Holiday Tomorrow!

I will be off to France tomorrow so I won't be posting on here for a while.

I found an essay on Escapism and Video Gaming so I copied it into a word document and printed it so I can take it on holiday with me. I'll write about it when I'm back. Ou Revoir!

Reference Material To Research

I have talked to afew people and explained my dissertation plan and I was told about a book and a video that might help me with my project.

The book is called 'The R Factor' by Michael Schluter and David Lee. I was told I should read the first three factor, as they explain how relationships are formed and what factors make a relationship a strong or weak one. This will be very useful to me when I want to look at relationships (mainly in games) as a part of my dissertation. If I know what factors make a good relationship, I might be able to judge whether or not relationships created with people through and over gaming are just as strong as those with say friends?

I think the addiction side of the dissertation is quite an important one and understanding the path that leads to addiction will be key to finding out if escapism has any part in this. I was told about a video from a series called 'Life On The Edge' where a Dr James C. Dobson interviews a man called Ted Bunday who was a serial killer and was soon to be going into the electric chair. He had become a christian since, and becasue of this, was able to understand the downwards spiral which led him to live the life he had. I have yet to watch this video, but I believe it all started by looking at soft-core pornography magazines and films. If pictures and video can have this kind of effect on someone, surely video games have the potential to have the same impact. I think this will be an interesting area of my research.

My Dissertation Plan

Introduction
- Explain what my dissertation is about
- I am restricting my research to Video Games, Animation and Film
- What am I hoping to achieve from the dissertation

History
- I need to briefly cover the background/history behind these areas

Technology
- How has the technology in these areas developed?
- Digital Technology
- Convergent Technology (technologies coming together)
- Delivery Technology:

[Where do we watch films/animation or play games, when can we play or watch these areas? Films are watched, based on when they are being shown at cinemas (although this has changed with video and DVD). We have always been able to choose when to play games. Is this a good thing?]

Escapism
- What are we escaping from?
- How do Games, Animation and Film help us do this?
- Has the growth in media (especially in the home) made any difference? (If it is easier to escape, do more people do it?)

Effects
- Are there any differences (between Games, Animation and Film) in how we are effected by them? (e.g does a game affect us more than a film?)
- Scales of effect (I will find out if they exist, if not I will create them)
- Extreme cases where people have been effected
- Addiction
- Relationships

Conclusion
- Summary of my findings
- What have I learnt from the dissertation, if anything?

Another Idea Change

My main focus so far has been in Video Games, but I also have a keen interest in Animation and Film. After looking at some of the research I have done, I think I can write a dissertation that looks at escapism in all three of these areas, not just video games.

I have decided to group these areas as 'Dynamic Visual Media'.

The technologies in all of these areas have, and are, beginning to converge. Almost all animation is now digital (e.g traditional animation is now done on computers rather than being hand drawn on cells) and films today are using more and more CGI content as it allows film-makers to do pretty much anything they can imagine. This should also help in writing about all three in a dissertation!

My Video Game Brainstorm

Second Life

After chatting with people about my project I was told about a website, www.secondlife.com.

As the site puts it:

"Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by 396,616 people from around the globe.

From the moment you enter the World you'll discover a vast digital continent, teeming with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity. Once you've explored a bit, perhaps you'll find a perfect parcel of land to build your house or business.

You'll also be surrounded by the Creations of your fellow residents. Because residents retain the rights to their digital creations, they can buy, sell and trade with other residents.

The Marketplace currently supports millions of US dollars in monthly transactions. This commerce is handled with the in-world currency, the Linden dollar, which can be converted to US dollars at several thriving online currency exchanges.

Welcome to Second Life. We look forward to seeing you in-world."

People can actually make a living off this site, either by buying 'land' and selling it on for more, or by creating their own objects, even animals! And selling them to others. I haven't signed up yet, but I'm definately going to check this out soon!

The Escapist

While doing research, I came across this article from an online magazine 'The Escapist'.

"The Escapist covers gaming and gamer culture with a progressive editorial style, with articles and columns by the top writers in and outside of the industry. A weekly publication, its magazine-style updates offer content for a mature audience of gamers, entertainment enthusiasts, industry insiders, and other 'NetSet' readers.

Published every Tuesday, each issue of The Escapist explores a central theme, addressing head-on the topics relevant to gamers."

I think I have quite a lot of reading material here so I best get started :P

More On Escapism In Games - EXTRACT

Source: Building blocks of a virtual community

"Yesterday I had an interesting discussion about mobile communities with a mobile game developer. And today when visiting Dina TV and discussing about games and escapism with Pekka Meskanen and Raisa Laukkanen the discussion came back to my mind. I started thinking why (what is the need) people play online games? How much escapism and social needs are alternative, how much parallel factors to each other? How community is different from plain social interaction (on the Net)?

Community - A group of people having something in common: area, ethnic or cultural or religious characteristics, ownership, common interests, profession, interest (goal), ecology. (Source: http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn)

Escapism - The desire to retreat into imaginative entertainment rather than deal with the stress, tedium, and daily problems of the mundane world. (Source: http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn)

Virtually social interactions (communities) - Virtual communities are social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace. (Source: Rheingold, 1993, The Virtual Community)

It is easy to understand why people may think digital games as escapism (Escapism Lite, if you like). But is WoW or Assembly escapism? If so, in what way? I would say Pachinko and virtual reality (VR) definitely are types of escapism offering total immersion into the game worlds (noisy Pachinkos, immersive 3D VR worlds).

But online games and gaming events mainly tend to bring enthusiasts together to have fun and compete with each other. Definitely there is a certain level of devotion and 'contentual escapism' in games otherwise people would not play them. One looks after pleasure and emotions from a game (or a book/a movie). But that is not escapism it is a way to feed one's imagination. A way to explore and experience new things and different emotions. Could it be experientalism instead of escapism?

Is contentual escapism a must have in virtual communities (if the building blocks of a virtual community are as follows):
1) Meaning and purpose to use the service
2) Limits, rules (etiquette)
3) Tools (for users)
4) Possibilities (alternative routes)
5) History (events, development of social relationships)
6) Members -- of course
7) Dynamic nature of the virtual world (changes, cyclic active and passive periods)
8) Trust
9) Sharing (information, items, knowledge, material)
10) Trading (information, items, knowledge, material)

Contentual escapism sounds like a sibling to social interactions in online (or mobile) worlds. Perhaps the talk should be about the differences between 'negative' and 'positive' (contentual) escapism and how escapism is different from one's imagination or creativity? What type of escapism is essential in able to make a virtual community work?"

Escapism In Video Games - EXTRACT

An extract from 'Game Design: Theory & Practice Second Edition Chapter 1 - by Richard Rouse III'

Players Want to Fantasize

"A major component of the popularity of storytelling art forms is the element of ­fantasy. Whether one considers novels, films, or comic books, many people experience these works to "get away" from their own "mundane" lives and escape to an altogether different world, one filled with characters that engage in exciting, interesting activities, travel to exotic locales, and meet other fascinating people. Certainly not all storytelling works portray exciting and glamorous protagonists, but there is certainly a large segment of works that is labeled "escapist." Some critics deride such escapist pieces of art, and indeed a lot of very good books, movies, and comics deal with more realistic settings and topics to great effect. The fact remains, however, that many people want to be transported to a world more glamorous than their own.

Computer games, then, have the potential to be an even more immersive form of escapism. In games, players get the chance to actually be someone more exciting, to control a pulp-fiction adventurer, daring swordsman, or space-opera hero. While in books or films the audience can merely watch as the characters lead exciting lives, in a well-designed computer game players will actually get the chance to live those lives themselves. Even better, these fantasy lives are not weighed down with the mundane events of life. In most games, players do not have to worry about eating, needing to get some sleep, or going to the bathroom. Thus, a game can create a fantasy life without the tedious details. And, most importantly, the level of fantasy immersion is heightened from that of other art forms because of the interactive nature of gaming.

Another part of the fantasy fulfillment element of computer games is enabling players to engage in socially unacceptable behavior in a safe environment. Many popular games have allowed players to pretend they are criminals or assassins. Driver is a good example of this. Though the back-story explains that the player character is actually playing an undercover police officer, players get to pretend they are criminals who must evade the police in elaborate car chases. There is a devilish thrill to outrunning police cars, especially for anyone who has ever been pulled over by the police. Though most players would never consider participating in car chases in real life, there's something tempting and enticing about engaging in taboo activities. The massive popular success of the Grand Theft Auto series is another testament to gamers' desire to break society's rules during gameplay. Computer games provide a good medium for players to explore sides of their personality that they keep submerged in their daily lives.

Even without the elements of excitement and glamour, even if another person's life is not actually that exciting, it can be interesting to spend time as that person. Good computer games can provide players with the otherwise unavailable opportunity to see the world through someone else's eyes. As millions of gamers can attest, it is fun to role-play and it is fun to fantasize."

Escapism Blogs

Here are a few blog entries I found that might be useful towards my research into escapism:

The Escapism Cycle

Escapism

Escapism

Escapism's Adventure

The Evils of Ignorance and Escapism... Are of Biblical Proportion

Escapism Pic

Initial Research

Here are some links to initial research on escapism I have found:

The wikipedia entry for escapism. This is useful because it explains what escapism is in more detail, and also addresses the arguement as to whether it is a positive or negative thing.

Some more information on escapism. There are a couple of good quotes here and some interesting points made.

This page has a load of quotes on that might be useful, as well as a raft of other stuff that might not lol.

I found a forum on worldofwar.net where a guy is writing a dissertation on escapism in games and wanted to get some first hand responses from the players of the popular online game World of Warcraft. Some of the first responces are intersting to read. One person in particular gets quite offended by the fact that one of the questions implies that all players of WoW are escapist. This raises the question, well aren't they?

Escapism - My Thoughts

es-cap-ism
"The avoidance of reality by absorption of the mind in entertainment or in an imaginative situation, activity, etc. "

Source: www.dictionary.com

I personally think escapism is a good thing. It is how most people including myself detach themselves from the stress and other issues that they face in the real world. I play games a lot as I enjoy being able to play as a different person in a different world. You can do things that you could never get away with in real life (such as shooting someone) or that is impossible to do (such as flying or using magic). Watching films and animations are other ways I like to disengage myself from reality. Obviously, there must be downsides to escapism though (briefly explained in the Richard Hammond letter).


Interestingly in a lecture this week, we were told about a past student who wanted to write his dissertation on how wonderful the internet was. He wanted to write about how you could never have to leave home again because of it, as you can do almost anything with it. His tutors wanted him to look at both sides of this argument and explore why this might be a bad thing, but he ignored them and carried on writing about how brilliant it was. It got to the point where they were getting very worried about him, so they suggested he actually try what he was writing about.

He thought this was a great idea, and for three weeks, quit his job, and totally cut himself off from society. To chat, he had to use the internet. To do his shopping, he had to use the internet. For entertainment, the internet, etc... You get the picture!

After the three weeks, he had grown a beard and looked like a homeless guy! He went back to his job and had a breakdown as he couldn't deal with the social interaction. Basically, he had become quite messed up because of the experience. Obviously, his dissertation changed considerably.


In terms of my research, this was really interesting, as after such a short amount of time from escaping/avoiding the real world, he became quite screwed up and it took him a while to adjust back. I guess this is another example of how escapism can be a bad thing, but this is a situation where it has been taken to extremes.

My New Idea

I was reading the Letters section of the Radio Times (as you do), and came across this letter from a Maureen Sinclair:

Reassessing The Risks
"One reason Top Gear (Sundays BBC2) is popular with millions of people is not simply that viewers are "petrolheads", but because the presenters take our risks for us, creating the excitement that we can't experience for ourselves. I hope Richard Hammond's accident doesn't mean the programme's demise or emasculation.

Society tries to be risk-free. Fear of risk imprisons our children and keeps them in front of TV screens and game consoles. Schools are afraid to take children on trips to do exciting things and limit sports where there is risk. "Risk-free" is bad for society. We all need that feeling of our hearts being in our mouths."

...For those people who have been living under a rock the past couple of weeks, Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond remained seriously ill in hospital after a crash in a jet-powered car travelling at about 300mph whilst filming for the BBC programme. He seems to be ok now, but the incident sparked off a lot of debate as to whether or not programs like Top Gear should be "taking our risks for us" as Maureen Sinclair put it.

In terms of me and my course, Maureen's letter made me start to think about whether or not being in front of a TV screen or games console is such a bad thing? If that is the case, why do so many people do it? For my dissertation, I have decided to research into escapism and maybe find out if its influences on us are positive or negative.

I have also decided to base my project on escapism in video games. I have restricted myself to games as escapism over all subject matters to which it could be applied (i.e. books, sport, films etc. ...pretty much any hobbie) would be a huge amount to research and fit into a 6000 word essay. Also playing games is one of my main passions and potential areas I would like to move into in terms of my career after I have finished my course ;)

Group Session

I decided to go with the 'Animation From Sound' idea from my initial idea pool, but when I came to doing some initial research into it, I found I was struggling as there wasn't much information available :S

Later this week we had a group session where we all discussed our ideas in small groups. Some of the ideas the others in my group were coming up with were:

3D Acting - Exploring how the line between real and virtual actors has blurred with the advancements of new technology. Examples might be the new Superman Returns film (where its almost impossible to distingush between the real actor and 3D model). In terms of a dissertation, exploring the 'rights of ownership' could be the main topic. Who owns the 3D model, and does the actor have any say as to what it can or cannot do?

Layered Humour - Looking at how a lot of family films (especially the more recent ones) contain humour that is aimed at different age groups to keep the piece entertaining for everyone. Examples to look at might be all the Pixar films, Wallace and Gromit, and the Simpsons.

Future Perception - Investigating into how the future is perceived in terms of animation or more specifically anime. He wanted to look at how the perception of the future in animation has changed over time.

The session helped me in that hearing other peoples ideas and aims made me think about my own more, and also I got some feedback on my ideas. One suggestion was to look at music videos, which was a good idea (as the videos are made for the songs, not the other way round), but after some thought I've decided I don't really want to go into that as an area of research as I want to focus more on animation or gaming.

I've decided to go back to the drawing board in terms of my idea as there doesn't seem to be much to research. Also, I'm not particularly interested in the areas I could research!