the art of computer game design.mht

游戏设计大师Chris Crawford的大作《The Art of Game Design》唯一不足的是英文版的

  <P>This is in no wise a criticism of art or artists. The technologies =
of art=20
  preclude participation. If we had every klutz jump into the orchestra =
pit, or=20
  prance on the opera stage, or slop paint with Picasso, we would have =
some=20
  great parties but no art. it seems the curse of art that artists can =
say so=20
  much in their work and most people will hear so little because they =
cannot=20
  participate in the art.</P>
  <P>Enter the computer. Conceived long ago, born in war, reared as the =
servant=20
  of business, this now adolescent technology has exploded out of the =
computer=20
  room and invaded shopping centers, pizza parlors, and homes. Popular=20
  characterizations of the computer alternate between the old image of =
the=20
  computer as omniscient, cold blooded, giant calculator, and the new =
image of=20
  the computer as purveyor of video thrills and 25 cent fixes. =
Originally=20
  developed as a number cruncher, the computer assumed a new personality =
when it=20
  was given graphics and sound capabilities. These capabilities gave the =

  computer a powerful asset: it could now communicate with the human, =
not just=20
  in the cold and distant language of digits, but in the emotionally =
immediate=20
  and compelling language of images and sounds. With this capability =
came a new,=20
  previously undreamed of possibility: the possibility of using the =
computer as=20
  a medium for emotional communication art. The computer game has =
emerged as the=20
  prime vehicle for this medium. The computer game is an art form =
because it=20
  presents its audience with fantasy experiences that stimulate =
emotion.</P>
  <P>Unfortunately, the current generation of microcomputers cannot =
produce a=20
  sensory experience as rich as that produced by, say, a symphony =
orchestra or a=20
  movie. This weakness is more than offset by a fundamental advantage =
lacking in=20
  most other art forms: a game is intrinsically participatory in nature. =
The=20
  artist has here a tool that is more subtly indirect than traditional =
art. With=20
  other art forms, the artist directly creates the experience that the =
audience=20
  will encounter. Since this experience is carefully planned and =
executed, the=20
  audience must somehow be prevented from disturbing it; hence, non=20
  participation. With a game, the artist creates not the experience =
itself but=20
  the conditions and rules under which the audience will create its own=20
  individualized experience. The demand on the artist is greater, for =
s/he must=20
  plan the experience indirectly, taking into account the probable and =
possible=20
  actions and reactions of the audience. The return is far greater, for=20
  participation increases attention and heightens the intensity of the=20
  experience. When we passively observe someone else=92s artistic =
presentation, we=20
  derive some emotional benefit, but when we actively participate in a =
game, we=20
  invest a portion of our own ego into the fantasy world of the game. =
This more=20
  sizable investment of participation yields a commensurately greater =
return of=20
  emotional satisfaction. Indeed, the role of participation is so =
important that=20
  many people derive greater satisfaction from participating in an =
amateur=20
  artistic effort than from observing a professional effort. Hence, =
games, being=20
  intrinsically participatory, present the artist with a fantastic =
opportunity=20
  for reaching people.</P>
  <P>Until now, games in general and computer games in particular have =
not been=20
  very impressive as art forms. The computer games especially are =
downright=20
  puerile. This is because the technology of computer games has been in =
the=20
  hands of technologists, not artists. These guys (and they are almost =
all male)=20
  can write beautiful operating systems, languages, linking loaders, and =
other=20
  technological wonders, but artistic flair has heretofore been treated =
as=20
  subordinate to technical prowess.</P>
  <P>Another contributor to the fecklessness of our current computer =
games is=20
  the timidity of the marketplace. These machines are new; the public is =

  unfamiliar with them and the manufacturers are hesitant to press the =
public=20
  too hard too fast. We therefore opt to build inhibited little games=20
  pathetically whispering some trivial emotion. Truly intense emotions =
or=20
  situations such as pathos, ecstasy, majesty, rapture, catharsis, or =
tragedy=20
  intimidate use. We hide behind the defense that we are in the =
entertainment=20
  business, not the art business, but that defense only betrays a =
profound=20
  misunderstanding of art. Art can be starchily elitist, but good art =
can also=20
  be a foot stomping blast. Elitism arises from the intellectual content =
of art;=20
  impact springs from its emotional honesty.</P>
  <P>Fortunately, times are changing. Already, we see a backlash =
developing=20
  against computer games. It expresses itself in many ways: in =
ordinances=20
  against the placement of arcade games in some areas, in statements by=20
  educators denouncing the games, and in more vigilant regulation of =
children=92s=20
  game activities by parents. This backlash is viewed by smaller minded =
members=20
  of the industry with anxiety. More visionary thinkers watch the =
backlash with=20
  eager interest rather than defensiveness. The American people are =
telling us=20
  something here, something very important. It is imporant enough to =
them that=20
  they are willing to compromise their traditional reluctance to =
interfere with=20
  other people=92s business. While the arguments presented in public =
debates=20
  normally focus on formal issues such as delinquency from school, =
creation of=20
  large groups of rowdy teenagers, and so forth, the concerns expressed=20
  privately reflect a distaste for the games, a vague suspicion that the =
games=20
  are a waste of time. You can=92t fool all of the people all of the =
time; they are=20
  beginning to realize that the world of computer games is as yet a vast =

  wasteland.</P>
  <P>Computer games are much like candy, comic books, and cartoons. All =
four=20
  activities provide intense or exaggerated experiences. Whether they =
use sugar,=20
  exclamation points, or animated explosions, the goal is the same: to =
provide=20
  extreme experiences. Children appreciate these activities because =
their=20
  novelty value is still strong. Adults, jaded by years of experience =
with such=20
  things, prefer diversions with greater subtlety and depth. We thus =
have the=20
  panoply of culinary achievement, the vast array of literature, and the =

  universe of movies as the adult counterparts to candy, comic books, =
and=20
  cartoons. Yet, we have no adult counterpart to computer games. This =
deficit is=20
  pregnant with possibilities, for it suggests a momentous upheaval in =
computer=20
  game design.</P>
  <P>This developing revolution has nothing to do with the rapid =
technological=20
  developments of the last few years. While technological improvements =
will=20
  surely continue, we are no longer hampered primarily by the =
limitations of the=20
  hardware. Our primary problem is that we have little theory on which =
to base=20
  our efforts. We don=92t really know what a game is, or why people play =
games, or=20
  what makes a game great. Real art through computer games is =
achievable, but it=20
  will never be achieved so long as we have no path to understanding. We =
need to=20
  establish our principles of aesthetics, a framework for criticism, and =
a model=20
  for development. New and better hardware will improve our games, but =
it will=20
  not guarantee our artistic success any more than the development of =
orchestras=20
  guaranteed the appearance of Beethoven. We are a long way from a =
computer game=20
  comparable to a Shakespeare play, a Tchaikowsky symphony, or a Van =
Gogh self=20
  portrait. Each of these artists stood on the shoulders of earlier =
artists who=20
  plunged into an unexplored world and mapped out its territories so =
that later=20
  artists could build on their work and achieve greater things. We =
computer game=20
  designers must put our shoulders together so that our successors may =
stand on=20
  top of them. This book is my contribution to that enterprise.<BR><FONT =

  size=3D-1><A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Coverpage.html=
#top">Top</A></FONT></P></UL>
<CENTER>
<P><BR><FONT size=3D-1><A=20
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Coverpage.html=
#top">Top</A>=20
&nbsp;|&nbsp; <A=20
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Coverpage.html=
">Table=20
of Contents</A>&nbsp; | Chapters: </FONT><A=20
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter1.html"=
>1</A> -=20
<A =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter2.html"=
>2</A>=20
- <A=20
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter3.html"=
>3</A> -=20
<A =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter4.html"=
>4</A>=20
- <A=20
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter5.html"=
>5</A> -=20
<A =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter6.html"=
>6</A>=20
- <A=20
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter7.html"=
>7</A> -=20
<A =
href=3D"http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter8.html"=