PROJECT MAKING....AND IDEA OF IMMERSIVE EDUCATION THROUGH SIMULATION AND GAME THEORY....

CONCEPT ART, CGI, GAMES, FANTASY, AND AVATAR DESIRE
Is it that simple? There is an impulse to be sucked into another world. It is pulled or it is
pushed. It can be a world of amusement, escape, infantilism, or something we are lead
into because this world is filled with a poker table full of increasingly rich players and we
have to borrow to stay into the game. There is one thing that is often overlooked in the
grand infantalistic scheme of the new global gaming culture: there are millions connected
to the same fantasy online.
Regardless of the violent and infantile content of the ‘digit modern’ content of the
programmed characters an interesting thing emerges: there is a type of collective
‘dreaming’ going on. This dreaming is provided in part by those who design the works
seen. There is a conscious reversal of the ‘iceberg’ metaphor of the human psyche as
outlined by Freud and Jung. The collective unconscious is brought out of the dream
state…or merely augments it on a game-AI format-and it is ‘played’ by young men and
women all over the world. The levels of connectivity are the first of its kind in the world.
For this reason we look at it. It is big business…. it does contribute to the ‘escapism’ in
multinational capitalism, but, it does hold a prospect for change.
Unlike the escapists movies of the thirties the consumer not only ‘plays’ the characters
and the situations (with the content often preparing them for a war that they might fight),
they move their character through fantasy wars capes that enable them to deal with
fearful scenarios. They take their aggressions out with ‘real’ persons on the other end of
the Internet with MMOGs. They tweak and they modify. They often create their own
characters and styles and type. It is in these archetypes that we find an interest. It is
the playing of the Jungian and Campbell Ian dimensions that we might find a depth
beyond mere connectivity. Connectivity of million is seldom ‘mere’.
Collected syllabi on the subject:
Course description
The overall question driving this course is how to create a satisfying gaming experience.
This question can be approached from multiple dimensions and, in fact, must be
approached from different perspectives in order to be addressed effectively. To that end,
then, this course is envisioned as an interdisciplinary investigation into digital games. The
students in this course are upper division undergraduates and graduate students from a
range of disciplines including technical communication, computer science, political
science, education, art, women’s studies, communication, informatics, bioinformatics,


range of disciplines including technical communication, computer science, political
science, education, art, women’s studies, communication, informatics, bioinformatics,
and more. As such, the quarter will be an opportunity to see how games are perceived in
areas familiar and unfamiliar. We will spend time working out some definitions and a
common vocabulary to meet the challenges of interdisciplinary conversations (and to
keep the overall annoyance factor down). Key skills to bring to the class are going to
include curiosity and patience. A sense of fun will be tolerated.