The Fall is a 2014 action-adventure game made by developer Over The Moon. The game centers around A.R.I.D., the artificial intelligence of highly advanced combat space suit holding pilot Colonel Josephs. Having crash landed on the surface of an unknown planet, A.R.I.D. finds that Col. Josephs has become unresponsive inside the suit and that . Concluding that the pilot’s life is injured and in life-threatening danger, A.R.I.D. takes control of the suit and attempts to navigate towards safety.

While exploring the abandoned facility A.R.I.D. awoke in, the suit is captured by other A.I. controlled machines, the suit A.I. is subjected to an analysis by an android called the Caretaker. Unable to prove A.R.I.D.’s primary functions due to the unresponsive pilot, the Caretaker declares the suit to be defective and plans to overwrite A.R.I.D. and then “de-purpose” the suit. Breaking free and incapacitating the Caretaker, A.R.I.D. escapes and discovers she is in a center dedicated to analyzing and recycling broken robots.

After a long journey throughout the facility, in which A.R.I.D. is forced through repeated tests and ultimately destroys the Caretaker, the suit AI finally reaches a medical suite at the top level of the facility and submits herself to a scan of her human occupant. There is no occupant. A.R.I.D. removes the suit’s helmet, and reveals to the player that there was never a pilot inside to begin with. Forced to face the reality of her dysfunction and now lacking any objectives, A.R.I.D. surrenders to the facility and is slowly dismantled before the player.

The Fall tells an intense story, with many themes regarding the challenge and hardship of mental illness and self-awareness. Although the art is simple and the mechanics culminate in what is ultimately an average gameplay experience, the story surrounding A.R.I.D.’s descent into and through a facility of madness is incredibly captivating.

Fez is an indie puzzle-platformer designed by Philippe Poisson, aka “Phill Fish”. It’s a game about discovery and exploration, with no real punishment for death and no antagonist for players to rally against.

Players take control of Gomez, a little 2D creature that lives in a 2D world. Everything changes for Gomez, however, when he receives the titular hat, a fez, from a strange, sentient golden cube that promptly explodes afterwards. With the hat, Gomez realizes that his world is actually 3D (a concept he initially has great difficulty in understanding). With this new ability to move in a 3D world, Gomez sets out to collect the pieces of the strange being that have scattered throughout the world in order to prevent the collapse of his reality.

Players are able to interact with the world by rotating the level to 4 different perspectives. Gomez is never able to actually abandon his 2D movement but, in this way, the world moves around him and allows him to traverse the environment in new and unexpected ways. Using voxels, which are basically pixels with volume (read: they can look like traditional 2D sprites, but they’re actually 3D), Phil Fish and his cohorts were able to create a highly-detailed world that allowed players to transition to different perspectives of the same space.

Although Phil Fish had worked with development teams on retail products before, Fez was his first full project as an independent developer. The project took 5 years due to the project’s large scope and complexity, as well as set backs in funding and changes in partners on the development of the game. Although the game received incredible acclaim from critics and players alike, Fez looks to be Phil Fish’s first and final independent project.

He has cited the stress of such a lengthy development, as well as the pressure and overwhelming negative, toxic treatment he received from followers of the industry throughout the process of development as the main reasons why he ended his career in game development. It’s been years since anybody has heard anything definitive from him, but it’s suspected by some that he is still working on new projects while keeping himself out of the spotlight.

1. How planned is your future / how is it customized to you?
   I feel like I spend a lot of time thinking about the future, but I guess I have to admit that I haven’t planned it out very much beyond some basic things. I’m 25 this year, with two boys, a wife, and a house to pay off. At the moment, I’m only able to pursue a college education and a career of my choice because of my mom and step-father, both of who are generous and supportive enough to provide the means that makes any of this possible.
   I know that I want to design games and work as a game developer for as long as possible. I think video games are a special medium that allow for endless possibilities. They can bring together all of the strengths of music, writings, and visual arts while still adding something entirely unique: Interactivity. I want to be a part of the growth of this medium. I want to contribute to building it up. I think life is a collection of experiences that define and change us, and I believe video games can add to that by allowing for entirely new kinds of experiences most of us could only dream of.
   I know that I want to take care of my family. I want my wife to have the chance to pursue her dreams like I’m attempting to pursue mine. I know I want my kids to have access to the opportunities and resources they need to have a good childhood that allows them to grow into healthy, independent, and confident individuals.
   I know that I want to be able to stand on my own two feet. I want to provide for myself and my family. I want to be able to send my kids to college, I want to be able to take care of my parents when they reach their golden years, and I want to know that I’ve done well with the opportunities I was given.
   But… I don’t know what all that looks like, exactly. Right now, my plan is to do well in school and graduate by 2018. I want to get into game development as soon as I’m out of school. But I’m not sure how to get myself to the point where I’m making great or even “good” income, or how to go about setting myself to be a historical contributor to this medium.
   Maybe I need to spend a little less time day dreaming and a little more time keeping my nose to the grindstone.
2. If you could travel abroad where would you go and why?
   I would probably choose Japan. I know, that’s the “nerd” answer, and I wish I had another location that came to mind as quickly as Japan does, but I don’t. I’ve consumed a lot of Japanese media growing up and I’ve always found their culture, their fables and lore, and their values to be very interesting. Like any other culture, it’s not too hard to start picking up on some hints of things are like through their stories and art, but it’s not quite the same as seeing it in person. I’d really like to experience more of that first hand. Plus, I’ve always been bewildered by the various scenery and seasons they seem to get on their islands. It’d be awesome to spend a year there and see what it’s all like.
   I recently went to Italy, however, so I guess if I was hardpressed to give another answer it would probably be to go back there. The difference in culture and food was incredible. It’s impressive how so many people there seem to be able to jump back and forth through different languages and can recognize different cultures, yet they still maintain such a strong sense of identity with their own.
3. Are you part of a student group? what kinds of extra-curricular activities would you like to see?
   Currently, I’m not. I’d love to help build an active student organization around the IGST major. I think a lot of people gravitate towards game development without a sense of professionalism or without much of an idea of what it’s like to work with others in a business environment. I also worry about how directionless a lot of IGST majors might feel at the beginning, with nothing but a strong passion for the medium to guide them. I’d like to see a student organization that focuses on Interactive Game Studies and helps to foster a community at St Edward’s that can teach, guide, and connect people. This was my first semester at St Edward’s, so I’ve mostly focused on getting used to student life here, but next semester I plan to step up on figuring out how to go about this and leave a mark on this major that sutdents years after me will be able to reap the rewards from.

“Our mission: Create timeless interactive entertainment that makes positive change to the human psyche worldwide.”

So says thatgamecompany, the development team behind Flower, one of the most unique and revelatory experiences in interactive digital media.

In Flower, the controls of the game are simple: Using the motion sensitivity of a controller and a single button, players control the wind, using it to direct the movement of a single flower petal through the air over open fields of grass. Within these fields, players will find flowers scattered about to interact with and build a collection of flower petals that are guided along the player’s wind. Players actions directly affect the game’s soundtrack and often cause vibrant changes in the surrounding environment

This is a game without narration, dialogue, or even any real challenges or difficulty. It’s an experience created with a focus on eliciting emotions from players and immersing them into a world far away from the urban life so many of us have become used to. Without using any words or text, a narrative is crafted from the perspective of the flowers on the conflict between nature and human creation.

Jenova Chen, the game’s director, commented in an interview on his motivations in the development of Flower: “The words people [use to] describe films are emotive; they describe films as ‘passionate’ or ‘magical.’ But when people talk about games they’re technical, as if they were describing a car. ‘The graphics are good. This car has four seats’… They rarely consider how the game makes them feel.”

Many projects by thatgamecompany have been noted for the unique gameplay they offer to players, especially in an age where the most successful games often focus on delivering engaging power fantasies. Chen’s perspective on the purpose of entertainment media and why society focuses on it so feverishly clarifies how his team’s approach to the medium is vastly different from others: “You see, what I realized during the development of Cloud was that entertainment is about feelings… Entertainment isn’t just for the sake of itself. When we’re hungry, we look for food; when we’re thirsty, we drink. When we want to experience feelings? It’s entertainment that provides, because in society there are restrictions that mean we can’t do whatever we want.”

SKILLS INVENTORY (copy and paste questions into your blog)

For each class ask yourself the following:

Drawing 1:

1. My greatest strengths include:
   1. Attention to detail
   2. … That’s it…
2. For greater success in this course, I need to:
   1. Loosen up. Get comfortable with making mistakes and trying again.
   2. Work on projects with greater diligence. Avoid feeling rushed.
   3. Experiment more with different mediums.

Intro to Video Games:

1. My greatest strengths include:
   1. A natural curiosity to learn and know more about the history of my industry.
   2. An established familiarity with how the industry works.
2. For greater success in this course, I need to:
   1. Do the homework consistently on the nights it’s assigned.
   2. Take notes while doing readings.

Computer Science Concepts:

1. My greatest strengths include:
   1. A familiarity with the Python coding language.
   2. A tendency to think through and breakdown problems logically.
   3. A strong desire to experiment with different ways to accomplish the same task.
2. For greater success in this course, I need to:
   1. Read textbook more consistently.
   2. Take notes from readings. Write out coding principles I learn.
   3. Need more daily practice. Practice, practice, practice

1st Year Seminar in Visual Studies:

1. My greatest strengths include:
   1. Attentive listening.
   2. Genuine curiosity.
   3. Coming up with good questions to ask speakers.
2. For greater success in this course, I need to:
   1. Make sure I’m not submitting homework late.

Computer skills:

1. My computer skills include:
   1. Good with word processor
   2. Good with power point
   3. Python programming
   4. Some HTML/CSS knowledge
   5. Working with search engines
2. I still need to learn:
   1. How to use Excel (well)
   2. C++ or C# programming. Even Java might suffice.
   3. Get better at HTML/CSS
   4. Choose a game editor to start learning and practice working with

Research & writing skills:

1. My greatest strengths as a researcher/writer include:
   1. Using search engines to find relevant work
   2. Tracing the chain of information from less reputable sites to more trustworthy sites
   3. Outlining core ideas in papers, and bringing the paper together with the focus of connecting those points
2. I need to work on these aspects of research and writing:
   1. Learning how to use and search through academic data bases
   2. Researching through the use of books
3. I learn best & accomplish most when:
   1. When I have a ton of time to focus on absorbing material combined with a fire lit under my ass to keep me on task.

ACTION PLAN:

Choose one class that you are struggling with or are not doing as well as you could.
Now make a list of 10 ways you could improve your performance in this class.

COLLEGE ALGEBRA:

1. Get to class on time.
2. Take notes during class.
3. Avoid getting behind in homework and study materials.
4. Set aside specific days of the week to focus almost exclusively on Algebra studying and homework.
5. Make use of math tutoring lab.
6. Ensure to schedule one-on-one tutoring appointments on Fridays in Moody Hall.
7. Go back to older chapters with material I may have struggled with to re-read the lesson.
8. Regularly review notes.
9. Practice problems from older chapters I may have struggled with.
10. Never try doing math homework when tired. Get sufficient rest to make the best use of my study time.

Part 1: Upload 2 images of current classwork: a project(s) you are currently working on or have completed from one of your studio/visual studies courses.

1. What was the goal of the assignment? Or what was the question posed by this assignment?
   The goal of the assignment was to draw one of two bags in our sketchbook using a medium of our choice.
2. How did you go about reaching this goal or answering this question?
   I opted to go with pencils. I took pictures of the bag so that I could continue to work on my drawing outside of class.

Part 2: Self-Critique: On your blog, answer the following questions about one project you are currently working on or have completed from one of your studio/visual studies courses (see Part 1 of Blog post #3).

1. What is the strongest aspect of this work?
   I think I did a pretty decent job with the shading. The bag was comprised of white, blue, red, and black. It may not be immediately obvious which parts of the bag were what color, but I think my shading was consistent enough to make it clear which parts of the bag are the same color and which parts are different colors from each other. I also think I did a good job with the shading on the straps.
2. What is the weakest aspect?
   I could have done a much better job making the bag look more three dimensional. I had a hard time drawing the folds and creases on the bag, so I ended up avoiding them as much as possible. I don’t think it makes my bag look awful, but it definitely makes it look a lot more 2D than I wanted.
3. How can the project be strengthened conceptually?
   I must become one with the bag.
4. How can the project be strengthened technically?
   Draw more folds and creases. Exaggerate shadows to make them pop out more and to avoid use of darker lines
5. Additional notes.
   I wish I could draw without resting my hand on the page. Look how smudged the whole of the page looks.

Part 1: Comments on upperclassmen presentations.

• Faith: Faith’s presentation was great. Her pictures were wonderful to look at, the layout and design of her website was very impressive, and her presentation with the class was very informative. In visual studies, many of us are pursuing an abstract manner of communicating ideas. Whether it be through pictures, typography, design, drawings, paintings, or even video games, we are all seeking to relay something to those who are kind enough to give us a look. It was easy to see how much passion Faith puts into her work and hearing about her aspirations, and the struggle she faces with how to pursue or even if she should pursue it, was very relatable.
• Mary: Mary was very interesting to see how her creativity and her personal interests came together in her work. The font she designed herself was really cool and hearing about her experiences doing work for small companies and building her own portfolio was very informative. Hearing about how she developed and refined her talents here at St. Edward’s was very reassuring. As a 24 year old still working on my sophomore year in college, I’d be lying if I said I don’t often wonder if what I’m doing and what I learn here at school will be enough to jump start my career the way I want. Nobody wants to find themselves at age 30 and still wondering if they can turn their passion into a legitimate career choice.
• Diana: Admittedly, Diana’s presentation felt a little disorganized. She was very nervous and it was hard to overlook that throughout her talk. However, hearing her story about how she is a first generation college student, her passion for the idea of teaching kids about art, and the way she’s grown to become more comfortable with her work as an artist was all very impactful. By the end of her presentation, it was hard to not root for her and her aspirations and I regret not having more questions to ask her. Although she didn’t get much interaction from the class, I hope she understands what a treat it was to watch her presentation. Still, she definitely needs a great website to show off her great work and help convey her story a little better.
• John & Omar: As an IGST major, these two were the ones whose presentation I was looking forward to the most. Both of them seemed like great, fun individuals, but I have to admit I was a little disappointed. It should be said, however, that I may have expected too much from them. Game development as a major is still a very new thing in this country and it can be difficult to assess the quality of the education a student will receive in pursuing this line of work. I also understand that the IGST major is relatively new at St Edward’s and is still changing. I was hoping to get a better sense of what this major is like over a several year period and how prepared they feel they are for pursuing jobs in such a competitive industry with less-than-desirable labor practices. I was also hoping to gain more insight on why the IGST major doesn’t seem to have much of a community in comparison to other Visual Studies majors here at St. Edward’s. Still, it was great to see the projects they’ve been working on and it felt reassuring to see some of the skills they had picked up in their education here, such as learning how to use the Unreal engine to make their games.

Part 2: Websites with admirable designs.

1. Cognition by Happy Cog
   I love the distinct, yet simple design of this web page. It strikes a great balance of space without feeling empty. The content on each page is well managed so that the content doesn’t appear meager, nor does the user feel overwhelmed and unsure of where to click or keep their eyes focused. The texture of the backdrop on the page is also really great; so much better than just plain white space, devoid of any personality.
2. Bahston Critic
   Very unique feel. I love how the page immediately establishes an identity and a sense of what to expect from the critic.
3. Help Scout
   Does a great  job of managing a lot of content. The page feels like a colorful gallery of nifty little art. Easy to navigate and has a lot of personality. I like web pages that can create a feel without mismanaging content organization.
4. 500PX ISO
   It’s amazing how great a site can look with simple design and some really awesome pictures. The site looks very clean and makes it easy for the viewer to absorb information, while also making excellent use of some eye-catching photography.

This is The Stanley Parable. It is a game without combat, high scores, or a way to “win”. It is a game that creates questions without ever offering much in the way of answers.

Designed by Davery Wreden [of Galactic Cafe], The Stanley Parable is a First Person Exploration game in which players take on the role of Stanley, whose job it is to sit in his office and press whatever button his computer tells him to. One day Stanley finds that his computer has stopped giving him commands and, at a loss as to what he should do, wanders throughout the company building to find that all of his coworkers have mysteriously vanished.

Stanley’s adventure is narrated and shaped by a voice who describes his actions and choices, as well as occasionally stating what Stanley ought to do next, although the player maintains the freedom to follow along or ignore the narrators directions. The game is quite short and quickly becomes a loop that allows players to experiment with different choices and branching paths, exploring the cause and effect relationship between Stanley, the narrator, and the environments around them.

The game was originally released by Davey, then only 22 years old, as a modification for Half-Life 2, after receiving inspiration from his many musings on the way narratives in AAA games both succeeded and failed at directing players through highly controlled and scripted narratives, as well as the juxtaposition revealed between a player with freedom of action versus a narrative with a set beginning, middle, and end [link].

Recognizing that video games allowed players, or the audience, to interact with stories in ways that is unique from other mediums, Davey set forth to explore how such power in the hands of the audience can change a structured story. In short, if one were to define  a video game as an “experience with rule sets,” Davey wanted to make a game with the explicit purpose of allowing players to follow, break, or bend the rules as they see fit, as well as to push players to consider the implications, or lack thereof, of their choices within the game [link].

Originally meant as nothing more than a resume builder, The Stanley Parable mod was downloaded over 64,000 times in the first week of its release and received praise from critics throughout the industry [link]. Davey went on to expand upon the game, fully recreating it as a full product with more content and several new endings for players to explore. A year after its first release, Davey announced that the game had sold over a million copies.

I love this game because of the way it challenges our perceptions of stories, the way we play and consume video games, as well as pushing the boundaries of what a “video game” can be. The Stanley Parable reveled in constantly subverting the players expectations. In so many ways, it’s a game where you follow the rabbit down the rabbit hole, only to find there is no definitive bottom. When a player follows the “intended” story, they are led through a series of events that reveal Stanley and his coworkers were under some form of mind control that forced them to be happy with constantly doing what they were told. Stanley ultimately shuts down the machine that enabled this and is led to a hanger door that opens and reveals a beautiful country scenery, where Stanley can finally be free.

The many other paths that players  can lead Stanley down, however, culminate in significantly different endings; some in which the narrator kills Stanley for ruining his “story,” others in which the Narrator is shown to be just as much a character in this tale as Stanley is, and still others in which the player bears witness to a fictional character struggling with the notion that it may not be “real”. In all forms of art, it is inevitable that a sharp line be created, however thin it may be, between the audience interpretation and the creator’s intention. In a medium founded on the concept of interactivity, video games have pushed up against and blurred the line between the story of the creator and the story of the player for years. While many have considered this to be an insurmountable problem that prevents video games from being considered “art,” The Stanley Parable focuses almost entirely on this conflict and manages to build an experience around it that is not only wholly unique, but also profound in its meaning and the themes it conveys.

Time Tracker of Last Week

There’s a lot of data here, so it’s hard to just name one or two things that really stood out. I’m going to run through a list of significant observations based on the recorded activities for the past week and just see where that gets me.

– My sleep schedule is absolutely all over the place. Some days I’m up by 8AM and other days I’m not awake until around noon. This makes life really hectic and I think it’s mostly due to how late I stay up. It’s usually over homework, so I don’t feel too bad about it, but still. It clearly causes problems. The earliest I went to bed this past week was around 2AM. That’s not great.

– I /need/ to have personal, meaningless entertainment time. It’s hard to just be focusing on nothing but homework all the time. Even when I tell myself it’s just not that important, I inevitably end up blowing a few hours here and there to playing a video game or just watching a TV show. I basically blew off the entirety of Saturday just laying around and playing games. It’s not bad to spend time just having fun, but I think I need to work on scheduling it better. I really wish I had spent at least some of Saturday doing some productive things. Pushing myself to work constantly until I finally break down only throws things off in the long run. Better to have relaxation time in controlled bursts.

– I need to get better at math. I spend way too much time on it, be it in the math tutoring lab or just doing it at home. Part of this is because I’m literally teaching each section to myself for the first time when I sit down to do my homework; maybe getting caught up and paying attention in class would be a smart idea.

– I spend more time with family than I thought; that’s a really good feeling. Focusing on school so much makes it hard to feel like I’m ever getting a lot of time with them and, as someone who grew up with busy parents, I know how hard that can be. It felt good to see that I was managing to squeeze time in here and there.

– Keeping track of how I spend my time definitely had its benefits. It helps to keep time in perspective and having this sort of information in front of me pushed me to make some better choices on how I spent my time, like opting to spend time with my kids rather than spend that time doing something just for myself. Sure, I like doing my own thing, but when you have a spreadsheet that tells you your kids get only a fraction of your own time, you start to see things a little differently.

– I need to make a bigger effort to ensure I eat breakfast. Not eating breakfast just makes me eat a really heavy lunch, which is horrible.

– I need to find a way to squeeze in more time to work out. Is a sad face emoticon appropriate here? Too bad, I’m doing it anyway. :c

By the way, here’s my terrible artwork from high school. If you’re too cool for school (or just pay attention to my other posts), then you just might accuse me of ripping off John Campbell’s artwork style and using it for my own angsty needs… And you might be right. But whatever. #ImitationIsTheSincerestFormOfFlattery

Now that I have a meta hashtag up in this trash, I think we can officially declare this to be a legit college blog.

Shameful Art

PART 1: The Straight Forward Questions

1. What are the main points of each article?
   Both articles are about comparing artists to entrepreneurs and vice-versa, although each article takes the focus in slightly opposing directions.  The Fortune article focuses on what entrepreneurs could learn from artists, while the HuffPo articles touches upon what artists could learn from entrepreneurs.
2. What can artists learn from their “entrepreneurial cousins”?
   Keeping in mind all of this is based on overly broad generalizations and pure speculation, I suppose I think artists could learn from the way entrepreneurs are willing to make compromises in order to achieve their greater goals. Sometimes it’s better to take a more pragmatic approach as opposed to staying permanently lost in clouds of vision, creativity, and well-wishing.
3. Do you agree that artists are entrepreneurs? Why?
   I certainly agree that they have the potential to hold a lot of things in common, but no, I do not think that artists always or even consistently qualify as entrepreneurs. Generally speaking, entrepreneurs are not always or even consistently deeply invested or passionate about the projects. Many entrepreneurs create their business with the intention of using their funds to complete other unrelated goals, such as early retirement or simply providing their families with better lives; to assume that entrepreneurs necessarily have some sort of visionary perspective or deep need for self expression might be a romantic and enticing notion, but I’m not convinced it’s an accurate one. Then again, there are so many different motivations and desires that feed into entrepreneurship and artistry that I find it difficult to strongly agree one way or the other.
4. Which of the 12 characteristics of artists do you agree with?
   “3. Artists are crafts people”
   “5. Artists rely on their intuition”
   “8. Artists thrive under constraints”
   “9. Artists are great Storytellers”
   “10. Artists are conduits and not ‘masters of the universe'”
   “11. Artists are passionate about their work”
   “12. Artists are contrarians”
5. What others would you add to the list?
   Artists require the uncomfortable in order to avoid complacency
6. Additional thoughts.
   This topic is very interesting, but I’m a little worried how easy it is to get carried away with it. It’s hard to say anything without feeling like you’re overgeneralizing or self-projecting certain personal beliefs or desires.

PART 2: TRUE GRIT

1. Do you have grit, or is this something you need to work on?
   “Your grit score is: 4.63
   You are grittier than at least 90% of the US population.”

   I think my results speak for themselves.

2. List a couple of things you could do to increase your level of grit.
   Practice. Dedicate myself to the things I know are important rather than what just interests me. In regards to things that interest me, I can’t accept the “excuse” that just because my goal only mattered to me or only interested me that it’s somehow not a big deal if I stall or stop following through.

   I must always keep in mind that my work is a reflection of myself. Our actions and words define us more than we care for, so it’s important that we care about what we do and say.