ludicity playful sociality

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ludicityplayful sociality

• 09.11.06

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henry jenkins

• Jenkins
• gendered game space
• area of movement
• ties to/escape from maternal
• drawing on gender-specific literary genres of the
  19thc
• that literature produces conventions of
  masculinity/femininity also offers avenues of
  escape
• different explorations of space (outdoor
  adventures/secret gardens)
• does Jenkins reinforce these norms?

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pacmanhattan

• at the porous membrane between the real virtual
• http//www.pacmanhattan.com/

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games industry

• blockbuster economics
• higher development costs (currently averaging 5
  million for top tier games)
• now passing 60 million med budget movie
• independent developers going out of business
• consolidation of industry, dominated by EA
• licensing from other media contribute to costs
• from cnet

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games industry

• blockbuster economics
• however, EA has announced it will shift away from
  licensing and develop more games with independent
  producers, such as

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Spore
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Spore

• new game from Will Wright (the Sims)
• ultimate god game sweeping in time and space
• the long zoom (Steven Johnson)
• http//www.spore.com/

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Karl Sims, artificial creatures

• Evolved Virtual Creatures (1994)
• http//ia300826.eu.archive.org/1/items/sims_evolve
  d_virtual_creatures_1994/sims_evolved_virtual_crea
  tures_1994_256kb.mp4
• Darwinian evolution of block creatures, which can
  connect articulate
• several hundred created with supercomputer each
  tested for specific task (swimming, hopping,
  competing)
• most successful survive their virtual genes
  (instructions for growth) are copied, combined,
  and mutated
• new offspring again tested

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games economies

• market share US for consoles/handhelds (2002)
• sports 24
• action 21
• racing 17
• rpg 9
• fighting 6
• adventure 6
• shooter 5
• other 12
• source RocSearch 2004-05

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games economies

• market share US for PCs (2002)
• strategy 31
• children 13
• shooter 12
• rpg 11
• family 7
• simulation 6
• sports 6
• other 14
• source RocSearch 2004-05

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games industry

• casual on-line games
• main market women gt35 w/children
• yahoo gamers
• 10 million players/mo
• 33 women gt35

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games industry

• casual on-line games
• main market women gt35 w/children
• pogo.com
• 14 million players/mo
• 55 women

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games industry

• casual on-line games
• main market women gt35 w/children
• DCFIntelligence market research co predicts
• 100 million casual gamers world-wide
• 5 million high-tech online gamers

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gaming bricolage

• creative appropriation and reuse of games
• a tactical appropriation similar to tactical
  media

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Cory Arcangel

• nintendo clouds (2004)

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Cory Arcangel

• 8-bit landscape studies combining digital
  photography and Nintendo cartridges (2004)

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Natalie Bookchin

• The Intruder (1999)
• http//www.calarts.edu/bookchin/intruder/
• narrates a Jorge Luis Borges story through game
  play

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Natalie Bookchin

• Metapet (2002)
• http//metapet.net/
• about corporate productivity and advancement,
  biotechnology industry, and the support network
  of an artificial life-form

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ecosystm2

• John Klima (2001)
• http//www.cityarts.com/ecogame/index.htm
• create and control flocks of birds based on stock
  market performance
• goal create an entire ecosystem whose overall
  performance is positive

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jodi untitled game

• modifications of Quake I
• reducing the architecture to interface and sound
  elements
• turning it into abstract art
• http//www.untitled-game.org/

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Q4U

• Feng Mengbo (2002)
• http//q4u1.uchicago.edu/
• http//www.shanghart.com/exhibitions/q4u.htm
• inserts image of himself as a skin in Quake III
• questions concepts of online identity in the
  context of role-playing
• artist in commercial context

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velvet strike

• Anne-Marie Schleiner, Joan Leandre, and Brody
  Condon
• http//www.opensorcery.net/velvet-strike/
• allows players to spray-paint anti-war graffiti
  in Counter-Strike

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machinima

• uses real-time 3D rendering engine from games to
  create a VR setting for films
• adaptive technique collections of
  technologies/approaches rather than a single
  proprietary one
• abusing whats in the game poaching

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machinima

• frequently abused games
• Quake series (I, II, III)
• Unreal Tournament
• Half Life
• Red vs Blue (Burnie Burnes Matt Hullum) season
  2 from Halo