frame 128 or something like that

badbadbadbadbad

Image#2: Patek Philippe Watch Advertisement

Comprising the majority of this ad is a photograph presented in black and white. The picture is a cropped long shot showing the bow of a boat, surrounded by water. Two figures are centralized within the image, both of whom are male—a boy (on the left side), and a man (right side). The boy appears to be between the ages of 7-10, he is wearing a striped shirt and knee high shorts, along with a lifejacket. The other figure, the man — is somewhere between the ages of 35-45, with a neat shortly cut hairstyle. He’s wearing a dark jacket overtop a sweater and a button collared shirt. The sleeves of his jacket are rolled up to his forearm and a watch is visible on his wrist. He’s positioned kneeling down next to the boy holding the end of a rope.

The bottom ¼ of the page is filled with a rectangular box, brown in colour, which is used as a backing for the text and images. On the right side of the box is a silver bodied watch with a phthalo (dark blue) face. The watch also has two smaller dials on the bottom of its face. Pictured next to the watch are two cuff links, both are silver and blue colour which match the watches colours. In the centre-left side of the box are two captions which read “You never actually own a Patek Philippe.” followed by “You merely look after it for the next generation.” In the top right-hand corner of the ad sits a logo and placed beneath it is the caption “Patek Philippe” “Geneva” and a line underneath it which reads “Begin your own tradition”

Advertisers use a black and white photograph to imply simplicity, Elegance and sophistication. The high contrast effect gives a strong presence, as well as an overall feeling of power to the image. Secondly the high contrast of the image gives a fixed feeling within the movement of the figures— it can be taken almost as a memory, as if the viewer were recalling a definite point in time. The black and white helps create a ‘timeless’ feel, and supports the idea that this product is an heirloom quality watch, which will last generations.

The imagery brings the focus towards the centre; the focal points within the images are the two figures, the man and the boy. Upon quickly scanning the image the viewer comes to the conclusion that this man plays as the father figure to the boy. They both fit the stereotypical roles between a father and child. The boy wears a lifejacket signifying his inexperience, while at the same time the man is not wearing a lifejacket, yet he is able to appear fashionable and well kempt—bestowing a sense of experience and confidence which is interpolated by the viewer. The man’s hair and clothing style is refined, conveying that he is affluent, likely upper class, enjoying a chic lifestyle filled with matching luxury watch/cufflink sets, along with the means to be an avid sailor. He likely has a high paying job, and although he may be considered casually dressed, his appearance signifies the targeted audience. The type of man he represents is seen by the viewer as someone who possesses knowledge and skill, regarded to be both dependable and loyal. The advertisers goal here is to attract their consumers by offering them the ultimate male desire—authority and masculinity.

The captions “You never actually own a Patek Philippe.” and “You merely look after it for the next generation.” Not only does this claim that this watch will outlast the consumer, but it also supports an emphasis on the value of family and defines the role of the male as a teacher/provider for establishing the next generation. Though the imagery within the advertisement the watch (or the idealization of it) is presented as something which the child must earn from the father, as though it were itself a skill or tool that could be utilized for success.

In the top right-hand corner of the ad sits a logo and placed beneath it is the caption “Patek Philippe” the name of the watch manufacturer—a second caption line underneath it reads “Begin your own tradition” which implores the viewer to consider their own notion of an ideal father/son dynamic—As well as the idea of passing on knowledge and skills to maintain Father’s are the basis in which men come to understand their own masculinity, and emulate themselves upon. This relationship between the father/Son, teacher/student is a popularly reoccurring, which is very affective in advertising. Men desire to emulate and become the authoritative provider, who can instil proper values of family and loyalty

Subsequently after reading the image the man assumes an authoritative position over the boy as his father/teacher and provider. Kneeing down to position himself, the man is able to watch how the boy completes the knot, appearing to be guiding the young boy through the process. Because knot tying is a skill learned through observation, which of course without proper guidance would be difficult to master, knots are typically taught generationally. We see the same act performed by almost parents who teach their children to tie shoes, by teaching them the same way they once learned themselves. Here the process of learning to tie knots is used as a metaphor for how we acquire knowledge though skills, which are passed down by generation. Focusing on the father/son relationship, advertisers seek to connect their product to the idea of being an essential step towards value, as something (such as the watch) an individual acquires through patience, loyalty and time.

Secondly, the advertisement can conjure a similar, but because the advertisement emphasizes fatherhood males that do not have children of their own may create a separate ideology. After some personal research it was discovered that black and white imagery is frequently used to illustrate when a character is reflecting on a dream or memory, the imagery in the photos evokes a memory response from a viewer, causing the individual to perhaps visualize their own father into the scene, viewing themselves as the boy, reflecting themselves within the image. This allows the viewer to connect their own meaning to the image, yet ultimately still relate to the concept of masculinity and figure authority.

The ad itself is designed with a specific focus towards wealthy corporate upper-class men—presumably fathers, who are able to own sail boats. It does little to concern it’s self with a mixed set of ideologies, only focusing its attention on one consumer niche. Their target audience may be narrow, but their demographic is white men with the most money. For that reason their target audience can be a significantly justifiable amount of the population. The product brands itself as luxury commodity, historically a watch carries the connotation of power and authority, as only the most wealthy were able to afford them, this tradition still continues today through the market of watches, where an individual’s concern lies in what the watch symbolizes rather than what it does—exemplifying the idea of commodity fetishism. The desire for a Patek Philippe watch can said to share in the symbolic nature of owning other luxury items as well, such as cars manufactured by BMW or Mercedes Benz. As with most luxury items, consumers pay for the identity associated with the commodity, often we are paying for what the brand represents in relation to our own ideals and how we view ourselves. The placement of “Geneva” which suggests authenticity and quality, giving an aura of sophistication that one might get from a Swiss watch. The creators of this ad constructed around an ideal role of a masculine authority figure, by which extent the creators use the idealization of the role of the father to commoditize.   Watches manufactured by Patek Philippe represent power for those who desire them. In this regard the advertisement does little to challenge notions of preconceived stereotypes within advertising, instead it appeals to time and tradition, portraying idealized role which men strive to emulate between the authority figure and provider.

it gets pretty rough at some parts

Social constructs in World of Warcraft.

World of Warcraft (abbreviated as WoW), developed by Blizzard Entertainment is an unstoppable force in the genre of MMORPG’s (massively multiplayer online role playing game), with over 11.1 million subscribers worldwide it is recognized as the most popular pay-to play MMORPG .Since its release in 2004 World of Warcraft has seen some radical changes. It has undergone numerous update patches, as well as three expansions and several book releases elaborating WoW lore, which coincide with in game events(with a 4^th expansion scheduled for late 2012) spanning over 6 years. These changes have had a direct impact on how the game functions overall, and have thus altered the interactions between players. Most of these changes have been made to increase the functionality and playability of the game.

Not all of the choices by Blizzard have been an improvement however, as the games functionality has been a constant ebb and flow since its release. Developers of WoW constantly tweak the functionality and methods of game play by introducing new features, player abilities, which directly affect the World of warcraft collective abilities of the altered class. This tweaking is done in order to ‘balance’ game play, so that no one class has an unfair advantage over another.

This proposal will present the findings of several points of close reading, game comparison and research analysis. The aim of this study is to address some of the ways in which manipulation of social constructs, player behaviour and communication both in and outside the game Universe have had a pivotal role in influencing the development and successfulness of the game World of Warcraft.

In World of Warcraft, like nearly all MMORPGs, the development of the player's character is a primary goal. Nearly all MMORPGs feature a character progression system in which players earn experience points, the purpose of which is to ‘level’ the character, so that the player may access more features previously unobtainable to them. WoW employs a class based system which essentially can be broken down into three distinct ‘base’ play types or specialization (referred to in-game as “spec’s” ); the Tank, the spec intended to take damage from mobs; The DPS (ranged/melee), the ones that do damage; and the Healers, keep teammates alive. In all there are ten playable classes each one having their own special abilities and talents. It should be mentioned that not all classes have one particular play style, some are considered ‘hybrid’ classes, and are capable of being any one of the three base play types.

It is at this point when WoW is said to become truly fascinating. After reaching the level cap player must now turn the focus towards gear replacement/enhancement, and begin climbing the ladder all over again. ‘Skill’ becomes highly dependent on gear at this point. Getting the proper PVE (player vs. environment) gear can take longer than the levelling process. At this phase of the game a player must cooperate with others in order to obtain ‘better’ gear. A typical PUG (pickup group) is often foiled by the simplest raid instance, because they lack the essential coordination and knowledge of how the others in the group play. Guilds establish familiarity among players, and give players the chance to receive feedback on how they are playing the game, allowing clear advice and guidance to be given to the players which lack experience in this method of game play. For example a player may be unable to keep up with healing a main tank, but if properly monitored the raid leader would see this and could incorporate that player accordingly. Statistic monitoring is common in raiding guilds; it allows players to better understand where problems originate and quickly fix them.

An idealized guild develops a greater sense of purpose among its members. In an idealized model, to think beyond the individual role of a player’s character and focus on active participation/selflessness in the greater good for all members of the guild. Even though this is something that is rarely—if ever achieved, a guild will develop a sense of community among guild members. A smaller guild is more likely to develop a tight social connection because it has fewer members to contend with one another, this is evident in high end raiding guilds, which are kept small consisting of no more than 30-40 active members. It’s these types of guilds that dominate competitive gaming within world of warcraft. The small number of players in these guilds reflects their commitment and dedication to being the best of the best. Players will often give up needed or useful items in order to gear other members that are lacking necessary equipment. Guild banks are available to its guild members; typically, high end raiding guilds will pool together money and materials needed to craft items. In return guild members make items from these supplies and provide them to the guild free of charge. This is a highly efficient model which propels the guild quickly through raid content. Raiding refers to number of people require 10man, or 25man to complete. Raid instances provide the best equipment and items found in the game. Players are motivated to complete the instances for high-end PVE gear, which allow them to continue to an even more challenging instance. It provides players with vanity rewards like achievements and titles. And lastly they often continue a storyline that sets narrative over the events taking place in Azeroth or Outland that give a sense of conclusion to the game.

Because raid Strategies are so circumstantial, players rely heavily on mods—Blizzard allows the creation of UI (user interface) modifications by third party developers. There are numerous mods, which serve a number of purposes. Mainly these mods are used for UI customization and tracking variable statistics while in combat. Mods like Omen-threat-meter, allow players to track their own/ group threat level simultaneously on a targeted enemy. The purpose of this is to allow the player tanking to maintain control over the desired enemy—this information is critical in raids. Otherwise players would have no way of knowing this information without the addition of mods/add-ons; an accomplished raider is expected to know what they need for a raid, and how to use it.

World of warcraft depends highly on the socialization and interactions between the other players within the realm. These social connections are fundamental to the progression of the whole server. An important construct is the utilization of trade/exchange between players, for example:

When one wealthy player who may be considered a ‘highly skilled’ player, requires a gear augmentation, but doesn’t have the necessary profession they must trade with another player. When that ‘highly skilled’ player goes to a major city to finds someone, perhaps someone ‘less skilled’ for example with the crafting profession needed, they trade. Both players benefit from trading with one another, the ‘less skilled’ player has used their profession to earn a profit and the “highly. The “less skilled” player that sold their crafted items could then use the newly earned money to do the same thing as the first player, and purchase mounts, potions, glyphs, gems, or augmentations.

Whether or not the people trading are more or less ‘skilled’ players than one another is irrelevant. What’s important is that transactions like these are taking place between players. These micro transactions are done on massive scale everyday in the major cities throughout the game. As a realm averages 1500+ player’s a day, with peak hours seeing up to 4000 players on densely populated realms, this type of trade creates a huge server wide impact. Research shows that these micro transactions are integral to the prosperity of a server. This may suggest that servers with a lower population/less active player-to-player trade can suffer in PVE progression, which may cause the server to fall months behind another server with a well established trading population.

The second example, part of the infrastructure designed by Blizzard to help accommodate trade on a realm is the Auction House (AH). The AH can help to fast track the player-to-player trade process, by allowing the buyer to search for many things in one place, as well as buy an item when the seller is not currently online. Working much like a real auction house would, players place a bid or choose the “buyout” option to immediately receive the item in their mail box. The auction house is a wonderful place for savvy players to find what they need and/or to make money for themselves. Players can buy or sell weapons, armour, trade goods, recipes and reagents. Each faction has its own Auction House, and the two factions share several auction houses in neutral territories. An auction house demonstrates a realms living economy that experiences short and long term fluctuation in market prices based on supply/demand principles. A second use would be to monitor these server price fluctuations, players can utilize them to get fairly accurate results in determining how much or how little something is worth.

Although Blizzard developers create the overall infrastructure of the game it is the player’s that ultimately decide what works and what doesn’t. Players tend to reject poorly planned and poorly executed ideas by simply not using them the way Blizzard intended. Blizzard ingeniously invites any player to try out the new improvements on temporary test servers. Players relish at the chance to participate since they players are given access to new abilities, functions and items long before they may actually get them on live servers.

Many games that have been released since WoW have been considered ‘WoW killers’ (which is now considered to be bad luck). However I suggest that WoW may come to be its own end. The game has changed so drastically since its creation that

WoW has become massive in scope, containing hundreds of branching storylines, PVP and PVE content with an update every quarter or so and an expansion every 2 years it’s difficult to take in everything the game has to offer.

early render

which one is better? you decide...

Minecraft adventure mode is the ambitious new update to Mojang studios Minecraft, a sandbox style game that allows users to pick-up and place blocks. For those who have never played minecraft, it comes across as a charming (3D) 8-bit platformer that allows you to move around and create structures in a virtual environment. After jumping into beta phase, the game has stayed there for nearly a year, but the small indie developer has done more than enough to show for itself. With Notch’s full version release day closely at hand, the team is busy scripting the best ideas the community can throw at them. This close reading is about a select few updates from official 1.8 update release as well as the pre-release of the 1.9 update, and how they’ve effected game play.

One interesting new feature that has been added in update 1.8 is the incorporation of randomly spawned NPC (non player character) villages. These villages will spawn randomly over any surface biome (forest, winter, swamp, and desert), The villages vary in size, type and frequency.  It is unknown what the developers have in mind for these new villages. As of update 1.9 there are now NPC’s inhabiting the villages, however the player is unable to interact with them (other than killing them) as of yet. In future updates these NPC characters could provide quests, and help give some sort of narrative to the game.

Surviving will still heavily rely on crafting/finding resources during the day and having a shelter at night; however there is a renewed focus on combat (instead of traps), with a few new mobs comes more items to grind, loot from these mobs are typically ‘the one last thing a player needs’ when crafting, so to keep players busy they’ve created several new mobs (enderman, cave spiders, silverfish).A new ‘hunger system’ does away with the previous armour bar. Armour is still used to mitigate damage taken from mobs and falls, but the developers have chosen to hide the previous armour bar in favour of the ‘hunger bar’. The hunger bar alerts players of their hungriness with small graphic icons (pork chops) that will darken over time without eating. When the icon furthest to the right is depleted the player’s health bar will slowly begin to take damage until the player restores the ‘hunger bar’ by eating. This system also works to regenerate the players’ health—the less hungry you are the faster your health will regenerate. Health also regenerates during combat, making fighting multiple mobs easier. This new system will coincide with a new ‘brewing’ system, which allows players to craft health potions and a variety of other tonics.

The UI has undergone a few minor modifications for new in addition to the ‘hunger bar’. A completely new addition to the UI is an achievement system. The achievement system functions more as a basic tutorial to the game rather than what most players would consider “achievements”. The ‘achievements’ help new players by guiding them through simple goals, ultimately helping them understand the basics of game play. The UI’s interface still remains minimal, as mentioned previously the ‘armour bar’ has been replaced with the ‘hunger bar’, but a third bar has also been incorporated into the new update—the ‘experience bar’.

The ‘experience bar’ seems like a huge leap forward in personal character development for Minecraft. The experience collected after killing a mob would be added (if it worked)to the ‘experience bar’ when the ‘experience bar’ fills the player will likely level up, gaining stats. Or will be able to choose from different skills, allowing each player their own character customization based on how he/she plays or possibly even class based game play. The ability to obtain skills or level up is common in most rpg’s, and helps set an appropriate pace for the game. This is an exciting development because it really expands the type of game play that gamers will see from Minecraft. This feature along with multiplayer servers will make a far more progressive game experience, in terms of playability and fun.

This game still has a lot of bug fixes to go through, but as far as creativity goes—it sits in a class that hasn’t yet been realized. Not many games offer creativity and customization quite like Minecraft. If you haven’t played Minecraft in awhile it will definitely feel fresh. If you’ve never played Minecraft, get ready for something new entirely.

Minecraft adventure mode is the ambitious new update to Mojang studios Minecraft, a sandbox style game that allows users to pick-up and place blocks. It includes the official 1.8 update release as well as the pre-release of the 1.9 update. For those who have never played minecraft, it comes across as a charming (3D) 8-bit (not really) platformer that allows you to move around and create structures in a virtual environment. After jumping into beta phase, the game has stayed there for nearly a year, but the small indie developer has more than enough to show for itself. With Notch’s full version release day closely at hand the team is busy scripting the best ideas the community can throw at them.

One interesting new feature that has been added in update 1.8 is the incorporation of randomly spawned NPC (non player character) villages. These villages will spawn randomly over any surface biome (forest, winter, swamp, and desert), The villages vary in size, type and frequency.  It is unknown what the developers have in mind for these new villages. As of update 1.9 there are now NPC’s inhabiting the villages, however the player is unable to interact with them (other than killing them) as of yet. In future updates these NPC characters could provide quests, and help give some sort of narrative to the game.

Surviving will still heavily rely on crafting/finding resources during the day and having a shelter at night; however the focus of arming yourself with a bow and shooting everything that comes near your fortification is changing. The developers are employing a large variety of mobs that only appear in dungeons (boss mobs, cave spiders), they want you to go out and kill things.

The only really new thing here is that players don’t have to constantly eat to stay alive—the new ‘hunger system’ does away with the previous armour bar. Armour is still used to mitigate damage taken from mobs and falls, but the developers have chosen to hide the previous armour bar in favour of the ‘hunger bar’. The hunger bar alerts players of their hungriness with small graphic icons (pork chops) that will darken over time without eating. When the icon furthest to the right is depleted the player’s health bar will slowly begin to take damage until the player restores the ‘hunger bar’ by eating. This system also works to regenerate the players’ health—the less hungry you are the faster your health will regenerate. Health also regenerates during combat, making fighting multiple mobs easier. This new system will coincide with a new ‘brewing’ system, which allows players to craft health potions and a variety of other tonics.

The UI has undergone a few minor modifications for new features such as the ‘hunger bar’. Another new addition to the UI is an achievement system. The achievement system functions more as a basic tutorial to the game rather than what most players would consider “achievements”. The ‘achievements’ help new players by guiding them through simple goals, ultimately helping them understand the basics of game play. The UI’s interface still remains minimal, as mentioned previously the ‘armour bar’ has been replaced with the ‘hunger bar’, but a third bar has also been incorporated into the new update—the ‘experience bar’.

The ‘experience bar’ seems like a huge leap forward in personal character development for Minecraft. The experience collected after killing a mob would be added to the ‘experience bar’ when the ‘experience bar’ fills the player will likely level up, gaining stats. Or will be able to choose from different skills, allowing each player their own character customization based on how he/she plays or possibly even class based game play. The ability to obtain skills or level up is common in most rpg’s, and helps set an appropriate pace for the game. This is an exciting development because it really expands the type of game play that gamers will see from Minecraft. This feature along with multiplayer servers will make a far more progressive game experience, in terms of playability and fun.

As far as creativity goes, this game sits in a class that hasn’t yet been realized. Not many games offer creativity and customization quite like Minecraft. If you haven’t played Minecraft in awhile it will definitely feel fresh. If you’ve never played Minecraft, get ready for something new entirely.

The Renaissance represents a major cultural, political and technological change between the 14^th-17^th centuries, the era brought about cultural, political and religious change that has shaped contemporary society. The Renaissance brought forth several movements in that sought to emulate humanism within art, one such movement is Baroque. The Baroque art movement intentionally evokes an emotional reaction from the audience. Baroque artists became interested in playing with the viewers’ emotion, gripping the viewer with a dramatic sense of theatrical performance, and an alluring presence from figures. Artists that mastered new techniques could imbue and spur emotion that shocked audiences’ perception. Influential artists such as Giovanni Bernini a sculptor, and painters Caravaggio and Peter Paul Rubens all emerged from this period, their efforts have reshaped architecture and imagery. Undoubtedly art produced in the Baroque period captivates the senses, connecting the viewer emotionally on a level that rivals contemporary art. Baroque demands technique, drama and clarity by developing realism in a powerful new direction.

A painting from the era that epitomizes the term Baroque is, “St. Paul the hermit” (1656-1660) by Mattia Preti (Italy, 1613–1699). The painting bears striking resemblance to the work of influential Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (Italy, 1571-1610). Caravaggio’s painting techniques developed the path of dramatic naturalism, a style that puts emphasis on classical idealized forms, movement, and notably chiaroscuro—an effect which casts a dynamic single light source on the subject.

Walking past Preti’s painting viewers cannot help but take notice “the hermit”; At first glance the observer is engaged by the presence of St Paul. Preti uses the chiaroscuro effect giving St Paul a stark contrast and a high detail of realism using little colour. By applying an overhead light source that pours out upon the hermit, Pretis produced an effect creates a convincing frail figure, as well as giving a divine look to St. Paul. The light gives clear focus on dramatic scene centering St Paul. The harsh shadows on his face and body demand that your eyes constantly scan for an easy softness. An unsettling feeling accompanies the viewer when engaged in the image, the hermits head which lies in the upper third of the canvas constantly asks to draw focus back to the face. The form of the hermit instinctively directs the viewer’s eyes upward from the bottom. Preti’s asymmetrical triangular composition creates a sense of diagonal movement, intentionally drawing the viewer upwards. Preti and other Baroque painters employ realistic subject matter, a method which relies solely on the on the illusion of depth.

Paintings and sculptures from Baroque era sought to engage viewers as participants within the work, reaching out of the frame, invading the viewers’ space. This development is what distinctively classifies Baroque art, the ability to entice an audience and hold the viewers’ in. The form of the St Paul has a presence that beckons, as if the figure was about leap from the painting. “The hermit” presents a simple man, wearing a woven palm leaf garment covering below the waist. The upper body is exposed revealing soft pale flesh. The pale skin of the hermit makes him appear meek and vulnerable, as the poignant expression on the face might suggest. The subject matter draws the viewers gaze upward sharply bringing attention to a vibrant orange hue, a radiating orange piece of bread within in the mouth of the bird. The pigment from the bread is used sparingly as accents of colour on the head and upper torso and extended arm casting warmth down onto the hermit. Back at the bread— the warm hue draws focus towards the raven’s glossy beak, a bird’s silhouette emerges from darkness. A dramatic scene unfolds; contemporary society often associates a raven with death, however in this case it is the opposite. The raven was sent by god to deliver bread to St. Paul after forty years of devotion.  Gesturing with his arm extended, not to send off the raven, but rather to speak praise, while overwhelmed with emotion.

Embraced by the Catholic Church during reformation, the Baroque period often focused on religious and mythological subject matter. These paintings often portray scenes of terrifying cruelty or devout virtue there intentions are to influence audiences into renewed faith by feeling the paintings, rather than only think about there subject matter. Preti instils a strong presence of symbolism into the hermit. Symbolism that provides a clear narrative for the audience, relating a deeper understanding of the content; patrons from the period would have been familiar with the subject context within Baroque paintings. The movement of the painting is almost theatrical performance, baroque art is physically and emotionally demanding of the audience. The magnificent size of baroque paintings (and often there opulent frame) surround the observer’s sight, setting a dramatic stage. The sombre nature of St Paul the hermit imparts a feeling of suffering and loneliness upon the viewer at first glance. Set by a dark and cloudy atmosphere, a ray of light pierces the clouds above St Paul revealing the hermits humble existence. St Paul sits surrounded by a few humble belongings: a red bowl, a lash, a book, a string of prayer beads—all of which, containing meaning within the context. Perhaps suggesting his devotion and sacrifice. The painting is balanced out by a diagonal line receding into the background. St Paul is flanked by a man shrouded in darkness, and Christ mounted on the cross these carry meaning as well as balance the composition. Baroque artists’ paintings were intended to restore and inspire the religious faith; often paintings were composed to reflect current social and political issues.

The Baroque movement is fashioned out of the necessity for change.  Recognizing the character of Baroque art, Preti`s captures the brazen essence of the Baroque movement within St Paul the hermit. The nature of Baroque supports the idea that artists believe traditional art can surpass visual limitations and become a form of theatrical drama, suggesting that Baroque artists observe that art does not exist in a closed sphere but exists to build an emotional connection that interacts between ideal and observer.