Group Project --- Video Games: But Are They Art?

Name of the Video Game: Untitled Game

Developer: Jodi

Year of Released: 2006

Mode of Distribution: Online and CD-Rom

Original Game: The Quake

A.   What is video game?

A video game includes computer games, home console videogames, online games and most forms of computerized play that involve a monitor and an input device. The role of computerized toys is not considered as a video game in this article.

B.   What is an Art?

It is hard to give a clear definition of art. Therefore, in my article, the definition of art is based on Ernest W. Adams’ article: ‘Will Computer Games Ever Be a Legitimate Art For?’

According to Adams, there are six characteristics of art that are:

1.    Art has content

2.    Art has an aesthetic

3.    Art contains idea

4.    Art makes you feel things

5.    Art is not formulaic

6.    Utility and saleability

Adams also stated that being an art is not required to fulfill all these characteristics as mentioned. However, if it does none of them, it has a greater chance of not being an art.

C.   The Original Game: the Quake

Untitled Game is an art game created by Jodi. Jodi modified old video game which is called Quake. Untitled Game is an art game which is designed in such a way as to emphasize art or whose structure is intended to produce some kind of reaction in its audience. [1] Before talking about the Untitled Game, I would to introduce the Quake first. The Quake is a first-person shooter video game. It is a typical video game which has a narrative and it is very figurative. It is so figurative to have some dramatic impact on the audience such as there are some vivid and lively monster with a lot of fire and shooting beasts. So it is very explicit graphically.

D.   Description of the Untitled Game

There are 14 versions of the game. Basically, Jodi's mods deconstruct the game and its virtual space, creating glitchy, abstract, and often disorienting visuals, as well as removing the heads-up display. Each mod hacks or glitches the game in a different way. In named 'Ctrl-9' version, for instance, the player is in a large cube, with moving black and white patterns all along the inside surface. This patter is the result of a glitch "generated live as the Quake engine tries, and fails, to visualize the interior of a cube with black-and-white checked wallpaper”.

E.   Reasons of Being an Art

1.    Art has an Aesthetic

In the Untitled Game, the 14 versions of work are focused on different aspects such as compositions, lines, primary colors, balance, geometry, angles, space and shapes. These aspects have shown that the qualities of these aesthetic elements convey meaning directly without the use of words or pictorial representation which is similar to an abstract art. Although it is difficult to judge whether it is beauty or not, it is appeal to the audience to a certain extend.

2.    Art Contains Ideas

Art must have the capacity to express ideas. However, Jodi erases the story and the figurative site of the game. Jodi replaces those figures with some very basic form like just a line or a square, just black and white, and attaches these forms to the behavior of the code so that we would have a better view on how such a game is driven, what are the dynamics of the game. Their mods reduced the complex graphics of Quake to the bare minimum, aiming for maximum contrast between the complex soundscapes and the minimal visual environment. The pattern is the result of a glitch in the game engine discovered by the artists. This modification also prompted the idea that the whole trick of the Quake is highly depended on the perspective engines. These kinds of games are only an architectural illusions and the 3-D space is only a graphical tricks. Obviously, this approach is not only for entertainment or enjoyment, but also contains an idea which challenges the gamers.

3.    Art is Not Formulaic

Another important characteristic of good art is that it is not formulaic. There are 14 versions of the piece created by Jodi. The 14 versions of work are focused on different aspects such as digits, lines, primary colors, pixels, geometry, angles, space and shapes. Each of these games is just like a ‘new’ game. In terms of visual element, it seems that there is no connection between these 14 versions. Also, we may not consider these 14 games are actually based on the same video game. The only common feature of Untitled Game is the method of playing the game that is just using the arrow keys to navigate, and the 'enter' key to shoot. So, when it is compared with the Quake, the Quake is relatively formulaic. The Quake has 3 versions, however, these 3 versions are so similar to each other. Only some new weapons and enemies are included. It is just like an ‘upgrade’ of the previous one and is not innovative. Although the Quake has some elements of being an art, it is not as good as Jodi’s Untitled Game when they are compared together.

4.    Utility and Saleability

Art should not involve the consideration of utility. It is not about being useful. Moreover, it outweighs the consideration of saleability. Art should not involve the merchandizing. Since Untitled Game is uploaded on the internet and allows the user free to download. It obviously implied that Untitled Game is not a game that aims at people buying it. It is not about saleability or turning into a commodity. On the other hand, the Quake is thus a video game involving merchandizing and concerns about its saleability. The quake is comparatively commercial and lower chance of being an art.

Bibliography:

[1] Sneidberg, Scott (2010-08-31). "Who says video games aren't art?". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/08/31/video.games.art.steinberg/. Retrieved 2010-11-20

[2] Ernest W. Adams’ article: ‘Will Computer Games Ever Be a Legitimate Art For?’

[3] http://www.untitled-game.org/

Vdieo Games = Art?

1.    How does Adams define art? Do you agree with his definition?
-Literacy art (writing, drama)/ fine art (painting, sculpture)/ Decorative art ( wallpaper, furnishings)
- Videogames games -- literacy art
- Aesthetically interesting
- Not formulaic
- Has content, should not be empty

I suggest that aesthetic value is one of the crucial elements of art as it leads people to contemplate for appreciation. There are some great artists who painted brilliant pieces like Kandinsky. He tried not to present anything in his work and mainly focused on the rhythm of music which requires our imagination. However, whenever we think of the Fountain by Duchamp, we can argue that aesthetic value is not that important, but the concept. Here I think is an interesting topic.

2.    According to Adams, what is needed for videogames to be considered as art?
- More than just fun.
- Show aesthetic qualities through lines, colors, forms etc.
- Make people feel pleasurable.
- Have a content behind the formal elements.

Shoot at Reality? --- The Ethics of Digital Games

1.    According to the film, what are some pros and cons of playing videogames for individuals and societies? (Some personal points are added)

Pros for individuals:

Video games can provide entertainment, for leisure and relaxation. One can use it to achieve something he/she cannot do in reality. For example, a shy boy without confidence can choose to be a character that loved by a lot of girls. If there is a practice mode, one can train herself/himself beforehand. This system helps to convey a message of "practice makes perfect" which encourage people to try more. Some video games can train different abilities of oneself. Like some intellectual games such as Tetris can help one to train one's brain, action games may strengthen one's sensibility or increase one's speed of reaction.

Pros for societies:

Video games can spread the culture of a country throughout the world, like the history of ancient three nations in China. For some governments (like US), they can use videogames as a mean to convey the message of nationalism. Video games can also create jobs. Some professional game players spend lots of hours to test the games and get a salary.

However, there are some disadvantages of the video games as well.

Cons for individuals:

Gamers may get addicted, spend all the time on videogames and do nothing productive. Video games may make people doing some crazy things in reality, such as bullying friends or even shooting person (especially in the foreign countries that owing guns is legalized). Some gamers may not get out the dreamy world, keep asking why the reality is so different from the game's world. Thus, the person may become a Hikikomori. Video games may also cause some health problems. For example, video games may be harmful to the players’ eyesight, shoulder or back pain. Gamer players may lose the skill and intention to talk or communicate with others.

Cons for societies:

Violent games affect player's behavior or manner: a kid mimic a game's killer to kill people after playing the violent videogames. These disturb the social orders and increase the crime rate. A society may become more solitary when more and more people attempt to close their doors to play videogames. The soft skills of communication may lose and this would damage the network and interactions between human beings.

2.    According the film, is there any evidence that digital games can encourage aggressive values and anti-social actions in the real world? Do you agree?

Some violent games like Counter-Strike (CS) which the mission of the game is use any way you think of to kill all the opponents. It is bloody and disgusting. Some gamers may mix up the game world with the real world. Players who play CS will indicted to it, what they do in the game become a habit to them, also a way to express their feelings. If they suddenly feel angry in their daily life, they may really kill others as they think that they still ‘living’ in the game world.

“Children who regularly play video games admit they can be addictive and lead to them acting out the violent scenes that are an intrinsic part of many games, according to a survey by researchers at Aston University. Many (children) described violent scenes 'with relish', they found. Almost 60 per cent had witnessed other children mimicking violent games.” (Daily Telegragh, 25 October 1993, cited in Craig and Petley 2001: 187)

It brings the players a wrong concept of victims: desensitization theory(無情論說)

“Desensitization theory, which is also a theory of media effects, proposes that consuming a constant diet of media violence can ‘undermine feelings of concern, empathy, or sympathy viewers {or readers} might have toward victims of actual violence’( Wilson et al. 1998a: 22) In important research conducted by Dietz et al.(1982), for example, it was concluded that men who watch slather films containing rape depictions show less sympathy toward actual rape victims.”- Media violence makes people more aggressive“Changes in behavior are quantified in terms of increases in violent or aggressive play, or propensity to administer pain to another person ( for two classic studies using this approach see Bandura et al. 1963: Berkowitz and Rawlings 1963). Studies of this kind found that what when media audiences are shown content in which the initiator of violence is rewarded, there is often an increased likelihood of audience members exhibiting aggressive behavior.”

Who Stole My Crops? --- Ethics of Video Game

Most of us have played different kinds of video games. For me, I seldomly play video games, still, I like playing Happy Farm. Happy Farm is an online video game that players can grow crops, trade with others, sell produce, and steal from neighbors. Happy Farm allows players to steal the others’ crops. And many critics claim that these farm games will distort the value of children. The Taiwan Education Department decided to ban Happy Farm in primary and secondary schools since this game encourages players to steal others’ plants to upgrade their level and earn money in a faster way. Besides, an employee was fired when his boss saw he played the Happy Farm in the working hours; and a girlfriend broke up with her boyfriend because her boyfriend forgot to water her plant [1]. Furthermore, a doctor refused to save a baby in his working hours because he was stealing the others’ plants, and the baby died in the end [2]. From these matters, we can see that children will affect by the farm games, even adults and professionals.

Bibliography:

[1] Facebook「開心農場」偷菜 台政府「不鼓勵」 提出「偷」改「租」 免混淆價值觀, http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091019/4/erg4.html, accessed 20th October 2009

[2]醫生忙網上「偷菜」嬰失救死, http://prd6-libwisesearch.wisers.net/ws5/tool.do?wp_dispatch=confirm-view&doc-ids=news:16d0^200911110060194(S:67057101)&menu-id=&on-what=selected&from-list&display-style=all&tooldisplay=true, accessed 16 November 2009)

Inspector Gadget --- Exoskeleton

1.    Which artist’s work do you find the most interesting?

Stelarc’s work is the most attractive.

 

2.    Describe one work by that artist in detail, and explain, what is interesting about it.

The Exoskeleton (1999) looks like an electronic spider but it only has six feet. Its color is dull grey. It is a walking machine which is connected to the human. The artist’s body is positioned at the centre of the structure on a turnable and activates the machine through an extended ‘arm’ with a pneumatic manipulator. Combining mechanical, electronic, and software components, the machine is controlled by the artist’s gesture and performs a ‘dance’ that is entirely choreographed by his arm movements.

I found it is interesting because this work reminds me a movie called ‘Inspector Gadget’. I am so impressed with the protagonist in the movie who has a ‘technologized body’.

Who are you? --- Mouchette

http://www.mouchette.org/index.html

A.   Description of the Work

Actually, I think this work is quite complicated and it is quite hard for me to describe the whole work. Thus, I would only introduce the first page of the work. When I first access the website, the background of the website is a close-up of a flower which is randomly selected in each time. There are some images of fly and ant which are ‘walking’ on the screen. A profile picture is put on the top left hand side of the screen. It changes sometimes as well. I saw three different profile pictures in total. There is a description of the artist next to the profile picture. There is a menu at the bottom of the website. The webpage is very complicated because a lot of pages are linked together without any connection. In general, most of the images in the website are quite disgusting and erotic.

B.   The work is controversial because…

The artist claims that she is a 13 years old female artist. However, it is hard to realize is it her real identity since the website is too complicated for a 13 years old teenager. This work is thus controversial for the issue of online identity. This work implies the ‘fake’ identity in the virtual world. Everyone can construct their own identity.

Moreover, because the images and the feeling of the whole website are quite erotic, when this kind of feeling associates to the ’13-year-old’ girl, then it may connote the issue of child sexuality.

Bibliography:

Tribe, Mark; Jana, Reena (2007). "Mouchette". New Media Art. Germany: Taschen. pp. 66–67.

Identity Crisis

Everyone can construct a fake identity on the internet; the following interviewee is HANDSOME Chriz.

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

Chriz: umum… It should be more than five such as facebook, MSN, Uwants Forum, two ICQ accounts, youtube and school mail.

2.      In what ways are they different to your “in person” identities?

Chriz: To be honest, I… I am rather selfish on the internet. Because we can find a lot of resources on the internet, I can just download the software I want but I will not explode my real identity on the internet. Moreover, I will not share my files. Even in my facebook account, I seldom upload my photos and post some status or notes though the ‘friends’ in my facebook are my REAL friends.

Kasey: Wow… isn’t it a kinds of voyeurism? But I also agree the point that we need not to expose many things on the internet. For me, I also act as an observer.

Chriz: Oh ya, I am a passive user on the internet. I rarely leave message and share things.

3.      What are some benefits of expressing one’s identity online?

Chriz: Well, the majoy benefit I got is I can download a lot of things from the internet secretly since most of the files I download are illegal. Therefore, I will expose my identity as less as possible.

4.      What are some risks?

Chriz: the main risk is it is still easy to be found my real identity if I do something wrong seriously. Although I can construct my identity, the police can still chase my location by knowing the IP address from the telecommunication company such as the case of古惑天皇 (literally means King of Sneaky). He was put in the jail for three months.

Kasey: Chriz, thanks for your sharing.

Desktop Theatre

In the Desktop Theatre version of this performance, Jenik and Brenneis fashioned two simple “roundhead” avatars (similar to IM smiley face emoticons) to play the roles of Vladimir and Estragon, now nicknamed “didi” and “gogo.” This online performance, which Jenik and Brenneis call “Street theater for the new Downtown,” is presented in a cut-and-paste fashion in which the actors take portions of Beckett’s text and paste it into their chat window. The text then appears instantly above their respective avatar in a comic book style text bubble. All of the chatted dialogue presented in The Palace appears in these bubbles, thus clearly associating dialogue with the avatar producing the dialogue. The dialogue is also “spoken” through the software’s text-to-speech capabilities simultaneous to its display on the screen.

Videogames - But Are They Art?

A. Key Quotes

- 'Many computer games belong in category of literary arts with movies and television because they do contain elements of narrative, and their narrative elements can be subjectied to the same criticism as other narrative arts.' (Will Computer Games Ever Be A Legitimate Art From, Ernest W. Adams)

- 'Art is that it is aesthetic, it has rules for determining beauty and ugliness...Some of this apply to games also and there are distinct aesthetic qualities of games, such as "replayability", that may not apply to more conventional art forms.' (Will Computer Games Ever Be A Legitimate Art From, Ernest W. Adams)

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

- 'As stated previously, unlike chess and gymnastics, the playing of video games has not been proposed as a candidate for art status.' (Are Video Games Art?, Aaron Smuts, 2005)

- 'Real art through computer games is achievable, but it will never be achieved so long as we have no path to understanding. We need to establish our principles of aesthetics, a framework for criticism, and a model for development.' (The Art of Computer Game Design, Chris Crawford)

B. Key Links

1. 10 Video Games That Should Be Considered Modern Art

http://www.cracked.com/blog/defending-the-habit-10-video-games-as-modern-art/

2. Are Video Game Art?

http://www.contempaesthetics.org/newvolume/pages/article.php?articleID=299

3. Video game: a popular culture

http://books.google.com.hk/books?id=1l7m8CYAKe0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

4. Art Game: an introduction

http://www.artificial.dk/articles/artgamesintro.htm

C. Key Articles

1.    Will Computer Games Ever Be A Legitimate Art From, Ernest W. Adams

(Relevant to my topic)

2.    The Art of Computer Game Design, Chris Crawford 3. What Is Art?, Leo Tolstoy

(Give some characteristics of the definitions pf art)

3.    Are Video Games Art?, Aaron Smuts

(Look easy to be understood)

4.    Cracking the maze, Anne-Marie Schleiner

(Seem to be focused mainly on one digital game, Untitled Game)

5.    Art Game: an Introduction, Kristine Ploug

(Look easy to be understood)

Youtube---BUS UNCLE

1.    How many viewers are estimated to have watched the YouTube video?

According to the counter in video I watched in the YouTube, there are nearly 2.5 millions of people have watched. However, it is stated in the Wikipedia that there are more than one version of the ‘Bus uncle’ which implied the number of viewers should be more than this figure.

2.    How would you rate the video?

•    Is it of high quality in technical terms? Is it interesting aesthetically eg camera angles, use of light, the narrative, and so on?

It is obviously not high quality in technical terms because what is used to film the video is only a mobile phone. The resolution is very low. Besides, there is no any cinematic technique such as zooming or camera angle. There is no editing as well. The ‘narrative’ is not under the ‘director’ control since the video is shot accidentally and is not aimed at showing in public (YouTube). It seems that the ‘director’ does not really care about the form of the video but the content of the issue.

There is no aesthetic value in the video. There is no background music, no rhythm or other special effect since the video is only a candid video which the ‘director’ did not have too many considerations when he was shooting this incident.

•    Does it raise interesting socio-cultural issues? 

‘Bus Uncle’ is definitely raised the interest in such issues. It is not only talked about the problem of ‘pressure and stress’ in Hong Kong, but also raised the issue of the power of YouTube. After the video of ‘Bus Uncle’, there are a lot of videos which imitate the style of ‘Bus Uncle’. For example, the cable TV made a video which is without written script and the actors act in front of the ordinary people. The camera is hidden in purpose. This video is spread widely too. The cable TV finally ‘revealed’ the truth and discussed the circulation of YouTube.

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

Yes. I think it deserved to gain attention. Although the characters in the video are only ordinary people, it is a reflection of the whole society. After this incident, more and more these kinds of video clips are uploaded on the YouTube (but less popular than ‘Bus Uncle’) which implied that ‘Bus Uncle’ is not the only case in the society. Everyone can be the ‘reporter’ and the ‘judge’ of the society. And YouTube becomes a site of unleashing or complaining channel.

Like the following video, the younger man clashed with a bus. And his mother and he shouted to the bus driver and passengers on the bus. They thought they are poor as they have no car and need to have a ride on the public transportation.

 

It is another example that is also shot a conflict between the passengers on the bus.  

4) Do video-sharing sites such as YouTube enhance or worsen creative culture? Comment.

Key Quote:

1.    ‘… division between recipient and producer became blurred.’

2.    ‘… non-professional products are enjoyed by vast audiences, making professional products look less attractive.’

(Creativity meets Circulation: internet, amateurs and the process of evolution, Roman Marek)

As mentioned before, because of the common use of gadgets, everybody can be the ‘reporter’. Mainstream mass media even buy the video from the residence. Besides, everyone can share their creative works on the platform of ‘YouTube’ freely which could stimulate the professional to produce more creative work. For instance, this advertisement makes use of the ‘interactive’ function of YouTube. Thus, it is not only an advertisement but also a creative interaction between the audience and the producer which the traditional platform (TV or radio) could not achieve.

***For the best interaction, it is suggested to view in a new window***

Moreover, the feedback function of YouTube can also be a communication platform for idea exchange. The users can leave some comments for the producers and encourage them. Although some people may negatively comment on the other, the producers can still gain some benefits through the YouTube. As a result, YouTube could enhance creative culture.

Review of 'Mission to Earth' --- I come from Mars

Perhaps, “Mission to Earth” is one of the boring films and I will watch again if I suffer from insomnia. Still, there are some interesting points worth discussing!

1) Using “Mission to Earth” as an example, note what is new or different about digital cinema compared to traditional filmmaking? Consider the story and appearance of the film.

A.    The Story of the Film

If not Carol told us the narrative of the film, I am afraid I do not know what the film is talking about since there is no dialogue of the character and the action of the character does not that match to the voice over. The story is actually moved by the voice over. Although this kind of effect is greatly different from the commercial movie, the story line is still similar to the traditional one.  The equilibrium 1, dis-equilibrium and new equilibrium can be still found in the narrative but it is not as obvious as the traditional one. The film has plot in the conventional sense of the word through the voice over.

However, when we compare the ‘Mission to Earth’ and ‘An Andalusian Dog’ which is directed by Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dalí, ‘Mission to Earth’ is absolutely more ‘realistic’ and easier to be understood. 

The above discussion is mainly focused on the voice over, if we take away the voice over, the view will be totally different. Because the footages are selected from the database randomly, as mentioned before, it is driven by the voice over. Therefore, if the audience only watches the movie without the voice over, the narrative is discrete. The timeline will be disconnected and the footages become meaningless as well. Still, some people may think this kind of randomness implied the chapter selection of DVDs which can generalize as the ‘digital age’.

B.    The Appearance of the Film

The arrangement of the composition of the film is quite different from the traditional film. For the traditional film, the split screen is usually used for indicating the sense of simultaneous[1].  However, the visible division of the screen in the ‘Mission to Earth’ does not aim at this goal. This kind of composition is a little bit distracting for me (the little screen is even moving around), my eyes are so busy and do not know which screen I should watch. Unlike the traditional one, the audience could not merely concentrate on the characters in the digital cinema. I am impressed the kaleidoscope-liked computer animation deeply and it is beautiful aesthecially. (But I do not know the exact connection between the film.)

2) What other art forms (eg film, digital art, painting, websites etc) does this film remind you of? Explain the similarity.

‘Mission to Earth’ makes me remind two artworks that are ‘Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow’ by are Piet Mondrian in 1930 and ‘La jetée’ by Chris Maker in 1962.

For the ‘Composition II’, as the name shown, the composition of the film remind me this painting. Both of them have the patchwork style.

Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow’ by are Piet Mondrian

For the ‘La jetée’, this movie is composed by still images and voice over. The story is also driven by the voice over and there is no dialogue of the charater as well. Although the images are not selected randomly, the alienation effect achieved is similar to that of ‘Mission to Earth’. If I make a classification, I will put both film in the science-fiction genre because ‘Mission to Earth’ is about a woman from other planet whereas ‘La jetée’ is about a experiment in time travel. Finally, I think ‘La jetée’ and ‘Mission to Earth’ are similar to each other because their idea and concept are both creative and innovative.

Bibliography:

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_screen_(filmmaking)