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Original  – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

Blurr – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

A variation of the Unit Exercise for the Digital Games chapter.

For this exercise, consider some aspect of your post-quarantine/post-pandemic life that you want to develop. Imagine that you are creating a game app for others to share in this gamification to achieve certain goals. There is an app called Zombie Run which creates imaginary zombies that chase you on a map and with sound effects, so that you maybe run faster or at least make your exercise routine fun. The question you should address for your app is: How will the app use digital gamification to achieve goals?

1. GOAL: Run 9 consecutive miles

2. INCREMENTS: Add one mile every week, eventually leading into 9 weeks for a 9-mile-run.

3. Every Thursday of the week will count as the the formal “level” or rated period where a mile will be added to the previous week’s mile count.

4. If you spent the majority of your weekly goal running instead of walking you will be granted a 2x experience boost. So, during your week 1 rating period you should accumulate .6 miles running out of the 1 mile total. For the week 2 rating period you should run 1.1 miles out of 2 if you want to qualify for the reward. You will not be penalized or granted further experience if you run more than the goal for that week.

5. You will create an avatar, name, and customize it via mobile application. The more mileage you accrue, the more experience your avatar gains and the more customization becomes available to you through a cosmetic shop which is locked behind avatar levels.

6. The interface would work similarly to the Pokemon Go app as far as displaying a real-time projection of your avatar on a map and watching it run the exact same route you choose to run – minus the random Pokemon pop-ups that occur.

7. The challenge is overcoming physical torment via palatable gaming app and eventually being able to overcome a 9 mile run in one session.
You will have the choice of approach and customization for your given avatar. You will not be expected to sprint or even run your miles in their entirety, you can take breaks and pause whenever you like, so long as you still run the majority of your mile instead of walking it.
Your Avatar will grow and appear more to your likeness the more you level it up through mileage.
There is always a chance of failure when putting your body to the test. Will this week be a suitable week to cash in on your 2x experience bonus or will it be a rest week?
You can add friends/avatar via social media connection or anonymously through proximity options. You can compare avatar appearances and accolades based on previous runs.
I think the application will be fun and fulfilling through the social and progression aspects of the game. I think it would be beneficial to the user to see tangible process being made on two fronts – one in the form of your avatar and one in the form of your own endurance being built up from mile 1 all the way up to mile 9.

Altered photo of the upcoming Audi e-tron GT

Choose a favorite video game from your childhood and apply a brief game analysis as described in section 7.2 of the Digital Games chapter. What about the technology of the time made the game leave such an impression on you?

Looking back on my childhood, two distinct games come to mind. They are Neopets and Adventure Quest Worlds. For the sake of this discussion I will be talking about Adventure Quest Worlds, (AQW), but Neopets was probably the “OG” browser/flash game for many kids in my generation, and I still see memes time to time referencing it. However, AQW provided a more complete experience of the four C’s Darran Jamieson coined for games.

Challenge: AQW regularly set up events for players to participate in, with the storyline often culminating in a boss fight or special event. This, alongside completing normal sidequests or storylines, gives players a sense of purpose and direction to take when playing the game.

Choice: AQW is a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game) and has a large explorable world with many different storylines to follow. This gives the player a multitude of choices, whether it is places to visit or quests to complete, AQW has something for everyone.

Change: As mentioned in Challenge, AQW is regularly updated with new storylines or sagas to complete. This gives players a reason to come back to play and offers a refreshed experience.

Chance: Even more common in today’s games than in AQW, cosmetic items or powerful gear can be found across the map and from completing quests. The opportunity to find this gear and gain power gives many players a compelling reason to keep playing.

Thor: Remix

I was drawn to the computer method/technique of simulation. I think the ability to mimic or imitate something is a very strong force and certainly brings up the ideas of increase in technology becoming threatening. I think that simulation holds a lot of threats within what it is capable of. One thing that struck me from today’s discussion was the Tom Cruise imitation technology. If we are able to imitate others through a visual lens there can be a lot of dangerous things with this, especially going as far as political threats.

(The Verge)

On the other hand I think simulation holds something very amazing for the world of digital gaming. There are VR games that simulate real world activities and really put you into a new environment. As an art form this can develop as our knowledge of technology increases. I can visualize a future where simulation has brought new reality based experiences, such as not actually having to leave to go to work. There may be a future where people simply put on a head set and enter a virtual world. People can also use this technology to make works of art that are either new worlds as it holds an infinite number of possibilities that can take on whatever someone could imagine.

(WearableTechnologies.com)

With the method of simulation I would be most interested in using it to travel the world. If I could have something that perfectly simulated what going to other countries would be like, but without the hassle and price of traveling that would be ideal. I do think there is benefits to seeing the real thing, but if this technology was available, more traveling could actually take place and more people could be involved in the experience.

Do you think that big data and data analytics introduce real threats to human culture or do they promise revolutionary changes that will ultimately benefit human life? What can we do to ensure that our digital technologies work to improve human and nonhuman lives?

The collection of people’s data certainly can introduce real threats to everyone’s lives. When ads, search results, and social circles are being pre-determined for people whenever they use the internet, alarm bells should start to ring. There is no free internet or universality if curated results are being displayed to you based off of a brand or politician’s monetary or political interests.

Collection of user data can bring quality of life updates to apps such as Google Maps. However while being able to display real time traffic is a great feature, why should it come at the expense of letting a company collect data about our personal lives? People freely voicing their opinions online are exposing themselves to companies that will take their data and show them messaging against their own opinion. All this in an effort to change that person’s mind because somebody is financially or politically motivated enough to pay the company to do it.

As humanity continues to progress through the information era, all of us should be more vigilant about the ads or posts we see and why we are being shown them.

I love how game worlds can be customized, and it is one of my favorite aspects. Sandbox games are amazing pieces of technology because they allow the player to completely immerse themselves in the game, since the possibilities are infinite and are only limited by your own imagination.

My favorite game of all time is called space engineers, which is a sansbox game where you have the ability to create any type of spacecraft, spacecraft, train, boat, car.etc, basically as I said before.

The main challenge for space engineers is to survive, as you are able to spawn either in outer space or inside a planet. After this, you are required to maintain ur level of energy, oxygen and fuel in high to survive and have ur ship running till u make it to a safer place. However, some planets have their own aliens or AI drones that will attack you if you approach them. Those also protect resources you can use for faster developing your vehicles, and spacecraft however they will attack you as soon as you appear near their spawn bases.

Space engineers offer a multiplier where you can use this chagle to create your own personal stories together with ue friends.

Additionally, you are able to make your own planets in space engineers and use game scripts to activate interactive mechanisms within your creations. The space craft I created, for example, would detect me when I approached it and open the door without ever touching a single bottom. Additionally, each of those scripts can be used in a variety of ways, weapon translation, printing spacecraft or vehicles in your own self-made factory.

What does it change in space engineers as you play?

Well pretty much everything as you move forward. Your player block will unlock so you will be capable of creating more advanced systems. The environment/weather/terrain will be modified by the player and their ability to create.

Based on the readings (and the videos in the 06 Data & Information chapter) above, do you think that big data and data analytics introduce real threats to human culture or do they promise revolutionary changes that will ultimately benefit human life? What can we do to ensure that our digital technologies work to improve human and nonhuman lives?

I think that big data is seen as a threat to the smaller things in life that one doesn’t think that could be taken over from it. For example, I think that Amazon is seen as “big data”, being able to send you your packages in 2-3 days instead of going to a small business and buying from them to help profit your community. Funny thing is that is so convenient for so many people to go the big data route.

I understand that big data is a positive thing for most people and how it can really benefit companies, families and can create a community for most people. Having large amounts of data can help with major world problems and hopefully one day help heal what some people have created such problems.

For my point of view with big data, it’s a little scary with how the world is censoring and watching our every move. I don’t feel safe or even feel that the ideas or belief I have for things is okay with the big data.

Digital games (which includes video games, apps and arcade games) emerge quite naturally from digital technology, because  computation (keeping score), interactivity (making play choices), narrative (story worlds), social interaction (fun with friends) and random effects (rolling dice) are all quite easy to simulate on a computer.  Choose a favorite video game from your childhood and apply a brief game analysis as described in section 7.2 of the Digital Games chapter. What about the technology of the time made the game leave such an impression on you?

When I was growing up my brother and I played Sonic the Hedgehog the most. I was 5 or 6 at the time, but for me I liked how he was blue cute animal, collected rings, on a tropical island and he was super fast. He didn’t have any super heroic powers, like moving elements or could fly. He just curled up in a ball and went a million miles per hour, I loved it.

The idea of the game as to collected all of thing rings in the level, collecting more rings gave you more points,  get the quickest time during the level, collect the extra fast shoes and defeat Dr. Egghead at the end of the levels. Wasn’t to hard for a little girl. It was fun and if I could find a Sega somewhere I would probably try to play it again.

Another game I remember being popular when I was little was Pokemon. I recall a friend having the Nintendo 64 game Pokemon Snap. He loved it and it was hard to get him away from him when I would be at his house and there to play.

Today I don’t play video games. But my husband bought a pre loaded super Nintendo and him and my daughter play super Mario bros and super Mario world. It’s really the cutest thing. I enjoy watching him teach her how to fight the Koopa and her favorite part is to find Yoshi and have him tag along in the adventure.