Flow into addiction? …

Everyone at some stage in their life has experienced what is referred to as being “in the zone”.It is a feeling of complete concentration and intense focus towards a certain activity or task.The activity can be anything ranging from reading a book to playing a competitive  sport.A person experiencing what  professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi labelled as “flow” becomes fully engaged in an activity, losing all sense of time and emotional problems in the process.Csikszentmihalyi defined flow as “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).

To achieve a flow experience a delicate balance needs to be maintained  between a perceived challenge and the skills required to meet this challenge.Take video games for example.I can recall several experiences where I stopped playing a game because I perceived it as too easy .My skill set had evolved to the point where the game no longer presented a challenge.Therefore I quickly became bored and stopped playing.A similar problem occurs when a games difficulty is too high for no apparent reason.In these cases I become quickly frustrated which results in the same outcome previously mentioned.I would need to be confronted with progressively more difficult challenges to test my every developing skill set. John Carl presented a suitable example of a novice tennis player could experience flow from simply hitting a ball against a wall(Carl: A Theory of Optimal Experience).As her skills increased she would need to be presented with more difficult challenges to remain in flow ..If the challenge is too difficult(she faces off against a professional player) she will become anxious and frustrated.A challenge that was to easy would lead to boredom. However when a balance is struck between ability and challenge it can inspire people to practice,work or play longer and harder.

Here is a diagram depicting the relationship between challenge and abilities in regards to the flow theory(Chen, 2014).

Now onto this subject as it relates to the heading of this post.Can flow correspond or lead to addiction?.Surely anything that causes someone to lose track of both time and self could be potentially dangerous.Especially in a medium that can be so engaging and immersive.Studies have shown that 10 to 15 per cent of gamers exhibit signs that meet the criteria for addiction(Video-game-addiction.org, 2014).For example tHe worlds created in MMOs can be so enthralling that individuals substitute real-life interaction with virtual fantasy.However through my research on this topic I have concluded that this  may not be the case.A study amongst Taiwanese college students in relation to the flow theory in Internet Gaming addiction concluded that individuals with addiction tendencies had a lower flow state then those of us how are not.Which makes sense to me because an addicted person plays games because they feel as if they MUST,while others play for enjoyment.As a result normal games will experience a much higher sense of satisfaction then their addicted counterparts.An addicted gamer’s goal is a realize from dissatisfaction rather then achieving satisfaction itself .

In concluding this blog I was surprised to find out that flow and addiction do not as strongly correlate as I initially assumed.THere is a huge difference between someone who loses track of time due to a sense of flow and an individual who neglects time to feed an addicted impulse.

Video-game-addiction.org, (2014). Video Game Addiction – Internet Gaming Addiction. [online] Available at: http://www.video-game-addiction.org/ [Accessed 20 Dec. 2014].

Chen, J. (2014). Welcome to Flow in Games. [online] Jenovachen.com. Available at: http://www.jenovachen.com/flowingames/flowtheory.htm [Accessed 20 Dec. 2014].

Chiang, Y. T., Lin, S. S. J., Cheng, C. Y., & Liu, E. Z. F. (2011). Exploring Online Game Players’ Flow
Experiences and Positive Affect. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 10(1), 106-114.

Ethics in Video Gaming

Throughout the course of our study of Game analysis a frequent subject of debate was of ethics in video games.Is it the responsibility of the games developers to ensure a game does not cross any lines   when it comes to violence and ethical issues such as murder and massacres.Especially in recent years where every few months another news story breaks about another mass murdering of innocent civilians.  We were asked to consider what would we do if we were a programmer working on an unethical game?Would we take the money and keep our mouths shut or  stand up and voice out concerns.

I wrote in an earlier blog about my opinions of violence in video games.My opinion remains mostly unchanged on the matter.A game developer should have free reign to make a game without the fear of backlash from addressing controversial topics.Recently however I watched a trailer for an upcoming game known as “Hatred” created by Polish studio Destructive Creations that has has slightly changed my opinion on the matter. There is one line that I believe should not be crossed.Hatred is a game that ” revels in mass murder”[1].The trailer begins with the central character proclaiming his absolute hatred for humanity as he is seen loading guns into his jacket.He proclaims that he has always wanted to kill people and wishes for a violent death.The rest of the trailer contained some of the most disturbing murderous images I have seen in gaming.The “protagonist”  kills countless innocents revels in his savagery.The screams of pleads of the civilians effected me very deeply.In Games such as G TA the Player is capable of doing much of what the character does in the trailer except the player is penalized in other games(GTAs number of”stars”)

In Hatred the player is rewarded for this.The following is actual dialogue from the game.

“My name is not important. What is important is what I’m going to do…This is the time of vengeance and no life is worth saving. And I will put in the grave as many as I can. It’s time for me to kill. And it’s time for me to die. My genocide crusade begins here.””[1].

I can only imagine how families who have been affected by similar real life events in America or Pakistan .These people lost someone they loved because of a mass murder/s .The fact that a developer is trying to capitalize an this controversial topic to turn a profit makes me sick.There are many game developers doing wonderful and amazing things with games.It angers me that this rubbish will get more publicity then the majority of them.

[1]Polygon, (2014). The worst trailer of the year revels in slaughtering innocents. [online] Available at: http://www.polygon.com/2014/10/16/6988687/the-worst-trailer-of-the-year-revels-in-slaughtering-innocents [Accessed 16 Dec. 2014].

Art materpiece :Rusty

In class this week were encouraged to write about an art masterpiece of our own choice.I decide to pick something close to home which is a brown statue known as “Rusty” or “brown Thomas”.It is situated in the centre of the campus between the library,the main building and the Concert hall. The offical title of the artwork is  Together and Apart by Antony Gormley. The.The sculpture is approximately 700 kilograms in weight and nearly six feet in height.Rusty vaguely resembles a person with their head bowed and arms aligned close to the body.

The artist himself chose the precise placement of the figure,a busy and popular location that is passed by hundreds of students everyday.On entering the wide open space occupied by Rusty your attention is immediately drawn to him,even if there are crowds in its vicinity   It.It has since become an unofficial center point of the university campus.I can recall numerous occasions where I was giving directions to a student which began with the question with “Do you know where rusty is?”.More often then not the person would  recognize instantly of what I was referring too.I believe this is a testament to the memorable impact that Rusty has on people. .Every year on graduation day dozens of recent graduates will have their picture taken with the statue.Something which I also fully intend to do.What is it about Anthony Gormleys sculpture that we are all drawn towards?What makes it such an iconic figure?Should it be considered a master piece .

In my humble opinion the answer to the latter question is yes it is indeed a masterpiece.The craftsmanship and quality of the artwork is incredible. Aswell as the sculptures quality the placement of the piece in its exact place is quiet ingenious.It casts Rusty as a lonely and isolated and forlorn figure.The wide open space around him draws even more attention to that fact.Perhaps that is why people are drawn to Rusty so strongly.Everyone at some point in their life has experienced a sense of isolation from people around them.This can even be the case when you are surrounded by people,like Rusty often is.In fact people can feel more lonely and withdrawn when surrounded by a group of people.I still remember the first time I saw Rusty .The faithful occasion took place many years ago when I was a spry young child when the university was not as vast as it was now.Myself and my mother where about to visit my Uncle in the main building when all of a sudden I saw this strange figure in the distance.At first I mistook Rusty for a lone figure in the distance.My attentions became transfixed oh this figure as I continued my approach.When I eventually reached Rusty I apparently referred to it as “the coolest thing in the world” and I told my mother that  wanted one.My young mind was in awe of this large human sized bronze staue in front of me. I have no other recollection of that day save Rusty and I think that speaks volume to what a huge impression  it left on me.

It is obvious that the artist Antony Gormley crafted every aspect of Rusty with the utmost care.It makes people think and feel.Therefore I think it is one of the best art masterpieces on the UL campus

 

 

 

Click to access 20493505.pdf.bannered.pdf

Addiction in Games?

In his Paper “Problems with the Concept of Video Game “Addiction” ” Richard Wood argues that the concept of Video Game addiction is down to ineffective time management skills or some other problems that a person is trying to escape from rather then an obsessive need to play games.

Although I do think that Woods has a point for some cases ,playing a video game for more then 5 hours a day is a bit more then ‘time mismanagement’ in my opinion.In the news every so often I hear about another case where a person has died form playing video games as a result of dehydration or starvation.Anything that causes someone to ignore or forget there basic survival needs is addition in my opinion,plain and simple.For the  vast majority of us  fortunately I believe that Woods  “time mismanagement” explanation holds true.Video games are an escape from everyday reality in which you can become fully immersed in fantastical worlds.So the concept of losing track of time while doing so makes perfect sense.However most people are still grounded in reality whilst playing and will be able to step away if the needs arose.This is because these people are not addicted to playing games.

I implore you to ask yourself this question.Is this not similar to most other forms of addiction?Take alcohol for example.A non-alcoholic can be in control of their drinking habits.An alcoholic can not ,they let it overtake and consume their everyday lives.The only thought in there heads is where the next drink will come from.In my opinion this is the same  situation as a person who can walk away from playing games after an hour or two and a person who cannot.Addiction is addiction in my opinion

I myself have a bit of an addictive personality.I can sometimes over think and obsess about things,most of the time to my own detriment.This is especially the case with college where I constantly worry about projects and deadlines in my head.The reason I bring this to your attention is when I was younger this obsession was manifested towards games.For a  time I would play games from when I got up until I went to bed.I would refuse to come out to play with my friends and I would give out to my mother whenever she suggested I stop playing and go outside.I didn’t realize it at the time but my health and socials skills were being harmed by my obsession with playing games.My every thought was geared towards finding a way to play the PS3.Sound familiar. Sound familiar?

Thankful I’m much better at managing my time with respect to games nowadays.A temporary escape from college work.In closing my opinion is that anything can become addiction if indulged too greatly Whether it is games or any other form of addiction

My attitude towards drink is healthy too..Just encase you were wondering.

 

War Games.A new type of Propaganda?

Many years ago when I was a young child in primary school I remember a particular history lesson quite vividly.I do not recall what who my teacher was,what year I was in or who I was sitting beside but I remember the content of that lesson near perfectly.The time period we were covering was World War 2 and in particular Nazi Germany.What I heard on that day made my stomach turn.What the Nazi did was inhuman and destroyed my façade that bad people only existed in movies.Beyond all of this the fact that they justified these actions by manipulating the public’s view on Jews through propaganda still disturbs me to this day. The regime employed every medium they could to depict the Jews as a subhuman race of wandering cultural parasites[1].

The reason I bring this to your attention is  during a lecture in the past week I experienced that similar disgusted  feeling when the video game Americas Army was brought to my attention.When it comes to video games I am of the opinion that a games developers should be given free regain to make their game and tell their own story in anyway they see fit.I do not believe that developers should shy away from controversial and sensitive topics.Doing so would diminish the artistic integrity of the story they were trying to tell. Take Modern Warfare 2 for example which was surrounded in controversy due to its depiction of an massacre in a Russian airport.The player took control of a undercover CIA agent who allied with the terrorists,however the player was not forced to make a single shot.This was one of the single most memorable moments I ever experience in a game.It was powerful,terrifying and  heartbreaking . I would never have experienced this incredible moment if infinity ward were too afraid to tackle taboo topics.

However this is not the case with Americans Army,which in my opinion is a modern day equivalent to propaganda.The game is both published and developed by the US army in an attempt to attract potential recruits. Millions for dollars have been spent on Americas Army,32.8 million as of 2009[2].In 2009 along 3.4 million was spent on the game.In an article on latfusa.com[5] David Morris mentions a great point about the hypocrisy of the US government administration in giving money to study violence in videogames while at the same time financing  this project.Americans Army has the polish and style of other commercial FPS such as call of duty but at the same time it is a marketed propaganda tool.Quotes such as the following actually appear during loading screens ”

“I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit”

Did I mention it was also free so that anyone can download or play it?The game boasts about its realistic take on the life of a US soldier but neglects the negatives and sheer horrors of war.The ‘gore ‘ element of the game is low in order to lower the ERSB rating so it can reach young kids.There is no bodily dismemberment when shot and the damage taken is represented through icons rather then visual stimulation like in other conventional FPS[3].The American soldiers are depicted as honorable brave heroes who have to take down the faceless generic enemy.

This biased view of war for recruitment  purposes makes me very uncomfortable and in my opinion is disgusting.Young kids are very impressionable and they will only learn one view on war from this game.

Cowlishaw[4] quote in his article resonates with me which is why I will sign off with it

“any truly realistic recreation of war would cast some doubt on the idea that war is cool and enjoyable, and that, as in sports, all one has to do is “step up” and become an instant hero“.

[5]  Morris,2013. David America’s Army Video Game: Propaganda or Entertainment?October; available at http://www.latfusa.com/view_article.php?id=930.

[4]Cowlishaw, Brian, 2005. ‘Playing War: The Emerging Trend of Real Virtual Combat in Video Games’, American Popular Culture online magazine, available at http://www.americanpopularculture.com/archive/emerging/real_virtual_combat.htm

[3]Americas Army:more than a game?David B.Nieborg(2004)

Nazi Propaganda http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005274

Education learning and Games.Do they mix?

Video Games seem an obvious medium for learning purposes.The player is an active participant in the process rather then a passive one who is expected to absorb a hugh amount of information that is thrown at them in quick succession.Why then have educational games not reached their massive potential and been in-bedded into school and everyday life .What and how do we learn from gaming?These questions arose during a discussion in a lecture this past week that peaked my interest on the topic.
Surely with all the advances made in technology over the years significant ground would have been made in this area?In fact learning to master a game requires a strikenly similar learning process to that of most educational activites .A player unknownly studies a games rules,understands and practies to improve the skills required.Norman in … suggests that”There is no reason why the learning and studying required in education should not be as captivating and enjoyable as learning and studying
the game”[1]. In my experience from playing a few educational games over the years this has not seemed to be the case.The root of the problem is the reality that most educational games are simply not fun or enjoyable enjoyable to play .I recall an episode of the Simpsons where Bart is in an arcade playing a game which he enjoys until he realises the game is trying to teach him Geography.At which point he throws the remote at the screen and walks away.I beleive that scene demonstrates the problem in a nutshell.The right balance has not been struck between educational and fun gaming experiences . I recall one experience in my youth that scarred me for many years.One of my favourite games on the PS1 was the first Rayman. The.The game caught my attention with its engaging platforming gameplay and beautiful level and art design.I lost many afternoons exploring Raymans world.One day I was passing a shop and saw what I thought was a new Rayman game which I bought without hesitation and excitedly ran home to play it.When I launched the game on my PC my excitement soon turned to horror as the addictive gameplay and graphics that had made me fall in love with the game were replaced by maths and English questions.In disgust I shut the game down and never played it again.I have not played an educational game since that faithful day.

What exactly do I learn from video games?

I have often wondered why do I remember characters and game worlds in far more vivid detail then college material?Take Assassin Creed for example.Players  get the chance to explore  cities  in different historical time periods from Jerusalem during Third Crusade to Venice during the Renaissance.Interaction with some of histories most pivotal figures and events is a wonderful experience. I recall people such as  Robert de Sable, Rodrigo Borgia and Charles Lee  far clearer then any history lesson.In my opinion the answer is simple ,I was engaging with the gaming experience. When I came across interesting characters,historical events or monuments I would actively seek more information on the subject from both in game and external resources.Something which a  history book has never compelled me to do.

The potential of games as an educational tool can be summed up in one line for me.Assassin Creed resulted in successfully teaching me more about history then any history book has.Albert Einstein once said ” I never try to teach my students anything. I only try to create an environment in which  they can learn”[2] .Sounds Oddly familiar right?

[1]Norman, D. A. (1993). Things that make us smart: defending human attributes in the age of the
machine. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books.

[2]Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Game-Based Learning. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. the student takes active control of the learning process

Ludologist or Narratologist

Ludologist or Narratologist?This was an interesting topic that I had never gave much thought to prior to it being disgust in our game analysis lecture recently.

A  Ludologist considers the narrative story of a game to be nothing more then a superfical part of a gaming experience.Their focus is on the gameplay and mechanics of the game itself.In Build It to Understand It: Ludology Meets Narratology in Game Design Space Michael Mateas and Andrew Stern venture into future detail explaining that Ludologists feel narrative is incapable of coexisting with the crucial part of a game ,the gameplay .

” a common ludological position may be that narrative is fundamentally incompatible with agency, a              primary pleasure of games, and therefore is inherently less fundamental to the game experience.”

A Narratologist as you can probably guess takes the opposite stance from that of the Ludologist.The narrative is the most crucial part to a users enjoyment of a gaming experience.Games “are closely connected to stories”( Frasca 2003,p.1).

My stance?

I am a narratologist. I have always felt that the most important aspect of a game  is its story.Without a good story or interesting characters I feel a game is a mindless,unending and a quickly boring experience. Games such as Mindcraft and other MMO therefore do not interest me as  the vast majority focus on gammeplay along.However I do see the merits of these types of games and how they may appeal to other people  but they cannot hold my attention for more then a few minutes. The only game that I  play on a regular basis which doesnt have a story is Fifa.

On the other hand games with strong,focused storylines and emotionally engaging characters that grow through the course of the narrative  are what got me into playing games in the first place.The Last of Us and the Telltale games are examples.  I became fully immersed in its world and attached to its characters that as a result events that transpired during the course of the story carried a far more significant weight.I would lose track of time as I followed the main characters Joel and Ellie struggles throughout.I would marvel at the beautiful living world created by the developers,sometimes even stopping completely and taking the virtual sites in.Even when I think of the games I am excited  for in the future a good narrative is the first thing i look for.

Besides FIFA of course.Not according to football fans would argue that every football match tells its own story ..

Craps: Basic instructions.

Craps is a game based on the outcome of two dice.The player(shooter) bets the table minimum before the first roll of the dice.Craps is played in rounds consisting of two phases : come out and point. A pass line bet is betting with the dice while a don’t pass bets against.

At the beginning of a round the shooter makes a “come out” roll.There are three possible outcomes from the result of the dices.

1.A 2,3 or 12 results in the round ending and the shooter losing.

2. A 7 or 11 results in a win for pass line bets .

3.A  4,6,6,8,9 or 10 in that number becoming the point and the beginning of the points phase.

In the point phase if a player rolls a point number the pass line bets win.If a seven is rolled the pass line bets lose and the round concludes.

Prezi advantages and disadvantages

Prezi is a web cloud based presentation software.it uses a ZUI(zooming user interface) which differs the standard linear fis ormat seen in Microsoft PowerPoint and Google docs.ZUI is a graphic user interface which zooms into areas of interest and therefore zooming out of areas no longer of interest.Like every other piece of software Prezi has its own advantages and disadvantges.

Advantages 

1.Prezi is a completely web based application.That means it is easy to share your presentation for anyone to watch  and give feedback on.There are no worries about  possible compatibility issues on different computers .It is also possible to collaborate live on a project with  people in different locations.

2.When using Prezi the user starts off with a completely blank canvas.There are no restrictions like in PowerPoint where you are given templates and are forced to work in a box.You have complete create control over your presentation including where everything goes and is formatted.Presentations can become a lot more creative as a result.

3.The software is also free for us students.

4.Presentations can be saved for offline viewing.

Disadvantages 

1.Being a web based application also comes with possible issues.An internet connection is required to create Prezi presentations.

2.Can cause some viewers to feel sick and nauseous from zooming and spinning functions.It can cause some people to feel dizzy to such an extent that they cant view the presentation,even if the content is excellent.

3.Audio cannot be added to Prezi presentations.

4.The presentations are not printer friendly.Handing out copies of the slides can be very difficult.

How to create a twitter account

I will present the steps for creating a twitter account in bullet points in order to keep this post straightforward to follow.Afterwards I will explain the purpose and use of hash-tags on twitter .I will assume that the user is not already on the twitter homepage.As a prerequisite I have assumed that the person following these steps has an email address.

• Open a browser of your choice(Google chrome,Firefox,internet explorer etc) and either enter https://www.twitter.com into the address bar or type twitter into your browsers search engine.
• On the twitter homepage there is a box titled ‘New to twitter.Sign up’.Enter your name,valid email address and your chosen password.
• Click the sign up button.
• On the next page you will be asked to create a username.A username is a unique identifier that your followers use when sending replies,mentions in a tweet and direct messages.Twitter will check if the username is available.

•  Then double check your name, username and email address.When you have done this click ‘Create my account’.
• Next go to the email address you entered on signing up and click the link in the confirmation email sent by twitter to activate your account.

Hashtags are a concept on twitter that helps categorize tweets to help them show more easily in a Twitter search.The hashtag symbol # is used  before a user chosen keyword or phrase with no space in between.The hashtag can be placed anywhere in a tweet When clicked twitter will presents every other tweet  with the same keyword .For example a tweet as such as’Any FYP ideas #fyp’ would be categorized under fyp.That way the user could click on the hashtag and see what other people tweeted about this topic,