Knightlife Dec 2020 Vol 59 No 2

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Knightlife Dec 2020 Vol 59 No 2 14 Focus December 18, 2020 December 18, 2020 Focus 15 A Resurgence of the Past ALLYSON GRAYLIN Reporter Although the currently popular video games may appear vastly different from the classic retro games, they share many aspects that contribute to their success as a video game. Being among the first video games, these retro games are like the Shakespeare of video games. Most of the ideas and tactics have already been tried and are now being placed in a new context. For example, the multi-player Retro Resurgence? fighting style of Sega’s Heavyweight Champ from 1976 is similar to the objectives of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. from 2018. Retro games have mapped out the path and created a blueprint for other games to follow. A major charm of classic retro games is the simplicity. These straightforward objectives allow for mindless gameplay and appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Wyatt Steere (12) pointed out that the “simplicity of these games is entertaining, and the repetition is fun to try and master.” By having a seemingly easy task, it is not difficult to imagine an hour passing by while trying to achieve a Pixels: the Monet of Gaming? new high score. ANNIE MCDONALD A common link between retro games and current video games is their highly addictive nature. Amelia Chiu (10) noticed that Reporter retro games tend to be “very easy to learn but pretty hard to be good at.” A successful video game immerses players in the game Newport Students are no amateurs when it comes to video games. According experience and leaves them wanting to continue. While the lines and dots of some retro games may not seem like much, the intention to a recent Knightlife survey, 34% of Newport Students have coded their own of the gameplay contributes to its value. video game—perhaps thanks to one of our recent course offerings, Video Game Some retro games were so well-designed that their popularity ceased to end. In 2017, Nintendo released the Nintendo Entertainment and Simulation Design. Arguably, one of the most important components of System Classic, equipped with 30 nostalgic retro games. The system was in high demand and sold out in places all over the country. video game design is graphics and visual motifs. The low-powered hardware This continued success of retro games is also seen among Newport students. According to a recent Knightlife survey, a third of systems of the 1980’s meant that all arcade games relied on pixel graphics, more students still play retro games like Tetris and Pac-man. The use of arcade machines may have dwindled, but games have been rebooted specifically 8 by 8 bit color graphics. An 8 by 8 bit pixel is exactly what it sounds and made available on newer operating systems. For instance, Tetris, the 1988-released tile-matching game, is available on a variety like: a square of color divided into 64 sections, each assigned a different tone. of websites and mobile apps. Marketing manager Richard Igros of Innex, a global distributor of modern and retro game consoles, The fewer the bits, the lower the quality. So in 1987, when the 16-bit pixel became suggested gamers may prefer these “clones” on newer platforms over original hardware because they “just want something to plug in popular, game creators began to expand their graphics to have more dimension and use.” Vintage hardware is generally not compatible with the devices used today and breaks down over time. and detail. Then came the 32-bit pixel in 1993, the 64-bit pixel in 1996, and As these video games first began to come out, creators encountered an uncharted arena with a lot of unknowns about the market. eventually today’s 3D graphics. But through trial and error, creators have developed a solid foundation for the video games we enjoy today. Although today’s technology allows for advanced, 3D graphic design, pixel art is here to stay. The modern games of Minecraft, Undertale, and Stardew Valley all pay homage to arcade games’ retro visuals despite being produced in a century where intricate design is easy to implement. But many appreciate pixel art for reasons other than nostalgia. Jason Rohrer, Chicken and Egg Conundrum: developer of the video game Passage, defended his use of pixel art, explaining, “I don’t want to make things that look like watercolor paintings or crayon drawings...pixel art [is] a kind of digitally native cartooning.” Rohrer has a point. Videogames and the Military MIKI KUSUNOSE Unlike the hyper-realistic video games of today, pixelated arcade games leave Editor some of the storyline up to the player’s imagination. Ryan Zhang (11) finds consensus with Rohrer’s statement. The Junior argues, “[with pixel graphics] Many classic video games are enjoyed by students today. Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and Space Invaders are some of the favorites you can be creative without worrying about needing [the game] to look real. amongst Newport Students according to a recent survey. All realistic art is judged by how ‘real’ they look and we only notice their flaws.” The development of video games throughout the 20th century holds many parallels with video game development in the military. Zhang’s statement seems to parallel the opinions of the renowned impressionist In 1948, the Army Operations Research Office at Johns Hopkins University created the Air Defense Simulation. It was operated painter Claude Monet, who rebelled against the precise, strict artistic style of the through the Univac computer, an ancient (at least for us high school students) piece of relic with a large switchboard, capable of simple realist movement. And while the limitations of a pixelated graphic design may arithmetic. The early video game simulated North American air defense and anti-aircraft guided missiles. seem daunting, Myra Lee (10) argues these “limitations can breed incredibly As video game technology improved, more combative themes rose in popularity with video games. Close Combat in the late 90’s used striking looking games.” An example of this would be Minecraft, a game known militaristic art, and Doom, the 1993 first-person shooter game that swept through the country, catalyzed war-themed video games. This for its iconic pixelated, blocky style. Perhaps more game creators will jump rise of military video games in the private industry led to the military adopting the technology to create its own simulations. The United aboard the pixel train in 2021, embracing this form of graphics the same way States Marine Corps adopted a special version of Doom to train its military personnel. realism evolved into impressionist art in the late 19th century. Some military training programs such as JANUS or SIMNET were even recreated to sell on a commercial level in the public sphere. These simulations helped train military personnel for tanks, helicopter, and airplane usage. Importantly, the nature of video games saved money in training costs for the military. Sony, the technology powerhouse from Japan, once hired SIMNET programmers to create similar video games for the PlayStation, their flagship video game console. Justin Zhang (12) agrees that many modern video games try to mimic combat “to a certain extent” but they are generally meant to “appeal to a general audience and aren’t entirely accurate.” Admittedly, modern shooter video games are oversaturated with combat action. Nonethtless, these general overlaps between early video games and the military may lead to speculation on the origins of many video games and poses an interesting question: which came first, video games or military simulations? Since the documentation of early simulation and video game technologies are vague, it is difficult to point to a definitive answer. This chicken or the egg conundrum may remain a mystery, but there is no doubt that the military and video game industry retain close ties. Video game-like simulations remain important in military training today, and modern first-shooter, war-themed video games continue to be popular. United States Army ads Image by Allyson Graylin (12) on YouTube closely resemble videogames and are indicative of the unique video game-military relationship. Did you know? The inspiration for Mario from Super Mario Bros. was Mario Segale, a Seattle-area real estate and construction business owner. He passed away in 2018 at the age of 84. The “ending“ to the original Pac-Man game is level 256, where the right side of the screen turns into a jumble of random images. The United States federal court case, Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd ruled that Donkey Kong and King Kong are two separate types of apes. 16 Focus December 18, 2020 Image by Annie McDonald (12) Top 3 Arcade Games and their Rise to Fame ANNIE MCDONALD Reporter The 1980s brought hundreds of arcade games to the market. But among the pixels and marquees, three games stood out: Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Street Fighter. Combined, 960,000 cabinets were sold, raking in almost eighteen billion dollars (inflation adjusted). Surprisingly, Pac-Man and its competitors did not die with the fall of penny-arcades. In fact, 38% of Newport students admit they play these “retro” games in their free time. 1) Pac-Man. The infamous eating game. Pac-Man can easily be considered a gaming icon, with over 94% of American consumers able to identify the genderless yellow puck. Yet despite its popularity, it was late to the game. By the late 1970’s, arcades were already packed with shiny new cabinets boasting bright marquees: Space Invaders, Asteroids, Defender… the list goes on. The only issue: all these games involve firing weapons. Although the concept of shooting asteroids and aliens may seem harmless compared to today’s Halo or Fortnite, many took issue with the overwhelming number of violent arcade games.
Recommended publications
  • Gamified Social Platform for Worldwide Gamers Whitepaper
    Gamified Social Platform for Worldwide Gamers Whitepaper ENG Ver 2.0 Last updated July 2021 Whitepaper | Gamified Social Platform for Worldwide Gamers White Paper Ludena Protocol provides a gamified social platform for worldwide gamers The LDN token rewards users for platform engagement with fellow participants. Our 3 million strong commu- nity boasts the ultimate gamer-focused social ecosystem and offers the three major segments of the gaming industry exclusive benefits: Players Discover or upload helpful game strategies, hints and tricks and receive fair rewards for all kinds of engagement; Can easily find or sell rare and special game items in the world’s first fee-free virtual goods marketplace; Get matched with new friends to play fun and simple games with on Ludena’s 1:1 hyper casual gaming platform. Game Publishers Marketing dollars are targeted, no longer wasted, and result in real ROI effectiveness, through in-game purchases and driven player growth, due to our accumulated 1TB+ of user analytics and our 7 years of proven marketing successes. Indie Game Developers Our platform is an ideal solution for indie game developers, who want to reach a large audience, without paying exuberant commission fees, and who want to drive in-game spend, as our token economy design encourages. 1/47 ludenaprotocol.io | Copyright©2021. All rights reserved. Executive Summary | Gamified Social Platform for Worldwide Gamers Executive Summary Ludena Protocol is the first comprehensive gamified social platform, connecting gamers, from around the world, to a single application where they can play, trade and share all things gaming with one another. The Ludena Protocol team is made up of a group of professionals, who have been operating the 3 million user strong gaming social media application, 'GameTalkTalk,' for 7 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Cancel Culture: Posthuman Hauntologies in Digital Rhetoric and the Latent Values of Virtual Community Networks
    CANCEL CULTURE: POSTHUMAN HAUNTOLOGIES IN DIGITAL RHETORIC AND THE LATENT VALUES OF VIRTUAL COMMUNITY NETWORKS By Austin Michael Hooks Heather Palmer Rik Hunter Associate Professor of English Associate Professor of English (Chair) (Committee Member) Matthew Guy Associate Professor of English (Committee Member) CANCEL CULTURE: POSTHUMAN HAUNTOLOGIES IN DIGITAL RHETORIC AND THE LATENT VALUES OF VIRTUAL COMMUNITY NETWORKS By Austin Michael Hooks A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Master of English The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga, Tennessee August 2020 ii Copyright © 2020 By Austin Michael Hooks All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT This study explores how modern epideictic practices enact latent community values by analyzing modern call-out culture, a form of public shaming that aims to hold individuals responsible for perceived politically incorrect behavior via social media, and cancel culture, a boycott of such behavior and a variant of call-out culture. As a result, this thesis is mainly concerned with the capacity of words, iterated within the archive of social media, to haunt us— both culturally and informatically. Through hauntology, this study hopes to understand a modern discourse community that is bound by an epideictic framework that specializes in the deconstruction of the individual’s ethos via the constant demonization and incitement of past, current, and possible social media expressions. The primary goal of this study is to understand how these practices function within a capitalistic framework and mirror the performativity of capital by reducing affective human interactions to that of a transaction.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Nomadland' Finds a Home with WAFCA Critics
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association Contact: [email protected], Tim Gordon 202-374-3305 On the Web: www.wafca.com Facebook.com/wafca Twitter.com/wafca February 8, 2021 ‘Nomadland’ Finds a Home with WAFCA Critics Washington, D.C. — “Nomadland” triumphed with five wins when The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) announced their top honorees for 2020 this morning. A slice-of-life from filmmaker Chloé Zhao about a widow who loses her job and sells her belongings to travel the American West, “Nomadland” won Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress for Frances McDormand, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. WAFCA posthumously awarded Best Actor to the late Chadwick Boseman for his searing turn as a talented trumpeter and songwriter struggling to make a name for himself in 1927 Chicago in George C. Wolfe’s film adaptation of August Wilson’s play “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Best Supporting Actor was awarded to Leslie Odom, Jr. for his powerful performance as soul musician Sam Cooke in Regina King’s 1964-set “One Night in Miami…” and Best Supporting Actress went to Yuh-Jung Youn, a standout in Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari.” Best Youth Performance also went to “Minari,” for Alan Kim’s memorable work as the young son of South Korean immigrants relocating from California to rural Arkansas in the 1980s. Best Acting Ensemble accolades were awarded to “One Night in Miami…,” a drama about a fictionalized February 1964 meeting between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke, starring Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom, Jr.
    [Show full text]
  • Nordic Game Is a Great Way to Do This
    2 Igloos inc. / Carcajou Games / Triple Boris 2 Igloos is the result of a joint venture between Carcajou Games and Triple Boris. We decided to use the complementary strengths of both studios to create the best team needed to create this project. Once a Tale reimagines the classic tale Hansel & Gretel, with a twist. As you explore the magical forest you will discover that it is inhabited by many characters from other tales as well. Using real handmade puppets and real miniature terrains which are then 3D scanned to create a palpable, fantastic world, we are making an experience that blurs the line between video game and stop motion animated film. With a great story and stunning visuals, we want to create something truly special. Having just finished our prototype this spring, we have already been finalists for the Ubisoft Indie Serie and the Eidos Innovation Program. We want to validate our concept with the European market and Nordic Game is a great way to do this. We are looking for Publishers that yearn for great stories and games that have a deeper meaning. 2Dogs Games Ltd. Destiny’s Sword is a broad-appeal Living-Narrative Graphic Adventure where every choice matters. Players lead a squad of intergalactic peacekeepers, navigating the fallout of war and life under extreme circumstances, while exploring a breath-taking and immersive world of living, breathing, hand-painted artwork. Destiny’s Sword is filled with endless choices and unlimited possibilities—we’re taking interactive storytelling to new heights with our proprietary Insight Engine AI technology. This intricate psychology simulation provides every character with a diverse personality, backstory and desires, allowing them to respond and develop in an incredibly human fashion—generating remarkable player engagement and emotional investment, while ensuring that every playthrough is unique.
    [Show full text]
  • FILMS MANK Makeup Artist Netflix Director: David Fincher SUN DOGS
    KRIS EVANS Member Academy of Makeup Artist Motion Picture Arts and Sciences IATSE 706, 798 and 891 BAFTA Los Angeles [email protected] (323) 251-4013 FILMS MANK Makeup Artist Netflix Director: David Fincher SUN DOGS Makeup Department Head Fabrica De Cine Director: Jennifer Morrison Cast: Ed O’Neill, Allison Janney, Melissa Benoist, Michael Angarano FREE STATE OF JONES Key Makeup STX Entertainment Director: Gary Ross Cast: Mahershala Ali, Matthew McConaughey, GuGu Mbatha-Raw THE PERFECT GUY Key Makeup Screen Gems Director: David M Rosenthal Cast: Sanaa Lathan, Michael Ealy, Morris Chestnut NIGHTCRAWLER Key Makeup, Additional Photography Bold Films Director: Dan Gilroy HUNGER GAMES MOCKINGJAY PART 1 & 2 Background Makeup Supervisor Lionsgate Director: Francis Lawrence THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE Background Makeup Supervisor Lionsgate Director: Francis Lawrence THE FACE OF LOVE Assistant Department Head Mockingbird Pictures Director: Arie Posen THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST Makeup Department Head Cine Mosaic Director: Mira Nair Cast: Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER 2012 Special Effects Makeup Artists th 20 ​ Century Fox Director: Timur Bekmambetov ​ THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2012 Makeup Artist Columbia Pictures Director: Marc Webb THE HUNGER GAMES Background Makeup Supervisor Lionsgate Director: Gary Ross THE RUM DIARY Key Makeup Warner Independent Pictures Director: Bruce Robinson Cast: Amber Heard, Giovanni Ribisi, Amaury Nolasco, Richard Jenkins 1 KRIS EVANS Member Academy of Makeup Artist
    [Show full text]
  • 'Cancel Culture' Doesn't Stifle Debate, but It Does Challenge the Old Order Billy Bragg
    'Cancel culture' doesn't stifle debate, but it does challenge the old order Billy Bragg Speech is only free when everyone has a voice – that’s why young people are angry Outside Broadcasting House in London, the BBC has erected a statue to one of its former employees, George Orwell. The author leans forward, hand on hip, as if to make a telling point. Carved into the wall beside him is a quote from the preface of Animal Farm: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” It’s a snappy slogan that fits neatly into a tweet, but whenever I walk past this effigy of the English writer that I most admire, it makes me cringe. Surely the author of Nineteen Eighty-Four would understand that people don’t want to hear that 2+2=5? For Orwell’s quote is not a defence of liberty; it’s a demand for licence, and has become a foundational slogan for those who wilfully misconstrue one for the other. Over the past decade, the right to make inflammatory statements has become a hot button issue for the reactionary right, who have constructed tropes such as political correctness and virtue signalling to enable them to police the limits of social change while portraying themselves as victims of an organised assault on liberty itself. The latest creation in their war against accountability is “cancel culture”, an ill-defined notion that takes in corporate moves to recognise structural racism, the toppling of statues, social media bullying, public shaming and other diverse attempts to challenge the status quo.
    [Show full text]
  • Local Presentation Project & Program Issues 61 General Matters Dinner
    Transportation Improvement Board June 24,25, 2010 - Vancouver, Washington 98662 Location: The Heathman Lodge 7801 NE Greenwood Drive (360) 254,3100 June 24, 2010 WORK SESSION AGENDA WORK SESSION Page Local Presentation 3:00 p.m. A. Southwest Project Update ­ Regional Transportation Council Dale Robins Project & Program Issues 3:20 p.m. B. City of Lakewood: Bridgeport Way Contingency Restoration Steve Gorcester 56 3:45 p.m. C. Reinstatement of Small City Match Steve Gorcester 58 4:15 p.m. D. Delayed Projects Report Steve Gorcester 61 General Matters 4:45 p.m. E. USDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodations Policy Ralph Wessels 63 Dinner on your own Transportation Improvement Board June 24;25, 2010 - Vancouver, Washington 98662 Location: The Heathman Lodge 7801 NE Greenwood Drive (360) 254;3100 June 25, 2010 - 9:00 am BOARD AGENDA Page 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Partch 2. Public Hearing: WAC Chapters 479; 10 &: 479#12 - Small City Match Chair Partch 1 3. GENERAL MATIERS A. Approval of March 26, 2010 Minutes Chair Partch 10 B. Communications Steve Gorcester 1. Traffic project will widen SE 272nd St. in Covington - CovingtonReporter.com 14 2. Lacey weights eminent domain - The Olympian 16 3. Powerful Segale family has vision for Tukwila expanse - The Seattle Times 18 4. Harrison roadwork to begin - The Olympian 24 5. Bothell breaks ground on a grand plan to fix its downtown - The Seattle Times 26 6. Winslow Way reconstruction talks return - Bainbridge Island Review 28 7. Bainbridge Council okays funding plan for Winslow Way - Kltsap Sun 31 8. Yelm Highway project breaks ground May 6 - The Olympian 33 9.
    [Show full text]
  • (English-Kreyol Dictionary). Educa Vision Inc., 7130
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 401 713 FL 023 664 AUTHOR Vilsaint, Fequiere TITLE Diksyone Angle Kreyol (English-Kreyol Dictionary). PUB DATE 91 NOTE 294p. AVAILABLE FROM Educa Vision Inc., 7130 Cove Place, Temple Terrace, FL 33617. PUB TYPE Reference Materials Vocabularies /Classifications /Dictionaries (134) LANGUAGE English; Haitian Creole EDRS PRICE MFO1 /PC12 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Alphabets; Comparative Analysis; English; *Haitian Creole; *Phoneme Grapheme Correspondence; *Pronunciation; Uncommonly Taught Languages; *Vocabulary IDENTIFIERS *Bilingual Dictionaries ABSTRACT The English-to-Haitian Creole (HC) dictionary defines about 10,000 English words in common usage, and was intended to help improve communication between HC native speakers and the English-speaking community. An introduction, in both English and HC, details the origins and sources for the dictionary. Two additional preliminary sections provide information on HC phonetics and the alphabet and notes on pronunciation. The dictionary entries are arranged alphabetically. (MSE) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** DIKSIONt 7f-ngigxrzyd Vilsaint tick VISION U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDU ATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS CENTER (ERIC) MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. \hkavt Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. BEST COPY AVAILABLE Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES official OERI position or policy. INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." 2 DIKSYCAlik 74)25fg _wczyd Vilsaint EDW. 'VDRON Diksyone Angle-Kreyal F. Vilsaint 1992 2 Copyright e 1991 by Fequiere Vilsaint All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Programmed Moves: Race and Embodiment in Fighting and Dancing Videogames
    UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Programmed Moves: Race and Embodiment in Fighting and Dancing Videogames Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5pg3z8fg Author Chien, Irene Y. Publication Date 2015 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Programmed Moves: Race and Embodiment in Fighting and Dancing Videogames by Irene Yi-Jiun Chien A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Film and Media and the Designated Emphasis in New Media in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Linda Williams, Chair Professor Kristen Whissel Professor Greg Niemeyer Professor Abigail De Kosnik Spring 2015 Abstract Programmed Moves: Race and Embodiment in Fighting and Dancing Videogames by Irene Yi-Jiun Chien Doctor of Philosophy in Film and Media Designated Emphasis in New Media University of California, Berkeley Professor Linda Williams, Chair Programmed Moves examines the intertwined history and transnational circulation of two major videogame genres, martial arts fighting games and rhythm dancing games. Fighting and dancing games both emerge from Asia, and they both foreground the body. They strip down bodily movement into elemental actions like stepping, kicking, leaping, and tapping, and make these the form and content of the game. I argue that fighting and dancing games point to a key dynamic in videogame play: the programming of the body into the algorithmic logic of the game, a logic that increasingly organizes the informatic structure of everyday work and leisure in a globally interconnected information economy.
    [Show full text]
  • Dual-Forward-Focus
    Scroll Back The Theory and Practice of Cameras in Side-Scrollers Itay Keren Untame [email protected] @itayke Scrolling Big World, Small Screen Scrolling: Neural Background Fovea centralis High cone density Sharp, hi-res central vision Parafovea Lower cone density Perifovea Lowest density, Compressed patterns. Optimized for quick pattern changes: shape, acceleration, direction Fovea centralis High cone density Sharp, hi-res central vision Parafovea Lower cone density Perifovea Lowest density, Compressed patterns. Optimized for quick pattern changes: shape, acceleration, direction Thalamus Relay sensory signals to the cerebral cortex (e.g. vision, motor) Amygdala Emotional reactions of fear and anxiety, memory regulation and conditioning "fight-or-flight" regulation Familiar visual patterns as well as pattern changes may cause anxiety unless regulated Vestibular System Balance, Spatial Orientation Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex Natural image stabilizer Conflicting sensory signals (Visual vs. Vestibular) may lead to discomfort and nausea* * much worse in 3D (especially VR), but still effective in 2D Scrolling with Attention, Interaction and Comfort Attention: Use the camera to provide sufficient game info and feedback Interaction: Make background changes predictable, tightly bound to controls Comfort: Ease and contextualize background changes Attention The Elements of Scrolling Interaction Comfort Scrolling Nostalgia Rally-X © 1980 Namco Scramble © 1981 Jump Bug © 1981 Defender © 1981 Konami Hoei/Coreland (Alpha Denshi) Williams Electronics Vanguard
    [Show full text]
  • Art Worlds for Art Games Edited
    Loading… The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association Vol 7(11): 41-60 http://loading.gamestudies.ca An Art World for Artgames Felan Parker York University [email protected] Abstract Drawing together the insights of game studies, aesthetics, and the sociology of art, this article examines the legitimation of ‘artgames’ as a category of indie games with particularly high cultural and artistic status. Passage (PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, 2007) serves as a case study, demonstrating how a diverse range of factors and processes, including a conducive ‘opportunity space’, changes in independent game production, distribution, and reception, and the emergence of a critical discourse, collectively produce an assemblage or ‘art world’ (Baumann, 2007a; 2007b) that constitutes artgames as legitimate art. Author Keywords Artgames; legitimation; art world; indie games; critical discourse; authorship; Passage; Rohrer Introduction The seemingly meteoric rise to widespread recognition of ‘indie’ digital games in recent years is the product of a much longer process made up of many diverse elements. It is generally accepted as a given that indie games now play an important role in the industry and culture of digital games, but just over a decade ago there was no such category in popular discourse – independent game production went by other names (freeware, shareware, amateur, bedroom) and took place in insular, autonomous communities of practice focused on particular game-creation tools or genres, with their own distribution networks, audiences, and systems of evaluation, only occasionally connected with a larger marketplace. Even five years ago, the idea of indie games was still burgeoning and becoming stable, and it is the historical moment around 2007 that I will address in this article.
    [Show full text]
  • Culture Wars in the UK: How the Public Understand the Debate
    Culture wars in the UK: how the public understand the debate Bobby Duffy, Kirstie Hewlett, George Murkin, Rebecca Benson, Rachel Hesketh, Ben Page, Gideon Skinner and Glenn Gottfried May 2021 Culture wars in the UK How media discussion of “culture wars” has exploded There has been an explosion in UK media Number of articles mentioning “culture wars” in UK newspapers, by those referencing the UK or other countries coverage of culture wars in recent years Articles referencing UK Articles not referencing UK US presidential election There has been a huge surge in media coverage mentioning “culture wars” in recent years, with 808 articles published in 600 UK newspapers talking about culture wars anywhere in the world in 2020 – up from 106 in 2015. Even more strikingly, the number of articles focusing on the 500 existence or nature of culture wars in the UK has gone from just 21 in 2015 to 534 in 2020. When the term first appeared in UK newspapers, most articles related to culture wars in the US – and the influence 400 of the US continued to be visible in the 2000s, with spikes in the number of reports mentioning culture wars following the American presidential election cycle. 300 Since the mid-2000s, the idea of UK specific culture wars began to gain some attention. And since 2016, coverage of No. of articles the UK culture wars has taken off – surpassing the number 200 of references to other countries in 2019 and becoming a term that has entered the journalistic vernacular to describe a wide range of cultural divides in the UK.
    [Show full text]