I love stuff like this, but I know I never will have the patience, time, or creativity to do anything like it, so I just groove on web collections.
An ape’s attic antics…
So I was wallowing and wandering in my archival attic as I put off my daily line C2020-703 learning session, and I came across a theme that might do nicely to hold together some of our ongoing Lichtenbergian concerns: Â Everything from the challenges of self-representation to seeking out criteria for artistic credibility can find a lip tickle orbit for discussion. Â It’s a link. Â Go there: C2040-408
http://www.lacunagroup.org/marc/?p=26#more-26
So as we continue with our current assignment, I thought it might also be rewarding to riff on this theme of the Ape.
It’s JUST a game, for heaven’s sake.
The following paragraph is from a press release coming out of the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo. Commonly known as E3, this event serves as one of the biggest events of the year for all of us that obsess just a bit too much about toys and games. This particular notice is referring to the next version of Guitar Hero, scheduled to come around this fall:
KEY FEATURES:State of the Art Wireless Instruments – In addition to a newly redesigned, more responsive guitar controller which features a touch-sensitive slide bar on the neck,Guitar Hero World Tour will deliver the most realistic drum experience ever in a video game with an authentic drum kit. Featuring three drum pads, two raised cymbals and a bass kick pedal, the drum controller combines larger and quieter, velocity-sensitive drum heads with soft rubber construction to deliver authentic bounce back and is easy to set up, move, break down and store. The Next Great Songwriter, is You – Guitar Hero World Tour’s innovative new Music Studio lets players express their musical creativity by giving them access to a full complement of tools to create digital music from scratch utilizing the redesigned touch-sensitive guitar controller and an authentic drum kit. Virtuosos can then play their compositions in-game and share the recordings with the entire Guitar Hero community through GHTunes™ where other gamers from around the world will be able to download and play their original tracks. Available to Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 gamers is Line 6’s guitar tone technology, enabling them to use amps, cabs and effects from the world-renown Line 6 POD®.
These announcements revisit another of our past discussion topics, exploring the blurring of lines between games and art. There were already hacks available that detailed how to take the Rock Band drum kit and hook it up as an input device to Apple’s Garage Band. What impact will the features described above have on student interest in creativity? Will great works emerge from kids just “goofing around”? To me, one of the more interesting things to watch as this develops is the impact that the very rich and very effective social networks that the Xbox 360 will have on the development, release, and sharing of gamer compositions.
On a related note, this from the Nintendo press thingy, also part of E3 (the time stamps were a result of the event being blogged real-time):
[10:00] Most music games require precise timing and onscreen symbol matching, he explains. Wii Music was designed instead to allow everyone to experience the joy of performing music. There’s no need to closely follow notes or rhythm guides; just hold the controller like you would a real instrument and the game plays notes to match the song. [10:01] Miyamoto doesn’t play the sax, but he was able to play a song from an F-Zero game. Wii Music will include more than 50 instruments, including the piano and violin. [10:02] He also demonstrates the game’s electric guitar and taiko drum. [10:03] The first-person drumming with the Balance Board demonstrated earlier is actually a special mode that will include tutorials to teach users to play drums. [10:04] The orchestra game that Miyamoto demonstrated when Wii Music was first unveiled years ago will also be included. Players will be able to save parts of a song and combine them to form their own music videos. [10:05] Up to four players can play simultaneously, and the in-game bands are limited to six instruments. They demo it with a xylophone, conga drums, cowbell, horns, and guitar. The group plays the classic Super Mario Bros. theme.The Wii option sounds like it will be very forgiving, providing easy access to small children. Will this low-barrier to entry prevent folks from really creating serious music on it?
Also announced by Nintendo during the event is an add-on to the Wii-mote that will make direct translation of movement a reality. Does this mean that the first “Wii Paint” and “Wii Sculpt” can’t be far behind?
Where will all of this lead?
Framing
Internets
Turkish Oil Wrestling
I”m not even going to provide a online slots link. Look for it yourselves and wonder.
Poetry performance
This, via Metafilter:
Part 1:
Discuss.
Conspiracy theories about conspiracy theories
The Oscar Goes To…
I recall a conversational thread some time ago, continued if not initiated at our first gathering, regarding the possibility of disruptive forces to more commonly accepted modalities of “art”. In particular, we discussed the relevance of Red vs. Blue (Halo machinima) and Rock Band as potential players. While I recall little support for that particular idea, I do recall there being some support for the idea that the video game may be trespassing on the territory of film making in some interesting ways. Given that discussion, I found this particular para in a review for the recently released game Grand Theft Auto IV to be particularly interesting.
Like E.L. Doctorow’s “Ragtime,” GTA IV presents a number of characters that are all chasing that elusive dream, be it finding true love, building a successful business, or just staying one step ahead of the competition. While the game looks like a fairly run-of-the-mill crime drama at first glance, it won’t take long for it to get under your skin and stick with you even while you’re not playing. You’ll quickly come to realize that the nuanced storytelling and presentation is on par with the finest films by directors like Martin Scorcese or Francis Ford Coppola, both of whom know a thing or two about the criminal element of society and their American Dreams. Although it may not change the minds of non-gamers (we’re looking at you, Mr. Ebert), GTA4 should be labeled Exhibit A in the “Games as Art” debate.
Thoughts?