Presentation:Videogames - But are they art?

a). Key quotes
Brett Martin of Should Video Games Be Viewed As Art
“Every time a new technology provides a fresh medium in the art world it is met with a lack of respect, in difference, or indignation, and must go through an acceptance process by the art world.”


What Is Art?, Leo Tolstoy, 1986
"Art is to pass on cultural values from one generation to the next, to serve a sort of moral purpose."

b).Key Links
http://obama.net/north-korea-attacks-south-korea-first-direct-attack-since-1950%E2%80%99s/ 
http://www.socialimpactgames.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=165

http://www.artificial.dk/articles/artgamesintro.htm
http://www.newsgame.com/
http://www.wikipedia.com/art_game

 

c). Key Books and Articles
Video Game and Art,edited by Andy Clarke,Grethe Mitchell,2007,Intellect Books Ltd
Will Computer Games Ever Be A Legitimate Art From, Ernest W. Adams 
Better game characters by design: a psychological approach From Katherine Isbister, The Interview of Gonzalo Frasca
Critical Play:Radical game design,Mary Flanagan,p,239

  d). Case study

Game Name:September 12: A Toy World

Developer:Gonzalo Frasca

Date of release:September in 2003

Nowaday since the technology is being advanced, many medium are being explored or created that can be considered as an art form. The most critical one is that does video game have the potential to be an art form and do we have example to prove that. In this essay, i will try to explain why September 12: A Toy World can be considered as an art.


I will divided the essay as three parts. The first part is the brief introduction of this game. The second part will explain how this game can fit with Adam's idea. And i will explain that with content and aesthetic way. Thirdly, i will express my oponion that why video game can be an art form.


This game caled September 12 : A Toy World. It is designed by an artist Gonzalo Frasca and released on September 2003. This is a shooting game, players need to focus the terrorists, five seconds later, a bomb will destory the location.


The reason why this game can be classified as art because the content of this game fit with the characteristic of art. As Adam mentioned, art must have content, new idea, make you feel something and have aesthetic value. And in this game-September 12: A toy World also has these characteristic.
Firstly, I will explain the content of this game. Adam said that art must have content to convey message. If the game have contained, it is easier for the artist to pass the social value to the next generation."What Is Art? Leo Tolstoy, 1986". Besides, according to this websites http://www.artificial.dk/articles/artgamesintro.htm  also states that the content, the intention behind the game can makes it become art. Go back to the game, we can find that there is a message behind the game. Although players can shoot the terrorists, however, the most interesting point is that the terrorists cannot die. The bomb does create some damage and destroy such as the collapse of the building and generate the "collateral destroy" and kill the innocent civilians. After the civilians are being killed, they will become to the terrorists. It is because the terrorists cannot die, it is easily for the players find out that they cannot win at all. Violence begets more violence and it is not the only way to solve problem. Trying to looking at the past experience such as the World War Two, we cannot see that if we always use violence, many lifes are being killed and just makes people want to take revenge. It is a vicious cycle. From the interview of the game artist, his intention of making this game is to critic the US policy towards Irag that war may not the best solution. As the content of the game, it is no doubt that they game convey the message about violence.

Apart from that, i also think that this game shows the social value - the important of peace. Trying to look at the news these days,
http://obama.net/north-korea-attacks-south-korea-first-direct-attack-since-1950%E2%80%99s/  
We can see that there may be a fight between North and South Korea. After these attacks, many presidents such as Obama are all blame with this action because of the past experience, people notice that war may

just beget more violenece and may easily killed the innocent, peace is the thing that people always finding for. This game tells the negative of violance and shows the importance of peace. And this value may affect the players and educate the next generation. Because this game have content, so it can be considered as an work of art.

Second, art must contain ideas. The meaning of contain ideas is that the ideas should be interesting and new. Back to the game, this game provides a new perspective for the players to play this game. It provides a “big/large picture” of the situation, so the player can easily realize the changes of the innocent civilians .This is very new since this perspective can make the message stronger. Most game designer usually makes the first- person game to make the game more realistic, create a feeling that you are in the game world,  in order to make money such as CS online. However, it is a third person shooting game. this approach is very new to the players since it is not the traditional approach, and this approach can make the message more stronger.

Third person shooting game

First person shooting game

Third, the game needs to make you feel something. According to this game, it is no ending so the players cannot win. It is the feature of this game and this can make the player feel something. How can the game achieve this notion? According to a comment on Gamegirladvance.com, a player commented that this game is interesting and most important, this game make she first thinking. At first, he just want to play this game, but while he is playing, he noticed that he cannot win the game and try to think the reason, why the designer make a game that cannot win at all. Then he understand that violence cannot solve problem, this game makes he think more. From this comment, we can see the impact of the video game; video game can make the players to know the artist’s intention. I think this is another kind of interaction between the artist and the audience. Video game can be more than fun, to educate and interact with the players.  

I try to make a table about my opinion of interaction:

Besides the content of the game, this game also has some aesthetic value. First, the artist uses the contrast colour to classify the differences between the terrorists and the civilians. We can see the civilians are blue in color and the terrorists are white in colour. No matter how small the figures are, it can also easily let the players realize the changes of the civilians. Second, the figures are all in the suitable proportion, so when the players play the game, they will not feel strange even they are using a new perspective viewing point to play this game.

The book ,Video and art has mentioned that"Every time a new technology provides a fresh medium in the art world it is met with a lack of respect, in difference, or indignation, and must go through an acceptance process by the art world". I think it is true since many games are commerically based, this makes the people hard to accepted that video art as art. However, i think we cannot always stay in the old period, many new medium will be created and explored, and it is also a another choice for the artist to use those new medium to create new art work, express their ideas and emotion. Therefore, video game should be considered as an art form, but if we want to consider the game is an art or not, we need to consider that do the game contain content and aestetic value. In the game September 12th, since it contain the two impotant features, so this game can be classified as an art, 

Because this game fit with the ideas that Adam mentioned. Also, we can find out that this can share the social value and make the players feel something,so the September 12th sould be classified as an art.

 

Video Games- Are they art?

1). How does Adams define art? Do you agre with his definition?

In Adams's essay, he can classify different four main types of art, and he points out that why there are many types of art because"the boundaries between art and non-art are not had and fast; there is a gray area"

The four main types are:

Literary arts:  writing, drama, film, television
Fine arts: painting, sculpture, music, dance
Decorative arts: wallpaper, fabrics, furnishing
Architecture and industrial design

Because there is a grey are between art and non-art, so there is a room to discuss weather video game is an art or not. And if we want to dicuss weather it is an art or not, it should

"contain content"
"have an aesthetic"
"have ideas"
"make you feel something"
"not formulaic".

According to the definition of art, first, i think that this is really hard to draw a line to divid weather is it an art. It is because in nowadays, more software or medium will be explored/created, may be those are also have the protential to be an art form such as video game an photography.

Second, from the Adam's idea, he thinks that "art must contain content" and i agree with this point. It is because i think the function of arts is to educate or catharsis people, if there is an content in the aert work, it is easilier to achieve this goal. Besides, having idea can give something new to the people, to let them surprised. Just like we are alll surprised when we see the Andy Warhol's work, if nowaday, someone trying to do the Campbell Soup Pianting again, what you think is that you are doing something similiar with Andy Warhol, the power of the art work may not be stronger than Andy Warhol's work. Apart from it, i will say these definition is a very general line to idifity what ia an art or not, since the line is more broader, the artists will not be constracted to do the art work, they can really do what they want to do.

According to Adam, what is needed for videos to be considered as art?

First, the video game must be more than fun. If the game is more than fun, it woulb be easilier to make people feel something.

Second, the video game should have aesthetic value.

Third, the video game developer must experiment. It is because the artist may not know the power of other new medium if they would not try. May be another new medium also have the potential to be an new art.

Forth, the game must challenge the players. It can explore the players' view.

Fifth, the game awards should change.

Sixth, The game need critic, not only the viewer.

Seventh, the game needs an artist.

Just playing - the ethics of digital games

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

For individuals, first, they can create their own career through playing videogames. In the film, there are many professional gamers in South Korea. They can make money through winning the game, they can also become the "new stars", famous in young generation. Many fans clubs are created and the MV are made in order to introduce those game players. This situation also happen in China. Those professional gamers will help others to go into the next level, and this is a trade between the gamers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Xiaofeng_(professional_gamer) Li Xiao Feng is one of the professional gamers in China

Li Xiao Feng won the game competition













For the societies, government and company may use video game for propaganda. Take the US as example, the US Army take the video game as a real simulation of being a real US Army. Because of the real simulation exercise, it attract many teenagers wants to be one of them and develop a positive image that US army are brave in protecting the country.

On the other sides, there are also many disadvantages of playing video game.

For the individuals, just use the Korea as an example, the health level will be affected if the player really play the games for a long time. According to the video, because of the long time of playing the games, their health are really affected. They all sleep in the morning time but work at night. Some news also state that it is easy for the long time game players to get muscle pain, and it is also not good for their eyes.

Besides the negative effect on the game players,  i also read some cases that the game players spend too much money on buying the vitural goods or weapon.

For the societies, some video game may convey a erong message to the society, ti the next generation. Although the US Army really can develop a good image of the army. However, i think the game maximize the postitve image of being a soilders but minimize the the risks of being a army. Being a soilders is not only click some button, or just focus and shoot. It also include many others practice such as body trainning, the skills of how to survive... It makes a feeling that being a army is so easy. If the teenager really be a army,they should notice that when they lose in the real war/ fight, they many lose their life.

So i think no matter how real the video game is, it cannot be truth.

Will video game encourgae aggressive values and anti-social action in real world?

In the video, it shows that there is the relationship between the video game and the aggressive brain activeity.And i do think that it may have some relation. In nowadays, it is not uncommon to hear the news that players are affected by the games. When the players accicted to the game, they may think that they are one of them in the game world, they want to fight and win the game. And if they cannot seperate the two identities, they may controlled by the game to do some violence action. For example, i found the news from wikipedia,

On June 7, 2003, 18-year-old American Devin Moore shot and killed two policemen and a dispatcher after grabbing one of the officers' weapons following an arrest for the possession of a stolen vehicle. At trial, the defense claimed that Moore had been inspired by the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City,
Can A Video Game Lead To Murder?". CBS News. 2005-06-19. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/17/60minutes/main702599.shtml. 

In October 2004, a 41-year-old Chinese man named Qiu Chengwei stabbed 26-year-old Zhu Caoyuan to death over a dispute regarding the sale of a virtual weapon the two had jointly won in the game The Legend of Mir 3. ^,
Cao Li (2005-06-08). "Death sentence for online gamer". China Daily. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-06/08/content_449494.htm. 

From those example, i think that the video game may have effect on aggressive value, we just don't know the level of the affection.

Should the government have the right to ban the games?
I think it is hard to ban the game although we know that the game may have some problem. It is because from the artists' point of view, they may think that it is their free to do the creation, if the government ban the games, it mauy easily to have some arguement on the freedom of creation.

However, even it is hard for the governmet to ban those game, i think the governmet should have some regulation the protect the next generation. For examplem just like the film regulation, the government can set the rules that some young people cannot buy the game if they are not the age. It may protect them a little. However, if we really want to protect the next generation, only the action of government is not enough, the parents, the school and the society also have the responsibility to teach the children and convey the right value.

Inter-Discommunication Machine

I find Inter-Discommunication Machine is very interesting because it break the line of you and me. This work is made by Zazuhiko Hachiya. This work needs video camera, transimitter, head mounted displays, batteries to work with the system. This work is a communication system, you can see what you partner see if you are wearing the those settings. Since your view point is change, you may think that there is a very close interaction between you and your parnter since you can see things through your partner's eye, and your parnter can also see things with your eye, so you may think that who are you when you are using the machine.

I think this machine is very interesting since it break the line of you and me. And i think that this machine may have the idea that everyone should try to think/see in different points of view. Just like in the machine, you are seeing what your parthner see. It may broaden your view. Your point of view may not the only way to look the world, there are so may point of view and shareholders in the issue, trying to think more is very importance.

http://www.eyebeam.org/projects/inter-discommunication-machine

Mouchette

This is an unusual website if you enter it.

First, in the front page of the website, it reveal some information about a 13-years-old girl's websites. However, if you go deeply to this website, you many find that this websites contain may controversal iissue such as commit suicide (in the page of commit suicide kid), the dead cat, the bloody dinner and even procoke some sexal interaction (the most favourite song). Those things will let you think that what kind of person she is and you will try to think that is it the real identity of the girl, or it just an online identity. And this website can reveal the issue that, nowadays, many people have more than one online identity. Some are they will hide their real emotion and feeling, and just to be a person they are really want to be. It may difficult for you to find is it the real image of the person.

Besides, the content, i will say the colour use of this websites is quite strange, for example, in one page, you can see some hands on the wall and there is an bloody food on the table. Th color use is not harmony, even give you a feeling of fake, so you may think that the identity of this girl may not true.

Interview - Identity

Interview classmates : Stanley Chu

How many online identities do you have ? What are they like?

Stanley have more than 30 identities in the internet world. Most of the identities are registed in the forums since he needs the "money" and score in the forum to download some software or useful picture. Besides, he also has one facebook, ICQ, and MSN account.

In what ways are they different to your "in person" identities?

He is more active in the interent because no one will know his real identities, he can say what he wants, even speaks something spiritual from his heart. Although there are too many responses to him, he can easier to identify what is useful for him. It is comfort for him to have different identities in the internet.

What are some benefits of expressing one's identity online?

He can download the useful information he wants through the interent. Besides,it is easier for him to find the people who have the same interest with him, and having discuss with them. Although they have some arguements, they will be fine just open another topics. So he can just express what he thinks freely in the internet.

What are some risks?

He worrys that someone will find the real ID of him, the privacy will be easier. Also, he also worry the interent virus since he have different identities to download useful information, he afraid that some virus will also be downloaded with the useful information.

Youtube - Bus Uncle

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

According to wikipedia, there were 1.7 million viewers  watching this video in the first 3 weeks in May, 2007. I believe there may over 2 million viewers  have watched this video until now.         

How would you rate the video?
This video is not shown in a high quality in technical terms since this video was recorded by Fong Wing Hung's mobile phone, and he recorded so sudden at that time. According to the scene of the video , we can notice that Fong Wing Hung was sitting at the right hand side of Ho Yui Hei.

Bus Uncle



Does it raise interesting socio-cultural issues? 
This video was successfully raising the socio-cultural issues in Hong Kong.

First, people has started to concern what is public area and what can we do in the public space. Bus uncle was talking with his friend loudly so he was asked to lower his voice.Bus Uncle began to punish the young boy. Bus Uncle does have the right to talk with the mobile phone, but does he has the right to speak so loudly? It seems that he was affecting another people.

Second,stress was the other topic that people always discussed it at that time. Bus Uncle mentioned "i have pressure!" many times in the video. Some hong kong people agreed that bus uncle is a representative of them. Hong Kong is a city of "quick " ,"busy" and, "efficiency". Under this atmosphere, it leads many people in a big pressusre and even frustrated in working. It is not uncommon to hear that people suicide due to the high preesure.According to a website, the other side of Hong Kong. http://thedarkside.hk/tag/suicide/
On Mar 2010, two students committed suicide in one week and on 27 April, 2010, a teacher even in front od students. It shows that Hong Kong people face a lot of pressure this problem should be solved.

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

I think video-sharing sites can enchance creative culture.
Video-sharing sites enhancedthe creative culture. After the clip was uploaded, Bus Uncle has become the topic of creation. Some people made a viseo which is about the feeling of the young boy.

A poster of a on-line game

"You have pressure, I have pressure!"

And even make a comparison with other issues.
Bus Uncle(2007) and The boy who doesn't offer a seat to an elderly (2010)

It shows that the video-sharing site can give a chance of people to upload their creative works and get inspiration on the video-sharing site. Because the bus uncle video, many videos were created which is also related to the nus uncle. If there is no video-sharing website in the world, the bus uncle clip would not broadcast so fasr that everyone would know. Video- sharing site is a platform that everyone can upload his work freely. Although you may say there are many videos on the site and not all the video are also very good. That 's true, but the creater can the comments to improve their works, the viewers and the creaters can interact with each others.

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

I think it is derserved to have attention. The things are up-to-date in the internet, so the internet should have the newest information. It is good for everyone to know the newest things so they can discuss or debate about it.

Mission to Earth

Mission to Earth is very new if you compare it to traditional filmmaking.

First, this film is very special with the form. Traditional filmmaking mainly uses one scence to tell story which can make the audience to focus on the story line and the development of the characters. However, Mission to Earth uses many scences in one times and coordinate with the voice-over. Narrator become the most important because what he say is the clue to guide the audience following the story. I am confused at the first time that there are many scences, but later i noticed that this design may one of the feacture of soft cinema.

more information about soft cinema:
http://www.softcinema.net/?reload

What other art forms does this film remind me of?

When I first devote my attention in this film, Piet Modrian's Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow and Theo van Doesburg Contra-Composition XVI are studdenly come out of my mind because the structure between the art works and the film are similar. Geometrical patterns are also shown in both works. In Mission to Earth, different size of squares are shown in one scene, different clips are also shown in different squares.

Piet Modrian's Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow

Theo van Doesburg Contra-Composition XVI


Besides, the clips reminds me of a festival - Microwave International New Media Arts Festival. It is a annual video art festival which includes new media art. New media art which is a art that combines new media technologies such as animation, computer graphics.
This is a link of last year http://www.microwavefest.net/festival2009/

Digital photographic - Analog photography

1). What are some photograophic effects that can be achieved using digital or analog (darkroom, film, lights etc) technology?

We can change the colour tone and the light by using digital or analog technology.
We can change the colour tone and light of the pictures such as colour to black and white, colour to dack yellow. In digital technology, we can easily just press the function key in digital camera or use Photoshop, Photoimpact to change the colour.

Example by using Photoshop

previous :colour

After: black and white


 However, in analog photography, we need to put colour filter in front of the camera lens to get the colour we want.

colour filter


 picture after using filter

Besides, we can also use light filters to emphaasize the blue sky, green leaves.

Although the technology is different, they can still do the same effect.

2). What are some photographic techniques that can only be done using digital technology?

We can combine different photos and make different effects through Photoshop, Photoimpact, AI to create a new artwork.
This is a website that teach us how to combine photos together, and you can watch the tutorials.
http://psd.tu-torial.com/

3). What is the difference between analog photography and digital photography?

First, the saving method is different.
In digital camera uses SD Card to save the data which we can preview the photos after shooting and put the data into the computer to do different effects. On the other hand, analog photography use film to save the image. It is hard to restore the images if the film is damaged. It also seems that you can only catch the best image without a second chance since you cannot chack the images immediately.

Second, it is easier to control the quality when using the digital camera.
Since digital camera uses SD Card for saving data. We can delete the photos which is up to you. Taking photo become more and more popular and convenience since we can take what we like. In these year, we can hear a term "Snapshot" very often beacuse digital camear does convenient our life.
However, photographer should concern the composition, the form of the picture carefully when they use analog camera because they have limited film. They can not preview the picture and even delete the images.     

photoshop -WOW

Wikipedia VS Brittanica

Wikipedia and Brittanica are both popular in the world and i would like to choose wikipedia instead of brittancia.

The first reason is that everyone can share what they think in wikipedia and make it become a up-to-date encyclopedia. Since wikipedia is using open-editing approach which encourage and invite contributors, not only the scholars can decide the context. It includes interaction since everyone can edit the context and share their point of views. I believe that learning is sharing, the more you share, the more you gain.

Wikipedia doesn't only focus on academic, but also include the details of news, culture, institutions. Since Brittanica is mainly edited by the scholars, the Brittanica mainly focus on academic project such as different theroies, history... However, besides the academic information, the knowledge of different culture is also important.

These are examples:

Cuisine of Hong Kong (Culture)

Celebrity

Although some people may think that wikipedia is not reliable because everyone can be the editor, it is hard to avoid vandalism which will give some fake or wrong information to the readers. However, there are over 500 supervisors to supervise the editions that can make wikipeia to become more reliable.

Modern (Digital) Times

This is the second time for me to watch this movie, i saw this movie when i was a F.4 student in order to learn the economic concept.

According to question one, i think there are two situation about the gain.

If the technology doesn't have any problem, then the worker and the factory owner will gain from these technologies. Charlie can eat faster and back to work faster. So he can produce more  products since the technologies helps them with doing the simple tasks, it is also a part of division of labour.

However, the technologies are out of control in the film and it creates problems in production line. With this situation, i think this is no gain for the workers and the owner, they need to spend time to deal with the problems. The maker of the machines may become the only gain in this situation because they notice that their machines are not perfect and give them a chance to improve.

It shows that the technology may convenient the people, but in other ways, it also creates another problem.

According to question two,  there are some negative effects on the main character.

There are mental and physical illness with Chaplin. For example, after the repeating action, Chaplin still repeat the action when he after work, he can not control his action. It is not only affect his works, but also his daily life.

According to question three, i think there are both advantages and disadvantage in my life, mood and body.
Computer is very convenience, i can absorb various information, meet new friends and even self-learning just using computer in different places different times. I have a friend in USA, i like to talk with her through msn and facebook, although we are not in the same time to communicate, we can use e-mail to know each other.  Also, when i confuse with my works, i use computer to search images and articles for inspiration. No matter you are active or not, you are still have to chance to meet new friends and for self-learning. It is very convenience.

However, using internet may leads some problems such as addicted to internet and cyber bullying. Take my brother as an example, my brother is addicted to the internet since he uses 12 hours computer per day. It is horrible. Besides, it is easy to find news about cyber bullying. Chan Hau Man was a victim under cyber bullying. She just shared her view on Tibentan independence, however, she quickly became the target of harassment. .

There are both adavntages and disadvantages on technology, just depond on how we use it. We can use internet as a learning tool, but also as a tool to attack people.

Introduction

Hello! Nice to meet you. I' m Bowie Yeung, a Year 2 Student major in Visual Studies. I love watching movies and eating XDXDXDXDXDXD In this blog, i will upload my feeling about digital technology. ^^