ダニエルの冒険

Just some random thoughts on how expectations factor into immersion, and how games can also provide us with expectations of the real world, in a cultural context.
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I’ve gone through a few different titles for my essay. Now the theme seems to be evolving into a discussion on immersion, including:

• How technology helps with immersion, both by affording realistic simulation and affording opportunity for innovative and engrossing narrative (see how I recycled my first 3500 words there?)
• Huizinga’s Magic Circle
• How Janet Murray’s discussion of immersion describes its role in games as a form of art
• Richard Bartle’s recent discussion with the community about torture in games: managing players’ expectations to preserve the immersion

The list is neither ordered nor complete, but it’s where I’m at right now. *sigh*

Oops. Looks like I chose the wrong topic after all. No longer seems at all interesting or new to me. Now do I throw out 2000 words and start again, soldier on, or try to salvage it somehow? But how to salvage 2000 words in a meaningful way..?

The plan for the essay is starting to look a little better. I know that one area of interest of Liam’s is how people write, so I’ll keep posting as I write more.

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I’ve been doing some planning for the essay, due within the month. Here are some topics I’m hoping to address:

History and current state of game technology in the context of realistic representation of the real world and the uncanny valley effect:

• Animation (Animation faces/lips, Animation blending techniques, IK, mo-cap, Physics-affected animation, NaturalMotion’s fame from GTA4/Force Unleashed)
• Graphics (Procedurally generated geometry ala Far Cry 2, DirectX and OpenGL developments, shader models)
• Gore (Soldier of Fortune, Gears of War 2)
• Sound

And also in the context of interaction with these worlds:

• Video output (from TFT displays to retinal scanning displays)
• Other feedback (tactile, olfactory?)
• Input (force feedback, Wii, neural/brain-wave driven)

Next I hope to explore violence in games:

• which companies have been making violent games
• how popular violent games are compared to non-violent games
• how this popular has changed over time
• emotional response to violence in games

Any input through comments appreciated!