You are currently browsing the archives for the Idea Junkyard category.
9. January 2010 by admin.
A good digital prototype convinces us of its reality and compels us to make it real. It is an imaginative piece of visual fiction that excites our interest and sates our needs. It does not exist, but we want to it to exist. It has not been made, but we are eager for its production. If you have succeeded at proposing an engaging idea, we want to check our accounts to find a way to afford it, our maps to figure out a way to visit it, or an encyclopedia for its nearest substitute.
A good digital prototype is a proof of concept so convincing that we want t it to be real. As project stakeholders, we are willing to invest money and resources into it. We are so excited by its potential reality that we are willing to takes risks to make it work. It is not merely an illustration; it is a perfect fiction to which we excitedly subscribe. Much like the digital prototype in engineering, it is plausible, not merely possible. It is proof of a possibility, illustrative of the probable wonder in a previously unpresented solution.
Posted in Idea Junkyard, Interactive Arts, students, Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »
16. June 2009 by admin.
Tuesday, June 30th for our first ever IGDA Chicago Demo night! Demo night provides local game developers with an opportunity to present work-in-progress or recently completed projects to an audience of their peers.
We have already lined up some great things to show you, like Robomodo’s Tony Hawk: The Ride and Vogster’s Robocalypse: Beaver Defense…. and are looking for more entries!
Demo nights have been hugely successful at other IGDA chapters and if feedback is positive we can potentially have this as an ongoing event. If you think you might have something to show, please contact us as soon as possible since space is limited.
Thank you to Flashpoint Academy (www.flashpointacademy.com) for graciously offering to host this event.
MEETING DETAILS:
When: Tuesday, June 30th, Doors open at 6:30 PM, Presentation starts at 7 PM.
Where: Flashpoint Academy, 28 N. Clark, Chicago, IL 60602. Flashpoint Academy is near the intersection of Clark & Washington and is very close to all major el lines in Chicago. The closest parking facility is near the intersection of Washington & Wells.
Cost: $5 non-members, $0 IGDA members and Flashpoint Academy Students. Light snacks and refreshments provided
RSVP: Space is limited to the first 150 guests. Please RSVP to igdachicago@gmail.com.
Here’s how it works – each presenter will have 5-10 minutes (depending on the number of entries) to show whatever it is they are working on. This can be a finished project, or any game project past alpha. It would be great to see games across all types of genres, i.e. casual, iphone/mobile, console – all are welcome.
Posted in Idea Junkyard, IGDA Meetings, Conferences, students | Print | No Comments »
7. June 2009 by admin.
Here’s a read from Johnny Wilson, another faculty member at the Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. His history with the game industry is wonderful, it’s great to be teaching “near” him.
Posted in Idea Junkyard, students, Game Sites, Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »
7. June 2009 by admin.
I posted some updates to my Illinois Institute of Art student website and added a few student portfolios in my former student collection. The quality of some of the work is increasing. I was also very happy with the quarter’s student games from my programming for the artist class:
http://aii.lgrace.com/GADGAMES/
Posted in Idea Junkyard, Interactive Arts, students, Game Sites, Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »
6. June 2009 by admin.
A link to the courses section of IGDA ed sig’s wiki. I had almost forgotten about this, but it is handy for people evaluating their current courses, assessing program outcomes, or doing a general survey of game related courses. Very cool:
http://www.igda.org/wiki/Category:Courses
Posted in Idea Junkyard, students, Game Sites | Print | No Comments »
3. June 2009 by admin.
A forthcoming book about using games to change the way people think:
About the book:
Can the workplace be more productive by including avatars, three-dimensional environments, and participant-driven outcomes? This grounded and thought-provoking book by Byron Reeves and Leighton Read proves that it is not only possible, it is inevitable. Implementing components of multiplayer computer games in the workplace will address a host of age-old problems. Games can not only stem boredom and decrease turnover, but also enhance collaboration and encourage creative leadership. Games require extraordinary teamwork, elaborate data analysis and strategy, recruitment and retention of top players, and quick decision making. Recreating some elements of games - such as positioning tasks within stories, creating internal economies, and implementing participant-driven communication systems - can not only boost employee engagement but overall productivity. Of course, the strong psychological power of games can have both positive and negative consequences for the workplace. That’s why it’s important to put them into practice correctly from the beginning and Reeves and Read explain how by showing which good design principles are a powerful antidote to the addictive and stress-inducing potential of games. Supported by specific case studies and years of research, “Games at Work” will completely change the way you view both work and play.
Posted in Idea Junkyard | Print | 1 Comment »
3. June 2009 by admin.
The Virtual Worlds Workshop is an intensive, hands-on week of learning and applying the principles of virtual world construction for business, the classroom and research.
Limited to an exclusive 24 spots, attendees from academia, government, business, and the non-profit sectors will collaborate on the creation of proposals tailored to fast-track virtual world technology in their home organizations, to enhance internal and external communications, engage participants, support organizational learning and culture, and create dynamic environments for research in all industries.
Posted in Idea Junkyard, Interactive Arts, Conferences | Print | No Comments »
27. May 2009 by admin.
The Challenge of Enculturation in the Arts,Handbook of Research on Computational Arts and Creative Informatics, IGI Global Press [PDf Excerpt]
“Abstract: Enculturation is the act of passing cultural ideologies from one person to the other… in the tradition of anthropological and sociological study of existing culture, this chapter seeks to illuminate the distinguishing characteristics of contemporary art production and offer perspective on the critical creative process. It takes new media art as its case study because it serves as a cross-cultural intersection of scientific invention and artistic innovation.”
http://www.lgrace.com/documents/Enculturation_Chapter_Page_1.pdf
Posted in Idea Junkyard, Interactive Arts | Print | No Comments »
27. May 2009 by admin.
The Philosophies of Software,Handbook of Research on Computational Arts and Creative Informatics, IGI Global Press [PDF Excerpt]
“Abstract: Software is philosophical. Software is designed by people who have been influenced by a specific understanding of the way objects, people and systems work. These concepts are then transferred to the user, who manipulates that software within the rules set forth by the software developer. The use of these rules by the designer reinforces an understanding of the world that is emphasized by the software they use. The designer then produces works that mimic these same philosophies instead of departing from them. The three axis of these philosophies are analogy, reductivism, and transferred agency. . .”
http://www.lgrace.com/documents/Software_Philosophy_Chapter_19_page1.pdf
Posted in Idea Junkyard, Interactive Arts | Print | No Comments »
20. March 2009 by admin.
Wait, a simple game where the player is encouraged to refrain from acting on the world. As the player moves the world disappears, but when the player waits, the world becomes more interesting. The majesty is found in the slow, controlled effort. Players are awarded points when the little things in life reveal themselves.
Treatment:
The intention in wait is to return the game experience to a central theme in some artistic practices: the reward of stopping to smell the flowers. The game begins with a fade from white and a fairly empty virtual field with blowing grass and the sounds of nature. If the player does not move, elements of the world are heard and faded into view. When these items are fully in view and physically close to the player the player is rewarded points. Points accrued are expressed by a single modulated tone every few seconds. As time progresses the world begins to fade away. The player must respond by moving to another space in the world. If they do not move by the time the world completely fades away, then the game will end. A score is displayed. The score will, in true game fashion, be compared to the past performance of other players. Play can continue indefinitely if the player moves and waits appropriately.
This game is part of the Critical Gameplay Project, an exhibition for partial completion of the MFA in Electronic Visualization at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Posted in Idea Junkyard, Interactive Arts, Game Sites, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »