Focus on the form, not just the “contents”, but you can include some soundbites-snapshots. What are the elements that make up the thoughts in your mind? And how do they work with/on each other.
For example think of something you love and hate--how are they represented differently in your mind (i.e. is it an image in colour, and with sounds, with emotions? Are the images located in different locations, etc. What happens if you change some aspect of the image (size, colour, replacement, add sound etc).
The elements that make up the thoughts in my mind are disembodied, metaphorical or abstract representations of everyday figures I come across. They are all represented in roughly the same way--their difference lies in the way they make me feel. Figures that I dislike make me feel discomfort and anger whenever I visualise them, while figures that I like make me feel comfort and smoothness when I visualise them. Figures that are neutral usually make me associate them with the events I came across them in.
What does HTI mean to you?
HTI is a compilation of simple and effective design ideas that are taught to us in HTI lessons. The objective of these lessons are to expose us to these ideas and slowly help us understand them in as layman a way as possible. It is supposed to be light, and the exploration that it encourages us to do should be simple, non-threatening and enjoyable.
Why are you not/motivated to do the weekly assignments for HTI2?
The topics that we explore in HTI2 are topics that are very foreign to me, and the depth that we have to plunge into these topics is scary, to say the least. Perhaps it is because of my lack of understanding, but I do not understand the point of most of the exercises and pondering that we have to do. We keep having to "dig into our unconscious" in order to tap into our sources of creativity--a method that I find very difficult to do. I feel as though HTI2 is trying to get us into a singular, standard frame of accessing creativity instead of helping everyone find his own way.
Nonetheless, I feel I will do my weekly HTI assignments if not for the weight of the other assignments that are also hanging over us. We are constantly bombarded with alot of assignments in our second year, and the amount of work that we have to do to complete each HTI journal is no help. The depth that we are required to explore into each topic by ourselves is extensive, to say the least. I take about 4 hours to write each entry on average, and half of the time I take is spent on reading to understand the topics so that I can adequately answer the questions. Most of the questions that we are asked simply ask for too much from us, and it is hard to find the motivation to do them after finishing our other assignments during the weekend.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
My Thoughts on the Creativity Game
The creativity game was an unconventional and rather tough assignment to do. It was probably one of the hardest assignments I've had to do in my course, mainly because of my relative lack of knowledge in the topic involved. Granted, HTI has always been about exploring unknown, thought-provoking topics, but its assignments always had some kind of "guide", in the form of topics. This one just throws us into the topic of creativity and let us roam freely, so it was difficult planning for this assignment, because there was a fairly large amount of thinking we had to do.
It would've been a rewarding assignment if we had more time to do it. I think it was quite a tall order for us to have to produce a prototype in the time frame given, especially since the submission sort of clashed with our other assignments. By the time we were finished with our other assignments, we were left with a mere 1 week to put a prototype together with only a proposal that outlined the game's concepts. As a result, the entire project was quite a rush. We did not dare to explore too much, and we did not have time to do proper playtesting. If we had the entire holidays to do up the prototype (with an interim in between), I felt the end result would've been much better.
I also feel that this is an extremely demanding assignment. Making a game is a lot of work, and we're given only our holidays to complete it. While it would've been fine if we had no other assignments lined up for the holidays, this isn't the case. There are things of heavier priorities, like our studio work and portfolios, that we have to touch up during the holidays as well. Our studio work takes up a big portion of our final grade, while our portfolio is a very big determining factor in our job attachment at the end of our next semester. One of the things that I liked about HTI last year was how it was relatively light, and yet very rewarding. Most of our assignments were medium length essays that only took an hour or two to research and another hour or two to write. I feel that HTI2 has been the complete opposite, especially in the second semester--we're given so much more to do, but the things we explore always link back to some aspect of creativity. I also feel that we're guided alot less--the journal entries (especially the later ones) and this creativity game have plunged us straight into very in-depth psychology topics that took me alot of effort to understand.
If it is possible, I hope that next sememster's HTI2 can be lighter, both in terms of assignments, and in terms of how "layman" the topics we explore are. Lessons tend to plunge into the heavily philosophical side very quickly, faster than we are able to comfortably attune ourselves to the topic. I think that having a more layman approach would be more conducive to our learning, not only because we learn faster, but also because it is easier for us to follow these lessons.
I apologise if any part of this post has been offensive, but I wrote it in a very direct way to make sure I conveyed everything I felt. I can see that you put effort into designing our lessons, and I'm thankful for that. I just feel that conveying whatever I felt wasn't right about this lesson to you will make the lesson better.
It would've been a rewarding assignment if we had more time to do it. I think it was quite a tall order for us to have to produce a prototype in the time frame given, especially since the submission sort of clashed with our other assignments. By the time we were finished with our other assignments, we were left with a mere 1 week to put a prototype together with only a proposal that outlined the game's concepts. As a result, the entire project was quite a rush. We did not dare to explore too much, and we did not have time to do proper playtesting. If we had the entire holidays to do up the prototype (with an interim in between), I felt the end result would've been much better.
I also feel that this is an extremely demanding assignment. Making a game is a lot of work, and we're given only our holidays to complete it. While it would've been fine if we had no other assignments lined up for the holidays, this isn't the case. There are things of heavier priorities, like our studio work and portfolios, that we have to touch up during the holidays as well. Our studio work takes up a big portion of our final grade, while our portfolio is a very big determining factor in our job attachment at the end of our next semester. One of the things that I liked about HTI last year was how it was relatively light, and yet very rewarding. Most of our assignments were medium length essays that only took an hour or two to research and another hour or two to write. I feel that HTI2 has been the complete opposite, especially in the second semester--we're given so much more to do, but the things we explore always link back to some aspect of creativity. I also feel that we're guided alot less--the journal entries (especially the later ones) and this creativity game have plunged us straight into very in-depth psychology topics that took me alot of effort to understand.
If it is possible, I hope that next sememster's HTI2 can be lighter, both in terms of assignments, and in terms of how "layman" the topics we explore are. Lessons tend to plunge into the heavily philosophical side very quickly, faster than we are able to comfortably attune ourselves to the topic. I think that having a more layman approach would be more conducive to our learning, not only because we learn faster, but also because it is easier for us to follow these lessons.
I apologise if any part of this post has been offensive, but I wrote it in a very direct way to make sure I conveyed everything I felt. I can see that you put effort into designing our lessons, and I'm thankful for that. I just feel that conveying whatever I felt wasn't right about this lesson to you will make the lesson better.
Understanding Your Unconscious
Draw a Deep Doodle on the subject of how creativity relates to your unconscious and scan in and post in on your BLOG, and answer the questions below relating to it.
This imagery best represents how creativity relates to the unconscious. It conveys the idea that our creativity, represented by the light bulb, is powered largely by our unconsciousness. The light bulb, also doubling as the body of the person, powers the unconscious, which then powers the light bulb again, signifying a cycle. The idea that this tries to convey is that creativity is a holistic process that involves not just our minds, but our very beings.
1. Ask yourself: "From which part of my psyche do I think my creativity comes from?"
My creativity usually emerges when I'm in the process of solving problems to pursue an objective--that is, from my consciousness. When I'm in the "problem-solving mode", I use the most efficient way to achieve my objectives, and this is where my creative methods stem from.
2. Recall and relate some incidences when you used some psychological defences (as stated by Freud). Or did you encounter other aspects of yourself, like your Anima, shadow, or other personae that exist within you (based on Jung's theories)?
One quality that I know I lack, but I hope to possess, is self-confidence. I want to have the confidence to be able to stand up for myself in the face of a strong adversary, or do things that I know are right despite heavy opposition. When these situations do happen though, I tend to take the least troublesome way out--I compromise to satisfy others. Although this may not necessarily be a bad way to resolve things, I often find myself dissatisfied with the outcome, because I know I compromised out of fear. This often leaves me frustrated, because what I've done conflicts with my idealised identity of myself. During these moments, I find myself using dissociation to rid of these frustrations. I tell myself that what's done is done, and that the person that had done this isn't me, but a younger me that I've left behind. I tell myself that I was weak, but I will be stronger.
While incidences of me feeling that I lack confidence still occurs, as they happen more and more, I find myself applying more and more of Freud's Level 4 psychological defense methods, namely anticipation, identification and introjection. I learn to anticipate when situations that will attack my sense of self image will happen and prepare myself for them, tuning my mindset to become ready to confidently defend myself instead of compromise. I also identify myself with greater people who I respect and the ideas that they stand for to help reinforce my confidence.
I think I encounter what I believe is my shadow occasionally. Sometimes, out of nowhere, there will be this voice in my head that eggs me on to do unconventional things that are violent and sadistic in nature. The impulse will slowly grow and become unbearably strong for a moment before fading. Thankfully, I've never went ahead with any of these momentary thoughts.
3. Which school of psychology most closely relates to your ideas of the origins of creativity?
Analytical psychology most closely relates to my ideas of the origins of creativity. I believe that creativity stems from beyond our consciousness. It is the result of our unconscious self being unleashed. This unconscious self is deeply spiritual in nature, having a connection to the source of life itself, which gives it infinite depth from which it can draw its ideas from. Similarly, the school of analytical psychology places huge emphasis on the unconscious, which it considers a potent and very active part of our psyche.
4. Dig deeper and see what else emerges from your unconscious. Interprete this Deep(er) Doodle. Where can you place your imaginary figures and "friends" that you have drawn, in this snapshot/map of your unconscious?
If I were to expand on the deep doodle above, influential media and real-world figures will form a significant part of the picture. These figures would be wired all over "me", under the bulb, into the head, and even all over the bulb. This portrays the influence that the media has on me, and how they form an integral part of my values and identity. These influences that the media has on me has an effect on how I perceive the world around me, which influences my creativity and the things that come out of it.
This imagery best represents how creativity relates to the unconscious. It conveys the idea that our creativity, represented by the light bulb, is powered largely by our unconsciousness. The light bulb, also doubling as the body of the person, powers the unconscious, which then powers the light bulb again, signifying a cycle. The idea that this tries to convey is that creativity is a holistic process that involves not just our minds, but our very beings.
1. Ask yourself: "From which part of my psyche do I think my creativity comes from?"
My creativity usually emerges when I'm in the process of solving problems to pursue an objective--that is, from my consciousness. When I'm in the "problem-solving mode", I use the most efficient way to achieve my objectives, and this is where my creative methods stem from.
2. Recall and relate some incidences when you used some psychological defences (as stated by Freud). Or did you encounter other aspects of yourself, like your Anima, shadow, or other personae that exist within you (based on Jung's theories)?
One quality that I know I lack, but I hope to possess, is self-confidence. I want to have the confidence to be able to stand up for myself in the face of a strong adversary, or do things that I know are right despite heavy opposition. When these situations do happen though, I tend to take the least troublesome way out--I compromise to satisfy others. Although this may not necessarily be a bad way to resolve things, I often find myself dissatisfied with the outcome, because I know I compromised out of fear. This often leaves me frustrated, because what I've done conflicts with my idealised identity of myself. During these moments, I find myself using dissociation to rid of these frustrations. I tell myself that what's done is done, and that the person that had done this isn't me, but a younger me that I've left behind. I tell myself that I was weak, but I will be stronger.
While incidences of me feeling that I lack confidence still occurs, as they happen more and more, I find myself applying more and more of Freud's Level 4 psychological defense methods, namely anticipation, identification and introjection. I learn to anticipate when situations that will attack my sense of self image will happen and prepare myself for them, tuning my mindset to become ready to confidently defend myself instead of compromise. I also identify myself with greater people who I respect and the ideas that they stand for to help reinforce my confidence.
I think I encounter what I believe is my shadow occasionally. Sometimes, out of nowhere, there will be this voice in my head that eggs me on to do unconventional things that are violent and sadistic in nature. The impulse will slowly grow and become unbearably strong for a moment before fading. Thankfully, I've never went ahead with any of these momentary thoughts.
3. Which school of psychology most closely relates to your ideas of the origins of creativity?
Analytical psychology most closely relates to my ideas of the origins of creativity. I believe that creativity stems from beyond our consciousness. It is the result of our unconscious self being unleashed. This unconscious self is deeply spiritual in nature, having a connection to the source of life itself, which gives it infinite depth from which it can draw its ideas from. Similarly, the school of analytical psychology places huge emphasis on the unconscious, which it considers a potent and very active part of our psyche.
4. Dig deeper and see what else emerges from your unconscious. Interprete this Deep(er) Doodle. Where can you place your imaginary figures and "friends" that you have drawn, in this snapshot/map of your unconscious?
If I were to expand on the deep doodle above, influential media and real-world figures will form a significant part of the picture. These figures would be wired all over "me", under the bulb, into the head, and even all over the bulb. This portrays the influence that the media has on me, and how they form an integral part of my values and identity. These influences that the media has on me has an effect on how I perceive the world around me, which influences my creativity and the things that come out of it.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Psychology and Creativity
After watching Don Norman's TED Video, think about the interplay/interaction of the Visceral, Behavioural and Reflective layers within the flow of gameplay as you formulate your studio project game, as well as for your HTI2 Creativity Game. How could you effectively harness the emotional design factors to maximise fun and enjoyment for your game? What would motivate your players to get involved deeper in the games?
Games are a subset of designs. Like design products, games are made for the enjoyment of people. By that logic, whatever that Don Norman said that applied to design applies to game design as well. Games that appeal to our visceral, behavioural and reflective layers appeal better to us. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that games should look good (visceral), have good gameplay (behavioural) and portray high-value to the user and for the user (reflective).
There's not much to reflect on about effectively harnessing the visceral and behavioural layers in games, because these two have been done so much already. Appealing to the visceral means making things look good in the game; the game packaging, the graphics, the interface design and essentially everything that you see on screen. Video games are continuously advancing in the graphics department, and the first thing new video game consoles boast about is graphical processing power. The game design industry knows full well of the importance of good graphics already.
Appealing to the behavioural level means making controls that fit the game and making sure that the player feels that the game is fair (i.e. if he loses, he understands that its his fault and not because he lacks information the game should provide), so that he feels in control. Again, the industry knows full well of this aspect's importance. Alot of game companies spend lots of money hiring playtesters, not only to weed out bugs in their games, but also to make sure that they deliver the right experience to the players.
What is relatively unexplored in games design is the reflective layer--making the owner of the game feel proud of owning such a game. The reflective layer is also the key to making a player want to get involved in a game, because it conveys that the game has value, that it is worth investing time in. All of the industry's critically acclaimed games have a reflective layer. This reflective layer mostly comes in two forms, either a very interesting story, or a very competitive gaming scene. The former drives people to play to find out more, while the latter drives people to play to better themselves, so that they can convey their worth by winning.
There is alot to explore in games design in the reflective layer, because there are so many more ways to make a game valuable in people's eyes, and games, being an interactive medium, is very well-equipped to do so. Games can control the overall experience so much better than other forms of entertainment because of its interactivity and the array of activities that it can get people involved in.
Games are a subset of designs. Like design products, games are made for the enjoyment of people. By that logic, whatever that Don Norman said that applied to design applies to game design as well. Games that appeal to our visceral, behavioural and reflective layers appeal better to us. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that games should look good (visceral), have good gameplay (behavioural) and portray high-value to the user and for the user (reflective).
There's not much to reflect on about effectively harnessing the visceral and behavioural layers in games, because these two have been done so much already. Appealing to the visceral means making things look good in the game; the game packaging, the graphics, the interface design and essentially everything that you see on screen. Video games are continuously advancing in the graphics department, and the first thing new video game consoles boast about is graphical processing power. The game design industry knows full well of the importance of good graphics already.
Appealing to the behavioural level means making controls that fit the game and making sure that the player feels that the game is fair (i.e. if he loses, he understands that its his fault and not because he lacks information the game should provide), so that he feels in control. Again, the industry knows full well of this aspect's importance. Alot of game companies spend lots of money hiring playtesters, not only to weed out bugs in their games, but also to make sure that they deliver the right experience to the players.
What is relatively unexplored in games design is the reflective layer--making the owner of the game feel proud of owning such a game. The reflective layer is also the key to making a player want to get involved in a game, because it conveys that the game has value, that it is worth investing time in. All of the industry's critically acclaimed games have a reflective layer. This reflective layer mostly comes in two forms, either a very interesting story, or a very competitive gaming scene. The former drives people to play to find out more, while the latter drives people to play to better themselves, so that they can convey their worth by winning.
There is alot to explore in games design in the reflective layer, because there are so many more ways to make a game valuable in people's eyes, and games, being an interactive medium, is very well-equipped to do so. Games can control the overall experience so much better than other forms of entertainment because of its interactivity and the array of activities that it can get people involved in.
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