Welcome to the third issue of Journal. Creative Technologies. The seven papers that make up this issue are all based on ‘interactivity’ – a broad notion inviting myriad interpretations and applications across an emergent field associated with creative technologies. Indeed, the fluid nature of this field has become increasingly apparent to us as we worked on this issue. It seems clear that there are some fundamental concerns – not least the epistemological, ontological or phenomenological status of such terms as play, performance or engagement. However, the specific contexts for these remain largely unmapped, as artists, academics and researchers push new technologies in innovative, often unforeseen, directions. While the call for papers was deliberately open, the selected papers connect and converse in subtle ways about theory and praxis.

A strong sub-theme in this selection is a preoccupation with mapping, in particular the mapping of player experience in gaming. Schott, van Vught and Marczak describe their early research into player experience of interactive games, motivated by a desire to better understand the relationship between this in-game experience and the engagement with life outside of the game. From this starting point, they argue that further game-specific research is necessary, at least in part, for the accurate classification of games. Sweetser, Johnson and Wyeth detail their application of a grounded theory methodology to map some fundamental criteria for the heuristic evaluation of one genre of game, and in doing so, make a valuable contribution that complements the widely used GameFlow model of player experience.  

Bakkes, Tan and Pisan take a socio-psychological perspective on player experience and map, through literature, the game player’s motivation in personalised games, where the player’s gaming history, in-game behaviour and skill inform game play. Cermak-Sassenrath’s paper describes the studio-based mapping of patterns in action games and the reapplication of the resulting pattern language in the creation of a new game, successfully closing the loop and connecting theory and practice for students in the Creative Technologies programme at Auckland University of Technology.

The educational setting is a second sub-theme in the selected papers. Cermak-Sassenrath’s paper reflects on the open-ended, collaborative process of learning and development with students. Truna and Moyes describe and reflect upon their ‘performing design’ approach to teaching and learning in game design education, which has tended in the past to reinforce an art/science dichotomy. Their innovative approach aims to support students in their evolution from players to designers. Further to this theme, Citizen investigates the relationship between theory and practice, also in the tertiary education environment, in using a 360° video camera to produce work for small mobile screens, and discusses the resulting project which offered valuable insights into that relationship.

Lastly, drawing on a very strong foundation of practical experimentation and discovery, Joseph, Hugain-Lacire and Ziegler explore Simon Penny’s (2011) ‘performative aesthetic of interactivity’ as it relates to the works of the Digital Art Live (DAL) project. The artists who have contributed to this project embrace interactivity in new ways, opening up space for some critical interrogation disruption or subversion of traditional practices and assumptions about aesthetics and art.

Particular thanks must go to the reviewers of the papers for this issue. Your extensive and specialist knowledge and willingness to provide critique was invaluable to the editorial board and contributors. We welcome feedback and future participation, either as contributor or as a member of our extended editorial review panel. Please do contact me if you would like to be a part of the journal next year. In the meantime, watch for the next call for papers early in 2013.

Jennie Watts
Editor
jennie.watts@aut.ac.nz

 

Dr. ing. Sander C.J. Bakkes is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam and holds a Ph.D. in video game artificial intelligence. He is currently investigating artificial intelligence in the context of serious gaming, and is co-developing a master track on Serious Gaming at the University of Amsterdam.

s.c.j.bakkes@uva.nl
 

 


Dr. Daniel Cermak-Sassenrath works at the Interdisciplinary Unit in the Creative Technologies (CT) programme at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. The CT program is a studio-based program which integrates art and science, theory and practice. Student projects draw on robotics, film, electronics, sound/music, performance, installations and games. Daniel has been teaching courses on computer games, tangible interaction, and media theory at different universities. He is interested in theories of play, art and play, game design, phenomenology, and transmedia. More info at www.dace.de
 

 


Joe Citizen, Waikato Institute of Technology

Joe Citizen is a lecturer in Visual Arts, teaching on the degree programme of the School of Media Arts at the Waikato Institute of Technology in Hamilton, New Zealand. Although better known as a short filmmaker, his research is currently concerned with some of the possible intersections between interactivity and immersion.

 joe.citizen@wintec.ac.nz
 

 


Nolwenn Hugain-LaCirre studied music and visual art in French and Icelandic Art Schools and is interested in comparisons and connections between these different art forms. Previously Nolwenn was head of education at Puce Muse a French centre for Live Virtual and Visual Music. She was the creator of the NOP association to develop new electronic orchestra practices. Her first project, with  NOP.nz, was presented in New Zealand in 2011, with subsequent performances in Auckland and Wellington. She was appointed co-ordinator of the Digital Art Live project in May 2011.
 

 


Dr. Daniel Johnson

Daniel Johnson is a Senior Lecturer in the Bachelor of Games and Interactive Entertainment at QUT.  Daniel has completed Bachelors and Honours degrees in Psychology, a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education and a doctorate on the psychology of human-computer interactions and video games. Daniel has also worked in the games industry for companies such as NextGenVideos and The Binary Mill.
 

 


Dr. Frances Joseph is Associate Professor of Design at the Auckland University of Technology. She is co-director of CoLab, Creative Technologies Research Institute and director of the Textile and Design Laboratory at AUT. Her research is concerned with innovation through creative technologies, with a focus on areas of interaction design and aesthetics, e-textiles, design research methodology, creative entrepreneurship and the design and management of interdisciplinary projects.
 

 


Raphaël Marczak, M.Sc. is a Research Associate and PhD candidate at the University of Waikato (New Zealand). Raphaël is currently identifying which quantitative data sets, from psychophysiological data to gameplay metrics can be used to assess the game-play experience. Raphaël has studied Computer Science at the University of Bordeaux, France.
 

 


Gordon Moyes, Griffith Film School, Griffith University, Australia

Gordon Moyes is a games industry veteran turned academic.  Having a broad game programming background, his expertise includes artificial intelligence, computer graphics, object oriented design and project management.  His research interests also include game design methods, literacy through play and games as political commentary. g.moyes@griffith.edu.au
 

 


Dr. Yusuf Pisan is an associate professor the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). He is the director of the Games Studio and member of the Human Centred Technology Design (HCTD) research strength. His research interests include enabling technologies for computer games and the design of virtual environments that support collaborative work.

yusuf.pisan@uts.edu.au
 

 


Dr. Gareth Schott is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Arts, Screen and Media Programme at the University of Waikato (New Zealand). He is the principal investigator on a Royal Society of New Zealand: Marsden Grant that funds the research disseminated in this edition. He has published widely in the field of game studies prior to, and since its inception in 2001. He is co-author of Computer Games: Text, narrative and play (Polity Press).
 

 


Dr. Penelope Sweetser

Penelope (Penny) Sweetser is a lecturer in the Bachelor of Games and Interactive Entertainment at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). She spent several years working as a game designer prior to joining QUT in 2011, working for 2K Games and Sega on titles such as BioShock 2, XCOM, and Medieval II: Total War. 
 

 


Dr. Chek Tien Tan is a lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) and holds a Ph.D. in computer science. He is currently the co-director of the Games Studio at UTS, and has served as conference chair for GAMEON 2011, programme chair for Interactive Entertainment 2012, and is part of the academic advisory board for the Sydney International Animation Festival.

chektien.tan@uts.edu.au
 

 


truna aka j.turner, School of Design, QUT, Australia

truna aka j.turner is a game and interaction design researcher and activist. She is the Brisbane IGDA chapter auntie, co-director of the Game On public program and the Game On [423] indie games community symposium and founder of the 48 hour game making challenge. Her work is in the area of digital ontologies and game design. She researches and publishes work on spatial representation, maps, culture and game design and makes game works that explore cultural perspectives.

truna@acid.net.au
 

 


Jasper van Vught, M.A. is a Research Associate and PhD candidate at the University of Waikato (New Zealand). Jasper is currently studying the activation and understanding of violent game content and the cognitive and affective impact this content exerts during play. Jasper has studied Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Groningen, Netherlands.
 

 


Verena Ziegler is a PhD student and Research Assistant at the Auckland University of Technology. She is interested in the engagement with cross-disciplinary research fields, methodological frameworks and understandings of the relation between dwelling (stable) and the on going transformation (in stable) of habitat.

Journal: Creative Technologies is a new, online, open access and peer-reviewed journal for the publication of research and innovation in creative technologies. There is emphasis on papers by emerging researchers. However, all researchers are invited to submit papers appropriate to the theme of each issue.

The journal has an editor and editorial executive board comprising staff and post-graduate researchers from the Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies at AUT University. The wider editorial board is under development, and it is our intention that expert members from around New Zealand and internationally will be invited to become involved as required. If you would like to be involved, please contact editor Jennie Watts on jennie.watts@aut.ac.nz

The call for papers for the fourth edition of the journal will be made in early 2013.

CoLab is a creative technology centre focused on innovation through new technologies.
We facilitate and promote interdisciplinary research, development and collaboration between education, creative and commercial industries.

CoLab is involved in working with organisations and individuals in the creative industries to develop new opportunities, applications, methodologies and technologies for cultural, social and economic development.

www.colab.org.nz

CALL - Papers for CoLab Journal issue #4: 'The Expanded Field of Animation'

Over the past fifty years animation, as the phenomenon of motion drawing, has seen a dramatic expansion in terms of production techniques, from stop motion sequencing of hand rendered art or three-dimensional objects, to two dimensional and three dimensional computer generated imagery, motion tracking or combinations of techniques. In parallel, the development of the internet, gaming and mobile devices has supported an extension of animation beyond traditional areas of presentation in film, television and advertising, into new narrative, informational and interactive formats. Ware We are inviting papers that address issues related to this expansion, including: the aesthetics of animation; animation and interaction; technologies of animation; virtual worlds; and animation in education. As an online publication the Journal editors are interested in submissions that make use of visual and animated formats, as well as more traditional text-based papers. Emerging and established scholars and researchers from around New Zealand and internationally are invited to contribute to the open-access publication to be published in September 2013. Papers must be received no later than Monday June 24, 2013.

To make an enquiry or to submit a paper, email Charles Walker (chwalk@aut.ac.nz) or Frances Joseph (frances.joseph@aut.ac.nz)

Supported by:

In this issue:

The ‘Dominant Effect’ of Games: Content vs. medium
Gareth Schott, Jasper van Vught, & Raphaël Marczak
Digital games receive an age-restriction rating based on the depiction of harmful content and its possible impact on players. Following on from film, the relationship between media content and its psychological impact on audiences is assumed to be further heightened by the interactive nature of the medium as it makes players responsible for constructing the moving-image on screen. While classification processes continue to serve as an exercise in caution, there remains little evaluation of a...[read more]
Towards a conceptual framework for touchscreen 360° video on small mobile screens: praxis in action
Joe Citizen
This paper describes a praxis approach to the conceptual framework required for producing touchscreen 360° video on small mobile screens, using a Point Grey Ladybug 3 camera. It is specifically concerned with how theory can help inform practice within a tertiary education environment, through a survey of the available literature of this emerging field. It concludes with a brief summary of a 360° video project shot as a result of these preliminary findings, and offers some possibilities...[read more]
Performing design: game design, practice, praxis and the theatre of the impressed
truna aka j.turner & Gordon Moyes
This paper is a reflection on a design teaching project that endeavours to establish a culture of critical design thinking in a tertiary game design course. In the first instance, the ‘performing design’ project arose as a response to contemporary issues and tensions in the Australian games industry and game design education; in essence, the problem of how to scaffold undergraduate students from their entry point as ‘players’ (the impressed) into becoming designers. The...[read more]
Personalised Gaming
Sander Bakkes, Chek Tien Tan, & Yusuf Pisan
This article focuses on personalised games, which we define as games that utilise player models for the purpose of tailoring the game experience to the individual player. The main contribution of the article is a motivation for personalised gaming, supported by an extensive overview of scientific literature. The motivation concerns (a) the psychological foundation, (b) the effect on player satisfaction, (c) the contribution to game development, and (d) the requirement for achieving ambitions....[read more]
Digital Art Live: Exploring the Aesthetics of Interactivity
Frances Joseph, Nolwenn Hugain-Lacire, & Verena Ziegler
While technologies and theories of interactive media have developed exponentially over the past twenty five years, the aesthetics of interactivity, as a philosophy of perception and validation of interactivity as a form of art, has been slower to emerge. While aesthetic inquiry has expanded to investigate the sensuous perception of many forms of electronic art, interactivity as an expressive medium challenges many fundamental assumptions of traditional aesthetics. This paper addresses the...[read more]
Designing Games with Patterns
Daniel Cermak-Sassenrath
This article discusses pattern design as a methodology in interaction design. The paper sketches out Alexander's idea of design patterns and describe our experiences with using patterns for designing old-school action games in the classroom context. The process included finding patterns, making a language, using it for creating several game designs and realising one of these designs collaboratively. The article grew out of a University course titled A Pattern Approach to Action Game Design...[read more]
Revisiting the GameFlow Model with Detailed Heuristics
Penelope Sweetser, Daniel Johnson, & Peta Wyeth
The GameFlow model strives to be a general model of player enjoyment, applicable to all game genres and platforms. Derived from a general set of heuristics for creating enjoyable player experiences, the GameFlow model has been widely used in evaluating many types of games, as well as non-game applications. However, we recognize that more specific, low-level, and implementable criteria are potentially more useful for designing and evaluating video games. Consequently, the research reported in...[read more]