"the poetics of games: art, poetry and storytelling in modern game design," maria c. r....

© Maria C.R. Harrington, 2008, ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDPresentation to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, January 14, 2008, Pittsburgh, PA USA

Maria C.R. HarringtonMaria C.R. Harrington

Presentation to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, January 14, 2008, Pittsburgh, PA USA

Maria C.R. HarringtonSchool of Information SciencesDepartment of Information Science and TelecommunicationsUniversity of Pittsburgh135 North Bellefield AvenuePittsburgh, PA 15260 [email protected]

Human Computer Interaction

Spatial Information

Theory

Knowledge Acquisition Systems


Maria C.R. HarringtonMaria C.R. Harrington

Dissertation:

“Simulated Ecological Environments for Education (SEEE): A Tripartite Model Framework of HCI Design Parameters for

Situational Learning in Virtual Environments.”


OverviewOverview

“The Poetics of Games: Art, Poetry and Storytelling in Modern Game Design”

Art

Poetry

Storytelling

->>> Designing new experiences

Art in 3D Worlds

Poetry in 3D Worlds

Storytelling in 3D Wolds


Art OverviewArt Overview

• Definition(s)

• Offer an experience that represents expert execution and high aesthetics and high intellectual and emotional response

Expert Execution = High Aesthetics

Novice Execution = Low Aesthetics

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Art: ExampleArt: Example


Poetry OverviewPoetry Overview

• Definition(s)

• Offer an experience that represents expert execution and High Standards of Rhythm, Verse, Sound and Semantics

Expert Execution = High Standards of Rhythm, Verse, Sound and

Semantics

Novice Execution = Low Standards Rhythm, Verse, Sound and

Semantics

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Poetry: ExamplePoetry: Example

He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven by William Butler Yeats

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,Enwrought with golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark clothsOf night and light and the half-light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams under your feet;Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.


Storytelling OverviewStorytelling Overview

• Definition(s)

• Offer an experience that represents expert execution and High Standards in plot of a narrative or dramatic work

Expert Execution = plot of a narrative or dramatic work

Novice Execution = Low Standards plot of a narrative or dramatic work

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Storytelling: ExampleStorytelling: Example

• Treasure Island

• Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "buccaneers and buried gold". 1883,

• “Coming of age story”

• Adventure tale known for its superb atmosphere

• Character and Action,

• Wry commentary on the ambiguity of morality

• It is one of the most frequently dramatized of all novels


Poetry Expert Execution =

High Standards of Rhythm, Verse, Sound and Semantics

Art Expert Execution =

High Aesthetics

Storytelling Expert Execution =

plot of a narrative or dramatic work

Design Space for new experiences with

GamesExpert Concept & High Intellectual & Emotional

Response

Design Space:Visual, Emotional, Rhythm, Sound



Goal: Designing new experiencesGoal: Designing new experiences

• Start with what we know… Contrast to existing experiences…

• Games for excitement?

– First person shooters (targets)

– Collaborative often with teams

– Fast

– Violent!

• Games for ego?

– Cards

– Collaborative

– Competitive

– Roles are winner and losers

• What is the user experiencing in these types of games?


What are the user experiences?What are the user experiences?

• First person shooters?

– Excitement?

– Adrenaline rush?

– Accomplishment?

• Cards?

– Money!!!!

– Wining!!!

– Psych-out others?


What is missing? What is missing?

• Need to define new goals in the “Gap”

• What is the “Gap” ???

• The Gap is the place that exists in the market – user needs – that are not currently being satisfied by the market…

Gap = New Design Features and Opportunities


Goal: Designing new experiencesGoal: Designing new experiences

• What is missing? New goals? (Flip it!)

• Games for excitement calm?

– Exploratory (ok not to have a target)

– Individual? Or collaborative? But a different type - helping?

– Slow – not timed – under the individuals control

– Peaceful!

• Games for ego self? Intellectually and Emotionally Stimulating?

– Individual? Or collaborative?

– No explicit goal, pure exploration

– No winner and losers





High Aesthetics





Response




What are the user experiences?What are the user experiences?

• How to design for Calm?– Slow and peaceful?

– “Flow” – Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1991). Flow the psychology of optimal experience. New York, NY.: Harper Perennial.

– No goals

• How to design for Self?– Highly personal

– “Multiple Intelligences” – Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York, NY: Basic Books Paperback.

– Helping others = release of “endorphins”


Designing new experiencesDesigning new experiences

• Qualities of the design taxonomy

– Art => Aesthetics

– Poetry =>Rhythm

– Storytelling => Personal

• Experience

– Results from the Balance of main qualities

– Ambiance and Mood is created


Designing Art => AestheticsDesigning Art => Aesthetics

• Definition

• Example of Art => Aesthetics in Games

• Char Davies

• Virtual Environments Osmose (1995) and Ephémère (1998)[ Integrating full body immersion, interactive 3D digital imagery and sound, and navigation via a breathing interface.

• “Breath – “Just Breath”

•http://www.immersence.com/index.html


Designing Poetry =>Rhythm Designing Poetry =>Rhythm

• Definition

• Example of Poetry =>Rhythm in Games

• SIGGRAPH 2006 video

• Heebok Lee, CMU “Tread Softly” an interpretation of W.B. Yeats poem

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcmfU-9VGIQ


Designing Storytelling => PersonalDesigning Storytelling => Personal

• Norbert Braun

• “Project “Geist

• “Storytelling in Collaborative Augmented Reality Environments”

• WSCG 2003, Plzen, Czech Republic


GeistGeist

The Castle of Heidelberg

Sketches of Characters

Augmented Reality Implementation and Interaction


Critical Features of ExperienceCritical Features of Experience

• Most Common

– Aesthetics

• Influences all signals

• Emotional and Affective

– Rhythm

• Linguistic

• Musical

• Pace of Spatial-Temporal

– Personal

• Anecdotes

• Tales

• Roles for both teller and listener

• Writer -> control of destiny


Myst … A Case StudyMyst … A Case Study

• By Robyn and Rand Miller

• Released in 1993 for the Macintosh

• Best selling PC game for many years

• Over 12 million copies

• Four sequels: Riven, Myst III: Exile, Myst IV: Revelation, and Myst V: End of Ages

• Myst Masterpiece Edition, and realMYST


Myst: Some Background FactsMyst: Some Background Facts

• The original Macintosh version was constructed in Hypercard

• The gameplay is a first-person journey through an interactive world

• Users can interact with specific objects on some screens by clicking or dragging them

• This is an evolution of interactive exploration

• Narrative unfolds with nonverbal images & sounds

• The player must explore the seemingly deserted Myst Island

• Where they can find clues to be transported to several 'Ages', each of which is a self-contained mini-world

• Each Age – (Selenic, Stoneship, Mechanical, and Channelwood) - requires the user to solve a series of logical, interrelated puzzles


Myst: What is different? Myst: What is different?

• The primary objective of the game is to discover the objective of the game?

• There are no obvious enemies,

• No physical violence, and

• No threat of "dying" at any point

• There is no time limit

• No need for speed

• The game unfolds at its own pace and is solved through a combination of patience, observation, and logical thinking.


Myst: Extraction of DesignMyst: Extraction of Design

• Art: High Aesthetics and Emotion

– Surrealistic Island, Solitary and Mysterious Atmosphere

• Poetry: High Standards of Rhythm, Verse, Sound and Semantics

– Pace, Images and Sound Create Poetry of Space

• Storytelling: Plot and Narrative Personally Engaging

– Discovered and Created on Route – Highly Personal


Conclusion & GeneralizationsConclusion & Generalizations

• Critical Features to keep in mind for design

– Art: High Aesthetics and Emotion

– Poetry: High Standards of Rhythm, Verse, Sound and Semantics

– Storytelling: Plot and Narrative Personally Engaging





High Aesthetics





Response




Conclusion & Future ApplicationConclusion & Future Application

• How to apply?

– Education

• “Talk-to-Me Phonics Amazing Animals Boxed Set”

– Edutainment

• “New Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek”

– Advertisements

• IBM in Second Life

– Works of multi-media art

• SIGGRAPH Art Gallery and Emerging Technologies


Demo & QuestionsDemo & Questions

• Simulated Ecological Environments for Education

• http://www.sis.pitt.edu/~mariah/phd/index.html

"the poetics of games: art, poetry and storytelling in modern game design," maria c. r....

Education

art institute of pittsburgh

pa usa maria

harrington presentation

rights reserved presentation

harrington dissertation

semantics expert execution

new experiences art

semantics novice execution