Some Context: “The basic stories we know best are small stories of events in space: The wind blows clouds through the sky, a child throws a rock, a mother pours milk into a glass, a whale swims through the water. These stories constitute our world …” (M.Turner, The Literary Mind)
Animals note and remember these simple, spatial stories as well as humans (Veeder: who are visual thinkers!). Only humans, and some painstakingly trained chimpanzees and bonobos, can go beyond these into narratives that feature multiple points of view, symbols, and projection onto other situations, characters, datasets, etc. This requires language. (Thanks, Richard van Oort, University of California, Irvine, Cognitive Approaches to Literature Session, Modern Language Association Convention, 2001)
"Game designers don't simply tell stories; they design worlds and sculpt spaces. It is no accident, for example, that game design documents have historically been more interested in issues of level design than on plotting or character motivation. A prehistory of video and computer games might take us through the evolution of paper mazes or board games, both preoccupied with the design of spaces, even where they also provided some narrative context." Henry Jenkins, Games As Narrative Architecture.
Animals note and remember these simple, spatial stories as well as humans (Veeder: who are visual thinkers!). Only humans, and some painstakingly trained chimpanzees and bonobos, can go beyond these into narratives that feature multiple points of view, symbols, and projection onto other situations, characters, datasets, etc. This requires language. (Thanks, Richard van Oort, University of California, Irvine, Cognitive Approaches to Literature Session, Modern Language Association Convention, 2001)
"Game designers don't simply tell stories; they design worlds and sculpt spaces. It is no accident, for example, that game design documents have historically been more interested in issues of level design than on plotting or character motivation. A prehistory of video and computer games might take us through the evolution of paper mazes or board games, both preoccupied with the design of spaces, even where they also provided some narrative context." Henry Jenkins, Games As Narrative Architecture.
1. Requisite Skills + Preparation:
a. Avatar skills: walking, running, flying, POV controls (zoom, orbit, center)
b. Media documentation skills: SL Snapshot (camera icon), Fraps Video documentation (prepare by downloading/installing free version at http://www.fraps.com/download.php and figure out how to use it by Friday so you can record some video clips of your experiences.
c. Read the assignment TASKS section 4., below, to properly focus your your experience.
c. Read the assignment TASKS section 4., below, to properly focus your your experience.
3. Starting Location (first of 3): Grand Canyon (99, 188) - TELEPORT HERE
4. Navigate via spatially appropriate means (walking, running, flying) to fully explore the zone in question in all dimensions. We will do this in a total of 3 locations.
4. Navigate via spatially appropriate means (walking, running, flying) to fully explore the zone in question in all dimensions. We will do this in a total of 3 locations.
5. After Event Assignment TASKS: Post on your blog about this event (and insert images/videos to illustrate your points) in reponse to these:
a. Write 3-6 one-sentence "small spatial stories" you gleaned from this experience (+ images if you happen to have them), i.e. what caught your eye, what seemed vivid, what coalesced into a small whole and stayed with you.
b. What seemed easy and transparent to you?
c. What was actually pleasurable?
e. What was difficult for you?
e. How did those three correlate or differ from your experiences navigating through physical space in actual life?
f. Write a paragraph on how ONE of any of the modes of navigation through virtual space you've experienced in this event might be used as a model for navigating through other digital information spaces and include at least one sketch to communicate your concept. Note: Stretch on this one - maybe start by brainstorming all the wild ideas you can think of then expand the most intriguing ones. You limit this to current technologies or current models of navigation.
g. Separately, make another excursion through some UNFAMILIAR area of Second Life and POST (w/photo(s) to document) use that as the basis for a short narrative where you cast yourself as a hero venturing into unknown territory to face various challenges but triumphing in the end and coming home to tell the tale. Be sure to include the location name and SLURL.
6. Related resources (see class resources page):
Murray_HOH Chapters: Agency, Immersion, Transformation
Jenkins, Complete Freedom of Movement, Games as Narrative Architecture
veeder_depth_perception.pdf
veeder_motion_perception.pdf
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