Presentation Content: The ethics of videogames (Left 4 Dead)

Introduction of the game:

- a cooperative first-person shooter and horror video game

- developed by Turtle Rock Studios & Valve Corporation on Nov 2008 

- 4 survivors of the outbreak against hordes of the infected zombie

- movie-like experience and back-story

- Awards: The Computer Game of the Year by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences; the Best Multiplayer Game of 2008 by IGN, GameSpy, Spike TV etc.

- lead to a sequel, Left 4 Dead 2

- Sales: almost 3 million copies until Sep 2009

Positive Ethical Influence:

- It convey teamwork spirit with the 4 main characters work together striving to survive.

But when they undertake a task, shooting hordes of zombies, are they more look like gangster?

Negative Ethical Influence:

- Violence: Full of combating and violent element

- Other than handguns, everything can be their weapons - melee weapons, namely, guitar, chainsaw, frying pan etc.

-The Australia Classification Board Classified L4D as MA15+ (Strong Violence)

MA 15+ is considered unsuitable for persons under 15 years of age

References:

- Left 4 Dead Classification Board Report. Retrieved 2010, 21 November. from http://www.refused-classification.com/news/2009/09_25_left_4_dead_1_ma15+_vs_2_rc.htm

Digital games- But are they art?

a) How does Adams define art? Do you agree with his definition?

Adams define art as different perspective, for its category, historical value and expressiveness, namly its thoughts and content. He mentioned art can be classified as different kinds, like fine art, modern art, decorative art etc, yet there is no clear boundary to divid art into different catergories, and it is the attractiveness of art. He also mentioned that art is supposed to be long-lasting and able to represent its era.

For him, art is about the message and ideas behind, which can lead audience to deep thinking. Art has no designed pattern, but the more characteristics above, it would present a higher aesthetic experience for the work.    

I do agree with Adams’ definition. His statement is comprehensive and easy for people to understand the meaning of art. He focus on what count as art form and what characteristic would be regard as art. It’s true that there is a grey area for defining art, for example, does design count as art? Such a question is raised for many years, as Adams said, we can’t clearly classified every art form, but their artistic quality can still be evaluated by other factors like the durability of the works, which is useful and effective for people to define art.   

b) According to Adams, what is needed for videogames to be considered as art? 

There are mainly 3 parts for videogames to do with. Firstly, videogames need critics to evaluate its artistic value, just as an artwork also need art critics to criticize their work. Professional opinion can be a reference for videogames to considered as art form, not entirely a game with no design and artistic element. Besides, Adams think that videogames should contain underlying meaning for audience so as to enrich its expressiveness. Lastly, videogames should be designed as creative and challenging, therefore attract players to pay attention on it, and even explores its artistic quality.

The ethics of videogames - Film in class: Gamer Revolution

a)According to the film, what are some pros and cons of playing videogames for individuals and societies?

For the individual players, as the beginning of the film stated, some of them regard playing videogames as a way of earning money and doing their own business. It is true that they at least strive to make a living independently, yet this kind of living style will harm their social life and personal growth. They keep living in the virual life in the videogame but rather than their real life, which is inappropriate for them. Though some of the videogames aim to have positive and educational value, like spreading the teamwork spirit in a cooperative play mode; facilitate patriotism among soldier AR game; serious violence problem is still hiding behind.

In terms of the societies, as the line between the real life and the virtual life is disappearing, the negative ethical influence caused by videogames would be important to the whole societies. Real cases about game-addicted shot in reality just as they did in videogames are no longer a news, especial for Americans. Players became hard to recognize the difference between simulation and reality, which would directly affect the societies and lead to tragedy once and once.  

b) According the film, is there any evidence that digital games can encourage aggressive values and anti-social actions in the real world? Do you agree?

I agree that digital games can encourage aggressive values and some anti-social actions in the real life, affecting one’s personality by accumulation of involving in virtual games.

Take a first-person shooter game, Left 4 Dead as an example, when players get used to kill and hit zombie by any weapons like guns, chainsaw or frying pan, together with the scene of blood spray and pooling, it is impossible that their mental state would keep unchange as at first. That’s why the game was classified as strong violence and suggest teenagers under 15 years of age not to play it. Numerous experiment and research have told us that, brain activity and circulation have a close relationship with violent games, showing these games can encourage aggressive impulsion. For the boy who shot 8 people in the film, he was clearly affected by the game excitement as a result of the 5 head shots for the victim. This kind of anti-social, violent action is free in his virtual game life, but banned in reality. So I think there is a dircet connection between violent videogames and mental problem such as aggressive values.

c) Should governments have the right to ban certain games? Why or why not?

I think the government should not have the right to ban certain games although it would seems better to avoid violence. Government is not responsible to monitor commerical products like videogames, the game designers should be the one who determine the value of the game rather. They have to redefine their principle of producing different games. Also, videogames is not the main source of social problems, some of them harms teenagers’ mental status, yet it also remains entertaining value for everyone, which is a good choice for leisure. Banning is not the effective way to solve the problem, all we need to do is educate offsprings.

When science meet with art - Technologised Bodies

The work I find most interesting is Inter Dis-Communication Machine.

By seeing the video on Youtube, the two candidates wore this magical machine which can exchange views between them, namely, one can see what the other see at the same time. Candidates will be wearing a headphone and head-mounted display covering their eyes, while also carrying a backpack decorated with angel wings, players look “cyber” but fancy in this way. The head-mounted display has a video camera and two monitors to come up with the vision exchange. The heavy backpack included a battery, a transmitter with a TV tuner. Inside the wings is a TV antenna so as to link with the equipment, while the feather acts as transmitting and receiving “data” as well. The whole machine is well designed to achieved a brand new sensual and visual experience for auidences.

The artist aims at creating a double identity to obscure one’s existence visually. It’s truly amazing that one can see through the other person’s perspective by wearing the machine. This innovative artwork changes the mutual perception between the two candidates. As the video shown, candidates are adapting this different feeling, with their own eyes but seeing the others’ view. It gives a new perception for them, and feels like “where am I?”, the machine just like sending the candidate into other place, which is absolutely interesting and creative to exitced auidences. The appearance seems to has its meaning too, the angel wings make audience look like divinity which obscure their identity between human and angel. I would like to try it if they exhibited in Hong Kong someday. 

My Online Identity/ Mouchette

My online identity

I’m not a forum lover so I have not many online identity when compared to my peers.

The first, is my facebook account. It is the close one in my daily life. I would say that It is not really virtual as the usual online identity, I do not hide my data, news and status in order to create a new Rachelle. On the contrary, I mainly used it to link with and get close to my foreign friends or someone who study abroad. I would publish prose or share videos sometimes.

Another would be my ownblog on blogspot. It is a rather private blog for sharing my thoughts or any media news, interesting photographys, and innovative design etc. I saved it for my own in case to show to employers my strong interest on media career and art-related nature. It is not a brand new identity, by only showing a different side of me.

I also wrote xanga few years ago, which is my online diary. I wrote things that happened in daily life so as to make record of mine. There are a lot of information about myself. But I closed it for privacy

This blog is also one of my online identity. I use my real name and type things all about class topics and there is no personal information within the blog.

I got few email accounts like yahoo, gmail and hotmail. These are used to connect with different parties and classmates with my real identity.

Mouchette

I think the digital artwork, “Mouchette” is a innovative way to contruct one’s online identity, despite of its unpleasant representation of the website.

The web-design is so different from the usual one, it looks like skillful but I would say it is quite poor in terms of the interface. Subtitles and content are not presented in a clear way which confused users to explore the site. For the appearance, the artist uses a lot of unpleasant images as the background such as her close-up shot of her lip or tongue, which is annoying and disgusting for me. The flies and ants keep moving on the screen arouse strong antipathy as well.

Also, the sound is counted to be weired. When the users visit the homepage of Mouchette, it seems there are few sound tracks randomly played by the system, but most of them are quite doubtful to be recognized as sort of sexual sensation. The point here is, she claim to be “a 13 years old girl”, yet no matter the web-design and the content do not match with her age. Is she constructing a new online identity to raise issues like online sexual harassment or any underlying idea? As I have said, the interface is not user-friendly and even not coherent. For example, when I click her name, Mouchette, it is not about her self introduction or any related information, but rather siting member/ non-member, which is odd for viewers. According to the New Media Art by Tribe and Jana(online version), “Some of the site's content has a deceptively innocent quality”, Mouchette might be one of the example. All in all, Mouchette is a sophisticated case for creating online identity.

Individual Research Topic: Just playing? the ethics of videogames

The ethics of videogames

a) Key quotes

“Overall, this gameplay mode was created to take the teamwork factor that made the Left 4 Dead series　famous to the next level.” (Left 4 Dead Wiki)

The game stated in their official blog: “…you (players) can get a taste of the blood-splattering, zombie-killing fun right now!” see more on http://www.l4d.com/blog/post.php?id=1999

“The game contains violence that is strong in impact and justified by context. The violence can be by way of shooting, being hit with a variety of missiles, immolation, or in hand to hand combat. The violence is accompanied by copious blood spray, blood pooling and occasional dismemberment and atomizing of victims. The soundtrack contains sound effects associated with violence including moderate coarse language, pleas of victims and the guttural moans and roars of the creatures. ” (Left 4 Dead Classification Board Report. 2008.)

b) Key Links

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF1HVlcXBmA

http://left4dead.wikia.com/wiki/Left_4_Dead_Wiki
http://www.ea.com/games/left-4-dead-game-of-the-year-edition
http://www.l4d.com/blog/post.php?id=2081
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/fi_left4dead_pc

c) Key books and articles
The future of shooters 

http://pc.ign.com/articles/108/1082633p1.html
Left 4 Dead Lives On 
http://comics.ign.com/articles/112/1120580p1.html
Zombies: Ethics of the Undead
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2010/10/29/ethics-of-the-undead/

d) Case Study

Left 4 Dead

Who is the artist/ make of the artwork/website/game?

- The game is developed by Turtle Rock Studios & Valve Corporation

When was it produced/ released?

- It was at first released digitally on November 17, 2008 ; retail on November 18, 2008 in North America and Australia; on November 21, 2008 in Europe and Japan.

Describe it in detail

      Left 4 Dead is a cooperative first-person shooter video game. It was developed by Turtle Rock Studios and Valve Corporation. The game makes use of Valve's proprietary source engine, and is available for Windows, Xbox360 and Mac OS X, which coverage explains its remarkable success. The game setting is all around the 4 survivors of the outbreak against hordes of the infected zombie. There are 4 game modes in total, included a single-player mode in which allied characters are controlled by AI; a four-player, co-op campaign mode; an eight-player online versus mode; and a four-player survival mode, all in all, Left 4 Dead put heavy emphasis on cooperative play. Apart from the human characters, the inflected zombies and monster also play a crucial role, by adding the horror element into the game, it give players a dynamic and movie like experience, which have increased the replay value for the game. Besides, the game received numerous awards like The Computer Game of the Year by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences; The Best Multiplayer Game of 2008 by IGN, GameSpy, SpikeTV etc.  

For you, what is interesting/thought-provoking/puzzling about this game? Explain in detail.

I personally have heard about this famous shooter game around my classmates and friends, praising its excited and movie-like images, also the zombie-killing fun. It arouse me to pay attention on its news and even lead me to try once. First shooter game is not provoking in the game nature but Left 4 Dead created a great smoothness and excitement to players that they have long pursued, that's why it became so popular and sold almost 3 million copies within one year released. Despite of the positive reception from different parties and players, when I tried to play the game, it made me think of the reason of their success and puzzled why such a bloody one could be greatly accepted. For me, the game is not interesting at all, but it also remains the value of discussion and introspection.

What key issues or questions does this game raise?

 It certainly raise the ethical problem and influence for the public and players. Although the game was praised in terms of the team spirit and cooperative playing mode, it still reveal its flaw in its strong proportion of violent and combating element. Players act as the survivors in the game and intended to shoot and hit zombies with any weapons, together with the frequent bloody spray scenes, which is totally bad for players, specially for the youngsters. I would say that the game has the importance of discussing the negative ethical problem rather than the positive one.

How video-sharing sites can affect creative culture?

   Video-sharing sites such as YouTube definitely enhance creative culture, as such websites provide a free platform for public, perhaps you and me, to publish and share their works. They may not a professional video-maker or producer, but they regard Youtube as a kindly casual forum to show their talent or express their opinion, attracting more and more people involved in it, and therefore keen on produce their creative works. These sites often allow new and creative ideas come out, for example, a blender advertisment would always be dull, focusing a housewife using it, right? But through Youtube, a blender advertisment can be developed as creative as follow,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAl28d6tbko

The video uploaded may not be of high quality in production, yet most of them are "selling" the content rather. Users can make use of these platform to invent and do experiment, just like "Will it blend", by blending new technologies so as to make noise and promote themselves (or products). Video-sharing sites enrich users' creativity because there is no rule and guidelines to limit your works, and therefore become an alternative place for "self and business marketing".