The Creativity of Web Design, Indie Video Games and Fans

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There has been much talk about support for public television this past week​ and so it is time to visit PBS Off Book once again to remind ourselves of the great work PBS Digital is doing. From indie video games, featuring many great games I've played and highly endorse, to the creation of websites and the powerful role of fans in shaping not only the niche cultures they passionately love but also society as a whole, these three mini documentaries showcase the best the studio is producing. 

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​The video game industry is now bigger than Hollywood, with hundreds of millions of dollars spent developing these interactive experiences. But there are also small-scale developers working in the indie game realm, creating unique and experimental video games without the budgets of the larger "AAA" games. These indie game developers devote time, money, and take great risks in a quest to realize their creative vision. They deftly balance game mechanics & systems, sound & visuals, and an immersive storytelling experience to push the gaming medium into revolutionary new territory. Much like indie music or indie film, the indie gaming movement provides a creative outlet for game designers who want to work outside of the mainstream.

Featuring:

Jamin Warren, Kill Screen Magazine
​​Zach Gage, creator of Spelltower
​Darren Korb, audio designer of Bastion
​Eddy Boxerman & Andy Nealen, creators of Osmos
​Leigh Alexander, gaming journalist

Complete list of games featured.​

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The explosion of the internet over the past 20 years has led to the development of one of the newest creative mediums: the website. Web designers have adapted through the technological developments of html, CSS, Flash, and JavaScript, and have mastered the balance between creativity and usability. Now with the advance of mobile, the greatest websites have taken user experience and responsive design to the next level, and continue our evolution from print to a digital world.

Featuring:

Jeffrey Zeldman
​Jason Santa Maria
​Whitney Hess 

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Before the mass media, people actively engaged with culture through storytelling and expanding well-known tales. Modern fan culture connects to this historical tradition, and has become a force that challenges social norms and accepted behavior. Whether the issue is gender, sexuality, subversiveness, or even intellectual property law, fans participate in communities that allow them to think outside of what is possible in more mainstream scenarios. "Fannish" behavior has become its own grassroots way of altering our society and culture, and a means of actively experiencing one's own culture. In a sense, fans have changed from the faceless adoring masses, to people who are proud of their identity and are stretching the boundaries of what is considered "normal". 

Featuring:

Prof. Francesca Coppa, Muhlenberg College 
​Chris Menning, editor at Modern Primate
​Amanda Brennan, researcher at Know Your Meme 
​Dr. Whitney Phillips, lecturer at NYU
​Alexa Dacre, fan fiction writer
​Naomi Novik, Organization for Transformative Works

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Previously:

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Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.

Creativity Top 5: October 8, 2012→

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I don't know if it's the sudden arrival of fall, with the darkness and cold, but I'll admit to being really moved by spots 3 and 4. ​

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Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.

Revisiting Oliver Burkeman on why everything takes longer than you think→

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It would be good to find a way around the planning fallacy, since never finishing your to-do list is a joyless way to live, and underestimating task-times means constantly rushing to finish things. (I speak as an expert.) How, though? Intuitively, it feels sensible to work out in detail what your projects involve, to break them into chunks and estimate how long each part will take. But the problem with unforeseen delays is you can't foresee them, no matter how finely detailed your planning. And so, writes Eliezer Yudkowsky on the Oxford University blog OvercomingBias.com, the unlikely trick is to plan in less detail: avoid considering the specifics and simply ask yourself how long it's taken to do roughly similar things before. "You'll get back an answer that sounds hideously long, and clearly reflects no understanding of the special reasons why this task will take less time," he writes. "This answer is true. Deal with it."

In a 2008 column for The Guardian, Oliver Burkeman wrote about the planning fallacy and Douglas Hofstadter's Law. I was reminded of the column because during the past few weeks I've had many conversations with co-workers and interns about producing and project managing. During those conversations I've tried to emphasize the fact that planning is merely guidelines and the key to being the person responsible for making things happen is to adapt very quickly. In the coming week's I'll be exploring more on the subject of planning, projects, to-do lists and deadlines. In a way I'll be thinking by writing as I attempt to codify the working habits and not so mild obsessions that drive how I produce. 

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Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.

The Week's Links: October 7, 2012

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All the links posted on social networks this week:

  • Coca-Cola creates ad that can be used as an iPhone dock for music listening. ➞
  • 12 TED Talks on understanding the brain ➞
  • You Already Know How To Use It: On pattern recognition. ➞
  • Marvel Comics and the movies: The business story behind the Avengers. ➞
  • How Do You Decaffeinate Coffee Beans? ➞
  • How the brain understands art ➞
  • How to Make Better Decisions, a Thought-Provoking Documentary by the BBC ➞
  • The essential documentaries about David Lynch... ➞
  • These are so good: Chalk art by David Zinn ➞
  • Writers' Favorite Punctuation Marks ➞
  • Bots Make Up Ten Percent of Online Traffic, Study Says ➞
  • From an OK Go video to a great advertising spot: The Incomparable Rube Goldberg ➞
  • Want to study Einstein's brain? There's an app for that. ➞
  • Science Confirms the Obvious: Literature is Good for Your Brain ➞
  • Pentagram And New York City Attempt To Redesign Pedestrian Behavior ➞
  • Innovation is an illusion ➞
  • A Brooklyn Nets Style Guide - NYT breaks down the identity. ➞
  • A Conversation on Transmedia with Henry Jenkins and Lance Weiler ◉
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald Reads From Shakespeare’s Othello and John Masefield’s “On Growing Old” (c.1940) ➞
  • Impressive Crowdfunded Sci-Fi Short Created Using Open Source Software ➞
  • A Visual History of Punk ➞
  • Frank Chimero: Do Things The Long, Hard Stupid Way ◉
  • The Information is Beautiful Awards: Celebrating Excellence in Data Visualization and Information Design ➞
  • Paula Scher’s Favorite Designed Spaces in NYC ➞
  • How Smart People Think ◉
  • What's One Thing You Wish You Had Learned in School? ➞
  • Studies Challenge Theory that Internet Is Making People Dumber ➞
  • Famous Authors’ Funniest Responses to Their Books Being Banned ➞
  • The Writing Revolution: How teaching the basics of analytic writing turned a troubled school around. ➞
  • You're Not Listening ◉
  • MIT Research: How Better Typography Could Reduce Car Crashes ➞
  • Great TED-Ed Lesson - Jane Hirshfield: The art of the metaphor ➞
  • Designed To Move - A physical activity agenda to fuel the future. Great campaign. ➞
  • So great: Norwich Cathedral's brand bible ➞
  • 50 Memorable Covers From the Last Four Years ➞ /via @Coudal
  • Neuroscientists are trying to work out why the brain does so much when it seems to be doing nothing at all. ➞
  • Beyond Fashion: The Met's "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" ◉
  • Frank Moss shares what he learned about innovation during his "sabbatical" at MIT Media Lab. ➞
  • Nuance is working with chipmakers on technology that would enable "persistent listening" apps. ➞
  • The State Of The Internet [SLIDE DECK] - Business Insider ➞
  • A Startup Tries to Make a Better Artificial Brain ➞
  • Love this: Barcelona's Most Famous Building, Sagrada Familia, Gets Spectacularly Illuminated by @Moment_Factory ➞
  • Show Your Work! A new series by Austin Kleon ◉
  • Guilt-Free Creativity: Stop Kicking Yourself & Start Producing ➞
  • Reader recommendations a growing business in the book world ➞
  • Location-Based Music App Brings Bob Dylan's New Album To Life In 100+ Locations Around The World ➞
  • Manila's Reading Club 2000 lets anyone borrow and then bring back or keep any of its thousands of books ➞
  • The Surprisingly Colorful Homes of 10 Famous Architects ➞
  • The player IS the story: why the big gaming publishers don't get transmedia ◉
  • Stillpower: The True Path to Flow, Clarity, and Responsiveness ➞
  • This Is Responsive: Tips, Resources and Patterns for Responsive Web Design ➞
  • The 2012 MacArthur Genius Grants Awarded. Full list here: ➞
  • Fear can be erased from the brain, research shows ➞
  • The Marketplace in Your Brain ◉
  • What happens during the brain’s ‘resting state’? ➞
  • Creativity Top 5: October 1, 2012 ◉
  • OpenStand: Principles for The Modern Standard Paradigm ➞
  • 10 Inventions You Haven't Heard About ➞
  • This African Fruit Produces the World's Most Intense Natural Color ➞
  • Move, Eat, Learn - A Philosophy for Life in 3 Short Films ◉
  • What Makes Chocolate So Irresistible? A New Study Hints at an Answer ➞
  • Why Do Students Give Teachers Apples and More from the Fruit's Juicy Past ➞
  • Tour Smithsonian Gardens' Fall Flowers ➞
  • Five simple steps to better typography ➞
  • Would you like to be inspired? Here’s what you should do: ◉
  • You know you've wondered, how do our favorite tech companies make money? ➞
  • TinyPNG – Compress PNG images while preserving transparency ➞
  • How does the Internet work? See how a continent gets plugged in ➞
  • Typography Carved In Stone ➞
  • The Best Ads And Creative Talent Of The Last 50 Years, According to Britain's D&AD ➞
  • Playing Now: A Stunning Production Of A Philip Glass Masterpiece ➞
  • Robert Krulwich & Vincent Liota: On Speed. ➞
  • The Week's Links: September 30, 2012 ◉
  • Proof: What I Learned This Week ◉
  • Fascinating: WSJ looks at how Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix say sorry ➞

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Recommended this week:

 
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Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.

Frank Chimero: Do Things The Long, Hard Stupid Way

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Ending the week with a bit of optimistic storytelling by designer and illustrator Frank Chimero, at the Do Lectures, talking about the side benefits of doing things the long, hard, stupid way. The book he mentions during the talk, The Shape of Design, is now finished and you should read it. The beautifully produced printed book is sold out but you can get it as an ebook or read it online. In the talk he also discusses the idea of gifts and our creative work as gift giving, especially in a digital age. Themes from a must-read book by Lewis Hyde called appropriatelly The Gift. So this weekend spend some time thinking about what things you can create and meaningfully give away. 

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Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.