Shigeru Miyamoto, the father of the Mario and Zelda franchises, tells us that he designs his games around a series of specific emotional experiences. Console manufacturer Sony have christened the PlayStation 2's CPU the ‘emotion engine'. Clearly the gaming community understands the importance of emotion in games, so why do most games offer the player such a shallow emotional play experience?
The reason is partly due to the relative immaturity of the games industry. Whereas the film industry has a mature and well developed structure for how the auteur might evoke tears in the eyes of the audience, the digital games industry is still in the process of writing the rule book.
With digital gaming being a visual medium, you might expect techniques for eliciting emotion to be transferable across media. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. The film director has complete control over the image appearing on the cinema screen – the camera angle, the sequential order of each scene, and the pacing of a scene. In contrast, the game designer hands control of such things to the player. The player will choose the camera angle best suited to getting Mario across the tight rope, as well as the direction and pace at which the game progresses.
Interactive media needs to find their own rules for supporting emotion in games, and they have a couple of neat tricks which set them apart from the competition.
Evoking an emotional response in the player
The interactive nature of digital games provides new and very different possibilities for eliciting emotions. For example, whereas the movie goer simply watches the narrative world unfold, the game player gets to interacts with it - and each environment has the potential to evoke a different emotional response. For example, a large building with towering marble pillars is generally considered much more imposing and makes people feel smaller and more uncomfortable than a small room with a sofa and a blazing wood-fire.
At Glasgow Caledonian University we are currently looking specifically at those environments which are renowned for producing supernatural experiences. By modelling and adapting reputedly haunted places in Edinburgh, UK we have been able to create game environments which evoke ghostlike experience for approximately 60% of people who experience it. Reported experiences include the feeling a ghost breathing on the...
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... how to control their avatar. With the arrival of online gaming it is often the case that a player's opponent is not physically present, thus diluting the social experience of multiplayer gaming. However, if the software could determine the player's affective state, an on-screen persona could be adapted to reflect the player's emotional state.
3. AFFECTIVE GAME-MECHANICS
Knowing the affective state of the player allows for novel game mechanics based around the player's emotions. An example of such can be found in Zen Warriors, a game currently in pre-development at Glasgow Caledonian University. Zen Warrior is a fighting game where, to perform their finishing move, the player has to switch from fast paced aggression, to a Zen-like state of inner calm.
These are exciting times. Games have taken the huge aesthetic leap from two dimensions to three dimensions. The next evolutionary step is for games to elicit deeper and more varied emotion in players. And we are still only writing the first chapter of the rule book.
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Jonathan Sykes
Jonathan Sykes currently heads the eMotion Laboratory at Glasgow Caledonian University, where he investigates emotional engagement with technology.
The first sign of Claudius’s madness is in the beginning of the play, when we find out that Claudius murdered his own brother.Claudius is the root cause of many problems in this play. In the beginning of the play the ghost of Hamlet reveals that Claudius is the one that murdered him. The ghost of Hamlet states to his son, “But know thou noble youth, the serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown.” (I. v. 45-47.) Marriages are supposed to be meaningful and with the person that you love, but in Claudius’s and Gertrude’s case it seems that Claudius is only marrying Gertrude so he can have the title of the king, perhaps that is why he married Gertrude after two months of his brother’s death. Claudius’s craziness is also portrayed when he encourages Laertes to get revenge against Hamlet and kill him. At this point in the play Hamlet is Claudius’s step son, and Claudius seems just fine with someone murdering his own son. In most situations, a normal step father would most likely not want his stepson to be murdered. Claudius’s craziness is shown in the decisions that he makes throughout the
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ames have been played before we began to record time. Almost 50 years ago, games changed into a new form. Magnavox Odyssey can be debated to be the first game console. Throughout 50 years ago and now, video games have become essential to every living room and a pastime to every young child. Companies have risen from this new industry, to produce games to young investors and dominate the game world. With new technology, graphics, and software: gaming franchises run mostly by public support. Each decade that passes, games are changed by America’s public these games change based on how the public perceives them.
In all of literature, William Shakespeare has been made one of the most recognized and beloved writers of all time. With over 38 famous works under his name, Shakespeare has maintained both legitimacy and relevance to this day. Part of the reason Shakespeare has maintained his fame and influence is the multitude of adaptations many have made from his works. Whether it is a play with a modern interpretation of Romeo and Juliet or an animated rendition of Hamlet where the characters are placed in futuristic robotic mech suits; the messages and themes written by the bard have transcended both the eras they were written in and the mediums the works are presented in. As new mediums of entertainment come to fruition, it is inevitable to see someone adapt Shakespeare into that medium. One of the mediums of entertainment to gain considerably recognition in recent history is video games (or interactive storytelling). Interactive Storytelling in recent years has been more and more regarded as a new art form, bringing out a new sense of immersion which hadn’t been seen in any other medium before it. What was previously seen as a medium only made to entertain children and inspire massacres; has now emerged being recognized as a new medium which encourages character development and storytelling utilizing choice within the games. With new measure in videogames which focus more on artistic value rather brainless entertainment, there are some games which take influence from Shakespeare’s works. However, because of the young age within the medium, there are few adaptations of Shakespeare’s works seen in games. Partly because is often seen by game audiences as something outside of their circles, and rarely collects any interest. However, as the med...
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Some people like to have a good body image to help them be fit. Only because they want to feel good and are doing it in healthy way. Additionally, they do it for themselves and to feel confident. In the article “Too Much Mass” by Luke Lyons, explains “Some people work out because they feel good and they like to take care of their bodies.” (Lyons) The article is saying, body image can sometimes feel good if it's taken care of for some people. However, some wouldn't agree and would say taking care of body image doesn't feel good. But, for most even though body image isn't perfect, it still feels good because it's taken care of. It raises self esteem and confidence in positive ways. Being happy with body image is a positive thing only if its not perfect. Body image can create motivation to be healthy in a positive way to increase self esteem and confidence People work out and eat good because it feels good to them and not anyone else. Additionally, obesity is becoming a problem, especially in the U.S. In fact, ⅓ of Americans are considered obese. Body image should encourage confidence and a healthy average weight, but not to praise obesity. In this article, by Isabelle Carroll “Body Image Does Not Mean Praising Obesity.” states “we must encourage a healthy average weight and try our best to end this epidemic of obesity.” (Carroll) Obesity is changing the U.S. drastically. Not being
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Placing horrific events to the backdrop of the streets of Switzerland using the element of surprise to further draw attention to its ad, which in turns causes those walking by to take notice if only long enough to discover it’s only an ad and consider the contents long after the moment has passed. Not only is it a standard of Amnesty International to influence awareness through its ad, but its logo captures the logos appeal as
Video games have come a long way. They have evolved from the simple game of Pong into a complex, multi-platform, multi-genre, multi-billion dollar industry.
3. “Video Games” by Chris Jozefowics. Published by Gareth Stevens Publishing 2010. Pleasantville, NY 10570-70000 USA. Produced by Editorials Directions Inc.
Video games have become one of the largest forms of entertainment within the last decade or two. People of all ages play these games to get out of the boring reality of things and experience the thrill of fantasy, combat, or adventure. But what kind of games gives you the experience you want? Some may want to control one person, a great being on a quest to restore his or her torn land, wielding great powers and becoming enveloped in a great story. Others may want to control a million persons, on a great battlefield, seizing land and bringing about destruction to all who come across his army. Or you may want to recreate your favorite sports team, leading them into the history books as the greatest team to ever step foot onto the field or court. Let us take a look at the different types of game genres that encompass the majority of games today and see what one you might wish to partake in.
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Bell, Chris. "Video Games: The Sport of the Future?" The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 26 June 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.