loved one is worth it.
On the flip side, if you travel alone you are able to explore more spaces in the world. There are chests/boxes in certain spots that give you points boosts. This can be seen as the creator saying that by journeying through life alone, you are more free to explore and find things that are worth a lot to you personally. These things would not have been able to be discovered if you were to be married.
One must wonder if the game creator is married or not, or if he has some sort of significant other...
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Modern Warfare 2: Game Space
The level played took place on a bridge that looked very similar to the Golden Gate in San Francisco. The player spawns in the middle of the bridge with the goal being to get to another point further down the bridge. There is no option to jump off the side of the bridge or go in the opposite direction. As you progress through the level, there are abandoned cars scattered around to be used as cover if need be. Once you get halfway towards the goal, the bridge shakes and the portion you’re on is showing signs of structural fatigue as if the whole thing is to collapse soon. As you climb your way into the second half of the level, you can see the green smoke marking the goal point, and an attack helicopter flying beside the bridge shooting at you.
Since you play as a marine, you’re shooting Russian troops, and the bridge your on looks like the Golden Gate Bridge (at least in my opinion), the level presumably takes place in the states. However, this is not confirmed. They made the bridge look the way it did to bring a heightened sense of realism to the game in order to pull you further into the game and further enhance your experience.
Since you play as a marine, you’re shooting Russian troops, and the bridge your on looks like the Golden Gate Bridge (at least in my opinion), the level presumably takes place in the states. However, this is not confirmed. They made the bridge look the way it did to bring a heightened sense of realism to the game in order to pull you further into the game and further enhance your experience.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Blog 2
I ended up creating an account and spending some time in Second Life. After spending time in the "game" and reading up on what it's all about, I became quite intruiged. After creating my account and logging in, I started my second life in an area called Help Island. Here, I customized my avatar and explored the area. After leaving the island i was transported to what appeared to be a large strip mall, with an abundance of stores i could walk into, regardless of whether the shop was closed or not. They all seemed to be shops to further customize your character, like with tattoos or clothing. You have the ability to chat with people nearby you, as well as make pre-programmed gestures from a list. Travelling fast is made easy with the ability to fly. I feel as though my experience in the game should not be judged too heavily because my areas in which i travelled were naturally full with many other people new to the game. Help island was full of avatar zombies; new people reading through the pop-up help windows and confusingly walking around, making gestures to nobody and getting a kick out of flying and falling to the ground.
With regards as to how a game might push a certain point of view, I naturally bring light to games in the Call of Duty line-up. The first three and the fifth game in the franchise all took place during World War II. In these games you played as a couple different soldiers from one of the Allied nations (American, Russian, British). The campaigns featured you taking part fictional battles set in a World War II setting, so naturally your enemies at the time were usually Nazis or the Japanese. By making you shoot Nazis as an American soldier with heroic fanfare music playing in the background, the game is making you the good guy and the Nazi the bad guy. It is this way that the game pushes the idea that the Nazis were bad people, communism is bad, and that we are the hero.
After reading what Benjamin had to say, I'd have to contest that Videogames are a form of art. He was big on using the word "aura" throughout the reading, and I feel as though no matter the medium as long as one finds fascination in what is being presented, it should be considered art. Just like fine quisine is art, just like a great Novel is art, just like a still photo of Nature is art, just like James Cameron's "Avatar" is art, i would argue that videogames should be considered art as well. Especially when we are seeing a trend that many games are trying to be more and more of an "interactive, cinematic experience" where there is increased emphasis on the player connecting with the character of which he is playing as. The programmer's keystroke is to the painter's brush, as the canvas is to the Xbox360 hooked up to a TV. New instruments, new media, new art.
With regards as to how a game might push a certain point of view, I naturally bring light to games in the Call of Duty line-up. The first three and the fifth game in the franchise all took place during World War II. In these games you played as a couple different soldiers from one of the Allied nations (American, Russian, British). The campaigns featured you taking part fictional battles set in a World War II setting, so naturally your enemies at the time were usually Nazis or the Japanese. By making you shoot Nazis as an American soldier with heroic fanfare music playing in the background, the game is making you the good guy and the Nazi the bad guy. It is this way that the game pushes the idea that the Nazis were bad people, communism is bad, and that we are the hero.
After reading what Benjamin had to say, I'd have to contest that Videogames are a form of art. He was big on using the word "aura" throughout the reading, and I feel as though no matter the medium as long as one finds fascination in what is being presented, it should be considered art. Just like fine quisine is art, just like a great Novel is art, just like a still photo of Nature is art, just like James Cameron's "Avatar" is art, i would argue that videogames should be considered art as well. Especially when we are seeing a trend that many games are trying to be more and more of an "interactive, cinematic experience" where there is increased emphasis on the player connecting with the character of which he is playing as. The programmer's keystroke is to the painter's brush, as the canvas is to the Xbox360 hooked up to a TV. New instruments, new media, new art.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Week 1
I would agree with the handout in saying that the term "Videogame" is used to decribe any form of computer-based entertainment software, either textual or image-based, using any electronic platform such as personal computers or consoles and involving one or multiple players in a physical or networked environment.
An example of a videogame that I've learned from is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Where i have gotten a better understanding of the military ranking system. This came about by playing games over Xbox LIVE. As I went up in rank, a number next to my name would increase and a symbol next to that would change. Therefore, as the number increased, so did the level of rank. By assigning a number to a rank, I was able to differentiate what rank had authority over another. For example, 31 corresponds to Captain whereas 34 corresponds to Major. By simply looking at the numbers, I am reminded that a Major holds higher rank than a Captain.
Using some of the terms from the readings, i would classify CoD: MW not just as a console first-person shooter, but as an "Alea" and "Mimicry" game as well. Alea of course referring to comptetion due to the online play on Xbox LIVE, and Mimicry referring to the game being a "slightly" exaggerated simulation of war-time situations.
An example of a videogame that I've learned from is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Where i have gotten a better understanding of the military ranking system. This came about by playing games over Xbox LIVE. As I went up in rank, a number next to my name would increase and a symbol next to that would change. Therefore, as the number increased, so did the level of rank. By assigning a number to a rank, I was able to differentiate what rank had authority over another. For example, 31 corresponds to Captain whereas 34 corresponds to Major. By simply looking at the numbers, I am reminded that a Major holds higher rank than a Captain.
Using some of the terms from the readings, i would classify CoD: MW not just as a console first-person shooter, but as an "Alea" and "Mimicry" game as well. Alea of course referring to comptetion due to the online play on Xbox LIVE, and Mimicry referring to the game being a "slightly" exaggerated simulation of war-time situations.
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