I am designing a virtual exhibition, a space
where, utilizing the Half-Life 2 Source game engine, works of art can be
showcased. I am in the process of grasping and mastering the tools necessary to
construct an immersive virtual space into which an audience (Halfe-Life 2
players) can log and ingest virtual works of art. Utilizing the source engine’s
Hammer world design application, as well as creating textures and
modifying operational procedures, I have the utmost control over these virtual
exhibition structures and the art within.
Using the level editor, I have control over every architectural design element. I will be able to tweak and modify the physical laws of these spaces as well, allowing the various installation pieces to have dynamic motion settings, as well as the viewers themselves experience motion through modified physics rules. Potential lies here, through scripted event triggers, for users to impact the content and environment in real-time as they progress through the show. I can script events to occur automatically as the virtual viewing public make their way through the space. This would create an interesting dialogical tinge to the exhibits, furthering the inherently interactive experience of the game.
By setting up a permanent, dedicated server, and
hosting a ‘game’ for each exhibit, anyone with the game installed on their
computer can access the server, log in, and wander about the exhibition, as well
as communicate with others in (or outside of) the space. Introducing an art
venue strictly designed for gamers by gamers should prove interesting to
observe. The dynamics of virtual interaction are always very colorful at the
very least, and I expect and even embrace the idea of ‘griefers,’ or
trouble-causing players to log in and cause chaos. I’m entertaining the idea of
making the exhibition content as well as the actual environment structure
collapsable/deformable/breakable. I intend not to make these destructible
elements in any way explicit, but I am interested in seeing how much
experimentation users may engage in.
The four-part goal of this project is outlined as
follows:
1)Learning: To
develop a solid understanding and implementable practice of level/world design,
using Valve’s Source Engine Hammer mapping utility
2)Design: To
utilize said understanding and
practice to develop a thoroughly designed virtual environment (map) for
exhibitionary purposes.
3)Content: To
curate and manage the development of content for exhibition in said virtual
space (my own works as well as those of other artists).
4)Networking:
Extend my contact-base in the game-modding community for collaborative
assistance, as well as exposure for the virtual space, in order to garner an
audience from the gaming community.
These four goals will concurrently progressing processes that will
ultimately culminate in a fully implemented and bug-free virtual exhibition
environment, hosted on a dedicated server capable of high-bandwidth traffic. I
believe that one of the most interesting aspects of this project is the
development of space and content for a community that doesn’t typically
associate itself with the art community per se. Creating content for gamers
within a game environment will allow for interesting design parameters. It will
furthermore present the unique opportunity for the designer/curator, as well as
contributing artists to employ their practice as both gamers and game designers.
The content of the exhibition is at this point
yet to be determined specifically, but the lion’s share of the content will be
developed by Myself and David McDonough. Mr. McDonough is an artist based out of
Savannah, with proficiency in a variety of media, including 3D modelling,
animation, digital art, as well as work within more traditional media. The
extent of my content contribution will most likely be works of photomanipulation
and digital (2-dimensional art), as well as dynamic (semi-interactive)
installations using ‘found objects,’ or 3D rendered entities (objects) already
available in the game environment. I will also be developing installations
utilizing the highly dynamic texture-and-lighting in the Source engine.
David will be working on at least one large installation that will feature his
own original design, as well as works of 2-dimensional art, and a variety of
other contributions.
The space and the content within it will be designed with an active interest in furthering a cogent and immersive experience for the viewing audience. The medium is by its own nature highly interactive, and our design choices will thusly be closely linked to the capabilities and freedom that the game world allows its players. I am still at this point getting a grasp on the level editor, and attaining the level of world design proficiency I feel is necessary should take a few weeks at least. The program and aesthetic approaches are a considerable learning portion of the process. Once these are up to par, though, I’ll be ready to start implementing content for inclusion into one thoroughly thought-out and semi-complex exhibitionary space. Above all, I want this to be an intriguing, engaging, and enjoyable experience for players.
Production Schedule |
Mentor: |
| Nov. 1 | Mid-Term Art Project Documentation |
| Initial Level Build Finished | |
| Nov. 15 | Research Paper Second Draft |
| Static Content In Place | |
| Dec. 1 | Mid-Term Evaluations |
| 1st Dynamic-Content Installation In Place | |
| Dec. 15 | Final Research Paper |
| 2nd Dynamic-Content Installation In Place | |
| Jan. 1 | Final Art Project Documentation |
| Map finished, accessible via dedicated server | |
| Jan. 15 | Final Evaluations |
I am approaching ths project first and foremost as a game designer and a
gamer, so the academic portion of my paper will be derived largely from my
design document. Done with Ephemera! will be designed as any other game
I’ve designed, with a thoroughly fleshed out design document, detailing every
function of every mechanic and aesthetic choice in the game. This approach,
coupled with a thorough addressing of the theoretical underpinnings that presuppose and apply
to this project, will compose the majority of my academic research project.
Focal issues will include authorship, aura and
authenticity. The exhibition space will use some environmental textures and
lighting presets that were originally conceived of by the designers of Half Life 2. Furthermore the content will in some parts
be a bricolage experiment of composite simple machinery, utilizing a mixture of
originally designed materials and ‘found objects,’ 3D rendered entities that
were already created for the original (unmodified game). Finally, some of the
digital art will be collage-oriented. All of these facets are combined and
presented in a virtual environment that users can only experience through their
machines interpreting and copying, in real-time, every bit of the experience.
This brings up the question of aura, as well as the phenomenological experience
of art (or lackthereof). Is this legitimate and as solid an experience as a
brick-and-mortar exhibition, or is it a hyperrealistic version of that? These
are questions that can be directly tied in with the detailed design
doc.
The issues
surrounding audience ingestion/rejection of the experience will be unique in the
fact that it is an art exhibition designed and oriented toward a community that
does not associate itself with the art world, per se. The introduction of this
experience to (sometimes) highly intelligent, competetive, anonymous, and
technically knowledgeable players will most likely bring up some interesting
issues. As mentioned earlier, my designing collapsible or destructible
environment and content will demonstrate players’ propensity for causing chaos
and disruption. These are more opportunities not afforded to the flesh-and-blood
gallery viewer. I have been a gamer for most of my life, and have a background
in game design. These experiences and issues are fascinating and important to
me, and I wish to explore unorthodox and potentially progressive design
approaches. The success of my
project will be based a well-designed and implemented environment that is
immersive, engaging, and enjoyable.
|
The research portion of the project will be direclty linked to the design document. Thus, I will be using the design doc as a rough outline of the various topics and focii that will appear in the paper, albeit restructured . (Full Annotated Bibliography forthcoming)
Done with Ephemera! Design
Document: Summary framework: semi-competetive interactive artspace within original environment designs utilizing Half-Life 2’s Source Engine. 1)
Semi-reactive/interactive level design,
meant for player interaction. Fundamentally, the space will progressively
change (additively and subtractively) as the players progress through it.
This will be accomplished by triggered events involving the physics
engine, Non-Player Characters (NPC’s), interaction with Player Characters
(PC’s) on a competitive and cooperative level, and other affective
factors. By the end of the ‘game’ time-limit, events will have been
exhausted, and the space and content will have undergone some levels of
change. 2)
Content
Categories: a.
Static
i.
2D Art:
Includes photograph, collage, digital or canvas art.
ii.
3D-Rendered
pieces of digital sculpture b.
Temporal
i.
2D Art:
Animated or sequenced photograph, digital art,
animation
ii.
3D-Rendered
user-responsive installation: potentially includes all categories, running
on the principle of player interaction. c.
Environmental: Wherein the entire section of space (or
linked sections) act on the whole as the installation
itself. 3)
Environment
Design: a.
Navigable
but non-traditional space,
emulating as little as possible standard interior/exterior dichotomy.
i.
Centered
navigation: One central
room/space to which the player can easily return, but from which spread
many lateral paths toward the various installations (some of which are
entire rooms/spaces themselves)
ii.
Space
categories: 1.
Traditional room/outdoor space
structure 2.
Dislocated
space: areas without
apparent boundaries, or whose boundaries and orientation are particularly
difficult to determine. 3.
Trans-location movement: Utilizing triggers of varying types,
player will be transported instantaneously (or very quickly) from one
physical location to the next. *this will at points act as part of the
installation-as-space. 4)
Events: Event triggers will cause changes to
occur to the contents/layout of the virtual space. These changes will be:
a.
Additive (the revelation or completion of an
until-then fragmented or incomplete piece) or b.
Subtractive (the outright destruction or fragmentation
of a piece) In-game modification will be one or a combination of these two types of events, and will utilize at least one of the following dynamic elements… 1)NPC’s: Non-player characters will be present at the onset of the ‘game,’ while others will be introduced and/or removed during play.
i.
Hostiles: Hostile NPC’s will be used as
installation elements, and will not pose danger to PC’s
lives.
ii.
Friendlies: Friendly NPC’s will at points be
necessary for the successful completion/destruction of particular
triggered events, and/or will serve as acting implements of said
triggers. 2)PC’s: Player-Characters will affect the changes
occurring throughout the virtual space(s) during play. Furthermore, some
puzzles or triggers will necessitate the communication and cooperation of
two or more players at a time to complete. PC’s will affect other players’
experience and interaction with the environment in unexpected ways, such
as triggering an event that has repercussions on spaces on the other end
of the ‘map.’ 3)Physics Engine: The source engine’s physics engine is
highly modifiable in real-time, thus can be either extremely realistic, or
highly exaggerated. This allows for semi-deformable terrain
(knockable walls/windows/doors etc.), ragdoll physics, as well as
responsive entities (‘physical,’ moveable objects). In regards
to… …installations, the physics settings will determine how
some pieces appear, operate, and react to player involvement. A pendulum,
for instance, will swing with varying ease or lackthereof depending on the
gravity, friction, material, elasticity, tension and other settings,
affected in real-time by players (see below). …player interaction, the physics dynamics will be sight-specific
and modified throughout the game by triggers and player choice. PC’s and
NPC’s (effected by PC’s essentially) will determine the map-wide physics
settings, and those of particular entities or 3D objects.
4)Materials/Texture & Lighting:
Static textures or dynamic
(animated) materials will be used for environment and content, and in
combination with highly dynamic lighting will affect both content and
environment through the presence/introduction/removal/modification of
light sources and textures/materials. 5) Competition & Violence: While the aim of
this project is not to emulate another first-person shooter deathmatch,
potentially hostile NPC’s will be present or introduced by triggers. PC’s
lives, however, will never be in danger. Furthermore, players will not be
allowed to ‘grief’ other players through harming them, as invincibility
will be activated and/or weapons will be
unavailable. |
Annotated Bibliography
Game Design / Media Studies
Bartle, Richard. Designing Virtual Worlds . New York, 2004: New Riders Publishing.
Deleuze, Gilles & Guattari, Felix. A Thousand Plateaus. 1987, University of Minnesota Press.
Gere, Charlie. Digital Culture. 2004, Reaktion Books
Macmahan, Alison. Immersion, Engagement, and Presence: A method for analyzing 3-D videogames . Chp. 3 in The video Game Theory Reader , 2003, pp. 67-86
McCloud, Scott. Reinventing Comics: How imagination and technology are revolutionizing an art form . 2000. New York. Harper Paperbacks.
McLuhan, M. (1967). The Medium Is The Massage . Madera: Gingko Press
Manovich, L. (2001) "The language of cultural interfaces" excerpt from The Language of New Media
Murray, Janet. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative Cyberspace. 1998. MIT Press
Sherry Turkle, "Aspects of the Self" Excerpt from Life on the Screen . 1995, New York. Simon & Schuster.
Vinge, Vernor. True Names . 2001, New York. Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
Yee, Nick. (2004). The Psychology of MMORPGs: Emotional Investment, Motivations, Relationship Formation, and Problematic Usage . In R. Schroeder & A. Axelsson (Eds.), Social Life of Avatars II London: Springer-Vertag.
Art: Curating, Arrangement, Design
Bourriad, Nicolas. Relational Aesthetics . 1998, Les Presse Du Reel, France.
Pit Schultz (2005) 'The Producer as Power User', in Geoff Cox & Joasia Krysa, eds. _Engineering Culture_, New York: Autonomedia, pp. 111-125.
Obrist, Hans Ulrich. Do It . 2005, E-Flux/Revolver.
Zetl, Herbert. Sight Sound Motion : Applied Media Aesthetics . 2004. Wadsworth Publishing
I approach this project from the perspective of a game developer with artistic intention, but just as important is that I work toward the creation of an egaging playing experience. In an effort to embrace the interactive nature of the tools fundamental to this project, I am approaching the design just as I have other games I’ve worked on. Essential to the design process is the development first of a solid design doc, a framework detailing all of significant dynamics, intentions, and elements of the game. This project is no exception. While it is essentially the co-opting of art and game, I believe that it can successfully both. Thus conceptualized is an implementable framework for a semi-competetive, semi-interactive, hopefully-engaging playing experience.
Player interaction and cooperation will be essential at times, and unnecessary at others. It will be an environment potentially enjoyable by a single player, and highly engaging toward multiple players. I will gauge the success of the project based on how engaged and interested players become within the space. Essentially, this is a coop-multiplayer experience, thus replay value of any one environment will be moderate but not high. I do see potential for the player desiring to retry a combination of triggers or puzzles, as effects on the level will be practically irreversible during any one game.
One-sentence synopsis: An adaptive, engaging, well-designed
environment that is, accessible from anywhere in the world, that reconstitutes
the standard notion of art and the ‘art space,’ and is most of all fun for
players.