Week 12.5 (or part 1 of almost done)

All the work this term is coming to its finale in a matter of days for our final presentation. We’ve been told to prepare a 10-min presentation and orchestrate it however is most appropriate (Powerpoint, posters, walking tour, etc.). I’d been a little nervous about the final thing that I was going to make for Friday’s class, but thankfully was able to get the materials that I really wanted. After a 2 1/2 hour drive (110 mi total) to Camarillo, I was able to get a sample kit of some electroluminescent lighting from Californeon.

Electroluminescent (EL) lighting

The material is basically paper-thin with the ability to give off a pretty decent amount of light after being plugged in. I’ve been really focusing on the idea of a “carte de physique” after my meeting with Peter Lunenfeld; some sort of object that is fairly lightweight, but can also update in real time to show the less accessible parts of an individual’s virtual experience. I’ll only show a few more pictures of prototypes I’m doing, as I want to give a full description after the presentation is done.

Frame/Material Iteration for the EL Lighting

Iteration of design for the Final Object

Everyone’s been pulling 10-12+ hour days in the studio & I’m no exception. That being said, I’m going to try to call it an early night so I can get a full, productive day in tomorrow and have plenty of time to go over the final presentation. I’m honestly pretty stoked about how my study has ended up this term. The last, big hurdle, I think, is in conveying all of the research and work into something at least semi-intelligent-sounding as well as digestible for a 9AM Fri morning audience…

Week 11 – Holy crap…

Week 11; it’s so crazy how it comes right before…Week 12 (bum, bum, buuuuuuhhhhm!).

With one week left to go before the final presentation, there’s no time to make anymore small decisions. Ya gotta bring out the big guns & make something worthwhile. This past week I met with three of the core faculty in the Media Design program at different times to go over not only the results of the WOW probes, but also the analysis that I’d begun as well as ideas for what the final outcome should be. There’s a lot to take in; especially trying to bring the original research questions, (i.e. How can online and virtual experiences be legitimately conveyed as unique and valid experiences to others that have or have not held the same experiences?) to align with the findings from the WOW probes and make sense in the final thing to be presented to the rest of the class who haven’t been exposed to all of the research and background knowledge I’ve already accrued. The excuse, “Well it all makes sense to me,” just doesn’t really warrant an ‘A’ in grad school.

The analysis of all the data from the WOW probes left me with a few insights I wanted to build on. One of the observations was that, although players did interact with one another and the game encourages grouping up and other social forms of interaction, there wasn’t a great longing from the players to meet their real-world counterparts. Probe participants talked about wanting to be “where most of my guild members are,” but there was never any mention of or apparent desire to meet any of the people behind the avatars.

Another finding & probably the most definitive was that Questing seemed an integral part of the virtual experience in World of Warcraft. In the game, as the player progresses through the world, various computer-controlled characters will be able to give the player a variety of tasks (aka Quests) to perform. If completed successfully, the player will generally gain experience (XP) at a faster rate than if they just went around killing things, as well as monetary compensation in the form of gold or equipment for their character to use. These computer-controlled characters will have a yellow exclamation mark floating above their heads to notify the player that a quest is available to them. Here’s more information on WOW Quests on the actual Warcraft website. A few participants wrote down that Quests were the one aspect of the game that they would want to make a part of their actual life, and the idea of Questing was referenced several more times in other areas of the participants’ answers. Since this was a common theme, I’ve chosen to specifically convey this experience to other individuals who haven’t had much exposure to the game, beyond what I’ve already told them (i.e. the rest of the class & faculty).

Week 11 Sketches & Notes

So after pushing for a group crit in class (Thanks to the class too for humoring me!), I presented two different ideas for a final product/experience project to do. The first was to create portrait-like images taking the format in which quests are presented in WOW and applying it to “real-world” individuals and situations. The individuals giving these quests were persons like Jesus of Nazareth, Barack Obama, and Brad Bartlett (a professor at Art Center) and the form in which the Quests were presented was the same as WOW players encounter in the game. Critiques of this idea included questions about where would the portraits live, and that the images seemed more about explaining the individual than relating the idea of Questing. While still visually appealing, there was still refinement if I was to go with that idea.

Buddha Quest Poster

The second proposal was more of an experience design piece where students and individuals at Art Center would be given Quests to complete around the school. The purpose behind these Quests would be to expose students to areas of the school building they had never been to before (like the Archives or Student Life offices), as well as discover new aspects of the college that were unbeknown to them before (such as the details of Art Center at Night courses). I would either walk around with the same yellow exclamation mark above my head like in WOW, or set up a table somewhere in the hallway with the yellow mark above my head, and give out quests to students depending on their major or background. One immediate drawback to this project, though, is that it would have to occur during Week 12…which would mean no ACCD student in their right mind would stop to talk to someone in the hallway, let alone tramp around the school to go to somewhere they’d never been to.

The feedback that I received was somewhat helpful. The second idea felt more like a tour you’d receive if visiting the school while the first one seemed more about explaining about the individual in the portrait, than relating the idea of the Quest to an uninitiated audience. The biggest (and probably most obvious) critique was that I needed to present these ideas with my findings from the probes. In other words, give the projects a context. Otherwise the critique is simply of personal tastes in what visuals are being shown.

Sooo, there is one week to go. I’m leaning more towards the portraits, although I still need to figure out how to better convey the idea of Questing as well as what kind of space in which it will live (online, in a hallway, etc).

On a side note, the WOW group in Pasadena is meeting tomorrow. I’m wondering if I’ll still go…

Week 10 Updates

A lot of things have happened over the past several weeks, keeping me not only busy, but pretty fried in the critical thinking area.

So back in time a few weeks (Week 7), I took my first stab at making something to show a virtual experience. I was advised to focus on a specific, singular experience or narrow range of experiences, even at the expense of researching into other, equally interesting topics. So the outcome of that was a focus on the experience of playing the MMORPG “World of Warcraft.” An attempt to ask a few probing questions to players in the World of Warcraft was made. What ended up happening though, was a total of no responses from players inside the WOW universe. Even after offering in-game currency, all of the users were focused on fulfilling quests and/or personal ventures. That left a few days to show something worthwhile in class. Plan B ended up being a 3D abstract model of the data accrued by recording the amount of XP recorded over time. These are the 2 videos of different versions of the model.

While an ‘E’ for effort is better than nothing, I was told that my approach was good, but the execution still needed a lot of refining. With class being canceled Week 8 (due to the 4th of July) I had 2 weeks to come up with another idea & approach.

After continuing to record my own XP accrual over time, I kept seeking out some other approach at getting to the experience that players of World of Warcraft have. The final decision was to go along the lines of cultural probes; even more specifically the Pairings Game from the very first term. I came up with a quick set of 5 different image pairs from World of Warcraft to use as an example to show during class. Through meetup.com I also found a group of WOW players that met at various times in an actual space & I was hoping to be able to give them sets of the pairings game to fill out. Unfortunately, the group’s meeting time was Sat, July 26…also known as the end of Week 11 or one week before our final presentation for Super Studio. Therefore the date for getting the completed probes needed to be moved up a week…also known as Week 10 or a total of 1 week from that current day. That left me 1 week to not only create 11 sets of probes (10 sets to deploy & 1 for documentation), but also to deploy them and get them back, totally completed.

Literally the minute that class ended on Fri of Week 9, to Tues morning I worked non-stop on not only creating the 11 sets of probes, but also publicizing and setting up interview times with WOW players. Each of the interviewees would complete a set of 8 image pairings as well as fill out a short questionnaire with 4 questions. After finishing the two activities, the participants received a 60-day Prepaid WOW Gameplay Card. World of Warcraft is a monthly, subscription-based game so 60-days effectively gives them 2 months of gameplay for free.

By Sun afternoon (today) all of the probe sets were completed by avid WOW players and the data was compiled together. Now that Week 11 is approaching, I’ve planned for a week of analysis, and then the final week will be production of that final something to make the WOW experience tangible. I’ve already started sketching a few ideas for a final item to show, but nothing has really rung true yet. I’m hoping to meet with 1 or 2 of the MDP faculty this week to go over the results & get some feedback from them. Less than 2 full weeks to go, but I was able to hand-make 176 cards in a weekend, as well as all of the other materials so I’m hoping I’m up to the task.

*fingers crossed*

Week 6 Notes

I did, yet more research this week; delving into numerous PHD papers and attempting to clarify the term “virtual” for my own usage in this project. What I came up with was this:

Generally, virtual objects are objects that are either:

(a) experienced through or

(b) simulated by the use of technology

There are 2 types of virtual objects that K.M. Lee talks in the article, Communication Theory. The first of these objects is para-authentic. Para-authentic virtual objects are objects that are the mediated version of actual objects (i.e. e-mail, chats, etc). The second of these object types is artificial. Artificial virtual objects are objects created or simulated by technology, with no necessary real-life counterparts (i.e. computer A.I.). Coming to class with these definitions led to a few lengthy, existential discussions involving bees, acorns, and water jugs and whether or not everything was para-authentic or if artificial could even exist. Where they all brought me back to though, was a rephrasing of my original question of, “Can an artificial object, if given a tangible form, become para-authentic?”

After meeting with Anne Burdick, the crit I was given was to stop reading and start making. I was advised against perusing anymore P.H.D. papers as I could spend an entire term just researching those definitions. A few starting points that I’d like to explore this next week is possibly making cultural probes for online communities such as Second Life, World of Warcraft, or City of Heroes. Perhaps another iteration of the analog probes which were done in the first term or some virtual interaction which affects a physical counterpart. I’m not entirely sure yet, but I do know that I need to start up my WOW subscription again.

Sketches

In addition to the other research from last week, I also made a sketch on making virtual objects tangible that I failed to put up. Here it is.

Some More Research

A big question I got last week was, “What are questions people are already asking?” With more research, I found these links & articles. Most of the first links are more manifestations of avid fanboy-dom (as was brought up to me during the class crit), but do seem to get nearer that idea of a physical, tangible manifestation of a virtual experience.

Final Fantasy XII Drink – http://ps2.ign.com/articles/682/682201p1.html

During the release of the PS2 Final Fantasy XII game the company, Suntory, released a beverage which resembled the potions in the game. It was a limited release, but the story is above.

Halo Laser Tag – http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/07/31/halo-laser-pursuit-coming-in-october/

During the 2007 holiday season, two different types of replica laser tag guns were released from the Halo FPS series. The weapons both act & sound the same as they do in the game and allow players to shoot at one another, inflicting the same amount of damage the guns would do in real life.

World of Warcraft Postcards – http://www.wowcast.net/postcards.html

Either for real or play, this site shows some postcards from the online, virtual environment of World of Warcraft, along with their messages on the back.

Unlockable Phone # for God of War – http://vgstrategies.about.com/od/ps2cheatscodesg/a/godofwarhints.htm

At the end of the PS2 game, God of War, the player unlocks a phone number to call which players a pre-recorded message from the main character, Kratos.

“Virtual/Tangible II” jewelry artshow – http://www.velvetdavinci.com/allimages.php?action=show&mode=1&id=65&page=

This is an art show done by jewelers who created all of their designs in a virtual space. For the show, all of the pieces were output using rapid prototyping techniques into tangible items.

ADK Virtual – http://adkvirtual.com/

I have no idea what this company does, but I like their motto & was excited to see a company like it starting up.

Here we go…

Research Questions:

(1) What is the barrier between virtual, online experiences & “real” ones? Is it only tangibility or something else?

(2) What substantial items/things/stuff can individuals carry away from virtual experiences, beyond emotional satiation?

(3) How can online and virtual experiences be legitimately conveyed as unique and valid experiences to others that have or have not held the same experiences.

Word Trios:

(1) Physicality, Satiation, Substantive

(2) Online, Growth, Finiteness

(3) Unique, Community, Transferable

Abstract/Statement of Purpose:

Is it possible to make tangible the virtual experiences individuals experience online or in virtual spaces? What physical thing can be gotten back from all of the effort, time, and energy put into the creation of an avatar or a thriving metropolis of virtual denizens? Characters made in World of Warcraft can be output as physical models, unique down to every detail of armor the player has accrued in their time online. Linden dollars can be exchanged for actual currency in Second Life, allowing individuals to have entire careers creating and doing business within the virtual world. A physical book will be created from the input from the Text Wall probe during the previous term in the Super Studio 2 course. These seem close, but there’s more to explore. That is where I want to venture.

Sketches:

http://people.artcenter.edu/~kcoats/mediaresponse1.html

http://people.artcenter.edu/~kcoats/compulsionengineers.html

Research:

Figure Prints – A company which outputs 3-dimensional, physical models of players’ characters in World of Warcraft. Demand is so high for such models that all customers must sign up for a monthly, random drawing to see if their order will be processed in that time.

http://www.figureprints.com/

LindeX – The official Second Life Linden Dollar exchange site. The exchange rate of Linden Dollars (L$) to the US Dollar remains relatively stable, around 250 L$ to $1.

http://secondlife.com/whatis/currency.php

The Walter Benjamin Research Syndicate – An on-line research resource for individuals interested in the writings and the ongoing critical theory (for my purposes, namely his idea of an artwork’s “Aura”) of Walter Benjamin.

http://www.wbenjamin.org/

Gamasutra feature article, “Compulsion Engineers” – An online article by Tynan Sylvester, in which he explores the innate compulsory behaviors which video games play toward & satisfy.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3495/compulsion_engineers.php

Audience/Forum/Context:

Gamasutra – The video game industry standard for news; relaying everything from business developments, to design theory & critique, to historical developments of gaming genres.

http://www.gamasutra.com

Game Developers’ Conference – The annual “mecca” for the gaming industry. Speakers, exhibitors, and attendees come from all over the globe to meet at this U.S. conference.

http://www.gdconf.com/

Experimental Gameplay Workshop – A forum for the demonstration of innovative games. Gaming classics such as “We Love Katamari,” “Guitar Hero,” and “flOw” were first featured here.

http://www.experimental-gameplay.org/