Peter Brinson - www.peterbrinson.com

Two new classes for Spring 2010. They are listed in the Schedule of Classes. You can email me with questions:

CTIN 485 - Advanced Game Development - Experimental 3D Prototyping (Thurs 1-3pm)

During this 2 unit course, students will develop four to five 3D game prototypes using the development tool Unity 3D (http://unity3d.com).
As you may predict, we are doing a number of projects so that students will experiment with any an all aspects of 3D games. And we will endorse Tracy's attitude here: http://interactive.usc.edu/members/tfullerton/archives/010462.html

In CTIN 532 we've been using Unity and people have been quite happy. Unity makes executables for mac/pc, can be in a browser (like Flash), and make iPhone apps.
So I want to extend the experience to everyone who is interested.

CTIN 499 - Fundamentals of Procedural Media (Thurs 10-1pm)

I designed this 2 unit course for anyone who is interested in spending more time thinking and working with code (or is learning to program for the first time). We will be using Processing (http://www.processing.org).
Also, this fulfills the B.A. requirement for CS 101. So you can take CTIN 499 instead.

From the syllabus:
This course is an introduction the procedural nature of interactive media. What distinguishes interactive media from other expressive forms is based on the computer's unique ability to execute rules. This is the practice of the computer programmer - writing instructions to make complicated systems out of simple processes. The interactive artist writes code that creates meaning and representation, as opposed to the film director, the playwright, and the novelist, who author the representation itself. This course is not focused on learning a specific language, but to help the future game designer, 3D modeler, interactive writer, and, indeed, software engineer to become procedurally literate.

Posted by Peter Brinson at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If I've looked tired over the past year, it's because I was. Thanks to you guys for understanding when I would seem to not understand basic english use it properly myself.

Sylvie is one year old today and regardless of how I look, it has been a wonderful 12 months.

Posted by Peter Brinson at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Many of your know I've always thought it is sad that Turing's (full) story is barely known.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2009/09/090911_turing_page_nh_sl.shtml

...and why anyone who is interested in computers should know about him. That would be you:

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20090911/profile-alan-turing-partthe-father-modern-computer-gordon-brown-apology.htm

Posted by Peter Brinson at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We are working on a new lab for classes and projects on the first floor of Zemekis. The running name is the 'IML2'. We will inherit this name unless we work together as a community. Please.

Here I give a few ideas. I give them so that you will all be inspired to comment to the post with your ideas! If we end up with the name 'IML2' the universe might implode, which includes the Interactive Media Division.
---
1. "GNI lab" - GNI is not IML. Here's a clue why it involves humor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU
2. "A billion" - that's it. Student 1, "Hey, where do you want to meet to work on our game for Tracy's class?". Student 2, "A billion"
3. "The Q Room"

....

Remember, we will use this name a lot. So it is important.

Posted by Peter Brinson at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Many of you guys know Eddo Stern, whose work in included, also former fellow c-level'er Cyril Kuhn is as well.

http://lagunaartmuseum.org/Current-Exhibit.html

WoW: Emergent Media Phenomenon explores various forms of cultural production based on World of Warcraft in particular and on gaming in general. While surveying Warcraft's Fifteen-year history, the exhibition looks at artistic practices that have been influenced by game culture. The actual works by the producer of World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment (headquartered in Irvine, California), provide a starting point and reference.

Fourteen international artists were selected to consider this movement with the following themes in mind: elements of desire, the collapse of fantasy, medievalism, creative critiques, and public intervention. Artists in this exhibition take on the visual marker of World of Warcraft to consider, implications of gaming, and their greater impact on our culture. In addition to the works of these artists, fan art and the growing culture of machinima (computer animation that uses the graphic engines from video games) will be explored in this exhibition.

Posted by Peter Brinson at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

http://interactive.usc.edu/projects/games/20090523-intermedia.php

The games developed in CTIN 484/489 from the Spring are available for download. It was a great batch this semester, so please check them out.

Posted by Peter Brinson at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Peter Van Dyke asked me to show this video during seminar and I ended up not doing it.

This is the kind of thing I was doing my 2nd year of grad school.

http://www.pabit.org/tubbies.htm

Posted by Peter Brinson at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Indiecade is taking submissions for this year. Deadline is April 30.

http://www.indiecade.com/index.php?/events/submissions/

Posted by Peter Brinson at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check out 464 machinima projects from last semester.
We only got a chance to show one of the films during final seminar due to limited time. Many of them can be found here and they come highly recommended.

http://www.youtube.com/user/USCmachinima

...looks like Harold already got blogged

Posted by Peter Brinson at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

http://www.crayonphysics.com/

It's coming out on the 7th. Apparently the iPhone version is already available.
From playing the demo, I just think this game is so nice.

I'll have a copy if anyone wants to see it when school starts.

Posted by Peter Brinson at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)