Objectives
- Learn about the history of computer graphics
- Examine the role of technology as force for cultural maintanence and change
- Discuss the validity of art created with the aid of machines
I think that the main thesis in “Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins” by Beverly Jones is that Gaming and graphics are like any other form of technology, they are constantly adapting to our times but are still have aspects of the past, or that they contain elements of the past. The historical example I am going to choose is the electricity one. When electricity was discovered there wasn’t really a use for it, but slowly things stated to get developed like the light bulb then eventually a computer came about then games for the computer and so on. “Electricity had been considered theoretically interesting but of little or no practical value” (Jones 21) as any great technological discovery the uses might not be known for some time but the technology formed from something can sometimes change the course of history like electricity did. I think a good example from today of Jones’ thesis would be apps. Phone apps are changing the way we view gaming, instead of having to be in front of a tv to play a game you now can be playing anywhere you have cell service and even sometimes you dont need cell service. I also think a good example would be from the TedTalk that Jane McGonigal gave about how gaming needs to change to be educational, I think that the future of our society depends on how well the gaming industry can make games that are not only fun to play but are educational to kids because kids are more interested in video games than school so if the two were formed as one then kids would learn a lot more. Another example would be the change from board games to online games. You can now play scrabble or chess anytime you want to because you can go online and find a site that offers you a chance to play a random person. So the fact that board games can now essentially be played alone is a way the gaming industry is changing for the times.
Bibliography
Jones, B. J. (1990). Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins. LEONARDO: Digital Image – Digital Cinema Supplemental Issue, pp. 21-30.
McGonigal, Jane. Gaming Can Make A Better World. TED2010, February 2010 in Long Beach, CA
Reflection
This assignment was to figure out what Beverley Jones’ thesis was in her paper “Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins” and analyze one of the historical example from her paper and to find one of the world today to compare to. I thought that her thesis was that graphics or gaming was similar to art in that it is constantly changing but with remnants of the past in them. I chose electricity as the historical example, explaining that because of electricity we were able to make a lightbulb and eventually computers were created so that the technology has added onto itself with slight huge discoveries along the way to propel the technology along. The current example I used was that of phone apps and how they are the thing of the future because of how easy they are to create but every game or app has elements of previous apps in them to propel the technology further.
This assignment helped me realize how art has changed from paintings and music of the past to computer graphics and games of today, and artists no longer have to be in front of a canvas to create something artistic, but instead can be coding from a computer. I believe that this is really art and that the future of art is going to be in the creation of stuff from code and could possibly connect traditional art with coding and animation of today. And I can only hope like Jane McGonical said in her TedTalk, I hope computer games of the future are more related to teaching kids about possible disasters than shooting guns and racing cars.
Future Goals:
My future goals are to see how art in the form of gaming adapts more and to motivate kids to not only play games such as Call of Duty, but to also think about learning like I did and not relying on technology.
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