Week

Lecture Content

#1

Introduction to the course.
Outline of the course's aims, objectives, assessment requirements and breakdown of weekly concepts.
PDF 01mediaCultures is on the games server in 010mediaCultures1
Enroll on the Digital Art and Games site (dagrmit.ning.com) >
URL: Memory Palace
URL: Museum of Dust
URL: World Tales
URL: Strange Attractors
URL: Curiosity Cabinet

CLASS
Part 1: WTF is a 'Media Culture' and what does it matter....
Know your meme (autotune) >

EXERCISE:
Form a group with 3 or 4 others. Develop a 10 question questionaire using SurveyMonkey that investigates the current and past media habits of your assigned demographic.

Persuade AT LEAST 20 people in that demographic to fill out the survey. If your demographic members do not have access to the internet, you may need to print out the survey and get them to fill it in manually.

Post the url of the online form to Ning along with your group members' full names.

READ
Teenage boy's report scares world's media bosses, The Age 19th July 2009
Gamers in the UK: Digital Play, Digital Lifestyles (01bbc_uk_games_research_2005.pdf - on the server in 010mediaCultures/resources)

RESOURCES + LINKS
SurveyMonkey
20 Top Tips To Writing Effective Surveys
designingsurveysthatcount.pdf (server)

SCREENING:
Tom Wujec on 3 ways the brain creates meaning: Information designer Tom Wujec talks through three areas of the brain that help us understand words, images, feelings, connections. In this short talk from TEDU, he asks: How can we best engage our brains to help us better understand big ideas?

#2

SCREENING:
Hans Rosling shows the best stats you've ever seen> You've never seen data presented like this. With the drama and urgency of a sportscaster, statistics guru Hans Rosling debunks myths about the so-called "developing world."

CLASS
Graphic Visualisation

EXERCISE: Interpretation and presentation of survey results.
Give a general description of your demographic including any relevant information that you have access to (eg education, income, geographical locations, employment, ethnicity, etc).

Make visualizations, using Illustrator, of the results of your survey.

Identify key results and theorise about
1. What might cause them
2. What they could mean in relation to the media habits of your demographic.
3. What affect they would have on tailoring products to sell to them (e.g what products/services would be attractive to them and what advertising and marketing strategies would

Include the questions that you asked your surveyed demographic.

Class presentation then post (with team member names) to ning topic >

RESOURCES:
PDF 02dataVisualisation.pdf (server/010mediaCultures1/)

'A Tour through the Visualization Zoo', by Jeffrey Heer, Michael Bostock, Vadim Ogievetsky.
http://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=1805128

Poor graphical visualisation designs and their solutions @ perceptualedge.net http://www.perceptualedge.com/examples.php

Edward Tufte (esp. see moderated information graphics forums http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a?topic_id=1) http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/

information aesthetics.Where form follows data. IA explores the symbiotic relationship between creative design and the field of information visualization. More specifically, it collects projects that represent data or information in original or intriguing ways. http://infosthetics.com/

Info Viz Wiki The InfoVis:Wiki project is intended to provide a community platform and forum integrating recent developments and news on all areas and aspects of Information Visualization. http://www.infovis-wiki.net/index.php?title=Main_Page

Visualizing Survey Results with Wordle http://www.mobiusdevelopment.com/dev/Blog.asp?ArticleID=2854359608917314060 Wordle is a 'toy' for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.

History of diagrams http://a-website.org/design/instructional/diagrams.html

Graph Design IQ Test http://www.perceptualedge.com/files/GraphDesignIQ.html

#3

SCREEN
REF :: How Media makes History by Clay Shirky

CLASS: WTF is a Media Culture?

REF :: Mac vs. PC
REF :: Harold Innis : Empire and Communications (1950), The Bias of Communication (1951).
REF :: Marshall McLuhen
REF :: Simulacra
REF :: Jean Baudrillard. Simulacra and Simulations
REF :: KISS of the Panopticon
REF :: Is Google Making Us Stupid? The Atlantic Aug 2008 (and PDF on server)
REF :: Subculture: The Meaning of Style - Dick Hebdige (Methuen) Section as PDF on server

EXERCISE :: Subcultures are people too...
In small groups or individually
1. Identify a subculture -- some examples: Elvis fans, polo players, ballerinas, headbangers, elderly Turkish men.
2. What are the specific conventions, etc. that define that subculture. These might include (but isn't limitd to):

* age
* gender
* ethnicity
* clothing codes
* behavior and speech codes
* income
* geography
* entertainment or other venues that 'belong' to that subculture
* special events or rituals

3. Devise a new iPhone or iPad app for this subculture. Research existing apps that may be similar to ensure that you're developing something new. Write a synopsis and a feature list for the proposed app. Explain why you think that this app would appeal to your target marget.

4 Short class presentation in which your group presents the subculture (include pictures if possible), your app research and the app you have invented.

5. Post the presentation to Ning.

#4

SCREEN
REF :: TEDTalks : Why play is vital -- no matter your age - Stuart Brown (2008)

LECTURE: Body Talk: Nonverbal communication and Semiotics

REF :: Ron Mueck - monumental hyperrealist sculpture
REF :: a-website/hyperessays/06comTheory.html
REF :: Semiotics for Beginners by Daniel Chandler

EXERCISE : Do clothes maketh the character?
Choose a central (figurative) character from a game, a feature film. TV series or animation. Analyse the character's nonverbal communications. Begin by describing:

• gender and 'gender behavior'
• Stance and posture
• Kinesthetics (how they move and typical movement patterns)
• Gestures
• Facial expressions
• Tone, volume, accent and other non-linguistic voice elements.
• Proxemics (Do they get close to other characters or keep their distance? Do they touch or allow themselves to be touched? Where?)
• Clothing (style, colour, etc)
• Their 'home' (if appropriate)

Write at least a paragraph analysing what the above information tells us about the character. Include at least 2 'typical' pictures of your chosen character.

Produce as a powerpoint or landscape format PDF. Present in class (2 minutes)

Upload to slideshare > (the password is mediacultures1) and ALSO place on server in appropriate exercise 3 folder.

REF :: Developing Physical Characters by Shiralee Saul -- also see what last years class did on the ning network.
REF :: 9 by Shane Acker
REF :: The Sims 3 - Devious Trailer [HD]
REF :: The Sims 3 - Official Trailer

#5

SCREENING:
Jonathan Harris collects stories

LECTURE: Speech: The Brain's Killer App and Narratology.

REF :: The Biology of the Language Faculty: Its Perfection, Past and Future Noam Chomsky
REF :: Ali G - Language
REF :: Narratology: The Study of Story Structure
REF :: Propp's Morphology of Folk Tales
REF :: Propp's Dramatis Personae
REF :: proppian fairy tale generator
REF :: The Matrix - Joseph Campbell Monomyth
REF :: The Hero's Journey in Film
REF :: the hero's journey : summary of the steps
REF :: Monomyth.org

SCREEN Resources
Language is a Virus
LAURIE ANDERSON - LANGUAGE IS A VIRUS
JOHN CAGE "Words"
Laurie Anderson - Drum Dance & Smoke Rings
Words Of Advice William S. Burroughs
Laurie Anderson - Talk Normal
Howl Ginsberg
LAURIE ANDERSON - LANGUE D'AMOUR
John Cage - Speech (1955)
Laurie Anderson - Difficult Listening Hour
William S. Burroughs - Thanksgiving Prayer
True Stories (1986) David Byrne

EXERCISE #5 : Telling a Game/Gaming a story Part 1

In pairs, devise and sketch out a story using;

• some or all the character types from Propp's Morphological analysis;
• Campbell's monomyth stages;
• the three random values you have been assigned.

Place on server in appropriate folder 010mediacultures1/exercise5/: deliverable #5 due before start of class 6

#6

SCREEN

Seth Priebatsch: The game layer on top of the world By now, we're used to letting Facebook and Twitter capture our social lives on the web -- building a "social layer" on top of the real world. At TEDxBoston, Seth Priebatsch looks at the next layer in progress: the "game layer," a pervasive net of behavior-steering game dynamics that will reshape education and commerce.

Fight For Kisses

LECTURE: Games mechanics vs. narrative functions

Understanding Games (ep. 2: motivation) >

REF :: LUDOLOGY MEETS NARRATOLOGY: Similitude and differences between (video)games and narrative. By Gonzalo Frasca.
REF :: Where Stories End and Games Begin by Greg Costikyan
REF :: What are game mechanics? by Danc
REF :: The Invisible Narrative of Games - OR - The Story of Chess by Frank Forrestall
REF :: Minimal Risk Designs: How to Design a Game When You Don't Have the Time by Brent Ellison
REF :: Genre and the Video Game, by Mark J. P. Wolf
REF :: Game Mechanics That Tell Stories by Francisco Souki
REF :: Game Design links @ SS's delicious
REF :: Three Hundred :: Three Hundred Mechanics

EXERCISE #6: Telling a Game/Gaming a story Part 2

Transforming narrative functions into games mechanics.

• Using a mind mapping tool such as bubbl.us or a graphics program, produce a plot-line based on your story. The plot-line acts as a timeline showing the beginning at one end, the events in temporal order with the conclusion at the other.
• Identify and label the major narratemes/monomythic stages and label them.
• Identify and label the major narrative settings and their persistence over the plotline.
• Identify and label the appearance/exit (or persistence if appropriate) of the major characters. Identify their character type as per Propp's Dramatis personae.
  
  

EXERCISE RESOURCES
monomyth (wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth
Examples of Each Stage of a Heros Journey in Star Wars and The Matrix

SCREENING: Making Stories from Games (Machinima)
Watch the World(s).
The 1k Project II
I'm Still Seeing Breen.
This Spartan Life: A Talk Show In Game Space
Code Monkey
GTA Coke
Fake Science by Dead On Que
Tra5hTa1k with ILL Will and Mal Content -- Ill Clan
The Ballad of the Noob - World of Warcraft machinima

#7

SCREENING: TED Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on flow

LECTURE: Pacing in Games

DOWNLOAD:Pacing case study (server/010mediacultures1/resources/week7

REF :: Call Of Duty 4 Sniper Mission "All Ghillied Up" Part 1
REF :: Beyond Pacing: Games Aren't Hollywood by Jacek Wesowski
REF :: Game Design 2 - Theory of Fun
REF :: Tom Wujec: Build a tower, build a team

EXERCISE 7: Telling a Game/Gaming a story Part 3 -- Developing game play

• Choosing an appropriate videogame genre, devise game mechanics that parallel some or all ths stages of your story. Chart these on a parallel line next to your plotline.
• On this second timeline indicate where the cut scenes (if any) would occur and their content.

Screenshot or save as pdf and save to the appropriate server folder. (010mediacultures1/exercise7)

#8

Paper prototype production -- studio time

EXERCISE 8: Telling a Game/Gaming a story Part 3 -- Concept to Paper prototype

Using paper or cardboard, crayons/textas/whatever, games tokens, etc (whatever it takes), produce a paper prototype of your game, showing alternate routes, settings, games mechanics etc. The exact form your prototype will take will depend on the genre and features (game mechanics) of your translation.

Take photographs or video of the protoype and post, with team members' names (if they contributed!) and game title to he server (010mediacultures1/exercise8)

RESOURCES
REF :: Guidelines for Paper Level Designs
REF :: Paper prototype of Aperture Science + Left 4 Dead
REF :: Paper Prototyping - ReThinkWiki
REF :: Level 2: Game Design / Iteration and Rapid Prototyping « Game Design Concepts

#9

EXERCISE 9: Telling a Game/Gaming a story Part 4 -- Presentation and assessment

Fill out the form on the server (prototype_assessment.doc) and place in appropriate folder (exercise 9) on the server.

When testing others' prototypes, please rate their protype according to the criteria and make at least 1 critical comment and one constructive sugggestion in the space provided.

PRESENTATIONS (Max. 3min)

You will briefly describe your story (and your 3 compulsory elements), talk about which elements your concentrated on and adapted or changed to generate the gameplay and what risks your prototype is designed to test.

#10

GALLERY VISIT: Screen Worlds @ ACMI (Free entry)

Meet at the ACMI boxoffice inside entrance at 10.00amTuesday 0r 1pm Wednesday. Wednesday evening class members may attend either daytime session. There will be no class on Wednesday evening.
http://www.acmi.net.au/screen_worlds.aspx

EXERCISE #10: write a short report (aprox 500 words) on an aspect of or specific exhibit in the 'History of Australian media' permanent exhibition section of Screen Worlds,

Consider your report object's:

• materiality: what is it?;
• content: what is it about and how is that conveyed?;
• its historical role and importance;
• how it's exhibited;
• your response to it.

Name your doc yourName_ex10.doc

Please ensure that your report is in either a .doc or .pdf format

#11

LECTURE :: The Rise and Rise of Modernism

RESOURCES
REF :: 500 Years of Women in Art (in 3min) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUDIoN-_Hxs
REF :: Night Art : picnic with nude from Manet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OX9PhquTWE
REF :: Modernism, Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe http://witcombe.sbc.edu/modernism/roots.html
REF :: Arts: Art History: Periods and Movements: Modernism
REF :: Modernism and the Arts in the 20th Century: Links
REF :: MIA Modernism (Overview of design movements) http://www.artsmia.org/modernism/
REF :: Modernism: designing a new world 1914-1939 (V&A exhibition)

#12

PRESENTATIONS: Major assignment (Template for presentations is on the Server)

EXERCISE: Peer assessment and team/self assessment