3 months ago I made a switch from Mathematical Sciences to New Media Arts for three reasons :
1) I found it difficult to create new mathematics and progress further in my studies. I perceived that there was a 10 ft wall between me and my goal of achieving a Ph D in Mathematics. I was not moving forward in life. I was stagnant.
2) I had dabbled in web design ( flash ) a year earlier. By a coincidence a few friends happened to be in need for websites for their businesses and didn't have the capital yet to pay for it. So I helped them out by learning a few techniques in ActionScript3 and created some websites for them. I felt alive.
3) I had been keeping a few journals for a long time (for fun). One dealing with my nightly dreams and the other computer game ideas. I had grown tired of the games being produced and felt that something had been missing in games since the mid 90's. If only I had the tools to create those visions in my dreams and create entertaining games!
Last summer for the first time ever I took two computer programming courses (CS230 & CS240). Within 3 weeks I learned Java well enough to create my first computer game as a final project fort he class. This is the dream I recorded in my journal the next morning:
"I was standing on top of a huge pyramid amidst a metropolis that stretched as far as the horizon in every direction. It was just before dawn and the sky was a light blue. I watched as the sun began to rise. The intensity of the sun was amazing. I was transfixed upon it and could not look away. The sun continued to rise and in a few moments filled most of the sky. The sun seemed to fill the entire sky, as is it was only a few miles away from the earth! I could do nothing but stand there and look directly at the sun. The sun was so brilliant that another thought could not even penetrate my mind. I woke up after a few minutes and wanted to gaze at the sun again."
I have always found dreams to be inspirational and guiding. This was perhaps the most significant dream I have ever had. I now know without a doubt that learning to use the computer to design and create entertainment is the next phase of my learning here on this plane.
Thus, without further ado, my main focuses for these blogs will be:
1) my dreams and interpretation
2) good interface design practices (for games/apps etc)
3) studying gameplay, as in, "What do the top games of all time have in common?", "How did the game draw in the user to its universe?", "What emotional responses did the games evoke in the user, if any?"
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