Hackspace and Creativity

The British are frequently called a nation of eccentrics and tinkerers. For such a small nation, Britain has had a very large impact on the development of society and technology around the world. As a people we are creative and industrious and no-where is this more obvious than a quick look through our history, many of our great inventions were created by people on the fringes of a field. The reason for this is that people on the fringes are more bold and creative with their ideas and solutions, bringing new ideas to an old field.

Looking over the last 250 years shows the impressive achievements of Britain.

The reason I mention creativity is because I have recently attended an open day for London Hackspace. It is a not-for-profit community-run workshop in Bethnal Green, where people with a wide variety of interests come together to learn from each other, discuss ideas and plans, get to grips with machinery and software and create projects and installations. There are a few Hackspaces across the UK offering a range of facilities and opportunities. 

london hackspace.jpg
Hackspace Electronics Workshop

Hackspace Electronics Workshop

The Wood Workshop

The Wood Workshop

The Hackspace recently moved to new premises which has a dedicated 6500-square-foot space over 2 floors near Bethnal Green Station. It is open to it's members 24 hours a day for a pay what you feel monthly membership fee, ranging from a minimal donation of £5 up to £25. The space has a well-equipped workshop for metal and woodworking, a robot arm, a 3D printer, a laser cutter, electronics equipment and components, desk space, sewing machines, a lathe and much more. The Hackspace receives much 'obsolete' equipment from Universities, facilities and organisations which can be used and 'hacked' for projects. For a comprehensive list of projects currently underway check out the Hackspace website linked at the bottom of the page.

I will be joining Hackspace because I like the idea of meeting a wide variety of people from all walks of life and working on projects. Knowing I will be supported by my peers who have a wide variety of knowledge and expertise, this is similar to the idea of crowdsourcing. Users are motivated to contribute to crowdsourced tasks by both intrinsic motivations, such as social contact, intellectual stimulation, and passing time, and by extrinsic motivations, such as financial gain.

crowdsourcing_steps.png

Crowdsourcing problems has come to the fore with the advent of the internet. By placing problems in the public domain and appealing to the masses you create 'horizontal interactions,' this encourages different people from different spheres to work together to solve problems. Many organisations have R&D (Research and Development) departments but sometimes you need fresh ideas from a new perspective. InnoCentive is the global leader on crowdsourcing innovation problems, it found that 40% of the problems posted online were solved within 6 months. These aren't small companies either, Proctor and Gamble, Reuters and NASA are some of its clients and many others are in the Fortune 500!

3M, Google, Valve and Pixar use 'horizontal interactions' and all these companies have been at the forefront of their fields, leading in innovation. 3M was one of the first companies to do this and it is one of the most innovative companies in the world, patenting over 300 products each year (not bad for a company which is over 75 years old!) 3M gives its workers 15% of their working time as 'Bootlegging hour,' a time to try speculative new ideas. Google do this and call it 'Ínnovation Time Off'' and much has been made of Valve's no hierarchy organisational features.

T.S. Elliot said,

"The great ages did not perhaps produce much more talent than ours, rather much less talent was wasted."

Valve's Gabe Newell identifies with this, often hiring people with no C.V. or formal experience, stating that creativity is a skill that never goes out of style;

"You need people who are adaptable because the thing that makes you the best in the world in one generation of games is going to be totally useless in the next."

Much has been made of the way the staff at Valve have their desks on wheels so they can move about easier to create 'horizontal interactions'... Coders will sit next to Graphic Designers and Concept Artists.

Much has been made of the way the staff at Valve have their desks on wheels so they can move about easier to create 'horizontal interactions'... Coders will sit next to Graphic Designers and Concept Artists.

One only needs to think back to how many software houses went down in the transition from 16 bit to 32 bit consoles. Valve brings in outsiders and lets them do their thing- this freeform has led to great results (including 65 million Steam users in the PC games industry thought to be on its last legs in 2007).

Valve is an excellent example of a company that embraces change, encourages crowdsourcing content and avoids hierarchical bottlenecks. I feel that Hackspace offers a similarly vibrant and innovative space, where sharing is encouraged.

Apologies for the waffling but I am very excited at the prospects of the projects I want to create and be a part of. I will link here anything specific to Computing but am hoping to create a complete arcade cabinet... wish me luck!

I'm hoping to build something along these lines... if it works out well I'll see if I can turn it into something the children can do at school... long live the tinkerers and dreamers!

Amazing Anamanaguchi Kick Up A Storm in Heaven 5/2/14

To say that I've been wanting to see Anamanaguchi for a while is a bit of an understatement. Ever since I became aware of them through the wonderful Scott Pilgrim vs the World game soundtrack they have been the hot band for me. No train strike was going to stop me from catching their one and only live London show, Under the Arches in Embankment.

                  Me with my ticket to the gig... I hadn't been to the venue before so was pretty excited to see what it was like.

Before the band came on we were treated to an amazing support set by Sabre Pulse, a one man Gameboy playing extraordinaire. He really got the crowd going with his uplifting ravey chiptunes, the most popular being a jungle remix of the first level Marioland theme.... The place erupted, much like when I saw Pendulum and The Prodigy... The crowd were suitably buzzing.

                                                   Sabrepulse got the room going with his mix of chiptune ravey tunes.

Due to the train strike Anamanaguchi came on earlier than planned, launching into their euphoric single Meow. The songs just kept on coming and a lively mosh pit started. They played for about an hour and played through most of the songs you'd expect.

                                                                 The light show was amazing, as you'd expect from the band!

I've been to many gig and this was definitely one of my favourites with a cool friendly crowd who made the band feel loved. The lead of the band, Peter Berkman thanked the crowd saying "Its Wednesday night and you guys are partying like its a summer weekend, we love you London".

It's times like this that I do truly love London, the folk here know good music and that's what the Anamanaguchi gig was... just very good music performed well!

I'll put up a full track listing later for you lovely people!

Uplifting Games Are Good For Fighting Blue Monday

Ah Blue Monday, not the amazing song by New Order but rather the name given to a date in mid-to-late January stated to be the most depressing day of the year. Cliff Arnall came up with the concept in the 1980's and even though the whole concept is considered pseudoscience, its formula derided by scientists as nonsense, the concept has stuck. I've written the equation below:

where weather = W, debt = d, time since Christmas = T, time since failing our new year’s resolutions = Q, low motivational levels = M and the feeling of a need to take action = Na. 'D' is not defined in the release, nor are units.

 

Arnall says the date was calculated by using many factors, including: weather conditions, debt level (the difference between debt accumulated and our ability to pay), time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and feeling of a need to take action

This year Blue Monday will fall on January 20, 2014 and to help combat this claptrap I've constructed links to wonderful uplifting games that will help to raise your spirits.

Like film, music and literature, games can affect our moods so I've chosen a few games that will help you relax and calm down. Positive Psychology research tells us that happy people perform better at work, school and other tasks. People across the world spend billions of hours a week playing games- imagine how transformative gaming could be! Spread a bit of cheer and pass this link on to friends and family to brighten their day!

Bubble Burst by Sound Sleeping

Bubble Burst by Sound Sleeping

Flow by Jenova Chen

Flow by Jenova Chen

Drifting Afternoon by Ferry Halim

Drifting Afternoon by Ferry Halim

Take A Walk

Take A Walk

Winter Bells by Ferry Halim

Winter Bells by Ferry Halim

Music Catch by Gambolio

Music Catch by Gambolio

Fishing Girl by Gambolio

Fishing Girl by Gambolio

Flur by Ninja Kiwi

Flur by Ninja Kiwi

Robot Unicorn Attack

Robot Unicorn Attack

Waterfall 2 by Moon Mana

Waterfall 2 by Moon Mana

Flower Reaction by Gambolio

Flower Reaction by Gambolio

4 Differences

4 Differences

Walking Dead Computer Games Used To Teach Ethics in Norwegian School

In Nordahl Grieg School in Norway, the students are being taught ethics through the use of the popular game The Walking Dead.

Many gamers will recognise the title as it won many Game of the Year awards and was a smash hit across the app store, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Many educationalists, including me, have long believed that computer games have the potential to be used for educational purposes, in fact we've written several articles on this website saying and showing as much. It is great to see such a popular game getting such a positive response from the mass media, especially considering the blood and gore. I wonder how Fox News will react to this, considering it considers computer games the reason for many social ills?

The teacher who started the initiative was Tobias Staaby,  He says in the news clip below that in his Religious Studies group he hoped the game would engage his pupils and help spark discussion about morality and ethical choices;

The Walking Dead presents some dilemmas they (the pupils) would not have thought of otherwise. That makes their answers to a greater extent their own

I've put the news report below and for non-speakers of Norwegian, English subtitles can be enabled.

What It Means To Be A Game.

We play them, experience them and share them but what are games? If I asked you to define the term 'game' what would you say?

The enduring definition of a game comes from Sid Meier, creator of SimCity who described games as 'a series of interesting decisions'. This works for games like Monkey Island but would this apply to games like Super Hexagon which relies purely on reflex? Another description states that games have to have rules, with clearly defined goals, success and failures states. But with experiences like Proteus or Passage this doesn't ring true either.

Proteus is a wonderful game centred around exploration... it is beautiful!

Proteus is a wonderful game centred around exploration... it is beautiful!

The definition of 'game'  has been limited and with the creative spark ignited by the indie scene, what it means to be a game seems to be more fluid. A few years ago games which unified controls and interactions and asked players to immerse themselves in the story would have not been considered games, but rather interactive stories. However in the past couple of years experiences like Gone Home, Dear Esther, To The Moon, Proteus, The Stanley Parable and the mighty Walking Dead' have garnered great attention and have demanded to be taken seriously. These games lack agency and as opposed to mechanics and dynamics there has been an emergence in aesthetics and sensation, about impression and storysense (making your own story through cues within the game).

Another exploration game but this time you do press buttons and switches... does this make it more of a game than Proteus? Some people argue that it does.

Another exploration game but this time you do press buttons and switches... does this make it more of a game than Proteus? Some people argue that it does.

Symantics plays a big part. For years games have been thought of in simple terms; a challenge with a high score or set number of levels to be completed. But as the industry develops and new genres emerge maybe it is time for a shift on what a 'game' actually is. For example films have evolved over a hundred years and now encapsulates many genres, styles and media. The same can be said for art and music so why not computer games? Maybe we'll see a change in the way the term 'game' is thought of as the industry develops... for me though be it on mobile, console or PC I love engaging with all variety of games!

Are Computer Games Art?- by Anjum Razaq

The debate about whether computer games are art or not has been raging for years. To be honest I don't care either way but I wanted to share with you a couple of interesting videos which discuss the issue.

Art is about personal expression and lots of games do that. Perhaps not every game but saying that no games can be art is really narrow-minded in my opinion. You can get emotional experiences and that is what art is about, emotion. Interactive entertainment is content with potential to feed the soul.

The second video argues that computer games ARE art and gives a really detailed account of why it thinks so.

The gallery below has some screenshots taken from computer games and in my opinion they wouldn't look out of place in an art gallery... have a look at the videos and check out the Dead End Thrills website, I use this website to get the wallpaper for my laptop! What are your opinions? Are computer games art?

The Power of Mapping- by Anjum Razaq

I am currently reading ‘Desktops and Dungeons,’ a wonderful book about the evolution of the cRPG (computer role playing games).

The book got me thinking about a time before automapping, when players were expected to draw maps by hand as they played the game, so they could navigate through the games levels later. 

As a teacher reflecting back on my own experiences the skills gained in doing this were numerous. I remember playing many games with my brother and having scraps of paper with notes scrawled all over them and graph paper to help with the mapping. 

One of the first games I remember playing was a classic first person dungeon crawler called 'Dungeon Master' on the Amstrad CPC 464.  This game was vast and if you did not map you wouldn't survive long. I wish I had kept my old maps and notes as I'd like to look through them now.

Dungeon Master on the Amstrad CPC 464.... hardcore can't even describe the difficulty of this game.

However I did find a video which shows a young man showing the map his mum made for him for 'Metroid' on the NES, it's like the Turin Shroud of gaming maps! So do you remember mapping when you were younger and what games did you do it for?

Retro Replay- by Anjum Razaq

As the children of the 80’s become the adults of the 21st century, they often yearn to revisit the halcyon experiences of their youths. Publishers are more than happy to oblige these reflective gamers- with re-releases, ports and mobile versions of these ‘classics’. The problem is that many of the experiences of our youths kind of sucked. Being young we didn’t see that but to revisit untouched ‘classics’ as an adult is often a dangerous thing. Nostalgia turns our rose-tinted memories into truths but when you revisit some games in the cold light of day, oh my are some of them bad.

Dragon's Lair on the NES- a gaming atrocity! 

Many game publishers have polished the games graphics and sound to make it more contemporary but still some of the mechanics of the game are flawed- Nostalgia is a dangerous thing. I have been playing a lot of old games over the last couple of years, from systems like the Megadrive (Genesis), Master System, SNES and NES and whilst some games are truly still amazing, many of the games are exercises in frustration and broken mechanics. Angry Video Game Nerd is an amazing youtuber who plays old computer games and even though he is very critical and swears frequently, his points are valid and with merit.

I have recently played 'Castle of Illusion' on the Megadrive and the recent update and no-matter the glossy sheen- the flaws of the original still persist in the remake. What are your opinions on the recent spate of remakes? 

Planned Obsolescence- by Anjum Razaq

The world has never been more connected; mobile phones outnumber the amount of people of the planet, Facebook has over 1 billion active monthly users and Microsoft founder Bill Gates is once again the richest man in the world.

As teachers we help to educate children, preparing them for the future. Technology will become more embedded into their lives yet rarely do we have discourse on how the world is affected adversely by technology. We have National Curriculum targets discussing e-safety and scrutinizing information online but we still do not have a sequence of lessons in Key Stage 1 or 2 focusing on the negative impact that  technology can have socially and on the environment physically

In 1960, cultural critic Vance Packard published The Waste Makers, promoted as an exposé of "the systematic attempt of business to make us wasteful, debt-ridden, permanently discontented individuals". Looking at the current economic, political and consumer situation it seems that this has been achieved. The way companies achieve this is through planned obsolescence, a manufacturing decision by a company to make consumer products in such a way that they become out-of-date or useless within a known time period. Companies are artificially creating a need, the most obvious recent example is Apple with its annual iphone and ipad releases.

Apple annually releases slightly modified phones which make their older phones seem obsolete.

Obviously there does need to be technological upgrades available as technology develops but the speed at which things degrade and are considered obsolete seems to be getting quicker and quicker. Apple, notorious for releasing new phones with minor upgrades also creates a perceived obsolescence, where the older handsets are seen as not desirable or useful anymore. This creates an artificial need for consumers, which does help the economy but does have detrimental effects elsewhere.

Planned obsolescence has these consequences:

  • Damage to the environment, due to more pollution caused by more resource extraction and by more manufacturing of products.
  • Harm to the environment, due to more waste generation.
  • An increase in living costs, as products must be bought multiple times.
  • A social impact on the countries where these products are manufactured, often   countries where wages are low and working conditions poor.

The Apple suicides in Zhengzhao, Henan province in China sent a shock-wave through the world (for a good reading of events read the link below). The fact that corporations can have such an impact on the world should be discussed within the Computing curriculum as there are real points that must be discussed as children can then see both sides of technology; useful but also with repercussions for the world and especially poorer individuals.

By keeping technology locked-in companies prevent the repair and refurbishment of goods. Any refurbishment is done in-house or by a team of approved professionals who pay the companies to be trained to carry out the refurbishment. Many of the world major manufacturers use it as a business stratagy to maximise profit, but what of the cost to the environment and society? I believe that as teachers we have a duty to educate our children on how to be careful consumers. 

Iphone Story is an excellent educational game which discusses issues such as this and I would use the game in lessons, particularly for children in Key stage 3. Have a look and see what you think.

Gaming and Playing for the Right Reasons- by Anjum Razaq

The general image of what a gamer is probably a teen male, however contrary to popular opinion this is not true. With the advent of flash games, MMORPGs and quick hit games on android and apple devices as well as Facebook there has never been a more diverse community of gamers but males in their 30’s are the highest percentage of gamers.

As a man in his early 30’s I am in the majority when I say that I am a gamer. I am proud to be a gamer but I do have to admit that in my life my concentration of gaming has been sporadic. At times I would immerse myself in a world and it would consume me whole until the game was complete. I remember playing Final Fantasy 7 during my time in University. Once lectures had finished I’d rush home and switch on my trusty old PS1, playing through Midgar and sharing Clouds pain. When I wasn’t playing the game I was thinking about it, listening to the soundtrack on my Discman. It had me enthralled. Once one game was over I’d look for the next fix of gaming mana. 

Midgar blew my mind!

I didn’t really think much of it until I came to Cambodia. I was born in East London and my whole life was there; family, childhood friends and all the memories of my life there. Once I was married my wife and I wanted a change, to do something different and to be honest Cambodia was as different as they came!

I worked in a school in Phnom Penh and after two years moved back to England. I have been reflecting on my time in Cambodia and want to share my reflections here.

I made new friends in Cambodia but the relationships were not as deep, I mean how can they be? International schools are great as you meet many people from all walks of life but they are also very transient, people are constantly leaving and arriving and so that deep level of friendship doesn’t occur as naturally or as often.

In Cambodia my gaming came to the forefront again- I played much more frequently than I used to (although not as much as when I was a kid) and although I enjoyed the games I missed the camaraderie of playing with my friends. The Wii offered a cushion to help me, offering up good memories and times. I have the Xbox, DS, PSP, ipad and Macbook but my weapon of choice to take to Cambodia was the Wii. I could have taken my Xbox 360 and played with friends online but the internet connection is temperamental due to developing infrastructure and the time difference of 7 hours meant there would never be a time I would be able to connect with my friends online. 

So why the Wii? Maybe because my strongest memories of gaming were with Nintendo. It conjured up my first real experience with computers and the catalogue of games are like a childhood who’s who of gaming. 

 

Ah, those twee Wii adverts- it really was marketed as a social games console.

I never really got into MMORPG’s because I know how I am, if I get into a game I HAVE to complete it, no matter how bad or good it is. If I started on World of Warcraft I’d never see daylight again! I have a friend who used to be into sports and was quite active but over the last several years tragic events such as family deaths, poor health and divorce have ground him down. As a result he is now switched on to the virtual world, he hardly ever goes out and his friends are pretty much all virtual. It’s easy to see why someone who feels powerless in the real world would immerse themselves in the virtual world.

Games are amazing as they can distract you and immerse you. Their interactivity is empowering but for those individuals who are more obsessive or prone to addictiveness they can be destructive. Escapism isn’t inherently bad but when it comes at the cost of dealing with real world issues and having a sense of personal and social responsibility, this is where the problems start.

Games are by nature addictive and if you don’t watch yourself you can become lost to them. I don’t mean all gamers will become killers like Anders Brevik (click on the link below for a though-provoking article on the subject) but more simply that games can distract you at the time when you need to focus the most.

So I suppose the question is what kind of gamer are you, when do you most play computer games and why? Are you playing games because you enjoy them or are you playing to forget about something else in your life?

Stratford Rising: Once Upon a Console- by Anjum Razaq

Last weekend I went to the Stratford Rising Festival which was held in Theatre Square, Stratford. The festival was a showcase celebrating the creativity of the various cultural organisations positioned in the heart of old town Stratford, showing how  the Olympic legacy has impacted beyond the  Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. 

The 2 day event included:

  • A giant slide
  • Traditional folk and street dance performances
  • Cinema screenings of cult classics Jumanji  and Labyrinth 
  • Face painting with children’s book authors and the Discover centre

However the main reason I went was because of the retro gaming and big screen Mario Kart 64 tournament. A friend of mine had forwarded me details of the event through facebook and I was hooked. As a keen gamer it has always been a dream of mine (and I’m guessing most other gamers) to play games on a huge cinema screen. I have a projector at home but to play a retro game on the Stratford Picture House big screen in Dolby surround was a dream come true. Recruiting a few friends (non-gamers) and my cousin we headed down and took part in the event.

The atmosphere was joyous and taking part in the tournament was fun. People competing in the tournament ranged from a young girl of about 6 to grown men in their late 30’s. There was a great sense of camaraderie as gamers supported each other and offered advice and strategies. I got through to the quarter finals but my cousin made it through all the way to the final, despite never having played the game before! He came 4th but had enjoyed the event nonetheless.

Competing in the quarter finals!

I spoke to one of the organisers of the Mario Kart Tournament, Alastair from ‘Once Upon A Console’.  He stated that the aim of the event was to bring different generation together to enjoy gaming;

It’s great to see parent playing along with their kids, maybe playing the games they played when they were kids themselves. ‘Once Upon a Console’ aims to show that playability is king, it doesn’t matter if things aren’t in HD, all that matters is the playability and retro games are definitely high in playability.

On their official facebook page ‘Once Upon A Console’ outline their mission:

Remember when video games were special? A time before commuters replaced newspapers with Angry Birds. A time before farmers replaced farming with farmville. A time before Mario and Sonic became mates. A time before wireless controllers. A time before hollow victories against faceless players the other side of the world wide web. A time before the world wide web.
A time when all that mattered was coins, combos & cartridges. A time when you played multiplayer with your friends in the same room and it was the highlight of your week! 
Once Upon A Console brings all this back & more.

'Once Upon a Console' organises monthly gaming night at ‘The Hackney Attic’  above Hackney Picturehouse and ‘Upstairs At The Ritzy’.

Alastair mentioned that ‘Once Upon A Console’ can be hired for events or collaborations, they can bring a wide variety of computers, games and CRT televisions as well as given presentations on the history and evolution of gaming. As an ICT/ Computing teacher I think retro gaming would be a great way to introduce the children to coding. The new units on programming require coding and retro games would be a wonderful way to introduce children to simple games they can replicate or improve on.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the Stratford Rising event and I know many other people did too, I just thought I’d share my experience!

Hanging outside the entrance to the tournament

Maturing Tastes- by Anjum Razaq

So, I'm back in England after finishing my two year teaching contract in Cambodia and this event has seen me become reflective about my gaming habits. I am now 32 and the older I get, the less games appeal to me- a sad but common story I'm sure. A few weeks ago whilst waiting to find a job and home for my wife and I,  I sat in Shaldon, Devon with my trusty Wii and my library of retro NES, SNES and Megadrive games and thought about my gaming habits. It seemed that things had gone a little downhill for the once all-consuming pastime of mine. It wasn’t always like this though as computers and gaming came into my life early on. I often found myself lost in some world on my Amstrad CPC 464 or my friends NES. Whatever game came to hand would consume me and my best friend for days or even weeks.

As the industry grew and me along with it this all changed: new systems, new magazines, new games, new gamers and new zinesters. The tradition of owning one gaming system wasn’t enough and the stack of games in progress grew to unmanageable proportions. To differentiate myself from the influx of hardcore fanboys, especially the rabid Playstation and Xbox hardcore element, I sidelined in retro gaming, collecting rarer gems and building my collection of classic Amstrad, Megadrive, SNES, Playstation 1 and 2 and Gamecube games.

However somewhere along the line things changed. Time got shorter or the games got worse, but probably neither. Over the last couple of years my gaming list has consisted of Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars, Superbrothers: Swords and Sworcery, Dear Esther, Zelda: Skyward Sword, Journey, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Braid and Pandora’s Tower. The insatiable appetite of my teens and twenties has long since disappeared but once again I find myself engrossed contentedly in one title at a time.  I’ve realised that I’ve come full circle, in a way. The passion for the wider gaming experience may have gone but it’s freed me to experience the games I do play in a much more rewarding way. Whilst living in Cambodia I had access to any game at next to no price (usually $1.50 per game) due to the country having no copyright laws, and so my access to games had never been easier but I was very selective with the games I played. Games like 'Journey' have an interesting multiplayer element and it is this that engaged me and encouraged me to try the online world again after the banality of 'Call of Duty'. Otherwise I am happy playing through a game on my own, immersed and engaged. Games are what you make of them and I am enjoying my time carefully working my way through one at a time. 

What are your gaming habits like and have your tastes changed over the years? Let me know as I'd be interested to hear. 

The Death and Rebirth of the Arcade in the UK- by Anjum Razaq

The 80’s and early to mid 90’s were the halcyon days of arcades which found machines in abundance across chip shops, video rental stores, airports and also of course the arcades which were scattered across beach fronts, towns and cities. The arcades were a heady place, full of bright lights, arcade sounds and excited voices. The arcades machines occasionally changed and moved with the times and each new iteration of the latest ‘big game’ brought people in their droves to test their mettle. The arcades served as a social hub for people to practice, share and hone their skills- in short the arcades were a place to meet kindred spirits.

The arcades adapted to the growing pressure of more powerful home consoles on the late 90’s by bringing in the phenomenally popular dance games, which in one fell swoop brought in many traditional non- gamers at that time; females. 

My initial arcade experiences were local, I would often visit the local video rental shop in the town (‘21st Century’) and watch in awe with my friends as these pro’s would play through to completion. It was in this way that I saw most of the ending of ‘Street Fighter 2’! I’m sure many of you have a similar story and this is what arcades bring out in gamers, feelings of belonging and nostalgia. I’m sure wherever there are gamers in the world there is a special place in gamer’s hearts about the arcade experience. However the arcade industry in the West has been in decline for the past decade if not longer. Funland in Trocadero London closed on July 2011 and the only real way to share in communal gaming which wasn’t online was through HMV and its Gamerbase extension at the back of its flagship store. Gamerbase held tournaments and competitions and promoted such events through facebook, Twitter and other social media but it too fell away.

Even though the arcade industry has been dealt some serious body blows, the highest profile being the closure of Funland I believe the talk of the demise of the arcade has been exaggerated. The gaming community who still care about the arcade experience have started to mobilize and the best example I can use is ‘The Heart of Gaming’, a recently opened arcade initiative in Acton, North London, which hopes to bring back the arcade experience to the people.

The Heart of Gaming is contained within an old warehouse, past a creepy graveyard and dark alleyway next to a trainline

I spoke to the owner Mark Starkey about the death of the traditional arcade and he provided some insight;

It’s lovely to walk into a room and hear all those arcade machine noises, that is gaming nostalgia and people pay for nostalgia. The old arcade business model was outdated. The arcades were often run by old boys who didn’t see the arcade industry changing. Paying 50p, £1 or even £2 for a credit in game in which you might just last a minute wasn’t viable anymore, not when people had arcade quality graphics available at home on their computers. So my idea was to charge a one off entrance fee at the door and people can play as much as they like for 24 hours’.

As a gamer I’m sure we have all experienced this, the feeling of having a finite amount of money and making it last for as long as possible. The idea of a one off day fee is very simple but a definite game changer. It allows gamers time to play a wide variety of games as well as offer an opportunity to hone their craft and skill on specific games they like. During my 5 hours there I played and completed ‘House of the Dead 1’, ‘Gunspike’ (a strange ‘Mercs’ style game featuring Street Fighters Cammy) and ‘Ikaruga’. I played several rounds of ‘Street Fighter 4’ and was soundly defeated by my cousin, often without landing a blow! I also played a couple of rounds of Pacman and Donkey Kong.

There are many arcade machines and if there are any games on the Xbox 360 or PS3 you want to bring with you you can, the machines play those systems too!

Playing Ikaruga and dying about a billion times!

This model of one-off payment is perfect for gamers as it allows them to go back to the games they like and get better at them, I dread to think how many continues I used in completing Ikaruga! Also I now want to get better at Street Fighter 4 and compete in the various tournaments and competitions which occur frequently and are streamed online via twitch.tv

Mark has stated that the aim of the HOG is;

… to create  strong sense of community. You can play games and get better at them if you like but if you don’t like a game it doesn’t matter, it hasn’t cost you anything… this business model allows gamers to test out a wide variety of games. For example I never even heard of Gunspike but someone mentioned it and now we have it here, it’s a curio.

Whilst speaking to Mark about the new Computing curriculum I asked him about the increased emphasis on programming and developing. Mark became animated and spoke about how it would be good to show children how to fit in the circuitry and build an arcade rig.

We discussed the Raspberry Pi and the possibilities it opens up to children and Mark stated that he would like to develop HOG to include an educational aspect, even allowing for school trips to do classes on building and creating arcade units. I will be talking with Mark more about this as I develop the curriculum but the idea of getting children to programme a game in Scratch, Python or another language and developing a whole arcade unit sounds like a great project. This truly would allow the children to become game producers instead of consumers, which really appeals to me.

The Heart of Gaming logo

So the future of the arcade is more hopeful that the naysayers would have you believe, the arcades are not dead, they are merely evolving…

Is Sharing Gameplay Online 'Social'- by Anjum Razaq

It has never been easier to record  gameplay and share it online through twitch.tv, youtube or any other number of video sharing sites.

Sharing gameplay and putting it online is being brought to the fore in the next generation of gaming with the PS4 ‘Share’ button. This simple button added to the controller lets gamers record their gaming sessions and upload it to the internet via facebook and twitter and other 'social platofrms'. This is being classified as being ‘social’ but is it really social? If this is what is considered social then do we run the risk of losing the whole social aspect of bringing people physically together and sharing a moment together?

Sharing gameplay online will be a large part of next generation gaming

There are obvious benefits to sharing gameplay online; bragging rights, gaming community discussions about tactics and strategies as well as encouraging other people to purchase and play the game themselves. But on a personal level gaming isn’t always just a solitary experience, it is a shared experience. That a cherished gaming moment could be reduced to a fb status update, tweet or some other digital form soon forgotten into the digital ether should make us really consider how social online sharing is. The ‘Lets Play’ series encourages people to play through the games and often offer insightful and funny commentary but it is a one way process, it’s not really social unless the video creator comments or participates in conversation and even then it is all online.

My most fondly remembered gaming moments are those I have shared with other people in the same room. Spending hours upon hours in my friend’s uni room playing Super Mario Kart until the early hours, then remembering to get started on the essay due that morning. I remember as a 10 year old inviting my best friend at the time to come around to play my Amstrad CPC 464 version of Target Renegade. My brother was playing with his friends and we were all squashed in our small bedroom. They got to the final boss and in previous sessions we had always been defeated but today, with 5 of us all squashed into one room my brother and his friend managed to defeat the boss. We all jumped and cheered, whooping with joy and looking at our green monochrome Amstrad screen with delight.

Taget Renegade- a true classic!

Moments like this are truly shared experiences. There is a narrative attached now to Target Renegade and whenever my friends and my brother bring it up we are reminded of the pure joy at completing a game… something we were all there to experience. Most recent games don’t have this and the only game I’ve connected with in a vaguely similar way is Journey.  Maybe Nintendo has it right with is idea of the WiiU connecting gamers in the same room and offering a gamecentric online space to share ideas.  Nintendo President Iwata recently came out and stated 

“The primary use of Twitter and Facebook is not gaming, but a means of communication. Although I don’t use either of them, if I did, I imagine I’d use it to talk about my outings and vacations to people who aren’t exactly video game enthusiasts. I don’t think my former classmates would care to hear about my new Mario Kart record and so on.”

I think he has a point there. Do you want to see twitter and facebook updates of your contacts play scores, achievements etc?  Personally I dislike receiving the many requests or updates about peoples farms, candy crush scores and all that jazz. Games can be social but I don't think the 'share' button is the solution. What's your take?

Computer Game Violence and Real World Violence- by Anjum Razaq

Whilst in the process of writing an article about computer game violence I came across an excellent and intelligently written article online, which I feel discusses the issue of computer game violence in a thought-provoking and cohesive way.  

Society is always looking for someone or something to blame, and computer games have entered the focus. It has been this way for a long time, in the past there have been such heinous influences as comics (during the 50’s), rock and roll (Elvis was leading to the degradation of society), books (Harry Potter encourages belief in the supernatural) and Dungeons and Dragons (encouraging Satanic worship and belief in the supernatural).

Elvis- bringing down society one hip shake at a time!

Marilyn Manson spoke eloquently in ‘Bowling for Columbine’ when he said,

“the two bi-products of that tragedy (the Columbine shootings in 1999) were violence in entertainment and gun control… the President was dropping bombs overseas yet I’m the bad guy because I sing some rock and roll songs. Now who has the bigger influence, the President or Marilyn Manson? This is telling of the media as no one has said that the President or the society in which the individual was a part of created the situation because that is not how the media want to spin it… they are looking for scapegoats and easy answers where there are none!”

Computer games can be used by people with personal problems, and may even be a catalyst for them, but they are not the inherent problem, and laying all blame at their feet is socially irresponsible. After the Norway shootings and Ander Breivik saying that it was his immersion in violent computer games that encouraged him to murder many people, newspapers around the world were publishing distressing articles about how computer games encourage violence. Are we saying Anders Breivik was a perfectly sound individual before he started playing computer games or is it more likely that he had violent tendencies, psychological issues and many other causal factors that led him to commit such heinous acts? Which is the most likely?

As a society we are doing society a disservice by ignoring the real issues behind the violence that occurs in the world. We’re ignoring the mental problems, the social and family problems and everything that is more likely behind these acts of violence than computer games. Blaming computer games is not going to teach children anything except that blaming the arts and entertainment industry is the go-to excuse for the psychological problems of the few.

As for computer games corrupting the mind of children? Well, some computer games aren’t meant for the young developing minds of children. If the game is titled Hitman, Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto then you can probably guess that children should not be playing it. In the past games like Mortal Kombat were accused of promoting violence but the graphics and technical limitations meant that it was pure hyperbole. But now, with the advance in technology, games can now be more visceral and realistic and the classification of gaming should be taken more seriously.

This onus rests on the shoulders of the parents, who should be monitoring the media their children consume. I can understand that this can be quite difficult due to the ease of access to online gaming, but there does need to be a dialogue between parents and their children. I played many games that were innappropriate for my age when I was younger but my parents, who didn't know much about computer games, always spoke to me and my brother about real world and fantasy world- it helped keep us grounded and meant we knew that what was happening in the game was pretend and not reflective of the real world.

There are plenty of games available that are age appropriate and these are the ones that the children should be playing. In the UK films are classified before release and so are games, yet the amount of parents I see who buy their children these violent games, even when the shop employee has stated that it is a mature, game is amazing. Parents have to take responsibility for their children’s actions and can’t just blame teachers, politicians or media. The computer should be a treat as a useful tool, not the babysitter it can easily become. What are you opinions on the matter?

Game the News- by Anjum Razaq

‘Game The News’ is a relatively new website which takes global events and expresses them as light but polished games. The games are generally underpinned by real-world situations and tell real stories. The reason for creating Game the News was to cover current events rather than just giving long retrospectives. Games offer a natural language to explore something; key element is that those events are current so no-one knows how they will play out in real life. It links to current situations instead of jingoistic gun-porn i.e. Call of Duty

Each game usually has links to important material so you can find out more about the situation of the event, by playing and immersing yourself in the game you can be a more informed player. These games allow ideas and opinions to form and mutate- good to getting you to consider situations in an immersive way.

There is a common misconception that gamers are disconnected from the world but this is not really the case, technology and world events can be linked and support each other.

According to the website:

We are the world’s first news correspondents who cover global events as games. As news breaks, we create our own twist on events in a playable form. We are gamers at heart, so we speak game fluently – we also share an interest in the real world too and so want to explore what is going on around us. We think that one way to explain news is via the international language of play, so we use games as a medium to explore issues and events: we game the news.

The website is still in beta but it is an interesting proposition as a teacher, using games as a means to immerse and engage children. When companies like Apple reject games like ‘Sweatshop’ and say games

“... aren't a place for social commentary and criticism”

then the need for websites like ‘Game The News’ and Games for Change’ become even more important.

Immersive Worlds Without Photorealistic Graphics- by Anjum Razaq

With E3 over and the next generation of consoles imminent, the message being trotted out is that more photo-realistic games will lead to more emotional connections between players and the onscreen characters. Christoph Hartman, boss of 2K Games said

“To dramatically change the industry to where we can insert a whole range of emotions, I feel it will only happen when we reach the point that games are photorealistic; then we will have reached an endpoint and that might be the final console."

The theory that if the computer characters looks more realistic then more emotions will be elicited from the player is a fallacy in my opinion. Humans can elicit emotions through other means. Music, art and animation can all touch us individually. Take the claymation Frankenweenie which is a beautifully created animation that shows the relationship between a young boy and his dog. When the dog dies and the boy mourns his loss it really is touching. Even though the characters portrayed in the film are not photorealistic but merely clay models, I felt more of a connection to Victor (the young boy in Frankenweenie) than any number of 80’s action hero films starring real people. In part this was due to the well crafted characterization and storytelling but it was also due to the cinematography, music and dialogue.

Frankenweenie, a beautiful film which will make many a grown man cry... including this one! 

Scott McCloud in his seminal work ‘Understanding Comics’ wrote about the ‘Power of Abstraction’. This is the idea that simplicity is great as you project yourself onto the character. To help you understand his concept look at the image below which simply outlines his idea.

Projecting ourselves according to Scott McCloud

In my opinion, photorealism in games is not important to elicit emotion; books can do it through description and illustrations, art through use of colour and composition. We don’t need the uncanny valley like Polar Express, but we need pathos and humanity like the dead colossi in Shadow of the Colossus or the mysterious figures in Journey. In my opinion there was more emotion in Toy Story 3 than in Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within because the characters were more relatable even though the Final Fantasy people looked more human!

Tom Hanks looked scary in the Polar Express, the uncanny valley strikes again!

For games great developers know that a great game begins with a great vision and the technology is only a means to achieving that vision, never an end in itself. Game technology can express a story without a game getting in the way, but through interaction games can add to a sense of involvement in the world.

Hidetaka Miyazaki, the Game Director at From Software has said that,

“The greatest tool for narrative is the world you create for it to exist in, a well designed world could tell its story in silence”.

Here are some of the worlds which I feel act as a great writing stimulus, have a look and see what you think: