Open CultureOutlineAdminSlide 4Open Game CultureNon-game exampleQuestions to askGame PlatformsSlide 9Design issuesDeclarative ArchitectureEngine CharacteristicsExampleSlide 14Slide 15Slide 16CapabilitiesExample 2Slide 19MachinimaExamplesNext WednesdayOpen CultureRobin BurkeGAM 224OutlineAdminOpen Culturefan-domopen architectures / toolsmachinimaCultural ResistanceAdminPlay papersstill not finishedCulture papers due next weekOpen CultureCulture is not produced by one groupand consumed by another(sometimes seems this way)Culture is a web in which all parties participatein different waysOpen Game CultureGames are like thisone group produces gamesanother group buysButplayers have their own voicethat voice influences what games are produced, and(most important) that voice influences how the games are understoodNon-game exampleStar WarsFanatical fansin-depth knowledge of every piece of official Star Wars narrativeProducersnot totally free to rewrite the story to their conveniencethe hard-core fans are a crucial audience•big consumers•strong influencers of othersAppropriationFans produce their own materials using the settings and characters of the original•fan fiction•art, etc.Star Wars images are popular symbols•http://www.moveonpac.org/savetherepublic/?id=5543-5460587-.smXU7V00dw94dQMzWo2uQ&t=6Questions to askWhat is the extent of fan involvement in the game?fan sitesfan art / fictionWhat do the publishers do to generate greater involvement?marketing materialshosted discussionspublic beta releasesGame PlatformsPlatformSpecific computer hardware, as in the phrase "platform-independent". It may also refer to a specific combination of hardware and operating system and/or compiler, as in "this program has been ported to several platforms". It is also used to refer to support software for a particular activity, as in "This program provides a platform for research into routing protocols". FOLDOCGame PlatformsOpen architecturegame specifically designed to support modificationDesigners think of the game softwareas support softwaresupports many possible gamesincluding the one they've writtenUsers acquirethe gamealso the tools for modifying the gameDesign issuesDeclarative architecturehow to design the game so that its components are declaredrather than programmedEnd-user toolshow to create the toolsso that an end-user can produce game content with themDeclarative ArchitectureUserGame ProgramHardwareUserGame EngineHardwareGame ContentProceduralDeclarativeEngine CharacteristicsDefines what properties can be associated with game objectsDefines what kinds of game assets (graphics, sound, etc.) can be usedDefines the limitations of the physics of the game worldExampleUnreal TournamentCapabilitiesFirst-person 3-D environmentindoormulti-levelCharactershealtharmorArtifactsweaponsammohealthpower-upsemphasis on respawning of itemsSupports multi-player indoor battlesExample 2Warcraft IIICapabilities3rd person 3-D environmentoutdoortiled mapCharactershealthmannamany othersArtifactsbuildingscharacters are producedeconomic attributesSupports single- and multi-player strategy gamesMachinimaMachine + cinemaUsing computer game environments to generate moviesRepurposing the game toolsto support non-game endsthe game is "played" to generate particular video sequenceswhich are treated as shots and edited into moviesExamplesNext WednesdayCulture papers due in classGrand Theft Auto III case