That's one industry that has definitely suffered from its employees bad attitudes. Next thing you know IT agencies and professionals will be floundering as badly as pitiful companies like McDonalds and Jack in the Box.
Your days are numbered IT!
I just thought I'd do a teensy tiny bit of sleuthing for those slashdotters that are interested about the the school board members that are responsible for this decision...
-- http://www.fwps.org/info/board/members/memberbarne y.html -- "Ed Barney, a billing specialist in Kent and owner of a specialty advertising business, is the Director from District One. Ed and wife Barbara have lived in Federal Way since 1983 and have five children, three whom graduated from Decatur High School. Along with his activities in PTA and Boy Scouts, he has been an active attendee at Federal Way School Board meetings since 1985. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations from Brigham Young University and an AA in Business/Accounting. He brings a parent's perspective and experience to the board."
And a bit about the other guy...
-- http://www.fwps.org/info/board/members/memberlarso n.html -- "Dave Larson moved to Federal Way in 1967, attended Mirror Lake Elementary, Sacajawea Junior High, and graduated from Federal Way High School in 1976. He went on to graduate from the University of Puget Sound in 1980 and Seattle University School of Law in 1984. He is with the law firm of Williams, Kastner & Gibbs PLLC in Seattle where he practices in the area of complex civil litigation. He is also a mediator and arbitrator."
It says on Larson and Barney's pages that they both were involved in scouting organizations... hmm... insidious.
As a graphic arts student, (insert self-important crack here) the question "what is art" has been asked at every turn. Personally, I use a very simple definition of art. Art is an expression of you in the universe.
Now the way this is interpreted is incredibly subjective. Does the intent of the piece undermine the purity that say, a painting posesses? For example a videogame is primarily a commercial vehicle. Does the fact that the intent of a videogame (to eventually return a profit) undermine the intent of the individuals creating it as art? It depends on who you ask, from a jaded outsiders viewpoint, videogames are as much art as a carsalesmans pitch. A well crafted presentation to illicit a desired response, like getting money. However from the point of view of the person working on a texture, or a model, or a storyline, the elements of craft, passion, refinement, and expression are all present.
As subjective and touchy as subject of art is, if you look at principles that can be agreed on by atleast a majority of people, and simply objectify your criteria for declaring something art, the picture becomes much clearer.
The bigger question here is, what are the basic qualifications art must pass before the general populace will accept it as art. I think the biggest two when talking about videogames is the fact that they are (primarily) commercial in nature, and that they have yet to really change the way people think about the world at large. Once a game comes along that breaks boundaries and helps, or starts a paradigm shift in peoples thinking the verdict will come through. This is what has cleared the line for controversial mediums in the past like videography, and photography.
Begin the breakdown!
There's also one here in sunny Portland, OR. It's called backspace ( www.backspace.bz ). They have just celebrated their 3 year anniversary of gamingness. I think the trick that Backspace has pulled is that it's in a very swanky area of downtown Portland, and they've fused a cyber cafe with a full-fledged art gallery, and chill out area. They've got a lot to offer in the way of neo-entertainment. Modern art, coffee, free wi-fi, comfy chairs, chess and other board games, pool, and a slew of PC games with either an internet or LAN option for play.
It should also be mentioned that their location in downtown provides them with a maximum amount of both, business traffic in the daytime, and lots of people in the evening that are within walking distance that want to get out of their tiny apartments. I don't know how you'd convince a bunch of suburbanites to leave their tract housing developments to play games. But, I think a key is to offer diversity and appeal to professionals looking for a convienient and chic place to have meetings, as well as gamers looking to come out of their caves.
Good luck!
Slashdot Mirror
That's one industry that has definitely suffered from its employees bad attitudes. Next thing you know IT agencies and professionals will be floundering as badly as pitiful companies like McDonalds and Jack in the Box. Your days are numbered IT!
I just thought I'd do a teensy tiny bit of sleuthing for those slashdotters that are interested about the the school board members that are responsible for this decision...
e y.html -- "Ed Barney, a billing specialist in Kent and owner of a specialty advertising business, is the Director from District One. Ed and wife Barbara have lived in Federal Way since 1983 and have five children, three whom graduated from Decatur High School. Along with his activities in PTA and Boy Scouts, he has been an active attendee at Federal Way School Board meetings since 1985. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations from Brigham Young University and an AA in Business/Accounting. He brings a parent's perspective and experience to the board."
o n.html -- "Dave Larson moved to Federal Way in 1967, attended Mirror Lake Elementary, Sacajawea Junior High, and graduated from Federal Way High School in 1976. He went on to graduate from the University of Puget Sound in 1980 and Seattle University School of Law in 1984. He is with the law firm of Williams, Kastner & Gibbs PLLC in Seattle where he practices in the area of complex civil litigation. He is also a mediator and arbitrator."
-- http://www.fwps.org/info/board/members/memberbarn
And a bit about the other guy...
-- http://www.fwps.org/info/board/members/memberlars
It says on Larson and Barney's pages that they both were involved in scouting organizations... hmm... insidious.
Bad idea reason number 2: Puberty, is already greasy enough.
wow... just... wow.
As a graphic arts student, (insert self-important crack here) the question "what is art" has been asked at every turn. Personally, I use a very simple definition of art. Art is an expression of you in the universe. Now the way this is interpreted is incredibly subjective. Does the intent of the piece undermine the purity that say, a painting posesses? For example a videogame is primarily a commercial vehicle. Does the fact that the intent of a videogame (to eventually return a profit) undermine the intent of the individuals creating it as art? It depends on who you ask, from a jaded outsiders viewpoint, videogames are as much art as a carsalesmans pitch. A well crafted presentation to illicit a desired response, like getting money. However from the point of view of the person working on a texture, or a model, or a storyline, the elements of craft, passion, refinement, and expression are all present. As subjective and touchy as subject of art is, if you look at principles that can be agreed on by atleast a majority of people, and simply objectify your criteria for declaring something art, the picture becomes much clearer. The bigger question here is, what are the basic qualifications art must pass before the general populace will accept it as art. I think the biggest two when talking about videogames is the fact that they are (primarily) commercial in nature, and that they have yet to really change the way people think about the world at large. Once a game comes along that breaks boundaries and helps, or starts a paradigm shift in peoples thinking the verdict will come through. This is what has cleared the line for controversial mediums in the past like videography, and photography. Begin the breakdown!
There's also one here in sunny Portland, OR. It's called backspace ( www.backspace.bz ). They have just celebrated their 3 year anniversary of gamingness. I think the trick that Backspace has pulled is that it's in a very swanky area of downtown Portland, and they've fused a cyber cafe with a full-fledged art gallery, and chill out area. They've got a lot to offer in the way of neo-entertainment. Modern art, coffee, free wi-fi, comfy chairs, chess and other board games, pool, and a slew of PC games with either an internet or LAN option for play. It should also be mentioned that their location in downtown provides them with a maximum amount of both, business traffic in the daytime, and lots of people in the evening that are within walking distance that want to get out of their tiny apartments. I don't know how you'd convince a bunch of suburbanites to leave their tract housing developments to play games. But, I think a key is to offer diversity and appeal to professionals looking for a convienient and chic place to have meetings, as well as gamers looking to come out of their caves. Good luck!