Final project and research project.

My original intention with the final project was to create a video game and impose some limitations on myself to imitate what old-school developers had to deal with. I thought that was boring, so I scrapped the idea and put the whole project out of mind for awhile. When we were given the instructions for the research project, I was also in the midst of writing a document about video game development -- specifically trying to answer the question, "what makes a video game good?" I started looking at MMORPGs and why so many people play them and came across this website with a ton of information regarding them, including the addictive aspect of them. I decided that's what I would do my research on.

After deciding what I was researching, it seemed natural to combine it with my final project, which was going to be a video game. And, to put a "sideways" twist on it, the whole video game's subject matter is absolutely random and absurd. It's about a roll of toilet paper whose job it is to wipe out the evil forces of excrement. The thinking behind my game was that nobody in their right mind would ever want to play a game about a roll of toilet paper killing a bunch of crap, but if the player keeps playing, then the research I implemented in my game worked to at least some extent. Either that or they were so dumbfounded by the game's content that they just couldn't stop... but I guess maybe that proved my point too.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy Dung Fu!

http://www.cs.iupui.edu/~chclarke/N485

As for my research, here are a few notes I had with me that I was going to use for my presentation, but didn't get to elaborate on due to lack of time:

"MMORPGs employ well-known behavioral conditioning principles from psychology that reinforce repetitive actions through an elaborate system of scheduled rewards. The basic idea behind the theory is that the frequency of a behavior is directly linked to whether it is rewarded or punished.

In games like World of Warcraft and Everquest, the cycle of rewards begins with instant gratification. Once you start a new character, you are able to level up quickly and get from place to place easily. Slowly but surely, these things take longer and longer to do until, eventually, you find yourself spending hours or days trying to accomplish something.

Of course, the trick is that there's always a reward just around the corner, whether it be new equipment, another level up, new skills, or a quest. But these things aren't inherently rewarding; they are made rewarding through reinforcement.

Two other attractive features found in MMOs are the social networks that can be easily developed and the immersive nature of the environments.

There is more to the picture, however. While these games have several attraction factors, the players themselves may oftentimes have motivation factors that cause them to play. For example, players with low self-esteem may be compelled to play because it makes them feel empowered and valued.

The fact of the matter is that MMO addiction is more a psychological thing than a physical thing. It's not so much that the game is addicting, but more that the player is usually using it as an outlet to ignore the real issues in his or her life."

The wonderful website I found all this information at (which is based on actual scientific studies) is located here: http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/gateway_intro.html

Thank you all for the interesting class and thank you Beth for helping me to see "sideways"!

To hunt or to scavenge?

Five innovative ways new media is being used outside the IUPUI campus:

1) Digital Sheet Music Tablet (link)

-This tablet is able to store thousands of sheets of music and display them on a backlit LCD screen. The benefits of this device are obvious. When I was playing music, I sometimes forgot my folder of music or brought the wrong one before a concert and would have to get the original copy from our conductor. This device would eliminate that problem. The device even allows you to mark directly onto the displayed sheet of music, which is something music performers need to do constantly. From what I can tell, there are several different versions of the hardware you can get and , but the basic idea of this device is great.

2) IntelliDOT Bedside Medication Administration (link)

-This device is geared towards reducing the frequency of errors caused by poor communication between health professionals. The fact of the matter is that improper dosaging and medication application is more common than it should be in hospitals. About a year ago when my grandma was admitted to the hospital, it took three shifts' worth of nurses before a competent one was assigned to check on her and noticed that the previous nurses had put her on the wrong medication and done a few other things incorrectly. I was both shocked and appalled that something like this happened, but there's not much, if anything, that can be done after the fact.

This device works by reading a barcode attached to the patient's wrist, which then provides the nurse or doctor with the patient's health information, including prescriptions, dosages, and proper medication administration techniques. Also, "in a hospital equipped with a computerized pharmacy, a doctor can electronically submit a prescription to the hospital’s pharmacy, and the pharmacy can transmit the prescription along with administration instructions to the IntelliDot BMA. Under this system, a hospital can eliminate the need for handwritten prescriptions and therefore greatly reduce the risk of errors caused by a physician’s poor hand."

3) Plants that send you Twitter updates when they're thirsty! (link)

-Unlike the other devices I researched, this one isn't very useful business-wise. I think it's still a neat concept, however. How does it work? Soil-moisture sensors, which are connected to a circuit board, measure the moisture level in the soil and communicate that information to a microcontroller. The device can be configured for different plant types as well as different characteristics and qualities of the soil. Depending on the moisture level in the soil, a message is transmitted wirelessly to Twitter and sent to you.

"There's always a basic "I'm thirsty, could you please water me" message. But they also accelerate in terms of need, so there's an urgent message: "I'm desperately thirsty, please water me,"" says co-creator Kate Hartman.

4) Electronic Flight Bag (link)

This device was designed to reduce or replace the paper-based material that has been used by airlines in the past. A pilot's carry-on "flight bag" comes with a lot of reference material, such as an Aircraft Operating Manual (let's hope he's fluent with this one), Aircrew Operating Manual, Navigational Charts, and communication frequencies for various airports around the globe. Compared to the average of 40 pounds that the former flight bags weighed, this 1-5 pound device is much more convenient. Another benefit is that the manuals, charts, and communication frequencies can be updated regularly without requiring a brand new paper reference to be printed. The device is much like a laptop, except specialized for this specific purpose. I would imagine that it is also much quicker to search through the reference material using this device.

5) eAudiobooks (link)

-First it was the card catalog system, then it was an electronic system, and now it is eAudiobooks. The difference now is that the item or items you're checking out are also digital. No more tapes, CDs, or DVDs that can get lost or damaged. The system works just like your local library. Simply log in and choose what you want to check out. Then, you can download the item to your computer (legally!) and enjoy it. The license for your checked-out item will expire at the end of your checkout period, but you can renew it just like you can at your library. However, since there are infinite copies, you don't need to worry about running out of renew time!

It seems a bit dumb considering all the torrenting and illegal file sharing that goes on these days, but the upside is that it's legal and it works just like your local library. So, if you're worried about the **AA coming after you for illegally obtaining copies of copyrighted works, give this system a try and feel safe going to bed at night.

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My favorite from this list of new media devices is probably the digital sheet music tablet. It's a great idea.

Who did it? Leoné MusicReader

How did they do it? They created a display device, which is basically a battery-operated backlit LCD touch-screen with some speakers. I am unsure if the device can be plugged directly into an outlet, but it would make sense to include that feature. They also created software which stores and displays sheet music among other features, such as a built-in metronome, tuner, and zoom function.

For whom did they do it? For music performers and anyone with a large library of sheet music.

How might you be able to use what you learned about this innovative use of new media to help you when doing your final project? I know it's cliché, but I think this research will help me think outside of the box and find alternative, more elegant ways to accomplish things.

Response to April 20th class.

OH MY GOD, IT'S 4/20! BREAK OUT THE BONG AND SMOKE THAT SHIT UP! Wait a minute... we're still living in the dark ages of pot being illegal, right? Ah, fuck... nevermind.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To entertain our class for the day! Seriously though, the chicken was pretty funny, especially when it started crowing in response to the rooster on the computer.

Today's class was pretty relaxing, but not a complete waste. Hearing other people's ideas regarding the "new media scavenger hunt" exercise gave me some ideas of my own, so hopefully that assignment will be a little less painful.

Also, the movie we started watching was fairly entertaining, but we didn't get to see the ending! Argh!

The most important thing I accomplished today, however, was figuring out what I'm going to do for my final project. I'm actually going to combine the research project and final project into one, which I hadn't originally intended to do, but the idea works perfectly that way. I'm still going to make a video game, but I'm not going to impose any limitations on myself or anything like my first idea. Instead, I'm going to try to prove my research through the game I create. I don't want to give away my research topic to anyone other than Beth because it might ruin the project for them.

Response to April 13th class.

There weren't many people in class today and we had Susan Tennant as a substitute teacher for the day. We basically had a big group discussion on the definition of "new media", which led to discussion about the social aspects of technology and other things as well. Susan showed us some really interesting projects in some museum, one of which was a projection on a floor panel that reacted when people walked on it. I thought these projects were very interesting in that they encouraged complete strangers to interact with each other with the projection as their common interest. After watching "What the Bleep do We Know?" and looking at the museum projects from last week, I am starting to formulate some different ideas for my final project as well as stuff I'd like to create in general. I'm definitely moving away from the boring idea I originally had for my final project, but with time running short I'm going to have to do something relatively simple. I've also started writing a document on video game development that I hope will help me to create original games that stand out from the crowd.

Oh yeah, we were let out from class about an hour early which was totally awesome!

Only one choice.

I find quantum theory to be quite intriguing. Of course, we've been told our whole lives that the quality of our lives depends on the choices we make, but does it ever really occur to most of us that we essentially lock out any other possible choices once we've made a decision? Or do most people consider that there are literally an infinite number of possibilities for us to choose from, so long as we're willing to dedicate ourselves to that possibility?

As per option one in the assignment, I am going to create my own set of criteria for playing with the idea of quantum theory. Fortunately, I already have some experiences in my life that depict this theory clearly and I will share them with you.

Back in high school, there was this girl I liked but never had the courage to ask her on a date. Eventually I hooked up with some other chick and the next year I found out that the girl I originally liked smoked pot, did ecstasy, and went to raves and things like that. It occurred to me then that if I had mustered the courage to ask her out and ended up hooking up with her, that perhaps I, too, would have been doing the same things she was doing. I locked myself out of that reality by not asking her on a date.

In my first year of college, I was trying to become a music performance major, but I had another passion that I couldn't ignore. I loved video games and wanted to take some classes to learn how to make my own, but the college I was attending didn't offer anything of that sort. The closest thing they had was computer programming, which I also enjoy, but that wasn't what I was looking for. Although I was a very talented trombone player, spent almost a decade playing, and was told by the principal trombone player (who was my private teacher at the time) of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra that I was good enough to go pro, I decided to take a different direction in my life and pursue my passion of creating video games. I gave up so much for something that was entirely uncertain and, in essence, locked myself out of the reality of being a professional trombone player. I've had my disappointments and regrets, especially seeing how few classes there are at IUPUI that actually relate to the creation and development of video games, but overall I think it was the right choice.

Now, imagine if you were to come across a book without a cover. There was no indication on the outside of the book telling you what was contained on the pages within. The book could literally be about anything and you won't know until you open it and find out. It could even be a book of blank pages! Of course, once you open the book and see what's inside, you've locked it into only one realm of reality. Now, let's say you opened the book and discovered it was a book about animals. Now that you know, you'll probably have satisfied your curiosity and put the book back and move on with your life. What if someone else who you'll never meet or cross paths with has the same experience with the book, but finds a completely different story when they open it? They've locked that book into one realm of reality in the same existence as you! But you'll never know if you never cross paths with that person and find out. What if you both opened the book together? Whose reality would prevail?

Infinite possibilities.

I was not in class last week so I didn't get to watch the movie, but I managed to find it online and started watching it. I have only watched the first thirty minutes so far, but it is already extremely interesting. Some of the things that were brought up are things that I've thought or wondered about. Things have been a little hectic at home with my family and I am a little behind on the homework, but I plan on writing an in-depth blog about this movie after I finish watching it as well as completing the previous week's "client exercise" assignment (it's not about the points, right?) .

EDIT:

I finished watching the movie and I am glad I did. A lot of other people from class didn't seem too thrilled with it and thought it was just a bunch of bullshit, but I think the messages from the movie are pretty important. I thought it was pretty interesting when they started talking about how people could be "addicted" to the chemicals released by their hypothalamus, especially when they depicted the two sex fiends, the lady who wanted to exert control over everyone, and the girl who wanted people to feel sorry for her because she got wine spilled on her dress. I'm pretty sure we all know or have known people that act the same way. After considering this possibility, I've tried to just be happy every day because, well, I like being happy. That's not to say I'm pissed off or mad or sad every day, but honestly I have a pretty neutral attitude every day. I don't really feel or show a lot of emotion most days. When I was in high school, I used to be addicted to laughter and making people laugh because it made me feel good. I'd like to be that way again, at least in some regard, but these days you have to be careful what you say to people because it seems like everyone will take offense to something and make every effort to correct you or shove their beliefs down your throat; basically, it seems like it's more trouble than it's worth.

Anyway, thank you Beth for introducing me to this movie. Hopefully it will have a lasting, positive effect on me and my creative efforts.

Response to first post-Spring break class.

Today's class was really laid back and I enjoyed it quite a bit. A lot of people didn't have their randomness assignments finished, but those who did had pretty interesting projects. I had to agree with Beth when she said that my tomato project wouldn't be something that would stick out in people's minds. I couldn't mesh those three things together in a way that I really enjoyed, but I am okay with what I came up with. I had spent a lot of time thinking of what to do for the project and it got to the point where I had to just pick something to get it done, even though I wasn't in love with any of my ideas.

I thought the hour-long break where we went as groups and returned with artifacts was fun, although I was tempted to just head home (main reason being I was exhausted). Instead, I decided to stay there and see what happened. After all, it's not every day that you break up into groups to go anywhere on campus and find or create some artifact to return. It was also nice to interact with the people in my group and then collaborate to come up with some crazy fucking bobble-head of a guy on the cover of Nuvo magazine.

Our idea began with carving the styrofoam cup as though it were a pumpkin, to making a tree-beast out of it, to pasting people's heads and bodies on it. As we found more tools, our ideas expanded and started branching out. I found the whole process pretty interesting.

As one final note, I thoroughly enjoyed the group who convinced the cop to run over the apples with his sirens on. I really want to see video of that.