Empathy Games

This week's topic was empathy games, a topic that I find very interesting. Games are commonplace nowadays, but they aren't usually relatable and many don't have a plot line that makes you think. Empathy games put the player in the creator's shoes. They give insight into issues that affect many people, but may not affect the player. For example, That Dragon, Cancer is a game created by the parents of a young boy named Joel Green who suffered from cancer. This game shows what it's like to lose a child to cancer, something most people are lucky enough not to experience. Empathy is a difficult thing for many people, but video games allow a new avenue for feeling empathy.

Media can certainly make us feel empathy, for example I'm sure most people cried when they watched Bridge to Terebithia. But these games allow the user to truly be immersed and feel what the main characters are feeling.

One thing this week I found interesting was in the article linked below.

https://electronicbookreview.com/essay/videogames-of-the-oppressed/

In this article the author, Gonzola Frascas makes the point that video games offer choice and a non-linear narrative. Frascas says this might not always be good if you want to instil morals as there is usually a good or bad choice in narratives. However, I believe video games can instil morals - a bad choice can lead to bad consequences. Games are a way for children to learn that their actions have consequences and to choose the course of action that deals the least harm.

The final point I want to talk about is how I share my experiences through media. I love writing and drawing. Writing is especially important to me as a way to share my experiences indirectly. While my storylines and characters are not real, the ideas behind them still come from within and are based on my life experiences. 

For a final question I want to ask how you share your stories. Through media like writing or art? Or somehow else?

Bye everyone, see you next week!

Works cited:

  Frascas, Gonzola. "Videogames Of The Oppressed | Electronic Book Review". Electronicbookreview.Com, 2004, https://electronicbookreview.com/essay/videogames-of-the-oppressed/.

Soundscapes

Let's start with defining what a soundscape is. It means an array of sounds that makes you feel like you're in the place where those sounds are playing - for instance inside of a story.

This week's class focused on sounds and how to make sounds for our third remediation of our story. This meant, for example, that we would find a stock sound of a toaster dinging if there was one in our story. My story is a bit dialogue heavy so I'm not exactly sure how to go about it - I'm thinking I will need some swings creaking in a deserted playground (spooky), police sirens and... I'm not sure what else, but I'll think of it!

I noticed that the program we're going to use is Audacity, which reminds me of my primary school days. We used that program for some of our projects, though I don't remember exactly what we did with it.

Now let's talk about the impact of sounds. Music is one of the most important factors in films and television shows. A horror movie has spooky and foreboding music while a comedy will have brighter and more upbeat music. Scary music can add to the tension that we usually feel when watching horror, while funny music can make something that would normally be scary into something lighthearted. For example a parody of a horror movie but with someone doing a silly run from a silly villain, with ridiculous music playing.

Think about the soundtrack to your favourite movie - what mood does it evoke?

What about sounds from real life? What sound makes you the happiest? For me it's when I hear my dog's claws clicking on the tiles - it means my dog is around!

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The hardest part will be trying to make it sounds organic. Often artificial things seem... well, artificial. The soundscape will need to be immersive as if the listener were actually inside the story! It will be a challenge, but a fun one!