Only playing?

Only playing, The ethics of digital games

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Part 1- Case studies -SAW

Publisher: Konami
Developer: Zombie Inc.
Story creators: James Wan, Leigh Whannell
Media: Playstation3, Xbox360, Pc
Date of released: October 2009

Story: The story is similar to the film series, which is talking about the Jisaw Killer who designing many traps which harm people’s life. He pushes people into an insane situation, they got to give up something or destroy their body in order to get out from the traps. However, the original thought of Jisaw killer is to let people know they should appreciate their life. The one who involve in Jisaw’s game mostly have been saw Jisaw before, they have been targeted by Jisaw mainly because they have done something that Jisaw thought they were wasting their life.

How to play: Saw is primarily a third-person survival horror game with action elements. The player controls David Tapp, a former detective trapped in the Jigsaw Killer's asylum filled with traps. The primary goal of the game is to traverse the asylum and solve traps in order to escape. Tapp has several abilities in the game to fulfill his objectives such as searching things like toilets or corpses to find such things as weapons, health, or clues. Other items, such as case files and cassette tapes found hidden around the asylum provide additional information about the asylum's past and background on certain victims.
The game's combat system allows the character to block, counter atteck, and perform attacks to fend off enemies that are encountered. tapp is also able to curb-stomp. There are over eighteen different weapons, varying from lead pipes to mop handles, available to players throughout the game. In addition to standard weapons, Tapp may recover firearms or explosives along the way. Certain weapons may also be used for other purposes such as cutting open a body to search it, or breaking down a molding wall to reveal hidden paths. Weapons in the game deplete upon use in real time until they are rendered unusable. Also, as a way to avoid combat, Tapp has the ability to rearm or place certain traps after activating them. This includes electrifying water puddles or placing explosive mines created on one of "Jigsaw's Worktables". Tapp's health bar, once depleted, can only be restored by bandages or hypodermic needles which can be stored in an inventory, along with other items. When losing health, the environment slowly fades to black-and-white until Tapp heals himself or dies.


Ethics?
-> There is one scene that need the player to cut somebody to take off the key from the ones body. The scene is bloody, horror and uncomfortable.
->psychological influence to players?
->wrong ideas and message brought to players?

There are really many people wasting their life, these are somethings that is not appreciate. Comparing to those people in the hosiptal, those who get cancer, are really try hard to survive; the starting point which want to teach people treasure life is really quite good. However, is it right to teach people treasure their life by harming their life using cruel methods?

-> The whole stroy should be critised
-> No one can be the one who judge the value of life
Part 2-Video




Part 3- Discussion

(1) The Pros and Cons of SAW (video game) for individual and society

Pros
->For individual, through playing this game, the player can get the message of the game, that is appreciation and treasure the life.
->The game comparing with the film, there are more new traps and ways to escape, this can stimulate the players' thinking and interesting.
->New traps and improved quality of scene, thus the artistic value is increased.

Cons
->The scene is too bloody, which lead to anxious, uncomfortable
->The story and the scene is too violence
->This may affect the thinking of the player [use violence ways to reach some targets]
->encourage the imitate the plot inside.
->The setting is so real, that may lead players to a confusion

(2) Is this game can encourage aggressive values and anti- society actions in real world? Do you agree?

Yes, this game is totally encourage aggressive values and anti society action. It is because Jisaw killer start to kill people by tools due to he can see a trend and unhealthy atmosphere forming in the society, that is people is not respecting their life and others' life, however there are still many people who want to survive. So Jisaw choose to use violence to recall the respect of life from people. I think that the concept from the originality is quite good, that is try to do something to change the bad atmosphere in the society, however the ways he used must be wrong, is it never right to harm others bodies, so this video game is try to encourage to change the world by different methods, even violence. Besides, it also encourage anti society actions. In the game, the people who being caught were done something wrong but common things, they can quite represent the society, so killing them is one of the anti society action.

I am not agree that the game encourage the aggressive values. It is because the players are coming from different age groups and teenagers are a very large group. Even the game is under the 18 yr old limit, teenagers can also download the game from the internet. People with older age may still can determine what is right and what is wrong, the younger age group may not able to determine right and wrong, their mind are easily affect by these games.

(3) Should governments have the right to ban SAW? Why or why not?

I think the government can do only little to help, This is because
->These games do have market
->Government have no right to ban people's right to love the games
->only set the 18 yr old limit, forbidden those under 18 yr old teenager buy the games.
->Too much things are related, eg. film.

suggestion:
->parents should pay more attention and provide instruction to childre
->school also add this topics into ethics education
->Put warning letters on the packing of the game
->cencorship system.

References:
(1) http://www.officialsaw.com/
(2) http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/142/14231742.html
(3) http://www.konami.com/games/saw/
(4) Ellison, Blake (July 31, 2009). "Preview: Saw: The Video Game hits the right buttons". Geek.com. http://www.geek.com/articles/games/preview-saw-the-video-game-hits-the-right-buttons-20090731/. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
(5) "Saw SDCC 09: Kindest Cut Gameplay [HD"]. Machine Production. July 26, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRDn86CJYNc. Retrieved August 21, 2009.

Technologized bodies

Which artist's work make you most interesting?


Stelarc's project make me feel most interesting.

The most interesting of his idea is to involve some robotics or modern technology integrated with his body and than make performance. For examples, the performance he often makes is to allow his body remote by the electronic muscle simulators, which connect to the Internet. He even let the audience use the remote, that can control his body. I think it is very interesting that his aim is to extend the human body capabilities. All his performances are special and revolution, not many people try to do this.

 
Describe one work by that artist in detail,and explain,what is interesting about it.

One of his distinguish try is the third ear. In 2007, he have the cell cultivated ear get attached on his arm by surgery.He use tissue engineering technques for the creation od Semi-Living entities. These are parts of complex organisms which are sustained alive, proliferate outside the body and are coerced to grow predetermined shapes. These evocative objects are a tangible example of a new kind of object-being.



Other discussion:

(1) What are some benefits of becoming a cyberbody ( cyborg)?

There are some benefits of becoming a cyberbody,
This can make those disable people become a normal person and get back into the normal life again, like the little girl shown in the video. Besides, some additional technology tools such as those third hand, cyber eyelashes, can make our life become easier.

(2) Do such technologies have any dangers? Examples?

Yes, due to technologies still developing rapidly, there may be some unpredictable errors may occur while the machines operating. That may harm the users' body. By the way if the machines suddenly have some errors, if cant be fixed immediately, there may have the risks of threating users' life.

(3) " To what extent are we already experiencing a man- machine symbiosis that has turned us into cyborgs "

To a very large extend, we are experiencing cyberbody.
As simply as an electronic watch we put it on our hand to tell us time, i think this is a little electronic device which turn us into cyberbody.
Besides, while making film, some programs allow characters connect with some electronic simulators, show their movement on the screen and easily to make cartoons.
Actually, it is common to insert some electronic device to patients' body, for examples those who have the heart diseases, doctors may put a cardiac pacemaker inside their bodies. By the way, artificial limbs also help disable people a lot.

All about identities

"identity" can be complex, explain this statement using an example.

As we know that each person do have at least one identity, that is the resident of a country. For example I was born in Hong Kong, than I got a Hong Kong resident identity card, this is to distinguish us from others, to show that we were not the same, the identity is to represent ourself only. Possessing this identity, we can do many things such as travel to other countries, making up a company, even after commit to a crime, you will be the only one who go to a prison. So an official identity giving by the government is the one who can represent us most. And getting this identity do have a close confinement. Even many social network and companies require you first apply a identity from their own,such as the bank, youth center,etc, the very first thing you should get your official identity card before getting another identity from other organization.

However, nowadays on line technology develop in a very fast speed, different on line applications such as Msn, facebook, email, blogger, youtube, on line forum, etc, also require you to first become their member before enjoying their service. So to simplify our life by using all these on line services, we usually got many different accounts and identities. And all these on line application and services are mostly social networks tools in order to connect people together and sharing data. So people start to have many different identities in the Internet world. While they applying their account, they do not need to provide their official identity, so even you get their on line information and identity, you can not find them in real life, those identity is just virtual.

So nowadays, people are getting more and more identities than before, and most of these identities are virtual and cannot be chasing back in real life. By possessing these virtual identities, you can do large variety things on line and no need to bear responsibilities.

To conclude, as identity was used to be to distinguish us from each other, however as more and more on line identities can be apply, identity is becoming complex.


Other questions to discuss.


1) How many on line identities do you have?

I do got many on line identities, such as Msn, facebook, email (3-4), youtube, forum, blogger,etc.


2) In what ways are they different to your "in person" identity?

While applying the on line identities, most of them only require you to provide a email address and some basic information, however, you can still provide some fake information, then you can easily get a identity on line. Besides, you can also apply more that one identities from the same party, Comparing to personal identity, it is much close in confinement, all the information you provide must be real ( by providing different certificates), and you can only apply one, on the other hand, there would be records if we have done something such as crimes.


3) What are some benefits of expressing ones' identity on line?

They can develop their ideas, thinking and comments on line. Also people's social networks are strongly strengthen.


4) What are some risks?

People may do some negative slanders, attacks on line. Besides, they may commit some crimes, such as fraud someone through msn, icq, facebook; and afterward difficult to chase due to the information provided were faked.

challenges of digital art presents to the art world

What are some challenges digital art presents to the art world (ie galleries, exhibition goers, art critics and scholars)?


Since the digital art are mainly based on the concept, so while compare the digital art to the paintings/ sculptures, there are quite many differences. While we watching the paintings and sculptures, besides the concept, we are also appreciating the techniques, the color, the skills, the levels, the forms,the artists' styles etc, which are very personalize skills, and sometimes we would comment the artworks according to  these aspect, these are the artistic elements which are very important to determined the value of the artworks. However while we watching the digital art, due to using technologies to present the ideas and concepts, there are no very big and distinguish contrast in the skills of artists. Besides, if we don't understand the concepts of the digital art, it is quite difficult to give some other comments and see it from other aspect.

Besides, there are also some limits bring by digital art, such as the equipments may not be available in everywhere, sometimes there may be some technical problems or errors which cant show the art in it original form, for example, a piece of computer graphic, the color may look different in different computer.

Also, it is difficult to define which the work is an art or not. Because making a digital work may involve many people and techniques from different areas, such as engineers, programmers, etc. Seems that it is a mixture of technology, and how to determined the works is art or not art? it is quite hard.
Except the above, some tradition people may not accept the concepts of digital art, some of them may think that art should be present like paintings and sculptures and than put into the gallery, such works would deserve greater appreciating values. They may try to reject the digital art.

This is the work which interest me, i think the concept of this project is quite good. Which try to connect the people who share the same physical same and activities, they try to catch the coincidence chance and moment. "this is the act of opening one's umbrella when rain begins to fall" This is a very creative and good idealism to connect and strengthen social network with art.