TENNIS FOR TWO: The Evolving Gamification of War
Overview:
How many movie directors can you name? Most of you can name at least one and more. But what if I ask the same question but about video game directors? “None” is normally the answer. This was the motivation of this project. I wanted to make a book to celebrate and appreciate one of the best game directors, Hideo Kojima. But after a lot of research, I discovered there is so much more behind the video game...This book now explores the true nature and relationship between the video game and War, simulation, and reality.
“Tennis for Two” was the first video game ever and the name of my book. From its electrical schematics, I created a graphic element system and a series of symbols to represent each chapter.
The Origin Of Video Game:
The first chapter talks about how the first video game was developed in the Manhattan Project. The video game was a byproduct of war.
Hideo Kojima:
How Hideo Kojima created one of the antiwar games in 1987 and kept innovating and pushing the limit of hardware til today. He practice a design philosophy named "Homo Ludens".
Homo Ludens:
It means, “A man who plays”. It is a study of the play element in culture. It talks about how a kid learns through playing. In other words, How human evolves through simulation.
A Simulation:
Stanford Prison Experiment is a good example of how humans created a real-life game and study from it. And how the participants were in too deep of the character they play in the experiment.
A Simulacrum:
The world is filled with copies of the copies, and people lose sight of what is real. This chapter has the deepest philosophical discussion in the book.
Game Fund Guns:
When a developer puts a gun in their game, They have to pay the gun manufacturer for the license. Therefore using a gun in a video game has real-life consequences on guns.
War & Video Game:
Everything can be designed into a game and played with. This chapter shows the usage of gamification in the military. Nowadays, the Military uses video games to recruit and train soldiers, on the battlefield, and to treat retired soldier’s PTSD. This last chapter created a full circle for the narrative. This book shows the vicious cycle of video games and war.
Book Launch Poster:
The Book Map:
Book Launch Exhibition:
Research & Design: Jove Hu Instructor: Brad Bartlett, Ryan.Dorazi, Miles Mazzie. Year : 11/10/2017–12/7/2017