Creating Disorientation, Fugue, And

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Creating Disorientation, Fugue, And OCCLUSION: CREATING DISORIENTATION, FUGUE, AND APOPHENIA IN AN ART GAME by Klew Williams A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Interactive Media and Game Development __________________________________________________________ April 27th, 2017 APPROVED: ____________________________________ Brian Moriarty, Thesis Advisor _____________________________________ Dean O’Donnell, Committee _____________________________________ Ralph Sutter, Committee i Abstract Occlusion is a procedurally randomized interactive art experience which uses the motifs of repetition, isolation, incongruity and mutability to develop an experience of a Folie à Deux: a madness shared by two. It draws from traditional video game forms, development methods, and tools to situate itself in context with games as well as other forms of interactive digital media. In this way, Occlusion approaches the making of game-like media from the art criticism perspective of Materiality, and the written work accompanying the prototype discusses critical aesthetic concerns for Occlusion both as an art experience borrowing from games and as a text that can be academically understood in relation to other practices of media making. In addition to the produced software artifact and written analysis, this thesis includes primary research in the form of four interviews with artists, authors, game makers and game critics concerning Materiality and dissociative themes in game-like media. The written work first introduces Occlusion in context with other approaches to procedural remixing, Glitch Art, net.art, and analogue and digital collage and décollage, with special attention to recontextualization and apophenia. The experience, visual, and audio design approach of Occlusion is reviewed through a discussion of explicit design choices which define generative space. Development process, release process, post-release distribution, testing, and maintenance are reviewed, and the paper concludes with a description of future work and a post-mortem discussion. Included as appendices are a full specification document, script, and transcripts of all interviews. ii Acknowledgements I want to extend my deepest appreciation to my thesis advisor Brian Moriarty and my thesis committee members Dean O’Donnell and Ralph Sutter for their guidance, advice, and help throughout the course of this project. I also want to extend gratitude to the other members of the Interactive Media and Game Development program, in particular Dr. Alexandrina Agloro, who provided me with moral support, research material, and Milka. And thank you to all the IMGD graduate students who offered Unreal Engine advice, playtesting, and comradery during the course of my work. Finally, endless thanks to my life partner Allison Stout, who has these many months lifted up me and my work and believed in the both of us. iii Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... iv Table of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... vii Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Critical Context ............................................................................................................................................. 2 Glitch Art, Internet Art, and net.art .......................................................................................................... 2 Procedural Remixing ................................................................................................................................ 6 Digital Surrealism and Psychedelia .......................................................................................................... 9 Materiality in New Media ....................................................................................................................... 16 Glitch in Architecture and Space ............................................................................................................ 19 Collage and Décollage ............................................................................................................................ 21 Experience Design ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 23 Experience Goals .................................................................................................................................... 23 Core Design Approach and Inspiration .................................................................................................. 24 Interaction Design................................................................................................................................... 26 Folie à Deux: A Madness Shared by Two .............................................................................................. 26 Design for the Aesthetic of Change ........................................................................................................ 28 Art Design ................................................................................................................................................... 32 Art Direction ........................................................................................................................................... 32 Architectural Design ............................................................................................................................... 32 3D Assets ................................................................................................................................................ 33 2D Assets ................................................................................................................................................ 33 Lighting and Post-Processing ................................................................................................................. 34 Audio Design .............................................................................................................................................. 36 Technical Design ........................................................................................................................................ 37 Development Overview .............................................................................................................................. 38 Ideation ................................................................................................................................................... 38 System Design and Initial Work ............................................................................................................. 39 Research, Script, and Interviews ............................................................................................................ 41 Version 0.1.0 Development .................................................................................................................... 43 iv Distribution ............................................................................................................................................. 47 Assessment .................................................................................................................................................. 48 Assessment Approach and Objectives .................................................................................................... 48 Assessment Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 48 Post-Play Survey Questions and Results ................................................................................................ 49 Assessment Results Statistical Analysis ................................................................................................. 57 Interpretation of Results ......................................................................................................................... 60 Maintenance ................................................................................................................................................ 63 Future Work and Distribution ..................................................................................................................... 65 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 66 References ................................................................................................................................................... 68 Appendix A: Design Specification ............................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • The Status Quo Bias and Decisions to Withdraw Life-Sustaining Treatment
    HUMANITIES | MEDICINE AND SOCIETY The status quo bias and decisions to withdraw life-sustaining treatment n Cite as: CMAJ 2018 March 5;190:E265-7. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.171005 t’s not uncommon for physicians and impasse. One factor that hasn’t been host of psychological phenomena that surrogate decision-makers to disagree studied yet is the role that cognitive cause people to make irrational deci- about life-sustaining treatment for biases might play in surrogate decision- sions, referred to as “cognitive biases.” Iincapacitated patients. Several studies making regarding withdrawal of life- One cognitive bias that is particularly show physicians perceive that nonbenefi- sustaining treatment. Understanding the worth exploring in the context of surrogate cial treatment is provided quite frequently role that these biases might play may decisions regarding life-sustaining treat- in their intensive care units. Palda and col- help improve communication between ment is the status quo bias. This bias, a leagues,1 for example, found that 87% of clinicians and surrogates when these con- decision-maker’s preference for the cur- physicians believed that futile treatment flicts arise. rent state of affairs,3 has been shown to had been provided in their ICU within the influence decision-making in a wide array previous year. (The authors in this study Status quo bias of contexts. For example, it has been cited equated “futile” with “nonbeneficial,” The classic model of human decision- as a mechanism to explain patient inertia defined as a treatment “that offers no rea- making is the rational choice or “rational (why patients have difficulty changing sonable hope of recovery or improvement, actor” model, the view that human beings their behaviour to improve their health), or because the patient is permanently will choose the option that has the best low organ-donation rates, low retirement- unable to experience any benefit.”) chance of satisfying their preferences.
    [Show full text]
  • The Being of Analogy Noah Roderick Noah Roderick the Being of Analogy
    Noah Roderick The Being of Analogy Noah Roderick Noah Roderick The Being of Analogy The Being of Modern physics replaced the dualism of matter and form with a new distinction between matter and force. In this way form was marginalized, and with it the related notion of the object. Noah Roderick’s book is a refreshing effort to reverse the consequences of this now banal mainstream materialism. Ranging from physics through literature to linguistics, spanning philosophy from East to West, and weaving it all together in remarkably lucid prose, Roderick intro- duces a new concept of analogy that sheds unfamiliar light on such thinkers as Marx, Deleuze, Goodman, Sellars, and Foucault. More than a literary device, analogy teaches us something about being itself. OPEN HUMANITIES PRESS Cover design by Katherine Gillieson · Illustration by Tammy Lu The Being of Analogy New Metaphysics Series Editors: Graham Harman and Bruno Latour The world is due for a resurgence of original speculative metaphysics. The New Metaphys- ics series aims to provide a safe house for such thinking amidst the demoralizing caution and prudence of professional academic philosophy. We do not aim to bridge the analytic- continental divide, since we are equally impatient with nail-filing analytic critique and the continental reverence for dusty textual monuments. We favor instead the spirit of the intel- lectual gambler, and wish to discover and promote authors who meet this description. Like an emergent recording company, what we seek are traces of a new metaphysical ‘sound’ from any nation of the world. The editors are open to translations of neglected metaphysical classics, and will consider secondary works of especial force and daring.
    [Show full text]
  • Experimental Practices in Economics: a Methodological Challenge for Psychologists?
    BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES (2001) 24, 383–451 Printed in the United States of America Experimental practices in economics: A methodological challenge for psychologists? Ralph Hertwig Center for Adaptive Behavior and Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany. [email protected] Andreas Ortmann Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education, Charles University, and Economics Institute, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 111 21 Prague 1, Czech Republic. [email protected] Abstract: This target article is concerned with the implications of the surprisingly different experimental practices in economics and in areas of psychology relevant to both economists and psychologists, such as behavioral decision making. We consider four features of ex- perimentation in economics, namely, script enactment, repeated trials, performance-based monetary payments, and the proscription against deception, and compare them to experimental practices in psychology, primarily in the area of behavioral decision making. Whereas economists bring a precisely defined “script” to experiments for participants to enact, psychologists often do not provide such a script, leaving participants to infer what choices the situation affords. By often using repeated experimental trials, economists allow participants to learn about the task and the environment; psychologists typically do not. Economists generally pay participants on the ba- sis of clearly defined performance criteria; psychologists usually pay a flat fee or grant a fixed amount of course credit. Economists vir- tually never deceive participants; psychologists, especially in some areas of inquiry, often do. We argue that experimental standards in economics are regulatory in that they allow for little variation between the experimental practices of individual researchers.
    [Show full text]
  • Effects of Art Styles on Video Game Narratives
    Effects of Art Styles on Video Game Narratives UNIVERSITY OF TURKU Department of Future Technologies Master's Thesis July 2018 Leena Hölttä UNIVERSITY OF TURKU Department of Future Technologies HÖLTTÄ, LEENA Effects of Art Styles on Video Game Narratives Master's thesis, 76 pages, 29 appendix pages Computer Science August 2018 The effect of an art style on a video game's narrative is not widely studied and not much is known about how the general player base views the topic. This thesis attempts to answer this question through the use of two different surveys, a general theory related one, and one based upon images and categorization and a visual novel based interview that aims at gaining a further understanding of the subject. The general results point to the art style creating and emphasizing a narrative's mood and greatly enhancing the player experience. Based on these results a simple framework ASGDF was created to help beginning art directors and designers to create the most fitting style for their narrative. Key words: video games, art style, art, narrative, games TURUN YLIOPISTO Tulevaisuuden teknologioiden laitos HÖLTTÄ, LEENA Taidetyylien vaikutus videopelien narratiiviin Pro gradu -tutkielma, 76 s., 29 liites. Tietojenkäsittelytiede Elokuu 2018 Taidetyylien vaikutus videopelien narratiiviin ei ole laajasti tutkittu aihe, eikä ole laajasti tiedossa miten yleinen pelaajakunta näkee aiheen. Tämä tutkielma pyrkii vastaamaan tähän kysymykseen kahden eri kyselyn avulla, joista toinen on teoriaan perustuva kysely, ja toinen kuvien kategorisointiin perustuva kysely. Myös visuaalinovelliin perustuvaa haastattelua käytettiin tutkimuskysymyksen tutkimiseen. Yleiset tulokset viittaavat siihen, että taidetyyli vaikuttaa narratiivin tunnelmaan ja korostaa pelaajan kokemusta.
    [Show full text]
  • Toolbox Creativo Para El Game Design De Un Videojuego Independiente
    Facultad de Artes Maestría en Diseño y Dirección de Arte Toolbox creativo para el Game Design de un videojuego independiente Trabajo de titulación previo a la obtención del titulo de: Magíster en Diseño y Dirección de Arte Autor: Iván Geovanny Gavilanes Pando C.I: 0104876867 Correo: [email protected] Director: Jorge Daniel López Zamora, Mgtr. C.I: 0103720876 Cuenca – Ecuador 30-marzo-2021 Resumen Este proyecto final de maestría inicia con la pregunta: ¿Cómo las herramientas de diseño y dirección de arte pueden ser trasladadas al campo del videojuego para facilitar su desarrollo? Inquietud que contempla explorar áreas de game design desde una perspectiva de diseño que involucre procesos de inmersión y experimentación para generar material introductorio al campo del juego con el cual se puedan construir ideas sólidas en un game design document. La investigación consta de un eje reflexivo sobre aspectos teóricos, tomando como principal referencia a Macklin y Sharp con su libro Games, Design and Play, y Salen y Zimmerman con Rules of Play para sentar las bases conceptuales del proyecto, considerando elementos del diseño de juego, herramientas, estéticas y experiencia del jugador. Se reflexionaron nociones sobre autonomía y libertad creativa del indie game en contraste a la industria del triple A y se analizaron homólogos de cajas de herramientas, game design document y videojuegos. La metodología del proyecto toma un enfoque de experiencia empírica por medio de inmersión, investigación cualitativa, perfiles de usuarios y protocolos de
    [Show full text]
  • Working Memory, Cognitive Miserliness and Logic As Predictors of Performance on the Cognitive Reflection Test
    Working Memory, Cognitive Miserliness and Logic as Predictors of Performance on the Cognitive Reflection Test Edward J. N. Stupple ([email protected]) Centre for Psychological Research, University of Derby Kedleston Road, Derby. DE22 1GB Maggie Gale ([email protected]) Centre for Psychological Research, University of Derby Kedleston Road, Derby. DE22 1GB Christopher R. Richmond ([email protected]) Centre for Psychological Research, University of Derby Kedleston Road, Derby. DE22 1GB Abstract Most participants respond that the answer is 10 cents; however, a slower and more analytic approach to the The Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) was devised to measure problem reveals the correct answer to be 5 cents. the inhibition of heuristic responses to favour analytic ones. The CRT has been a spectacular success, attracting more Toplak, West and Stanovich (2011) demonstrated that the than 100 citations in 2012 alone (Scopus). This may be in CRT was a powerful predictor of heuristics and biases task part due to the ease of administration; with only three items performance - proposing it as a metric of the cognitive miserliness central to dual process theories of thinking. This and no requirement for expensive equipment, the practical thesis was examined using reasoning response-times, advantages are considerable. There have, moreover, been normative responses from two reasoning tasks and working numerous correlates of the CRT demonstrated, from a wide memory capacity (WMC) to predict individual differences in range of tasks in the heuristics and biases literature (Toplak performance on the CRT. These data offered limited support et al., 2011) to risk aversion and SAT scores (Frederick, for the view of miserliness as the primary factor in the CRT.
    [Show full text]
  • Maria-Pia Victoria-Feser GSEM, University of Geneva B [email protected] Professor of Statistics
    Research Center for Statistics Maria-Pia Victoria-Feser GSEM, University of Geneva B [email protected] Professor of Statistics Executive Summary (September 2019) Employment I started my career as a lecturer at the London School of Economics (LSE) in 1993, the year I completed history my Ph. D. in econometrics and statistics. In 1997, I was hired as lecturer in the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPSE) of the University of Geneva. Between 1997 and 2001, my position has evolved until I became full professor (50%) in 2001 at HEC-Genève. Since 2018, I have a 100% permanent position at the Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM). Awards and I received a total of 3,277,537 CHF of personal research funding (Swiss National Science Foundation grants (SNSF) and private) for seven projects, and over 500,000 CHF of research funding for collaborative projects. I was awarded the Latzis International Prize (1995) for my Ph. D. Thesis, as well as a doctoral (1991) and a professorial (2000) fellowships from the SNSF. Research My main research interest is statistical methodology and its application in different domains. I started with the development of robust methods of estimation and inference for application in economics (welfare analysis, risk analysis) and psychology (psychometric). I am also interested in computational statistics and have developed estimation methods for complex models (latent dependence structures, missing data), time series (signal processing), and model selection in high dimensions. My publications are often co-authored with former Ph. D. students or with academic researchers in other universities and/or outside the methodological statistics field.
    [Show full text]
  • Aesthetics After Finitude Anamnesis Anamnesis Means Remembrance Or Reminiscence, the Collection and Re- Collection of What Has Been Lost, Forgotten, Or Effaced
    Aesthetics After Finitude Anamnesis Anamnesis means remembrance or reminiscence, the collection and re- collection of what has been lost, forgotten, or effaced. It is therefore a matter of the very old, of what has made us who we are. But anamnesis is also a work that transforms its subject, always producing something new. To recollect the old, to produce the new: that is the task of Anamnesis. a re.press series Aesthetics After Finitude Baylee Brits, Prudence Gibson and Amy Ireland, editors re.press Melbourne 2016 re.press PO Box 40, Prahran, 3181, Melbourne, Australia http://www.re-press.org © the individual contributors and re.press 2016 This work is ‘Open Access’, published under a creative commons license which means that you are free to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work as long as you clearly attribute the work to the authors, that you do not use this work for any commercial gain in any form whatso- ever and that you in no way alter, transform or build on the work outside of its use in normal aca- demic scholarship without express permission of the author (or their executors) and the publisher of this volume. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. For more information see the details of the creative commons licence at this website: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Title: Aesthetics after finitude / Baylee Brits, Prudence Gibson and Amy Ireland, editors. ISBN: 9780980819793 (paperback) Series: Anamnesis Subjects: Aesthetics.
    [Show full text]
  • Observational Studies and Bias in Epidemiology
    The Young Epidemiology Scholars Program (YES) is supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the College Board. Observational Studies and Bias in Epidemiology Manuel Bayona Department of Epidemiology School of Public Health University of North Texas Fort Worth, Texas and Chris Olsen Mathematics Department George Washington High School Cedar Rapids, Iowa Observational Studies and Bias in Epidemiology Contents Lesson Plan . 3 The Logic of Inference in Science . 8 The Logic of Observational Studies and the Problem of Bias . 15 Characteristics of the Relative Risk When Random Sampling . and Not . 19 Types of Bias . 20 Selection Bias . 21 Information Bias . 23 Conclusion . 24 Take-Home, Open-Book Quiz (Student Version) . 25 Take-Home, Open-Book Quiz (Teacher’s Answer Key) . 27 In-Class Exercise (Student Version) . 30 In-Class Exercise (Teacher’s Answer Key) . 32 Bias in Epidemiologic Research (Examination) (Student Version) . 33 Bias in Epidemiologic Research (Examination with Answers) (Teacher’s Answer Key) . 35 Copyright © 2004 by College Entrance Examination Board. All rights reserved. College Board, SAT and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board. Other products and services may be trademarks of their respective owners. Visit College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.com. Copyright © 2004. All rights reserved. 2 Observational Studies and Bias in Epidemiology Lesson Plan TITLE: Observational Studies and Bias in Epidemiology SUBJECT AREA: Biology, mathematics, statistics, environmental and health sciences GOAL: To identify and appreciate the effects of bias in epidemiologic research OBJECTIVES: 1. Introduce students to the principles and methods for interpreting the results of epidemio- logic research and bias 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Statistical Tips for Interpreting Scientific Claims
    Research Skills Seminar Series 2019 CAHS Research Education Program Statistical Tips for Interpreting Scientific Claims Mark Jones Statistician, Telethon Kids Institute 18 October 2019 Research Skills Seminar Series | CAHS Research Education Program Department of Child Health Research | Child and Adolescent Health Service ResearchEducationProgram.org © CAHS Research Education Program, Department of Child Health Research, Child and Adolescent Health Service, WA 2019 Copyright to this material produced by the CAHS Research Education Program, Department of Child Health Research, Child and Adolescent Health Service, Western Australia, under the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 (C’wth Australia). Apart from any fair dealing for personal, academic, research or non-commercial use, no part may be reproduced without written permission. The Department of Child Health Research is under no obligation to grant this permission. Please acknowledge the CAHS Research Education Program, Department of Child Health Research, Child and Adolescent Health Service when reproducing or quoting material from this source. Statistical Tips for Interpreting Scientific Claims CONTENTS: 1 PRESENTATION ............................................................................................................................... 1 2 ARTICLE: TWENTY TIPS FOR INTERPRETING SCIENTIFIC CLAIMS, SUTHERLAND, SPIEGELHALTER & BURGMAN, 2013 .................................................................................................................................. 15 3
    [Show full text]
  • Opting-In: Participation Bias in Economic Experiments*
    Opting-in: Participation Bias in Economic Experiments* Robert Slonim** School of Economics, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Sydney and IZA Carmen Wang Harvard Business School Ellen Garbarino Discipline of Marketing, Business School, University of Sydney Danielle Merrett The World Bank, Sydney, Australia. Abstract Assuming individuals rationally decide whether to participate or not to participate in lab experiments, we hypothesize several non-representative biases in the characteristics of lab participants. We test the hypotheses by first collecting survey and experimental data from a typical recruitment population and then inviting them to participate in a lab experiment. The results indicate that lab participants are not representative of the target population on almost all the hypothesized characteristics, including having lower income, working fewer hours, volunteering more often, and exhibiting behaviors correlated with interest in experiments and economics. The results reinforce the commonly understood limits of laboratory research to make quantitative inferences. We also discuss several methods for addressing non-representative biases to advance laboratory methods for improving quantitative inferences and consequently increasing confidence in qualitative conclusions. Key words: Participation Bias, Laboratory Experiments *Acknowledgements: We have greatly benefitted from numerous seminar participant comments at the University of Sydney, the Winter School on Experimental Economics at the University of Sydney, the University of Technology, Sydney, the University of New South Wales and the 6th annual Australia-New Zealand Workshop in Experimental Economics. We also appreciate comments and suggestions from Paul Frijters, Simon Gaechter, Ben Greiner, Nickolas Feltovich, Nikos Nikiforakis, Andreas Ortmann, the editor and two anonymous reviewers at the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization.
    [Show full text]
  • Chicago New Media 1973- 1992' Pays Tribute to the City's Contribution to Video Games and Digital
    Chicago New Media 1973- 1992' pays tribute to the city’s contribution to video games and digital art On the frontier of free information, experimentation, and self-expression. By Caroline Picard @cocolarolo Have a Nice Day II: VR Tour Through the Decades, Ellen Sandor, Chris Kemp, Diana Torres, and Azadeh Gholizadeh, (art)n, virtual reality installation with Unity and Oculus Rift, 2017. COURTESY OF ELLEN SANDOR AND VGA GALLERY Chicago isn't immediately associated with technology's vanguard in the popular imagination. But Gallery 400's current exhibition, "Chicago New Media 1973-1992," focuses on the city's contribution to new media history through a broad installation of video games, digital art, video art, and archival materials. The oldest photograph is a 1910 still from Uptown's Essanay Studios showing a cast of cowboys with horses posed beneath the elaborate (and heavy looking) electric studio lights. Not only is this image evidence of how, as curator Jon Cates puts it, Chicago was "an early contender" for the film industry, it shows a direct correlation between representations of the iconic west and the technology that produced it. With assistance from Chaz Evans, Jonathan Kinkley and the Video Game Art (VGA) Gallery, Cates highlights the way "new media"—video art, video games, and electronic music—evolved through a radical community of Chicago-based early adopters in the early 70s. "This creative culture of collaborative communities gathered together regularly to perform in various configurations publicly during annual Electronic Visualization Events on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago," he says. "Their connections were social, artistic, educational, and technological." The exhibition shows how people like Dan Sandin, Phil Morton, Tom DeFanti, Ted Nelson, Jamie Faye Fenton, and others connected commercial gaming, academic research, and independent art making in a way that permanently impacted the industry.
    [Show full text]