US12C - Computer Games as Art, Culture, and
Technology Discussions, Spring 2008
Garnet Hertz Email:
ghertz[[a]]uci.edu Office Hours: Monday 8am - 9am in RH190 or by appointment
Overview of this website
This website is built to help students of US12C discussions keep track of relevant course materials, including due dates, discussion handouts and URLs. This isn't meant as a substitute for the official course syllabus at http://www.ics.uci.edu/~frost/US12C/syllabus.html - please take a look at it for the most recent information about this course.
Discussion Notes
Week 1 Discussion - Monday March 31st 2008
There is no discussion this week - see you in the first lecture on April 1st 2008.
NOTE: The rooms for discussions and labs have been changed for this class. The discussions are now held on Mondays (between 9am and 12:50pm) in Rowland Hall 190. Labs are now held on Wednesdays (between 9am and 12:50pm) in ICS 364.
Rowland Hall is building #400 on UCI campus maps. Here is a photo of the exterior of Rowland Hall:
The "Infinity Fountain" is directly outside the building:
Week 2 Discussion - Monday April 7th 2008
Welcome back!
Time change this quarter: I'll be doing discussions on Mondays, Eric will be doing labs on Wednesdays. My office hours are Mondays, 8:00am - 9:00am at CalIT2.
"06. An algorithm—for current purposes—is a finite set of
instructions for accomplishing some task which transforms an
initial starting condition into a recognizable end condition.
The
recipes that Benjamin and other Sims learn from the cookbooks
on their bookshelves are algorithms. Benjamin’s career as a
Theorist is also an algorithm. It has a start condition: he must
have 8 friends, 4 charisma points, a 7 in creativity, and so on. It
has end conditions too. With 10 friends, 5 charisma points, and
a 10 in creativity, the Theorist career can end and another begin.
The gamer selects one sequence after another and gradually
learns what they do—that’s algorithm. The gamer discovers a
relationship between appearances and algorithm in the game
which is a double of the relation between appearances and a
putative algorithm in gamespace—that’s allegorithm. But there
is always a gap between the intuitively knowable algorithm of
the game and the passing, uneven, unfair semblance of an algo-
rithm in the everyday life of gamespace—this is the form that
allegory now takes."
"16. Allegory is about the relation of sign to sign. Allegorithm is
about the relation of sign to number. Signs don’t open to reveal
chains of other signs, pointing in all directions. Or rather, what
signs reveal is no longer of any importance. They billow and
float, pool and gather, arbitrary and useless. They cannot be
redeemed. But signs now point to something else. They point
to number. And number in turn points to the algorithm, which
transforms one number into another. Out of the bit rot of signs,
games make allegorithms. The signs point to numbers, the
numbers to algorithms, the algorithms to allegorithms of every-
day life in gamespace, where signs likewise are devalued, arbi-
trary, but can still stand as details of the one thing that still
makes sense, for the logic of the digital."
"24. The Simsis a peculiar kind of game in which everyday life
is the subject of play but where play is nothing but work. And
yet there’s a difference between play in game and gamespace,
which permits the former to offer an allegory for the latter, an
allegory that may function as escape and critique of gamespace,
perhaps even as an almost utopian alternative. In the game,
unlike in gamespace, the contest between gamer and game is
over nothing. There are no precious minerals. There is no labor
contract in dispute. The difference between play and its other
may have collapsed, but there is still a difference between play
within the bounds of an algorithm that works impersonally, the
same for everybody, and a gamespace that appears as nothing
but an agon for the will to power. If the choice is only between
The Simsas a real game and gamespace as a game of the real,
the gamer chooses to stay in The CaveTM and play games. The
contradiction is that for there to be a game that is fair and ratio-
nal there is still a gamespace that is neither."
Dignostic writing assignment - one or two pages, submitted electronically. Submitting this will count toward 1% of your grade. Not submitting this will cost you 1%:
Write a cogent, well-reasoned response to the above reading. Focus on either of
these questions:
1. To what extent is it true of all games that "everyday life is the subject of play but
... play is nothing but work"? (paragraph 24)
2. Is The Sims an allegory for everyday life in gamespace? (paragraph 04)
After a brief summary of the article, make a claim in response to one of the questions
above. Be sure to use quotations from the article to support your thesis claim. Your
150 - 250 word, typed essay must be electronically submitted (see below).
TIPS:
After briefly summarizing the important points of the reading, make a claim
(an "argument") about something you find particularly memorable or
effective.
Back up your claim about the piece by using specific evidence from the text
itself to support your claim. Quote something, and explain what it means.
Try to comment analytically and with insight on the content and/or the
structure of the piece.
SUSTAIN an idea you have in response to the reading and explain why you
find it so.
DUE: Monday, April 7, at 9 p.m.
Turn in your essay to the EEE dropbox called "US 12C Diagnostic".
1. Write your response on a computer and save it in .doc, .txt, .rtf, or .pdf
format. Make sure your first and last name is at the top of the page.
2. Go to https://eee.uci.edu
3. Log in with your UCInetID.
4. Click on MyEEE.
5. Under UNI STU 12C COMPUTER GAMES III Lec A (87655), click on Dropbox.
6. Under US 12C Diagnostic, click on Assignment Submission.
7. Click on Upload Files.
8. Upload one file with your short essay in it.
Week 3 Discussion - Monday April 14th 2008
OVERVIEW: Today will be focused on exploring the value of design constraints on your game projects.
Design Doc (Draft) Rubric: Review of the Design Document (Draft Version) grading rubric: us12c-designdoc-draft-rubric5.html (may be subject to change).
Design Doc (Final) Rubric: Review of the Design Document (Final Version) grading rubric: us12c-designdoc-final-rubric1.html which is almost identical to the draft rubric above (may be subject to change).
A design document from last year: If you're wondering what a design document looks like, take a peek at the newest edition of the Student Guide to Writing at UCI - it includes a portion from a design document from US12C last year. Anybody have the book with them today?
Page 17: "The real problem for the military, as Danny Hillis observed at the workshop, is not to
simulate a tank or airplane, but to train the person's mind so that when they get into a real
tank in a battlefield, they do the right thing. This is why military training has relevance to
all training. But the question is always how do we do this?"
Allegory - An extended metaphor - a representation of life, a symbolic narrative. What's the difference between allegory and fables? Fables are extensions of allegories.
Algorithm - A set of rules of steps that we go through
Allegorithm - the intuitive
experience and the algorithm that affords the player that experience
come together to form an allegorithm.
"An algorithm — for current purposes — is a finite set of instructions
for accomplishing some task, which transforms an initial starting
condition into a recognizable end condition. Greg Costikyan:
"Algorithmic games are ones in which underlying calculations or rules
determine the game's response to the player's input."* The recipes
that Benjamin and other Sims learn from the cookbooks on their
bookshelves are algorithms. Benjamin's career as a Theorist is also an
algorithm. There is a start condition: he must have 8 friends, 4
charisma points, a 7 in creativity, and so on. It has end conditions,
too. With 10 friends, 5 charisma points and 10 for creativity, the
Theorist career can end, and another begin. The gamer selects one
sequence after another, and gradually learns what they do — that's
algorithm. The gamer discovers a relationship between appearances and
algorithm in the game which is a double of the relation between
appearances and a putative algorithm in gamespace — that's
allegorithm. (See Fig. B) But there is always a gap between the
intuitively knowable algorithm of the game and the passing, uneven,
unfair semblance of an algorithm in the everyday life of gamespace —
this is the form that allegory now takes." Source:
http://www.futureofthebook.org/mckenziewark/gamertheory2.0/?p=67
Wark, GAM3R 7H30RY web site
Wark, Interview with Harvard University Press (mp3 format)
In the interview, Wark says that Second Life isn't "there yet." What does he mean? Post your short answer to the US 12C NoteBoard before 11:00 am.
What's your impression of Castronova, based on his original posting and his responses to comments? Give evidence to support your answer. Post to the US 12C NoteBoard before 11:00 am.
Ian Bogost, Procedural Rhetoric (pp. 1-4 required, the rest recommended)
Lectures this quarter:
(April 1st 2008) Peter Krapp: Military Simulations
Started off with an April Fool's joke: "Take your blue books out"
How simulations use historical contexts so that people can relate and use past experiences to play
Strengths of simulation: logistically easier to run a simulation. Non-linear. Weaknesses: you can do well at a simulation, but this can be different than the real world
Making a bet with a sandwich: The computer is easier to use to find probability even if it is harder to understand (technically).
Game spaces are non-linear: you can wander around and go in (basically) any direction you want - this is unique to the medium
both sides had a "doomsday machine" (computer simulations of what would happen in thermoneuclear war)... speed versus accuracy
I hate Second Life because it does not have a goal: it isn't there yet, despite all of the media hype.
Noteboard posts on Wark hating Second Life: "SL classifies itself as a cheap imitation of life", "has the purpose of simply being another imitation of real life rather than a game that is expected to follow a specific rule set."
As we get more used to playing games, we start to look at life as if it was a game.
(April 15th 2008) Dan Frost: Ucigame Refresher
Design Document - went over the sections
Overview / Executive Summary
Game Specifications - manual-like
Technical Specs - where you put what your code means
Schedule and Personnel - timeline and clear set of responsibilities for each team member, contract with other team members, to organize your workflow
Ucigame: Some updates to Ucigame were done this quarter: top edge / bottom edge / right edge / left edge updates, pixel perfect collision, key up events. Also, how does a program get tested, fixed, updated
(April 17th 2008) Bill Tomlinson: MMORPG Design
He asked what the industry standard was for several topics (AI, graphics, etc.) and then asked what innovation was made or something novel we had seen in relation to the theme
Purpose: to look at standard ways that things are done and make us consider different ways that are innovative, possibly with the purpose of us integrating them into our own games
(April 22nd 2008) Bill Tomlinson: Games for Education
Games that were demo'd:
THEY WERE ALL SERIOUS GAMES
Serious games are: a game that is based on a concept, isn't usually done just for entertainment purposes, educational or lesson/message intended. One that's not funny.
Darfur is Dying
Ecoraft - tablet PCs with kids with parents killing the environment with a big steel button
Karma Tychoon - Kind of like Sim City, but running a non-profit organization
Food Force - UN game used to show the process in distributing aid, etc.
(April 24th 2008) Elizabeth Losh: The Arden Project and the Dilemmas of the Serious Games Movement
Definition: what are "serious games"?
Question: What are some examples of serious games?
Question: Explain the Arden Project
Question: What are the dilemmas of the serious games movement? Fun and education, which one do you pick? There will always be ways for a user to play the game differently than the gamespace (or developer) wants.
Questions we think may be on the midterm. NOTE - these are student's guesses - these are not the exam questions!:
What is your name?
What is your discussion section?
How does ______ game teach people about its intended purpose, and how does it not? Can a game mimic what it is simulating in real life? (For example, war games, learning/educational games.)
What is allegorithm, and how does it apply to _________ game?
Ucigame: Some updates to Ucigame were done this quarter: top edge / bottom edge / right edge / left edge updates, pixel perfect collision, key up events. Also, how does a program get tested, fixed, updated,
Why is it that a simulation fails at providing the education that it is intended for? (Examples: Tactical Iraqi - not learning language, but what is best to say to beat game.) Also, ways to "cheat" the intended purpose of the game to win.
What is the difference between allegory and simulation? (Perhaps allegory always intends on being symbolic or "not real" of what it is discussing, and perhaps simulation always intends on being as realistic as possible. However, can simulation ever be completely real? No. What is the gap between a simulation and reality called? Allegory?)
Wark: What is the difference between a simulation and a game as it relates to Second Life? (Perhaps: a game has an objective, an algorithm, rules, etc.)
Week 6 Discussion - Monday May 5th 2008
Design Document Day, Mostly (with some Midterm)
Today's Objective: To clarify questions and make sure you have everything you need to submit an awesome design document this week (Wed May 7th). In other words, we're going to look at a crappy game with a good design document to try to help you clarify ways that you can make your assignment better.
(Midterm will be returned today if Dan Frost leaps through the door, otherwise it will be returned later this week)
MIDTERM: What did people think of the midterm? Did it seem fair? If you have specific questions about the midterm, email me and I will prepare an overview for next week.
Look at the the grading rubric while you are editing your design document
Make sure you spend time on your Schedule & Personnel
Include a key control chart
Include tables that include all of your objects
Don't forget about sound
Include Finite State Machines if you have the time
REMINDER: Your design documents are due on Wednesday. For more information, see the Game Project Assignment. Things I will look into over the next 24 hours include:
Time that the design document needs to be submitted
Format/method that the design document needs to be submitted
The rubric currently says that the design document needs to be posted online. This is likely not the case, but I will double-check this.
