228 research outputs found

    Modelled Cities, Model Citizens: From overseer to occupant

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    Gods of the City? Reflecting on City Building Games as an Early Introduction to Urban Systems

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    For millions of gamers and students alike, city building games (CBGs) like SimCity and the more recent Cities: Skylines present a compelling initial introduction to the world of urban planning and development. As such, these games have great potential to shape players’ understanding and expectations of real urban patterns and processes. In this article I argue that, despite the fundamental role of agency in CBGs and other sandbox type games, players are constrained by the developers’ assumptions and biases regarding how cities ought to look and function. Of particular consideration is the tendency among CBGs to emphasize personal transportation over transit, autocentric over mixed-use development, and simplified social dynamics over a more realistic model

    Visualization in cyber-geography: reconsidering cartography's concept of visualization in current usercentric cybergeographic cosmologies

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    This article discusses some epistemological problems of a semiotic and cybernetic character in two current scientific cosmologies in the study of geographic information systems (GIS) with special reference to the concept of visualization in modern cartography. Setting off from Michael Batty’s prolegomena for a virtual geography and Michael Goodchild’s “Human-Computer-Reality-Interaction” as the field of a new media convergence and networking of GIS-computation of geo-data, the paper outlines preliminarily a common field of study, namely that of cybernetic geography, or just “cyber-geography) owing to the principal similarities with second order cybernetics. Relating these geographical cosmologies to some of Science’s dominant, historical perceptions of the exploring and appropriating of Nature as an “inventory of knowledge”, the article seeks to identify some basic ontological and epistemological dimensions of cybernetic geography and visualization in modern cartography. The points made is that a generalized notion of visualization understood as the use of maps, or more precisely as cybergeographic GIS-thinking seems necessary as an epistemological as well as a methodological prerequisite to scientific knowledge in cybergeography. Moreover do these generalized concept seem to lead to a displacement of the positions traditionally held by the scientist and lay-man citizen, that is not only in respect of the perception of the matter studied, i.e. the field of geography, but also of the manner in which the scientist informs the lay-man citizen in the course of action in the public participation in decision making; a displacement that seems to lead to a more critical, or perhaps even quasi-scientific approach as concerns the lay-man user

    The Game FAVR: A Framework for the Analysis of Visual Representation in Video Games

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    This paper lays out a unified framework of the ergodic animage, the rule-based and interactiondriven part of visual representation in video games. It is the end product of a three-year research project conducted by the INTEGRAE team, and is divided into three parts. Part 1 contextualizes the research on graphics and visuality within game studies, notably through the opposition between fiction and rules and the difficulties in finding common vocabulary to discuss key visual concepts such as perspective and point of view. Part 2 discusses a number of visual traditions through which we frame video game graphics (film, animation, art history, graphical projection and technical drawing), highlighting their relevance and shortcomings in addressing the long history of video games and the very different paradigms of 2D and 3D graphics. Part 3 presents the Game FAVR, a model that allows any game’s visual representation to be described and discussed through a common frame and vocabulary. The framework is presented in an accessible manner and is organized as a toolkit, with sample case studies, templates, and a flowchart for using the FAVR provided as an annex, so that researchers and students can immediately start using it

    Interpreting abstract games : the metaphorical potential of formal game elements

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    Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Comparative Media Studies, 2010.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-92).As cultural artifacts, abstract games offer unique challenges to critical interpretation. This is largely due to the fact that such games lack a fictional element: there are no characters, no settings, and no narratives to speak of. In this thesis I propose that understanding the various formal elements of games as metaphors can both serve as an effective critical method and offer insights into designing more expressive games. I begin by addressing the ambiguity surrounding the phrase "abstract game" and offer a definition rooted in Peircean semiotics and Juul's model of games as consisting of both rules and fiction. I next offer a model of games as consisting of three levels: the system, audio-visual, and affective. This is followed by an overview of Lakoff and Johnson's concept of "metaphor" as "understanding one thing in terms of another." I then argue that different types of metaphors have a natural affinity for the system and affective levels of games. From this I develop methods for a critical method wherein games are considered to be metaphors. I conclude with a discussion of this method's implications for game design and future game research.by Jason Scott Begy.S.M

    Une ville n’est pas un jeu 

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    Les jeux vidéo sont devenus un média incontournable. Les simulations de développement urbain appelées city-builders permettant la modélisation de villes de plus en plus sophistiquées figurent parmi les plus populaires. De nombreuses critiques quant à leur vision de l’urbanisme ont toujours été formulées. Ces critiques entrent en résonance avec différentes craintes liées au développement des villes intelligentes. Ce concept promulgue une conception des villes basée sur un usage intensif des technologies de l’information et de la communication. Encourageant activement une hybridation entre informations numériques et monde physique, sa conception dévoile un grand nombre d’enjeux clés pour concilier développement durable et qualité de vie urbaine grâce à une meilleure gestion des infrastructures et ressources naturelles. Les villes intelligentes et jeux de simulation urbaine sont néanmoins souvent accusés de partager une vision stéréotypée et uniforme du développement urbain ainsi qu’un certain mépris de l’individu. Les algorithmes sur lesquels ces deux domaines sont basés dégagent une image absolue et optimisée mais peuvent s’avérer injustes et biaisés lorsque leurs processus sont opaques. Les travaux récents sur les city-builders et villes intelligentes insistent séparément sur ces critiques analogues. Cet article souhaite mettre en valeur les liens étroits que ces deux domaines entretiennent, décrire les sources d’inspirations et le développement des city-builders avant de les confronter aux ambitions des villes intelligentes et de conclure sur les similitudes des craintes et critiques soulevées par les deux domaines.Video games have become an essential media. Urban development simulations called city-builders designed to model more and more sophisticated cities are amongst the most popular. Many put forward strong criticism concerning their vision of urbanism. These criticisms echoes various fears related to the development of smart cities. This concept promulgates a conception of cities based on intensive use of information and communication technologies. Actively promoting a convergence between digital information and the physical world, its design reveals a large number of key issues to reconcile sustainable development and urban quality of life through better management of infrastructure and natural resources. However, the smart cities and city-builders are often accused of sharing a stereotyped and uniform vision of urban development as well as a certain disregard of the individual. The algorithms on which these two domains are based reflect an absolute and optimized image but may be unfair and skewed when their processes are opaque. Recent work on city-builders and smart cities emphasizes these similar critiques separately. This article aims to highlight the close ties between these two fields, to describe the sources of inspiration and the development of city-builders then to confront them to the ambitions of smart cities and to conclude about the similarities of the fears and criticisms raised by both fields

    Társasjáték a digitális médiában. A digitális játékok elméletétől a digitális társasjátékokig

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    Ludwig Wittgenstein, a huszadik századi nyelvfilozófia egyik legjelentősebb gondolkodója a nyelvhasználók megnyilatkozásainak természetét vizsgálva a nyelv és a gondolkodás határainak kérdéséig jut el. A jelentés jelentésének problematikáját kidolgozó wittgensteini nyelvkritika a kérdésfelvetés módja és a válaszkísérletek tekintetében a filozófia logikai, analitikus tradíciójával, azaz saját kiindulópontjaival is ellentmondásos viszonyba kerül. Ezek az ellentmondások és ambivalenciák azonban nem kizárólag a vizsgált kérdések gyakran önreferenciális, tautologikus szerkezetéből fakadnak

    World Games 2.0

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