Love Potion No. 9... I MEAN Journal Entry No. 9
I have read another novel. It left me feeling paranoid about the possibilities that could come into our reality very soon. It was a tale about how technology was abused by the government to take over people's privacy, using technology that exists that today, and some technology that could easily exist next year. Yes, I have read another cyberpunk tale. This time, it is Cory Doctorow's Little Brother.
The story follows an experienced teenage hacker around after the government had done terrible things to him and several other people, only because America's own Department of Homeland Security wanted to find some terrorists. The tale unites the words “cyber” and “punk” in a way I have not seen before. If the government does become more and more privacy-invading, there will be a backlash against it, in a punk sort of way that will rely on technology similar to the way that could happen in Little Brother, but this time the revolution would have to be led by people who are already very tech-savvy. This is cool for me to hear, as I stare at a screen connected to a desktop I built myself, a laptop with a paranoid fingerprint scanner and password combo, and every entertainment console of recent years. While it is fun to see the geeky guy get ahead, the story brings up some interesting issues, many that are already relevant today. Basically, the government can spy on you. The ability of the government to spy on you is still dependent on how many people and much money they throw into surveillance of the nation, which the novel touches upon, but the American government, as seen especially in recent years, is not afraid to throw lots of resources around to protect the nation. That itself is not a bad thing, but I have often envisioned that our country could end up one of two ways: either the Patriot Act is abolished, or it is expanded upon. In Doctorow's tale, the government releases the “Patriot Act II”, and allows the government more accessibility to spy on everyone through the use of cameras pasted all around the city, new, tracking metro cards, the already in place wire tapping, and the ability to look more throughly through people's computers and internet conversations. For some, they also use technologies that are already present today, like keyboard loggers. It is a very real look at something that could happen... tomorrow.
The technology mainly used the novel was fun – as it was directed toward gamers. Perhaps aimed at younger gamers, it was entertaining nonetheless. There were many references to some popular video game titles, such as Halo and Castle Wolfenstein, and in fact one of the main “computers” the protagonist uses is a new “Xbox Universal” that has an illegally installed operating system. It is already a fairly well known fact that Xbox 360's and Playstation 3's are just computers with their firmware and OS on them, that is in fact possible to remove. In fact, if I knew my phones were being tapped, I might use an Xbox 360 to talk to my friends. I already use it to avoid long distance charges when talking to friends in different states. It is a powerful social networking utility, and is made up of somewhat like minded people – well, at least people that all like to play video games. It would not be a bad place to start a revolution, anyway. President-elect Obama even advertised himself in video games this year.
One thing that scared me was the possibility of spies and creeps interacting with you on video games. It already happens on social networking places like Second Life and Facebook, wouldn't video games be the next logical step? Also something I found very intriguing was the explanation of the 99% rule. If the technology used to find terrorists in a city is 99% accurate, in a city of a million people, 10,000 would come up as a "terrorist," even though they are probably only looking for one or two people, if they are even a part of that 10,000 (why would terrorists hang around a city after coming in from another country and comminting the terrorist act?). 10,000 people would have to have their privacy invaded "for the sake of safety." It goes on to say terrorist counter-measures are not 99% accurate, which I believe is true today, it must be more like 60, or even 40 percent accurate. So, it is it worth it to spend all the extra effort, time, and resources towards a likely unsuccessful, privacy invading investigation?
Overall, it was a fun book that glorified programming, making you want to create some new programs, if you could, and learn how to hack a little bit. The book realizes that revolutions often start with the young, and the young in this generation, and the next, are going to be more than connected to the internet and technology. If a young person needed to start a rebellion, fast, a good place to start would have to be Facebook or MySpace. As the rebels proclaimed in the story, “don't trust anyone over 25!”
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
I'd Rather Be In My Virtual World
Journal Entry No. 8
After recently reading Halting State by Charles Stross, I can't help but think about the future of gaming. Stross is praised for his ideas on how future inventions and games will look, and I think he is not far off. Advances in technology, the internet, and the rapidly growing market of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORGPs) hint towards a future not unlike that found in Halting State.
I have played many, many MMORPGs. They have literally taken months from my life. Still, I keep going back. Playing a MMORPG is like entering into a different universe, where real life problems take a backseat. In my experience as a MMORPG player, I have noticed that there is an economy that affects gameplay. Blizzard, the creators of the world famous World of Warcraft, have admitted that they need to keep creating more and more ways for players to spend in-game money to level the economy. The gaming economy described in Halting State is profoundly similar to MMORPG economies living today. The economies take a hard hit when cheating goes on. In Final Fantasy XI, the auction house, where you can buy items just like almost any other MMORPG, you can see a history of prices people have paid for a single item. After a surge of gil sellers hit the game – people trading real money for in-game money (gold farmers in other games) – you could watch the price of items go up: up to ten times the normal rate. Suddenly, the rewards from quests mean a tenth less, and the regular player cannot afford necessary items. The items you do have go up in value as well. Similar to a real economy, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. There is a huge divide between new versus experienced players that was not meant to exist. The same happens in in other MMORPGs. It is interesting to watch the economies in these virtual worlds. In Guild Wars, some item prices are influenced by how many people buy that item. The price of black dye goes up every day; an ever popular item. Most people would rather have dark, black clothes than orange threads. But, for the people who can't afford that black dye, where can they get the money if they don't want to spend the time playing? It comes from gold farmers. More money than the economy can handle is shot in. The MMORPGs I have played have been much more pleasant when there is active resistance (from the developers) against gold farmers.
An interesting economy can also be viewed in Second Life. In Second Life, there is a perfect “Linden” dollar to real-world money exchange rate. By way of gold farmers, there is an exchange rate for other MMORPG worlds as well. Virtual money and real money being confused and intertwined, as in Halting State, is already a reality.
Some of the technology in Halting State is also very interesting, and I expect (and hope, a little bit) to see it in the future. There are glasses that people can wear, allowing them to access a HUD or desktop kind of interface wherever they are, and especially allowing a screen with video games images to be that much closer to the eyes, bring you into the world. Glasses already exist that project what seems to be a huge screen to the eyes, but they are still cumbersome, and you could not wear them, say, while walking down the street. In Stross's future, you can access you e-mail using your glasses as a screen, and your fingertips as a virtual keyboard – as long as there is internet floating around. I think the virtual keyboard will take more time to create, but internet being readily available all over the world (and having trouble finding in in places) is already a reality. Employees need to check their e-mail whenever they can, and gamers want to be that much closer to the action. Similar to many other computer technologies, I think that these glasses will be first made for gaming, then will be acquired by others to use for military reasons or business reasons.
Another technology talked about in Stross's future is “CopSpace”. A play on words off of MySpace, CopSpace allows the police to access the internet for retrieving information about an area, and then display that information over their glasses and thus onto the whole world, in perspective. As the internet becomes more and more filled with accessible information, the police and higher defense forces will have to rely more and more on the internet. I think that data being access from multiple terminals (namely, a paying users) will also soon become a reality because of the huge cost of server space. The technologies explained in Halting State do not seem that far off from what the near future might bring us. What is most likely to happen very soon, as in Stross's future, is an influx of MMORPG players. This, we have already started seeing in recent years, especially as we sit at the tip of the upcoming release of yet another expansion to World of Warcraft. The Koreans have developed dozens of MMOGs, from sword-slasing to kart racing to golf – realizing the income value of these games. The Americans, and the Japanese to a smaller extent, have developers spending millions in designing these games, only to get all of the money back, perhaps more than tenfold. Gaming is enhanced tremendously when you throw real people into the mix. Suddenly, you are not just saving a princess, you are saving your friend that you have quested with for years; you stormed keeps with her, you discovered new towns with her, you know her life story. The connectivity and the huge, alternate universes available to gamers will only increase as time goes on.
The technology seen in Stross's novel are very likely to become a reality, sooner rather than later. Halting State's fears will become more of a reality as well. The line between virtual space and real life will become more blurred, especially as more and more people spend their time in virtual worlds instead of real ones. Virtual worlds are becoming a source for income as well as entertainment – and these virtual worlds cannot avoid being victims of criminals – something that will affect the real world. It won't be so bad, though, you can always start up a new game. Right?
After recently reading Halting State by Charles Stross, I can't help but think about the future of gaming. Stross is praised for his ideas on how future inventions and games will look, and I think he is not far off. Advances in technology, the internet, and the rapidly growing market of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORGPs) hint towards a future not unlike that found in Halting State.
I have played many, many MMORPGs. They have literally taken months from my life. Still, I keep going back. Playing a MMORPG is like entering into a different universe, where real life problems take a backseat. In my experience as a MMORPG player, I have noticed that there is an economy that affects gameplay. Blizzard, the creators of the world famous World of Warcraft, have admitted that they need to keep creating more and more ways for players to spend in-game money to level the economy. The gaming economy described in Halting State is profoundly similar to MMORPG economies living today. The economies take a hard hit when cheating goes on. In Final Fantasy XI, the auction house, where you can buy items just like almost any other MMORPG, you can see a history of prices people have paid for a single item. After a surge of gil sellers hit the game – people trading real money for in-game money (gold farmers in other games) – you could watch the price of items go up: up to ten times the normal rate. Suddenly, the rewards from quests mean a tenth less, and the regular player cannot afford necessary items. The items you do have go up in value as well. Similar to a real economy, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. There is a huge divide between new versus experienced players that was not meant to exist. The same happens in in other MMORPGs. It is interesting to watch the economies in these virtual worlds. In Guild Wars, some item prices are influenced by how many people buy that item. The price of black dye goes up every day; an ever popular item. Most people would rather have dark, black clothes than orange threads. But, for the people who can't afford that black dye, where can they get the money if they don't want to spend the time playing? It comes from gold farmers. More money than the economy can handle is shot in. The MMORPGs I have played have been much more pleasant when there is active resistance (from the developers) against gold farmers.
An interesting economy can also be viewed in Second Life. In Second Life, there is a perfect “Linden” dollar to real-world money exchange rate. By way of gold farmers, there is an exchange rate for other MMORPG worlds as well. Virtual money and real money being confused and intertwined, as in Halting State, is already a reality.
Some of the technology in Halting State is also very interesting, and I expect (and hope, a little bit) to see it in the future. There are glasses that people can wear, allowing them to access a HUD or desktop kind of interface wherever they are, and especially allowing a screen with video games images to be that much closer to the eyes, bring you into the world. Glasses already exist that project what seems to be a huge screen to the eyes, but they are still cumbersome, and you could not wear them, say, while walking down the street. In Stross's future, you can access you e-mail using your glasses as a screen, and your fingertips as a virtual keyboard – as long as there is internet floating around. I think the virtual keyboard will take more time to create, but internet being readily available all over the world (and having trouble finding in in places) is already a reality. Employees need to check their e-mail whenever they can, and gamers want to be that much closer to the action. Similar to many other computer technologies, I think that these glasses will be first made for gaming, then will be acquired by others to use for military reasons or business reasons.
Another technology talked about in Stross's future is “CopSpace”. A play on words off of MySpace, CopSpace allows the police to access the internet for retrieving information about an area, and then display that information over their glasses and thus onto the whole world, in perspective. As the internet becomes more and more filled with accessible information, the police and higher defense forces will have to rely more and more on the internet. I think that data being access from multiple terminals (namely, a paying users) will also soon become a reality because of the huge cost of server space. The technologies explained in Halting State do not seem that far off from what the near future might bring us. What is most likely to happen very soon, as in Stross's future, is an influx of MMORPG players. This, we have already started seeing in recent years, especially as we sit at the tip of the upcoming release of yet another expansion to World of Warcraft. The Koreans have developed dozens of MMOGs, from sword-slasing to kart racing to golf – realizing the income value of these games. The Americans, and the Japanese to a smaller extent, have developers spending millions in designing these games, only to get all of the money back, perhaps more than tenfold. Gaming is enhanced tremendously when you throw real people into the mix. Suddenly, you are not just saving a princess, you are saving your friend that you have quested with for years; you stormed keeps with her, you discovered new towns with her, you know her life story. The connectivity and the huge, alternate universes available to gamers will only increase as time goes on.
The technology seen in Stross's novel are very likely to become a reality, sooner rather than later. Halting State's fears will become more of a reality as well. The line between virtual space and real life will become more blurred, especially as more and more people spend their time in virtual worlds instead of real ones. Virtual worlds are becoming a source for income as well as entertainment – and these virtual worlds cannot avoid being victims of criminals – something that will affect the real world. It won't be so bad, though, you can always start up a new game. Right?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Painting with a New Kind of Paintbrush
Journal Entry No. 7
After a long wait, LittleBigPlanet has finally been released. I have been involved in the community of LittleBigPlanet recently, both in forums and on some official websites. The game, developed by Media Molecule, is a video game that relies heavily on user created content, so it is not surprising that a strong community has been born because of the game, and several issues about creativity and good content have also arisen.
LittleBigPlanet is a video game for the Playstation 3 that allows anyone to create their own levels. The game is a 3D platformer, and initially comes with a good number of developer made levels – all very complex, creative, fun, and interesting. Each one has a very different feel or theme to it – whether it be strolling through the jungle, riding a taxi in the city, or helping two skull people to get married, each one has its own feel. Even though there is variety, everything feels “constructed.” A car is not a car: it might be a cardboard box, painted to look like a car, that moves when a switch is pulled to make the wheels spin. Suddenly, you might realize it: every level is created with the same tools they give the player for user creation. The tools are vast and varied, but simple enough to allow anyone to access them. Suddenly, level creation feels like a game.
This is good and bad. Suddenly, thousands of people who have no experience with level design are suddenly level designers. There are already dozens and dozens of levels published, accessible to anyone who plays the game. There is a surprising amount of ingenuity to be found, but there is also a lot of poorly put together, dysfunctional messes. Of course, there has been a community response to this. It is interesting to see so many definitions of creativity. Many levels are based completely on level designs from other games: Mario Bros., Mega Man, etc. Is it creative, or should it be praised, to only recreate levels from other games using different tools? Is level design an art form - like painting or, perhaps more closely akin, like creating in 3D? There are also an incredible number of "fan-boy" levels that do not steal from another game, instead they take some general ideas from another game, or perhaps movie, and incorporate into their levels. For example, a user created Metal Gear Rex monster from Metal Gear video games, or a DeLorean in a Back to the Future themed level. Some fantastic work has been put into several of these themed levels, but some (not all) of the community agree that the best content are the designs that comes straight out people's heads. It is easy to tell if a user has spent a lot of time creating his or her level – even this early on. Some levels rely only on the user's imagination – and a few of those are some of the most impressive levels to be seen in the world of LittleBigPlanet.
The community of LittleBigPlanet have also been through some other issues. The game was originally dated to be released on October 21st, but because of some arguably malicious lyrics quoted from the Qu'ran in a licensed song, Sony decided to recall all of the discs and release the game a week later (in the U.S.). So, discussions of acceptable content, especially in a game with an “E” for everyone rating, began. There are ways to report user created levels if people use the tools to create offensive content, but it is unfortunate that these limits have to exist. Give a hundred people a pencil, and some of them are going to draw something vulgar. But what about the rest of the lot? Are people generally creative? If you give someone the tools to make a masterpiece artwork, would he be able to do it?
I'm optimistic about LittleBigPlanet's future. Before the game was released, many critics argued that general players would not have the creativity to develop enough interesting levels to keep the game alive. So far, I am seeing that the critics are very wrong. Amazing creativity is still a rarity, as in any art form, but LittleBigPlanet shows that just because you are not a professional does not mean it cannot be done well. It is, however, difficult to find a well created level, like finding a needle in a haystack, but the developers have said that “the cream will rise to the top.” After enough time, the best levels will be seen more often than the poorer ones. I hope that in the future the users that really put time into creating the most creative levels possible will have their chance at LittleBigPlanet stardom, and everyone else will be able to find and enjoy these gems.
I really think LittleBigPlanet is as close to a new art form as a video game title can hope to get. This seems like an evolution from Nintendo's Mario Paint, and even Maxis's recently released title, Spore. I hope more titles appear in this same vein, allowing games to hang on the user's creativity. Whether it's using a paintbrush or using virtual rods and gears to get a monster machine to roar, there are creative people out there, and I think LittleBigPlanet, and the community supporting it, is proof of this.
After a long wait, LittleBigPlanet has finally been released. I have been involved in the community of LittleBigPlanet recently, both in forums and on some official websites. The game, developed by Media Molecule, is a video game that relies heavily on user created content, so it is not surprising that a strong community has been born because of the game, and several issues about creativity and good content have also arisen.
LittleBigPlanet is a video game for the Playstation 3 that allows anyone to create their own levels. The game is a 3D platformer, and initially comes with a good number of developer made levels – all very complex, creative, fun, and interesting. Each one has a very different feel or theme to it – whether it be strolling through the jungle, riding a taxi in the city, or helping two skull people to get married, each one has its own feel. Even though there is variety, everything feels “constructed.” A car is not a car: it might be a cardboard box, painted to look like a car, that moves when a switch is pulled to make the wheels spin. Suddenly, you might realize it: every level is created with the same tools they give the player for user creation. The tools are vast and varied, but simple enough to allow anyone to access them. Suddenly, level creation feels like a game.
This is good and bad. Suddenly, thousands of people who have no experience with level design are suddenly level designers. There are already dozens and dozens of levels published, accessible to anyone who plays the game. There is a surprising amount of ingenuity to be found, but there is also a lot of poorly put together, dysfunctional messes. Of course, there has been a community response to this. It is interesting to see so many definitions of creativity. Many levels are based completely on level designs from other games: Mario Bros., Mega Man, etc. Is it creative, or should it be praised, to only recreate levels from other games using different tools? Is level design an art form - like painting or, perhaps more closely akin, like creating in 3D? There are also an incredible number of "fan-boy" levels that do not steal from another game, instead they take some general ideas from another game, or perhaps movie, and incorporate into their levels. For example, a user created Metal Gear Rex monster from Metal Gear video games, or a DeLorean in a Back to the Future themed level. Some fantastic work has been put into several of these themed levels, but some (not all) of the community agree that the best content are the designs that comes straight out people's heads. It is easy to tell if a user has spent a lot of time creating his or her level – even this early on. Some levels rely only on the user's imagination – and a few of those are some of the most impressive levels to be seen in the world of LittleBigPlanet.
The community of LittleBigPlanet have also been through some other issues. The game was originally dated to be released on October 21st, but because of some arguably malicious lyrics quoted from the Qu'ran in a licensed song, Sony decided to recall all of the discs and release the game a week later (in the U.S.). So, discussions of acceptable content, especially in a game with an “E” for everyone rating, began. There are ways to report user created levels if people use the tools to create offensive content, but it is unfortunate that these limits have to exist. Give a hundred people a pencil, and some of them are going to draw something vulgar. But what about the rest of the lot? Are people generally creative? If you give someone the tools to make a masterpiece artwork, would he be able to do it?
I'm optimistic about LittleBigPlanet's future. Before the game was released, many critics argued that general players would not have the creativity to develop enough interesting levels to keep the game alive. So far, I am seeing that the critics are very wrong. Amazing creativity is still a rarity, as in any art form, but LittleBigPlanet shows that just because you are not a professional does not mean it cannot be done well. It is, however, difficult to find a well created level, like finding a needle in a haystack, but the developers have said that “the cream will rise to the top.” After enough time, the best levels will be seen more often than the poorer ones. I hope that in the future the users that really put time into creating the most creative levels possible will have their chance at LittleBigPlanet stardom, and everyone else will be able to find and enjoy these gems.
I really think LittleBigPlanet is as close to a new art form as a video game title can hope to get. This seems like an evolution from Nintendo's Mario Paint, and even Maxis's recently released title, Spore. I hope more titles appear in this same vein, allowing games to hang on the user's creativity. Whether it's using a paintbrush or using virtual rods and gears to get a monster machine to roar, there are creative people out there, and I think LittleBigPlanet, and the community supporting it, is proof of this.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Online Interactivity and Social Networking: Warhammer Style
Journal Entry No. 6
Social networking has improved tremendously over the past recent years. I think massively multiplayer online games are an extension of this growth. First, in the early days of AOL Instant Messenger, people could jump into different chat rooms that are separated by different tastes. For example, car mechanics could join the same chat room and instantly have something in common with everyone else in the chat room. Forums were (and are) the same idea. Second Life, I believe, was another step. People suddenly had three dimensional avatars to portray themselves: and, instead of chat rooms, there were huge, 3D worlds to socialize in. Car mechanics could suddenly go to a world full of other car fans, and people interested in virtual slavery could find a world for them. Still, all of these tools still allowed people to be anti-social. What if a tool, or a game, forced you to be social?
I think MMORPG's have successfully done just that. Of course, there is the way MMORPG systems link people together in parties: damage dealers need tanks, tanks need healers, and healers need tanks. Playing Warhammer Online, I have realized that other systems exist in MMORPG worlds: and in Warhammer, the system is really cool.
As my little goblin character, I eventually made it to the gigantic hub of all evil characters: The Inevitable City. Despite the morbidity of the dark city, it felt very alive. Monsters lurked just outside the city walls, which were made up of huge black spikes; shopkeepers stood waiting and calling for you; people bustled all over; goblins were seen tricking some orcs in a game of dice. After exploring the city a little bit, I found some fellow guild mates. I also saw some players were of other guilds, with whom we had sort of a rivalry (though, later, we would end up forming an alliance with them. Keep your enemies close and all that). Soon afterwards, there was a lot more talking in the area. The forces of Destruction (that's us) were very successful, since the launch of the game, to be able to capture most of the keeps in the game. Anyone can check on the keeps at any time on the map: red for Destruction, blue for Order. Suddenly, as people in the Inevitable City were clamoring over, many of the red symbols were blue. First, it was just one. No problem. But then there was one right after the other – in a span of about 15 minutes, Order had become organized enough to take over the forces of Destruction in four different keeps. Parties were soon being formed in the City: my guild members and I were soon a part of warband of two other guilds, but our goal was the same. Get back the keeps.
We were lucky enough to first go after a keep with relatively low defenses. Soon afterwards we ran to another keep, and entertainingly enough defenders of the last keep died trying to follow us. After some great battles and some good leadership we knocked down the door of the next keep and took it over after a bit of work. We got three keeps back that night, but by the time I went to sleep, the forces of Order were already pushing back. After our third keep, though, the first keep we got was already blue again. On our march back there, we had encountered a gigantic Order war party. Our little band of heroes was no match for them, though we kept trying. As fun as success was, I felt that the defeat brought our three guilds even more so together, and the main similarity between us grew even stronger: we needed to kill the other guys.
Many people still feel that feelings can never be represented on a computer, and that no one can really socialize with a computer. An article about the first interactive video art installation states that “some people feel that computer systems will eventually reflect the personality and biases of their users. Yet these systems only appear to talk back. That they are alive or independent is an illusion. They depend upon the architectural strategy of the program” (The Fantasy Beyond Control, Lynn Hershman, page 3). I think things like Second Life and Warhammer Online have drastically changed this outlook: no long is there a false illusion of computer systems talking back. Now, experiences can depend totally on other people, on totally organic living people, perhaps on the other side of the world. One person is looking at another person's 3D avatar, made by a 3D artist and programmed by a programmer, existing on computer functions, but the feelings and actions of that avatar are led completely by its user. Thus, personality and biases are reflected in these avatars, in these computer systems. Programs like Warhammer Online bring people together towards a common goal, and force people to socialize. The more people talk, the better organized the team will be, and the more likely that team can take over a keep or whatever needs some good taking over. This comes close to being even more of a social interaction that some real life experiences. Walking in the middle of New York City, for example, no one talks to you unless you talk to them first, usually. The same as in the Inevitable City. But in the Inevitable City, a large portion of the City might suddenly band together in defense of their keeps. Still, these avatars are still goblins and dwarves. In the future, avatars, I think, will become more responsive and controllable to the user's personality with appropriate, smooth, facial expressions and the like. Often times, though, I feel more at home being a goblin anyway.
Social networking has improved tremendously over the past recent years. I think massively multiplayer online games are an extension of this growth. First, in the early days of AOL Instant Messenger, people could jump into different chat rooms that are separated by different tastes. For example, car mechanics could join the same chat room and instantly have something in common with everyone else in the chat room. Forums were (and are) the same idea. Second Life, I believe, was another step. People suddenly had three dimensional avatars to portray themselves: and, instead of chat rooms, there were huge, 3D worlds to socialize in. Car mechanics could suddenly go to a world full of other car fans, and people interested in virtual slavery could find a world for them. Still, all of these tools still allowed people to be anti-social. What if a tool, or a game, forced you to be social?
I think MMORPG's have successfully done just that. Of course, there is the way MMORPG systems link people together in parties: damage dealers need tanks, tanks need healers, and healers need tanks. Playing Warhammer Online, I have realized that other systems exist in MMORPG worlds: and in Warhammer, the system is really cool.
As my little goblin character, I eventually made it to the gigantic hub of all evil characters: The Inevitable City. Despite the morbidity of the dark city, it felt very alive. Monsters lurked just outside the city walls, which were made up of huge black spikes; shopkeepers stood waiting and calling for you; people bustled all over; goblins were seen tricking some orcs in a game of dice. After exploring the city a little bit, I found some fellow guild mates. I also saw some players were of other guilds, with whom we had sort of a rivalry (though, later, we would end up forming an alliance with them. Keep your enemies close and all that). Soon afterwards, there was a lot more talking in the area. The forces of Destruction (that's us) were very successful, since the launch of the game, to be able to capture most of the keeps in the game. Anyone can check on the keeps at any time on the map: red for Destruction, blue for Order. Suddenly, as people in the Inevitable City were clamoring over, many of the red symbols were blue. First, it was just one. No problem. But then there was one right after the other – in a span of about 15 minutes, Order had become organized enough to take over the forces of Destruction in four different keeps. Parties were soon being formed in the City: my guild members and I were soon a part of warband of two other guilds, but our goal was the same. Get back the keeps.
We were lucky enough to first go after a keep with relatively low defenses. Soon afterwards we ran to another keep, and entertainingly enough defenders of the last keep died trying to follow us. After some great battles and some good leadership we knocked down the door of the next keep and took it over after a bit of work. We got three keeps back that night, but by the time I went to sleep, the forces of Order were already pushing back. After our third keep, though, the first keep we got was already blue again. On our march back there, we had encountered a gigantic Order war party. Our little band of heroes was no match for them, though we kept trying. As fun as success was, I felt that the defeat brought our three guilds even more so together, and the main similarity between us grew even stronger: we needed to kill the other guys.
Many people still feel that feelings can never be represented on a computer, and that no one can really socialize with a computer. An article about the first interactive video art installation states that “some people feel that computer systems will eventually reflect the personality and biases of their users. Yet these systems only appear to talk back. That they are alive or independent is an illusion. They depend upon the architectural strategy of the program” (The Fantasy Beyond Control, Lynn Hershman, page 3). I think things like Second Life and Warhammer Online have drastically changed this outlook: no long is there a false illusion of computer systems talking back. Now, experiences can depend totally on other people, on totally organic living people, perhaps on the other side of the world. One person is looking at another person's 3D avatar, made by a 3D artist and programmed by a programmer, existing on computer functions, but the feelings and actions of that avatar are led completely by its user. Thus, personality and biases are reflected in these avatars, in these computer systems. Programs like Warhammer Online bring people together towards a common goal, and force people to socialize. The more people talk, the better organized the team will be, and the more likely that team can take over a keep or whatever needs some good taking over. This comes close to being even more of a social interaction that some real life experiences. Walking in the middle of New York City, for example, no one talks to you unless you talk to them first, usually. The same as in the Inevitable City. But in the Inevitable City, a large portion of the City might suddenly band together in defense of their keeps. Still, these avatars are still goblins and dwarves. In the future, avatars, I think, will become more responsive and controllable to the user's personality with appropriate, smooth, facial expressions and the like. Often times, though, I feel more at home being a goblin anyway.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Notes after reading Stephenson's "The Diamond Age"
Journal Entry No. 5
After reading the entirety of The Diamond Age, as it follows Hackworth's descent from moral, skilled man to becoming The Alchemist, and Nell's rise from an unlucky child to a Queen, I'm still more than a little confused about everything. Maybe another read through of the second part might help.
Anyway, I have some main comments and questions about all of it, and perhaps I missed hints describing this. But, where did the Drummers come from? Did Dr. X design those nanomachines to infect the Drummers only to steal and share Hackworth's skills? Also, was Miranda just incredibly unlucky to become Nell's mother? (Or, how much impact did Miranda have on the Primer - did the Primer raise Nell or was it really Miranda? Miranda seems like an unlucky spectator to me.)
Also, for the boat scene, why a clown? And, is the Seed better than the Feed? Would things be better without this Feed? It sounds like communism versus anarchy to me.
I like how the Raven is a common theme throughout the book. The raven first appears in a poem by Coleridge (which is significant because Finkle-McGraw, who seems to be the puppetmaster of much of this, offers the poem to Hackworth.) Then, the raven appears as the first word Nell learns to spell, and shows up in later tales as well as a character. I also like the Dinosaur story a lot - it was of course a prelude to Nell learning how to fight, but what else did that story serve as? An explanation of how nanomachines fight against eachother? Or how the subset cultures fight against eachother?
Either way, I think I'd enjoy reading an illustrated primer, and think that "Kidnapper" was a great name for Hackworth's "pet."
After reading the entirety of The Diamond Age, as it follows Hackworth's descent from moral, skilled man to becoming The Alchemist, and Nell's rise from an unlucky child to a Queen, I'm still more than a little confused about everything. Maybe another read through of the second part might help.
Anyway, I have some main comments and questions about all of it, and perhaps I missed hints describing this. But, where did the Drummers come from? Did Dr. X design those nanomachines to infect the Drummers only to steal and share Hackworth's skills? Also, was Miranda just incredibly unlucky to become Nell's mother? (Or, how much impact did Miranda have on the Primer - did the Primer raise Nell or was it really Miranda? Miranda seems like an unlucky spectator to me.)
Also, for the boat scene, why a clown? And, is the Seed better than the Feed? Would things be better without this Feed? It sounds like communism versus anarchy to me.
I like how the Raven is a common theme throughout the book. The raven first appears in a poem by Coleridge (which is significant because Finkle-McGraw, who seems to be the puppetmaster of much of this, offers the poem to Hackworth.) Then, the raven appears as the first word Nell learns to spell, and shows up in later tales as well as a character. I also like the Dinosaur story a lot - it was of course a prelude to Nell learning how to fight, but what else did that story serve as? An explanation of how nanomachines fight against eachother? Or how the subset cultures fight against eachother?
Either way, I think I'd enjoy reading an illustrated primer, and think that "Kidnapper" was a great name for Hackworth's "pet."
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
WAAAGH!
Journal Entry No. 4
A journal entry from Warhammer Online. (WAR, a new MMORPG, went live on Sept. 18, 2008.) This is from the perspective of Karbunkle, the goblin squig herder.
I can't remembur it, but I knows dat I was born. I wuzza spore, and I came from outta space. I grew up, an time flew by reeel fast, an den I ended up 'ere, at this war camp. War is everywhere. There are bigun green orc bullies an gobbos me size scurryin' around wif weapons in da air. I've bin able to train these squigs; they are basically livin' stikkbomz wif big fangs. These, I consida me weapons, though I also carry a bow an arrer and a big stikk. Explosions are everywhere. Weez in a swamp, liddered wif big spikes stickin' outta da ground fer protection. Trees stand tall against da mountain, but da per-tty scenury does not cova up da war at hand.
Ahead o' me is a bigun orc squattin' on a dragon. He is decked out in fancy iron armor, painteded wif red blood stripez. It is obvious dat this orc is tougha dan da uvver ones – 'is helmet has horns stickin' out of it an he doesn't wince at any ting. 'Is name is Skarzag. He tells me dat “stunties are fer smashin'!” and orders me ta go down da hill there and kills sum stunties (stunties, which we have been warrin' wif fer ages). I pray to da godz Gork an Mork an head down the hill. There are dozens o' orkies wif choppas and boards in their 'ands, alongside shaman gobbos, swingin' their staves around an castin' dem spells. I give me squig a mean look, jus' so he knows not ta eat me, an den I poke 'im so he goes an attacks one of da stuntiss. I pull out me bow and arrer an shoot an shoot an shoot. Plink, plink, plink went me arrows. Before I knew it da stunty was dead; he barely put up a fight, I think. I go back to Skarzag ta tell 'im wot a good job I did – and he gives me sum nice new boots, he does!
I den find a gobbo named, “Crankz.” He tells me ta find some barrels by da swampy area near da dwarven keep an break dim open. I go down there like he says, and sure enough there's a bunch o' barrels sittin' around. But they is movin'. I qwickly break wun open ta see wut's inside – wodda ya know – a stripped, dizzy stunty! I take me stick, poke a few 'oles in 'im, den let me sqwiggy take da last bite outta 'im. Afta breakin' open three more barrels, I go back ta Crankz. He den tells me ta proceed ta Lobber Hill.
At Lobber Hill, I jump right inta wona them big wooden machines. Very advanceded – there must be two or tree movin' parts – probably took dim at least two minutes ta put dis togevva – an da slingshot machine launchez me up into da air. I'z flyin' fer maybe 10 seconds before I land, perfectly fine, on top o' da dwarven keep. Here, I meet another gobbo. 'Is name is Mugrush Gutsticka. He tells me ta find a knocked-out stunty. I move around on top o' da keep ta find more greenskins and stunties at war. I watch as an orc bashes a stunty on da haed wif 'is fist an leavz 'im there on da ground. I qwickly scurry over wif me squig ta pick 'im up. This fat stunty is reeelly 'eavy. I carry 'im over ta me new gobbo friend, who sez ter put 'im in a barrel. I stuff 'im in der good and close da lid. Den, Mugrush sez, push 'im! I push 'im off da side o' da keep an watch 'im splat inta da swamp below! Waaagh! So datz how da barrels ended up down there wif stunties in dim!
Lata, I happen upon a snotling – a lil' greun guy, not even a foot tall. He tells me there'z a shiny treasure in da heap o' trash behind 'im. Of course, me godda go look. Suddenly, I'm gettin' swarmeded by half a dozen more snotlin's! Me and me squig are bitin', stabbin', an shootin', and eventually come through, alive, wif dead snotling bodies all around us, and no shiny fing ta take home.
I proceeded a bit furda, and find more orkies an gobbos attackin' some squigs, who are all scurryin' around. I soon notice dat da squigs are all scurryin' around a huge giant. He has white skin and a big belly, but he iz as tall as 20 big orkies standin' on top of each odder'z shouldaz! A gobbo shaman looks at me and sez, “'Oi! You bigga than I is! Well, let me tell ya, we're 'elping out Ugrog the giant here, the squigs won't leave 'im alone! Ugrog sez he'll help us smash into dat stunty fortress if we help 'im, though!” I quickly order me squig ta go bite da nearest squig. Furst he tries ta bite himself, but den decides not ta, and runs afta a squig by Ugrog'z big left foot. I fling sum arrows toward it, and down it goes. Squishy as eva. We kills all da annoyin' squigs, and Ugrog tromps over to da door, but den falls to his butt. He sez ta us, “I ain't pickin' up dat spikey ball until I'm gud an drunk!” Nearby we see about 20 beer barrels filled to da brim – we quickly bring dim to 'im. Afta gulpin' dim all down wif out even a twitch, he gets up, grabs this big spikey ball, and brings it to da stunty door. He smashes it into da door, and it explodes! Blowin' da door open, and killin' Ugrog in da process. A dozen stunties come out, but they are no match fer us greenskins. We are all of a tribe, da BLOODY SUN BOYZ. No stunties iz eva goin' ta git in our way.
A journal entry from Warhammer Online. (WAR, a new MMORPG, went live on Sept. 18, 2008.) This is from the perspective of Karbunkle, the goblin squig herder.
I can't remembur it, but I knows dat I was born. I wuzza spore, and I came from outta space. I grew up, an time flew by reeel fast, an den I ended up 'ere, at this war camp. War is everywhere. There are bigun green orc bullies an gobbos me size scurryin' around wif weapons in da air. I've bin able to train these squigs; they are basically livin' stikkbomz wif big fangs. These, I consida me weapons, though I also carry a bow an arrer and a big stikk. Explosions are everywhere. Weez in a swamp, liddered wif big spikes stickin' outta da ground fer protection. Trees stand tall against da mountain, but da per-tty scenury does not cova up da war at hand.
Ahead o' me is a bigun orc squattin' on a dragon. He is decked out in fancy iron armor, painteded wif red blood stripez. It is obvious dat this orc is tougha dan da uvver ones – 'is helmet has horns stickin' out of it an he doesn't wince at any ting. 'Is name is Skarzag. He tells me dat “stunties are fer smashin'!” and orders me ta go down da hill there and kills sum stunties (stunties, which we have been warrin' wif fer ages). I pray to da godz Gork an Mork an head down the hill. There are dozens o' orkies wif choppas and boards in their 'ands, alongside shaman gobbos, swingin' their staves around an castin' dem spells. I give me squig a mean look, jus' so he knows not ta eat me, an den I poke 'im so he goes an attacks one of da stuntiss. I pull out me bow and arrer an shoot an shoot an shoot. Plink, plink, plink went me arrows. Before I knew it da stunty was dead; he barely put up a fight, I think. I go back to Skarzag ta tell 'im wot a good job I did – and he gives me sum nice new boots, he does!
I den find a gobbo named, “Crankz.” He tells me ta find some barrels by da swampy area near da dwarven keep an break dim open. I go down there like he says, and sure enough there's a bunch o' barrels sittin' around. But they is movin'. I qwickly break wun open ta see wut's inside – wodda ya know – a stripped, dizzy stunty! I take me stick, poke a few 'oles in 'im, den let me sqwiggy take da last bite outta 'im. Afta breakin' open three more barrels, I go back ta Crankz. He den tells me ta proceed ta Lobber Hill.
At Lobber Hill, I jump right inta wona them big wooden machines. Very advanceded – there must be two or tree movin' parts – probably took dim at least two minutes ta put dis togevva – an da slingshot machine launchez me up into da air. I'z flyin' fer maybe 10 seconds before I land, perfectly fine, on top o' da dwarven keep. Here, I meet another gobbo. 'Is name is Mugrush Gutsticka. He tells me ta find a knocked-out stunty. I move around on top o' da keep ta find more greenskins and stunties at war. I watch as an orc bashes a stunty on da haed wif 'is fist an leavz 'im there on da ground. I qwickly scurry over wif me squig ta pick 'im up. This fat stunty is reeelly 'eavy. I carry 'im over ta me new gobbo friend, who sez ter put 'im in a barrel. I stuff 'im in der good and close da lid. Den, Mugrush sez, push 'im! I push 'im off da side o' da keep an watch 'im splat inta da swamp below! Waaagh! So datz how da barrels ended up down there wif stunties in dim!
Lata, I happen upon a snotling – a lil' greun guy, not even a foot tall. He tells me there'z a shiny treasure in da heap o' trash behind 'im. Of course, me godda go look. Suddenly, I'm gettin' swarmeded by half a dozen more snotlin's! Me and me squig are bitin', stabbin', an shootin', and eventually come through, alive, wif dead snotling bodies all around us, and no shiny fing ta take home.
I proceeded a bit furda, and find more orkies an gobbos attackin' some squigs, who are all scurryin' around. I soon notice dat da squigs are all scurryin' around a huge giant. He has white skin and a big belly, but he iz as tall as 20 big orkies standin' on top of each odder'z shouldaz! A gobbo shaman looks at me and sez, “'Oi! You bigga than I is! Well, let me tell ya, we're 'elping out Ugrog the giant here, the squigs won't leave 'im alone! Ugrog sez he'll help us smash into dat stunty fortress if we help 'im, though!” I quickly order me squig ta go bite da nearest squig. Furst he tries ta bite himself, but den decides not ta, and runs afta a squig by Ugrog'z big left foot. I fling sum arrows toward it, and down it goes. Squishy as eva. We kills all da annoyin' squigs, and Ugrog tromps over to da door, but den falls to his butt. He sez ta us, “I ain't pickin' up dat spikey ball until I'm gud an drunk!” Nearby we see about 20 beer barrels filled to da brim – we quickly bring dim to 'im. Afta gulpin' dim all down wif out even a twitch, he gets up, grabs this big spikey ball, and brings it to da stunty door. He smashes it into da door, and it explodes! Blowin' da door open, and killin' Ugrog in da process. A dozen stunties come out, but they are no match fer us greenskins. We are all of a tribe, da BLOODY SUN BOYZ. No stunties iz eva goin' ta git in our way.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Cyberpunk Timeline: 1980 - 1981
What happened in 1980? (And what makes these events cyberpunk?)
The movie "Lathe of Heaven" was released. The movie is a science fiction film about whose dreams alter reality. The movie takes place in the future, and becomes more "futuristic" the more he dreams. There is also a fear of the protagonist's dreams destroying the world.
The board game "Car Wars" was released. Car Wars is a post-apocalyptic vehicle combat simulation game.
Commodore releases the "friendly computer," the VIC-20. Computers are starting to be part of people's homes.
Mattel releases Intellivision nationwide. Video games are becoming are a part of people's lives by becoming more accessible. Entertainment is now a virtual realm anyone can step into.
"The Restaurant at the End of the Universe" published. Part of the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series of books, which is a funny look at futuristic science fiction future in which the Earth gets blown up by aliens.
The movie "Mad Max" is released internationally. It's an apocalyptic action thriller film set in the near future of a bleak, dystopian, impoverished Australia that is facing a breakdown of civil order primarily due to widespread oil shortages.
The character "Cyborg" of DC Comics is introduced. He is a half-man, half-robot superhero, who was the son of a pair of scientists who decided to use him as a test subject for various intelligence enhancement projects.
The movie "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" is released. It is the sequel to the popular Star Wars franchise, featuring more lightsabers, laser guns, and robots, as well as Luke Skywalker getting his hand cut off, only to be replaced by a robotic hand.
Bruce Bethke claims to have coined the term "cyberpunk", though the story, "cyberpunk", would not be released until three years later. The short story was a high-tech science fiction story about a group of teenage crackers with ethical shortcomings. Bethke said that the coining of the word was his attempt to find a word that would combine the notions of punk attitudes and high-technology.
Gene therapy was introduced. Gene therapy is basically the repairing of genes to correct for diseases that result from a loss or change in our genetic material. Human DNA, our very coding, is able to be messed and meddled with. Could the ability to change human DNA be a bad thing? Don't ask a cyberpunk author, or else you might be having nightmares for weeks.
What happened in 1981? (And what makes these events cyberpunk?)
The movie “Looker” was released. The movie is about a plastic surgeon who works on four beautiful models when they start dying under mysterious circumstances. Paranoia is of course ever present in much of cyberpunk, and this movie is no different. This time the paranoia rests on a company that develops new advertising technologies.
The movie “Heavy Metal” was released. The film is an anthology of various science fiction and fantasy stories adapted from “Heavy Metal” magazine and original stories in the same spirit. The stories take you from space stations to zombies, and is rooted together with plenty of bloody violence, nudity, and sexuality.
The video game “Astrosmash” was released for Intellivision. It goes on to sell one million copies. People, more and more, are allowing electronics to take up their time and become part of their lives. In this very sci-fi game, the player takes control of a laser cannon, then protects the Earth from falling asteroids, missiles, and UFO's.
The TV series “Hitchhiker's Guide to the Glaxy” airs. Douglas Adams's famous, hilarious take on the cyberpunk fear of the world ending reaches the masses through the magic of television.
The movie “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” is released. Once again the viewers follow Max as he scrounges for the little bit of gasoline left in the world with his dog and a sawed off shotgun. The film's comic-book styled, post-apocalyptic, punk world popularized the post-apocalyptic genre in film and fiction writing and instantly became a cult classic.
The story “The Gernsback Continuum” by William Gibson is released. The story appeared in Gibson's Burning Chrome anthology. This story marks the beginning of Gibson's shaping of the cyberpunk world. This story does not drop the reader into, rather, has the reader follow the protagonist as he sees flashes of an alternate reality. An all too perfect futuristic would-be world with no regard for fossil fuels and where everyone looks the same.
The story “The Belong Kind”, a collaboration between noted cyberpunk authors William Gibson and John Shirley, is released. The story is set in a more modern time, where the protagonist follows a seemingly human woman around as she goes to different bars until he finds out she is some kind of creature. Then, he himself, becomes one these belonging kind. Once again, paranoia of the frailty of the human race is evident in this cyberpunk story.
The movie "Lathe of Heaven" was released. The movie is a science fiction film about whose dreams alter reality. The movie takes place in the future, and becomes more "futuristic" the more he dreams. There is also a fear of the protagonist's dreams destroying the world.
The board game "Car Wars" was released. Car Wars is a post-apocalyptic vehicle combat simulation game.
Commodore releases the "friendly computer," the VIC-20. Computers are starting to be part of people's homes.
Mattel releases Intellivision nationwide. Video games are becoming are a part of people's lives by becoming more accessible. Entertainment is now a virtual realm anyone can step into.
"The Restaurant at the End of the Universe" published. Part of the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series of books, which is a funny look at futuristic science fiction future in which the Earth gets blown up by aliens.
The movie "Mad Max" is released internationally. It's an apocalyptic action thriller film set in the near future of a bleak, dystopian, impoverished Australia that is facing a breakdown of civil order primarily due to widespread oil shortages.
The character "Cyborg" of DC Comics is introduced. He is a half-man, half-robot superhero, who was the son of a pair of scientists who decided to use him as a test subject for various intelligence enhancement projects.
The movie "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" is released. It is the sequel to the popular Star Wars franchise, featuring more lightsabers, laser guns, and robots, as well as Luke Skywalker getting his hand cut off, only to be replaced by a robotic hand.
Bruce Bethke claims to have coined the term "cyberpunk", though the story, "cyberpunk", would not be released until three years later. The short story was a high-tech science fiction story about a group of teenage crackers with ethical shortcomings. Bethke said that the coining of the word was his attempt to find a word that would combine the notions of punk attitudes and high-technology.
Gene therapy was introduced. Gene therapy is basically the repairing of genes to correct for diseases that result from a loss or change in our genetic material. Human DNA, our very coding, is able to be messed and meddled with. Could the ability to change human DNA be a bad thing? Don't ask a cyberpunk author, or else you might be having nightmares for weeks.
What happened in 1981? (And what makes these events cyberpunk?)
The movie “Looker” was released. The movie is about a plastic surgeon who works on four beautiful models when they start dying under mysterious circumstances. Paranoia is of course ever present in much of cyberpunk, and this movie is no different. This time the paranoia rests on a company that develops new advertising technologies.
The movie “Heavy Metal” was released. The film is an anthology of various science fiction and fantasy stories adapted from “Heavy Metal” magazine and original stories in the same spirit. The stories take you from space stations to zombies, and is rooted together with plenty of bloody violence, nudity, and sexuality.
The video game “Astrosmash” was released for Intellivision. It goes on to sell one million copies. People, more and more, are allowing electronics to take up their time and become part of their lives. In this very sci-fi game, the player takes control of a laser cannon, then protects the Earth from falling asteroids, missiles, and UFO's.
The TV series “Hitchhiker's Guide to the Glaxy” airs. Douglas Adams's famous, hilarious take on the cyberpunk fear of the world ending reaches the masses through the magic of television.
The movie “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” is released. Once again the viewers follow Max as he scrounges for the little bit of gasoline left in the world with his dog and a sawed off shotgun. The film's comic-book styled, post-apocalyptic, punk world popularized the post-apocalyptic genre in film and fiction writing and instantly became a cult classic.
The story “The Gernsback Continuum” by William Gibson is released. The story appeared in Gibson's Burning Chrome anthology. This story marks the beginning of Gibson's shaping of the cyberpunk world. This story does not drop the reader into, rather, has the reader follow the protagonist as he sees flashes of an alternate reality. An all too perfect futuristic would-be world with no regard for fossil fuels and where everyone looks the same.
The story “The Belong Kind”, a collaboration between noted cyberpunk authors William Gibson and John Shirley, is released. The story is set in a more modern time, where the protagonist follows a seemingly human woman around as she goes to different bars until he finds out she is some kind of creature. Then, he himself, becomes one these belonging kind. Once again, paranoia of the frailty of the human race is evident in this cyberpunk story.
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