Blog Post 4

I think the entry in Medium is the Massage that connects the most to game design is from page 52-53. It’s the page that talks about how the invention of the vanishing point in Renaissance art created artwork that involved the viewer more, and made them feel more like they are actually there. I think games can do similar things. For instance, modern board games seem much more intent on making the player feel like they are actually part of the game.

Take The Settlers of Catan, for example. The game’s art, including the board, cards, and even the rulebook portray a very specific theme: the player is an explorer during the age of discovery. Compare that to older games, such as Parcheesi, Backgammon, or even Monopoly. None of these games have an explicit theme (with possibly the exception of Monopoly) and generally involve moving pawns or tokens over a simple board with little artwork. The difference between these games and The Settlers of Catan is that Catan actively tries to make the user feel like they are more involved in the game.

By creating a game where the user feels more involved, the creator accomplishes the ultimate goal of a game, in my opinion. For me, playing a game- at least a successful game, is about more than winning or losing. Playing a game that truly succeeds makes me feel emotionally involved, where I care about the characters and what happens in the game, and it makes me able to suspend disbelief, and really feel part of the game.

Comments:
Quin Robert
Megan Peterson

Blog Post 3

I think what McLuhan means when he talks about there being “no detachment” is that media nowadays are much more immersing. For example, when McLuhan talks about forced perspective in Renaissance art, he is talking about immersion. Forced perspective is different from prior art because it makes the user feel like they’re actually present at the site of the painting. Prior works simply showed what was happening, but forced perspective portrayed what the viewer would see if they were actually there in person.

Modern video game user interfaces (UIs) have also taken a similar approach. I recently played through the Mass Effect series, and the game’s UI is futuristic, with radial menus, sci-fi-esque typefaces, and bright color palettes (orange and neon blue to be precise). All the UI elements are made to match other parts of the game: the colors in the interface are the same as the ones used for holograms, displays and even the character’s “omni-tool”. All this leads to a more immersing experience, where what the user sees is similar to the in-game art.

Minecraft is another game that uses UI elements to make the experience more immersing. Inspired by the game’s blocky, pixel-art style, in game text, menus, and buttons try to emulate the art style of the game, and therefore create an experience where the UI is not simply layered over the game, but actually feels like part of it.

In general, I agree with McLuhan’s assertions that we are becoming more and more involved in what is happening in the world, and that there is more shared sentiment (for example, on page 61 when he talks about an event where someone “says ‘how horrible it must be to feel like that” instead of blaming someone else. I think McLuhan’s thought that we are entering an age of “total involvement”(61) is spot-on.

Responses:
Quin R.
Ellyn H.

Blog Post 2

While an argument could be made about how different people use money differently, I think a bigger change is in how people pay with money, and how it has advanced throughout the years. For example, my parents rarely use their credit cards to pay for goods, instead preferring to use cash. I, on the other hand, prefer using a card. I think that younger generations are also more open to using technology as a method of payment, like Google Wallet , which enables users to make payments using the Near-Field Communications chip in their smartphone or tablet, or Coin , which stores multiple credit and debit cards on one card that is connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth.

The more people my age I talk to, the more it seems that we prefer using mobile banking applications on our smartphones and tablets, rather than visiting banks in person. In contrast, in talking with people from older generations, it feels like they are more likely to visit the bank and take care of business there, or bank over the phone, and have less trust in the security of the applications. I have found similar parallels with online transactions. I feel completely comfortable using a company like Amazon to make purchases, while many older people prefer going to brick and mortar stores.

However, most of this is based on anecdotal evidence I gathered from talking to my family and friends. A recent study found that 83% of North Americans have shopped online. A different study showed that more people in the 30-49 age group shopped online compared to the 18-29 age group (80% vs. 77%), so I think it’s interesting that multiple studies have found different results than me.

Responses:
Quin Robert
Ellyn Howard