This was a great event for me personally. It was enjoyable and engrossing event because there were many examples of how artists could work in technology fields. I enjoyed seeing all the cool things people were able to accomplish with technology and testing out virtual reality (VR) for the first time was fun. The demonstration of the 3D printer was awesome. The only thing I did not like was the limited time to explore the exhibits. I waited for a long time at the drawing in 3D exhibit and ran out of time to look at other things. I learned that drawing in 3D is incredibly fun and something I want to explore more. I was also happy to learn that artists have a much larger pool of options for work than I originally thought. This experience has reinforced my plan to be an artist in the game design field, especially using VR and 3D drawing. The Stem and Art Expo was awesome because now I have more confidence in becoming an artist and I am genuinely curious about VR now.
Last Friday we attended a Stem and Art Expo which took place throughout most of the day. There were two main attractions or events along with a main announcement area. The first event was a sort of quick date-style system where there were "mentors" along the inside of the circle and student on the outside. The students and mentors talked to each other for around 5 minutes. After that the students would switch to a new mentor and so on. Then the group went outside and got lunch at some food trucks. After everyone ate, we went back inside where there were exhibits about new technology.
This was a great event for me personally. It was enjoyable and engrossing event because there were many examples of how artists could work in technology fields. I enjoyed seeing all the cool things people were able to accomplish with technology and testing out virtual reality (VR) for the first time was fun. The demonstration of the 3D printer was awesome. The only thing I did not like was the limited time to explore the exhibits. I waited for a long time at the drawing in 3D exhibit and ran out of time to look at other things. I learned that drawing in 3D is incredibly fun and something I want to explore more. I was also happy to learn that artists have a much larger pool of options for work than I originally thought. This experience has reinforced my plan to be an artist in the game design field, especially using VR and 3D drawing. The Stem and Art Expo was awesome because now I have more confidence in becoming an artist and I am genuinely curious about VR now.
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At the start of the school year, Mr. B split the class into two groups and told us to design a game based on a children's fairy tale. Each person on the team chose separate role on the design team, including a writer, a level designer, a sound artist, an artist, and a producer. This mini project was supposed to show us exactly what it was like working with a large team. Since this was our first time doing this kind of project, our execution was a little sloppy. There were a few glaring problems right off the bat. For instance, some of the team members were not happy with their roles in the group and changed halfway though the project. People had to restart their assigned work mid-way through the project. A lack of communication became another problem, even though the whole team was working right next to each other. While the producer was kept informed of everything that was happening, not all that information got circled around to the whole team. When it was time to show the project, the work that was done was not uniform and parts of the project were inconsistent. The story didn't completely match the level layout. The artwork and level design didn't blend well. Even though John and I worked closely together as the artists, our art styles were very different. If communication was better throughout the group, we could have kept the style and concept of the game uniform, and focused on a more specific design for the original idea, and maybe beaten the other team.
When theme is brought up in any discussion about video games, I immediately think of Dark Souls and the amazing amount of care put into making this game's theme. The Dark Souls theme is a experienced based theme which is focused on perseverance by challenging increasingly difficult opponents that are nearly impossible to beat. You have to gain experience in order to learn enough to beat the the various enemies. The first boss is an incredibly difficult boss fight but it sets the theme well. It shows the player that he needs to observe and find weak points, manage his health, and keep trying until he finds success. Even if you have to fail over and over again, the game rewards experience. The atmosphere and ascetics of Dark Souls is dark, gloomy, and looming. It feels very daunting and overwhelming. This feeling is reinforced by the setting of massive castles that spiral off into the heavens. The landscape is vast, harsh, and has been taken over by the undead. The mechanics in Dark Souls relate to the theme because the equipment that you carry feels real. You only have human strength and unless you train to become stronger, you won't succeed. The story of Dark Souls is non-existent at first glance. There doesn't seem to be a coherent plot, but if you look closely at item descriptions and at context clues you will find an incredibly elaborate, high fantasy tale that is driven by the task of trying to re-light the first flame. To become strong enough to fight the person who is guarding the first flame, you must persevere through many battles, monsters, and challenges. The monsters are difficult to predict because of their spastic move sets and hard-to-time attacks. Early bosses are huge, destructive beasts that are terrifying. Over the coarse of the game, the bosses shrink and become the size of the player, but the bosses become faster and have stronger attacks.
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Miles RomanHi, I am a student at Durham School of the Arts, and this blog will be documenting my experiences with my Game Design class. Categories
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