Discussion: Gamer Revolution (CBC documentary, 2007)

"GAMER REVOLUTION explores how computer games are not only a new medium for the 21st century, they are a massive form of change in our world." says Rachel Low, President, Red Apple Entertainment. "The idea of living inside a computer-generated universe is happening right now. The line between the real world and the virtual world is disappearing. Millions of people feel that they have a life inside these games." [1]

According to the film, video games have several purposes, such as, educational and learning purposes for children, attracting and training new army and entertaining people. Furthermore, in South Korea, video-games provide a room for some good gamer to earn money by selling currency and instrument of the game.

However, the video games brings some negative impacts to individuals and societies. Individually, a good gamer needs to spend a long period of time on playing video games. It harms their social network as they are lack of communication with other people in the real world. Socially, a cruel game introduced to the US army would also introduced to market. It brings a huge negative effect to the teenagers as it will distort their psychological building through playing these violent game.

There are some research prove that there is direct impact to the brain which, when you play violent video games, your aggressive feeling will increase, like FMRI. It reflects that their brain activity is more active when the experimenters are playing violent games.

As I mentioned before, the cruel and violent video games would bring some negative impacts to the players. In US, it is common that the school shooting exist. Some reports that those suspects were affects by the violent thinking and some anti-social actions are very intense.

Although there is a large influence brought by the violent game, we cannot restrict the freedom of the citizens. Even though the government implement the law, it can't ban the games comprehensively. On the other hand, this type of games contains entertaining purpose. People can release their pressure through playing the games.

Sims City is my group-mates' favourite videogame. This game can interact with people, develop management skills and creativity. It is because we need to interact with people in order to update level to unlock some special items and we can decorate the house and the character. However, there is some bad real-life behaviour will be led to the teenagers. As people can get married and have sex in the game, it may provide some information to some immature teenagers or may commit crimes.

[1] The dialogue from the video, http://www.ovguide.com/tv_episode/doc-zone-season-1-episode-6-gamer-revolution-1-3044611# (accessed Oct. 17, 2012)

Cory Arcangel: Super-Mario Clouds, 2002

According to Cory Arcangel's website[1] , Super Mario Clouds, 2002 is an Nintendo's game (Super Mario Bros) which Cory removed all backgrounds and characters, expect the blue sky and the white clouds. The blue sky and the white clouds keep moving from right to left.

IS IT AN ART?

Federico Fellini said that:"All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster’s autobiography." In my opinion, the blue sky and the white clouds are the Super Mario Bros' autobiographical. They are the marks of this Nitendo game. You can recognize this game from the gif at the first sight. The moving clouds seem like I am playing Super Mario Bros. I think an artwork should arouse viewers' sympathy. That's how this work does!

However, some people argue that this gif is just a kind of scrolling background without any obvious modification. It just for the game. Therefore, it is not really an artwork.

For me, I agree with Ernest W. Adams's thought that, "Art makes you feel things."[1] Art should not be in a fixed form and an idea. Sometimes, the feeling does not come from the artwork itself but the idea behind. I think Super Mario Clouds, 2002 makes me feel the video games in the other way. It do include Cory's creative representation ideas inside. Therefore, I think it is an art just like Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans (1962).




And even, there is a re-production of this artwork. HaHa! :DD

[1] Ernest W. Adams. “Will computer games ever be a legitimate art form?” P.258-259
[2] "Super Mario Clouds (2002-)," The Official Cory Arcangel Website, http://www.coryarcangel.com/things-i-made/supermarioclouds/ (accessed Oct. 3, 2012).

Digital games – Classmate Interviews

Ting's opinion on Adam's definition of art

Supplementary information:

According to Adam, art must have content, a capacity to express idea, make you feel something and so on

Reference:

Ernest W. Adams. “Will computer games ever be a legitimate art form?” P.258-259

0100101110101101.org LIFE SHARING

"Life Sharing is abstract pornography", Hito Steyerl

That's how Hito commented on life sharing.


















0100101110101101.org  LIFE SHARING is made by Eva and Franco Mattes, two Italian artists. Visitors can assess this computer to obtain all contents they want, including software, emails, screenshots,even their current location from GPS. All privacy turned to the public.

Is it an open source?

In my opinions, I think this artwork reflects the concept of open source -- "open source is a philosophy that promotes free redistribution and access to an end product's design and implementation details." (Wikipedia). All visitors can assess the computer freely. They can obtain all details they want, even a little modification of the computer, visitors can see the whole movement.

However, I think there are limitations for this artwork to be an open source. "For although the web is their stage and they use avatars in some of their live collective performances, to limit their work to the digital medium would be to downplay the premise of its psychodrama."[1] The content of this computer cannot be modified by the others, it determined by the owners (Eva and Franco Mattes). Therefore, the source is controlled by the owners. Visitors can only grab the information provided by the owners, unlike the last example, Wikipedia. So, in my conclusion, I think it is not really an open source, only in the concept.

[1] "Eva and Franco Mattes aka 0100101110101101.org Reality is Overrated," The Brooklyn Rail, http://brooklynrail.org/2010/06/artseen/eva-and-franco-mattes-aka-0100101110101101org-reality-is-overrated (accessed Oct. 4, 2012).

Open source vs Proprietary software

"Open source refers to a program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design free of charge." [1]

While, "Proprietary software refers to any computer software that has restrictions on any combination of the usage, modification, copying or distributing modified versions of the software." [2]

[1] "What is open source?" Webopedia, http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/O/open_source.html (accessed Oct. 02, 2012).
[2] "What is Proprietary software?" Webopedia, http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/proprietary_software.html (accessed Oct. 02, 2012).

Use two encyclopedias, Britannica and Wikipedia as examples, Britannica has entry barriers which the articles can be edited by experts only; while all of Wikipedia's articles can be edited by anyone without special requirements. Therefore, Britannica is a proprietary software and Wikipedia is an open source. The difference between them is the legal protection. The proprietary software is protected by the law which opposed of the open source. That's why it also called closed source because the source of this software cannot be modified.

With less restrictions, people more enthusiastic about open source resources. Compare with Britannica, the wordings are much difficult to understand as the articles are written by the experts and they used some specific wordings while the wordings in Wikipedia are more straightforward. It is because the wordings of Wikipedia's articles can be modified by anyone.

Moreover, Wikipedia is more user-friendly. Many topics in Wikipedia are provided Chinese and English version and even other languages version as the articles are edited by different nation people. Sometimes when the concept is difficult to understand, people can switch to the Chinese version and get the meaning directly and quickly. Also, it provides hyperlinking, especially for the specific wordings. You can just click the word to get the meaning quickly instead of searching the word again in the search engine. The validity of articles in Wikipedia are support by some academic documentary as there are many footnotes and references in the articles, although anyone can edit it. It is still have some credibility for people enthusiastic on it.