#SourceandSignificance

[tyronemw]

Reader

Jenkins, H., 2003. Transmedia Storytelling. [Online]

In the world of video games the characters are always a high importance to the game, and even more so when we look at it from a transmedia perspective. Transmedia is more than just the charcters appearing in more than one media form, its about a story telling technique that the characters hold along the way, with media outlets such as games, films, comics, or even music, new storys are told beyond what each of the last media source expanded on.

What characters bring to transmedia is important, but world building is too, Jenkins emphsives this by saying that where well written characters and uphold strong narraitves, which in trun makes for a good franchise, the world is just as, if not more important than the characters, as the world is what can contain multiple chaarcters at once, each independently, allowing transmedia to be much more immesive for the consumer and really understand its universe as well as its characters.

As an environemtanl artist this is intresting as tells me how important our job role can be, and the far our work can really go if it is done to a high quality.

Simons, J., 2007. Narrative, games, and theory. Game studies, 7(1)

Game Theory and Narrative have their similarities, both can include things like characters, locations, player or reader experience and emotion, this is more than just a story or a series of events. They both focus on the same principles, with the main one at hand in analysing a sequence of events, that being the story, provided the game is one that has a story and a narrative.

However, Simons then explains that Ludology sees Game Theory and Narrative as two different entities and not comparable. From a ludology perspective games and narratives are fundamentally different as to how they simulate actions from a story, while one just represents them, the interactive aspect is what ultimately sets them apart.

Isbister, K., 2016. How Games Move Us: Emotion by Design

Games can have a huge influence on peoples emotions in multiple ways, and I would argue, more so than films, novels and television can. Isbister explains how these mediums of comsuption, while still able to move lots of people, they influence emootion through the user following along with the narrative, reacting, with no personal imput or say on the matter or outcome, there is the barrior between the user, and the consumer. With games, players break that barrier with its unique ability to become a part of it, bring peoples personalities into play.

This was a good source because it highlights a games uniqueness in the world of media and how it can effect the players, from an environmental artist perspective, highlights how its important not to just make the game look good, but make the game feel good through the use of different art techniques to make it resonate with the player.

Cairney, T. (1990). Intertextuality: Infectious Echoes from the Past. The Reading Teacher, 43(7), 478–484. )

This article by Cairney highlights how, in the context of children’s literature, our past knowledge can influence how we write, consciously or subconsciously. He informs us of his findings how children can use that past knowledge of different medias like fairy tales, stories and tv, influence the creative ability to create new texts, and in his findings, the children are aware of their own intertextuality.

Intertextuality is a natural part of reading and understanding, especially for young learners. This paper focused more so on literature and children; the same theories can apply to other forms of media an adult. I myself find intertextuality in my own artwork and helps me become a better artist.

Berger, J. (2008). Ways of Seeing. United Kingdom: Penguin Books Limited

This book is based on a TV series also called, Ways of Seeing, aired on the BBC. It underlines how the reader can look at art and think more critically about what they are seeing, and how we perceive it. Its about opening a scope beyond, taking into consideration things like culture, history and ideas.

He touches on discussion very relative to games in how the male gaze has a role. Though he doesn’t directly take about it in this context relating to games, the same concepts can still be seen. Woman are represented as not just subjects, but objects to be looked at for the appeal for men, and this can be found in old paintings, but in todays world, can still be found today in some games.

Taetz, M., 2018. Gesamtkunstwerk: The Artwork or the Cave of the Future.

In this research piece, Taetz analyses the concept of gesamtkunstwerk, or “the total work of art” from its origins popularized by Richard Wagner. He argues that while romantic movements have faded and aren’t a prevalent as there was, the idea of gesamtkunstwerk can still be applied and even more so with the creation of Hollywood films and video games. The total work of art is taken to even more heights with these mediums, and with Wagner’s ideas only now being intensified through these sources.

I found this essay very insightful as it talks about how gesamtkunstwerk was used in a specific use case, but the bases of the ideas are very much profound and can be applied in more ways that I thought. It made me think about it more critically, and how the spectator can become one of the elements Wagner talks about, as the spectator becomes one of the elements in the total work of art.

Guergana Guintcheva, Hager Jemel-Fornetty, Laura Lacombe, Isis Beloslava Daudé (2022). Gender stereotypes in video game narratives.

Gender stereotypes are a big topic in the gaming industry and personally I believe there is a good reason for it. This article is a collaboration of multiple people of disgusting fields, it relays a lot of facts and statistics about female representation in the gaming industry, mentioning male vs female characters and their roles and how they are represented in the games.

Its an interesting read because of the numbers brought into the conversation which invokes a bit of shock for the reader, the signs are glaringly obvious in some regards to the representation, while the male gaze is a prominent concept in games and is quite apparent, other aspects are under shadowed, the males in games are often in positions of power with their roles in games, while women are confined to more caring roles. It’s quite eye opening.

Luke Ahearn (2008). 3D Game Environments, Create Professional 3D Game Worlds.

While this isn’t so much an article or research paper, it is a highly informative book about 3D Game Art and what it takes for artists to create high quality environments at the highest level, explaining different applications in a practical and theoretical sense. It distinguishes the differences between level designers and 3D artists,  clarifying what is expected from each role, how they can get confused with each other, before going onto, in detail the intricacies and methods of becoming a great 3D Environmental Artist.

As an inspiring 3D Environmental artist myself I wanted to include this book as it is the most relevant, I can get to my current practice, it has everything I could need into one book in reference to any type of design choice or environment I would want to create.