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A visualization of Personal Missions and Vision Statements.
I would like to work for either a public relations firm or video game production studio. During this time I would like to learn about the different workings of either options in the pursuit of one day starting my own firm or studio. My goal is to create a brand that everyone will recognize. I want to solve problems using creativity, wit, and charm. while inspiring others to also attend follow in my footsteps. I want to wake up every morning loving what I do.
The Avatar Creation I finally finished editing.
So currently I working on one of the animations for the coding project I’m working on. Hopefully it will animate beside the rest of the text. If not, then I will be having some problems that I will have to work out. As far as the other code is concerned, I think I have a handle on what I’m trying to do. For one of my sections of code, I’m trying to work on transitions, color patterns, and image size.
For Transitions:
My main problem is working with have fast the picture fades in and out of the background. I’m also concerned with shading as it’s a huge part of transitioning from one image to another.
For Color patterns:
I’m trying to come up with color swatches that both matches the visual and auditory art presented in the code. I’ve noticed that color hexes tend to follow the RGB color wheel and not CYMK. Although I learned that you can convert RGB to CYMK so that your colors are vibrant and not set so passively.
For Image Size:
This isn’t a problem. Or rather, it’s not as big of a problem like I thought it was going to be. In fact, most of my problems came when I was trying to resize the image rather than the code itself. I came to realize that I was making the code too large to fit the image, rather than making the larger images and visuals smaller.
The Tutorial and Let’s Play I haven’t been able to upload
In the video I explained the process of simple code, but what I forgot to do was explain the last code that was displayed on the screen. That was complete my fault. The last code I used in the video was an example of what I am going to be using for my final project. I should have made that clearer, and I realize that I didn’t do a good job of articulating that. (Rather I suck at explaining things anyways I’ve noticed.) The code in this video is a simple code that uses transitions and switches over to text. It’s a common code template that is used for role playing in fourm sites and also used for displaying one’s work. I want to use this style, because it’s not as frequently used like many others. Also what I am trying to do is find a site that can handle this code and many other codes and post them up like they are pieces in a gallery. That way my audience can sift through each piece without having to exit out of one thread or one page to look at another page to get to my creations. Hopefully this idea can be finished by the end of week 15
Aspects of Negro Life and Pathos
Aaron Douglas’s Magisterial Aspects of Negro Life depicts the history of African American culture from slavery to the Harlem Renaissance through visually coherent graphics. Referencing back to an earlier example used in a previous analysis, in chapter 3 of Rhetoric and Civic Life, we as a global culture are described as living in a “visual culture.” In this visual culture images are distinguished by the use of visual forms of communication. To understand this type of form of culture we look at Aaron Douglas’s example to understand: visual aesthetics (content, color, and spatial organization) as it pertains to the use of pathos as a rhetorical appeal.
by Aaron Douglas
Content
Content is what is shown in an image. Content is the literal statement that an artist makes to an audience. The first image we look at under Aaron Douglas’s Magisterial, is called “into bondage.” In this image the audience is shown a silhouetted image of slaves in bondage walking through the Caribbean. The audience is never shown faces, but is shown the different actions of each slave as they migrate in this image. The ship leans over to the right on an ocean that has troubled waves. The slave centered to the front looks up at a shooting star as his fate is sealed. The content is interesting, because it appeals to your need to analysis the picture closer than you would have if it was just a picture of sad faces painted with shades of blue.
Color
Color is an interesting feature in Aaron Douglas’s “into bondage.” In the picture, Douglas uses shades of blues, reds, and violets to highlight the background and foreground of the image. The blues use to shade and paint the migrating slaves are used to represent the somber and melancholy feeling that can be seen in that moment. The red leaves give the audience a sense of danger of leaving to this unknown area. The green ship and water can be interpreted as a sickly adventure that leads to nothing but disaster. The gold chain on the slaves can be interpreted as the money being made to hold these people down as they are being captured and used as property.
Spatial Organization
Spatial Organization is the distance between different objects in an image. Spatial Organization is important because distance can also give the audience different emotions or ideas as to how to feel. In “into bondage”, the slaves are distanced from each other with one slave placed to side on their knees, another slave is drawn towards the center of the picture looking up, and a group of slaves pushed towards the background of the image. Looking at the spatial distance we can see different types of or levels of sadness. The centered slave is looking up at the star representing that he’s looking for something to change his fate. The slave on the far left can be interpreted as a slave looking for answer from above, hoping that answers can come to him. The slaves in the background can be interpreted as those who have accepted their fate as they are being led to the unknown and turbulent future the shift in the far background might bring.
Bi-Weekly Design 2/23
Brainstorming and Tutorials
I think the hardest part of designing and using any type of coding language is knowing what you want to create and understanding how to create it. What I want to create is basically a website catered to the creation of stories, the process of creating that story, and also the other projects that go along with it. So what you will see when you click on the link is a page dedicated to a writer with another connecting link that connects to a few short story pieces that they’ve created, and also a separate page for miscellaneous add-ons that the writer wants to add. So it would have elements of Archive of Our Own, Tumblr, and also 8tracks. But this is only one idea I have, and I’m still trying to flesh out all the other kinks in the idea.
So at the present moment, I’m trying to learn how to code using Python. With Python I am able to create interactive commands that allow me to create interactive activities and stories for an audience to enjoy. With Python the hardest part is learning how to use and create commands. The second hardest part is learning all the functions. What I am also trying to learn is how to use HTML as a way of designing a website that can handle all the components that I want to create. Also I’m trying to learn how to use board DOHTML as a way of creating templates for authors and creators to use.
Being the Hero I always Needed.
My name is Marcus Twitty. I am a junior at Old Dominion University studying Creative Writing, Game Design, and Public Relations. My dream career is to work in the video game industry. I know that sounds vague, but I’ve never had a career goal in mind when it comes to the video game industry. If I had to choose a career path it would have to be in the narrative portion of video game design or in the public relations department within a video game design company.
I love writing stories, telling stories, creating worlds, and presenting adventures to everyone I know. When I was a kid I loved reading stories about these distant worlds and adventures that people my age could go on and experience. And as I grew older, the first video game that I ever played involving story was Quest for Camelot. Which was a story about King Arthur and Knights of the round table. I loved that game, because the story was amazing and I felt like I was in the adventure with the characters. So, after that I wanted to be a writer and also learn how to make video games. And recently at ODU, I’ve pretty muched learned the complex process in creating a story.What I’m trying to learn now is how to change the format of a writen story into the format of an interactive story in games.
Around this same time, while I was off trying to find a land of adventures in books and video games, my real life sucked. I was a shy geeky kid, who got picked on a lot, and not that many people backing me. I was quiet, a loner, and hated being the center of attention. At the time I had no heroes, except for the ones in fantasy. It wasn’t until later that I realized that if I couldn’t find a hero, then I would be that hero that I always needed. So I learned how to talk in public, I learned how to plan and create events, I learned how to change people’s perceptions on myself, and I learned how to manipulate. Which isn’t a bad skill I’ve recently learned, if used wisely. So with those skills and doing some research, I learned that working in PR wouldn’t be a bad fit for me. What I’m trying to learn now is the ins and outs of a public relations firm.
Posted in Uncategorized
Games, Geek Culture, and Diversity Essay
Over the last few decades there has been an increase of diversity within geek culture. With the changing times the face of geek culture has changed. In fact, the geek subculture has become more accepting and even supported in mainstream media with shows that focus on video games, fantasy, and science fiction. The straight white middle class male is no longer the main targeted audience or demographic when it comes to marketing Geek culture. For this essay, we are going to look at the gamer subculture under geek culture as rhetors like Extra Credits and Anita Sarkeesian use different medium to display a need for diversity and ways that diversity can be used in media specifically games. This essay will explore Extra Credits and Sarkeesian’s use of rhetorical concepts through their videos. Also we will explore tumblr as a cyberpublic and hybrid public involving gamer subculture.
For the rest of the of Games, Geek Culture, and Diversity click on the blue text. You know you want to.
Visual Rhetoric in Comics
We’ve all heard the statement “A picture is worth a thousand words.” I’ve always wondered what those thousand words could be. Also, why do we pictures if we have enough words? Or why do we give some much weight to images? In Chapter 3 of Rhetoric and Civic Life, we as a global culture are described as being a “Visual Culture.” A Visual Culture is a culture that is ” distinguished by the ubiquity of visual forms of communication that appear in multiple media outlets at the same time (such as television, the Internet, cell phones, and magazines.) For this post, we are going to talk about the visual rhetoric in comics…if the title didn’t give it away. And I warn you this topic is going to be a little long.
When talking about visual rhetoric, the first thing that needs to be understood is that the usage of symbols is a reflection of how we interact with our peers, interpret the world, give meaning to the world, and also how we communicate with those around us. For example when one goes on Facebook or Twitter, you might notice that a lot of people post pictures of themselves going out with friends, having a few drinks, and not to mention a lot of over-exaggerated smiling. On a first glance you probably think that these are just random pictures of someone posting about how much of a good time they are having or had that night. But the rhetoric in just one photo says a lot more. What the person is also telling you is that they are sociable, that they aren’t afraid of alcohol usage, that they have a lot friends, that if you went out with them you too could have a great time. And not just those but array of other interesting themes/meanings.
To understand these themes/meanings one must also look at the different visual aesthetics within the images.
Visual Aesthetics:
1. Content: What is shown
2. Color: Hue (the actual colors), saturation (the purity of the color), the value (how light or dark the colors are), also the stress and harmonies of color.
3. Spatial organization: geometrical perspective, shapes, form, movement, and direction of eye movement
4. Light: the type of light present and it’s source.
5. Expressive content: the feeling evoked by an image.
In comics, visual aesthetics are important. Why? Because…well…an example given by the Rhetoric in Civic Life is that no one is just reading the magazines for the stories. Although they are important, and sometimes interesting, we are not primarily influenced by the pretty words on the page. For example, fashion trend magazines are made up of more images then they are words. Sometimes the ad pictures capture the reader more than the articles. It’s the same with comics, we love the stories, but we just love the art even more.
The images that are going to be the main focus here are the spiderman comics. Specifically spiderman and his other incarnations under visual aesthetics.
Expressive Content and Content
The image on the left is Miles Morale who is currently Spider-Man in the ultimate Spider-verse comics. He is the first Afro-Latino Spider-Man in the Marvel series and has created a buzz over the image.
The image on the left is important because we Spider-Man’s race is not important in this image. Why is that important? Because with this image, we are being told that Spider-Man is Spider-Man. His race is not important because he is too busy doing something important for us to be hung up on his background.
Also, it should be noted that the image is showing that this Spider-Man is a little younger and a little bit more adventurous with the actions in the picture. While in most pictures we see the original Spider-Man web-slinging from building to building, this one surfing the streets of New York on two taxis. As a comic book reader, you are more willing to buy the comic because you know just from this picture that this is going to be very interesting and you want to see where this character is going.
Color and Light
The picture on the right is Spider-Woman also known as Spider-Gwen. The image of Spider-Gwen is interesting because we seen Spider-Gwen standing under an array of colorful pillars that represent the city of New York. Color is important in this image because it highlights Spider-Gwen’s colorful nature and also the city’s nature. This is also reflected in the Coloring of Gwen’s costume. The white highlights her femininity and purity while also persevering her power with the use of black and purple. What this usage of color here says that Gwen can be powerful and daring, while also being feminine at the same time.
Something that should also be noted in this picture is the fact that Spider-Gwen is the focus of this picture’s lighting. While there seems to be lights coming from inside some of the buildings, Spider-Gwen’s lighting gives off that off a sense of a beacon. As if to say that she is a beacon of light for the city.
Anita Sarkeesian’s Social Power and Ethos
Anita Sarkeesian is a media critic, blogger, and feminist activist famous for her video blog “Feminist Frequency”. Sarkeesian is also famous for starting a kickstarter to help fund her video blog “Feminist Frequency”. The feminist activist also made her way to fame off the video “radical feminist” shaming the media for its portrayal of feminist as radical, man hating, belligerent women. She is an important rhetor because she is a rhetor who fits the description of two other rhetorical concepts: Ethos and Social Power.
Ethos is defined as “that which is ‘in the character of the speaker'” also “the character of a rhetor performed in the rhetorical cat and known by the audience because of prior interactions.” (152) Anita Sarkeesian fits this description because she is known for her discussions and talks on feminism and game design. Also she uses ethos as a way of convincing the audience that her arguments are sound because she is a credible source of information. Another example of her ethos can be found that she has won a few awards because of her topics about women in the media. In the book Rhetoric and Civic Life “ethos is developed both prior to and within a rhetorical act.” (152) Meaning that Anita’s years of focusing on her topics and her works with media and social media before becoming famous for her videos also is a part of her ethos which contributes to her “Social Power” .
Social Power “is the influence that people possess within a particular structure, and that enables them to induce others to act.” (163) In Anita Sarkeesian’s case, she was able to use her social power to help fund a Kickstarter to fund her blog “Feminist Frequency” and have a platform to talk about her harassment and the harassment of other women in video games. In fact her social power has recently increased tremendously after the videos The Bechdel Test for Women in Movies and Ms. Male Character videos. Both videos are great example of Anita’s social power, because these two videos helped become her platform for discussing media and feminism topics as well as discuss the plans for her Kickstarter.
So how does this relate to the rhetoric of feminism and game design? Anita Sarkeesian demonstrates two things that every rhetor needs to create change: social power and ethos. Without ethos, anyone arguing for a specific side or viewpoint (specifically feminism and game design) wouldn’t have a platform to stand on. As the common saying goes “a man is only as good as his word”. In relation to rhetoric, it means that you word is a part of your reputation. And without that good reputation, it is easy to dismiss a rhetor’s argument. Also it goes along with Social Power.
In relation to feminism and game design, social power is used as a way to spearhead into a community as a voice for reformation. Social power is needed because without it the rhetor is a small voice within a big pool of people. It’s hard to hear a sound argument from someone without social power, because there is someone else with a bigger voice and bigger pull within a community. In the case of rhetoric of feminism and game design, a rhetor speaking on gender bias and gender roles in gaming would need some type of pull in the community to be heard. But ethos and social power only applies to rhetors making an argument and speaking. Also agency and Identification only apply to understanding the target audience and controlling the message being sent to the audience. To make a sound argument, the rhetor needs two other rhetorical concepts: Deliberative discourse and exigence.
(This post is an objective look at Anita Sharkeesian unrelated to recent incidents and gamergate. If you want to address that in relation to social power and ethos, let me know in the comments.)
Posted in Feminism, Gaming, rhetoric
Tagged Anita Sarkeesian, Ethos, Feminism, Feminist, Feminist Frequency, Game Design, Gaming, Media, Power, Rhetor, Rhetoric, Rhetoric in Civic Life, Social Power, Video Games