Blog 6.

“ Games & Learning ”

Video games are closest to design in the aspect of

versatility. All the characteristics of the games are

useful for a successful design. Briefly; games/desings are

mostly participatory rather than observational. Observation

is most useful for learning, and Participation is needed

for process. Video games are usually intellectual; not

much physical activity is required other than clicking the

mouse or staying awake at night, very much likely to

design. Design/Video games (multiplayer or single player)

could be cooperative and competitive (usually against

something or someone, with or without others). It could be

a team play/design, efficient, or it could be individual

usaually more effective. Luck and skill are both important

for desing/games.

Skills are actually virtual for video games (you do not

possess the skills that are within the game) and luck is

somewhat important in games; although the program is

already written, the selection of certain codes which

creates diversity in the game, is usually random. A design

is not always business related, where a game should not

always be recreational, since there are people who play

games professionally for money in competitions. The design

could also be some kind of performance, that will be visible

for a short moment, but which could also be recorded, and,

the game you are playing could be temporary, if you forget

to save it :)

Scuba diving is what i do for sometime now and i started

to enjoy it more as i get more experienced. To begin with,

this is one of the common sides with my designing process

in graphic design. The more I learn, gain experience, the

more it starts being fun. When you begin to learn diving,

the first and the most crucial thing to do is to observe

the more experienced ones, how they behave and prepare

themselves before and during diving. That's another common

characteristic with the design process. First, it may

really help to analyze, observe the good examples, works

of succesful designers. 

Secondly, a scuba diver never dives alone. He knows that

he should work cooperatively with his team friends in

order to make the action itself safe and succesful so we

can say it is a very cooperative activity to do. Working

cooperatively in a team atmosphere is also very important

in design field because sometimes the most creative ideas

stem from teamwork. The more people put their ideas onto

the table, the more solutions you might have to a

particular design problem. You can be working more

efficiently if you are in a team work rather than working

individually and being on your own. The same thing is

applicable to diving as well. Since it can be a dangerous

sport if the necessary rules are not applied, you don't

have a chance to leave anything to luck, you don't have

the luxury to behave by chance. You need to depend on your

improving skills and experience but you can never rely on

your luck and then hope for the best underwater. This is

among the other points which are common with designing.

You have to put all of your effort and skill to make your

design work. You cannot just rely on luck and expect that

your design will get the attention and success it deserves

by chance, without your skills' contribution.

In many games and sports there is always a designing

process going on whether on pupose or not.

For example in a soccer game the places the players stand

still is the step of the designig process that is being

held. One players place and the other players point where

he stands changes the whole game. If the second person

standing in a wrong spot the first player won’t be able to

give him a pass the ball. The player trying to get the ball

from the friend he has to stand in the right placement to

reach his aim. All the spots or points that the players

stand is decided before or at that moment to score a goal

and for that all those spots are all designed before or

than. There are obviously design steps to show where to

shot or pass the ball. It will be wrong to pass the ball

to a team member when he stands in an impossible point for

the ball to reach up to, you have to give the ball on where

possible so the team members will layout themselves by

getting to the right point on that moment to go for a goal.

In Handball you have an alliance; if who are not

participating, the team’s mood get down. Without an

alliance it looks like not a delicious food. In Handball

you have to consider how to beat your rival and win the

game, and when you want to win you have to think forward

to the goal. In Handball you have (6) team members, besides

you have to think plans together, and in a cooperative

way. On the other hand becouse of the challenging, you

have another team which stays opposite (rival) of you,

and you have to compete with other team to reach the goal.

Since Handball is a team powered game, you cannot reach the

aim with only your individual skills, but also through cooperation.

So :

In Design you have an alliance; if who are not

participating, the team’s mood get down. Without an

alliance it looks like not a delicious food. In Design you

have to consider how to beat your rival and win the game,

and when you want to win you have to think forward to the

goal. In Design you have (6) team members, besides you have

to think plans together, and in a cooperative way. On the

other hand becouse of the challenging, you have another

team which stays opposite (rival) of you, and you have to

compete with other team to reach the goal. Since Design is

a team powered game, you cannot reach the aim with only

your individual skills, but also through cooperation.

My favorite game is “Go”. it is a three-four thousand years

old Chinese strategy game, played on a board. Also known

as Weiqi (Chinese), Igo (Japanese), Baduk (Korean),

Goe (Taiwanese). It is very common in east but today has

rising popularity in Europe and America. It is universally

(internationally) accepted game, like chess. However the

rules of it are theoretically much more simple then chess,

and the giant board (19x19) allowes you to move much more

free then the latter. The freedom and the simplicity makes

it very easy to learn and unforgetable, but it is impossible

to become a master. It is like pure mathematics but much

more than it. It has also philosophic and artistic values

for who wants to see them, but it is a practical and universal

platform to connect people for a while.

One interesting thing about it is that there is not yet a

developed artificial intelligence which can continuously

win an ordinary good player. There is a consistent prize for

the programmer who will develop that intelligence (by Korean

government as I remember).

Of course that is not because of rogrammers are not interested,

it is because of the mission, which is nearly impossibile.

The total freedom is something a computer can not deal with,

but humans can.

I like it because after you played for a while you can see the life

inside of the game and the game inside the life. Every game

is a story and this gives you wisdom.

A good play in Go is very similar to a good design.

To be successful, your moves, lines, structures need to be

somehow linked and supporting each other. In both, life and

design, at the begining you have total freedom in a limited

environment and in both you need to know where to stop.

Go is life and life is design, so Go is design.

Because of the purity of the game, my words may sound

meaningless. However, if you play the game passionately

you may understand. (please download “How to play Go” pdf

 if you are interested, and me, Emre, I'm always ready for a challenge).

Characters : 7600

Authors :

Atahan Atalay

Burcu Baykan

Emre Fuat Bakır

Levent Ince

Özlem Incik

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