Virtually gone?

I was doing a little research for images to include in the album for Classic games. It didn't seem to matter what I was searching for, there was always an image of a computer based version listed first. This wasn't necessarily an issue, however, it does draw to attention the desperate change in attitude to an electronic age.

One of the psychological aspects to participating in games, and a reason for many of their induction years before, was the social interaction. The physical participation between you and the opponent was as much part of the game play as the game itself. Strategy and control and ultimate victory over the opponent. Swapping this into a computer environment has altered the standard somewhat. Firstly, it has engaged the human factor against an invisible processor based opponent that only has interface via an avatar. The second value is that the solo aspect to playing away from real social interaction changes the game play as well as the social structure of the individual in any given environment.

Luckily there is a resistance to this methodology of total virtual cross-over and people still enjoy the process of sitting down as a group and participating in real-time game play. What is striking with the virtual aspect however, is the seeming need to convert almost all values of games into a virtual arena. It is also striking that the interface and activities of the former games have been duplicated. Not redeveloped with the purpose of fitting into the new 2d environment, many of these games actually replicate their real-world counterparts to every minor detail. Almost as though there is a need to generate a virtual world in so many aspects of solo interaction that it is easy for an individual to create and participate in a social life extracted away from the normal; maybe mundane and less spectacular real world.

How games should proceed is to make clear distinction in aspects of gameplay that are crucial to the success of the games. Games are not just about playing. There is a great deal of semantic value to games, both real world and virtual. The physical and psychological presence of other opponents is crucial to the development of the underlying social make-up. Virtual games generates an extraction that is not on the whole wrong, but has socila implications to how we work, play and work with each other.

What's wrong with education?

Sir Ken Robinson has done a follow up talk at TED based on his higher poignant speech of 2006, about the state of education regarding the negative approach to teaching creativity. His second speech, found here, follows up by defining a new approach to teaching, in which a global revolution is needed. The speech itself is very moving and speaks volumes to the state at which education is today failing society. The current education system has two flaws (well more in fact) that consist of defining an education approach based on training the masses to be prepared for an industrial lifestyle, and secondly to white wash the approach to education. based on the previous induction methodology. The simple fact is that the current plan of attack regarding education was invented at the age of the industrial revolution, and hasn't had a great deal of modification since that early inception. This social state arose out of an evolutionary path that was proceeded by the agricultural method of growth.

Doing research myself, on the subject of evolution in design through the centuries, after a stimulating experience of watching "Home", I found that there are many factors that aid in the need for such protocols, but also create faults in the delivery of these systems. The main reason that the agricultural revolution came along was the need to generate surplus food to feed the growing population. This worked, but worked too well, and the population boom was immense. With today's census indicating a 5 billion excess to the sustainability of the planet. What good that did come out of the agricultural revolution was the 'crafts' movement. Individuals who were able to express a skill (rather prefer avoiding the term talent), and deliver products and artefacts based around that skill. This was semi-localised and able to define culture and style. What happened next was the supply-on-demand criteria that meant that the crafts industry could not keep up. The population was booming and the need for more products quicker was becoming essential. There began the industrial revolution. This was the beginning of the downfall of education.

Previous to the industrial revolution education was a matter of passing information from one generation to another. In the craft sense this was ideal as individual quality could be maintained, as well as maintaining the style and characteristics of such local craft. What the industrial method did was call for a mass educational plan to get enough working bodies up and running to deal with the mechanical demands of the society. What happened however, in this structure was the desire of teaching the maths and sciences to the future workers. What it neglected, due to the automated approach to many process in industry, was the need to explore and educate the crafts. These still existed and were practised, but began to wane, due to competition of cheaper, mass produced products.

How this reverts back to education and the need for a new revolution; as called for by Sir Ken Robinson. Is the simple fact that educational numbers and parrot fashion methods to teaching industrialism in a modern technological environment is not conducive to peoples natures in a modern world. It also is detrimental to focusing and emphasising individual skills. Craft and art are about individualism. You can't, in the same light as teaching algebra, teach the same group of people the same way to express their artistic flare. Therefore, the education of people should in fact focus on people's own passions. Allowing them to concentrate on the aspects that make them more vivid in the challenges of a career option. Craft, as stated previously, is about individualism, and also nothing to do with the sciences per sae. To be frank, I can hardly remember any of the taught information that was promoted to me in school, and was never enthused in the notion of becoming a scientist, engineer or manufacturer. Hence a person notice that education does not solve everyone's passion and desire to study and fulfil themselves.

The revolution that is required is to see how such individuals can possible excel at activities that could change the world. This is based on the craft mentality to study, but not in the sense that arts should be a new focus. Education can spotlight desires in children at an early age and then stream them to their passionate goal. Being an educator myself, I do see the disparities that arise from forcing an out-dated educational approach onto a youth that really doesn't know what to do with it. The victim as well, in an under-staffed and over-populated institution, is creativity. Students getting numb to parrot teaching, not being nurtured with desire or passion. So, to conclude, watch Sir Ken Robinson, it is very moving, and help start a revolution!!!

Puzzled?

As previously stated in the last note, games have been around for thousands of years. Many of their purposes had form in one way or another to train the body or the mind in a social activity. The ancient Greek Olympics was a test to find the master athletes in the fighting ranks of the Greek legions. Chess was invented to show Japanese military the power of strategy over their opponents, and so on and so on. What all these games were though, in times of old, where side activities to take away from social inaction. Society has developed a great deal over the thousands of years and social interaction has become variant in the sense it draws from group activity in a lot of senses to mono-dependant activities, which to the fault of society has been a key to the growth of technology.

People, although still able and willing to participate in social activities such as sport, card games, board games, etc, have a new reliance on technology as a stimulus. There have been very strong evidential reports that define the connection between technology abuse in adolescents and attention issues. With no fault of their own, the technology has become too much of a stimulus. However, in the same light as feature films have become overwhelmed with more and more stimulating effects over story, the same occurs in the premise of games design in modern technology.

There is a puzzle to the heart of all great games. Whether a mental game such as the one portrayed in the Nine dot Puzzle, to Analytical theory based puzzles, through challenges of mathematics, logistics and linguistics in games such as Sudoku, crosswords and chess. The heart of a game is in the clever puzzle it defines. The motivation to beat that puzzle and the sense of achievement. What is occurring in this new technology epoch is the need to draw in to the values of what is classed as entertainment, a greater need for a game design structure that is about education. About relevant social comment. About looking at the future and making the puzzle about growth and difference. It is a strong and hard challenge, but with the use of creative thinking the patterns will and can emerge to designate a entertaining value that can also make a difference. That is the future puzzle.

What is Games Design?

What is the notion behind such a course? Well, the depth of games design moves further away from the idea that it is just about making the next Warcraft or even a modern version of asteroids. It is about the aesthetic and analytical approaches to creating a vast variety of game types. It can deliver the process of strategy that was the reason for the development of the game of chess. One of the most powerful and enthralling games ever invented. However, its roots return back to ancient Japan and the design to show strategy in warfare.

Games design is looking at the market forces that can govern all forms of games; whether board, internet based or console based. And making decisions in both method and in aesthetics to incorporate the best approach to make something novel, intriguing and hitting a new market need. Of course games design has a great history of predecessors to fall back on, and use as influence, but is also about looking for something new. Using the creative thinking process in a manner that will inspire great innovation and style.

The future is set to be involved in a great deal of technology, and even games away from the computer environment seek electronic elements to maintain a manner of interest, but games have been in our social make-up for thousands of years and can even be reflected a great deal in the history of the Greek country. What games are, are social involvement mechanisms, whether real or virtual and are designed in every aspect to stimulate problem solving. So, what this course has aims in doing is to extract some of those challenges and create real life project interaction to solve the need to design well planned and functional games.

AAS obtains Games Design degree

AAS was confirmed today as the only Greek college with a franchise to deliver a Games Design course. The final validation took place today, Friday June 4th 2010.
The course will begin in September 2010, and although having a strong design aspect toward the computer games industry, is also set to provide creative output for traditional games types as well.
The course is made up of a modular structure aimed at the design process and involves every creative aspect to deliver the process of good ideas to both screen and board alike.
This is an exciting prospect for both AAS and Greece, and has a promise of building new career option for the Greek educational intake.

Stay tuned for more development over the summer.

If you are interested, then please contact AAS directly.