The story that he makes in the beginning was the one that struck me the most. It is about one of the first red wolves that were returned to the wild. But they had been in captivity for so long, they no longer remembered how to howl. One wolf, Mumon was the first to leave the pack to find his howl. He came across a couple of animals, such as the deer and the raven, as well as a human. In the end all he had to do was forget himself and follow his instincts and that would lead him to his howl as well as his pack.
What I think he is trying to say in this story is that you can’t let yourself be confined to just what you know and the social norms. Sometimes you have to let your inhibitions go to let the creativity and your true self flow in.
In the article, 14 Ways to Get Breakthrough Ideas, there were many suggestions on how to create and work with ideas that one would think up. It is mostly just brainstorm ideas but I think if one already had an idea to work with, then this would be good to work with. I had trouble with working with it because I am not currently looking for an idea and I don’t really need one for right now.
The first suggestion that I would like to critique is number two, which is Immerse. It asks the thinker to put off some time to just think over ideas that they have. I do not think that this is an accurate way to create and refine ideas because creativity isn’t always there. I kept on thinking that when I needed to write a paper or make a video, it is almost impossible for me to say, “I am going to find an idea for this project!” and actually get it done. I find that I get most of my ideas when I shower, but when I shower to get ideas, I am usually blank minded. I think that getting ideas is usually a spur of the moment thing, and all you need is time.
The second I would like to criticize is number five: Fantasize. It asks you to think about a fantasy cure to your challenge. Though this may help for mechanical problems, I do not think that this could help for more creative venues. I actually tried this idea and all I could think about were things that just couldn’t happen or something that I would not do. I was trying to figure out a way to put my computer on the floor with out getting out of my bed (I have a loft) but all I could think about was putting a slide onto the side of my bed so I could slide it down, the I could slide down. I think that this could work for some people (the fantasize option, that is) but my mind is just so out there that nothing realistic would come from it.
The third I would like to comment on is number ten: hang out with a diverse group of people. I would like to say that I could never do this. It is a good idea in itself but I am just too shy and opinionated to mesh with people who are completely different than me. Also people choose who to hang out with based on how much they have in common and once you get that group, it is difficult to go outside of it. This might be in fear of rejection from the original group, or rejection from the new group. I was also thinking, if one would pick out a group of the most diverse people they know, I can see the chosen to be basically the same person. I know that there are more than two types of people, but when basing the chosen people off of what is completely opposite of yourself, then it would be difficult to get a diverse group of people.
I will use an idea that I had a while ago for my example. I was trying to think of a video game, just for the heck of it. I had thought of something after much showering, and mindless Hulu watching when I finally thought of an idea. It is a game that is for the younger demographic, most easily played on the DS. The main objective was to get off the island that you landed on. Though it was technically a free reign game, the character would be guided through out the island by a path and would be introduced to good and bad characters along the way. But the only problem was that I could not think of any characters. I knew that there had to be some sort of currency that would be traded through the main layer and a shop keep NPC but I did not know how get the money and how to introduce new tools into the game. At first I was thinking a chest would work but so many other games have used that mechanic that I wanted something unique. Well I thought back to the different memories that I had through out playing games and my life experiences.
Well I never thought that this would come in the form of Farmville. My mother is obsessed with that game. To the point where she calls up her best friend and they collaborate on how to get the most coin for their crop. Well I remember her saying something about how one of her animas seems like it doesn’t give anything. When I called her up to ask what the animals name was, she told me it was a treasure seagull, Which I immediately put into my game. So I think for this I used number nine. I used the current trends to influence my game. Though Farmville popularity isn’t what it used to be, I still think that it does have some good and simple ideas that can be implemented into other ideas. I also used the current trends on the way that I made my game. I remember that I first thought of this idea when I heard the new Legend of Zelda game was coming out and I took snippets of that and used it to influence my game. I also used the subtle guiding from the different first person shooters that I have come across.
I feel like this is going to be one of the nerdier of the blogs that we have to do, but I will not adjust my artist because of “geeky-ness”. My favorite artist is Shigeru Miyamoto, who is the creator if some of the biggest names in the Video game world. He has helped to create Donkey Kong, Mario, and my favorite, Legend of Zelda. I admire him because of the completely different worlds that he creates. I find myself struggling to even create something original as I am doodling on my notebook, while Miyamoto can create completely different cultures and worlds. I know that it wasn’t just him that did it but I am still impressed with the level of intricacy that goes into these games. Looking back on to Mario, it may seem like a simple game, but there was so much work that went into creating and making it function that it is difficult to see it as a simple game.
Each of these games is relatively similar or they have AFFINITYto each other in concept. In each game, the main character has to go out and save some one. In Zelda and Mario, it is Princess Zelda and Princess Peach respectively. While in Donkey Kong, it is a horde of stolen bananas that must be saved from evil. There is also something that you must collect along the way to help determine your score, such as Rupees or coins. And lastly, the main character usually always starts out as a pauper of sorts. Link, in Legend of Zelda, is a boy who was raised among the Kokiri, who are all forest children. Mario is a plumber, and Donkey Kong is a giant ape. The hold CONTRASTto one another in how the game actually is played out. Legend of Zelda was one of the first role-playing games out on the market and it became wildly popular, as more games have come out. This is the only game out of the three I mentioned that one has almost complete control on where the character moves, or it is the only game in which there is a non-linear map. Where as Mario and Donkey Kong both have linear maps, dictating which way to go which in most cases is forward.
These games also have TENSION and RELEASE. Release is most commonly found in the games as mini-games. For example, after a level in Mario, a path can unlock a mini game, which always gives the player an award. Though it depends on how well the player did in the mini game that dictates the usefulness of said award. In Zelda, the releases are the comical faces that Link sometimes makes. In the games, Link is a very stoic boy with very few emotional expressions. But when one does the right thing, one can coax the expressions out of him. For example, when the player has Link pick up a cat inside of a house then proceeds to walk out the door with the cat in hand, the look of surprise that appears on his face is so animated and funny. It almost makes you forget that you had just had a fight to the death with some goblin on a giant pig. The Tension in the games are usually the battles one gets into. In Zelda, it is extremely hard to relax while trying to knock the goblins off their pig or to shoot the weak spot of the boss at the end of a map. While in Mario, the question is whether or not you can hit the boss at the end of a level the third time, or if you can make the jump.
Lastly is CONSCIOUS and SUBCONSCIOUS. In these games, all the actions will somewhat effect the future of Your character. For example, through out the dungeons in Legend of Zelda there are many chests that are hidden in nooks and crannies. One can go through the dungeon and never see a chest, but what are in these chests are usually essential to ones success o the game. You can find many different weapons and ammo in the chests as well as the ever-needed Rupee. Because of the usefulness of these items, it encourages you to go out and search for them. Of course these chests are heavily guarded, which also benefits the player by getting in practice and helps with the accuracy of the attacks. But it also gives the player a chance to go out and look at all the hard work that the game designers put into the game. There are some sights that are only available through the exploration of the dungeon. And one can also find little hints on the wall or the floor that would help you in the game or remind you of a previous game.
Yes, that is my leg. With a beautiful rainbow of gummy bears on top of it, which describes be wonderfully!
I decided the 8AM lab time for several reasons. At first it was to have as few classes on Friday as possible, which I succeeded in. But it was also because I thought it would be most convenient if I decided to go home on a Thursday. Since earning that I could not miss, that goal was in vain. But I do not regret that decision, for this is the perfect way to fix my sleeping habits! No more staying up until four in the morning because I decided to take a super long nap. This class gives me an excuse to take a nap after as well, nothing is more refreshing than a mid morning nap...
I also chose this time because it makes the day feel so much longer and early classes make me feel like I accomplished something, even if it is just typing my thoughts on a blog.
