2009年11月25日 星期三

the ethic of video games

THE ETHIC OF VIDEO GAMES--- Sex and Violence


}What is Video Games?
}It refers to:


Games played using computer power,where the computer upholds the rules of the game and the game is palyed using a video display


--(Juul 2005,p.36)


}Such as: the Sony PlayStation 2, the Nintendo GameCube, or Microsoft’s Xbox
}games played on computers


}The player takes on the role of a fantasy character moving through an elaborate world, solving various problems
}Violent or not
}The player builds and maintains some complex entity
}Eg.army


}James Paul Gee’s arguments for video games’ positive impacts:


}“Playing video games is not a waste of time, but a kind of visual literacy.”
----What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning And Literacy


}We can learn popular culture / certain kind of knowledge
}Eg. The names of the weapons in the game C.S.
}increase our creativity
}Eg. Design our house in the SIMS


Argument against:


"Unlike games, which suspend the rules
of reality in order to use the rules of a game,
simulations attempt to model a system in a
manner that is consistent with reality
"

---(Heinich,et al. 1996).


}Reality VS Virtual World
}Nowadays, the boundary between Reality and Virtual World blurred gradually
}Teenagers may treat their asset in the Virtual World as their real properties
}E.g. : Committed suicide after losing some weapons in the game world


}Some immature youths with weak willpower may imitate the behaviors of the games’ characters(Sex and Violence)
}E.g. :Use violence as the only means to solve problems/Bullying other people
ØRaised the ethical concern of the video games



}Dating Game
}Heartbeat Memorial }Dating simualtion












}Basic information
-Heartbeat Memorial/Tokimeki Memory/心跳回憶
-Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
-Designer: Koji Igarashi (Programmer, Scenario Writer)
-First released for the PC Engine on May 27, 1994
-Has many series; Game Boy Color, mobile phones, PC, PC Engine, PlayStation, PlayStation Portable, Sega Saturn, Super Famicom, Nintendo DS
-Based on a Japanese animation “Only love”/ 《純愛手札》
-Visual novel genre
-Single player
-A romantic dating simulation game


Dating simulation


-Unknown basic information
-Online gameRPG, a dating sims


}Shared Characteristics
-When the game ends, the player either loses the game if he failed to properly win over any of the girls, or "finishes" one of the girls
-often by :
-Having sex with her(D.N.A)
-marrying her (as in Magical Date)
- achieving eternal love


}How to win?
-Depended on "attraction meter" :
-Looks ,charisma, sports, art, health, etc.
-Can be boosted through going on diet, buying new clothes, doing gym, rest at home
-Buying gift to those girls in order to raise the attractiveness.
-Keep dating the girls can make a good impression.
-Is it just a game?
-Is love just about calculations?


}What’s behind the fancy game?
-Evil >curious and immature teenagers
-Influenced their minds unconsciously
-Misinterprets the concept of love/ marriage
-Long lasting, respect ,responsibility and commitment
-Only focus on appearance (dress up)
-Materialism (expensive clothes, accessories)
-Love is a careful planning and strategies ?
-Love seems be possessive
-Relationship only last for a few weeks
-Ignored inner beauty
-may allow the player to romance / having sex with characters in their teens or even younger


}Impacts on society
-A 19-year-old man shoot the parents of his 14-year-old girlfriend after they disapproved of the age gap between the lovers.
- By Harry Mount in New York Published: 12:01AM BST 15 Jun 2006






Violence game: SAW


}Basic information
}Saw: The Video Game
}Third person survival horror video
}Developed by Zombie Studios and published by Konami.
}Released on October 6, 2009 in North America






}How to play the game
}traverse the asylum and solve traps in order to escape
}find things as weapons, health, or clues
}The player combat to other people in order to survive



}Problems
}Brutal and realistic scenes
}E.g. cutting people’s body to search the things
}Negative impacts to teenagers; Increased aggressive behaviors, thoughts, and emotions
}violent video games are highly engaging and interactive. They reward violent behavior, and the violent behaviors are repeated constantly over the course of the game
}If played frequently enough, games like this can skew a young person's perception of violence and its consequences.



}Useful links
-http://www.konami.jp/visual/tokimemo-anime/
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokimeki_Memorial
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokimeki_Memorial_(series)
-http://www.video-game-addiction.org/violence.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saw_(video_game)


}Useful books
}Andy Clarke, Grethe Mitchell, ed. Videogames and Art, USA: The university of Chicago Press, 2007
}Arthur Asa Berger, Video Games: A popular Culture Phenomenon, USA: Transaction Publishers, 2002
}Jon Cogburn,Mark Silcox, Philosophy through video games, London : Routledge, 2009
}James Paul Gee,What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning And Literacy, New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2003
}Sicart, Miguel, The ethics of computer games Cambridge: MIT Press, 2009















































2009年11月11日 星期三

Lecture11:Are digital art considered to be art?

Features of the game:
-It oringined from the old game called "Mario Brother"
-the artist copy nothing but only the clouds
-it can just see and can't play (moving clouds in a blue sky)
(accessed on 11 november 2009)
Art or not?why?
No,I think it is a kind of art.
it did compose a message (by saying that people looking at it will have the feeling like playing in the game), but is this so called message has meaning and worth looking at? I don't think so. It is just simple and just like pretended to make an idea to support this art work as I has no resonance and can't get the idea after looking at it. In other words, It is not aesthetically interesting to me.
(accessed on 11 november2009)

Lecture11:Are digital art considered to be art?



A)How does Adams define art? Do you agree with his definition?


Adam consider art as:

-a form of communication from the artist to viewer

-has message/ theme

-has content

-has aesthetic quality/value

-aesthetically interesting

-makes you feel something

-does not involve merchandising


my opinion:

I think aesthetically interesting is the most important factor for an art to be considered as an art. It is because not all the art has a message, ie some artists may think just "art for art's sake". But all art can considered to be art is because they are innovative and interesting to viewer. It doesn't confined art to has ceratin boundaries and allow artists to create art more freely.

B) According to Adam, what is needed for videogames to be considered as art?

He said that :

-games should be include formal and aesthetic qualities, like the colour,form,lines and etc.

-should has ideas and something message to say

-should be innovative

-should appropriating the game and representing in a new idea

2009年11月4日 星期三

Lecture10: ethics of digital games


should games be more like fantasy and less like real world war?
I think the games can be include the war like scene but doesn't need to be so real in games because the kids are not mature enough to dintinguish between real world and game world. Or they are more easily influenced by the games if they are additicted to. Therefore, it might be dangerous to make the game too real in screen.
But if the games are totally forced to become fantasty in nature, it may too dull and may constrain the creativity in designing the games. so, I think one coin has two sides, we don't need to force all the game to be fansy.

Lecture10: ethics of digital games

A) According to the film, what are some pros and cons of playing videogames for individuals and societies?
pros:
-provide a way for people to relax, entertain
-enrich people's knowledge in a certain way
for example, the names of the weapons, the map of a place and the culture of different nations
-train people 's mind
for example, people can learn strategy
-kill time
-became more creative
-may interersting and educational

cons:
-people may additiced to the games or lose their mind in the game
for example, teenagers may became more violent as get used to kill men in the game
-most of the games are about war and violence
for example, the games always count the number of people that you have killed

2009年10月28日 星期三

lecture 9 Technologised bodies

about the spider like six legged performance of Stelarc

lecture 9 Technologised bodies




what do you think of Stelarc's work?

I find his work a bit scary and very shocked to me! It's because his work and performance often involve robotics or other relatively modern technology integrated with his body. By looking at this photo I think it' s hurt , really hurt! doesn't it?
In another performance he has hung himself in flesh hook suspension and he has also performed with a robotic third arm and a spider-like six legged walking machine .
It's a bit horrible to me and really shock! I am just amazed that how can he do these to himself and what's his aim of that? Is he want to shock the public? His actions make me to rethink that what's really art? and what's the function of art? Do they need to bring people amusement?

lecture 9 Technologised bodies

what are some pros and cons of becoming a cyborg?

pros:
-we can see better,or more far away
-can live longer
-can have a better physical bodies
-can reduce pain
-can extent the original human strength
-can improve our quality of life
eg.we can have higher productivity, better efficiency, brodern the limit of people to do the difficult work

cons:
-we might not know the potential negative impacts of the technologies
-people might abuse the technology
-less humanity
-less emotional in human world
-might produce the harmful weapons due to people 's extented strength

lecture 9 Technologised bodies


"To what extent are we already experiencing a man-machine symbiosis that has turned us into cyborgs [or posthuman bodies]?" Christiane Paul


yup, it's true to some extent as nowadays people depend much much more on technologies and machine when compared to the past. for example, when we are short-sighted, we depended on the glasses. when people lose their arms and legs in accident, we need a alternate mechanical arm or leg.It is all depends on our difinition of what is a posthuman bodies.

2009年10月21日 星期三

Lecture 8:Identity thief

source from:http://www.flickr.com/photos/scansnap/3640375450/ (accessed on 21 Oct 2009)

lecture 8:online identity

mine:
-4 emails: gmail, hotmail, yahoo, LN
-facebook

Alison Chau:
-4 emails : gmail, hotmail, yahoo, Lingnan University

Ching Ng:
-over 10 emails: at least 5 yahoo, other includes yahoo, hotmail, gmail, Lingnan University
-facebook
-xanga
-my space

carol shek:
-7 emails: gmail, hotmail, yahoo, LN, POLY U, Hello Kitty, my melody
-Xanga
-facebook

2009年10月20日 星期二

Lecture 4:Linus Torvalds

Linus Torvalds:

background
-born December 28, 1969 in Helsinki, Finland
-a Finnishsoftware engineer
-best known for having initiated the development of the Linux kernel
-the chief architect of the Linux kernel


Early life
-his family belongs to the Swedish-speaking minority (5.5%) of Finland's population
-Torvalds was named after Linus Pauling, the American Nobel Prize-winning chemist
-1988 to 1996: attended the University of Helsinki from
-graduating with a master's degree in computer science from NODES research group
-his academic career was interrupted when he joined the Finnish Army


His Interests
-interest in computers began with a Commodore VIC-20
-especially its operating system
-programmed an assembly language and a text editor for the QL
-programmed a few games
-known to have written a Pac-Man clone named Cool Man


Later life
-running introductory computer laboratory exercises for students
- instructed the course attendants
- 1997 to 1999 he was involved in 86open helping to choose the standard binary format for Linux and Unix

source from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds
( asscessed in 22,Oct 2009)

2009年10月17日 星期六

Lecture 7:digital art










source: http://www.potatoland.org/shredder/shredder.html - Mark Napier - "shredder" (Accessed from Oct 16, 2009)

2009年10月14日 星期三

Lecture 7:digital art


example of digital art created by Newschool ASCII Screenshot

Lecture 7:digital art

what are some challenges digital art presents to the art world (ie galleries, exhibition goers, art critics and scholars)?

-the time span of the digital art may be shorter, some are only corresponds to the current issues

-the definition of the digital art is controversal

-difficult to set up the digital art work since they are depended heavily on soft wares.

-they always need more time for the viewers to understand, not like the paintings and sculptures, digital arts cannot give the viewers the first inpression, but one should spend at least 3 or several minutes to see the video

-sometimes they are just the technology but not the creation of the artists

-they may somehow depended too much on computer skills, so may to a certain extend border the creation of art

-they may be easy to copy and be came commercialise and less artistic

-difficulties in classifying digital art
- they are often interdisciplinary

2009年10月7日 星期三

Lecture 6:digital cinema


Lecture 6:summary of digital cinema

Actually I find the film a little bit long and boring><
I think it may be due to the tone the sound and the repeated scenes and the music rhythem.

But one thing that I am really appreciate this film is that the innovative composition. It arranged the scene into a few boxes, one bigger and the other smaller. It is definitely creative and different from the traditional films!

And in this sense, viewers can enjoy several pictorial scenes at the same time. Also, the film includes both the representational and the abstract elements ( the circles and the diagional lines).It's a revolutionary filming method in the film history I think.

Besides, it reminds me the art works of Mondrian. It's quite cohere with his works of art that seems to have a continution with the painting history. And the music and the narration are related to one another so as to create a sense of loneliness and indicating that the daily works of the lady is really repeating and boring.

Lecture 5:complaints choir (singapore)

does youtube encourage individual and or collective creativity and innovation? examples?

-Yes

-independent films

-songs and lyrics composed and written by people

-Eg. the complaints choir

does youtube encourage the production of trashy, sensational material that appeals to the "lowest common denominator"? examples?

-Yes, definity.

-It's because Youtube provides you an easy platform for you to upload anything you want without people regonise who are you. therefore, the quality of the videos varies, some of them may be very bad and trashy---only copy and follow what have already been created. for example, the hundreds of videos imitating Britney Spear's leave me alone.

Lecture 5:Review--youtube

The one I agree with most and my comment on it.
Quote 2
“…Through their many activities – uploading, viewing, discussing, and collaborating—the YouTube community forms a network of creative practice. In his book on the social worlds of art, music and design, Howard Becker (1982) described this kind of formation as an ‘art world’—’the network of people whose cooperative activity, organised via their joint knowledge of conventional means of doing things, produces the kind of art works that art world is noted for’ (Becker, 1982: x). He argues that the construction and negotiation of aesthetic values and ‘proper’ techniques is not confined to academics or experts, but involves everyone who contributes to the process of cultural production, including audiences. Similarly, on YouTube, aesthetic values, cultural forms, and creative techniques are normalised via the collective activities and judgements of the entire social network—forming an informal and emergent (and by far from homogeneous) ‘art world’ that is specific to YouTube”.


I agree with Quote 2 the most. It's because from my point of view, the emergence of youtube did serve as the best example of social creativity. People seem to have greater freedom to show their talents and ideas through broadcasting their video on youtube. For example, teenagers may film the incident of Bus Uncle, and thus provoke the social discussion and become the hot issue throughout the world. Besides, the complaint choir--compose the songs with the lyrics collected from the public is also published through the youtube. therefore, youtube can be said to be the " network of creative pratice" and making an "art world".

2009年9月30日 星期三

Lecture 5:YOUTUBE--bus uncle

d) consider Bus uncle or Chris Crocker's "Leave Whitney Alone"-- briefly describe the video

Bus uncle isis a Cantonese Youtube viral video clip of a quarrel between two men aboard a bus in HK.It was then captured by a nearby passenger who used his camera phone to record the entire incident.

The video became a cultural sensation in Hong Kong, inspiring vigorous debate and discussion on lifestyle. etiquette, civic awareness and media ethics within the city, eventually attracting the attention of the media around the world.

f) Report some positive and negative comments about this new abillity for computer users to make and widely distribute and respond to online films (such as the above three videos). (eg see Leadbeater, We- think, xviii; Burgess and Green, Youtube, Cambridge: Polity, 2009,10..., 21-30).

[positive]:
*people can upload the interesting videos freely and share with the people all around the world, thus we can know more about the culture and interesting things and people from other countries in a convienent way.

*people can show their creativity through uploading their video

*it provides a platform for people to keep in touch with each other
*another way of entertainment
*
[negative]:
*it may harm one's privacy. for example, in the Bus uncle incident, the two men may not agree to be filmed and being uploaded to the youtube, but after having this new ability to distribute the online films, privacy can easily harmed.

*it just act like a spy on people, as people can easily take you into the online films. you and me can be one of actor or actress in the films

Lecture 5:YOUTUBE






Lecture 4:review

a) Is there any problem with simply using the products that these two companies create for us?

one cannot solve the problems created by Microsoft and Apple, as the programme cannot be changed and modifed by youself. Besides, sending e-mails to these companies needs to wait for about two weeks time for reply. Thus, it's really time consuming and unconvient when we face the problems in using the products of Microsoft and Apple.

b)why do some people choose to use open-source software such as Linux?

It is because it is cheaper than Microsoft and Apple's products as Linux is free of charge. And the programme of Linux can be changed by people to solve the problem. so comparatively speaking, it's more convienent for people to use.

c)who owns the right to modify your digital tools? Does it matter at all? why or why not?

I think is the governmemt may be as the sometimes the government officials will monitor the citizens' freedom in using the digital tools. for example, the Republic of China has issued the green dam programme to control the citizens' thinking.

I think it does matter as the it will harm the privacy of individuals, and even the freedom of speech. But on the other hand, it may to a certain extend reduce the inappropriate uploading and downloading.

2009年9月16日 星期三

Lecture 3:what use is digital technology to photograhyers?

The digital technology helps the photographyers to make the imaginary /impossible situation in the photos. Many special effects can be make by the photo editing, for example, people having the chance to have a moon walk visit. Besides, photographyers can tune the light and dark contrast, the satuation, the hue and tone of the photos more easily.

Lecture 3:what is the difference between digital photography and analog/traditional photography?

The main difference between the digital photography and the traditional photography, I think is that the traditional photography can only take the photos of reality and pictures are always true to our eyes. On the other hand, the digital photography can make some invisible pictures by using the photoshop and photo editing to produce some special effect. Therefore, the digital photography is more convinent to make artistic photos.

2009年9月15日 星期二

2009年9月9日 星期三

Lecture 2:Q &A

a) what is a brief history of the encyclopaedia?
According to the website of wikipedia, "encyclopaedia is the oldest the oldest English-language general encyclopaedia. The Encyclopædia Britannica has been published since 1768, when its first edition began to appear in Edinburgh, Scotland."

b) what are some key features of that encyclopaedia?
- according to wikipedia

"it is first published between 1768 and 1771 in Edinburgh, Scotland. the oldest english-language encyclopaedia still in print. "

It is reaching over 21 volumes.

and it is claimed to use the "continuous revision policy".

The Britannica has also received criticism, especially as its editions become outdated. It is expensive to produce a completely new edition of the Britannica.

Various authorities, ranging from Virginia Woolf to academic professors, criticised the 11th edition Britannica for having bourgeois and old-fashioned opinions on art, literature and social sciences

-according to encyclopaedia britannica

"the first edition is conceived by two printers Andrew Bell and Colin Mac farquhar. "

"the second edition is much more ambitious work in both length and scope, including 10 volumes totaling 8595 pages."

"The third edition was still longer, appearing in parts forming 18 volumes of 14,579 pages (1788–97). It was edited by Macfarquhar until his death in 1793. "

"The fourth edition appeared from 1801 to 1809 and, when completed, was bound in 20 volumes totaling 16,033 pages and dated 1810. "

c)which encyclopaedia was most useful for this research?
Encyclopaedia britannica. It is because it is more accuarate. and it keeps on renew and has a better arrangement and structure than wikipedia.

d) can you trust this encyclopaedia 100%? Why or why not?
No. it is because the knowledge and information may be not updated depsite the newly invented technologies. and no things and books can be 100% correct.

references:
website of wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopaedia
http://www.britannica.com/

Lecture2:is the picture that this video paints too bright and optimistic? Does it leave anything out?

yes, I think. It is because the video type only suggest the good points of the computer technologies, such as it fastern the information flow, lessen the limitations in storing the knowledge and etc. But it doesn't aware of the danger of what kind of information is uploaded and the accuracy of that information. We, students need to concern both of the pros and cons of the computer technologies.

Lecture 2:computer technologies changed the way of knowledge stored, created and stored

The invention of computer technologies have sped up the information flow, made the storage of information much more convienent. Everyone can upload one's idea and knowledge to the website. And vice versa everyone can find the corresponding information just by surfing the internet. Mainfestly, it does broaden the range of knowledge and make the storing of knowledge more convienent.

However, computer technologies also generate a big problem. It is the spread of inaccurate knowledge as the anyone is able to upload his or her ideas. people, that's why need to select what to believe and what to read.

2009年9月2日 星期三

Lecture 1:pros and cons of the new technologies

pros:
-bring lots of convience and entertainments to daily lives
-reduce production cost
-shorten the distance between one and other eg.web cam
-kill time
-can be in mass production

cons:
-may harm one's privacy
-wrong information, violence and sexual photos can be widespread
-weaken the communcation skill

greeting

hi everyone~
I'm anna, year 2 visual studies student.
looking forward to hear your creative comments.