When it comes to the gaming culture I enjoy many parts of it. I enjoy not just the playing games but listening to the music, reading the guides and even dressing up as characters (http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo227/yamadeusa/035_35.jpg try to spot me) . Though I have not gone to a game specific convention I go to anime conventions which usually have a rather large gamer gathering along with people dressing up. Also I happen to work very closely with a gaming shop in my town. I occasionally do artwork for the front window and clutter up the shop by spending most of my Saturdays in there.
The gaming culture takes up most of my life. The Playstation 3 is near enough always on. On days where I have no work to do I can sit playing a game all day. I often spend a lot of my holidays getting games completed the moment I buy them. I buy atleast one game a month on average and last month I bought at least 3 games.
When it comes to online friends I do have quite a few contacts who are game orientated who I met via gaming sites. When I was a lot younger I used to spend most of my days on sites like Runescape and Neopets and through forums and meeting people I ended up gaining quite a few contacts with the same likes as me. I still talk to a few but I mostly chat with old friends and university friends.
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Recessssssssion.
Firsly an interesting link about the gaming industry and recession http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10107412-52.html
As the world suffers economic downfall many different industries are feeling the pinch, even the gaming industry. Many employees are beginning to worry over job losses and companies are being closed or being bought out. At the moment the gaming industry is at a low due to recession.
This causes major challenges. Companies have to battle the lack of money and funds to make games and pay employees. This can cause problems in game development, putting titles back or even dropping games all together. Though it will be less felt within big game companies a few smaller ones will suffer complications.
Eidos Interactive is one of the company’s who have felt the recession. They have recently gone into debt and as of now, Square Enix is planning to buy them.
At the moment, compared to many parts of the world the gaming industry seems quite sound. especially in the major companies which have quite a lot of money. The recession will be felt a lot later along the line, around the time I finish university, meaning it will be hard to find a job but as long as people continue to buy games the gaming industry will keep on going.
As the world suffers economic downfall many different industries are feeling the pinch, even the gaming industry. Many employees are beginning to worry over job losses and companies are being closed or being bought out. At the moment the gaming industry is at a low due to recession.
This causes major challenges. Companies have to battle the lack of money and funds to make games and pay employees. This can cause problems in game development, putting titles back or even dropping games all together. Though it will be less felt within big game companies a few smaller ones will suffer complications.
Eidos Interactive is one of the company’s who have felt the recession. They have recently gone into debt and as of now, Square Enix is planning to buy them.
At the moment, compared to many parts of the world the gaming industry seems quite sound. especially in the major companies which have quite a lot of money. The recession will be felt a lot later along the line, around the time I finish university, meaning it will be hard to find a job but as long as people continue to buy games the gaming industry will keep on going.
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Creativity
What is creativity????
“Creativity is a mental and social process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts. An alternative conception of creativness is that it is simply the act of making something new.”
Creativity is something everyone has (well atleast I think they do). It ranges from mere thought to putting something on paper. It is the ability to create with originality. It is the thing that allowed Leonardo Da Vinci to invent and finally it is the thing that’s keeping this blog going.
It manifests in many forms, one form (being my favourite) is when ideas build up and the final thought it put to paper creating a marvellous image which could be a character, landscape or even an invention (as you can see below by the great Leonardo Da Vinci making crazy flying things)
When drawing, if I draw without constraint I can go for hours brainstorming ideas and not getting anything put on paper but with constraint I find that I can be creative in just a small area, meaning I can find out more details of that specific area making something that may be more realistic and have more detail. So I believe it depends on the person whether constraint enhances or hinders creativity.
When it comes to jobs just about every job is creative. Creativity is just shown in different ways. “Creativity isn't just about art and craft. We can be creative in the language we use, the sounds we make, the clothes we wear, the way we dance. But we can also be creative in the way we think. In fact, anyone can be creative even if they can't paint, dance or sing.”
Art Directors, artists, programmers and writers will all be creative. All in their way of thinking but when it comes to putting things down each way will be different. An art director will have to think fast to sort out the art team. The Arists will draw ideas, Programmers will have to think creatively to slot together bits of coding and finally writers have to be creative with the text they create.
Creativity looks like a 10in purple dinosaur with green and yellow spots called Bob…really it has many looks. It can look like text, a line on a piece of paper, a thought, an idea, a sound wave, anything. The sky’s the limit when it comes to creativity.
As creativity is much like the force from Star Wars (Everywhere, slightly crazy, something to do with Midochlorians?) it’s in everything when it comes to gaming. When it manifests in games it appears again in just about everything; the plot, the character design, the texture on the character, the landscape, the buttons used for certain actions, the programming that makes everything work, the motions of the character and items. There is also creativity in how the person interacts with the game. In games which have multiple routes which lead to an ending the player as to be creativity in thinking and work out a way to go.
When it comes to creativity some of my favourite creative people happen to be my favourite artists. Leonardo Da Vinci is very creative. I also find the artist Frida Kahlo to be very creative. She didn’t just draw portrait there would be thought bubbles and other odd things. Other creative people would be people like Tetsuya Nomura, Poppy Z. Brite, Giacometti and how about the people who were responsible for wrapping up Mikes desk and all the items in tin foil.
And finally I will show my thoughts and feelings through my drawings, creations and blogs. I’ll show creativity through my university work. My models that I’ve created will surely show creation? I would expect people to view my work, take the time to look at it and read it, that alone would make me happy.
“Creativity is a mental and social process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts. An alternative conception of creativness is that it is simply the act of making something new.”
Creativity is something everyone has (well atleast I think they do). It ranges from mere thought to putting something on paper. It is the ability to create with originality. It is the thing that allowed Leonardo Da Vinci to invent and finally it is the thing that’s keeping this blog going.
It manifests in many forms, one form (being my favourite) is when ideas build up and the final thought it put to paper creating a marvellous image which could be a character, landscape or even an invention (as you can see below by the great Leonardo Da Vinci making crazy flying things)
When drawing, if I draw without constraint I can go for hours brainstorming ideas and not getting anything put on paper but with constraint I find that I can be creative in just a small area, meaning I can find out more details of that specific area making something that may be more realistic and have more detail. So I believe it depends on the person whether constraint enhances or hinders creativity.When it comes to jobs just about every job is creative. Creativity is just shown in different ways. “Creativity isn't just about art and craft. We can be creative in the language we use, the sounds we make, the clothes we wear, the way we dance. But we can also be creative in the way we think. In fact, anyone can be creative even if they can't paint, dance or sing.”
Art Directors, artists, programmers and writers will all be creative. All in their way of thinking but when it comes to putting things down each way will be different. An art director will have to think fast to sort out the art team. The Arists will draw ideas, Programmers will have to think creatively to slot together bits of coding and finally writers have to be creative with the text they create.
Creativity looks like a 10in purple dinosaur with green and yellow spots called Bob…really it has many looks. It can look like text, a line on a piece of paper, a thought, an idea, a sound wave, anything. The sky’s the limit when it comes to creativity.
As creativity is much like the force from Star Wars (Everywhere, slightly crazy, something to do with Midochlorians?) it’s in everything when it comes to gaming. When it manifests in games it appears again in just about everything; the plot, the character design, the texture on the character, the landscape, the buttons used for certain actions, the programming that makes everything work, the motions of the character and items. There is also creativity in how the person interacts with the game. In games which have multiple routes which lead to an ending the player as to be creativity in thinking and work out a way to go.
When it comes to creativity some of my favourite creative people happen to be my favourite artists. Leonardo Da Vinci is very creative. I also find the artist Frida Kahlo to be very creative. She didn’t just draw portrait there would be thought bubbles and other odd things. Other creative people would be people like Tetsuya Nomura, Poppy Z. Brite, Giacometti and how about the people who were responsible for wrapping up Mikes desk and all the items in tin foil.
And finally I will show my thoughts and feelings through my drawings, creations and blogs. I’ll show creativity through my university work. My models that I’ve created will surely show creation? I would expect people to view my work, take the time to look at it and read it, that alone would make me happy.
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Happy Blog
Since I neglect my blog what better way to celebrate the fact I didn’t fail miserably by posting and hopefully upping my grade a bit.
I’m finding all the information from Ben Mathers insanely useful. Just watching him make something in 3DS Max has made me feel a little bit happier about working with the program. I also tend to understand it a bit more as well. Though it’s a long winded thing to watch I’m actually enjoying watching what he’s making.
Going to miss the film tomorrow. I loved watching all the crazy dystopian fantasies so I’ll have to maybe go out to the library and find some more funky films otherwise it’ll be Star Wars repeats.
My god this was really a pointless blog, but then again I have a thing about being bad when it comes to blogging. I never know what to talk about. So I think I’m gonna leave it there with a nice picture by the artist Brom, since i love his work and Ben mentioned him today.
I’m finding all the information from Ben Mathers insanely useful. Just watching him make something in 3DS Max has made me feel a little bit happier about working with the program. I also tend to understand it a bit more as well. Though it’s a long winded thing to watch I’m actually enjoying watching what he’s making.
Going to miss the film tomorrow. I loved watching all the crazy dystopian fantasies so I’ll have to maybe go out to the library and find some more funky films otherwise it’ll be Star Wars repeats.
My god this was really a pointless blog, but then again I have a thing about being bad when it comes to blogging. I never know what to talk about. So I think I’m gonna leave it there with a nice picture by the artist Brom, since i love his work and Ben mentioned him today.
Monday, 15 December 2008
Gameplay?
Gameplay. I remember searching for a definition for that word a couple of blogs ago and finding it hard to find a definition. Without it would a game be interesting or even possible? While searching through definitions all of them mention the game and the user, saying how it is how the user interacts with a game or how the game responds. If this thing was removed how would a game be played if not played at all. In a game of chess if there was no gameplay you could not move the chess piece so surely it is an key thing.
Gameplay keeps a user involved and interested. It’s the thing that keeps us playing when it comes to gaming. When it comes to rules I don’t think it has any. It’s more about how the user interacts with the game in general, it’s the connection the user has with the game. Gameplay could be designed into a game, Chess could be one of the games solely based on gameplay. In chess the user has to move the chess piece, the user has to interact with the pieces and board otherwise the game would not be playable. Without gameplay the chess pieces could not be moved, maybe even the thought of moving them would also be none existent. I also believe that a game could not be successful without it, making it very important. Without it the interactions between the game and user would not exist meaning that one connection with the game the user had would vanish, sure the graphics and sound would be there but it would be as though the controller would not exist.
Gameplay keeps a user involved and interested. It’s the thing that keeps us playing when it comes to gaming. When it comes to rules I don’t think it has any. It’s more about how the user interacts with the game in general, it’s the connection the user has with the game. Gameplay could be designed into a game, Chess could be one of the games solely based on gameplay. In chess the user has to move the chess piece, the user has to interact with the pieces and board otherwise the game would not be playable. Without gameplay the chess pieces could not be moved, maybe even the thought of moving them would also be none existent. I also believe that a game could not be successful without it, making it very important. Without it the interactions between the game and user would not exist meaning that one connection with the game the user had would vanish, sure the graphics and sound would be there but it would be as though the controller would not exist.
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Characters
Characters, one of my favourite things in a game, film or book. Ever since I was little I always wanted to be an archaeologist like Lara Croft or be able to levitate a stone like Luke Skywalker. I enjoy seeing development and designs of characters, seeing how they evolve and how they evolve even further within the world they exist in.
One of the first characters I ever got attached to was Lara Croft. I can remember playing Tomb Raider and just wishing I could climbs rocks like her and somersault. What made her even ‘cooler’ was the fact she had guns. Not only could she do the gymnastics but she was lethal as well and she was a woman. Sure she had the short shorts and the big pixelated boobs but who cared she could kick ass. As more Tomb Raider game came out Lara could do more things, making her even more cooler. The older I got the more I realised it was that she was ‘cool’ it was the fact she could do all these things that I could never do.
For me the main reason for liking characters is because they can do things I can’t. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nariko from Heavenly Sword, Luke Skywalker from Star Wars could all do things I couldn’t and just being them for a moment through watching TV or playing a game gave me that quick escape from reality. Fantasy stories are my favourite purely because I can read into the character and escape that reality that glooms over.
When it comes to interesting characters I think an appearance is key. They have to look interesting but not out of place. Also they need to have some form of personality. When it comes to films a script is definitely needed aswell as an actor and I also feel a lot of games need actors and scripts. I loved the character design for Nariko and the fact that had a proper actor to voice her meant she was more interesting. An example of needing some form of acting skill would be the original Devil May Cry, when Dante screams out “I should have been the one to fill ur dark sould with LIGHT” the actor was so bad, it just sounded so fake and amusing. (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=H8qG4AlK1qk&feature=related)
One of the first characters I ever got attached to was Lara Croft. I can remember playing Tomb Raider and just wishing I could climbs rocks like her and somersault. What made her even ‘cooler’ was the fact she had guns. Not only could she do the gymnastics but she was lethal as well and she was a woman. Sure she had the short shorts and the big pixelated boobs but who cared she could kick ass. As more Tomb Raider game came out Lara could do more things, making her even more cooler. The older I got the more I realised it was that she was ‘cool’ it was the fact she could do all these things that I could never do.
For me the main reason for liking characters is because they can do things I can’t. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nariko from Heavenly Sword, Luke Skywalker from Star Wars could all do things I couldn’t and just being them for a moment through watching TV or playing a game gave me that quick escape from reality. Fantasy stories are my favourite purely because I can read into the character and escape that reality that glooms over.
When it comes to interesting characters I think an appearance is key. They have to look interesting but not out of place. Also they need to have some form of personality. When it comes to films a script is definitely needed aswell as an actor and I also feel a lot of games need actors and scripts. I loved the character design for Nariko and the fact that had a proper actor to voice her meant she was more interesting. An example of needing some form of acting skill would be the original Devil May Cry, when Dante screams out “I should have been the one to fill ur dark sould with LIGHT” the actor was so bad, it just sounded so fake and amusing. (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=H8qG4AlK1qk&feature=related)
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Consoles
When looking through the video console timeline it’s amazing to see how they literally go from box to more streamline, rounder designs. Also the controllers were a lot more simpler compared to what they are today. The controllers had what seems to be two or three buttons now controllers have shoulder buttons, directional buttons and so on.
When it comes to consoles they are so different from what they were a long time ago from the “Brown Box” to the Playstation 3. When it comes to playing games myself I much prefer some form of controller, especially a play station controller. As I’ve mostly been a play station gamer and the controller has hardly changed shape throughout the years I find it most comfortable to use. I also find it much easier to use then a Wii remote which I usually end up flailing about with trying to get through one level.
When it comes to looks I find that Sony, though the Playstation 3 is massive, have the better looking console. The play station 3 has no sharp edges, it’s all rounded and shiny. The Playstation Portable is streamline, small and it looks much nicer compared to the Nintendo DS. The PSP I own is also a limited http://www.techgadgets.in/images/sony-crisis-core-final-fantasy-vii-psp-bundle.jpg) which is another reason I prefer the look of the PSP.
When it comes to interacting with a console eventually I believe that it’ll be done via headsets and electronically gadgets that’ll attach to peoples hands so the person can be placed in the game. The visor will allow the person to see the game in 3D and the other gadgets will map out parts of the person so they can interact within the game. I do believe though there will be some from of original hardcore gamers who will stay to the joystick and keep it alive. It won’t completely die.
When it comes to consoles they are so different from what they were a long time ago from the “Brown Box” to the Playstation 3. When it comes to playing games myself I much prefer some form of controller, especially a play station controller. As I’ve mostly been a play station gamer and the controller has hardly changed shape throughout the years I find it most comfortable to use. I also find it much easier to use then a Wii remote which I usually end up flailing about with trying to get through one level.
When it comes to looks I find that Sony, though the Playstation 3 is massive, have the better looking console. The play station 3 has no sharp edges, it’s all rounded and shiny. The Playstation Portable is streamline, small and it looks much nicer compared to the Nintendo DS. The PSP I own is also a limited http://www.techgadgets.in/images/sony-crisis-core-final-fantasy-vii-psp-bundle.jpg) which is another reason I prefer the look of the PSP.
When it comes to interacting with a console eventually I believe that it’ll be done via headsets and electronically gadgets that’ll attach to peoples hands so the person can be placed in the game. The visor will allow the person to see the game in 3D and the other gadgets will map out parts of the person so they can interact within the game. I do believe though there will be some from of original hardcore gamers who will stay to the joystick and keep it alive. It won’t completely die.
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