When I was new to DSA I, probably like every other freshman, saw the digital art and game development pathway as a class in which we would be creating and playing games. From the very first day though I already saw that my chances of playing games in the class were near zero. I was not surprised though because I knew that with entering high school all of the fun things I did in middle school such as going outside for a recess period and playing games in the computer lab would come to an end. From that day forward I never expected to play any games in class for any reason. To my surprise though, now that it has been two years and we are about to start developing games, I finally got to do what I signed up for: playing games. That is not to say we were just playing them for fun though, playing games helped us to understand the fundamental mechanics that make games fun. The implementation of unique mechanics to keep gameplay interesting is what makes some games more enjoyable than others, and overall separates the different types of games. From this activity I got to experience games I had never played before such as King of Tokyo, which was my personal favorite, and Mario Kart 64. King of Tokyo really stood out from the rest of the games because it allowed for the creation of complex strategies in a more interactive way than games such as Fluxx. In Fluxx people could save cards or play combos of cards to win in one turn, but the feeling of achievement was short-lived as the cards were just collected to play another round. On the other hand King of Tokyo provided a survival of the fittest feel, with non-stop action the way I played. It allowed players such as me to go full aggressive and hurt other players as much as possible which ended up eliminating the competition rather quickly. The game was balanced as well because I didn't win just by fighting, it was actually another student who won by gathering enough points while holding off my attacks. Essentially from playing games in class I learned that action and strategy games can make for a lot of fun even when they can be simple in design, which I could use for inspiration if I were to make a game on my own.
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When it comes to art on paper I've never been too confident about my skills. My parents have always told me that my art is great but I'm not sure if that is because I am their son or if it is their honest opinion, and I thought it would be rude to ask. So through the years I never practiced my art because I was afraid that if someone else saw it they would judge me for it, plus I'm not a very creative person when it comes to thinking of something to draw. It wasn't until this class assigned extension art assignments that I've actually taken time to practice my art skills. Knowing my work will be graded I now spend hours upon hours working on it, trying to mimic as closely as possible the original artist's style. I know for sure my work won't look as good as the examples I draw from, but at least I get to practice fundamental skills required for improving it. While at first I was not a huge fan of having another large homework assignment each week, I've come to appreciate the much needed practice these extension assignments have provided me. The extension assignments also provide a clear skill to focus on and practice each week, which is often the reason I am unable to challenge myself when I do individual art. On the rare occasions that I create art on my own freetime I often only draw things I know I can confidently draw and say look good, which is why I don't normally create art on my freetime. Though now that I have done these drawing extensions I have witnessed my own artwork getting better, even without templates or copying as best I can from an existing image. I've learned new techniques that make what used to seem impossible, such as drawing an accurate or proportionate human face, as common tasks. Unfortunately if I must be honest, the knowledge, confidence, and practice these activities have provided me are somewhat wasted. I would actually have the confidence to practice on my own time now if it weren't for the three other AP classes I'm taking that combined provide just as much homework as this class but without the fun to it. Work is only fun when you want to do it, which is why I have made it my focus to become a better artist even if other classes try to prevent me from doing so, hopefully I will find a way to balance my time so that I can practice without the stress of deadlines.
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AuthorMy name is Andrew Prichard and the this is my first digital arts class, I look forward to a good year with lots of hard work. Archives
May 2021
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Last updated 5/14/21
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