Re: Interactive storytelling and me; and a challenge

[thom@indiana.edu]

Quoting "Brandon J. Van Every" <vanevery@indiegamedesign.com>:

> >>I missed this bit earlier.  I don't know where you've been art shopping 
> >>lately, but there are a helluva lotta galleries in a helluva lotta parts 
> >>of the country where the Art darn well does "match the couch."  

Brandon, you are talking about decoration. I agree, there is lots of 
decoration.

> I 
> don't know what you think Art has to be about, but as far as all the 
> historians are concerned, pretty Impressionist paintings that go well 
> with the living room decor are as much Art as anything else.  

Brandon, impressionistic painting 'was' art (19th century) and the stuff that 
was painted 'back then' still is art but if you are an impressionist today you 
are a decorator.

> >We have had a good half a century of programming. I can't think of anything 
> >which comes close to 'ART' in caps.
> >
> I think you're eschewing the work of a lot of 3D artists / animators.  
> Or else saying "that's not programming."  Which, given things such as 
> the Maya Extension Language (MEL), is debateable.  Also, what about 
> visual programming languages?  Must everything always be a textual script?

Brandon, back in the old days, like 3 posts ago, I started responding to the 
illusion that computational design would allow for 'automatic' design of art 
and story. Remember back when you wanted something procedural to create art 
stuff?

Mel is a scripting language for Maya and actually every single significant 3d 
package on the market today has an equivalent scripting langauge. The language 
is tool for the artists. The language by itself produces nothing. My point is 
that human beings create art of all sorts. If a human isn't directly in the mix 
no art comes out.

--Thom