View my original post here.

Objectives:

— Discuss the validity of art created with the aid of machines

Reflection:

This last artifact is a little different.  The original post is short, but I think it is something worth discussing further.  During the week we focused on technology, the topic of gaming came up.  In a Ted talk, gaming was even glorified, and it was called a new way to promote useful skills like problem solving and cooperation.  While the Ted talk was a little ambitious, even for what was being talked about, it had some really good points.  Games as an art form are wonderful, and they also have practical uses as well.

As an art form, games can be and are really great.  First, there is the visuals.  Game graphics have a huge variety, ranging from realistic, to cartoony, to intentionally pixellated and retro looking.  Some of the art is digitally created, and is three dimensional, some is hand drawn and two dimensional, and everything in between.  Games have a great visual appeal, and the effects throughout gameplay have the potential to be visually stunning as well.

Then there is the story telling.  Story telling is another great form of art.  This is especially good in single player games where plot is most important, but it can work in multiplayer games as well.  Story telling in games is engaging, fast paced, thought out, and the story usually has a few twists as well.  They have to, or else the gamer will lose interest.  Along those same lines, character development is key as well.  Throughout the game players usually learn more about the character they are playing, the supporting characters, the enemies, and most other characters as well.  Combined with the story arcs, this can create a feeling of an entire world inside of the game that the player can become immersed in.  Books and movies can offer the same features, but without the interaction that games provide, it is hard to have such a prominent impact.

Games also use their own music.  These tracks are made to show the mood of the scene they play with.  If it is a fast paced song, then we can assume something important is going to happen.  If it is slow and calm, we know that it is a relaxing break from the action.  The music used in games is made to change our moods and our emotions, and they do it very well.

Lastly, games offer skill development.  In the Ted talk, skills like cooperation, strategizing, planning, problem solving, and more are talked about.  These skills are important because of their applications in the real world.  The Ted talk says that these skills will help people come together and problem solve the world’s many issues.  The challenge is harnessing the skills and excitement that people put into games and applying them to real world situations.
You can view the entire Ted talk here

Learning about the different qualities of games from the Ted talk, and other sources as well, it’s made me realize that games are more than just entertaining pastimes.  They can be just as valid as an art form as anything else.  The difference is that they are interactive, and they are relatively new compared to other art forms, so they are under more scrutiny.  I really enjoyed seeing video games put in a positive light, because so many people argue against them.

Future:

I think that technology is a great addition to the art world.  It has made so many things possible, and will continue to do so for many years to come.  This Ted talk, along with my tech research, has helped me realize how much technology has changed the world of art.  I am excited to see what it will do next.  In the future I think it would be great if something like this was actually implemented, and we used some form of game to influence world change.  Learning about all of the different ways that games can be an art form has made me realize that art can really appear anywhere.  I can’t wait to see where art will take us next.