alekseiw-blog

[alekseiw-blog]

DANM #13 ITP Winter Showcase

This weekend I had the opportunity to go see the Interactive Telecommunications Program’s (ITP) winter show. The ITP winter show is a two-day exhibition which displays its student’s interactive creative projects. The event took place in the Tisch building on the fourth floor and was open to the public. I was glad to see that there a huge turn out for the event, even if that meant the Tisch’s narrow corridors were sometimes hard to walk through. I am glad to see so many people take an interest in interactive media that goes beyond video games and art installations. All of these projects focused on showcasing interactive projects with a heavy emphasis on the use of cutting edge technology. A lot of great work was produced by these students, and I would like to talk about a few I found to be particularly striking.

 The first project that caught my eye was The Wooden Mirror by Daniel Rozin. The way this art project works is by standing in front of a frame containing many small planks of wood, these smaller planks will rotate around a horizontal joint. However, what is really cool about this installation is that due to the angle at which the planks are rotated, the amount of light projected onto the wood will vary as well. Because of this, the various shades of brown created by the rotation manage to create a sort of reflection of the person standing in front of it. It would have been simpler to simply have the mirror reflect the contour of whatever was standing in front. However, by also changing the shades, the reflection that is created is more detailed. It also indicates that the system understands blocks of color and is able to represent them through light and shadows, which is absolutely fascinating. Another interesting aspect of this project was the tool used to capture the object placed in front of the mirror. The camera that was used was a Microsoft Kinect, a short-lived extension to the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, that enabled players to use their bodies and voices to navigate and play games on the systems. The repurposing of this now dead technology and give it a new purpose is a heartwarming aspect of technology.

 Another work I saw was a game that incorporated physical movements in the presentation and playing of the digital content. The digital game was being presented on a table through a projector that was above. This meant that rather than looking forward towards your tv, console, or monitor (like you would during a standard play session), with this game you are looking down onto a table. Interestingly, it gives it this futuristic sci fi vibe where you are interreacting with a once inanimate object that has now become a core element to your play experience. Moreover, those were not the only elements included for gameplay. There were a multitude of beans laying all over the table (these were actual objects in the physical space). By using your hands, you could move and spread the beans around the table. What was fascinating, was that the locations and movement of the beans would actually affect the digital space mapped onto the table. Essentially, the beans served as walls.

The way the game worked is that there is a character being chased by a monster. Your job is to help the character not be killed by the monster. You have no direct control over the character or the monster. All you can do is move the beans around to create new paths for the player. You can also move the beans over the monster two try and stop them.

This idea of having the player only be able to change the physical space to possibly have an affect on the digital space in truly compelling. I am not sure exactly how that whole interactive system works. My two guesses are the table/system manages to keep track of the pressure/force applied by the beans on the table and thus knows their location. Or another possibility could be that there is also a camera trying to reach the screen but is then blocked by the beans. Wherever it is blocked, that is where a bean is located. Based on those two assumptions, I wonder if the player could use their hands as a means to block the monster?

 Another art installation that I found interesting was right by the mirror we first talked about. It was this condensed wheat field presented right at the beginning of the exhibition. It was interesting to see this focus on nature when everything else was so tied to cutting edge technology. People would walk by it, looking at it for a few seconds. It was only after they were told that the stand next to it was part of the installation and that people needed to blow into it that the interaction begun. By blowing into the stand, the installation would simulate wind breezing through the wheat. The wheat would slightly shake. It was interesting seeing people blow into the stand as it feels most of them felt awkward doing it. I wonder if the participants felt somewhat vulnerable when performing the action? If they were self-conscious; wondering what others thought of them as they were interacting with the piece. Regardless this focus on the connection between nature and technology was fascinating. It seemed to indicate the possibility for technology to be able to have a severe impact on nature and the way it functioned.

 The ITP winter show was truly incredible. The work produced by these students always amazes me. Their ability to incorporate interactivity with digital projects is excellent. Furthermore, there is always a variety of projects. We discussed a few here, but there were also projects that focused on data visualization such as the location of subways in New York city. There was also a robot arm that you could play Rock Paper Scissors with. The was a digital piece of glass that could, using the heat emitted by your hand, create a random image based on a set particle system. The amount of variety in these projects makes the ITP showcase a must see for anyone interested in technology and/or design.

[alekseiw-blog]

MAD

The Museum of Art and Design (MAD) was originally founded in 1956 by Aileen Osborn Webb under the name of The Museum of Contemporary Crafts. MAD focuses on pieces produced from various fields such as: craft, architecture, fashion, interior design, technology, performing arts, art, and design. When the museum adopted its current name in 2002, it was meant to represent a broader acceptance of the types of works featured in the museum, but also a realization of the interdisciplinary nature of a lot the pieces within their permanent collection. The museum moved to their current location, 2 Columbus Circle, in 2008. I visited the museum this week to attend the Sonic Arcade Exhibition.

 MAD describes the Sonic Arcade Exhibition as “a multi-component exhibition featuring interactive installations, immersive environments, and performing objects that explore how the ephemeral and abstract nature of sound is made material”. One of my favorite additions to art exhibitions, is when the viewer can actually interact with the work of art. A lot of the work featured in Sonic Arcade are visually impressive, but also offer the possibility for creative expression to happen on the part of the viewer. It adds a personal quality to the work but also creates a unique instance of interaction between the work and the world that cannot (most likely) be replicated. I would like to talk about a few of the works that particularly struck me.

 The first thing I saw when viewing the exhibition was the Audioware Digital Sound Sampler. For this work, all of the audio and beats from the various audioware were loaded up onto this Sound Sampler. By pressing the various buttons, I could generate the various sounds. I ended up spending a good amount of time in from of this sound sampler with my headphones on, listening to the beat and mixing in the various sounds present on the Sampler. More often than not, I found myself struggling to stay on beat. But when I did manage to add sounds to the beat at the right moment, it created an exhilarating sensation. I was creating my own music in my own space. For these brief moments, the outside world disappeared.

 Another fascinating work of art was the art installation, Polyphonic Playground. The art installation was presented like a children’s playground made mostly of wood and what I am guessing is some sort of electrical board. By touching various parts of the playground and applying pressure onto the board it produces a sound. With each pressure point a sound is produced. Thus, all the people in the playground can produce a sound. What was interesting about this installation was that even though there were multiple people trying to play their own sounds, people were still taking to account the sounds the others were making. The interaction in the space wasn’t about making a personal sound, but rather considering all the sounds and creating a melody with everyone else. The fact that none of us knew other, but we still tried to connect and create something together was a really fun moment of cooperation.

 The MAD Sonic Arcade Exhibition was filled with other types of interactive music based art installations including an abstract sound sampler in which you pushed down on various objects a determined sound would play. There were also various sound mixers which people could mess around with them. There were various knobs and tools to use to attempt and manipulate the sounds made. What was interesting as well is that the exhibition goes beyond the show floor. There were multiple art pieces located in the beginnings of the staircases.

 The last art piece I want to talk about was displayed all along one of the wall of tone of the room. It’s hard for me to describe how the piece actually worked as I am not really familiar with the science behind it. But there were a bunch of metal wires extended vertically across the wall. When I first saw the piece, I thought I was visually stunning. However, it was unclear to me whether or not this work of art was meant to be touched. It was only after staring at the piece for a while that one of the people working there came up to me and told me that I could actually play the strings. I then proceeded to hit most of the strings and see which ones would sound best with each other.

 Ultimately, the MAD Museum was really great. I really enjoyed all the various music centered art works. I also quite appreciated the fact that we had the opportunity to create our own music/art. That production could be collaborative which I think is quite a unique aspect to interactive art pieces. I would recommend any one interested in music, sound, or design to visit the museum.

[alekseiw-blog]

Rock Band 4 & VR: The Underwhelming and the Bold

After a half a decade hiatus, the Rock Band franchise returns with a new instalment in its main series: Rock Band 4. Rock Band 4 was developed and published by Harmonix. This is a meaningful change as previous Rock Band games were developed by Harmonix but published by EA and MTV games. This time around, Harmonix should have had more creative control with the game. Interestingly, the company Madcatz, who usually develops the guitar peripherals for such games, was also in charge of marketing and distribution worldwide. Similar to the previous games, the focus was on band play, meaning players could play lead guitar, bass, drums, or vocals. The game released on October 6, 2015 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game was well received critically with scores averaging around an 8/10. Sales numbers on the other hand are slightly harder get a hold of. Harmonix reports that Rock Band 4 sold “within the range” it had expected. However, Harmonix’s claims seem to contradict that of Madcatz, who suffered a $11.6 million loss. Harmonix states the loss was due to poor management of inventory, while Madcatz believe consumers were just not interested in a new Rock Band game. Considering the poor performance of Guitar Hero Live which came out the same year, Madcatz claim does hold some weight.

 From Harmonix’s point of view, Rock Band 4 is a safe game. When considering it’s gameplay elements it takes absolutely no risks. Because of this, I wonder if Rock Band 4 is a worthy successor to the excellent Rock Band 3 that introduced new and complex alterations to gameplay. Even the more recent Guitar Hero Live went out to rethink the way peripheral based rhythm games should be played (regardless of its success). It’s interesting because I have some real reservations about this game, even though I really enjoy playing it. As a reboot, I understand wanting to stick to basics (and possibly gently introduce new players to the series). However, as a comeback to the franchise, this is quite underwhelming (especially when considering its predecessors). The game finds satisfaction in doing the bare minimum from a gameplay perspective and makes little attempt to build off existing gameplay standards. Rather, it takes the already established mechanics of the previous games and runs with it.

 One thing they absolutely nail with this game, is the feel. Rock Band has never played this good. Being the first game on the next generation consoles, its clear effort was put in making it look as good as possible. One of the most important aspects that has been updated are the character animations. The band members perform a wide variety of actions that are all displayed smoothly and never feel repetitious. Furthermore, the audience has also seen an upgrade. They truly feel like individuals reacting to the music. These changes really help sell the feel of being an up and coming band playing in front of a crowd. The environments are well designed, accurate, and filled with detail. An effort was put into lighting as well. It emulates what would be expected in a concert and reacts to the specific song being played. Ultimately, Rock Band 4’s strongest component is its presentation. While the characters are cartoony, they animations and the environments they play in are the most realistic they have ever been.

 Recently, Rock Band 4 released an expansion to the game called Rivals. This expansion featured a brand-new campaign in the style of a Rockumentary. Interestingly enough, it seems that rock band was this time taking a page from Guitar Hero, where the rockumentary styled gameplay heavily featured full motion video. One thing about this I would like to discuss is the role of the players within the rockumentary. The story asserts that you are a cover band that rose to fame. My issue with this, and it’s the same issue I had with earlier games in both Rock Band and Guitar Hero, is that if you are a cover band, why do the games use studio recordings from the actual bands. I think the game would be so much more immersive if Harmonix would have rerecorded all the songs with one (cover) band. You would truly feel like your own band and it would add some much-needed consistency between songs. Of course, I understand why that might not be possible from a business, marketing, and development level.

 One of the more interesting developments with Rock Band 4 is it’s recently released VR version. Rock Band 4 VR released in 2017, was developed by Harmonix, and published by Oculus Studios, the company behind the Oculus Rift, the virtual reality headset that reignited the virtual reality craze. The game released earlier this year and was received very positively. Virtual Reality is still very much in its infancy. The public is still skeptical of VR due to a lack of flagship titles and a high price point. Furthermore, a lot of games that have released for the VR platform are often uninspired and don’t attempt to use the tech to develop new ways of playing games. Wave shooters is a popular genre to develop as it requires minimum actual coding and is not too demanding in terms of VR tech.

 Rock Band VR is bold as it really tries to create a new kind of VR experience. Compared to Rock Band 4, Rock Band VR, attempts to create an experience never seen in the peripheral rhythm game genre, for a platform that is still fairly new. The design principles have not yet been set in stone. Rock Band 4 VR will surely affect the design of future Virtual Reality based rhythm games.

 It seems like from a presentation standpoint, Rock Band 4 VR uses a lot of the same assets from Rock Band 4. This makes complete sense and the game should not be faulted for this. The presentation in Rock Band 4 was so good, it makes for them to reuse those elements. What is more interesting is that you can now walk around those environments. You can stand next to your band members and see them play. There is a sense of freedom and control from the performance that was never really seen in similar rhythm games. What’s interesting is that with previous games, the performance space was a blend between the physical space and the digital one. With this VR game, it seems the digital world is able to completely encapsulate the physical space, excluding everything that is not the player (and things directly connected to them). In a sense the performance is less emphasized as it is more of a one way mirror. A passerby could technically watch someone play, but there is no way for the player to gage the situation in the physical space. This is not necessarily a bad thing, its just a different experience. Furthermore, this exclusion from the physical space can leave the player feeling vulnerable as they cannot tell what is going in the space in which they belong. Not being able to overcome this anxiety can likely negatively affect the play experience.

 Rock Band 4 VR also had to significantly change its gameplay formulae as it was no longer compatible with VR. Constantly having to look at buttons falling from the sky two inches away from your face would detract from the experience. With Rock Band VR, the game became less about hitting notes and more about playing chords. The structure of the game changed as well, focusing less on finger gymnastic and nailing complicated solos, to strumming along in a virtual space. This feels more like an experience than a straight up game. The crowd will never boo you off stage and you can technically just spend your time teleporting around rather than actually playing. It’s a nice twist on the formulae that works well in VR.

For the actual game, Rock Band 4 VR provides you with the overall structure of the song. As you are playing, the digital representation of your guitar will give the player visual queues as to what chords they need to play. Timing is still important, as playing those chords on beat will award the player with more points.

 Rock Band 4 VR is a brand new Rock Band experience. It’s much more of a relaxing experience than the previous games and really helps make you feel like a rock star.

http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2016/06/04/harmonix-says-rock-band-4-sales-met-expectations/

[alekseiw-blog]

Guitar Hero & Rock Band - Moving Away From the Main Series

Over the course of this independent study, I had a chance to play a few of the Rock Band and Guitar Hero games that were not part of the main series. I don’t want to dwell on these too long, but I think there are a few things of note that are worth mentioning.

 One of the first ones I played was Lego Rock Band. This game was developed by Tt Fusion in partnership with Harmonix and was published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game released in November 2009. This game was obviously geared towards a younger audience. The whole game was presented in this Lego world, and the setlist was much more upbeat and joyful. It featured much more pop (and less rock and metal). Furthermore, the gameplay was adjusted to fit the target audience. When playing a song, if the player fails, rather than being kicked off, the total amount of money they could earn would decrease. I actually really enjoyed this change as it would shift the experience towards something I found to be more enjoyable. The focus was more on the experience of playing the guitar rather than drive to perfect every song. This line of reasoning will come back up when we discuss Rock Band 4 VR.

 I also had a chance to play The Beatles: Rock Band. The Beatles is my favorite band, so I might be biased, but it seemed clear this game was a love letter to the band. Other peripheral based rhythm games have attempted to focus their game on a single band, but The Beatles: Rock Band manages to offer a sort of playable history of the Beatle’s rise to stardom. This game was developed by Harmonix and was published by MTV games. By focusing on the Beatles’ music, my main problem with the previous games is fixed. It always seemed strange to me that we would create our own band, but we would always play studio versions of the songs we picked (performed by the actual band rather than a cover). With the Beatles, it makes sense for them (and us) to actually be playing their songs. The focus is less on creating an immersive experience and more on going through the Beatles’ experience. The game also either included live versions or mixed the songs to make them sound live. Moreover, we can also hear the crowd screaming or the Beatles’ talking amongst themselves at the beginning on songs. This really helped sell the idea that we were playing a Beatles game and it was greatly appreciated.

 The final two games I want to talk about are DJ Hero and DJ Hero 2. It’s fascinating that DJ Hero was popular enough to warrant its own sequel. Its also a game that required a whole new peripheral, a turn table. Obviously, that offered a new variation on gameplay, but the core idea remained the same. Notes would fall, but rather than strum you would have to scratch the disk in time (there is more nuance to this, but that is the basic mechanic). The way a song works in those games is that two popular songs are remixed together. These remixes were first introduced for the games, meaning they were never heard before. Because of this, it feels like you are actually mixing these songs. Furthermore, there are instances in both games were the player has some actual creative control. In the first game players could sometime introduce specific sounds into the mix. In the second game players could choose, during certain sections, which track to focus on. Offering more freedom for the player will help them feel more immersed. They are actually mixing the songs.

 While these games were not as popular as the ones in the main series, they were a space for experimentation. Its clear certain elements of those games found themselves implemented in later Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. For this reason, its important to consider these games when studying their franchises.

[alekseiw-blog]

DANM #11 - Queen of Code: Grace Hopper

During the last Digital Art and New Media Class, we watched a short documentary revolving around the life and accomplishments of Grace Hopper. The Documentary was directed by Gillian Jacobs and was released in 2015 under ESPN Films.

 The focus of the film is to let woman around the world know that they have role models like Grace Hopper who played important parts in the foundation and establishment of computer science and computer programming. In these male dominated industries, women are often left out of the history books to the extent that women in computer science feel isolated and alone due to a lack of representation.  

 The movie takes a deep dive in the life of Grace Hopper, explaining that she came into the computing field when it was not really even considered a profession yet. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the US involved itself in WWII. With this, there was a call for women to join the war effort. During WWII, whichever country had a scientific and mathematical edge would have the upper hand. Thus, women were asked to compute ballistic tables.

 Grace Hopper wanted to join the navy. However, her age (she was 37) and the fact that she failed the physical was a hindrance. She was assigned to a top-secret project at Harvard in which she would have to interact and write code for the Mark-1 computer engine. At the time, writing code for the Mark-1 meant pushing holes through paper tape. This programming aspect is what particularly interested Harper and she quickly learned how to use the engine efficiently.

 During this time, another secret project was taking place which centered around the Eniac, another much more powerful computer. The Eniac’s computations were handled by a team of 6 women. Compared to the mark-1 that could compute 3 actions per second, the Eniac could compute 5000 per second. The essential contribution of women in regards to this project was unknown to me.

 Grace Hopper was also instrumental in solving John Von Neuman’s partial differential equation problem for the Manhattan project. Essentially, it took them three months to figure out how to make a ball collapse on itself and where to put the force points to do so. This information was used too develop the Atomic Bomb, which was then used to end the war. This progress in science and technology is always conflicting, as it helped end the war but at a very heavy cost (to put it lightly).

 Unfortunately, after the war Hopper found herself discarded. She could no longer teach (due to sexist practices), she was no longer a naval officer, and she was now an expert in a field that did not really exist yet.

Thankfully, Mauchly and Eckert started a computer start up in an attempt to commercialize the computer. Hopper found herself as the head of the software division. Other women from the Eniac team also joined the team. From there they create the Univac-1 which quickly became synonymous with the word “computer”. Furthermore, Hopper advocated for a programming language that would be machine independent, meaning that any computer which attempted to read the code would be able to compute it (regardless of which company developed the computer). Hopper created a compiler that enabled people to write code in plain English and the computer would be able to understand it. The language, COBOL, became extremely popular; it was even sanctioned by the government.

 Even though Hopper has passed away, she lives on through the Grace Hopper Celebration, which is a sort of convention meant to bring women in scientific fields together. It’s a safe place for women in science to feel welcome and realize that they are not alone. It’s also a place of learning where women can speak to other female industry experts about their experience and what to do next. This push to make women feel welcome, but also to make them realize they are not alone within these scientific communities, is very important. Shining a light on the lives of people like Grace Hopper will help in doing that.

[alekseiw-blog]

DANM #12 New Media Trend: EA’s Star Wars Battlefront II is Pay-to-Win

In recent years, it seems that creating games with recurrent consumer spending options is the new million-dollar trend. This has never been clearer than with EA’s new game Star Wars Battlefront II. The controversy surrounding the game begun on June 10th, 2017 when EA reveals Star Wars Battlefront II. During their announcement, they assure us that all future DLC and maps will be free. This is a huge announcement, but I stayed cautiously optimistic. Obviously, EA was going to try a different form of monetization, but what that would be, we could only wait and see. On October 10th, the game ends up going into public beta. During the beta, players discover the presence of loot boxes, a form of slot machines in which a player can acquire various rewards (a player will always acquire something from a loot box). The issue here is that these loot boxes offered cards that would offer temporary boosts to a character. This meant that players could technically spend real money and gain an advantage in the game. Thus, players who put in more money had a statistically better chance at winning. This “pay to win” practice was immediately frowned upon by the gaming community. At this point, it wasn’t clear whether or not players would actually be able to buy these loot boxes will real money. However, on November 9th no one was surprised when it was discovered loot boxes could in fact be purchased with real money. On this date, the game became available to EA Access subscribers (the game’s official release is on November 17). Another Issue found is that special hero characters such as Luke Skywalker were locked behind a virtual currency pay wall. To acquire the currency you can either play the game or have a chance to get them through loot boxes. Unfortunately, these heroes cost a lot of credit and it was discovered it would take about two full days of grinding to unlock these characters. Making the access to these characters so long and tedious made it clear it was meant as an incentive to spend real word money on loot boxes. Players were already distraught that content they had paid for was being locked away; however, having it be an incentive to purchase loot boxes made it worse. The backlash was so extreme that EA reduced the price of the heroes. For a moment, there seemed to be peace within the community. That is until players found out that EA had also brought down the number of rewards given when completing the campaign by 75% (though this is not the only way to earn credits). There was so much backlash that in the end EA decided to temporarily remove the microtransactions from the game. A Wall Street Journal article ascertains that this was due to the fact that Jimmy Pitaro, head of interactive media and consumer products at Disney, voiced his displeasure towards all this controversy.

 The temporary removal of microtransactions was likely a play to increase sales before black Friday and the holidays. I believe they want a more significant player base for which they can sell microtransactions to in the future. Initial sales report suggests the game heavily underperformed, showing the possible impact consumers can have on a product. Furthermore, since this whole controversy, there have been many discussions regarding loot boxes as a form of gambling. The most recent news of this is Hawaii’s State House of Representative Chris Lee is drafting a legislation which would prohibit the selling of games which includes loot boxes from consumers under 21.

 It seems that big publishing companies want more and more for games to become a service. The industry is currently heading in that direction.

 https://kotaku.com/a-guide-to-the-endless-confusing-star-wars-battlefront-1820623069

http://fortune.com/2017/12/08/star-wars-battlefront-ii-sales/

http://fortune.com/2017/12/09/lawmaker-working-to-ban-sale-of-games-with-lootboxes-to-minors/

[alekseiw-blog]

DANM #11 The Shape of Water

The Shape of Water is the latest film by Director Guillermo Del Toro. I had the chance to see the film during an early screening at the Angelika in New York City during the week of the 1st of December. The film released to the whole of the United States, Friday December 8th. The narrative is one of Magical Surrealism, meaning that while the world is grounded in a sense of realism it also incorporates elements of the supernatural or fantastic. The story takes place in 1962 during the Cold War. It’s an interesting year for the narrative to take place as this is the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis. I can’t remember whether or not the story takes place before or after the actual crisis, but considering so little time is spent discussing it, I have to assume it takes place after (or well before); or that in this universe, the Cuban missile crisis never happened.

 The story follows Elisa Esposito, a mute woman who works the night shift at Occam Aerospace Research Center in Baltimore. During one of her working hours she discovers a humanoid sea creature that has been moved to the research center. She witnesses the “asset” be treated poorly during his captivity. One night she attempts to communicate with the asset. They form a bond that will blossom into a more intimate relationship. Ultimately, Elisa helps the creature escape the facility and through an unfortunate turn of events, the asset and Elisa end up living under water together.

 I was excited to go see this film. Pan’s Labyrinth was the only film by Guillermo Del Toro that I had seen before this one and I remember really enjoying it. Moreover, Guillermo had recently held a prominent spot within the game’s industry as the product of his collaboration with famous game designer Hideo Kojima is hotly anticipated.

 Interestingly enough, while the movie does take place during the cold war, it seems more interested in discussing themes of disability, race, and sexual orientation. The last two themes seem pretty timely considering the socio-political state the United States finds itself. In the film, there is a scene in which an African American couple attempt to dine in a restaurant. They are asked to leave as all the seat are “reserved” regardless that there is no one there. In this scene, the racist undertones are clear. While we would like to think that, as a community, we are past such actions, we only have to look to the reactions to Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling to the anthem to see that racism is still very much engrained within our community.

The movie tries to shine a light on the struggles of the disabled. It does so by trying to describe the difficulties they might have assimilating within society. While Elisa is able to communicate with all the people she feels close to, she still feels different from them. She worries that her friends and the rest of society looks at her differently due to her disability. In a moment of great despair and sadness she exclaims that the asset is the only one that is able to look at her without having to consider her disability. Her attachment to the creature most likely stemmed from this dynamic. I think its great that more representation is featured in the film and that there is an attempt at actually teaching the audience about difficulties other communities face.

 Another interesting point regarding the film was the use of color. For the most part, the color green is heavily featured. The research facility is green, a lot of the outfits are green, and the asset is also green. The color green is clearly meant to be associated to the research facility and its environments. This goes as far as having the jell-o in an ad turn from red to green. After Elisa enters a sexual relationship with the asset, her attire changes from green to red, which are the opposite colors. Furthermore, I wondered if the cold war setting had anything to do with the color choice. USSR is commonly associated with the color red. Thus, it would make sense that the US would be portrayed using the opposite color, green.

 Ultimately, I thought the film was good. It kept my attention the whole way through. I thought the characters were well written and the soundtrack was fantastic. I had certain reservations regarding the ending. *Spoilers for The Shape of Water* The fact that both Elisa and the asset are killed and then subsequently brought back to life felt a bit cheap. Moreover, I expected more pushback when Elisa’s friends discovered she had a sexual relationship with a sea creature. However, those complaints are minor when considering the overall quality of the film.

[alekseiw-blog]

DANM #10 YouTube Studios

YouTube Studios New York is located in the Chelsea Market Building, above the actual YouTube offices. The space itself is around 20,000 square foot and opened its doors to creators November 6th 2014. It’s the fourth studio YouTube has created after the ones in London, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. This version of the space is the first to include BrandLab, which enables brands to have their own space to mingle and do business.

 With our Digital Art and New Media class, we got the opportunity to tour the place. YouTube studios is definitely an interesting idea; however, I wonder how successful it is in actually helping creators develop better content. The space itself is a mix of tight corridors leading to larger sets and production; It’s hard to navigate. They do try and be economical with their space by having spaces double as meeting rooms and sets. One that we saw was a diner replica used for shooting and meetings.

Within the space you can also access editing and production rooms, which I can see as being very helpful for content creators on a limited budget. They also offer classes, in which industry professionals can review and offer solutions to problems creators are facing. Hands down, this is the most important resource offered within the space.

 The caveat that comes with all these resources is that you need to have a certain amount of subscribers to access them. You need to have at 10,000 subscribers to start getting the most of the space’s resources. This seems understandable. Ultimately, YouTube is a business; they want to give resources to those they think can make them money. I would hope in the future YouTube would make an effort to help the really small content creators find their voice and understand how this industry works. Catering to those who have already found success can make the community feel someone elitist even if the system is based on a meritocracy. Moreover, the fact that the Studios are located only in major cities easily excludes a large part of their community (but makes sense from a business perspective). Finally, before this tour I had never actually heard of these Studios. I wonder if info regarding these studios is more accessible for the content creators. YouTube shouldn’t have to be secretive about the access to these resources.

 At the end of our tour, we had a chance to try various new tech in the world of VR/AR. A lot of the stuff we tried was cool. The one I was particularly impressed by was a motion tracker device which would translate the player’s hand movements into actions in the game. The tracking was done using a webcam. It was surprisingly good at keeping up with the player’s movement and distinguishing the various joints in the player’s hands.

We also had the chance to use the HTC VIVE for Google Earth and SketchUp. There was also a facial tracking app that would translate facial movements through to a digital avatar. There was also a hologram machine, though I did not have a chance to look at that.

 While all this stuff was very cool, its relevance to YouTube and content creation was sort of lost on me. Obviously, Google had made attempts to jump into VR with their google cardboard. However, it seemed that the purpose of having access to all this VR tech would be to increase the exposure of VR. I wonder if attempting to do this in a space reserved for content creators, and not the general public, is the best way of increasing the exposure of VR. I would be more interested in seeing how Google and YouTube intend to use this technology to reconsider or reinvent the creation, production, and consumption of their content.

[alekseiw-blog]

DANM #9 New Media Trend: Echoes of Vietnam

When the first trailer for Justice League was released, it was accompanied by a cover of Come Together originally written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and performed by the Beatles. This cover was performed by Gary Clark Jr, a Texas Guitarist known for blending blues, contemporary soul, and hip hop. His rendition of the song is heavy, treble focused, and powerful. The trailer itself was cut well to the song. This led me to go on a Gary Clark Jr binge. As I sifted through his music, I stumbled upon a New Yorker article which described the cover of Ohio by Gary Clark Jr, Jon Baptiste, and Leon Bridges. The original song was written by Neil Young and was performed by Crosby, Still, Nash, and Young. I found out that the cover was part of a larger Spotify playlist called Echoes of Vietnam.

 Echoes of Vietnam is a playlist curated by Spotify in association with Bank of America and the PBS documentary by the same name. The objective of the playlist was to bring in contemporary artists to perform and adapt iconic songs from the Vietnam era. Artist such as The Lumineers, John Legend, and Brett Young, to name a few, are featured. The original songs are also featured in the playlist, which offers a nice contrast and showcases the roots of the music.

Young’s song Ohio is an important one. It decries the violence that occurred at Kent State University when the National Guard opened fire on students who were protesting the war in Vietnam. The song also criticizes the Nixon administration among other things. The song itself was quite powerful. It’s rock and roll sound helped reinforce the anger and stupefaction felt in response to the events. The fade out and outro of the song are also quite powerful as the question “How many more?” rings into eternity.

 The Gary Clark Jr, Jon Baptiste, and Leon Bridges cover might even be better than the original. The lyrics themselves are the same but the melody and music have shifted. The trio focus mostly on the harmonies along with a piano, slide, and acoustic guitar accompaniment. Their vocals convey the aching, sorrow, and hurt felt as they mourn the dead. While the song is still in reference to the killings in Kent State University, the song manages to evoke the current political climate and social divide felt in our society today. For these three African American artists to come together and perform sends a powerful message.

 This bridging of TV and Music, but also of past and present manages to reveal facets of our society we sometimes try to ignore. It also showcases the power of good music and the social impacts it can have on our community.

 https://www.newyorker.com/culture/listening-booth/an-anguished-cover-of-neil-youngs-ohio-by-jon-batiste-leon-bridges-and-gary-clark-jr

[alekseiw-blog]

DANM #9 Blade Runner 2049

Blade Runner is such an important film for me. Not only did it influence my taste and expectations in science fiction, but it also had an immense impact on my studies. The questions that blade runner asks of its viewers stuck with me throughout the years and I know that my answers to them have evolved and shifted.

Blade Runner was concerned with questions regarding the human condition. What did it mean to be human? If something that was obviously not human in an organic sense, but shared all the same traits as a human, could this something thus be considered human? If you cannot tell the difference between a human and a robot, is the robot really that different from the human? All those questions revolved around the protagonist of the film Deckard. Deckard is a blade runner, a sort police officer tasked with “retiring” replicants, which are bio engineered beings. By the end of the film, Deckard’s identity is put into question. Is he in fact a human? Or is he a replicant? No answers are explicitly giving by the film. Ultimately, the questions itself offers a sort of answer. If we were so convinced that Deckard was a human, then we should consider him as such, regardless of his origins. I believe this is the conclusion we were meant to get from this ambiguity.

 Blade Runner 2049 is directed by Dennis Villeneuve and was released in theatres on October 6th, 2017. The story follows agent K, a replicant, as he attempts to uncover the mystery surrounding the birth of a child from replicant parents. As his investigations progresses, he discovers that he might play a bigger role in this mystery than he anticipated. Blade Runner 2049 is very good film and like its predecessor, it poses some rather philosophical questions. What I appreciated is that it actually attempted to ask new questions that expanded and developed from the ones in the first film. Compared to something like Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, this movie did not solely rely on the charm and nostalgia of the movies that came before but actually attempted to ask new and bold questions. This time around, questions of identity and kinship were the focus of the film. It also explored relationships between artificial intelligences and the working conditions of children in sweatshops.

What is interesting is that, with the first film, the questions asked were directly tied to the character of Deckard. If he was to be considered human or not was up to the viewer. With 2049, these questions are not tied to specific characters, but are rather more general and philosophical. They demand to be considered outside the context of the film. In a way, I think it’s harder for viewers to be attached to such questions when we have to remove it from the fictional context of the film. I wonder how this will affect the movies reception in the long term…

 2049 also goes further in exploring the concept of prosthetic memory which we have discussed previously. Interestingly enough, I think this film shows the negative impacts prosthetic memory can have on someone. Previously, we had listened to a podcast that, I’m paraphrasing, stated the origin of a memory did not matter when judging a person’s actions. However, I felt that leaving the idea of prosthetic memory at that was ignoring the harmful effects prosthetic memory could have. I conjectured that by controlling one’s memories, we could control one’s actions. This is what happens in 2049. *Spoilers for 2049* For the better part of the film, Officer K is led to believe he is the child that was born from two replicant parents. What we find out at the end is that he was in fact wrong. His childhood memories were in fact prosthetic. All his actions were based on his assumption that his memories were his (rather than real). We can see how important and intertwined one’s actions and memories are. The ability to manipulate them, could truly harm someone for the worst.

 2049 does allude to question from the first film. In a scene where Officer K first meets Deckard, K asks if Deckard’s dog is real. Deckard answers something along the lines of “does it matter?”. I think this was meant to evoke the “is Deckard a replicant debate” from the first film. If it looks and acts so much like a dog, shouldn’t we just consider it as such.

 Ultimately, I thought that 2049 was a really good film. I would describe the narrative as somewhat of a slow burn, but still very enjoyable. The visuals were spectacular, not only when considering the special effects, but also with shot composition and use of color (within the scenery as well). Considering this is a sequel to a cult classic that came out in 1982, this film manages to overcome its highest hurdle as it can be enjoyed and appreciated on its own.

[alekseiw-blog]

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock - Too Little Too Late

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is the sixth installment in the Guitar Hero franchise. It is also the last main entry in the Guitar Hero series to be released before the franchise was rebooted in late 2015 with Guitar Hero Live. Warriors of Rock was once again published by Activision and developed by NeverSoft. The game was released in September 2010 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii (for which Vicarious Visions handled the port). With the disappointing sales of Guitar Hero 5, it was clear to the development team that changes needed to be made to the gameplay if they wanted to entice players once again. NeverSoft attempted to return to what made the previous Guitar Hero games great while also trying to implement new mechanics into the now stale formula. Unfortunately, it seemed the damage had already been done. Regardless of how different this game was from its predecessors, it ended up being financially underwhelming (selling only 100,000 copies in its first month compared to the 499,000 Guitar Hero 5 sold in its opening month). It seems the Guitar Hero community was no longer interested in these games; and for a while, the series ended there.

 As mentioned above, NeverSoft wanted to recapture the success of the earlier games, while also introducing new mechanics. They did so by putting emphasis on the setlist featured in the game during development. With the advent of band play, the Guitar Hero games had to find songs that would be entertain for all members of the “band”. This meant songs needed to include guitar, bass, drum, and vocal sections (though that was not always the case). Because of this, song choice was sometimes limited. Furthermore, in an attempt to broaden the player base, more recent Guitar Hero games played around with the idea of including many different music genres. This attempt to accommodate for everyone’s taste in music only pushed more fans and players away. With Warriors of Rock, NeverSoft focused more on a Rock & Roll / Heavy Metal set list. Consequently, this meant the focus would be more on the lead and rhythm guitar (rather than on band play). Considering Guitar Hero’s history and roots, this seemed like a step in the right direction to bring back the fans.

 The other aspect that separates Warriors of Rock from previous peripheral based rhythm games was the inclusion of “Quest Mode”. Of course, the Guitar Hero games have always included some form of “career mode” in which players go through sets, unlocking new songs. Usually with this franchise there is also some mystical aspect to the career mode. Most likely in an attempt to resemble Rock Band, recent Guitar Hero games had the career mode focus on band play and the player’s performance as a band. Warriors of Rock decided to get rid of all that and focus on a more arcade like style of gameplay. The closest comparison that could be made are boss fights in Guitar Hero III. As players would get through sets, they would unlock new characters with special abilities. Characters would have two forms, each with varying abilities. These abilities would affect the gameplay. For instance, Austin Tejas’ power, “Star Power Amplifier”, would enable the player’s power gauge to be filled by 50%, rather than 25%, upon successful completion of a star power sequence. With enough Power Stars, Tejas would transform into his warrior form, the headless horseman. Thus, by successfully completing the star power sequence, the player’s power gauge would be filled to 100% instantly. The game included eight different character all with their various gameplay altering powers. I felt like this change managed to set Guitar Hero apart from its competitors as it finally was doing its own thing. This change was clearly to focus on the guitar play, making it feel like the old guitar hero experiences.

 Warriors of Rock was a return to form for Guitar Hero. NeverSoft really tried to cater to its core fan base by getting the most interesting and fun songs to play on the guitar while also providing new and fun mechanics to play around with. Unfortunately, it was too little too late for most. The oversaturation of the market, and the sting of the previous game’s left many dissatisfied with the series as a whole. No one gave this comeback worthy game the chance it deserved. Having played so many guitar hero and rock band games in sequence over a short period of time, Warriors of Rock was a breath of fresh air while also being nostalgic. It could have been great, but ended up being the final nail in the coffin, leaving the franchise dormant for half a decade.

[alekseiw-blog]

Guitar Hero Live - The Failed Comeback

I think there is still a lot to say about Guitar Hero Live. While studying most of the games in the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchise, one comment that I often make about their new entries is that very little is done to update, innovate, or rethink their core mechanics. We can attribute this to the “don’t fix what ain’t broke” type of reasoning. To a certain extent, I agree. These gameplay mechanics established by Harmonix in the first Guitar Hero game were a perfect fit for the genre. It’s undeniable that the games were fun to play. However, an oversaturation in the market made consumers uninterested in what was currently on offer, regardless of how good the mechanics were. As we have established last week, Activision and developer FreeStyle Games decided that it was finally time to completely rethink the peripheral based rhythm genre. While their attempt to update the genre is commendable, it ultimately seems to have missed the mark.

 The biggest and most unexpected change is with the guitar. Rather than having the classic five button layout spread out one by one across the upper neck of the guitar, this time we have a six button guitar. While it was already hard to have to use your pinky to hit the fourth and fifth button on the original guitar, adding a six button would have just complicated and hardened things more. However, the button layout changed as well for this new controller. The six buttons are located on a grid with 2 columns and three rows at the top of the neck of the guitar. This specific layout also means that there are changes in terms how the notes fall from the top of the screen and which button you have to press to hit them. This time around, you are only keeping track of 3 notes falling from the top of the screen. However, these notes can either be black or white. The location of the note on the screen determines which row on the guitar the button is located, while the color of the note determines the column. This change is interesting as it emulates the feel of playing a chord on a guitar more accurately while “simplifying” the hitting of regular notes. On the other hand, I don’t know if the switch is more fun to play. In a way I find it more complicated than the previous game. While the difficulty of previous games were testing the player’s dexterity, I feel like this game is testing your mental ability and multitasking skills. It’s so easy to confuse a black note for a white one, especially if you have been playing black notes in sequence. Where I often felt in flow with the previous games as I was letting my fingers do the work while my conscious was enjoying the song; Here I often find myself having to focus so intently and tell/convince myself to switch the notes I am playing. Ultimately, that means I am focusing more on the game’s rules rather than on the experience itself. Thus, the game differentiates itself considerably from previous entries and can be very difficult at times. Though, I often don’t get much enjoyment out of this process. Of course, this might mean that I need more practice, but I don’t remember having similar feelings when learning to play the original guitar hero and rock band games.

 Another very noticeable change is the setting in which the game takes place in. Gone is the often whacky story in which you, a rock legend, must defeat the devil. In Guitar Hero Live, you play as the lead guitarist for different indie bands during a music festival. You play various sets in different locations of the festivals at different times of day. The thing is, the game uses full motion video to present this world. To be completely honest, this might be my most liked and disliked part of the game. The full motion video helps the player feel involved in the world as it seems that they are playing in front of a huge crowd of people with actual bandmates. The actors for these scenes also do a good job of selling the experience. It’s clear that all of the band members are having a good time playing along on stage and are not phoning it in. I really appreciated it that. Thus, when you are playing well, you feel like a rock star. However, when you are not things can get ugly. Firstly, because this is full motion video, the transition from “good” to “bad” is far from seamless. If the player’s performance slips, the screen will blur out. This is used to transition to the bad performance video. It’s quite jarring and distracting. The other problem that I have with the full motion video is that, in a sense, it is too real. This comes to play when you are failing a song. Seeing everyone in the crowd booing you and your bandmates clearly blaming you for the substandard performance can really hurts one’s confidence. The fact that we are looking at real people judging us makes the “safe place” described by Juul in The Art of Play completely disappear. We are no longer safe from the effects of our failure. So much so that I played through the whole festival in a difficulty I was too comfortable with just to make sure I would not lose. I never tried playing on a harder difficulty, or returned to this mode when I was done. Finally, another complaint I had with the way in which this mode was presented was that none of the songs were covers, and from my understanding they weren’t live versions either. For a game that calls itself “Live” and spends the time to create fictional bands, it’s a shame that they did not want to record new versions for the bands, or at least use live ones. Of course, this was likely done so that people play the songs they know. However, hearing those songs not come from the original bands is strange and illusion breaking.

 The last mode of the game is GHTV which we briefly touched upon last week. I simply want to touch on the presentation of this mode as we have already talked about microtransactions and gameplay. Rather than having full motion video or computer animated characters the game simply displays the music video for that song. While I think it would have been impossible to animate or film for the 400 or so songs they included in this mode, I feel like just showing the video steps away from what made the games so good. The point was to feel like you were playing these songs on stage in front of an audience. Seeing the video breaks the magic circle and the new performative space created by the player and the game. It simply reminds the player that they are not the band and they won’t be by playing the game. We can no longer make the assumption that the success of a rhythm game is based on the number of songs you can play in it. With the most songs available after initial purchase in any guitar hero or rock band game, Live finds itself close to the bottom of my ranking.

[alekseiw-blog]

Guitar Hero Live - Fee to Pay

Guitar Hero Live was supposed to bring back the peripheral based rhythm genre back from the grave. The game attempted to innovate on almost every aspect of its design including its controller. Thus, there is a lot to talk about with this game. I am thinking of dividing this into two parts. One part to talk about the online and monetization; and the other discussing the new gameplay features of the game. 

The game was developed by FreeStyleGames and published once again by Activision. This is the first time since Guitar Hero III that a new developer has taken the reins for this franchise. This most likely indicated a change in vision and an attempt to adapt the game for a modern audience. The game released the 20th of October 2015 for all major consoles which included PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Wii U. 

The game is divided into two sections, GH Live and GH TV. This week I would like to focus on GH TV, specifically its use of new monetization techniques. We will look at the gameplay and implementation of both modes next week as there is a lot to unpack. 

But before we get into that, I have been reading Play Money by Julian Dibbell. In this book Dibbell describes his experience with online currencies. He explains that in Mass Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) virtual economies in which players could buy, sell, and trade items were implemented. The process of acquiring items and selling them to make money was directly tied to your involvement in the game. The higher the level you were, the more challenging quests you could take on, and the better the loot. However, progressing in the game takes time and can also involve performing many menial tasks. This is often referred to as grinding. This meant that time could also be considered a currency. Time could thus be exploited for personal gain. Say someone did not want to grind through the game to level up or get a certain item, they could simply buy what they needed from someone else. What is interesting is that these transactions often involved real money, especially when it revolved around acquiring other people’s accounts. Virtual currency and objects now had a value outside of the fictional world. Something that did not exist could be sold for real currencies. The MMO design managed to create economies which impacted the real world. Interestingly, this empowered the players more than the designers as it enabled them to use their efforts in the game to make money in the real world. There was a need to alleviate the grind and players took advantage of that. Of course, this was deemed a somewhat shady practice from both the designers and players’ perspective. However, this type of interaction created the blueprint for monetization in modern AAA games. A similar type of service is offered in GH Live. Instead of this transaction happening between the players it happens between the player and developer. 

In GH TV, players have access to what we will call “radio stations”. Players can pick between two of those radio stations. The stations play random songs appropriate to whatever theme it is currently on. The theme changes every half hour. These radio stations play a lot of various songs; however, the player has no say in which song is being played. Just like the radio, they can only listen/play what is currently on. The trade off for having a huge playlist (494 songs) is that they can’t pick which song to play. After playing a song, based on their performance and level, the player acquires a certain amount of credit. The credits can be used to purchase a certain amount of “plays”. By using a play, the player can choose any song from the GH TV set list to play once. Once the song is over, the play is gone. However, you can use real life money to buy “Hero Cash”, that then can be used to buy plays. Twenty US dollars will get you 6900 Hero Cash. 100 plays costs 4500 hero cash which is roughly thirteen US dollars (you can buy less hero cash for smaller dollar amounts, but this is technically the “best value” deal). I think it’s interesting that the game does not directly let you buy plays. I think it’s interesting they don’t sell you exactly 4500 hero cash. You either buy too much or too little hero cash, meaning there will always be some cash left over after your purchase (which is money that goes directly in Activision’s pocket). Seems pretty sleazy. Of course, with 60,000 in game credits you can purchase the 100 plays. For reference, I have played the game for multiple hours and I am still not close to purchasing 100 plays.

This situation is very similar to the MMO economy. The grinding is the playing of songs. The player can grind and purchase plays. If they don’t want to go through that they can just pay real money and avoid the “progression” of the game. This whole practice, in this context, seems sort of strange. It’s almost as if GH TV was specifically designed with the intent of having the player skip it. It is supposed to be unaccommodating to the player, in an attempt to force them to purchase microtransactions.

 Next week we will focus on the new gameplay mechanics of Live.

[alekseiw-blog]

Guitar Hero 5 & Rock Band 3 - The End of an Era

I finally had a chance to play both Rock Band 3 and Guitar Hero 5. Once again, I would like to talk about both these games in tandem since they follow similar design principles and were released around the same time.

To be completely honest, coming into this independent study I had only played Guitar Hero III. However, I did play countless hours of the game and grew very fond of it. Whenever I go back home for the winter, I always power up my Wii to play a few songs. This is the game that got me into rhythm games and will always hold a special place in my heart. Because of this, I associated the guitar hero franchise as being one of quality. More importantly, I defended the franchise as being better than rock band, even though I had never played a rock band game and was only familiar with Guitar Hero III.

At the time writing, I have played many guitar hero and rock band games including GH, GH II, GH III, GH World Tour, GH 5, GH Live, RB, RB 2, RB 3, The Beatles RB, Lego RB, DJ Hero, and DJ Hero 2. Looking back at my time with all these games I still find Guitar Hero III to be my favorite. Its unfortunate Harmonix did not have the chance to keep working on the franchise. They had paved the way for the peripheral based rhythm game genre. Never soft and GH III owe a lot to them. Guitar Hero III is where the franchise peaked, and it was unfortunately all downhill from that point on. It seemed GH was satisfied reusing the same old formula for their next entries in the franchise. When new mechanics were implemented, it was clear they were heavily inspired by their competitor’s design decisions. Furthermore, Guitar Hero’s focus on the implementation of “Rock Star” playable characters ended up losing its charm especially compared to the ability to create your own band in Rock Band (a similar feature was implemented in Guitar Hero later in the series history). Ultimately, the Guitar Hero franchise expected demand for the game to stay the same while minimum effort was put into new mechanics and design. To be blunt, the series’ formulae overstayed its welcome and got boring fairly quickly. Rock Band on the other, continuously tried to improve upon the feel of the game, even if the core mechanics stayed pretty much unchanged. Before its reboot its 2015, the Rock Band series ended on a high note with the best game in the franchise and in the peripheral based rhythm game genre, Rock Band 3.

 I want to briefly talk some of the changes I noticed in Guitar Hero 5. The main one being the lack of a campaign. In previous games, there was always some sort of bare bones narrative revolving around a small and unknown band becoming rock legends. Later games also had some more extravagant story beats which involved you fighting the devil. But this time around there was none of that. You simply played setlists, completed challenges, and unlocked various locations. While similar to the Rock Band formulae, its execution was not perfect. Ultimately, it felt as if the band played no role in the game. The progression was associated to the unlocking of songs and not the popularity of your band. Overall the characters felt disposable and uninteresting (even if you created your own).

 Compare this to Rock Band 3 where the whole experience was focused on the band. During every moment you are in the game, you can see your band performing various activities. While in menus or in loading screens, you see your band walking down the street, in subway cars, or setting up for a gig. Of course, you also see them when playing songs. As you play through the game, you see your band evolve. Your rise in popularity is constantly visible. This helps make the player’s experience feel so much more engaging as they are constantly present within the band during every possible activity.

Furthermore, every mode you play is now tied to your band. In previous games, when you were in quickplay, your band’s progression was halted. Now, since the game focuses more on challenges than an explicit narrative, any mode you play gives you the opportunity to play as your band and complete the various tasks. I was surprised to see me gain more fans after I decided to play a few songs on quickplay.

 The set lists for both games are quite good. Of course, we run into the same problem as the previous games in both franchises where there are some songs that are just more fun to play than others. Thankfully both games offer the opportunity to increase the speed of the game, offering some more difficulty without having to bump it up to expert.

I have tried playing both games on expert, however it is just not fun. In Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book Flow, he talks about entering a state of flow when the difficulty of an activity being performed matches up with the skill level of the player. I believe that hard difficulty with an increased speed is the difficulty that matches my skill and leads to a state of flow. I have attempted playing on expert but I have found that, especially for Guitar Hero, the games have embraced the idea of making the game hard for the sake of being hard, rather than for it to be fun. Of course, maybe I would think differently if I was actually able to play well on expert and thus able to achieve a state of flow. However even when I spoke to those who can play on that difficulty, they often say the button combinations and chord progressions are simply not fun to play as they are too complicated.

 Flow as discussed by Csikszentmihalyi is an important part of both the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. By focusing so intently on the game we are able to bring order to our conscious. We simply focus on the notes falling and pressing the buttons in time. As mentioned before, an activity enables flow when the difficulty of the activity matches up with the person’s skill. A song that is too easy is dull and one that is too hard is frustrating. However, it is impossible for GH or RB to constantly provides flow through their songs, as a lot of it relies on the player as well. For me the most exciting parts of the games is hitting various sets of notes in quick succession while going up and down the fret. Hitting hammer ons, and going from the green to orange button is exhilarating especially when it is successfully pulled off. The dull and frustrating moments for me are hitting multiple buttons at the same time to form chords. This is my experience, and is most likely not the same for all players. Something that I found interesting regarding a point Csikszentmihalyi made was that flow here is dependent on an external device (the game). Even though there is skill involved in playing, the game can only offer so much flow. Csikszentmihalyi explains that there is a certain amount of untapped experience in the actions we are performing that could lead to more flow. We need to move on from becoming dependent on the game, and produce our own experiences of flow. Based on what Csikszentmihalyi has to say, it seems the next step for us would be to actually play guitar. By independently developing this skill we would be able to access balance within our conscious and flow at a much larger scale. Learning how to play guitar is something we will get to soon.

 We have reached the end of the Rock Band Series and are at the last Guitar Hero game before both franchises were rebooted in 2015.

[alekseiw-blog]

DANM #7 High Line & Chelsea Galleries

The High Line

A few weeks ago, the DANM class decided to walk the highline on our way to the Chelsea galleries. After seeing the galleries, I decided to walk back on the highline to take a second look at the sculptures and see if there was anything that I had missed.

On my way back, I found a sculpture by Jumana Mann by the name of MUTATIONS Amulet II. The sculpture itself caught me by surprise. It seemed almost hidden behind the nature and trees of the highline. It didn’t call much attention to itself. On closer inspection, it seemed almost in harmony with its surroundings. 

It’s hard for me to really tell what is going on with this sculpture. There is a set of five white tubes. Each tube has its own individual characteristics ranging in size and in shape. Some of the tubes have holes in them, or are open up at the tip. Each of the tube are smooth and seem to have some finish applied to them as to reflect light, though they usually stay in the shadows due to the plants and trees surrounding them. 

At this point, I believe this statue is meant to represent a hand, even if slightly deformed. It as if it is connecting with nature. It’s an interaction that seems to be disappearing in this concrete jungle of a city. At the very least, I believe it emphasizes the importance of nature, and our obligation to make it a present part of our society. This deformed hand is almost a plea to take better care of this earth we continually pollute. It’s a sorrow message in one of the most beautiful parts of Manhattan.

 The Chelsea Galleries 

After our walk on the High Line, we visited the Chelsea galleries. To be completely honest I felt rather uncomfortable during the visits. I don’t know whether this feeling was merited but it was there nonetheless. I think it was hard for those working at the galleries to take us seriously, and I can understand that. A group of 20 somethings walk into the gallery, with clearly no intention of buying anything, can feel somewhat overwhelming and disappointing. To me, it was clear they were making those feelings known. Of course, if we had been prospective buyers I am sure things would have been different. But the thing is, while I couldn’t afford anything, I was interested in what they had to show. The art world is something that fascinates me, and in the future, I would like to collect art (if I can afford it). This was the first time I was interacting with that world (outside of museums) and my initial thoughts were not really positive.

In the first gallery we saw, there were several works by the artist Logan Hicks that I thought were quite beautiful. Though some varied in size, they all were a depiction of the city. The works were layered stencils, that were hand sprayed on paper. The works focused its color palette on a beautiful dark blue hue that I often see contouring building as the sun rises in the mornings. Thinking I would remember the name of the artist, I left without taking a picture. Of course, less than 5 minutes later, the name escaped me. I decided to return to the gallery to take a photo. Upon my return however, the door to the room in which one of the paintings was located was closed. Politely, I asked one of the women working why that was. I remember her giving me a look as if I was of no use to her but also that I didn’t belong. Yes of course, I wasn’t going to buy anything, but I don’t think that was a reason to shut me out of this community. I thanked her for telling me that the doors were closed because I client was considering buying a work. I went upstairs knowing there was one of Hick’s work there as well. Next to it was another lady also working at the gallery. This time the interaction was much more pleasant. We actually talked about the work for a few minutes. She explained to me aspects of the artist’s process. I was fascinated by what she had to say. I even learned that all the people represented in the work are people Hick’s knows including family members. I thanked her for taking the time and moved on to the next gallery.

 There were works of photography that I also thought were quite sublime. One that comes to mind is Mario De La Isla’s collection of Minimalist Landscape.  Obviously, there were multiple photographs, but my favorite has to be this barely visible landscape in which birds seem to be flying and sitting just over. The relationship between the birds and the space gives us information regarding what is being showed. I believe what we are seeing is a transition between water and sky. But the color shift is so subtle that it almost seems like there is no switch. Moreover, the color palette is this fine gradient of beige, often not associated with the sky or water.

I came to the conclusion to the conclusion that this was water mostly because there seems to be a reflection below the birds. It is possible it could be their shadows, but what could emulate the color of the sky so perfectly if not water.

The minimalism and simplicity of this work elevates its beauty. I cannot get over the subtlety of the shift. But maybe this is just my interpretation of the photo. I could be wrong. I think this mystery also adds to the value of the work.

There was a collection of photos similar to this one, all focusing on landscape and the beauty of the color they cast.

 Finally, one of the last works I saw on this visit to the Chelsea Galleries was a work of acrylic on Aluminum by Bennett Vadnal by the name of Stone House. Interestingly enough this was one of the few works I had seen that day with the price listed for the public to see. Obviously, I knew how much this work was now worth, but it also gave me a ballpark of what to expect in terms of pricing at other galleries. The work itself presented of a small American rural town. We could see the street, powerlines, and a house. It is very simple, but there is something I find extremely charming about it. It appears very characteristic of America. It is also very serene and peaceful, while also displaying solitude and loneliness. The lighting shines mostly on the house but also the end of the road, giving off a more optimistic feel.

 Ultimately, I really enjoyed discovering new works of art at the Chelsea Galleries.

[alekseiw-blog]

DANM #6 Memories, Podcasts, and Fences

What’s So Bad About Being a Replicant Podcast:

This week I listened to a short podcast discussing the origin of memory and its importance in regard to a person’s identity. The discussion focused mostly on the presence of “prosthetic memory” in works of fiction such as Blade Runner. Two speakers were involved, the host, Brooke Gladstone, and a guest, Alison Landsberg.

The key question that is discussed during the podcast is: how important is the origin of a person’s memories? When discussing prosthetic memory, what we are talking about is a type of memory that is implanted in a person. It is not actually a memory that a person lived through, but they are led to believe that they have. Considering that these memories are not real, what does that mean for the person’s identity?

In a sense, I believe that the origin of a memory means very little to a person’s identity. As both speakers explain, it is our actions that define our identity. Of course, our memories can affect our actions, but as beings with a conscious, we are always the one who can decide how to act upon these memories or actions. Interestingly, I don’t think it would be wrong to believe that all our memories our prosthetic in a way. I don’t think it is impossible to objectively remember events that have occurred in our lives. We usually tend to embellish our achievement, and worsen our failures. Our emotions and feelings affect the way we remember our lives. Thus, no memories can remain fully unaltered or even remembered.

During the podcast, Alison Landsberg states something along the lines of: ‘A man is defined by his actions, but whether those actions are based on actual or prosthetic memories doesn’t matter’ and later ‘What is more important is the use of memories rather than if they are real’ (I am paraphrasing both these quotes). I was thinking about this and even as I am writing this, my opinion always changes. I established that our memories can and will affect our actions. We are bound by our memories and because they hold such power over us and our actions, there is comfort in knowing we are completely ourselves; that we are not manipulated by some third party. That because our memories are our own, our actions are our own. The origin of our memories is important because, in the instance of its implementation, it can reshape our identity. If in our real life, we had been a good person, but then all those memories are erased and replaced with those of a bad person, how can we not expect our identity not to change. And even if we have the power of decision, our actions are continuously affected by our memories.

It seems like the last two paragraphs I wrote contradict each other. I believe that to be true. I think discussing memories and identity is especially complicated as there are many facets to the conversation. I believe it to be true that our actions are what defines our identity. But often times, our actions are defined by our memories. Whether the memories are real or not has little bearing on one’s identity. But by focusing on this point in, especially in relation to replicants (or beings that did not have memories to begin with) it somewhat ignores the ethical question of implanting and altering memories as discussed in my last paragraph. A memory, whether it be real or not, will affect someone’s actions with the same amount of power.

There are other works of fiction that I believe deal with this idea of prosthetic memory well such as, Shutter Island, Prey (2016), and Silent Hill 2. 

Charlie Rose Podcast Roundtable 

Charlies Rose and his guests, Alex Bloomberg, Andy Bowers, Jad Abumrad, and Paula Szuchamn, all sat around a roundtable to discuss the podcasts medium and its relevance within modern society. To preface this, I barely listen to podcasts. The few I do listen to are the Easy Allies podcast and Frame Trap which both are produced by EasyAllies. I think the reason why I gravitate towards both these podcasts and have a hard time getting into others is for reasons the panel actually get to. 

Podcast have risen in popularity due to its new-found accessibility. Its presence on mobile devices has enabled a whole new category of people to access to this content. As the panel suggests, listening to podcasts is something that can also easily be done. You can do it while you are commuting, eating, resting etc. There are so many opportunities for someone to listen to a podcast. As one guests suggests, it is one of the rare things you can do on your phone without actually having to look at your phone. However, another thing you can do on your phone without looking at it is listening to music. That is an activity I partake in a lot. Similar to a podcast, it helps me fill a lot of down time. I listen to music when going to school, in between classes, while eating, if I need a break, and even in the shower. Music is a big part of life and I wouldn’t give it up easily. During the talk, Rose asks if podcasts have taken away from other forms of media (specifically in regards to the audience). All panelists agree that it hasn’t; that podcasts are on a separate wave length. But I disagree, for me listening to a podcast means I am not listening to music. The time I would dedicate to a podcast would be the same time I dedicate to music. 

The two podcasts that I listen to are directly related to video games and the video game industry, my current field of work. In one of the podcast, the panel discusses current events within the industry and give their opinions on it. In the second (and much more informal one), they discuss the games they’ve played and whether or not they enjoyed them. Another reason I listen to those podcasts is because I really like the people hosting them. I want to hear their opinions. Charlie Rose and his guests are absolutely right when they state that podcasts feel intimate and they let listeners feel close to the hosts, as if they are friends. 

I can understand why podcasts are so successful. As we have said, they are intimate, and it gives a feeling of companionship. Podcasts don’t necessarily have to be the news or current events. They can also be used to tell stories, which is another way to attract new audiences. Good characters and intrigue are proven components to get people hooked on your narrative. This is why true crime podcasts like Serial have seen such success. 

I can’t deny the popularity of the podcasts medium. In fact I am glad it is so popular. If it brings distraction and enjoyment to millions of people, that is a good thing. And I can respect the time, effort, and skill put into developing and producing a good podcast. It’s just something I am not really into.

 Good Fences Make Good Neighbors 

I remember seeing Ai Weiwei’s arch being built for the public exhibition Good Fences Make Good Neighbors. At the time, I remember not thinking much of it. I just assumed they were working on something for an event or holiday (similar to the tree they set up around the time of Christmas). It was only once I was told about it during DANM that I realized its significance. Still to this day, I wonder if I would have ever realized on my own that the arch was part of an art exhibition create d by Ai Weiwei. Recently, during my subway commutes I saw ads for the exhibition in the subway cars. When seeing them now, I know what they are advertising, but again, I wonder if I would have been able to make the connection. 

A few days ago, some friends and I were walking by washing square park. It had been a while since they had been in this area. Consequently, they had not seen the Ai Weiwei arch yet. Upon seeing it, they were quite surprised and intrigued. Like someone had done for me before, I let them know that this was a part of a larger public exhibition created by Ai Weiwei. To my knowledge, it is interesting that there is no information regarding the exhibit next to the exhibition pieces. Without the prior knowledge, it becomes impossible to know what this installation is a part of. In a sense, this gives the viewer the freedom to create their own narrative surrounding the work. Something else I have been thinking about is the concept of sharing and its relevance within this piece. I wonder if the lack of contextualization of the work was to enable a sharing of information between the viewers. That communication would happen between viewers. We would explain and learn the significance of the work from each other. This could bring attention to the importance of communication and freedom of speech. 

Ai Weiwei’s arch is quite a stunning piece of design. The use of orthogonal bars creates this very ordered environment. But of course, it is also very reminiscent of a fence or even prison. It’s location under the actual arch of Washington Square Park also makes it seem it is meant to block our entry. The somewhat randomly cut and disorganized tube that pierces through the middle of the Weiwei arch symbolizes a manmade tunnel. It’s an escape route that breaks through the bars. As we walk through, we see our distorted image, unclear as to what the other side holds for us. 

When I think of the concept of fences, it doesn’t usually connote something positive. I see it usually as a means to imprison or to keep out. The fences implemented by Ai Weiwei at the cooper union seem to fit both those ideas. The Cooper Union Building boldly displays on its façade the words “To Science and Art”. This is immediately contrasted by the impenetrable fences placed in front of the building’s windows and entrances. Like in an authoritarian regime, it signifies a denial of access to art and science. Moreover, the advancements made in art and science are hidden away behind these fences. We are unable to know what they are used for and by whom. What these fences evoke in relation to their placement is rather unsettling.

[alekseiw-blog]

DANM  #8 - Halloween to Promote Loot Boxes

Overwatch is a hero based shooter developed and published by Blizzard. It released on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 24, 2016. It has become one of the most popular games of recent years and is the popularizer of a new trend in gaming: the loot box.

The loot box is a form of monetization that can be implemented in a game. The premise is that the player can purchase a loot box which will offer them a random assortment of rewards. Often times, the loot box can be purchased using an in-game currency, however it is much simpler to acquire them by paying with real money. This system has raised many ethical concerns; one of them being whether loot boxes promote or are a form of gambling. You are paying money for a chance to earn something you want. With loot boxes, you are always getting something out of it. There is never a case where the player pays, and they outright get nothing. Often, they just don’t get what they want and end up paying significant sums. The other issue is the impact these loot boxes have on gameplay. If the rewards of a loot box give the player a significant advantage in the game, then the game is favoring players that are willing to spend money over those who don’t. This is often considered a “pay to win” model, and is not something you don’t want associated to your game. To circumvent this issue, games often use loot boxes to offer cosmetic items, but we will discuss them later.

Loot boxes are not completely new to the games industry. They are the backbone of trading card games and collectible card games. You buy booster packs with a set of cards however, you won’t know the cards you receive until you purchase the pack. Loot boxes were also present in “free to play” games. The practice here is often excused considering there was no fee for the game itself.

 However, Overwatch is a $40 game on PC and $60 game on console and it still offers a form of microtransactions through loot boxes. Obviously, the loot box practice is disliked by most of the gaming community, but Overwatch still gets a free pass. There are a few reasons for that. For one, all extra content that is released after the game released is and will be free. This includes new characters, maps, and events. For those to be free, there needs to be some way to pay the employees working on the updates. That’s where loot boxes come in. The other reason is that all contents of loot boxes are purely cosmetic, meaning that players have no obligation to purchase them; they have no effect on gameplay (whether that is necessarily true is a discussion for another time).

One way Blizzard promotes their loot box system is by creating special events. These events are usually themed around holidays or happenings. We have had ones themed around winter break, Chinese New Year, and the Olympic games. But the most recent one was the Halloween event.

During this event, a lot of the playable maps are reskinned to fit the theme of Halloween. There is also a new playable mode released called Junkenstein’s Revenge. But more importantly, new exclusive loot box content is released. Most characters get new skins, voice lines, stickers, intros, and outros all themed around Halloween. These can only be acquired through loot boxes. During these events you are guaranteed at least on Halloween themed prize per loot box. To be completely honest, the only thing that matters are the Halloween skins. The rest of the content in general is used as a means to lessen the probability of getting a skin. The worst part is that these skins can only be acquired during this event. Once the event is gone, so is your chance to get that item you so wanted. The creation of exclusivity is a marketing tactic. If we are reaching the end of the event and the player still hasn’t gotten what they want, there is a very real possibility that they might pay real money to get more loot boxes for the chance of maybe getting the item.

To put it simply, the loot box practice is manipulative. While themed events like Halloween are cool in Overwatch, it’s clear their ultimate purpose is to promote and incentivize the purchase of these loot boxes.