Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants.

Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants.

Computer Game Design.

"We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours."

                               -John of Salisbury

I start with this quote with the intention of talking about what i call "Idea Coalition". first off i should give a definition.

Idea Coalition - To expand upon the ideas of others to develop better techniques to use in future projects without claiming to own.

Idea Coalition is the realease of personal ownership of ideas and skills for the use of all the team. 

The idea of learning from others work is a taboo subject, since we were all  small children we are always instructed that looking at others work is cheating and you will be punished, this has unfortunutly enstilled a mistrust of skill share which in turn limits the potential final outcome of our work as game designers.

Our challenge as students of game design is to overcome this "normal" response to a group situation leave behind our preconsceptions and throw ourself whole heartedly into projects no longer working as myself, but as Legion and in doing so i release the full potential of the game.

"I am Legion, for we are many"

  

                                                                                 -Posessed Man

Samuel Cook

R. Caillois - Play, paidia, ludus and other things.

"We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours."

                               -John of Salisbury

R. Caillois - Play, paidia, ludus and other things.

Ludus - Refers to the rules.

 

Paidia - Refers to improvisation.

Caillois four patturns of play.

 

Agon - Games of competition eg. Dota 2.

Alea - Games of chance eg. Roulette.

 

Mimicry - Games of Simulation eg. The Sims.

 

Ilinx - Games of Vertigo eg Grand Theft Auto series

 

Thoughts.

 

I think that Caillois terminology is incredibly helpful for designers as it enables identification of games and communcation with a predefined meaning. This terminology is also an essential tool for target audience analysis as it allows us to group types of play within age brackets .ect

 

Samuel Cook      

  

 

A Simple Bibliography Task.

A Simple Bibliography Task.

Solid text.

Michael. D, (2003), "The Indie Game Development Survival Guide", Boston, Charles River Media, p67

Reader.

Tinsman. B, (2008), "The Inventors Guidebook", New York, Morgan James Publishing, "Insiders view", Jordan Weissman, P155  

Journal.
Dor, S. (2014), "The Heuristic Circle of Real-Time Strategy Process: A StarCraft: Brood War Case Study", The International Journal of Computer Game Research. 14 (1).
ISSN:1604-7982

My First Failure Is Really A Success?

I had waited until Wednesday to write my blog with the hopes of a clear run and a congratulations at being so truly excellent a student, and like most people who are up on their high horse......  I failed quite spectacularly in fact. The moments after were obscurred by pride however when i came to, while eating a rather delicious dish of carbonara, something in my head clicked, suddenly the idea of failing didn't seem quite so scary in fact it almost seemed beneficial.

Why Failures can be good:

1. They highlight issues and flaws thus corrections can be implemented.
2. Failure is an excellent motivator. (I love a challenge)
3. I'm sure i remember bad things much better than i do good things.
4. It gives me good reason to use my new mantra   

I am a Game Designer
I am a Game Designer!
I am a Game Designer!!
I am a Game Designer!!!

Sam   

A little About Me? Why do you want to know that for?

So.. i guess the first topic i should talk about is myself, my interests, hobbies and the such so here it goes.....

What are the title of current books i am reading within the fiction genre?

I like so many others am a child at heart and therefore I enjoy reading teen fiction, I am currently re-reading Casandra Claire's City of Bones and also Paul Stewart and Chris Riddle's edge chronicles many people say that these trilogies grammatically childish which is true in some senses however I find that the world that is created out of nothing more than makes up for the language. 

What is the title of the non-fiction book you are currently reading?

Non-Fiction isn't really my cup of tea however i do find that murder mysteries by Lindon Stacy such as Dead Fall and Point Break were to my liking and kept me occupied for all of two days as i have said before i prefer to be able to immerse myself in a fantasy world.

What is the last live performance i attended?

Coming from a musical theatre back round i have watched almost every musical/play on the current London west end. The last production i watched was Les Miserables in Queens theatre.

What was the title of the last film you watched?

The last film i watched was Hackers (1995) link to IMDB an excellent film in my opinion and had some real rising stars in its cast.

How often do you read a newspaper/online articles?

As many of you may have also experienced, I was once a central London commuter so the metro was my physical paper of choice (which is another way of saying i'm a cheapskate and its free ;)
I try if can to avoid tabloid fear mongering style papers even so a chortle at the Sun's often close minded shenanigans is sometimes quite refreshing.

Which art gallery / museum / exhibition did you visit last?

The last place i visited was the Science museum in London (i love science).

How many hours a week do you spend on video games?

So to calculate this i just worked on an average figure of 3 hours on average so around 21 hours a week which is more than the hours required to be classed as a part time job.

How many hours a week do you spend playing games other than video games?

I have to admit this is a big fat 0! however i am looking to rectify this in the future.

Sam