When we play a game, we are expected to follow the rules given to us in order to play it successfully. We are expected to follow these rules inside the magic circle - that is the boundary in which you play the game.
So, for example, the magic circle in a real life football game would be the football pitch. A common real life magic circle is the workplace - the office, where we are conforming to the different rules that we must abide by. We can also say that we are magic circles, as we act one way with our friends, and another way to our parents.
The magic circles in a game could change depending on the genre of the game, whether it is single or multiplayer or what hardware the game is being played on e.g Computer or offline.
If we compare a miniature game with the pacman game we can see the differences. Pacman is a single player game which is normally played on a screen and the magic circle is the maze. The apihany vs Euphoria in this game is to avoid the ghosts from eating you, while managing to eat the fruits which will slow down the ghosts, giving you more time to eat the yellow dots and gain extra points by eating the ghost. The ghosts are aware that you are there. Whereas in the minature game, again, the maze is the magic circle, however, unlike pacman, you are competing against other people to get to the middle of the maze first and trying overcome being blocked in your path by the Grey blocks.
The dice is an important part of the game because it controls the way you and the way your opponents move. You are also restricted by the dice because 6 is the maximum times you can move in one time, unlike pacman where you have freedom to move within the maze. There are different levels in pacman which increase in difficulty suggesting that the game never really ends as there are more problems to face in each level. Whereas, in the minature game, there are no levels, but the game can be seen to go on for a long time depending on what is rolled on the dice and waiting for the last time to reach the middle of the maze.
Wednesday 23 February 2011
Friday 18 February 2011
Aesthetics of Digital Literature
In 1994, Annie Poulx said that 'Nobody is going to sit down and read a novel on a twitchy little screen. Ever.''
In the yea 2011, we now have facilities on the internet that enable us to read books online, or have sneak previews of certain pages before we choose to buy them. Because the internet is a huge database, it has become easier to access information and the sense of 'try before you buy' can also be applied to online experiences. Portable devices such as the amazon reader, sony reader and the iPad have made it easier to read books while we are on the go, and with the use of the iPad, you can highlight words you don't understand and a yellow box will come up with the definition of that word. Before this, we would have had to go to a dictionary to to look up a word. E book devices also save paper and energy, as one device can have several functions.
In the yea 2011, we now have facilities on the internet that enable us to read books online, or have sneak previews of certain pages before we choose to buy them. Because the internet is a huge database, it has become easier to access information and the sense of 'try before you buy' can also be applied to online experiences. Portable devices such as the amazon reader, sony reader and the iPad have made it easier to read books while we are on the go, and with the use of the iPad, you can highlight words you don't understand and a yellow box will come up with the definition of that word. Before this, we would have had to go to a dictionary to to look up a word. E book devices also save paper and energy, as one device can have several functions.
Thursday 10 February 2011
How do we archive the Internet?
An Archive is described as 'a collection of computer files that have been packed for back up. An archive can have a simple list f files or files organized under a directory of catalog structure'. Archiving has been made easier online through the use of tagging. Tags are created by users I have even tagged this blog post, so that it's easier for me to find when I come back to it.
We live in a world were most archives have developed and moved on from paper documents to online files, or online archives. When I was in primary school, I used to go to the library to find and read books, but now the internet has made it easier for me to find and read books online. You can also read books on the go with the iPad, and with the help of the internet and touch screen facilities, you can highlight words you don't understand and a yellow box will appear telling you the meaning of the word. You have more freedom here, because you choose which links to click on. This saves times and energy from the old days of having to look up a word in a dictionary. The use of the iPad means that there are a several different archives on one device.
Even things such things as newspapers now have online archives through the use of the online versions of newspapers. We have easy access to older versions of newspapers online just by typing a word that has been tagged, instead of going to a large building and spending hours on end looking for a particle issue of a newspaper.
Text is the only thing we archive on the internet. We also archive pictures on sites such as Flickr and Photobucket. You could even say that the photo albums on facebook are also a type of way to archive our pictures online - again, using tagging as a way to organize the different types of data. Facebook has created a new feature where you can see an archive of photos that were taken with you and a particular friend/s, thus, enhancing the tagging feature on facebook.
We live in a world were most archives have developed and moved on from paper documents to online files, or online archives. When I was in primary school, I used to go to the library to find and read books, but now the internet has made it easier for me to find and read books online. You can also read books on the go with the iPad, and with the help of the internet and touch screen facilities, you can highlight words you don't understand and a yellow box will appear telling you the meaning of the word. You have more freedom here, because you choose which links to click on. This saves times and energy from the old days of having to look up a word in a dictionary. The use of the iPad means that there are a several different archives on one device.
Even things such things as newspapers now have online archives through the use of the online versions of newspapers. We have easy access to older versions of newspapers online just by typing a word that has been tagged, instead of going to a large building and spending hours on end looking for a particle issue of a newspaper.
Text is the only thing we archive on the internet. We also archive pictures on sites such as Flickr and Photobucket. You could even say that the photo albums on facebook are also a type of way to archive our pictures online - again, using tagging as a way to organize the different types of data. Facebook has created a new feature where you can see an archive of photos that were taken with you and a particular friend/s, thus, enhancing the tagging feature on facebook.
Thursday 3 February 2011
How Are We Immersed In The Virtual World?
Joseph Nechvatal describes Imersion as 'the state of consciousness where awareness of phyiscal self is dimished or lost by surrounded in an engrossing total environment; often artificial'
When we are in the virtual world, we are 'immersed' in it. We often see the real world represented in the virtual world through things such as satelliete and world atlas view, but hhis is not how we experience the real world. Advances in technology through the use of google street view, closes the boundary between the how the real world can be represented in the virtual world. We become involved in the world we are taking part in.
When we watch a film in 3D, are we still aware of out bodies or do we become immersed in the 3D world? Or a bit of both?
Osmose has 12 worlds or 'layers' seen through a head mounted display. What we see in osmose still depends on the your movements, and bodily functions, for example, breathing and changing direction. During Osmosis, all of your body and senses are Imersed. Everything you do in that world is affected in this world. You determine what you want to see in Osmose rather than in a movie where the director determines what you see. You create your own narrative in osmose compared to a movie where the narrative is already decided, and you have chocie but to immerse yourself in something that has already been given to you. In a sense, you could say Osmose gives you more freedom to create what you want to see rather than having to work with what you already have. For example in Osmose you are the only person - there is no other 'you', compared to a world like 'sim's or 'second life' where there is another you or 'avatar' which you have created to represent you to other people in the virtual world.
We also become Immsered through games which involve bodily functions. For example, the 'dance mat' game. You are still aware of your body, but you still become immersed in the act of dancing to achieve the full potential of the game.
When we are in the virtual world, we are 'immersed' in it. We often see the real world represented in the virtual world through things such as satelliete and world atlas view, but hhis is not how we experience the real world. Advances in technology through the use of google street view, closes the boundary between the how the real world can be represented in the virtual world. We become involved in the world we are taking part in.
When we watch a film in 3D, are we still aware of out bodies or do we become immersed in the 3D world? Or a bit of both?
Osmose has 12 worlds or 'layers' seen through a head mounted display. What we see in osmose still depends on the your movements, and bodily functions, for example, breathing and changing direction. During Osmosis, all of your body and senses are Imersed. Everything you do in that world is affected in this world. You determine what you want to see in Osmose rather than in a movie where the director determines what you see. You create your own narrative in osmose compared to a movie where the narrative is already decided, and you have chocie but to immerse yourself in something that has already been given to you. In a sense, you could say Osmose gives you more freedom to create what you want to see rather than having to work with what you already have. For example in Osmose you are the only person - there is no other 'you', compared to a world like 'sim's or 'second life' where there is another you or 'avatar' which you have created to represent you to other people in the virtual world.
We also become Immsered through games which involve bodily functions. For example, the 'dance mat' game. You are still aware of your body, but you still become immersed in the act of dancing to achieve the full potential of the game.
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