Excellent LA Times Article on Bill Viola
For those of us on the Night Journey project, working with Bill is always inspiring. This article from the LA Times Magazine does a great job of explaining why ...
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January 29, 2007
January 28, 2007
The Morals of Chess
So I've been reading David Shenk's The Immortal Game recently -- yeah, I know, when do I have time to do that? But nevertheless, I've been reading it. He does a great job of bringing the history of chess alive, as well as analyzing the historic cultural influences on the game and of the game.
Many people over the centuries have seen chess as a metaphor of war, life, love, politics, etc. Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay called "The Morals of Chess," that claimed the game improved a person's foresight, circumspection, caution and perseverance. "The Game of Chess," he wrote, "is not merely an idle amusement ... For Life is a kind of Chess." There is a great story in the book about Franklin playing chess with a French opponent during the Revolutionary War.
Franklin's opponent had put him in check; but Franklin ignored the check and responded with a totally illegal move. His opponent objected, pointing out clearly that Franklin's King was in check. Franklin replied, "I see he is in check, but I shall not defend him. If he was a good King, like yours, he would deserve the protection of his subjects; but he is a tyrant and has cost them already more than he is worth. Take him, if you please. I can do without him, and will fight out the rest of the battle en republicain."
This made me laugh, but it also made me wonder what variations Franklin would make to the game today? Voltaire and Rousseau saw in the chessmen a society in which each member played a vital part. Were chess re-thought for today's world, what would be the make-up of the board? Would we have unequal starting positions? Disenfranchised units that fought for the protection of an elite class? Secret objectives, covert operations, and an otherwise closed information system?
One of the beauties of chess is that it is representational of a battle, but also abstract enough to be thought of as any kind of battle. Here is a picture of Napoleon attempting a "conquest" of a different kind than usual over the auspice of a chessboard.
Reading this book in the context of all the controversy over freedom of expression in games, and the potential of games to be considered an art form, made one particular comment by chess player Anthony Saidy stand out to me. Saidy says, "It is a pity, that, unlike music or painting, chess requires of the viewer an initial period of instruction before revealing its aesthetic quality." This is really true of most games: in order to appreciate their art, a person must play them, and probably play them well, before feeling the artistry behind their design. Is this possibly the real reason that we have trouble, as a society, accepting games as an art form?
New York Times on Slamdance
There is an article by Heather Chaplin (author of Smartbomb) in the Arts section of the New York Times about the Slamdance controversy. The article is a very balanced look at the affair, though I think that once again, Peter Baxter fails to provide a compelling argument for why he pulled the game. He mentions that he doesn't find the game "immoral," but that when "you're responsible for presenting that work to the public, it becomes more complicated." Which, of course, begs the question of why it becomes more complicated than screening controversial films.
Later in the article, he claims to feel that games "are potentially a far more powerful medium than film," but doesn't seem to see the irony in his statement that "games are going to affect us in different ways, in ways we don’t fully understand yet." Of course, if we choose to ban games that provoke difficult to understand responses from public venues, we won't learn much, will we?
In the end, however, it seems to come down to a fear of civil suits. Not an actual suit, or an actual threat of a suit, but just a fear of a threat of a suit. Which seems altogether a very weak case, since the screenings were not held "in public" but in a space which required a costly pass to enter.
Kellee has a nice quote, and the article also mentions Eddo.
January 26, 2007
Slamdance slams SCMRPG again
Danny Ledonne, creator of Super Columbine Massacre RPG, sent out a press release this evening saying that his game was selected by the Slamdance 2007 Film Festival jury to receive a Special Jury Prize for the game, however the prize was prevented from being given by Slamdance Director Peter Baxter.
The award was to be given to Ledonne in the documentary category of the film festival (note that is different than the game contest) for the manner in which the game meticulously portrays the killers responsible for the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. However, according to Ledonne's press release, Baxter stopped the presentation of this award before it could be given, citing music clearance issues with the game. This has been one of several reasons the festival director has used over the past few weeks to defend his decision to censor the game from the festival.
As far as I know, this is the first time a Slamdance FILM festival jury has ever attempted to give an award to a game. It would have been an incredible precedent for the game design community. It also would have been an extremely interesting moment in the development "documentary games," an emerging genre of game that attempts to place the player in a specific historical moment, with some agency within that scenario. It is particularly exciting to think that a jury of filmmakers would take it upon themselves to attempt to honor a game in this way.
However, the award was not given. And, as I understand it, no awards at all were given out at the game festival, since the few remaining finalists felt there was little value to the competition. And truly, what value could there be, when it appears that the festival will make every effort it can to draw a hard and fast line between game makers and the respected artists in other media, such as film?
I'm astounded at this attitude, but it is basically the attitude of one venue, and I am heartened to see alternative festivals such as Indiecade speaking out in support of creative freedom and the possibilities of interactive media.
mtvU and Kaiser looking for games to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS
Last year, when MTV announced their competition for games about the crisis in Darfur, it was a real inspiration to Susana, who had already been thinking and working on a similar topic for her thesis. The result was Darfur is Dying, of course. I'm wondering if this new announcement might spark a similar reaction. (In case anyone needs a stronger hint, that was a challenge to everyone.)
From the press release:
"mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, and the Kaiser Family Foundation today announced the "Change the Course of HIV Challenge" – a competition offering college students digital tools to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people in the United States. The challenge asks gamers, activists or any student with a great idea to propose a viral, Web-based video game concept to help raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among 15-24 year olds in the US and to promote personal action in response to the epidemic. The winning individual or team will work with mtvU and the Kaiser Family Foundation – which are committing $75,000 to the development and marketing of the game – to see their idea realized."
More info at the site.
January 24, 2007
flOw is one of IGN's "most anticipated games" of 2007
Kellee sent this to me, and it just blows me away. http://ps3.ign.com/articles/757/757265p2.html
Keep in mind that it was only three years ago that we had our first game, Dyadin, in the IGF. Now, flOw is not only on the PS3, but one of the year's most highly anticipated games! IMD rocks!!!
January 16, 2007
UCLA Convergence Media Series
For those of you who are NOT in 484/489, there is a great series going on over at UCLA (which unfortunately conflicts with that class). I already posted the link to tomorrow's presentation by Henry Jenkins on Max's blog, but you might also take a look and notice that Lev Manovich is coming up as well. Cross-town rivals or no, you'll want to check out these speakers!
January 9, 2007
USC Interactive Media Division Withdraws Slamdance Sponsorship
The USC Interactive Media Division regretfully announces that it is no longer a sponsor of the Slamdance Guerilla Gamemaker’s Contest.
In light of the recent decision by the festival organizer Peter Baxter to pull Super Columbine Massacre RPG from the line-up of finalists, we no longer feel that the contest represents the best interests of independent game makers; rather, the decision undermines the credibility of the festival as a venue for independent games and invalidates the reasons that USC Interactive Media had been proud to sponsor this year’s student prize.
In some of the blog posts responding to this action, reference is made to requests or pressure from “backers” to remove Super Columbine Massacre RPG from the festival. We wish to clearly state that, as sponsors, we neither made any such request, nor were we consulted about this action prior to it being taken. On the contrary, our requests to re-instate the game were denied and our discussions with Peter Baxter over the reasons for the removal of the game leave us unconvinced that it was either a necessary action or one that is in line with the vision of the festival as a place to celebrate independent game making.
It is our belief that the removal of Super Columbine Massacre RPG from the festival finalists, while within the rights of the organizers, was short-sighted and detrimental to the overall project of supporting independent game makers. It puts a limit on the notion of what independent games are, or may become and effectively communicates that Slamdance celebrates independent games only so far as they do not make us uncomfortable. It stymies the painstaking process by which games are struggling to become a legitimate art form.
Whatever one thinks of the game’s content, the game went through an extensive judging process and was deemed a finalist by a jury of game experts. To have the game pulled based on either pressure from backers or a fear of liability is to say that independent games do not deserve the same respect and conscientious protection by artistic venues as independent films. Would a difficult, perhaps controversial, film be pulled from the festival under the same circumstances? Of course not – and it had never happened in the history of the festival. That is the point of having a festival such as Slamdance, to confront those moments when media and sensibility and culture are in conflict. To offer a place where the independent independents can be seen, appreciated, lauded or condemned -- but not hidden or refused.
In the wake of the announcement, a number of finalists have pulled their games from the contest in protest, including our own flOw team. We completely support these game makers in the strength of their convictions and are taking the strongest action we can to show our belief in them.
Last year a team of students from the USC Interactive Media Division was honored to receive the award for “Design Philosophy” at Slamdance. At the time, we found the name of this award somewhat amusing, but it takes on new meaning today as we realize that a festival honoring a “philosophy of design” must be open to more than just beautiful independent games or independent games that make us feel good; and, that those striving to support independent game making must be ready to defend games that are difficult and provocative in terms of their content, as well as games that are challenging and innovative in their game play. We support such games and it is in that spirit that we withdraw our sponsorship.
January 7, 2007
Fall '06 484/489 Intermediate Games Posted
For those of you who attended the final project presentations and were interested in playing the games from 484/489, here they are! And for those of you who didn't attend, here are some shots of the presentations to give you a sense of the games. These games were created by teams of two, over 15 weeks -- not a lot of time to make a game, but a lot of energy went into these projects.
