Research:
Growing up as a kid in Tampa, Florida. Every weekend, I would hit the arcade at Chuck-E-Cheese or any arcade shop near me. It has become a hobby, but also one of my first interactive experiences with interactive projects. Games versus any other type of media are considered one of the most interactive projects. The designer creates this world/game, which is further developed by the audience. I usually see online or even Douyin, of people taking a certain game, and its mechanics to a whole new level that the artist never even thought of. For the final project, I want to develop something similar to an arcade game.
The first interactive project I would love to discuss is arcade games. Throughout the century, there have been thousands of arcade games developed to satisfy the imagination of the audience. Using a simple joystick and a couple of buttons, there are no limits to how great of a game you could make. Think about classical games such as Pac-man. Although it has become one of the oldest games out there, people still love it. Every time I see one, there is always an urge to hop on and play it. Each and every arcade game gives you a specific scenery and goal to complete. But how you complete that is totally up to the audience. That is the beauty of an arcade game, each person has their own way of completing the game. Interactive projects to me mean that they would interact with each audience differently. Another example is Mario, a classical game that has gone through many updates and is still very much played. The mechanics are not that complicated, but the audience has created their own way of playing it. They pull off impossible combos and moves, that awe me every time. So interactive project means for me something unique for each individual. I choose an arcade game as a reference because it is very similar to what we are currently doing. Pre-programming a game on Processing and using Arduino to control the development happening in Processing. I think an arcade game will be the true masterpiece and harmony between Processing and Arduino.
The second interactive project I looked into was console games. Console games, such as Wii, PS4, and Xbox have only really been around for a few decades. But the impact they have made on teenagers’ life can only be classified as life-changing. Every child now, growing up will probably have some sort of interaction with such devices. With just a few simple buttons on the controls themselves, the audience can create and play in a lot of different ways. With the introduction of VR games. The game world has in a way become the second world for the user. They are in a way physically interacting with the game world. Their every action and move will influence how they continue the game. It almost seems as if there are no more boundaries between the real world and the game world. It has become a full-body experience and interaction. Although we currently do not have the skills to create such lavish projects, it will still be very cool to incorporate some of the aspects from the console games into our final project. Using the Arduino as a medium between the controls and Processing. I believe creating something like that would be a very interactive project.
My definition of an interactive project has never changed from the point I began this project. In successful interactive experiences, the core element of it is letting the user take control of their role. The creator should not limit what the user can do. There should be no set way to play it. No set way or perfect way to play the game. Everything should be up to the user to figure out. Take for example Genshin Impact. It created this fantastic world, the creator implemented some basic mechanisms that the user could use. But even in that, the user has continuously developed new mechanics and ways to play the game. Why these games are so popular and loved because it gives complete freedom to the user to do whatever they want. So a successful interactive experience should be letting the user experience the game the way they like, instead of being pointed out by the creator to every step they need to take. There was a quote in “Art, Interaction and Engagement”, that I felt connected to. The quote goes as “the artist sets up
situations that develop in ways that are, at least in part, determined by the audience”. That to me is what I believe interaction should be.
Work Cited:
“Art, Interaction and Engagement”: Provided by the professor.