From M/Cyclopedia of New Media
Personal Details
- Sub-Major: Music! The reason for this is that music has always been one of my main interests. Throughout school I learnt to play the clarinet and baritone saxophone and once had a short stint in the second Queensland Youth Orchestra on the cor anglais. At school I was in a handful of musicals and was also Co-Cultural Prefect.
- Career Goals: At the completion of my degree I would love to work in the music industry as an online and print publishing professional...one can only hope. For the time being, I am a waiter at a seafood cafe along Brisbane's waterfront.
Assessment 1: Annotated Bibliography
TOPIC: Computer Game Realism
How video and computer games attempt to represent reality through the following elements:
- Graphics
- Audio
- Gameplay
- Interaction
Print Resources
Dodsworth, C. (ed.) (1998) Digital Illusion: Entertaining the Future with High Technology, New York: Addison-Wesley.
ISBN 0201847809
- This book does not entirely centre on video and computer gaming however does continually make references to this area as well as other related new media technologies. The book is broken into six parts beginning with the basic topics such as the history of high-tech entertainment to the perceptions and experiences with these. As the book progresses, specialised matters including Networked Synthetic Environments and Surreal Estate Development are examined. The themes covered in Digital Illusion are described in extreme detail; in particular the technical factors behind these themes are frequently discussed. There are many relevant sections throughout the entire book however above all, the most important part in relation to the topic falls under Chapter 9 Real Interactivity in Interactive Entertainment. The main focus of this specific chapter is the interaction between a player and the game and the player with other players. The experience a player undergoes with a game is determined by how they interact with it and the way they interact with it establishes how they perceive the realness of the game. Issues such as these are reviewed throughout the chapter.
Marshall, P.D. (2002) “Video and Computer Gaming�?, in S. Cunningham and G. Turner (ed.) The Media and Communications in Australia, Sydney: Allen & Unwin, pg 258-274.
ISBN 1865086746
- Throughout this chapter, Marshall gives a brief yet detailed overview of video and computer gaming. Such areas mentioned include: the origins of video and computer gaming; convergence with the toy market, game development; genres and users; and game distribution. Towards the end of the chapter Marshall makes reference to the various forms of game analysis. This is an important element when considering the realism of video gaming. The subjects most relevant to the topic are discussed under the headings The Concept of Gameplay and The Look and Aesthetics of Video and Computer Games. Under The Concept of Gameplay the significantly relevant remarks made by Marshall are about the players’ intensity of experiences with the games therefore undergoing a sense of reality. The latter heading, as it suggests, focuses on the images and graphics produced by video and computer games. Graphics play a vital role in creating the reality and the content listed under this heading has this awareness thus making it appropriate for the topic.
Morris, D. and Hartas, L. (2003) Game Art: The Graphic Art of Computer Games, New York: Watson-Guptill Publications.
ISBN 0823020800
- Game Art looks at the visuals that make up video and computer games. The book covers the graphic perspectives of all genres such as role-playing games (RPGs) to simulations, first person shooters to fighters and even covers the graphics of game worlds. It talks about how the little details give the visuals a realistic quality. A plethora of images scattered throughout aid in reinforcing points and ideas and the book contains interviews with leading game artists, adding real life situations to further the information already addressed. In relation to the topic, the entire book is appropriate as it discusses one of the major components of creating realism in computer gaming. However, notably the chapter titled Big Boy’s Toys makes reference to how players are in fact experiencing reality through games such as The Getaway as these contain real life worlds; the game worlds are merely reconstructions of actual, live places. Morris and Hartas comment on the fact that game graphics are becoming so photo realistic that objects and gameplay feel real even though they are virtual.
Newman, J. (2004) Videogames, London: Routledge.
ISBN 041528192X
- Videogames by James Newman is a complete rundown of this particular new media technology. From the first accounts of video gaming to the present video gaming culture and society, through to the reasoning behind character selections and even player behaviours, Newman analyses the relatively young industry and debunks traditional myths associated with video and computer gaming. The book emphasises points by drawing on actual examples not only from recent titles but also from original ones including Pong, Space Invaders and the Super Mario series. Newman goes into precise detail; the surfaces of issues are not only examined but the psychology and reasoning behind these are discussed. The most relevant chapter within the book is Chapter 8 Videogame Players and Characters: Narrative Functions and Feeling Cyborgs. The chapter concentrates on how players put themselves into the games and how they interact with a game’s interface. The immersion of the player with the gameworld affects how they perceive the realism of it and through this chapter Newman considers this aspect.
Internet Resources
Galloway, A.R. (2004) “Social Realism in Gaming,�? Game Studies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research, vol.4, issue 1, retrieved August 4, 2005, from http://www.gamestudies.org/0401/galloway/
- Every aspect of realism in video and computer gaming is taken into account in the article, Social Realism in Gaming. Galloway takes into consideration many factors when analysing this issue: the affect of the gamer; fantastical games as oppose to realistic ones; social reality in both virtual and lived scenarios; and correspondences versus representation. The article not only discusses the theory behind these concerns but also examines the practical side. The development of war style games depicting real life conditions can aid in training for military purposes and games such as these are merely extensions on real life situations. Examples and images relating to the issues scrutinised by Galloway reinforce his concepts of video game realism. The complete article contains useful and significant information towards the topic. In particular ideas concerning the gamer and his or her relationship with the game rather than focussing on the game itself shows another characteristic of video game realism that is rarely contemplated.
Garite, M. (2002) The Ideology of Interactivity (or, Video Games and the Taylorization of Leisure, retrieved August 9, 2005, from http://www.digra.org/dl/db/05150.15436
- Unlike other forms of media, video games are not passive and require users to constantly interact. Garite through his study observes, as the title suggests, the ideology of interactivity between its user and the game’s interface. Characteristics affecting the interactivity are examined: the level of agency a player has and the choices a player is given. Garite outlines the opposing political and social stances on interactivity from both a western and eastern world viewpoint. Violence and behavioural issues relating to the interactivity with video and computer games are looked at as these can be considered to be a negative ramification due to the realistic nature of today’s games. In relation to the topic of realism, interactivity between a player and the game ultimately determines the experience of the player. The experience affects the degree to which the player recognises the game as being real and consequently studying the ideology of interactivity, as Garite has, is essential.
McDonald, G. (2004) A History of Videogame Music, retrieved August 5, 2005, from http://www.gamespot.com/features/6092391/
- Videogame music has progressed drastically in the past thirty years and the article by McDonald gives a general outline of its transition from the sonar-blip to today’s fully orchestrated soundtracks. Apart from a detailed history, the article looks at the power of sound and music in creating the ultimate gameplay experience. Unlike graphic visuals, sounds generally work sub-consciously and a good soundtrack adds to the realism of any game. McDonald supports his arguments by comparing other media forms that utilise sound such as cinema and television and reasoning the effectiveness of sound and music in these areas. The development of sound in the video gaming industry has sparked new genres of games to emerge such as Rhythm Games and McDonald observes this phenomenon. Music and sound technologies in video and computer gaming perform imperative roles in creating realism. Unlike visual stimuli that can directly effect the gamer, music and sound work on a different level but still have the power to influence considerably the realism of the game. As a result McDonald’s article on videogame music is highly relevant to the topic.
Mosher, L. (2005, Feb. 4) “Video Game Hostility Raises Concerns,�? The Badger Herald, retrieved August 9, 2005, from http://badgerherald.com/news/2005/02/04/video_game_hostility.php
- This relatively short article raises key points when discussing the affects of video and computer game representations of reality. The depiction of blood, violence and gore through realistic video games are explored and Mosher further examines the desensitisation of gamers because of this. The effects of video games allowing users to escape reality by immersing themselves in the gameworld are also looked at. Immersion with video and computer games or the interactivity between the player and the game is an important component when examining the realism of these games.
Rothstein, E. (2002) “Realism May Be Taking the Fun Out of Games�?, Universidad Caece, retrieved August 5, 2005, from http://www.caece.edu.ar/Ingles/Articles/28.htm
- From Donkey Kong to Dead or Alive 3, the article looks at the repercussions of realistic video gaming and whether or not the trend towards this is beneficial to the quality of gaming or helps in the demise of the entertainment value. By making comparisons between classic and retro gaming such as Pac-Man and Donkey Kong with current titles including Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee and Nintendo’s Pikmin, Rothstein assesses today’s games and evaluates the effects technology has had on them. These reviews on today’s video and computer games is relevant to the topic as it is provides both negative and positive viewpoints about realism in gaming.
Assessment 2: Key Topic Entry
Link to entry: Computer Games - Ethics
Assessment 3: Sub-topic Entries
Links to entries:
- Computer Games - Ethics: Interaction, Immersion and Agency
- Computer Games - Ethics: Graphics
- Computer Games - Ethics: Audio
- Computer Games - Ethics: Gameplay
- Computer Games - Ethics: Case Study: Grand Theft Auto
Useful Links
Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
Bachelor of Creative Industries (Media and Communications)
My Personal Web Site
Terence Otto 011:49, 12 Aug 2005 (EST)
