here is the first version of one of the games within the main game. use the arrows to move gary and catch the gnomes. every gnome you catch raises your score by one, and each gnome that hits the ground subtracts one from your score.
here is an updated screenshot of the main game page.
Here is Gary's profile. More to come.
Here is Gary and the main menu for my midterm game. I would love any comments.
In doing research for my midterm, I stumbled upon the following link. Hopefully we can all learn from this website and help put an end to “…oppressive gardening and…[help ensure] freedom for garden gnomes everywhere.”
Here are updated ideas for my midterm project for 542. I have decided to pursue the robot for my final and do a game for my midterm. Here are my ideas.
The All American Band: A Guide to Grassroots Promotion
This game would be geared toward any age group that might include music fans. The ultimate goal of the game is to help your band succeed, either commercially (getting a record deal) or ending up with a huge fan base. While the commercial route might not be the main focus of a true fan, for all intents and purposes it might be the main purpose in this context.
At the start of the game, the user will select the genre in which they want to promote. The genres will consist of, but not be limited to:
• R&B.
• Folk.
• Alternative.
• Pop.
• Country.
• Hard rock.
• Techno.
• Adult contemporary (well, maybe not this one).
Each genre will have a unique soundtrack and will contain a fictitious band or artist (possibly based on a real musician or band).
After the user has selected their genre, the game will begin. There will be a short introduction explaining the rules and tasks to be completed. After the user clicks okay, the challenge gets under way.
The game will be made up of, but not limited to, the following challenges.
• Going out and exposing people to the artist/music
• Going to radio stations to get the music played
• Filling venues
• Selling merchandise (to help raise money to get airtime in the studio)
• Deciding whether it is better to sell out or “stay real”
• Deciding on the best concert venues:
- Small venue (cool and collective)
- Huge sports arena (wildy screaming girls who know only two songs)
Garden Gnome Liberation
This will be an adventure game based on a CNN story (Save the Gnomes) about the world-famous garden gnome character.
The ultimate goal will be to rescue the 20 gnomes being held captive in little observational cages while trying to avoid and trap the members of the Gnome Liberation Group (GLG). The PC user must use stealth and speed to escape the various tricks and weapons of the GLG.
The PC gnome will start out with a limited weapons cache (anything from pixie dust to garden tools). This supply of weapons will increase each time a level is successfully completed. As each level is completed, the PC user will be transported to an area one step closer to rescuing the other gnomes.
I would sincerely appreciate your feedback and suggestions. Thank you.
Thesis ideas take 2.
The Camera Steals Your Soul
Last week during his presentation, Erkki mentioned that in the past, people used to believe that when someone took a picture, a piece of their soul was taken as well. That really got me thinking. What is a soul? How is it seen in both a religious context and a secular context? Does everyone have a soul? Taking a picture and/or recording an image is capturing a moment in time that potentially could be eternal.
I researched the saying and discovered a plethora of various issues and concepts, everything from Web cam legislation to short stories. One Web site called surveillance a form of theft (link), while another called it plagiarism of the soul. Both of these phrases got me thinking about what capturing an image realty entails and the differences between digital and traditional photography.
• Digital vs. 35mm
• Stop motion vs. video
• Emulsion vs. 1s and 0s
• Negatives and film vs. memory sticks and pixels
In the end, I began to envision an interactive installation dealing with several of the above concepts and ideas.
I am proposing an interactive space in which the users’ image will be drawn into an alternate reality (possible a looking-glass world) and they will have to rescue their sense of self/soul/reflection from the depths of the camera. During their time in the space, the user will experience several different things. Some potential experiences could be:
• Viewing CMYK images as transparencies and negatives.
• Seeing their image projected from behind (as if the user is standing in front of two mirrors facing each other [infinite reflections]) and not being able to see their reflection.
• Seeing their “reflection” projected through morphing filters
• Trying to “catch” their “reflection.” (The projected image will jump from screen to screen as the user faces that screen.)
• The users’ “reflection” disappears altogether.
When the user enters the space, their image will be absorbed into the screen in front of them. The interface for the exhibit could be a gutted and rewired 35mm camera body. The user must then use the different settings and functions on the camera body to navigate through the space and manipulate their surroundings and images.
I have also considered this concept as a potential adventure video game in which the PC is sucked into an alternate reality and must complete tasks/solve puzzles in order to return to reality. The user will be able to view the outside world through camera lenses (worm holes) and mirrors, but the non-PC characters will be oblivious to the PC. Every time a non-PC takes a picture and a flash goes off, the PC will be transported into the location where the photo was taken. Here the PC will have to get reacquainted and try to backtrack or move forward toward freedom. The PC will have to fight off shadows, pixilated images, emulsified images and other villains during the adventure.
My Link to the Past
I am proposing a multisensory (visual, tactile, aural, olfactory) installation about my grandmother. I am not sure how I could really make this interactive and would sincerely appreciate your suggestions. I have photographs, music, aromas, 8mm film and other items I would like to incorporate. While I was an undergrad, I made a CD-ROM piece about my maternal side of my family. For some reason, it did not convey as much impact as I would have liked.