What is ART?
Three theories or perspectives to look at art.
a) emotivist theory - artistic expression of emotion, artist-based emotional theory of art
b) sentimentalist theory - emotional responses of the viewer/listener, audience-based emotional theory of art
c) rationalist theory - rational communication + rational production
Using the three perspectives we can try to look at art as:
Something created intentionally, being able to communicate anything that will elicit a determined set of emotions in the receiver
julho 18, 2004
In the beginning I was looking for the convergence between film and virtual reality. I had a path to follow, to do a profound film study of 3-4 movies related to virtual reality, analysing the future consequences of VR in reality, in life, society, film - in the end a cultural analysis.
Then I turned my interests to storytelling - narratives, the art of storytelling, stereotypes of narrative - more versed in art theories.
Then I looked at emotions, the way to build emotions in a videogame through storytelling - psychology is over my head.
In some way i've returned back to my prior quests before the PhD - Why is interactive content communication (like virtual reality) not as emotional as film?
Don't know where I'll be in the next couple of months. I feel that I need to focus, and above all to find a strong link between these works already done. I'll need to bang my head in looking for answers. Where is the goal, what is my final target, what am I trying to prove that nobody else have already tried?
Just know that I want something that mixes emotions, film, VR and storytelling. I also know that there are some people out there working in the same area and that probably already found some solutions. Maybe that I need to focus a bit more in a sub-area of all this 4 mixed areas... at the same time I'm afraid to go deeper because every time I've to write something (papers) on the area, I've to justify and explain everything in the beginning because not everybody is aware of the state-of-the-art in the 4 areas.
So, that's where I'm now. I'm working in the building of a straight line for this multidisciplinary PhD. Hope to find some answers till the end of the summer, in the between I'll have to finish the chapter on film study.
Then I turned my interests to storytelling - narratives, the art of storytelling, stereotypes of narrative - more versed in art theories.
Then I looked at emotions, the way to build emotions in a videogame through storytelling - psychology is over my head.
In some way i've returned back to my prior quests before the PhD - Why is interactive content communication (like virtual reality) not as emotional as film?
Don't know where I'll be in the next couple of months. I feel that I need to focus, and above all to find a strong link between these works already done. I'll need to bang my head in looking for answers. Where is the goal, what is my final target, what am I trying to prove that nobody else have already tried?
Just know that I want something that mixes emotions, film, VR and storytelling. I also know that there are some people out there working in the same area and that probably already found some solutions. Maybe that I need to focus a bit more in a sub-area of all this 4 mixed areas... at the same time I'm afraid to go deeper because every time I've to write something (papers) on the area, I've to justify and explain everything in the beginning because not everybody is aware of the state-of-the-art in the 4 areas.
So, that's where I'm now. I'm working in the building of a straight line for this multidisciplinary PhD. Hope to find some answers till the end of the summer, in the between I'll have to finish the chapter on film study.
julho 16, 2004
I, Robot (2004)
I, Robot by Alex Proyas
«Asimov... making machines an example of how the world could be bettered through the mastery of technology. ..The robot was artificial intelligence in a man's shape, a foil for asking what it means to be human and what rules should govern us.
...
The idea that we can take our social interactions and code them with an Asimovian algorithm ("allow no harm, obey all orders, protect yourself") is at odds with the messy, unpredictable world.
...
This need for people to behave in a predictable, rational, measurable way recalls Mr. Spock's autistic inability to understand human emotion without counting dimples to discern happiness or frown lines to identify sorrow.»
in http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.07/machines_pr.html
julho 13, 2004
Today is a happy day :)
Yesterday I've won the prize for the best paper presented at the conference
Games2004 - Digital Entertainment and Interactive Games, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, 12 July
I presented the paper "Emotion and Suspense in the Interactive Storytelling".
I argued in this paper that we can develop suspense in both cinema and interactive storytelling but the emotional result from suspense diverge completely. Then I presented some new perspectives to allow some convergence in the emotional experiences in order to raise the amount of significance of the experience to the user.
I'll post soon the slides from the conference at my homepage.
Yesterday I've won the prize for the best paper presented at the conference
Games2004 - Digital Entertainment and Interactive Games, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, 12 July
I presented the paper "Emotion and Suspense in the Interactive Storytelling".
I argued in this paper that we can develop suspense in both cinema and interactive storytelling but the emotional result from suspense diverge completely. Then I presented some new perspectives to allow some convergence in the emotional experiences in order to raise the amount of significance of the experience to the user.
I'll post soon the slides from the conference at my homepage.
julho 10, 2004
junho 12, 2004
CONAN, the boy in the Future by Hayao Miyazaki (1978)
It's amazing how Miyazaki has been present since my infancy in my life. I had 4 years when he made this fabulous TV series. I saw it only when I was about 8 and since then i never forgot it.
Conan produced and huge memory mark in me. In the sunny days when I'm relaxed and have time to look at my infancy it's hard to avoid the Conan feelings. Visuals, music, voices, character movement, the apocalyptic scenario, Conan happiness with the little things, the loneliness.
Today when i look at a movie like "Spirited Away" i just feel this as to come from the same genius mind.
I came to the conclusion that "ICO" in some way, used some of these artistic atmospheres from Conan and that's maybe one of the reasons for ICO having touched me so profoundly.
It's amazing how Miyazaki has been present since my infancy in my life. I had 4 years when he made this fabulous TV series. I saw it only when I was about 8 and since then i never forgot it.
Conan produced and huge memory mark in me. In the sunny days when I'm relaxed and have time to look at my infancy it's hard to avoid the Conan feelings. Visuals, music, voices, character movement, the apocalyptic scenario, Conan happiness with the little things, the loneliness.
Today when i look at a movie like "Spirited Away" i just feel this as to come from the same genius mind.
I came to the conclusion that "ICO" in some way, used some of these artistic atmospheres from Conan and that's maybe one of the reasons for ICO having touched me so profoundly.
junho 05, 2004
Sex, Technology, Storytelling and Emotions
Today "Wired for Sex" [1] was about the new tech sex toys for the elicitation of human orgasms, male or female. Products are getting better and better in touch/sense simulation, but the interviewed people were not yet satisfied. They said they could get orgasms but they don't get their sex needs, completely fulfilled. They didn't come to feel the intensity they await from a normal sex relation.
The real problem I'm seeing for technological sex is the same I see for digital storytelling. Human Emotions.
Everybody that has experienced sex with a stranger knows that the only thing he gets from that act is the orgasm deprived of feelings.
If you don't care about the other being you'll never get the top climax that a sex relation can provide.
In sex you need to feel that there's another being there. Besides the one and only "love" feeling that is so vast and difficult to define we can talk about the self-esteem. To get in a sex relation you need the sexual organs from your opposite [2], be it technological or in flesh but to feel it intense you need complicity, respect, admiration, etc. from the other being.
Feelings emanated from the other being will intensify the mechanical act, will elicit brain activity of self-esteem that bond with the act in itself will finally explode in a powerful outcome.
In a story is the same thing. If you don't come to care, feel angry, sorrow or happiness about the characters in the story, you'll never feel the emotional intensity and so the feelings of the story will come to be boredom and a waste of time.
I believe that sex technology could be a very good framework to show the peculiarity of human sensations, the human need of the other. Relations.
So if we want to provide anything technological that can someday elicit emotional intensity we'll need to get to emotional machines, which in some way can reach a point of emotion simulation, illusionary enough to fool our mind.
[1] TV Docummentary: Episode 4 - VIRTUAL REALITY SEX
[2] hetro relation
maio 20, 2004
"ICO" (2001) by Fumito Ueda
ICO is the first game with the ability to reproduce an area of fully diverse and undefined emotions in the user. The diversity could have been more intense if the narrative experience had a shorter duration, some story elements were lost while we're traversing the enormous castle (puzzle/maze). We need ten hours to finish the game, and between the moment we begin and the moment we come to closure some intensities are lost in time. I justify these losses by the pressings the authors must have felt in having to extend the game in order to fulfil player's desire for infinity playing.
I believe shadow monsters were almost unnecessary. In the most parts of the game they serve only the purpose to raise tension and anxiety in the player, they don't have a real goal, at least that justifies the intense fights in some parts of the game. Also through the game the relation between Yorda and Ico is developed but it would have been much stronger and much emotional if we had some facial close ups of Ico and Yorda. Anyway the fact of having two characters, one controlled by AI and the other by the user is amazing. We really come to a point when we feel responsible for Yorda and where we feel real empathy for Ico. The hands connection, emphasized through vibration of the game pad, is pure emotion design innovation.
The last hour of the game is truly poignant, tension and anxiety is raised in a balanced way taking us to a final cut scene that we receive as a delicious gift. This final cutscene has no typical "victory dynamics" euphoria but it's filled with a truly story reward full of "diverse and undefined emotions". When Yorda comes to get us, our emotions are completely diverse: happiness, sadness, surprise, adoration, kindness. We feel an enormous tenderness for both characters. The epilogue is plain magnificent, oneiric and very positive.
Think about Myst and add the universal theme "boy meets girl", relationships are the key for game emotions.
UPDATE
In 2005 I've made an extensive analysis of ICO and comparison with Myst for an european research project. You can read it here.
In 2009 I've published a book on interactive emotions where I've extended the analysis of Ico. The book was written in portuguese and is accessible free online, "Emoções Interactivas. Do cinema para os Videojogos", pages 244-253)
I believe shadow monsters were almost unnecessary. In the most parts of the game they serve only the purpose to raise tension and anxiety in the player, they don't have a real goal, at least that justifies the intense fights in some parts of the game. Also through the game the relation between Yorda and Ico is developed but it would have been much stronger and much emotional if we had some facial close ups of Ico and Yorda. Anyway the fact of having two characters, one controlled by AI and the other by the user is amazing. We really come to a point when we feel responsible for Yorda and where we feel real empathy for Ico. The hands connection, emphasized through vibration of the game pad, is pure emotion design innovation.
The last hour of the game is truly poignant, tension and anxiety is raised in a balanced way taking us to a final cut scene that we receive as a delicious gift. This final cutscene has no typical "victory dynamics" euphoria but it's filled with a truly story reward full of "diverse and undefined emotions". When Yorda comes to get us, our emotions are completely diverse: happiness, sadness, surprise, adoration, kindness. We feel an enormous tenderness for both characters. The epilogue is plain magnificent, oneiric and very positive.
Think about Myst and add the universal theme "boy meets girl", relationships are the key for game emotions.
UPDATE
In 2005 I've made an extensive analysis of ICO and comparison with Myst for an european research project. You can read it here.
In 2009 I've published a book on interactive emotions where I've extended the analysis of Ico. The book was written in portuguese and is accessible free online, "Emoções Interactivas. Do cinema para os Videojogos", pages 244-253)
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