Research and Resources For Essay

Possible Questions?

How do you appeal to everyone, all ages and genders
Why do adults never grow up

Expanded Question
In this essay I will explore how a product can be designed and created for all ages, sizes, and gender.

In this essay I will investigate how today market appeal to such a broad adults through cartoons,television, and films.

Research Area To Keep In Mind
Nostalgia (Music, Images, Colour, Movies)
Childhood Nostalgia
Adult References
Humour
Character Designs
Disney 
How games/characters/movies have changed to appeal to a broader audience. 

Resources Found

http://www.jstor.org/stable/30216812
Audio Visual Communication Review
Film: The Case for Children's Films
by Robert W. Wagner
Vol. 5, No. 2 (Spring, 1957), pp. 476-482

Summary: This is a book/section of a book which talks about how children take to films through it's images and sounds, however these images are sounds are very old from 1940 to 1950's as this book is old. It supports the idea of how adults view childrens films and how children might feel when watching cartoons made by adults, which is supported by research. it also points out the many ways that children engage with cartoons and animations. 

Arguments:  
This book is old and it's research is old, children animation have changed thanks to technology, we are now able to encourage children entertainment with other uses of media such as games and TV.

This book address children as objects, there is no mention of how a child feels and the joy and excitement from it, only the theory of how they might feel 

Key Phrases From this resources:

"Experiments at Edinburgh during 1955-56 indicating that child communicators command attention not giving to adult voices on film, that colour attracts but of itself does not hold attention, and that children do not like to see other children misbehaving on screen." Page 481-482

"Mary Fields studies of children's film preferences show that Children from 7 to 12 years of age wanted to identify themselves with other children on the screen, and that the "good guys" have to win out over the "bad guys" until adolescences." page 481-482

  
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PBS Idea Channel
Is Nostalgia the Reason for Adventure Time's Amazing Awesomeness?
By Mike Rugnetta
Published by Youtube
Published on 14 Nov 2012

Description from Publisher: Adventure Time is an animated kids show on the Cartoon Network that is super popular, not just with the kids, but with full grown adults too! Why would a bunch of serious adults, including Mike's Mom, watch Adventure Time??? We think its because the show taps into our memories of childhood with nostalgia. But this isn't the "I Love the 90's" kind of nostalgia that we normally talk about! We're talking about Romantic Nostalgia which is a confusing emotion, mixing happy and sad, creating a powerful mix that really hits you right in your gut. It adds a ton of emotional depth to an already great kids show, which you should all really watch, because it is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MVvkqbXiws This is a wondering and insightful review into how nostalgia works in Adventure Time. Contains the dark side to Adventure Time and the hero and happy side to Adventure Time.

Summary:
Mike Rugnetta sums up a lot of evidence and support to why adventure time is so popular with children and adults. He argues that the nostalgia used in adventure time is something called classical nostalgia where you crave, ache, for that memory that you can't recreate. He goes on to explain how adventure time is romantically nostalgic, with the perfect collection of Imaginary friends, tree houses, magic, weapons, adventure it's perfect for childhood nostalgia. He goes on to the say that adventure time is nostalgia within nostalgia, this is done by adventure time wide collection of history within the show, which is a dark one. Finn is the only human, the lands are scattered with human technology and buildings, there is mention of wars, all of which creates a history within the show. he goes onto to explore how ambivalence is used in adventure time as this is what you see within he characters relationship, but also in the cute but disturbing creatures, the comedic but dyer situation, child like but none the less high stakes situations, which is in the show but is also experienced by the audience, which all contributes to drama. 

Arguments from text/video:

No mention of the style of animation, and how the character designs can reflect a young boy. 

No mention of how the music in adventure time is styled with 8-bit and analog music which can bring up nostalgia to those who played retro games. 

No mention how it can be also liked by all genders, even girls, despite the fact the man character is a boy with a male sidekick. 

No mention of adult references and humor, just nostalgia, when there clearly are adult references and humor (mainly from Jake as he's older) 

The use of realism, despite the fact that it is a cartoon and there are weird and wonderful creators, Finn and Jake do however experience the sight of death, and can be badly wounded or even come close to death, making it more appealing to adults as there is a hint of realism, rather than a slap stick style character where no body dies. This also raises the question of where it is okay to allow death to be shown to children (that might be off topic though)

Points/Connections and ideas

The use of Childhood nostalgia connected with (From BBC Finlo Rohrer, quote from Spike Jonze) is used in adventure time and movies such as Up, Finn and Jake live in a tree house, they do things like adventures that were done when we are young. 

Adult references for childhood nostalgia, such as princesses in need of help from the hero, can be connected with fair tales. (This is pointed out in the video)
 

Key Phrases From this resources:

"If your a kid adventure time probably looks like the inside of your head, exciting sights, magical objects, and impossible terrifying things, but if your adult adventure time is like remembering your childhood, fighting to be taken seriously, consistent encounters with new and unfamiliar challenges." 0:57 - 7:49

"Pendleton Ward has even said his favorite emotion is feeling simultaneous happy and sad, so that's a reaction he tries to elicit in adventure time. This is called ambivalence, and this is what is at the route of nostalgia, it means your holding on to two different conflicting emotions at the same time, and adventure time does it on two levels, so that's four total emotions." 3:34 - 7:49

" Adults watch cartoons but that's not the interesting part, the interesting part is the most of the cartoons adults watch, are made for adults. The Simpsons, Bobs Burger, Family Guy, South Park, even most anime, adults situation, adult humor, and maybe with the acceptance of anime, very little emotion depth." 4:41 - 7:49

"Adventure Time is maybe the closet television comes to classic theory tales, Exhibiting a combo of terror and humor, excitement and fear,  that are the very hallmarks of childhood." 5:13 - 7:49 

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By Finlo Rohrer BBC News Magazine 
How do you make children's films appeal to adults?
Published on 16 December 2009

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8415003.stm How do you make children's films appeal to adults? I perfect research and article how to appeal to adults.

Summary: This magazine article talks about how hollywood movies such as toys story, and shrek make their films popular with children as well as adults. "If the adults think there is something in it for them, they may even be more sympathetic to the shameless wave of merchandising aimed at their pestering offspring". These movies are often done by using a range of adult jokes and references that children wouldn't get but there will also be jokes and references that the adults wouldn't get. These adult refereneces comes from a range of interpretations such as finding Nemo a shark alcohol group trying to give up eating fish, when adults now they can only survive in the real world by eating fish, making the joke funny. It's not about how good the animation is, it's also highly depends on the story. by asking makers of the certain animation films and getting there views and opioions it's easy to see that when they're are many ways and views on how to approuch such films, some suggest making it for adults then children, or children then adults. after a great quote by Jonze explaining that they didn't make it with children in mind, but childhood, Finlo then goes onto say.
"Perhaps such an approach is inevitable when adults are asked to adapt a work that was important to them in their childhood"
There is certainly a question of what is a children's film. Are there, in fact, only "family" films? Why is there a presumption that an animation is aimed at children, unless demonstrated otherwise?" these are some of the question I myself need to know. Exploring films like the Incredible 2004 he find out that the film was criticised for going to fare in it's attempts to amuse adults. He also points out flows in making films with adult references for example Shrek the third it over done the adult references, which can't be seen to be working within 30 years as those references would be out dated, making the film unfunny to adults, and possibly children, Shark tale constructed around the references of the godfather which is very pointless in the future. He sums it all by from a reference from Mr Justin Johnson
"In terms of the fundamental good family film, the story is absolutely the driver. No matter how many references you hang around them if you haven't got a good story you haven't got a good film." 

My views: 
From reading this I can understand how Hollywood movies approach adults within animation films, but doesn't talk about the use of nostalgia just adult references from other movies or famous people. It's clear from this that movies like Shrek play on adult references but movies such as Up uses childhood, something that the adult can connect with and feel for, possibly resulting in there nostalgia, toy story as well can be used to play on adults nostalgia by the use of toys from the past, that adult possibly know and loved to play with when they were young. One of the main things i can see from reading this article is that no matter how many adult references you use they will be out dated if you use references from old movies or famous people, however typical adult reference that happen in adult life for everyone can still work, e.g. love, work, grown up problems. it's all about the story, if the story stinks the movie will to. 

Arguments:

No mention of connection with nostalgia, which is also one of the key actions to take when making a film for adults. 

No mention of how characters can be designed to be applying to an adult and child. 

The movies this article points out are in fact all animation of films for both adults and children, no mention of live action films The Grinch, a classic example of a film for children and adults.

Key Phrases From this resources:

"Shrek was seized upon as a turning point in that it had very definitely one kind of a text for kids and definitely a subtext for adults," says Justin Johnson, head of the Children's Film Programme at the British Film Institute."

"This year's Up represented a high water mark for the tactic, says Tony Earnshaw, head of film programming at the National Media Museum.
"There are so many layers to that film. It is more than just a standard cartoon or animated movie."
There has to be a smorgasbord of appeal in these modern family films to keep the adults interested, he says.

"If there isn't, all they can do is listen to the kids crunch popcorn and slurp their drinks."

"In terms of the fundamental good family film, the story is absolutely the driver. No matter how many references you hang around them if you haven't got a good story you haven't got a good film." Justin Johnson
BFI 

"Spike Jonze seemed to confirm it himself when he told an American newspaper: "The main goal wasn't to make a children's movie. I wanted to make a movie about childhood."  

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Future of Nostalgia
Svetlana Boym  
published by Basic Books
Published in 2001 

Keywords/phrases

“Nostalgia (From nostos - return home, and algia – longing) is a longing for a home that no longer exists or has never existed. Nostalgia is a sentiment of loss and displacement, but it is also a romance with one’s own fantasy” (Page XIII).  

"The object of romantic nostalgia must be beyond the present space of experience, somewhere in the Twilight of the past or on the island of utopia work time has happily stopped, as on an antique clock." page 13 - 404
 

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http://www.jstor.org/stable/3874449 
Children's Imaginings and Narratives: Inhabiting Complexity
Amal Treacher
Published by: Palgrave Macmillan Journals

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Information

Television, memory and nostalgia
Amy Holdsworth
University of Glasgow
published by Palgrave Macmillan
26th august 2011
 

Book outline and reviews from others:

'Television, Memory and Nostalgia provides an insightful and highly evocative consideration of television's multiple relationships to memory, and is stimulating in both its range of examples and in the way that the book cuts a path through debates within television and memory studies. The book moves elegantly from a broad-based critical and theoretical reflection on television time and memory – utilizing The Royle Family to brilliant effect - towards a series of chapters that examine memory texts, memorialized TV moments, and the material networks of television memory. These are all handled with considerable critical skill. Amy Holdsworth pulls off a sometimes rare quality in academic writing, producing a work that is, at once, intellectually stimulating and original, but also accessible and effortless to read.' - Paul Grainge, University of Nottingham, UK

'Television, Memory and Nostalgia is an exemplary work of interdisciplinary scholarship that will have a significant impact on its readers' thinking about the vexed relationships between our media and our memories. Holdsworth's investigation of television's contemporary "memory boom" draws together the theories and methodologies of television and memory studies in a manner that complicates the fundamental assumptions of both disciplines, dismantling the doxa that television fosters - and itself suffers from - a profound amnesia. Breaking with past treatments of this subject, Holdsworth focuses on the quotidian as opposed to the catastrophic, on popular as opposed to consecrated texts, and on memory's spatial dimensions as opposed to time. The originality of the book's approach extends to its presentation: sprinkled amidst its meticulous analyses of clip shows, season-ending montages, museum exhibitions, and discarded television hardware are deeply personal descriptions of Holdsworth's own televisual madeleines. These recollections beautifully capture the sensuousness of memory, and the sensuousness of television as well.'
- Max Dawson, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA

Often characterised by its 'transience' and 'ephemerality', and even more seriously, seen as an 'amnesiac', television's relationship with both memory and nostalgia has long been neglected and ignored. An innovative and original new study, Television, Memory and Nostalgia re-imagines the relationship between the medium and its forms of memory and remembrance through a series of case studies of British and North American programmes and practices. These include the role of memory in serial dramas ER, Grey's Anatomy and The Wire, an investigation of the family history format Who Do You Think You Are?, forms of nostalgia television including the US and UK versions of Life on Mars, and a study of television's material cultures in both the home and the museum. Offering new conceptual and analytical insights into television, the book considers not only the role of television in the constitution of contemporary memory cultures, but the role of memory and nostalgia in the operation of specific television cultures as well.

Summary: The book focuses on plenty of television marketing methods and the ways the are used to target viewers when watching TV, it as plenty of evidence and support to back up the theory’s and methods used in the arguments. The book many focus how TV uses nostalgia to get viewers in, and how by rerunning old TV shows or making TV shows looking at classic moments in TV how they can keep the viewer in. Amy Holdsworth does not talk as such about how the nostalgia had been created in the first place, she does touch on programs like countdown and how a TV program like that always creates memorable moments, but not in the way the brings happiness and sense of joy to the viewers/ childhood or romantic nostalgia.

Arguments: Talks too much about how TV is marketed with the use of nostalgia to bring in people to watch reruns, allowing them to make more money from viewing.

Doesn’t show a great deal or understanding how nostalgia can be created only how it can be used to bring back memory’s as such

Key words/phrases:

Susan Stewart writes that ‘the nostalgic is enamored amount of distance, not of referent itself. This nostalgia cannot be sustained without loss’ (1993, p 145) on longing (Durham: duke university press.)

Television is arguably responsible for the construction of a popular iconography of the nostalgia, and though not alone, it can be seen to build and reinforce a series of visual repertories which refer to a specific era or period, or combined selected and selective images, objects, sounds and soundtracks to connote an appropriate sense of ‘pastness’ (p 97-98)

As perhaps the most clearly defined type of nostalgia program, the ‘countdown’ often runs across several hours and is occasionally drawn from viewers’ polls in listing magazines such as the Radio Times. Pro-grammes such as the hundred 100 Greatest Kids’ TV Shows (Channel 4, 2001) or vision that are based upon the notion of the ‘memorable moment’- but are also, through the process of canonization, involved in constructing certain moments as memorable. (p 101)

Nostalgia television is a characterised by the playful address with the expectations of remembering. Here, a desire to remember may translate into the pleasure of recognition and deep forms of affection generated by the nostalgia, yet this is tempered by the risk of non-recognition or the disappointments of mis-remembering. Despite these variable ‘payoffs’ the pleasures of nostalgia television are driven by curiosity and anticipation: Will it be how I remember it? Is this how we once were? These pleasures in part reveal the successful ‘hook’ (p 102)

The makers of life on Mars is explicitly stated that the program was designed to challenge the nostalgic representations of the 1970s (see Downey 2007). Based on an understanding of nostalgia as a longing for an idealised past, life on Mars certainly offers a more complicated world view -1973 Manchester is far from idealised. However, it is Sam’s central ambition to ‘get home’ that makes the series, first and foremost, a nostalgic narrative. (p 107)

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Understanding Disney
Janet Wasko
Published in 2001
Published by Polity Press 

Book outlines / Reviews from others:

Review

′Janet Wasko′s Understanding Disney is a comprehensive critical examination of the Disney company and its operations. This is an ambitious, thoughtful and exciting book – one of the most important books in media studies in years, and it deserves the attention of scholars and students everywhere.′ Robert W. McChesney, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. ′Janet Wasko, one of the foremost political economists of communication, turns her considerable skills and energy to analysing the nearly endless flow of Disney products worldwide. The result is an E–ticket ride for everyone, from general readers to Disney specialists.′ Susan Davis, University of California, San Diego

From the Back Cover

Since the 1930s the Walt Disney Company has produced characters, images, and stories which have captivated audiences around the world. How can we understand the appeal of Disney products? What is it about the Disney phenomenon that attracts so many children as well as adults? In this major new book, Janet Wasko examines the processes by which the Disney company – one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world – manufactures the fantasies which enthrall millions. She analyses the historical expansion of the Disney empire, examines the content of Disney′s classic films, cartoons and TV programs and shows how they are produced, considering how some of the same techniques have been applied to the Disney theme parks. She also discusses the reception of Disney products by different kinds of audiences. By looking at the Disney phenomenon from a variety of perspectives, she provides a fresh and comprehensive account of one of the most significant media and cultural institutions of our time.
This important book by a leading scholar of the entertainment industries will be of great interest to students in media and cultural studies and will appeal to a wide readership.

Summary: Janet Wasko cleary shows a tremendous amount of understatement as well as passion to understand an Interpretation of the world of disney, no stone is unturned within this book as Janet Wasko explores every little detail about diseny you may or may not wanna know about. Janet Wasko found the meaning behind a lot of things that Disney do to make there films/cartoons so great, from the rules animators follow, to the writers, anything you need to know about Disney is in this book.

Arguments: No arugments can be made within this book, as the book is about the investigations into Disney.  
   
Keywords / phrases:

The importance of Disney in the market for children's products cannot be overemphasised. For instance, the company represents well over 10 percent of the 2.2 billion infant products market. Page 50 of 261

According to one source, the Disney home page itself attracts more than 9.7 million "unique visitors" each month. Meanwhile, Grover estimate that 25 percent of nearly 80 million Internet users in the USA visit a Disney-related website each month. Page 52 

The more structured story lines became moral tales with overt values symphonies, which helped to develop the classic Disney style model as well as serve as experiments in technology (sound/colour) and aesthetics (animation techniques, movement, etc)  page 111 

The classic Disney style came to be typified which revolved mostly around physical gags and slapstick, relying heavily on anthropomorphised (human like), neotenized (childlike) animal characters. Page 111 

Animators were told to "keep it cute" when it came to creating characters, as the description of each Disney character reveals. Page 111 

Classic Disney developed as a specific type of story with a predictable plot featuring a collection of formulaic  characters. In addition, the theme empathised in Disney productions came to represent specific values and a fairly well- defined ideology. Page 112 

Disney Often used, and still relies quite heavily on, classic folk and fairytales as the basis for feature films and even shorter cartoons. Page 113, 

As many critics have noted, stories and characters typically go through a process of Disneyfication, which involves sanitisation and Americanisation. 

Page 113  

Classic Disney films represent commercial, Hollywood Cinema and thus have employed family narrative elements. In fact, it certainly seems to fit rather nicely into Bordwell, Staiger, and  Thompson's well-known model of "classic Hollywood Cinema," which is described as follows. Page 113 

Classic Disney includes characters who are usually quite predictable. The Disney animators are careful formulas in creating  characters and stories, which typically revolved around heroes or heroines who are
Strikingly handsome/beautiful, with an upper class or aristocratic background. There is always a villain, who is typically the opposite of the hero/heroine, often ugly, extremely fat or extremely thin, with exaggerated facial features. In addition, humorous sidekicks are usually provided for the main characters. Page 115 

Many Disney plots revolve around characters wishing to escape from their current setting or situation. Page 117

 And of course, the wish is most often grouted all made possible by a ferry all magical being, not necessarily by the actions of the character. Certainly, this is an attractive fantasy to be able to escape without any effort from one's current life forward to another more appealing one. Page 117 and 118 

Note to self.

Disney have a market in pretty much everything, it's almost impossible to avoid Disney, as they own markets in radio, Internet, TV, theme parks, films, toys, and even video games. ( just a personal view and options not in the book.)

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Submitted by Seth Fair on May 19, 2011 - 6:42am
http://3dcharacterfactory.com/community/blog/what-it-means-create-appealing-character-and-why-its-important-animation 

Keywords:
 “appeal is anything that a person likes to see”  

Disney animators and legends Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston wrote about the animation principals and the formulaic approach they helped create in their landmark 1981 book, The Illusion of Life.  They wrote that “appeal is anything that a person likes to see”.

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Public idea's a views: This section is to help me understand what some of the public feel, these can give me idea's and possible some support with my investigation. 

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1792977
http://www.giantbomb.com/forums/general-discussion-30/has-makeing-a-game-appeal-to-a-broader-audience-ev-577825/
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/615803-/61212400

Notes to ask lecture:

If i've collected information about a product from the internet, but do need to qoute it, only need to lightly touch it, do i still need to reference the source. Example the information about sonic's popularity such as the comics and games, ( Ialready personly know this information) same for the appeal to character design website. 

Try to understand what is plagiarism and what isn't   

The Desert Of The Real

The meanings of 'Reality'

“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation” (Reference from Oscar Wilde)

Matrix

The Matrix could be one of the most perfect examples of reality vs virtual reality, it brings up so many questions about what is real and what is not real. Within the scene Neo is asked if he belives in fate, he denies it and says he doesn't like the idea that he is not in control of his discussions, which can bring up many asked and wonder questions about fate, without fate, you are free to make and set your own, with fate you have no choice to accept what is coming, which brings me to ask, is not having fate part of reality, people believe in fate, and hope that they are lead to their destiny, but doesn't that defeat the purpose of reality if everything is set. Like a video game, you know what you have to do, you know what will happen, and you know the fate of your character, this breaks one level of reality between the player and the game.

Neo is asked which pill to take, Blue to stay in wonderland (Matrix) and Red to get out. Seeing these scene and the options given, can really make you ask yourself which pill would I take? My guess is that most people would take the red pill, they want to know more, and understand more, some may take the blue.

Why would you take the blue pill? The blue pill keeps you in the world that you are comfortable and safe in, you accept that the matrix would you the real would, and live your life with out question.

Why take the red pill? Has humans we question why we excite and whats our purpose, the meaning of life, and if there is a chance to find out those reasons, your fate, then you would want to take it, to finally understand and know the purpose.

(Reference from personal view)

Playstation Home:
A virtual 3D social gaming platform developed for the PS3 and PS3 users. Playstation Home allows users to create a custom avatar, which can be groomed realistically, user can make a virtual version of themselves or what they would like to be like. Users can also decorate their avatar's personal apartment with default, bought, or won items. Within the apartments they can custom it to there personal taste, and invite friends over to hang out, and can now even make it a membership, allowing anyone to join into your apartment.

Users can travel throughout the Home world and go to public spaces with other users around the world. Home features many single and multi-player mini-games. Users can shop for or win new items to further customise their avatar or apartments. It is this type of world/gaming that allows users to escape the reality of real life, and become an avatar that they feel and connect with. Talking to other users avatars and connecting with them, allows players to be drawn into the virtual world. However home has many limitations, which brakes the connection between reality and the virtual world, for example, players can not hug, high five, fight, work, etc in playstation home.

Second Life:
An online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. Second Life users, can much like Playstation home, interact with each other through avatars (Also called Residents). Residents can explore the world (known as the grid), meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, and create and trade virtual property and services with one another. This online virtual world allows people to (just like the name) have a second life, and there are fare less limitation with second life there there is in Playstation home.

(Reference from personal view and Wikipedia) 

These types of virtual worlds provided to use, allow use to escape reality and they grow more popular each year. But why would you want to escape, is it because the real world, doesn't feel real to them, so the virtual would is better (Taking the blue pill) or is it because they're simple bored with their life and want to meet new people to get away from the reality of their own life.

Jacques Lacan

Jacques Lacan is a french philosopher, he has been called "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Sigmund Freud. Jacques Lacan created the theory rejecting the belief that reality can be captured in language.

(Reference from Wikipedia and Lecture)

The mirror stage 

1949 Lacan presents his report on mirror stage, where a 6 month year old child doesn't fully recognise that the reflection of image of themselves is in fact them, until 15 to 16 months of age do they becomes self aware that the image they see, is them. The same can be done on animals, for example, cats when young, hiss or feel threaten by the sight of another cat, which is in fact themselves in a mirror, only till they are older to they relies that what they see is a reflection of themselves.

Lacan talks about how the mirror stage can reflect ego

The Mirror stage to me tells us that we are simple unaware of who we are and our surroundings till we have developed our brain to a certain level that can work out who we are. 

(Reference from Wikipedia and Lecture)

Project/Reflecting self-image

Projecting your style and personality can be done through the way we dress and act, we want to show who we are, and what we like through out clothing and our personality  From the path we take in life, we take on what we think represents what we want to feel and present. This is seen everywhere, some girls who love TV shows such as the only way is Essex will follow their dress style, fashion and even their speech, so they can be like the person they ideal. Others will ignore the fashion in today's world and create their own style, but by being around people that think alike they will feel comfortable and form and be part of a like minded group defeating the object or being different. We even do self reflecting through our taste in music, an example for music can be seen the same as fashion, e.g. if what is in the music charts, then everyone must like to hear it, there for I must like this music as well to be seen as someone cool, Or the goths listen to heavy metal and doom music there for to be part of the group I must like that style of music as well. Liking a style of music can be seen as a way to project you taste and you self image, an example again, I like classical music, there for I'm smart and like upper class things.

(Reference from personal view and Lecture)

What do we want? Why do we want it? How do we know we want it?

When the subject speaks he is, unbeknownst to himself, merely ‘spoken’ (Zizek, 2006, p.40)

These are all good questions, and they are created through the journey in our life, we want things we cannot have, these things are normally placed into our minds through life that are seen to be cool or will improve your life if you can have it, these things are shown to use today through films, the media, adverts or any other type of projection. An example could be done with cars, I want a Volkswagen Beetle because they're cool, hip, stylish, and an icon, but why would i think and feel like that? Because through films and other types of media the idea that the car is cool, hip, and stylish has been placed in my mind so there for that is why I want it.
It's not just through the media, people you will look up to will have there style of choices, which you may not share, but seeing as you look up to this person and want to be like this person, you accept there style and taste, and like the same things as they do.

(Reference from personal View and Lecture)

The Big Other.

What does that mean? well God, Religion, Sociologically defined 'Order' ('Rules') A Grand Narrative, that which orders our lives, the 'Symbolic space' within wich we dwell.

The ‘big Other’ becomes the focus of all the decisions we make, whether conformist or transgressive.

The big Other defines all of our actions/ desires

e.g. the law (or social ‘rules’) gives rise to our desire to transgress

No matter what decision we make, in the back of our minds the big other, God, religion, the law will always be they're with us, you may not believe in god but the idea of what is right and what is wrong will be there with you, these right and wrongs are placed with us from the start of life, we are taught the law, religion, and what is right and wrong so we know when we go through life how to live, it's can been seen as a type of control over your life.

(Reference from Personal view and Lecture)

Control from the big other

• If the big Other is in control of our desires, then we are not.

• In this way, the big Other defines what it is to be human. To treat others in the same way we expect to be treated by them, we are treating them in the way that the Big Other desires.

• Humans are both object (of the other’s treatment) and subject (who treats the other in the same way), so desire is fulfilled in both directions  

Fantasy 

Everyone does it and it can be a wonderful thing to do, but everyone's fantasies are different, some will fantasy the simple things, being rich and living a life they want to have, others will fantasy about being someone else they want to be but some will have dangerous desire that can be satisfied safely through fantasy.

‘Fantasy serves as the screen that protects us from being overwhelmed by the raw real.’ ( Quote reference from Slavoj Zizek)  

So what does The Raw real mean? In today games, books and films we are able to explore violence, death, and destruction, even passion without a care, knowing that what we see is only made up, unreal apart of our fantasy, this is fine, and we all mostly accept when we watch a cow boy film and the cow shoots someone dead, that this is only a story, and fantasy, no one actually died it's entertainment and part of life. But by playing video games with these aspects we are able to escape the real world a perform such act that we would not able to do in the real world can take on another level. Using fantasy to channel transgression to explore the unspoken acts, is when we are able to imagine and expand what it would be like to do these acts without consequences of our actions. Violet video games are a way to channel transgression, Hitman a game solo based on killing and taking out people, Man Hunt, a game with extreme violence and murder on other gangs, Grand Theft Auto, probably one of the best examples to channel transgression where a player can kill anyone, with pretty any weapon, whilst stealing, beating and dealing/taking drugs all within one game. It is these games that the fantasy for channel transgression can be taken, whether they are right or wrong is debatable, as at the end of the day these are only computer generated images, no one is killed and no one is hurt, but the effects of the exposures to these fantasy may have a much worst result on the players.

(Reference from personal view and Lecture)

Reality/Non-reality/Unreality, blurring the boundaries

The internet can play a big real in today's society and way of life, we use it to learn, connect and explore. it can also be used a sort of fantasy. Cyber bulling is a type of fantasy where you have the power to say and do what you want, all because your behind and computer and nobody can really do anything to you or find you. People are able to attack other people and say horrible things that they wouldn't ever normally say in real life, purely because they are masked by the computer they use.
There have been extreme cases of online bulling that pushes the boundaries, for example below

Jon Ungoed-Thomas, Times Online, March 25th 2007

ABOUT 100 internet chat room users who witnessed a British man kill himself online — including some who allegedly incited him to hang himself — were this weekend being traced by detectives to be questioned over their roles in the “cyber suicide”.

Kevin Whitrick, 42, from Telford, Shropshire, killed himself after being goaded in an “insult” chatroom at the Paltalk website. One of the users is claimed to have told him: “F***ing do it. Get on with it.” 

This is an extreme case, resulting in someone death, there are however many sides to this matter. The British man Kevin could of used internet to help push himself to the limit of killing himself, knowing that are people out there that would push him, Or he could of was simply wanted people to listen to him and help him to make him feel okay, but unfortunately to the wrong people. However the other side to the bullies is that they simple didn't take him seriously, they saw someone being stupid online, and to him shut up, they told him what he wanted to hear or they were just people that loved that fact they could say and do whatever they wanted to Kevin because they are bullies and horrible people themselves. Of course this is only my theory not fact, the result not matter who did what for what reason is has still resulted in a terrible death, that shouldn't of happened. 

From a personal view, there is more violet and angry people online all the time, in chat rooms and bloggers, worst on Youtube, simply because they can say and do what they like. The internet is another form of channeling transgression to some people, you able to take a role of someone that your not.

(Reference from personal view and Lecture)

Narrative Space

Spatial stories and environmental storytelling

"Game designers don't simply tell stories, they design worlds and sculpt space" Game designers desighn everything for a purpose, it isn't there best, it looks cool, or just because, it's there to represent a meaning to the story. Games like Dungeons and Dragons have Dungeon Master's they design the space for players to explore in, and have quests in.

Game designers tell there story through spaces all the time, some of the best examples are text based games, as they totally rely on the story telling to describe and scene. From these description presented in the text, they help create the emotion and feel to the players surroundings.

Theme parks use narrative space to a great deal, they may not involve characters to follow or possible much of a storyline, but they do present a theme. When lining up to go on a ride, the ride will have a range of themes and colours to represents it's meaning, E.G. the ride to Nemesis at Alton Towers has blood rivers, destroyed roller coaster carriages within the river and alien like tentacles all over the ride to represent an evil monster that you will have to ride against.

< Nemesis ride

Presenting a simple narrative to the space around the riders gives a sense of purpose to the reasoning of the colours and designs presented to the ride. Rides need names that present their purpose and meaning, take the ride Air, if it was called Air we wouldn't relate to the ride is being a "flying in the air" Stimulation.

There are four times environmental storytelling

• Evocative Spaces: Evoke preexisting narrative association

•  Enacting Stories: Spaces provide a staging ground on which narrative events are enacted

• Embedded Narrative: Narrative information embedded within Mises-en-Scène

• Emergent Narratives: Player in more involved in narrative decision-making

 

(Reference from personal view and Lecture)

Evocative Space

Amusement parks will use stories or genre traditions well known to the visitors to Intrigued them and share they knowledge into a physical space which can allow their fantasy to be free. These rides themes are often used take sonic spin ball at Alton Towers, the knowledge and idea of Sonic is already there in the minds of the visitors making the ride theme and style appealing and attractive. 

In game turns these are themes from films, theater, TV all represented within a game. Lego star wars uses it's own material theme with Lego characters and bricks to build the game. Using Star Wars story, costumes, characters and set all with the Lego theme adds that extra fantasy feel to the game. We enjoy the game because it's Lego and Star wars, but mashed together to give us another tasty prospective on the much loved film.


(Reference from personal view and Lecture)

Enacting Stories

Games are more will often have smaller goals within the overall story, example like sonic trying to get the end of the level to spin the panel to get Sonic's face to say this level is complete. These smaller goals however are designed to have memorable moment in a way, much like sonic does with it's use of themes and music throw out the game, these memory moments can also be done in cut-scene as well to drive the story, even if the games goal is small. Game play has some of the bigger story driven moments like Uncharted 2 with it's extreme high action scenes which will create an emotional impact and experience on the player which helps the overall story experience within the game.

A threat to the interactive narrative are included within the story's, these are the obstacles a player may face within a game, such as enemy's, traps, or just simply getting lost in the games map. players can lose the plot of the story, or just even take no interest to the story, because of the freedom given to the players. Where games that are on rail, can make the game narrative work really well, as the game is built on a story based game within a well crafted world.

Dilemma's are included in some enacting games, these are when player must determine the path or the story they wish to undertake. The designers have to make it, so the story the player as chosen doesn't go off the framework an freedom that the player is taking including the conflicted of making the story stray a path from the overall narrative.


(Reference from personal view and Lecture)

Embedded Narrative

Detective stories in games, movie, TV are the best examples as they have two stories or more stories to them, the investigation, the sequence and motivation to the murder, and story to the main character (Detective) himself, Usually show they bad past or problems they may have.

Two kinds of in-game narrative:

1. “Relatively unstructured, controlled by the player as he explored the game space and unlocks its secrets” [Story of player’s exploration]

2. “Prestructured, but embedded within the mise en scène awaiting discovery” [The unfolding written plot]

(Reference from personal view and Lecture)

Emergent Narrative

These are narratives that can be created by the player using the space provided within the game, take The Sims for example, The Sims allows players to make their own story, character, and choices through the game, allowing the player to make their own narrative, they can create their own homes, friends they may know in real life or movie actors to join them in their own game. However The Sims does have its limits. Players can not choose to make a Sim commit crimes such as murder, or other sorts of criminal acts the game or even create complex story, only a certain range of story that the game can provide can the player play. 

These types of Narrative take a lot of time for the player to make, and a lot of props and items to perform the players idea's and imagine, normally involving lots of expansion packs to provide the need to create a players own narrative.

(Reference from personal view and Lecture)

Conclusion

However a games narrative is expressed, it is always influenced by the way the games creatures organise the games space. Without a designers influence within a game, the game space in which a player will take can not be created without someone else view and idea's.

(Reference from personal view and Lecture)

The 4 Types of Environmental Narrative


• Evoked Narratives: “Can either enhance our sense of immersion within a familiar world or communicate a fresh perspective on a well- known story through the altering of established details”


• Enacted Narratives: “The story itself may be structured around the character’s movement through space, and the features of the environment may retard or accelerate that plot trajectory”


• Embedded Narratives: “The game space becomes a memory palace whose contents must be deciphered as the player tries to reconstruct the plot.”


• Emergent Narratives: “Game spaces are designed to be rich with narrative potential, thereby enabling the story-constructing activity of players”

(Reference from personal view and Lecture)

15/10/12 Behind the game story

15/10/12

Chris Brindle and Patrick Sweeting
Task: find the meaning behind the stories in games

Behind Red Faction

Red Faction has plenty of connections and hidden messages within its game, it points out much of the floors in human society today, and how easily big company’s can exploit those that are vulnerable.  The story goes that the miners on mars, who are mining for resources for planet earth, are being mistreated, work long hours, beaten for no reason, kept in poor conditions, and to top it all off an illness they call the plague, is spreading around with in the miners killing them all off. All the miner unit and rebel against Ultor complex, the company that runs the whole process on Mars.

Many of these exploits seen within the game can be seen in todays world, for example the miners in South Africa’s, are currently on protest against the low pay, poor work conditions and living conditions they have to endure. When protesting for their voice to be heard, South Africa’s police force open fired for no reason, on the protesters killing people and arresting them under false allegations, this is very much connected to Red Faction. The protest for better working condition and pay can also been seen in 1972 and 1974 where miners strike within the UK, many protest were undertaken and arrests were made. These connections show us, how miners through out history and the world have been taken advantage of, even today, like in South Africa, miners in china or any poorer state are having to work in terrible work conditions and long unbearable hours, simple because it’s cheap and they are all easily replaced.

Red Faction has many meanings behind its name, for example the word RED, can relate to communism, where everyone is equal and together, Red has the connection to the red flag of Russia, which was created in 1917 when removing royal family and reuniting the nation. And the definition of the word faction means a small, organized, dissenting group within a larger one, combining the two together forms a strong message of power.

The plague within red faction, is a man made disease treated by scientists, who use some of the miners for lab rats, the connection and exploits of this can be again seen in our history, usually war, for example the Nazi did many weapon testing and experiments on the capture Jews. These heartless treatments were used for purposes for making bio weapons and better equipment for the use of the field. 

Red Faction underlines that even when these miners are under poor conditions, and living in terrible life, there is always someone looking for more ways to make money. 

Ultor complex, the company the rules the whole operation can represent any big financial corporation, such as Microsoft, Sainsbury’s, and Next, can be seen as good example, they can easily have the opportunity to take advantage of people, whether this been in work factory’s or cheap labour, without the rest of the world knowing, until something goes wrong, much like todays banks, using the country’s money to gamble for there own benefits.


(Reference from personal view, Lecture, and Wikipedia)