Tag Archives: 541

A selection of objects from the 28-piece kit, Mr. Potato Head Silly Suitcase, forms an open, combinatory system, in which various parts fasten together to form different versions of an abstract character–Mr. Potato Head.

The individual objects in the kit have been manufactured from a synthetic plastic and the majority of these them are uniform in color. The kit, as described on the product’s carrying case, includes the following: 1 potato body, 1 fire extinguisher (missing), 1 firefighter’s badge, 4 ears, 3 pairs of eyes, 1 set of teeth, 2 mouths, 1 tongue, 3 noses, 2 mustaches, 1 pair of glasses, 1 pair of goggles, 4 arms, 1 firefighter’s hat, 1 construction hat, 1 pair of feet, and 1 pair of boots. The case, which contains these items, prompts us to, “create a MR. POTATO HEAD firefighter, construction worker and lots more!” These particular occupations–a firefighter or construction worker–are overtly represented in the kit but the majority of the items refer to anatomical or facial features.

The aesthetic of these objects is cartoonish, which comically enhances the frivolous act of decorating a potato with recognizable bodily/facial features and accessories. For example, one of the mustaches is green and longer than any of the arm attachments. Two of the four arms are mustard yellow and jagged like accordion, while the other two are purple with exaggerated “muscle” lumps. The firefighter badge is humorous, as it bears the letters SPUD–alluding to a fictional division of tuber firefighters. While the aesthetic of these parts is not particularly detailed, it is specific enough to support a relational logic between them, as features to use for creating a Mr. Potato Head.

The bulbous, potato body is a central component to the underlying structural system. It stands out as both the largest item in the kit and the only item made from a rougher plastic variety. It is riddled with perforations whereas the other items in the kit include a stem or an alternative fastening device such as a hook or a clip. In the context of each other, an intuitive relationship arises between the stems and the perforations. While the kits neglects to instruct any formal method or procedure for creating a Mr. Potato Head, we can infer that the potato body serves as a platform for experimenting with combinations of objects. Our inference might be based on the complimentary design of the perforations and stems; on the example image displayed on the carrying case; or on any prior knowledge of the toy.

Symbolic reference of the attachments as facial/bodily/occupational features is conditioned by the information provided on the carrying case. A model of Mr. Potato Head appears in an image on the front of the case. This model does not dictate a method for creating a Mr. Potato Head but rather it suggests one possible way of combining the provided attachments to do so. On the case we see Mr. Potato Head modeling a bushy brown mustache. Without this example, we might initially interpret the attachment to be a toupee. The inventory tells us that there are four ears included in the kit. However, the two pink ears, when turned sideways could easily be duplicate pink tongues. Imagination is limitless and these attachments can become whatever we imagine them to be, but our initial interaction with the kit has been affected by its presentation.

It is also important to note that the usage of all objects included in the kit is not required or even possible to form a Mr. Potato Head. In addition, interaction with these items does not rely on any particular order or placement of the components onto the potato body. Selection and placement, which are foundational procedures in this open system, adhere to personal methods of interaction with the system. As we introduce new methods, we also impose new relationships between the attachment-objects.

Some examples of personal methods include the following: Replicate the image on the front of the carrying case; create a version of Mr. Potato head that bears a resemblance to someone familiar; create a anatomically “accurate” version of Mr. Potato head by placing the eyes where eyes would go and the nose where a nose would go a human; create the most absurd version of Mr. Potato head, disregarding any consideration for human anatomy; create as many different versions of the Mr. Potato head character as possible; create a version of Mr. Potato head to use in a narrative.

These methods introduce objectives into the system. Consequently, the values of individual objects change; specific objects that contribute to a new objective become more valuable. The badge or construction hat, for example, might become more valuable when the objective is to construct a specific character. The notion of right and wrong items to include also arises in the context of accomplishing an objective. The goal of creating a version of Mr. Potato head to use in a narrative is particularly interesting because it enables us to assess a greater, imaginative system of engagement that relates to sociocultural conventions or conventions that build a new fantasy.

As a character with feet, Mr. Potato Head is either barefoot or he is wearing sturdy work boots. Sociocultural conventions, relating to the usage of work boots or the presence of bare feet, imply that a character with either foot-option would support a very different character than the other option. There is a tendency for kids to enact their curiosities about parents and adult life through a kind of pretend play. In fact, the marketing of the entire Silly Suitcase kit relies on this curiosity.

Character-creation is, however, not inextricably tied to the practical usage of Mr. Potato Head’s objects in the real world. The usage of an object attachment could be a symptom for some power possessed by Mr. Potato Head. For example, giving him two sets of eyes might represent the power of awesome eyesight. Or the placement of an arm where one would expect to find a nose might give Mr. Potato Head the power to give nose-wiggling high-fives.

Any version of the Mr. Potato Head character is grounded in the process of object selection and placement. This foundational system of interaction with the kit remains open to personal methods of engagement, which enable creativity and imagination in the world of Mr. Potato Head.

Scrabble is a turn-based combinatorial pattern construction game featuring written language as its premise. It is also a tactical spatial navigation game where players weave interlocking lines of pieces on a grid. The player’s goal is to attain high scores through forming legitimate English words and placing them strategically on the game board.

The basic unit of play in Scrabble is the tile. Scrabble tiles are uniform in shape: small, slightly rectangular, smooth, flat blocks. This shape affords ergonomic grip, easy arrangement and placement on the game board, as well as offering convenient storage. Originally the tiles were made of wood but since have been made of various materials including ivory and plastic.

Each Scrabble set includes 98 letter tiles. The defining property of each of these tiles is a large letter engraved or printed on the center of its front face. These letters collectively establish the basis of the game’s word construction mechanic. A subscript number is also printed on the bottom right of each tile, indicating its score value. The back of each tile is blank. This consistent arrangement of visual elements aids players in quickly and correctly orienting their tiles during play.

In addition to the letter tiles, there are 2 blank tiles included in each Scrabble set. These tiles do not have a letter or score value printed on them and act as wildcards; they can be used instead of any other letter when forming a word. Once a blank tile has been used, the letter it represents becomes fixed. Blank tiles do not contribute any points when words are scored. Thus, their purpose is versatility: to expand the possibility space of words a player can construct using a single hand.

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Dice are perhaps the oldest gaming instruments in the world. Aztecs, Egyptians, Greeks, Sumerians, Vikings, and many other cultures used dice, or the knucklebones that preceded dice, in a variety of games and rituals.[1] Today, the die remains an integral component of many contemporary game systems. But a die is also itself a system, a designed physical unit. The physical properties of dice allow for a stochastic process—the die roll—which can be pleasurable, maddening, and even magical. It is the magic of this process, wherein physical and cultural systems converge, that gives dice their profound and lasting instrumental value.

Any systemic analysis of dice might as well begin with a roll of the dice. This is because, in physics, the word “system” refers to an arbitrary choice:

“…namely, it is the portion of the physical universe chosen for analysis. Everything outside the system is known as the environment, which in analysis is ignored except for its effects on the system. The cut between system and the world is a free choice, generally made to simplify the analysis as much as possible.”[2]

The choice to analyze the physical properties of dice is thus a subjective decision. But it is also a pragmatic one, as every die roll depends upon the physical properties of a rolling die. (more…)

…Greg falls over a lot.

This is what I came up with in a week for the 534 class.

The plane in the game is constantly pulling down by the gravity and your job is to pull it up by making sound to the microphone. The higher the sound intensity the higher the plane goes. However, you must be careful not to hit anything within the game. The six sided spinning polygons are your enemies, you must peak the sound input in order for the plane to produce a bullet which will kill them off. Orange polygon will move while blue are stationary.

If the plane is producing a bullet every time you make a sound, please lower the microphone sensitivity for proper game play.

If you found this game too difficult, press space bar to cheat. (I have finished it without cheating)

Enjoy

======= CLICK HERE FOR THE GAME =======

Dynamic Pong is a simple flash game which draws on similar logic as the game “Ink-Pen” in Window Vista. The game allows the user to change the rolling ball’s directions by ‘drawing’ dynamic barricades, meaning that the ball would bounce against the line drew by the player. Dynamic Pong essentially borrowed this idea to redesign the classic Pong game.

In the game, the user will first choose between a ‘free mode’ and a ‘game mode’, the ‘free mode’ is just a practicing playground for players to enjoy controlling a ball using self-drew lines. In the ‘game mode’, things get a little bit more interesting. The player must be able to keep the ball within the screen by blocking it with lines. However, only one continuous line can be drawn at a time and that it will self disappear within 3 seconds so that it is impossible to trap a ball by drawing a line around it. One new ball will be generated every 20 seconds to increase the difficulty of the game. The top and bottom borders would also move to left and right every 30 seconds.

BIGGER ~~~~~~~

THE SHOW

A VIDEO DOCUMENTATION

Siggraph 2010.

Conference July 26-30, 2010

Exhibition July 27-29, 2010

Los Angeles Convention Center

Tracy suggested volunteering for this event.

The idea of failure as a core part of the design process has come up a lot recently, and I was reminded by another blog post about the rant that I gave at GDC 2006 as part of the IGDA Academic Summit. I realized that I never posted this rant, so thought I would do so now since it seems to have become topical again. Enjoy!

The topic of my rant is ‘failure.’ Obviously, none of us likes to fail. Especially students. Students are terrified of failing. They are so afraid of failing that they often forget that university is the one place where they should fail. Where they are — or should be — in an environment that rewards the type of intellectual and artistic risk-taking that leads to failure 99 percent of the time. Because failure is an integral part of exploring new idea spaces.

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“Players who install the Viz application on their phone can expect an ambient ‘always on’ play experience that exists within the flow of their everyday lives. Players engage with Viz when they have spare moments in public spaces…”

Here’s the link to my casual mobile augmented reality game treatment:

http://remotedevice.net/projects/viz/