Are Games Art?

I give my opinion on what I think about when people ask: Are games art?

Well, to me games are really not art. True, games are composed of art (graphics), writing, music, tools, software, movies, interactivity, code, AI and etc. However, as all these things put together are usually considered games. To understand where I’m coming from, take these questions into consideration: is movies in the theater consider art?, Is writing considered art?, Is software considered art?, Is code considered art?. Well if you can answer yes to most of these (answer >2) then games probably could be considered art. Otherwise, games are what they are called “Games!”

What I’m trying to say is that games may have artistic elements, but a lot of the elements in them that players don’t pay attention to are not. Some of the elements are just technical and mathematical. Besides games have been around for a long time, so if they were considered art, they would have been listed in the art history books by now. So, I will consider games art when they are officially put in an art history book. But you know what? they might already be in an art history book. However, for now the last art history books I have read did not mention nor have any subjects about games or game art.

Scientist vs. Engineers

This article explains the difference between scientist and engineers.

Scientist:

Start with a puzzle that is unclear, that probably already have clear pieces put together, yet plenty of unclear pieces missing, which is what causes the entire puzzle which is the picture to be unclear. They then put in different pieces using trial and error to figure out which piece makes a particular area of the puzzle or picture more clearly. Then they run experiments on this new clear piece inserted to figure out how the piece made the particular area more clearly! The results from these experiments are what ultimately the scientist look at the unclear pieces in the beginning or the card to why the scientist had to research and experiment with the clear piece. So equation: puzzle = uncleanness = missing = piece + clearness + experiment = complete clearness for one missing piece which helps brings complete clearness the whole puzzle (picture)!

Engineer:

Starts with clear pieces that were experimented on by scientist and design an entire new puzzle with them that is more clear the previous clear puzzle that became less useful!

Rap Flow Tips

This is some tips for improving your rap flow.

• Just keep flowing now matter what when your freestyling because it will enable you to rhyme off words you would have never thought of if you just gave up after you seem to not be to think up anything else.
• Another good tip is to pretend like that you are not rhyming in sentences, that way you can rhyme off any word(s) in your flow not matter how long it takes you to find something to rhyme next with the previous flow.
• Rapping smoothly and calmly but still loud and strong makes you sound like a better freestyler too. When you are freestyling you should rely on the energy of your audience if you have one or your own tight sick flows or punch line in order to keep yourself and your competition or audience hyped up. More than likely though your massive unlimited energy from you flow and punch lines will make your competition seem to be less intimidating and they probably will feel more intimidation from you.
• You can always use DJ phrases like “pause,” “take that back,” rewind,” “take two or three,” and etc. in order to buy some more time, so you can think up some more killer phrases, punch lines, or rhymes to complement your rhymes and continue flowing smoothly.
• Just keeping practicing over different beats (even ones that are not in the rap/Hip-Hop genre) in order to become a better freestyler. Eventually you will get comfortable with it and it will seem like killer punch lines and rhymes just come to you without you having to put much thought process input into it.
• Before you know it you will be able to compete with some known rappers and still keep your cool without looking like an amateur in the game.

How to Create a Transparent Plane in Autodesk 3Ds Max 2011

This is a mini tutorial that explains how to map a bitmap with an alpha channel to a plane that allow you to only see the bitmap and not the alpha channel. In other words the bitmap alpha channel makes the plane transparent where its alpha channel is visible. (Enables alpha channel in view-port)

• To create a transparent plane, create a plane, and then apply a standard material to the plane.
  
• Second, add a composite node then connect it to the diffuse and opacity channels (connecting it to the opacity channel is what enables the transparency).
  
• Third, add a bitmap node and connect it to the composite layer 1 channel (the bitmap must have a alpha channel in order for it to be transparent which means you need to import a “PNG” or “TGA” image file format to see it’s transparency in the view-port).
  
• Last, open composite node settings by double clicking it at the top and duplicate layer 1, then for the finish touches, change layer 2 (duplicated layer) filters setting to addition or whatever you like to enhance image visibility in the view-port.
  
• After you do that you should be able to see nothing but the non-transparent part of your image in the view-port.

Elements of Writing

Just some elements of writing.

Writing=

1. Writing from different point of views or what I call “perspectives” allows you to tell a story that you wrote without allowing the readers to know you were the one who wrote it. For ex: using “I” gives away yourself so you could use “he” or a fake name (or even nickname) to refer to yourself but make it seem if it is not you by not using first person “I” more info on wiki here.
2. First person = I or we
3. Second person = You
4. Third person = He, she, it, or they
5. Types of narrations:
   • All-Knowing:
   • Limited Omniscience:
   • Objective:
6. When narrator participates in events in story he or she uses first person “I.” Similar, when narrator remains a non participator of the events in the story he or she uses third person “he,” “she,” or “they.”

What Rappers Should Do in Thier Rapping

These are some elements of what I think rappers should have in their music and lyrics in order to enhance it, make it more interesting, and educating.

Rapping =

• Creative or funny entertaining Quotes made by you or known by common
• Indirect Drama by people
• Exaggeration (hyperbole)
• People’s Contradictions
• Your Opinions
• Boasting
• Your Life
• Experiences
• Summarized Stories told with left out information leaving only information you want the audience to know or think about or you want to emphasize on
• Words said with emotion
• Lines ended with bangs
• Special effects such as sounds, rhymes, repetitions, clever phrases that don’t reveal themselves at first beginning, addictive punch lines, etc.
• Direct Comparisons (metaphors)
• Ending lines with addictive and interesting words that cause an effect or emotion (arousal or excitement)
• Slant rhymes
• Symbolic phrases and words
• Slang or creative formed words (spelled or said in a way to mean the exact same thing or match the context of the rhyming scheme
• My rhyme for ex: house and mouth, juice and tooth.
• Make words rhyme easy by using suffixes for ex. -ed, -ing, -s, ies, -es, -ness, -ly, -less, etc.
• Good unique voice (for ex: Ja Rule, Nelly, Guru, etc.)
• Use multisyllabic rhymes which are rhymes that contain two or more syllables to enhance overall effect and impact of rhymes = powerful rhymes and more info here.

What Poetry Should Do

These are some of the elements I think all poetry should contain in order to make it more interesting, unforgettable, and elegant.

Poetry =

1. Without imagery my poetry is weak and sound cheap
2. Should express your feelings of emotion and state your opinions
3. It’s good to add setting (place, time, and weather) and location description to your poetry because it makes it feel more real as if you were actually there with the person describing it
4. Listening to specific music that compliments the mood of the poetry also helps with writing it
5. Having a reference or watching a video that relates to your poetry or what is about also makes it easier to write it
6. In poetry you can say whatever you want out of your mind, think of it as having the freedom to write whatever you want in a creative way
7. Metonymy is a figure of speech in which an attribute or trait (characteristic) of something is used to stand for the thing itself such as “crown” for “royalty”
8. Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which the word for the “part” (attached to it) is used to mean the whole such as “hands” for “people” or vice versa
9. Thus, “The White House said” would be a metonymy for the president and his staff, because the White House (A) is not part of the president or his staff (B) but is closely associated with them. On the other hand, “20,000 hungry mouths to feed” is a synecdoche because mouths (A) are a part of the people (B) actually referred to. More info here.
10. Use big and fancy words to enhance it’s elegance