Week Twenty-Four Task
This is the only course I know of where we get to influence the structure and content so much. I’m loving the way things are going at the moment, and I consider myself extremely lucky that I managed to end up here.
One thing I think that really needs to be addressed is the method of assessment. I do no think it’s a good idea to have other classmates influence the grade achieved, even if it is only at a formative assessment. I felt that the grades given for the Transit van were inconsistent, and unfair as a result of this. Whereas Joel’s marks for the Bin and House were much more justified.
The marking for the drawing work was also inconsistent, I think it is better to decide upon grades personally between tutors and pupils, without a class influence. Although I do think presenting work to the class has benefits, so they should definitely continue.
I think it’s a fantastic idea to heavily increase the amount of traditional art, as well as getting some digital art classes going. I would also like some input into the nature of a good portfolio. We also need some more technical work, I mainly have game engines in mind.
What really strikes fear into my heart is the fact that we are going to be flooded with first years, with the same amount of facilities and tutors. I’m wondering how long it will take to sort out that issue, as I know nothing can be done about it until it happens. Totally against the saying ‘prevention is better than cure’.
As a summery, I think the course is fantastic, it’s still in the process of fine-tuning, but I think its all going well.
30.3.07
10.3.07
Week Twenty-Two Task
While looking through the GDC sessions list, one thing that i noticed was the mention of psychology and its use in games. Psychology can be used in various ways to enhance the gaming experience and make it more realistic.
In certain genres, emotion is a key factor. It is important for the player to be able to identify with the main character. Non-player characters are vital in creating emotional links, building up relationships in game brings new factors into the gameplay.
The study of human behavior can also be important in creating a realistic environment. Building up a personality for an NPC means that the player can understand them, and maybe link them to a person they know in reality. Having that character then respond in a correct way in relation to their personality will subtly improve the game.
Another way in which psychology can be used by companies is by thinking about the player, and how they will respond to the environments they are placed in. It is important to understand target audience in order to create desirable events for them.
"Challenging Everyone: Dynamic Difficulty Deconstructed" sounded particularly interesting. It mentioned something called the "Personal Challenge System" which enables the player to choose the type of experience they wanted, and the game would alter accordingly. This system is obviously trying to expand its target audience by making the game potential enjoyable for more people. I think this is a good idea in theory, but in practice I'm not so sure. Games have many different genres, people know what genres they enjoy, and therefore know which games to buy. When these boundaries are broken down, i'm not sure how many people would respond to it. I find it hard to imagine how drastic these alterations could be when in a single game. When looking at game difficulty, i can understand that people who enjoy the same genre of game may not share the same skill and ability, and therefore a difficulty setting is appropriate.
I think i may have strayed slightly from my original point... Other sessions i found to be of interest were "Can You Make Them Cry Without Tearing Your Hair Out? Emotional Characters" Which explained how emotion is important for reaching a wider audience, "Behavioral Theory in the Design of Serious Games" Which explained how we should use behavioral theory to assist us in designing games.
I have noticed that when creating games one of the most important things is the understanding of reality. The greater our knowledge is of our world, the greater our creations can become.
While looking through the GDC sessions list, one thing that i noticed was the mention of psychology and its use in games. Psychology can be used in various ways to enhance the gaming experience and make it more realistic.
In certain genres, emotion is a key factor. It is important for the player to be able to identify with the main character. Non-player characters are vital in creating emotional links, building up relationships in game brings new factors into the gameplay.
The study of human behavior can also be important in creating a realistic environment. Building up a personality for an NPC means that the player can understand them, and maybe link them to a person they know in reality. Having that character then respond in a correct way in relation to their personality will subtly improve the game.
Another way in which psychology can be used by companies is by thinking about the player, and how they will respond to the environments they are placed in. It is important to understand target audience in order to create desirable events for them.
"Challenging Everyone: Dynamic Difficulty Deconstructed" sounded particularly interesting. It mentioned something called the "Personal Challenge System" which enables the player to choose the type of experience they wanted, and the game would alter accordingly. This system is obviously trying to expand its target audience by making the game potential enjoyable for more people. I think this is a good idea in theory, but in practice I'm not so sure. Games have many different genres, people know what genres they enjoy, and therefore know which games to buy. When these boundaries are broken down, i'm not sure how many people would respond to it. I find it hard to imagine how drastic these alterations could be when in a single game. When looking at game difficulty, i can understand that people who enjoy the same genre of game may not share the same skill and ability, and therefore a difficulty setting is appropriate.
I think i may have strayed slightly from my original point... Other sessions i found to be of interest were "Can You Make Them Cry Without Tearing Your Hair Out? Emotional Characters" Which explained how emotion is important for reaching a wider audience, "Behavioral Theory in the Design of Serious Games" Which explained how we should use behavioral theory to assist us in designing games.
I have noticed that when creating games one of the most important things is the understanding of reality. The greater our knowledge is of our world, the greater our creations can become.
9.3.07
I also tried to capture some photos of the general area, the most succesfull of these were my macro style photos of the ground.
5.3.07
Week Twenty-One Task: Part Two
Now I am here, doing a dream course, and enjoying every moment of it. But it will all be over in less that three years time, which is the only thing I don’t like about it.
I have already got so much from being here. My drawing has improved a great deal in a matter of months, and my work in 3D modelling has been better than I ever could have thought. I have no doubts that by the end of the course I will be at a high enough standard to enter the industry.
What I hope to achieve in three years is to be a high level of understanding in my work, and to be able to continue learning new thinks quickly, so I can keep up to date with the industry. I also would like to be able to draw a lot more quickly without too much thought going into the process, which I know I can achieve through practice. I have obtained high grades since the start of the course, and I feel that if my grades drop at all I will not be doing justice to myself. So I have also set myself the task of obtaining the highest final grade possible.
I also want to create an extensive portfolio to help me get a job. At the moment I don’t really have any boundaries in this area. I am open to moving abroad to work. I think I will have a better idea of a pathway nearer the end of the course, although I am aware that pathway is a little bit narrow already.
Now I am here, doing a dream course, and enjoying every moment of it. But it will all be over in less that three years time, which is the only thing I don’t like about it.
I have already got so much from being here. My drawing has improved a great deal in a matter of months, and my work in 3D modelling has been better than I ever could have thought. I have no doubts that by the end of the course I will be at a high enough standard to enter the industry.
What I hope to achieve in three years is to be a high level of understanding in my work, and to be able to continue learning new thinks quickly, so I can keep up to date with the industry. I also would like to be able to draw a lot more quickly without too much thought going into the process, which I know I can achieve through practice. I have obtained high grades since the start of the course, and I feel that if my grades drop at all I will not be doing justice to myself. So I have also set myself the task of obtaining the highest final grade possible.
I also want to create an extensive portfolio to help me get a job. At the moment I don’t really have any boundaries in this area. I am open to moving abroad to work. I think I will have a better idea of a pathway nearer the end of the course, although I am aware that pathway is a little bit narrow already.
Week Twenty-One Task: Part One
Two years ago I was in the process of doing my A-levels, and working nearly full time hours at the same time. It’s not really surprising that I didn’t do very well. All of my friends were deciding which courses they were going to spend the next three to four years doing, and I had no idea what I wanted to do at all.
I applied to do a Foundation Diploma Art and Design. I wasn’t ready to start a rest-of-your-life job at this point, so I stayed in education because it was free, and it would give me something to do with my time. I also cut down my working hours to try and improve my grades. Again people started to decide what they wanted to do next. I wanted to apply to study a Philosophy degree, but as I progressed I decided to go for Photography. I applied and got into APU in Cambridge, and I was set to go.
A this point I thought about how the rest of my life was going to turn out, after graduating I would most likely end up working in a studio taking family portraits… and I couldn’t think of anything more boring than that.
It was getting quite late in the year and I was looking online for interesting courses. I found the Game Art Design course and really liked the sound of it. So I wrote my personal statement then and there, and used the Route A applications I had left, even though it was way past the deadline. I managed to get accepted, and a choice between Game Art and Photography is no choice at all.
Up until I did my A-levels I had done extremely well at school. I think the reason for this is that when you are young, school is pretty much your entire life. As I got older and started working and having more responsibilities and commitments, I lost focus for a while on what was really important for me. Now I’m at Uni I want to stay focussed and committed, so I can get the most out of it as possible. Instead of there being separate aspects to my life, like work-home-Uni, it seems as if everything is rolled in together, and all that I do is directed towards obtaining my degree. This isn’t in an intense kind of way, but in a sub-conscious sort of way, and it seems pretty perfect.
Two years ago I was in the process of doing my A-levels, and working nearly full time hours at the same time. It’s not really surprising that I didn’t do very well. All of my friends were deciding which courses they were going to spend the next three to four years doing, and I had no idea what I wanted to do at all.
I applied to do a Foundation Diploma Art and Design. I wasn’t ready to start a rest-of-your-life job at this point, so I stayed in education because it was free, and it would give me something to do with my time. I also cut down my working hours to try and improve my grades. Again people started to decide what they wanted to do next. I wanted to apply to study a Philosophy degree, but as I progressed I decided to go for Photography. I applied and got into APU in Cambridge, and I was set to go.
A this point I thought about how the rest of my life was going to turn out, after graduating I would most likely end up working in a studio taking family portraits… and I couldn’t think of anything more boring than that.
It was getting quite late in the year and I was looking online for interesting courses. I found the Game Art Design course and really liked the sound of it. So I wrote my personal statement then and there, and used the Route A applications I had left, even though it was way past the deadline. I managed to get accepted, and a choice between Game Art and Photography is no choice at all.
Up until I did my A-levels I had done extremely well at school. I think the reason for this is that when you are young, school is pretty much your entire life. As I got older and started working and having more responsibilities and commitments, I lost focus for a while on what was really important for me. Now I’m at Uni I want to stay focussed and committed, so I can get the most out of it as possible. Instead of there being separate aspects to my life, like work-home-Uni, it seems as if everything is rolled in together, and all that I do is directed towards obtaining my degree. This isn’t in an intense kind of way, but in a sub-conscious sort of way, and it seems pretty perfect.
Week Twenty Task
I want to begin this blog with the most popular creator known to man, God. God was said to have created everything ex nihilo, which means out of nothing. This is pretty much the ultimate form of creativity, no influence, no materials, no anything.
Obviously humans could never do this. We are constantly being influenced by what is around us, and we are bombarded with different materials. So the human definition of creativity would using what we already for a new purpose.
I do think that certain people have a greater potential when it comes to creativity, and it has already progressed us shockingly far in a short space of time. I’m not just referring to the Art world, but to technology.
The potential for creativity is not something that can be measured. But it can be identified in different people, with there ability to be original and to think laterally. Creativity is defiantly a form of intelligence, but it doesn’t go hand in hand with what we would typically believe intelligence to be.
Creativity can be linked with our genes. Our parent’s abilities and traits will show in us, but not solely because of our genes. Growing up with a creative person could be a necessary part of developing a creative mind yourself.
Creativity can also be linked with mental health problems. There is the possibility of genetic connections with bipolar disorder and creativity. We can look at some of the most famous artists and inventors and discover that they had a mental illness. I read about the links in a piece of writing by Alison McCook Reuters.
“Strong said that people with bipolar disorder might also have creative tendencies because they see the world in two ways, with the same surroundings appearing differently to them depending on whether they are feeling manic or depressed.”
Another way of thinking about creativity is culturally. Having grown up in a certain culture your ability to create is related to what you have been exposed to. That could be why certain technological advancements are made in certain countries.
Individuality is also very important. No one person has ever shared the exact life experiences of another. The unique life of each person is crucial to the things that they think and the things they create.
In relation to our course, creativity is vital. But it must go hand in hand with talent and skill. Without them creativity will not take you very far.
I want to begin this blog with the most popular creator known to man, God. God was said to have created everything ex nihilo, which means out of nothing. This is pretty much the ultimate form of creativity, no influence, no materials, no anything.
Obviously humans could never do this. We are constantly being influenced by what is around us, and we are bombarded with different materials. So the human definition of creativity would using what we already for a new purpose.
I do think that certain people have a greater potential when it comes to creativity, and it has already progressed us shockingly far in a short space of time. I’m not just referring to the Art world, but to technology.
The potential for creativity is not something that can be measured. But it can be identified in different people, with there ability to be original and to think laterally. Creativity is defiantly a form of intelligence, but it doesn’t go hand in hand with what we would typically believe intelligence to be.
Creativity can be linked with our genes. Our parent’s abilities and traits will show in us, but not solely because of our genes. Growing up with a creative person could be a necessary part of developing a creative mind yourself.
Creativity can also be linked with mental health problems. There is the possibility of genetic connections with bipolar disorder and creativity. We can look at some of the most famous artists and inventors and discover that they had a mental illness. I read about the links in a piece of writing by Alison McCook Reuters.
“Strong said that people with bipolar disorder might also have creative tendencies because they see the world in two ways, with the same surroundings appearing differently to them depending on whether they are feeling manic or depressed.”
Another way of thinking about creativity is culturally. Having grown up in a certain culture your ability to create is related to what you have been exposed to. That could be why certain technological advancements are made in certain countries.
Individuality is also very important. No one person has ever shared the exact life experiences of another. The unique life of each person is crucial to the things that they think and the things they create.
In relation to our course, creativity is vital. But it must go hand in hand with talent and skill. Without them creativity will not take you very far.
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