After more testing of Sensatorium, and having other people try it out, I reached a few conclusions with my project. Overall, the video was pretty successful. I asked people what they thought after using it, and they thought it was cool and they had fun with it. They felt like they were actually controlling the device by touching the screen and tilting the player. For the most part. They noticed that sometimes the timing was off where something would happen before or after they touched it. Some thought it was just because of response time within the program. People were eager to start touching the screen and and do things right away, without any instruction to do so. I think I could also speed up some of the actions that take place, as people seemed to understand what to do with a quick glance of the stage. I would also change the amount of text there is, as people didn’t seem to read it all or even need to. I did have one person say that the text made them feel like they were truly interacting with it. He said I used encouraging language, such as, “Good work” and “You follow directions well,” to make it feel more real.
One section that seemed to confuse people was the grid of squares that they were told to touch when they appear. As soon as the green-outlined squares appeared, they tried to touch all of these really quick, until the first green square appeared, and realized what to do. When multiple squares came up, they touched one at a time, instead at the same time. Then there were the 6 squares the came up, which really confused some people. Some, however, tried to use one hand to touch them all.
A few people had some trouble following directions during the tilt the circle around the maze onto the black circle. Because they had just dragged the button to the black circle before, they tried to do the same thing, which created some timing problems. Some people also put down the player before the final scene shows the press the button to quit, as they felt the end was the text beforehand.
Most people were excited after using it, and thought it was cool. They were shocked when I told them it was just a video and they had no interaction with the scene, even if they may have had their doubts. I had a few occasions where they figured it out right away because they were too slow or not following directions. They really liked the idea and asked if something like that could really be created.
Here are a few quotes of things people said during and after use.
“This thing has touch screen? I had no idea.”
“So I wasn’t actually touching the buttons or moving it?”
“I was wondering why when I touched it, it was a little off.”
“I feel cheated. I feel duped. I thought I was good at that game.”
“I didn’t feel duped. I was too slow so I got it right away.”
A major part of my life the main tool I use to create my art is my computer. Since getting my first laptop 4 years ago, it goes everywhere I go. It’s become such an important and large part of my life and how I communicate with the world. Using the computer so much, and researching all I can about computers and how to use them, using a computer has become such a natural thing. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even think about how I need to do something on the computer like opening a program or switching between programs, keyboard shortcuts, etc., I just do it.
When you use something for so long, and so often, it becomes like an extra appendage, where you just kind of use it without thinking. Everything I do, from art to web browsing, takes place on my computer, and I feel like loosing my computer would an absolute disaster. While I backup my computer frequently, just not being able to use one to do my work would be devastating.
Computers have gradually become a major part of our world over the last 20 years. The way humans interact has changed because of this, with a lot of communication taking place over the Internet. When you talk about using a computer, other people can understand what you mean because everything we do requires some type of computer usage. The only thing you have to worry about is whether they use a Mac or a PC.
The Nintendo Wii has become a global phenomenon, becoming the fastest selling game console ever. While it isn’t the most graphically advanced system, or most powerful, it’s the addition of the Wiimote that sets it apart from the others. The Wii has become so big because they make gaming more of a physical activity. No longer are video games to be played stationary with a remote, but they can allow the user to move their arms and move around to play. The Wiimote has an IR sensor that communicates with the WIi, creating a 3D physical space to play the game.
It’s this gesture-based gaming that makes it so intriguing for people of all ages. Gaming with a regular controller is hard and confusing for some people, especially older people who haven’t played video games before. It’s fairly easy to use the Wii and Wiimote, and the games are usually good for people of all ages. The Wii encourages people to play together, hence the Wii name (the two i’s are meant to symbolize two people). Another great thing about the Wiimotes is the technology inside it. The accelerometer, the IR sensor, the plug adaptors, etc., in the Wiimote are able to communicate with a computer and computer programs. People all over the world are finding ways to mod the Wiimote and use its capabilities in new and interesting ways.
Social networks are one the largest forms of human interaction in the world. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of social networking websites and platforms, encouraging interaction between people and encouraging the grouping of similar kinds of people. A fairly simple type of social interaction online is the use of comments on website that host videos, news articles sites, and others. This allows all users to hear what other people have to say on certain issues or even funny videos. People become connected with their similar thoughts or opposing viewpoints.
Larger social networking sites such as myspace.com, or facebook.com, or de.licio.us, or even digg.com allow users to create personal profiles, and share and view information or articles or websites they enjoy. Again, these sites allow users to find people with similar interests and create groups to further their interaction, perhaps off the computer screen.
So much of human interaction has moved onto the Internet, as most communication is conducted through email, blogs, video-conferencing like Skype, etc. Face-to-face communication is a dying form of interaction as the businesses become global and the chances that you’re talking to someone in a different state or country also increases. Online social networking is in some ways more personal then talking face-to-face as it can be easier to say something over the Internet, and personal profiles can have very intimate information.
