Semiotics 

Singnifier denotation - marks on a paper sound in the air an object - areal physical entity 

 

Signified connotation - the mental concept in my mind when hear the sound look at the object - A cultural experience

 

Indexical sign - example a picture of a footprint a particular foot has stood in this spot

 

 Indexical signs claim a casual relationship between signifier and signified 

 

Iconic sign - a photograph looks like or resembles a person 

 

symbolic Sign - the word C.A.T  the letter do not look like a cat the word is not the sound of a cat the relationship to the creature is established through convention

The more iconic the sign the more constrained it is Highly constrained (realistic)

Even the most constrained signifier are still arbitrary elements

 

Visual images can be put together to establish conventions some realistic others less so requiring repeated attempts to make them seem conventional

My thoughts

Although divulging into the world of semiotics can seem daunting breaking the key elements down can help to understand. a signifier can be a word that is associated with an object. to highlight an example of this a signifier railway crossing sign can be signified by a real picture of a rail way crossing. its a very interesting idea how as a games designer u can incorporate semiotics into developing and iterating games  

 

  

New Games Journalism

Vs Old

New Games Journalism Can be described as a writers experiences presented to them by the game world as well as interactions with other players online, this will unlikely offer any value judgements regarding the games merits or failings

Old Games Journalism Old Games Journalism focuses more on Graphics Gameplay, interface and control as a method of analysis  

 

Having read Bow Nigger It was actually very powerful read the writer really makes u feel what he was feeling it makes u think of a time and place when u where playing a game and u where that immersed in that moment that nothing else mattered just you and another person standing in your way of victory.

I believe there are alot off aspect that can define this as a NGJ the way the writer talks of his personal battle in that moment, the feelings he has the constant mind battle with the other player.

 

As far as NGJ vs OGJ it really boils down to player preference some people my prefer to understand the game mechancics how it works the ins and outs of every nut and cranny in the game.

However other like to read off how the game makes u feel in that moment what emotions the game has to offer.

 

Personally i kind of like the idea of having a bit of both similar to bow nigger uses NGJ and OGJ but in away that makes it seem completely NGJ   

 

 

Remediation

Games

• The spectrum of ways new media ‘remediates’ old media

• The term Remediation comes from the work of Bolter and Grusin

 Immediacy - Media that aspire to a condition of transparency The aim is to make the viewer forget That they are watching a movie and be drawn in to the experience.

Hypermediacy - Artifacts that are aware of and wish to display there own constructed nature

They call attention to their own constructed nature all the time

Remedation is the tansfer of one media to another. this can be exampled as the news showing from the televsion to be showing on the web.

Another Example would be the games that are shown on console that are also show through films.

These are known as technoludic film as remediation

Remediation  takes place as it may take time for new medium to develop unique forms of content

Successful conventions end up being traded between different media.

The Goal of computer games was to render into visual 3 the text based narratives of early computer games.

Games Britannia 

Joystick Generation     

 

• Dungeoens and dragons revolutionized the way games where played.

• Arcade games machines where the first step in computer games consoles 

• Spectrum first computer console manic miner 

• instant success very addictive

• BBC micro spectrum rival, branded posh person console

• Elite founded by Ian bell and David Braden- Elite opened up new opportunity in games.

• Populas - black and white known as the god games gave the player the ultimate power.   

• Mid 90s the games industry blossoms 

• 1996 Tomb Raider shows the potential of home computers

• Games become personal more immersed

• Games developer find creating a sense of ownership of a character hard to pull off creating a fine balance

• 1995 Wipeout immersive world super speeds trance like world

• where are moral boundaries  in games?

• Carmageddon formed the highly poplar Grand Theft Auto Complete virtual world where the player can travel anywhere make choices

• Little big planet allows players to create their own world pushes players to become there own games designers

• Social gaming becomes huge players love to play with other players 

• MUD first virtual world against other players 

• All games offer whats called the hero's journey where the player chooses their path chooses who they want to become  virtual community

My Thoughts  

In the conclusion episode of Games Britannia we look at how games moved on from board games that dominated the games industry and how the very first consoles where made played and become so successful to the modern consoles that most play today.

What interesting in this final episode is the transition that games made to consoles in every home. and can also distinctly remember growing up in the 90s games becoming a huge hit and a massive part of my child hood in a weird sense it was like describing what my child hood was like as the games industry burst onto consoles. 

La Decima Vittma

(The tenth victim)

My thoughts

Watching the 10th victim was what i can only describe as something different. the film did however remind me of more recent film hunger games, in which people where lawfully allowed to kill so long as they kept to government rules set in place.

If people where successful in completing 10 rounds they would be rewarded with fame and fortune

Although the film can be described as very simlilar to hunger games its very much a quirky film and outside then box

 

the film was very humors and in all honesty not a film i would jump up to watch again.

however it does give an intriguing thought of what if in the near future this would become a reality exactly what would the average person do in that situation how much would a person go to acquire wealth and fame?  

 

 

 

 

 

Tweaking Ancient games

My chosen ancient game that i decided to tweak was the Royal Game Of Ur

In order to look at changing the game i first played the game over and over to get a better understanding of the game and its core mechanics. 

The royal game of Ur is a very simple race game so i decided to change some dynamics to the game to make the game a little more interesting.

 

I decided to add a rosette square at the start of the board where each player enters the middle section first square. this square if occupied by a player and landed on have the opportunity to knock the opposing players pieces off the board and back to the start.

 

I tested this new dynamic to the game and found that this created alot more interaction with your opponent with laughter ect. however it did in some cases make the game last longer.

 

This was an effect that i did not want in a game that already seemed to take a little longer than it should for a game of its simplicity.

 

I have more ideas of iterations that i would like to make to the Royal game of Ur and i hope to test these changes out with hopefully improved results.   

 

 

 

 

Going Cardboard

This blog is about a documentary show i watched called going cardboard in this film it looks at the growing population people who not only play boardgames but the amount of diffrent people that design boardgames in todays world.

 

The documentary looks at the amount of growing community of fans and designers in the boardgames industry. The people shown in the documentary are clearly very passionate about all things boardgames

 

It is hard to to tell from just the documentary how big the community really is and to what extent the board game community continues to grow at. these alluring fans meet in Germany for the worlds game convention which is a credit to how big the community has become.

It is astonishing to see the amount of boardgames some people in the documentary have to their name some people have boardgames in the 100s that they own. It is also a great eye opener into the amount of board games that are actually made in the modern world especially with computer games dominating the games industry in today's  modern world.

 

I also noticed the ages of most of the people who are great fans of boardgames these people typically elder men and woman, this backed up games Britannia theory that as people get older the need to play more games that involves social interaction becomes greater than that of any other typical form of gaming. 

 

 

 

 

   

Games Britannia. 2: Monopolies and Mergers 

• Golden age

• The mansion of bliss simple game of chance rewarded or penalized.  

• Mansion of happiness first published game in america

• Checkered game of life - influence ambition,choice iteration of the British game of morals (choice being a key change)  
• Making the winning player feel the have won through skill and the loser my bad luck.

• Brer fox and Brer rabbit land tax game, (buying land that u tax to accumulate money) game used to create political discussion

• Monopoly is created becomes the most successful board game to date 

• Elizabeth Phillips never credited for the idea behind monopoly

• In the game of monopoly people enjoy the trill of winning and losing money

• Tournament rules introduce a new dice to speed up the game of monopoly with a typical game lasting just 45mins- 1hour.

• Creating a balance in a board game of skill and luck key to creating successful board game

• Cluedo created originally called murder

• Tv was invented becoming a real danger for boardgames

• Trivial pursuit was made and played on tv the game gave people a chance to show there knowledge.

• Games become global

• By the mid 80s board games in peril from the invention of computer games

• distinct similarity's in games centuries ago to games today, putting the world as it is on a board for people to play.

My thoughts

In this edition of Games Britannia it describes the first games being published and how boardgames grew with varying different designs until monopoly was created a game that still stands today as the most stand out board game. i typically found it interesting to the similarity's of games in recent years to games in ancient times.   

 

Bibliography 

 

 

This is a bibliography of books i have read so far studying computer games so far

these books are referenced in a Harvard style format.

 

 Jesse Schell (2008). The Art of Game Design A Book of Lenses. London New york: Morgan Kaufmann. p1-139.

 

 Chris Grover (2012). Flash CS6: The Missing Manua. Cambridge: O'reilly. 1-49.

 

 Knizia, R., 2004. Commissioned Essay, in: Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. MIT, pp. 22–27.

 

 

 

  

Games Britannia

Games Britannia

• games played everywhere churches,pubs big screens 

• When games where first made they where fundemental not just fun

•   Dr Ervine Finkle (studys how games work)

• Games where thought as a ritual power (games used for prophecy's)   

•  Games where used as a way of discovering yourself

• Games where vital. 

• Alea Evangell very complicated game. players would have to escort the king from the cntre of the board to 1 of the 4 corners of the board. ( describes the games as being in the zone with no concept of winning and losing)
• Games made to reflect life - luck and skill. balanced game of both of these was needed (backgammon) 

• Games whee made to fill the human weakness of getting bored  
•  9 mens morris essentially naughts and crosses (fast paced game lining peices up to win) 

• the game Hazard, describes as the making of a man( gambling game where a player would have to bet more and more each round to stay in the game) condemned by the church   

• Starting the Era of gambling 

• game of farrow, people would lose entire fortunes and there own houses. ( winning the greatest pleasure in life losing the second greatest)   
• Gambling act introduced.    
•  The royal game of goose designed to teach children. a game of luck with alot of penalties and few rewards
•  Gyan Chapoor- formed snakes and ladders. quest game to reach to the top. ( completion not the point of the game enlightenment not fun.   

• Chess a game of immense depth and strategy ( become known as the immortal game intelligent game)

British turned games into a world market.

 My thoughts

Games britannia really goes back to looking at how games whwere first descovered and played.

I find it interesting to see how the meaning of games has changed over centuries. games it would seem where a way of life and meant alot more in the real life as they do today. although the arguement could be made that for some people games mean alot more in there life as others.

It was interesting to hear of the quote that games where made to fill the weakness of human being which is boredom.