For this week, my biggest fail was failing our first reading quiz because I hadn’t done the reading for class time. However, I fixed this by doing the readings for Thursday’s class because I had a feeling there would be another reading quiz (which there was). Any who, I am currently working on my project for Hack #2. I think I am going to continue on my idea of reformatting Operation because it would be an interesting change of design. However, I am unsure if it could be something to re-skin, I feel like there isn’t enough there so maybe I’ll try to think of another game to re-invent, like perhaps Mouse Trap because of the different spaces and premise of creating the mouse trap and then being trapped within it. I also got a lower than expected grade on my previous hack, so I am trying my best to think on connections and re-inventing the hack in order to hit all the marks.
Author: Isabel
FLOG #3
For the third week of class, there are not many updates for my FLOG as I have not had to submit anything this week. However, I can talk about my thought process for Hack #2 which is due next week. Since we are looking into critical play, I was thinking of creating a hacked version of Operation, the board game, and creating a statement about the organ trade. Seems like an interesting topic, kind of scary, but interesting to look into because when (at least for me) people think of trade with humans, it tends to be about the sex trafficking issue around the world, but organ trafficking is also an issue. I even looked into the World Health Organization’s page where they have plenty of information about the issue, further cementing my plan.
Artist Statement #1
Making Gaming Systems Cheap & Accessible
Hack #1 that was assigned for this course wanted us to use the MakeyMakey device in a creative way. At first, I was unsure of what to create because I thought my ideas were too simple and predictable. However, after looking at the examples that were provided on the MakeyMakey webpage, I began thinking of ways in which the MakeyMakey could be used for fun, thinking similarly to more expensive games such as consoles like the Nintendo Switch & the Xbox 360’s Kinect. The MakeyMakey made it possible to elevate a free game and provide a new experience for users that they previously would not have been able to experience. As was mentioned in class, this usage of the system provided accessibility for people who may not have the opportunity to purchase a high end device such as the Nintendo Switch, since the MakeyMakey can be purchased for $50 + tax (which could be seen as expensive but is quite a price cut from the hundreds more that are needed to purchase a more advanced setup.
Trial & Error
This hack was a bit difficult for me and I presented late because of the fact that I was sick and unable to work on it during the initial work period. However, once I recovered I was able to work more on my idea and hash out any issues. Another issue I had was working by myself. Since I was still recovering and didn’t want to get anyone else sick, I had to do trial and error by myself, making things a bit difficult as observation of another person would have been much easier than trying to test the device while also taking notes. Finally, I feel as though there wasn’t much help on the official website for the device to help make changes such as changing which letter would correspond to which arrow or so forth (though I probably could have searched on YouTube), so it was just up to my intuition to figure it all out.
Changes or Elevations
At the end of my presentation, I was asked how I would elevate my project if I had more time and one thing that I feel would help is to develop better aesthetics for it. The wiring being exposed takes away from the game and can even make it feel less fun. Originally, I had created colorful sheets of paper to act as the pads players would step on to signal the step in the game, but this caused issues with the detection, so I had to make changes. However, if I had more time to try and change this, I would try and make the pads colorful and maybe even incorporate lights to make the game feel fun and entice people to play.
FLOG #2
Unfortunately, this week, my flog upload is about the fact that I fell ill with an upper respiratory virus that left me sick for most of the week and left me unable to do much of my work. This means I was unable to work on hack #1 because I couldn’t even muster up the energy to work on it because I had fever and more. I also forgot to upload the flog for this week because I was feeling so sick, but better late than never…
FLOG #1
As this is my first FLOG and I haven’t had much to talk about since the start of class, I have decided to focus on my fails trying to set my WordPress site up. At first, I knew what I was doing because I had to use Davidson Domains to create a webpage for my Intro to Digital Art course. However, once I had the actual page set created, I struggled with customizing because I had forgotten how to use WordPress. It was a little difficult to get started because I was too shy to ask for help because everyone seemed to know what they were doing. After finally asking someone else in class how to get to the customization portion of the website, I started looking through the themes and was having trouble choosing one because I am indecisive, so originally I had a different theme than the current one you are viewing. I haven’t had any other issues, but I’m sure I’ll have some more when trying to think and form an idea for Hack #1.