Game - Hack - Production
Art and Technology - Art 591.12 and 691.12

Syllabus Art 591.12 Advanced Studio Practice Art & Technology

(Prerequisite: BFA student, Art 451 and Art 551 (Either Basic Stamp 2, or MAX MSP and Jitter) preferred and permission of instructor) 5 units

Instructor, Ken Rinaldo, Associate Professor of Art, Art & Technology

Office: 184 Hopkins Hall, hours by appointment

Class Meeting Time: Friday 2:30 - 4:18pm Place: Hopkins Hall room 184

Location and Lab:

Fergus Gilmore Computer Lab, Hopkins Hall Annex, Room 184

Class will meet in this lab, unless otherwise specified. Our final class will meet in Haskett Hall Gallery for the end of the quarter exhibition. Make a note of the lab hours so you can use it to further pursue your work (usually the hours are posted on the lab door). Another specialized lab you may use is the New Media lab in Haskett Hall, room 308. These labs are specially designed for the needs of art students and they are only open to students in the art department and to those taking art and technology classes.

Course Objectives and Procedures

* To create original art projects designed to be published or posted to the world wide web.

* To gain an understanding of designing and hacking games.

Through hands on research, readings, lectures, discussions, critiques, design, writing and mainly studio artmaking we will explore the context of the game in contemporary culture and game hacking in particular and the kinds of works that can be created.

There will be a strong focus on the content and conceptual quality of the works created in this class.

* To achieve a level of comfort with the tools and techniques needed to create and manipulate your works in preparation for publishing and or posting to the web. We will be using Macintosh computers, imaging software and the authoring tools to realize our goals.

You may use Flash or other game APIs to create your work or you can use games as source material extending its context as with the artists Phil Solomon or Brody Condon.

This is an independent study course where you will working individually or in a group to research and apply your artistic and technical talents to creating new content and games.

Making good art always takes longer than you think!

* To professionally mount and exhibit digitally-created artworks in the end of the quarter Art & Tech Exhibition.

Key Words and concepts

Game Hack
Artistic Intervention
game mod
hacktivism
intervention
first person shooter
tactical media
Non-linear thinking
Process-driven evolution
Compulsive deconstruction
Fetishization of aesthetics
Collage, montage, hybrids
Role Playing
multiplayer play
gesture

Undergraduate Student works

Nicholas Lyon and Zac Nixon used Flash to create intertactive game
Undergrad Student works 07
Undergraduate Student works o8

Graduate Student works

Fernando Orellana

Critiques:

Class critiques are very important and will be held at the beginning of each class as a weekly review of meeting your specified class goals. You are required to attend critiques even if your work is not complete. Critiques are not for my benefit; instead, they are most likely your best method to learn about artmaking - from your fellow artmakers.

This goal of this course is to provide a forum for advanced undergraduate BFA Art and Tech students to pursue an independent or group-generated artistic project related to a topic in Art and Technology.

Student is evaluated based on fulfilling the goals of their project proposal and production (70%) and verbal, critical and informed participation in class (30%).

Within the wide realm of "Art and Technology", the themes and materials you chose to work with in this class are open. Use this as an opportunity to make the work that you are truly excited about. Make the work you may show in your senior exhibition, apply to exhibitions with, apply to graduate school with or show off your amazing creative skills to future employers.

Plan to spend 15 hours of your time per week on this course. About 2 hours of that time will be spent in class, discussing your progress and getting ideas and critiques from peers, the rest of your time will be spent researching and making your project.

Policy on student conduct

Students are expected to abide by the Ohio State University's Code of Student Conduct. (online: http://studentaffairs.osu.edu/resource_csc.asp) Any violations will be reported to the Committee on Academic Misconduct.
A few examples of violations you should avoid

* Turning in work as your own that was created in some part by someone else.
* Turning in work that violates copyright law.
* Turning in work for this class that has already been turned in for another class.
* Dishonesty concerning absences.

Disability policy

Any student who feels he/she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately, as soon as possible, to discuss specific needs. Students need to also be working with the Office for Disability Services (on campus at 150 Pomerene Hall, ph. 614-292-3307) so that we may coordinate reasonable accommodations.
Schedule overview
DATE TOPIC and READINGS

WEEK 1
  • Introduction to course and each other. Overview of the individual study nature of this course. The course will be a convergence of sharing your production and research in four main areas though you are free to find threads and connnection between areas as well as define your own artistic production goals for the Quarter.

    Graphic Novel - Web Comic
    Game - Hack
    Animation, Modeling, Character Design
    Electronics, Robotics, Animatronics, Claymation, sound

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4
  • Student presentations
    Critique

    Readings, videos and games to complete, review and play before class:
    Anne Marie Sleiner     Interview A Minima Magazine
    Reading about Velvet Strike
    Aquaria Developer: Bit Blot, United States, 2006 IGF Award: Winner of the Seumas McNally Grand Prize, Nominee for Design Innovation, Excellence in Visual Art and Excellence in Audio
    Opera Slinger Developer: The Treblemakers, Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, United States, 2006 IGF Award: Student Showcase Selection

WEEK 5

WEEK 6
  • Student presentations
    Critique

  • Readings, videos and games to complete, review and play before class:
    Alt Digital Media
    Castle Crashers entirely hand drawn game eveloper: The Behemoth, United States, 2006 IGF Award: Winner of Excellence in Visual Art, Winner of Audience Award
    Rooms Developer: HandMade Game, SungKyunKwan University, South Korea, 2006 IGF Award: Student Showcase Selection

WEEK 7

WEEK 8
WEEK 9
  • Student presentations (Your project should be nearly complete review with professor)
    Critique

  • Readings, videos and games to complete, review and play before class:
    Seed Salon: Jill Tarter + Will Wright
    Blast Miner Developer: Cryptic Sea, United States, 2006 IGF Award: Nominee for Technical Excellence
    Racing pitch Developer: Skinflake, Finland, 2006 IGF Award: Nominee for Excellence in Audio

WEEK 10


Art and Tech Exhibition set up day - The theme is TBA. This is a required exhibition and all artwork must be dropped off between 12:30 and 2:30pm in the Haskett Hall Gallery. The arrangement of each piece in the show will be determined by the instructors and installation crew at 2:30, so your work will not have a space in the show if it arrives late. If hanging your work involves more than a typical screw in the wall, you must return to hang your own work, between 3:00 pm and 6pm. Your work must be professionally presented. You will be responsible for bringing what you will need for the installation of your work; tools, hardware, projectors, pedestals, DVD player etc. Reserve equipment from Classroom Services far in advance to ensure availability. You must also remove the work from the show on Friday, between 4 and 5pm.

Thursday - TBA exhibition Opening Celebration from 5 - 9pm . Invite your friends/family!
This schedule is subject to change - I'll keep you posted

Bibliography

New Digital Cinema Holly Willis
At the Edge of Art (explains What constitute are and not) by Joline Blais & Jon Ippolito
Games Storytelling and Breaking the String
The Interventionists Users Manual for the Creative Disruption of Everyday Life Editied by Thompson and Sholette
Role-Playing and Story in Games and Playable Media Edited by Pat Harrigan and Noah Wardrip-Fruin
The Stephen M. Cabrinety Collection in the History of Microcomputing VIDEOGAMES

Information Arts by Stephen Wilson
From Technologicl to Virtual Art by Frank Popper

 
Related Links


Phil Solomon

Corey Archangel

Feng Mengbo

Brody Condon

Anne Marie Schleiner

The Yes Men

Patrick Lichty

Julian Parks

Select Parks Art Making Games

Velvet Strike

Mark Gunderson Hack of Wii Motes

Using Dreamcast to create games

Sony Controller Gamestation Controller

Spacewar Controller

Super Mario Brothers Dowloads and Information

Connecting the Playstation to the Arduino

Digital Game Archive

Moby Games

Art Culture Games

Game Examples

Exhibitions and Conferences

Art Deadlines List
American Museum Of Moving Image
Best of Independent Games Festival
Laguna Art Museum Exhibition WoW: Emergent Media Phenomenon”
VideoTopia The Electronics Conservancey, Inc
 
Ken Rinaldo | Art & Technology | Department of Art | The Ohio State University