Art & Technology - Game Controller

I really enjoyed the game controller project we did.  It came easier for me to create more than the game, perhaps because of our previous experience with Makey Makey.  I did like how the game controller and game brought our Scratch, sound, programming, animated gif and Makey Makey projects all together to work cohesively as one thing.  For my controller, I chose to create a spherical ball reminiscent of the crystal ball that the Goblin King uses throughout the Labyrinth movie, and the one that Sarah is trapped in during the ballroom scene.  I used an old clear plastic ornament, and attached metal clips to it as the "buttons." Inside, I used a phone wire with 4 small wires inside to attach to the Makey Makey for my four controls in the game - up, right, left and the space bar.  I wanted to be able to use the controller in one hand (my second hand use in the video is only to steady it).  I painted it white to conceal the wires inside as well. 

The game creation itself came together in the end, even though it was more simple than I originally intended, and it was interesting to play it with the controller because it added an element of difficulty.  I made the controller to fit my hand too, so it also has an element of customization and uniqueness to it that I wasn't expecting for some reason.  It definitely adds to the artistic quality of the game, to have a one of a kind controller. 

As art teacher, I look forward to incorporating multiple artistic techniques into single projects.  I feel like this adds an element of dynamic learning that helps students realize their strengths and overcome their challenges. Working on large scale projects like this collaboratively would also be a great way to teach about teamwork and getting along with peers.  Although I think technology can be combined with traditional art making practices, projects like these completely redefine the way we can teach in an art classroom.  It truly combines many disciplines, and is aligned with STEAM curriculum.  I look forward to using new media in my classroom in the future.  

Art & Technology - Scratch Video Game

The project I found to be most difficult in my art and technology class was the video game made with the online program Scratch.  Not having any experience with video game coding, it was a lot of trial and error.  I also feel that I bit off a little more than I could chew at first with my video game plan.  Originally, I wanted to make a platform game similar to Super Mario Bros. but with the characters and theme from the movie Labyrinth (1987).  However, I came to realize that although the code blocks in Scratch are easy enough to put together, the more complicated the game gets, the amount of code you need grows exponentially.  With our time limits in the class, I was not able to get all of the features I wanted in my game, however, I did end up with a simplified version which I will post below. But first - a little background...

For those of you who haven't seen the movie, Labyrinth is an 1987 children's movie made by the dynamic duo of Jim Henson and George Lucas.  It is a fantasy story of a young girl who is forced to babysit her baby brother, and wishes for goblins to come kidnap him.  She doesn't truly think it will actually happen, but when it does, she realizes her mistake and goes on a quest through a giant maze to where her baby brother is being held - the castle of the Goblin King.  Throughout the movie she makes friends and defeats goblins and overcomes tricks played on her by the Goblin King, who is trying to stop her the whole time. It is similar to the story in the Wizard of Oz.  However, one scene she gets trapped in a bubble that is actually a magical ballroom, where the Goblin King is trying to distract her with fancy costumes and dancing.  At the end of the scene, Sarah remembers her brother and throws a chair through the bubble wall, and breaks it to free herself and continue the quest.  My game is based on this scene.

One of my favorite things about the movie Labyrinth is the feminist theme running through it.  The hero of the story is a girl, she overcomes a male authority figure by saying "You have no power over me" and gains self confidence and maturity and friendship.  She isn't won over by some handsome prince and she doesn't need to be "rescued."  At the beginning and end of the movie, the Goblin King transforms into a white owl, which classically is the symbol for wisdom, patience, secrets, mystery and observance, all of which are running themes through the movie.  Wisdom is her final prize in the end.

My game ended up as a single screen game, where the goblins come to dance with Sarah, which she defeats by hurling chairs at them.  Then, the Goblin King appears and throws hearts at Sarah, which stun her from moving.  She has to simultaneously throw chairs at a few cracks in the wall (look like lightning bolts), before the time runs out.  At the end, the Goblin King turns into the white owl and asks Sarah to obey him, but she responds with her signature line.  There are a couple glitches in the game, which I left in for now as an homage to glitches in general, and also because I have yet to figure out how to debug them!  I found the game to be a bit more enjoyable and challenging while using my controller for it, but I hope to go back in and make changes and updates as I investigate further into the Scratch program.

My frustrations were a lesson for me as a student, but also as a future art teacher.  I realized that my issues I had may be ones that my students have some day with lessons like these or other art and/or technology media, and the fact that I can say "I was frustrated at first too" is one of the best ways I feel to reach someone that you are trying to teach.  As a program, Scratch is great way to see how video games are created through simplified code, but also to see how they are much more complex than one might think.  They are a lesson in patience, creativity, problem solving and the ability to adapt and be flexible.  All of these traits you would find in a traditional art classroom, but combining them with a new technology greatly modifies how these lessons are taught.

Screenshot of my game with some of the code in Scratch. If not working visit https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/221756998/

Art & Technology - Video Game Song "As the World Falls Down" by David Bowie

For this project, I made a soundtrack to my soon-to-be created video game "As the World Falls Down," which is inspired by the scene in the movie Labyrinth when the main character, Sarah, gets caught inside a crystal bubble ballroom world created by her nemesis, the Goblin King, as a way to stop her from completing her mission through the Labyrinth.  The music is based on the song by David Bowie, which was composed for the movie.  I used the sheet music from the song, along with sound bites created on Pulseboy.com.  I then looped the sounds and composed the song using Soundtrap.com.  On Soundtrap, I was able to slow down, speed up and piece together each separate part, to create a 2 minute and 26 second musical number. 

Using these technologies to create a soundtrack was easy and fun to do.  Programs like Pulseboy and Soundtrap are a great way to augment sound making and recording. I am not a musician, but I was able to use my limited musical knowledge to translate and modify the song into a semi-original piece.  I think that this type of composing would be beneficial in a classroom setting, especially among those who have never written a song before.  It was kind of like taking building blocks and placing them one at a time to form one larger thing, which was way less intimidating than actually setting out to write a full song all at once.  Being able to copy a tune also allowed me to learn more about music writing and composition, which I could use in the future to create a more original song.  Although I don't think copying is always the best thing to do, I feel that sometimes it can help teach how things are created by breaking it up into parts and reassembling it.