Video Game Critique

Super Mario 64 clip

Critique =

The biggest point that we had trouble conveying was describing who our audience would be.  We had a tough time defining this because our game has so many options and is so adaptable based on the person who chooses to play that the audience could virtually be any one.  Another point I felt we had trouble conveying was that we were trying to sell our game to investors.  I feel we kind of dropped the ball on that aspect of the project mainly because even though we could explain the games to ourselves, explaining it to others proved a bit confusing.

 

I think one of the flaws of our game was that we kept it way too open.  Yes, it is fun to have many options but we made it so our game was virtually unlimited, which makes it a bit more difficult to explain things such as goals and objectives.   The goals and objectives were by far the most difficult to explain.  The goals in the game are basically to acquire more ‘gadgets/things’ to be able to do more in further levels.  For example, if the game gave you the option to pick up an iPod that was not yours, if you took it you could use that to your advantage (sometimes disadvantage) in further levels.  This was also confusing when discussing the goals and objectives because every choice you get is linked with chance, so although your objective may be to choose to take a certain gadget  (in order to reach your goal of more ‘options’) you never know if taking or not taking the gadget is a good or bad choice until you find out the meaning or consequence of taking that gadget later in the game.  The idea of this concept is extremely intriguing but a bit confusing to explain to an audience of investors without having an example of the game to show.  We definitely could have overall, done a better job at explaining those aspects of our game and possibly given more of a visual to the audience by comparing our game to Sims for example. 

 

Overall, I do believe that we were creative in our game creation and each added a lot of innovative ideas to the game.  The rules were very clear. For example, avoid dying and the fact that there are restrictions built into the game (cannot run into the street when at a destination; virtual walls). Also, although the mechanics slide on the PowerPoint was underdeveloped by the requirements of the grade sheet, I do feel the idea was fully developed and explained properly by Max when he explained how you used the WASD keys to play the game ect. Each of us had no problem understanding the game ourselves but because the idea was so developed and complicated with several different options it made explaining it to an audience a bit more difficult that we would have liked.  I had a really great time designing the game and really wish we could have conveyed our idea much clearer.  I think if we could have done that, the game would have impressed the audience. 

How to Be Creative - Hugh Macleod --Critique

How to be Creative article

>> click My Critique on You Tube ( couldnt get it to upload directly to the page)

5B. Favorite Scene from a Movie-- Almost Famous -tiny dancer scene

^ Almost Famous Scene -- Tiny Dancer 

^ My Critique

5A. reimaging visual framing

 

Reframed Image

 

Original Image

          I was drawn to this image by Sally Mann mainly because of the Visual Intensity of the photo.  Even though we are not sure what the context on the photo is it is easy to assume that it is representing a melancholy and intense situation.  I chose to reframe the image by focusing on what I thought was the most visually intense aspect of the photo and that is the boy's faces, specifically their eyes and the direction in which they are looking.  The direction of both focal points (each boy's eyes) have affinity in their direction.  They are both fixed on the camera.  I wanted to magnetize the visual intensity by reframing the image around the boys faces and eyes to take away from the distraction of the contrast in direction between the direction the boys are looking and the direction the lines on their shirts are going.  When you minimize the presence of the other lines on the photo the lines are perceived a bit differently and there is more focus on the virtual lines (eyes to camera) vs. the actual lines(striped shirt) which is what I was going for when reframing.  The shape of the boys heads may look similar but I believe they are different.  The boy on the left has more of a circular shaped head and the boy on the right a square.  Because Sally Mann included more of a presence of the boy on the right's hair, that added to the shape of his head as a square.  I do not believe this was done by accident especially when you consider the element of blood on the boy on the right.  Clearly, the boy on the right is meant to be the dominant figure between the two boys.  When reframing I also decided to manipulate the shot type and change the photo from a medium shot to a close up.  I feel that closing in the space and focusing on where the visual intensity lies in the photo (the boys faces) would increase that intensity.  

           I believe Sally Mann had similar thoughts when framing this photo.  She did not want to do a very wide shot because that would minimize the intensity of the photo as well as distract the viewer from her focal points.  But I definitely see a reason that she did a medium shot vs. a close up and I believe that has a lot to do with the shirts the boys are wearing. I want to point out the difference in the striped shirts of the boys.  I find this very interesting that she did this.  Like I said earlier, I do believe the boy on the right has a square shape and the boy on the left a circle but at the same time the boy on the left has more defined, solid, stripes on his shirt vs. the boy on the right who has thick and thin stripes and his shirt is a bit wrinkled.  I found this contrast very interesting. The head shapes give the impression that the boy on the left is less dominant than the right, that may very well be the reason the boy on the right is the one with blood on his face.  The boy on the right is wearing a wrinkled shirt, with contrasting stripes, and a white under shirt with blood on the color.  The boy of the left is wearing a unwrinkled shirt with solid stripes and no undershirt showing, his hair also looks less of a mess. If this picture was depicting for example, a terrible case of domestic abuse, by costume choice, line and shape, and space in the photo you can put all of the elements together and assume that the boy on the right is the more dominant personality therefore, presumably, the most likely of the two to be beaten.  Many of Sally Mann's photos seem to have a dark melancholy concept behind them and by manipulating the aspects of framing, lines and shape, visual intensity, and space in her photo's she is able to get across some very intense situations and feelings in her photos.

Brainwashed

Brainwashed by Seth Godin


    In Seth Godin's menefesto Brainwashed he begins talking about the 7 levers you can utilize to reinvent your self by saying DO WORK THAT MATTERS. " The economy just gave you leverage—the leverage to make a difference, the leverage to spread your ideas and the leverage to have an impact," says Godin. This is so true.  It is time for us to use our creativity that we so greatly value and put it to good use.  ACKNOWLEDGE THE LIZARD.  In this section Godin explains the lizard brain as, "the part of our brain that worries about safety and dishes out anger. Being laughed at is the lizard brain’s worst nightmare. And so it shuts down our art."  He explains that this fear of our art being rejected is the sole reason for us to resist our creativity.   We are so afraid that someone might laugh or not understand something that we create that means a lot to us that we completely throw it away all together.  I know I definitely have been guilty of letting my lizard brain get the best of me when it comes to my music.  I have refused multiple times to play my own music, songs that I have spent hours creating, that mean a lot to me, in public because of the fear that someone may judge me for it.  This hinders my creativity and feedback from people. Feedback is so important to art because it improves it, the artist grows with feedback, and by letting the fear of rejection and laughter hinder this we are killing our creativity.  This section explains that ignoring these negative criticism's and the voice of skepticism is crucial to creativity.  So we must acknowledge it.  Acknowledge the lizard, know that the skepticism is there and push through it but you must acknowledge the lizard in order to ignore it.
       The other lever I found that speaks to me is the 1st lever, Connect.  We are in a world where we have the ability to connect through endless amounts of technology and utilize social media. Although many people view social media as a time wasting, vapid ritual, I believe if you use it to connect with the best creative intentions it is genius. The section talks about how the artist for the Obama poster could freely share his work and how connecting with social media allowed his creative talents to be shown and appreciated all over the country.  Even though he wasn't paid his work was widely recognized and respected.  Now he has made a name for his creativity and will most likely be sought out rather than him struggling to find work.  The impact technology and social media has on our creativity and lifestyles is endless.  Take Youtube for example.  Some of the biggest acts in Hollywood have been started by this site.  Justin Beiber for example was just a kid with a large talented voice who posted videos of him singing and playing guitar on Youtube.  A few short years and posted videos later Justin Timberlake and Usher are battling it out to sign this talented 14 year old boy.  Youtube gave him a medium to create and post his creative works and talent to a wide audience that would never have been available until now. Not only is social media a great means of sharing your creative content but also a great medium for sharing personal and emotion issues you may struggle with.  In a MDIA course I took last quarter  we discussed the importance of social media for creative and emotional reasons.  One huge topic was the use of Youtube for podcasting personal issues to a wide audience without having to publically stand in front of everyone.  When you think about it, when you post a podcast or video of your self on Youtube you are essentially speaking to an endless amount of viewers but at the time of the post its just you and your computer but with the sense that someone out there is listening and cares.  We watched a documentary with several interviews of people who's podcasts and videos are widely followed.  A man was interviewed who lost his 12 year old daughter to leukemia and used Youtube as a form of therapy to get his emotions out to anyone who wanted to listen who may understand.  He explained it wasn't until he started posting videos and talking about the internal emotional suffering he was going through that he felt any healing.  Youtube gave him a space to talk about what he was going through without having to feel judged the moment the words came out of his mouth.  For this man the feedback was tremendous.  People from all over the world offered advice, counseling, help, and could relate to his situation.  The man explained that Youtube and the people following his podcasts and videos completely saved him from a deep depression after the death of his daughter and the screen names without faces and the comments on his posts gave him hope.  In my opinion social media is not a waste of time.  It is a creative outlet for people who want to be heard and believe me, there are billions of people wanting to listen.
         Acknowledging the lizard and connecting both do relate to the blogs we are creating this quarter.  First of all, whenever you create something of your own, be it the songs and soundscapes we have created or even the opinions of the cover songs and which songs we chose, there is always that fear that someone will judge us ( even if it is for a class .)  Having to do this for class helps us acknowledge the lizard and realize we must ignore it, not just to get the assignment done, but to get used to being proud of our creations and sharing them with others.  Blogging is also a great way to connect.  I am very grad we have to blog for this class because it has inspired me to want to create a blog of my own where I blog about my creativity and interests and others music and art that I find inspiring.  Why wouldn't I want to share my opinions about something I love and am passionate about?  Blogging for this class has made me realize just that.  I feel that the blogging exercises has helped me in being more organized with my opinions and how I post them.  I want to intrigue people with my writing and posts and that is something that I will continue to work on improving.  I am not sure if the blogging exercises makes me a better student over all but it definitely makes me a better media student.  It is important for students in all media majors to understand the effectiveness and importance of sharing your creativity and gaining followers.  Media is a business in which you must be able to be followed and you must have intriguing elements in order for others to want to follow you.  A blog is a great way to help others gain insight on what you are all about.  I really enjoy blogging for this class and I intend on making my own blog in the near future discussing and posting things I am passionate about.  In today's world it is so important we stay connected and blogging is a great way to organize creative thoughts in social media.

Song Critiques

** Please note I could not complete one of the critiques because it would not allow me to view the song if I was not a friend of the person who posted it on youtube.

Sound Scape Critiques