Essay

Assessment criteria:

1.1.  Identified and explained the purpose of key elements of an argument

1.2.  Identified and discussed the language of reasoning

1.3.  Discussed the factors that may influence how ideas and arguments are presented

2.1.  Analysed the use of different types of reasoning in source material

2.2.  Explained and evaluated potential strengths, weaknesses, flaws and other aspects of the argument in source material

2.3.  Analysed and evaluated the credibility of claims made in source material

2.4.  Evaluated the evidence used in arguments

This essay will discuss the contributions that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak both made to both computer graphics and computer science. I will be looking for key events that shaped the digital world to how it is today and what would happen if these two figures hadn't contributed. In this essay, I will attempt to discuss and identify the language of reasoning, discuss factors that could influence how ideas and arguments are presented and analyze the use of different types of reasoning while identifying and explaining the purpose of key elements of an argument. 

 In 1986 Steve Jobs, at the age of 21, worked with Pixar in computer animation and was labeled a "visionary and creative genius" and in 2006 Disney bought the company in which Jobs became Disney's largest single shareholder in a £7.4 billion deal. In those years Steve jobs contributed to the creation and animation of many Disney films such as Toy story and bug's life. 

Today Steve jobs pioneering in computer graphics is still relevant because of the huge leap it created in animation and technology for both Pixar and Disney. A quote to further support this is “He funded and nurtured a company called Pixar that made the most amazing computer-animated movies—Toy Story, Cars, and Finding Nemo—bringing to life imaginary characters like never before”  this quote is objective and is a fact - in 1986 steve jobs acquired Lucasfilm, Ltd. and renamed them Pixar animation studios. He was the CEO and was also the majority shareholder until its acquisition from Disney. subsequently, this provides significant evidence as to how Steve had majorly contributed in his first few years.

 My first source wasn't overly informative about Steves contributions to Computer Graphics so I did some research online, here are the websites I used for secondary research - http://pixar.wikia.com/wiki/Steve_Jobs
 http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Steve_Jobs
  - here is the Harvard reference for my first source “Blumenthal, K., 2012. Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different” and also the ISBN number 125001445X. 

 This was an unofficial biography written by Karen Blumenthal (published in 2012 in Great Britain) This was secondary research. In terms of reliability and strength of the source, it's not that strong and doesn't have enough about computer graphics. However while the biography didn't have much about computer graphics it did have a lot of computer science and Job's friend, Steve Wozniak who was a pioneer in computers.

Things that may influence how the author's ideas and arguments were presented are whether similar things have been said in different sources and also whether what has been said is objective or subjective. Karens writing is mostly subjective and so is based on her own opinions and research, meaning that not everything said is entirely correct. Potential strengths of the biography are that it is written subjectively and so provides different perspectives to the pioneers of computer science and graphics. 

 One quote from Karen Blumenthal says Steve Jobs "single-handedly introduced the first computer that could sit on your desk and founded and nurtured a company called Pixar bringing to life Oscar-winning animations Toy Story and Finding Nemo" this quote is subjective. This quote claims that steve jobs were solely responsible for introducing the first computer. However, this type of reasoning is subjective and so it is open for debate. In order for it to be a fact it needs to be proven. This quote is hugely biased and positive which leads me to believe that Blumenthal knew him on some level as it is highly unusual for someone who has no direct connection with another to be talking so favorably about the co-founder of Apple.
Most of her book content was researched and form her own opinions based on “connecting the dots” and so does not explain the biased quotes and there is limited evidence to support this.

 My opinion overall on the contributions Steve Jobs made is that without this contribution we could be significantly behind in technology. The way Jobs introduced animation and graphics to Pixar caused a huge leap in the creation of animated films for Pixar in terms of the development and new look. 

 Steve Wozniak contributed to the production of Computer science and Apple by building a computer and writing BASIC to work for Apple products when apple 2 came about, Wozniak became an early user and influencer of the DRAM (dynamic random access memory) and was considered the 'Father' of Apple.

Steve Wozniak's pioneering in computers made a huge leap in the industry to get us to where we are now, he created Apple and today we are now bringing out an i phone 8 and 10 which may not have been possible without Wozniak BASIC language to kickstart the apple brand.

 This is secondary research, a biography written by Karen Blumenthal (published in 2012 in Great Britain) and it is an unofficial biography. One downside to this is that the biography has more on Steve Wozniak's influence to the industry than Steve Jobs influence. The rest of the biography is on Steve Jobs childhood but it does have a timeline on Steve Jobs' accomplishments. 

The Pros and Cons of Karen Blumenthal's Biography on Steve Jobs are that the source, while its informative overall on steve jobs contributions with Pixar and Apple as a company - it definitely doesn't have enough about the pioneering of computer graphics and science, however, it was good to find general facts and learn about Steve Jobs himself.

To conclude I think that without Jobs and Wozniak's contribution, we might have been significantly behind in technology today. Apple has played a huge part of the leap in this industry and so we could be behind and I think if Steve Wozniak and Jobs hadn't both proceeded with these visions and ideas then we may be behind today and the industry as we know wouldn't be as developed as it is now. Steve Job's was a very visionary man and he knew what he wanted to create which has given us the ability to be where we are today. 

Artistic styles in games

Photo realism - Detailed and unidealized realistic yet surreal artwork and images.






Pixel - 8bit style work, blocks of color to create arcade type artwork and assets.


Exaggerated - exaggerated art is involving some surrealism making the subject image exaggerated by adding giant eyes or abnormaly large hands - or unrealistic ideas




Abstract- abstract is a is of colors and styles and is seen as abstract because its not one specific thing, consumers or viewers as such can interpret it by themselves

file summary

File type	Extension	Function	Pros	Cons
Sound	.Mp4	It uses codecs to organize files within folders and containers	widely supported on lots of platforms and a good format	Large file size to lack of compression rates.
Sound	.MKV	uses codecs to organize files within folders and containers	Has menus like a DVD would have and can store unlimited data	not as widely supported and not on every platform
Image	.Gif	Used to send/convey messages. Quick. Low data and is mostly used on social media.	Compression - small sizes - easy to share. 256 color palette. lossless compression. Widely supported. Supports alpha channels. Has multiple frames.	Level of quality in file goes to a certain size. Low maximum color depth.Oldest format.
Image	.PNG	PNGs are used as a single file format as images. low data and mostly used around social media and graphics for websites.	Uses lossless compression. Suitable for icons. Replacement of GIF. Has alpha channel transparency.	Bigger file size than JPG. Has a big generated file size.
Image	.JPEG	JPEGs are a near lossless image format and has a standard set of test images.	JPEGs generally perform better than PNGs and the file sizes and resolutions are directly comparable to PNGs	Although JPEGs generally perform better than PNGs on images, some images that are PNGs are substantially better on color depth. JPEGs lose quality upon compression.
Image	.TIFF	Used format interchange between apps and so arent easily used anywhere other than between applications for photo editing.	TIFFs support both types of compression from GIFs and PNGs and so overall are better. No data is lost throughout the process of scanning or compression. Can be used with most computer software. 16 Bit capability. Helps prevent posterization.	Images take up a lot of space on your drive. Difficult and impossible to send in emails or any other sharing site.
Video	.MOV	MOV is the most commonly used suffix for quicktime files and is an audio and video file format.	very versatile and is across all platforms, advantageous because files are generally small and have lossless compression. NO CODECS.	can only be so small and the files are not always simple.
Video	.H.264	Is an MPEG file type (movie pictures experts group) with an MP4 file extension.	Its efficient with low motion video content and no codecs are needed.	H.264 files are still in the process of being formulated. They are sensitive to motion complexity and compression isn't as efficient.
Video	.AVI	AVI is a video and audio file format.	simple and is spread across all platforms, no other hardware is needed for it to work.	there are many codecs to use for it and lose quality if compressed too much however if not compressed the file size is very big.
Video	.FLV	FLV is a file format by adobe to store or deliver synchronized audio and film.	FLV files are generally small and store a lot, quality is high unless they're compressed over limit.	FLV files need a lot of codecs to work and so take up a lot of space than without the codecs...

video file types

what?: Mp4

why?: Creates a file which allows audio to be added to Video

How?: It uses codecs to organize files within folders and containers

Example: Mp4 files

Pros?: widely supported on lots of platforms and a good format

Cons?: Large file size to lack of compression rates.

Asses: used in everyday life and is a good format

Comparison: similar to MKV, however, it doesnt support containers with as many files as MKV

Discriminate: Unsuitable for consumers that wish for a lower file size.


what?: MKV

why?: Creates a file that allows consumers to watch videos with audio - free to anyone for use

How?: uses codecs to organize files within folders and containers

Example: MKV files

Pros?: Has menus like a DVD would have and can store unlimited data

Cons: not as widely supported and not on every platform

asses: good format to use for big projects or big files with low compression rates.

Comparison: similar to Mp4 but isn't as widely supported

Discriminate: not suitable for consumers that wish for higher compatibility

Mindmap

critical evaluation

The quality of my work is good overall, i have taken time on every task and have completed it to the best of my ability and included sketches and rough designs for concepts of my game. The work is thought out and planned, however not as much as it could have been as I didn't always have a clear structure to follow and would get confused sometimes - this comes to communicating ideas across.

Communicating my ideas across was hard but it came out relatively strong and just needed cleaning up and some order, more due to luck than planning. Next time I will find a structure to follow to help me complete this to make the task quick and easy so that other tasks and projects can be prioritized.  One other way to better communication skills would be to include more drafts and mindmaps so that people, as well as myself, have a clear understanding and ideas to go by and follow.

 My first attempt at a 2d platformer was hard at first, as coding isn't something I specialize in, however it was interesting to learn how to command a sprite to move and insert colliders into the game. It's quite hard to grasp and so to develop a better understanding of this, I will watch tutorials for unity and spend time learning more on coding as we need to show a basic understanding of it.

Time management is key in this project and so I struggled a lot, while I had met deadlines, if I had planned it out more I think this would've been I process, to achieve this next time I will make a checklist to tick off tasks and deadlines so that I can manage work with ease. Things that went well are my art and asset creations, contingency plans and graphics specification doc, these were enjoyable tasks where i could have a lot of creative input and so this was easy and could be done to high abilities.

The asset creation was all created in illustrator and photoshop in which I have developed a basic understanding of how to create assets for games and add shading and gradients. These would've been even better if I hadn't rushed them and taken more time to conclude and have definitive plans, next time I will spend longer conducting primary research to get other peoples opinions and points of views rather than just my own so that I have a broad view of what may go well and what may not with consumers.

Consumer research would have been beneficial as I would have been able to find a clearer structure to follow and know what my game assets would benefit from - I will include this in my game plan next time to assure that I can follow a structure, rather than just my own ideas, as these may not be ideal to everyone and some input is always needed by people other than just myself. 

gantt chart

CHARACTER DRAWING AND FINISHED SPRITE

ENVIRONMENT

LEVEL MAP AND CHARACTER MOVEMENT

COLLIDERS

PICKUP SPRITES

 

company logo

3D Theory

game sprite 1

Here is a sprite i created in adobe illustrator for my game.

timeline

Graphic spec doc.

Summary: The game is a 2d take on flappy birds game set in space, there are a variety of different settings/scenes which change upon meeting new tasks or transitioning to new levels. In this game your character will be spaceship sprite or bot, the task is to fight/defeat evil enemies, your character will also change upon new levels and so will enemies to keep excitement. This will get increasingly harder over the next few levels, to separate levels there will be a static screen, this creates a retro/80s vibe which is the feel the game will have throughout. The game is a 80s/retro arcade game and so will be a blast from the past!

Audience: This game is aimed for 6+ years as controls will be fairly simple and basic, making the game a casual and fun game to play for any age. To make the game more appealing to younger users there will be bright colours and noises, it will be fairly interactive so that interest is kept. There will also be an option in settings for colour and sound to be "muted" so that children and adults with sensory issues can play too.

Typography: typography will be fairly simple but have an arcade feel to it - aka the OCR font.

AUDIENCE:

social grade        social status       occupation

A                        upper middle       banker, high management

B                        middle                  teacher, office worker

C1                      lower middle        manager, teacher

C2                      skilled working
                           class
D                        working class

E                         unemployed


Players motivation: In this game the player is trying to reach the final level - to defeat enemies and make space a safe place.

Genre: The genre is an 80s retro/arcade take to flappy bird, but instead it uses a spaceship. Try to avoid rocks, enemies and slime and gain points and speed as you go throughout the game!

Target customer: The target customer is for 6+ ( a fun game for anyone, casual gameplay) this game is similar to flappy bird (which had a lot of hype) however this is set in space, a lot more is going on.

Competition: This game is a lot like flappy bird, in the sense that you have to tap or press (spacebar) to stay in the air, and avoid danger at all costs. Its may be better than the original flappy bird because its more interactive and has more outcomes, fun colours and sprites.

Target hardware: This game is mostly for phones and tablets but can also be played on the laptop or computer, making it available for everyone.

Characters: Theres 2 characters, each are fun and interactive, one of which is an enemy, the other is you. The evil character is an alien eyeball which causes you to lose health, it chucks out obstacles (colliders) such as rocks and slime and is a collider itself. You are the spaceship, at the start of the game youre assigned with a blue and grey ship in which you use to get around to next levels and avoid obstacles. In this game there are also several pick ups which are point coins, speed coins and Jewels which means you can be protected for a certain amount of time so if you do collide with an enemy, you can defeat it.


Mood board for game:

HUD:

Resolution

                UNITS     PPI
Print        mm       300-400

Device    pixels        72

Device    pixels       423
(Now)