Monthly Archives: November 2015

Capstone Project – #Gamergate controversy

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The #Gamergate movement, in August of 2014, started off as a movement by gamers demanding more transparency within video game journalism. The movement however, soon turned into a full blown cyber war with anonymous members of the movement resorting to using harassment methods such as doxing, threats of rape and death threats against members of the video game community who spoke out against the movement.  The gamergate movement has become a manifestation of a culture war over gaming culture diversification, artistic recognition, social criticism of video grams, and the gamer social identity.  Observers of the movement have described it as a movement that was started with a valid discussion regarding ethics in journalism that was hijacked and turned into a far right-wing, anti-feminist harassment group, who targeted mostly female figures in the gaming industry and of people who are socially critical of video games.Traditionally the video gaming community has been known to be a heavily male dominated community. Gamergate is reflective of concerns regarding sexism and progressivism in the video game culture.

The first approach to this project is to create an infographic image that will be used a timeline of sorts that will help visitors of the site understand how the movement started and what were some of the major events that resulted from the movements. The next part is to create an animated infographic video that will talk about what exactly is the gamergate movement and what are some of the major implications that resulted from the movement.’

https://twitter.com/TheSynDicate63/status/662092898163232768

https://twitter.com/TheSynDicate63/status/662092279973150720

https://twitter.com/TheSynDicate63/status/662091372569034752

https://twitter.com/TheSynDicate63/status/662090148121710592

https://twitter.com/TheSynDicate63/status/662089259092832256

 

Ryan Schafte Capstone Blog Post

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To my knowledge, no one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great dramatists, poets, filmmakers, novelists and composers. That a game can aspire to artistic importance as a visual experience, I accept. But for most gamers, video games represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic.

— Roger Ebert

 

When defining “art,” it is usually accepted that it has to be creatively made, and has some aesthetic beauty or emotional power behind it. Some, however, consider something “art” solely because it’s on a canvas, or on display. As such, sentiments like the one above are sadly prevalent. That is why for my project I will once more touch upon the topic of video-games as an art form, and challenge the bias which drives the notion that they are not.

This will be challenging, as I’ll have to find an approach different from what I’ve done previously. The plan thus far is to first create an infographic which lists various games and their contributions to the industry, or to storytelling as a whole. After coming up with the infographic, I will create a “mashup” using video capture software to obtain highlights from the games listed that have made an emotional impact on players, or were praised for their beauty and the level of skill required to develop them, so as to properly illustrate the concept of video-games as “art.”

https://twitter.com/RyanSchafte/status/662014282444357632

https://twitter.com/RyanSchafte/status/662016793075027968

https://twitter.com/RyanSchafte/status/662018761533190144

https://twitter.com/RyanSchafte/status/662020167874940929

https://twitter.com/RyanSchafte/status/662020820340899840

 

 

Capstone Project – Abigail Hughes – MPAA Rating System

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Originally a system founded on assisting parents with determining whether or not a movie is suitable for children, the MPAA has evolved into an oppressive, convoluted system. By restricting a film’s audience and decreasing its overall income. The system is inconsistent, bias and (at times) holds more of a strict tone towards movies that are independently funded. For example, the movie “Love Actually” was given an ‘R’ for its use of an “inappropriate” word. However, the same word has been used in countless other films more than once that have received a ‘PG-13’. In addition to this, it’s unclear as to what constitutes as an PG, R or PG-13 movie – as violence and language are both contributing factors but neither are measured in the same way. Debatably, this system no longer cares about protecting children from inappropriate movies and instead about maintaining a dominance over cinema.

It’s clear that either we must assert a new movie-rating-system or allow parents to gauge movies for themselves. Either way the MPAA cannot remain the way it is today.

To complete this project I am going to continue working on the animation though Adobe After Effects and place it under its own tab within the website. Then, I’m going to create downloadable wallpapers (formed in different sizes) for laptops and phones that pertain to my cause. I am also thinking of creating icons for each tab as to make the site’s background interactive.

Capstone Project — Paternity Leave

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For the longest time, I have been dismayed at the state of our maternity care, in particular, maternity leave in the United States. Along with Papua New Guinea and Suriname, the United States is the only industrialized country without mandated maternity leave, let alone paternity leave. There has been much focus on this issue from a variety of perspectives, and so, I believe that I will learn much more if I research and discuss the less known, but arguably more dismal condition of paternity leave in our country. My Capstone project will aim to gather, synthesize, and articulate the most recent information concerning paternity leave in the United States and abroad, in order to create awareness.

I will be creating an infographic file with a combination of statistics and vectors that bring up the issues surrounding paternity leave. This artifact will be further enhanced by a sound remix file that focuses on other countries’ solutions and results to the problem, highlighting key areas like Sweden. These two files will be encased within a website that provides a basic background concerning how increased paternity leave will ultimately help elevate maternity leave, as well as the health and well-being of the American family. There will also be links to recent research findings and statistics reflecting the impact of such regulations. A full works cited page will be included as well, along with materials for further reading and thought.