eXistenZ

My Thoughts on eXistenZ

 

Strange and weird are two words that come to mind if I am going to describe my reaction to the movie eXistenZ. This movie was definitely not about your typical video game. In fact, as Allegra said at the beginning of the movie, it was about an entirely new game system. One of the things that made this strange and weird was that the power source for this virtual reality game system was the human body (nervous system); the gamepod which looks like a wiggly piece of flesh is inserted into a hole in the player's back.

 
I enjoy playing video games and using different systems. Playing video games provides a temporary escape for me to relieve stress and forget about all the things on my to do list for awhile, but at least I know that I am in control of what I play and when I want to quit playing. Control was something that Pikul didn't always seem to have like when he was rude to people and especially when he was eating the "special" and said "I find this disgusting, but I can't help myself." Playing this type of virtual reality game would cause me stress because I wouldn't like the feeling of losing touch with reality, and  this movie definitely raises the question of what is real and what isn't. When I start playing a video game, I prefer to know as much about what I would be facing in the game ahead of time. In this movie Pikul has to enter the game being unaware of the goal; Allegra tells him that he has to play the game to find out why he is playing the game which to me is a scary proposition. At the end of the movie, you see that it was a game within a game, but you are still left to wonder "Are we still in the game?" when the real video game designer and his assistant are shot dead by Pikul and Allegra.

It is clear that the future of video game systems and video games will become even more technologically advanced. We are seeing that with the graphics in the new consoles and the emergence of Oculus Rift. As Allegra said, "the possibilities are so great." No matter where video game systems and games go down the road, I think I will stick to my traditional game systems. That way, I will always be able to know if I am still in the game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well...DO games "count?"

Gaming is an important part of people's lives; I know it is for me and for so many others (consider the billions of  dollars the industry rakes in). When I was younger, I played computer games like Zoo Tycoon and Rollercoaster Tycoon. The chance to use my imagination and build zoos and amusement parks was so cool. Then of course, there was the first handheld gaming system, Game Boy that provided endless hours of enjoyment. Now, I mostly play video games utilizing the gaming systems: X-box, Playstation, Wii. Video games allow you to have fun and escape from reality. You can be part of a battle (yes, sometimes a violent one) or you can imagine you are on a football field, a basketball court, or on the ice playing hockey with the pros. You can have alone time or engage in social interaction like with X-box Live. I mean chatting with and "battling" people in the U.S. and other countries is fascinating. I enjoy playing video games and love the creativity involved that sometimes I think the best job in the world would be to design video games.

 One aspect that I am becoming familiar with because of this Digital Humanities (DH) class is alternate reality games or ARG for short. CNET defines alternate reality gaming as "...an obsession-inspiring game that blends real-life treasure hunting, interactive storytelling, video games and online community..." ARG is definitely a different way to play games from the traditional video games. Dr. Jane McGonigal, a Game Designer and Inventor for the  Institute for the Future describes the difference, "... traditional gaming is designed to help people escape from reality, alternate reality games are actually designed to make reality more engaging..." Interested in knowing what are the "5 Most Insane Alternate Reality Games?" Click on the link to find out.

http://www.cracked.com/article_19346_the-5-most-insane-alternate-reality-games.html

 

I have talked about how gaming can be fun and provide social interaction, but it can also promote thinking. Jeremy Antley wrote an article titled "Games and Historical Narratives" published in the Journal of Digital Humanities (Spring 2012) which describes games particularly video games as visual digital objects that "can be platforms for building, and not simply consuming, knowledge." There are universities that teach courses on this subject.

 There is much debate on whether games are considered part of the digital humanities. In his book "The Emergence of the Digital Humanities" (2014), Stephen E. Jones comments that his one problem with the DH field is that it has ignored games. I believe that DHers need to see that gaming belongs not just as part of the discussion, but part of the work. As the field continues to emerge, that is the likely scenario.

 One more thing that I took note of in my research is that Dr. McGonigal believes game designers are on a humanitarian mission and her #1 goal in life is to see a game developer win a Nobel Prize in Peace or Medicine.

Well...DO games "count?" I would instead ask, How can they not?

 

Broken Image

This is a broken picture.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gameinformer.com%2Fb%2Fnews%2Farchive%2F2014%2F02%2F24%2Fseth-rogen-making-film-about-console-wars.aspx&ei=Jhb2VPyrGouVNpShhPgG&bvm=bv.87269000,d.eXY&psig=AFQjCNE8bbQ2ItbLoH7iXv-tdLwyahXQSA&ust=1425498847865482

What is Digital Humanities? Essay

Here's an essay on Digital Humanities

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tqa9zk6wwVidIENiQQ0sXtrDbs64-fA5ARgLUQLesVw/edit

Reaction to Week Seven Literature

 

 

Ok, I need to get my reaction to CTheory's NetNoise out of the way before I discuss some of the other electronic literature pieces that I viewed this week. For me, NetNoise was totally confusing; a hodgepodge of sounds, distorted voices, flashing words, colors, etc. I couldn't make sense of what I was viewing so I moved on after a few minutes.

 

I then viewed Red Riding Hood by Donna Leishman. We all read the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood who was stalked by the big, bad wolf and saved at the end. It is interesting to see how a fairy tale can be interpreted when done electronically with basically no words. This interactive piece is definitely a more adult version of the tale (a baby, a gun) where the viewer can choose a path of either allowing Red to dream or waking her up when she "falls asleep" in the field. Since I wanted to know a little more about this literature piece than I was interpreting on my own, just as I had with the AH piece previously, I did additional research. There are a lot of reviews and interpretations out there on this piece which were helpful. I found one in particular that was short, easy to read and provided more insight about the piece; click the link if interested. https://shasthriellegedara.wordpress.com/2012/03/22/leishman__redridinghood/

 

Finally, I viewed selections from Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries.  I looked at the ones that were recommended: "Dakota," "Lotus Blossom," and "The Sea" in addition to "Mr. President" and "What Now?"  The pieces were not interactive, moved quickly, and at times the music would distract me from following the stories, but I still found it challenging to figure out what was happening. An interesting note about "Dakota" is that right after the author and title are shown, profanity appears on the screen. At that point, you knew you were in for a trip which is exactly where the group was headed in their car with beer cases in the trunk. However, the selection I enjoyed the best was "Mr. President" about a letter written by Maria Cuervos to the president. It was easier to follow than the others since it was slower moving. Even though there was humor in the letter, Maria who was experiencing many troubles, was reaching out for help. The fact is that the problems she wrote about depicted real-life for many Americans such as the death of a spouse, losing a job, being evicted, living on a small pension, dealing with numerous accidents and health issues, and having scary neighbors. When I have more time, I would like to view some of the other selections presented by Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries.

 

Google maps essay

 

As  a sports enthusiast and die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan, I had a dream come true when I had the chance to attend Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in February 2011. I take you from the start of the regular season in Pittsburgh to the Super Bowl in Texas.

 Join me as I relive my emotional round trip journey of the highs and lows of the Steelers 2010 season. Here We Go!!!

Introducing "Going for the Seventh Ring"
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zS4367TaCUes.kXQOWOg9uowk

Reaction to Week Five Literature

 

 

There were a number of different electronic literature pieces that I viewed and read this week. For this blog, I am going to discuss two particular ones. Since I have never been one to read much poetry in hard copy, I thought an electronic piece might be more interesting. The Sweet Old Etcetera by Alison Clifford which is based on the poetry of E.E. Cummings is a totally interactive piece. You go nowhere unless you click on various spots (usually red highlighted words) on the screen starting with the branches of a tree that sprouted out with words. Clicking on the words to move forward with the poetry wasn't always easy since the tree sways back and forth. I was able to read and understand the areas where the words formed sentences; other areas were more confusing and I couldn't make sense of what was on the screen. Also, it was frustrating because there were times that I wanted to leave the screen, but couldn't until I clicked on all the highlighted words. This piece did have sound - when clicking on a highlighted word, you hear a single beat similar to a chime sound. There were spinning stars you could click on and make "music" (similar to playing a piano with one finger). All in all the piece was too confusing and didn't give me a better appreciation for poetry.

 

The second piece I am going to discuss is the total opposite of Clifford's especially from the standpoint of being interactive. AH by K Michel and Dirk Vis shows words flowing across the screen, most of the time in a straight line, at a fast pace to the point where it made me dizzy as I was trying to make sense out of it. There was nothing to click on, no color, no sound and nothing else to see except this flow of words that were meant to represent the moves between the breathing and singing of someone in the shower. In order to figure out more about this piece, I did some research and found an analysis of AH that gave me some additional insight. Check it out if you are interested. http://nkelber.com/engl278w/?p=2089#