Mythcast Gets Magical

EMDD Blog

Mythcast Gets Magical

Are you impatiently awaiting spooky season? We may have just the thing to hold you over!  Join EMDD’s very own Staci Seber and Nicole Nimri as they explore the mythical world of Harry Potter for the latest episodes of Mythcast. The best news? Both episodes are available right now! From Horcruxes to wand making, these episodes will surely fill your cauldron with an urge to re-watch (or re-read) the HP series.

Witches, wizards, and muggles, get lost in the magic with Staci and Nicole today.

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Dr. Kevin Moloney Speaks to Designing in an Age of Uncertainty

EMDD Blog

Dr. Kevin Moloney Speaks to Designing in an Era of Uncertainty

This summer, the 24H Worldwide Design Conversations event held its second edition to narrow in on the concept of “Designing in an era of uncertainty”. In this conversation, designers across the globe join forces to investigate current and future conditions of design. Of the guest panelists, EMDD assistant professor Dr. Kevin Moloney brings his expertise in transmedia storytelling, design thinking, and photojournalism. Check out this groundbreaking conversation with leading designers in the video below. And remember, we are not alone in an age of uncertainty: “no designer is an island“.

24H Worldwide Design Conversations

24H Worldwide Design Conversations is a live, 24-hour streaming event dedicated to design practices of various disciplines and research. The event is promoted by the Polimi Design System, and includes the Department of Design, School of Design and POLI.design.

Mythcast Episode 1 Released

EMDD Blog

Mythcast: Episode One RELEASED

How to Train Your Demodog

How might we train a demodog? This adolescent form of a demogorgon from Stranger Things storyworld proves to be a compelling (and troublesome) challenge for students at the Center for Emerging Media Design & Development. Listen to how they apply design thinking and usability research to (hypothetically, anyway) train one! They get some important help from zoo keepers and wolf-dog owners. 

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Can We Improve Video Game Movie Adaptations?

EMDD Blog

Can We Improve Video Game Movie Adaptations?

Written by Leo Herrera

Common forms of transmedia storytelling are film adaptations of books and video games. In fact, the relationship between video games and movie adaptations is quite infamous. Research shows that the majority of movies based on video games are not well-received by viewers. These films usually accrue insignificant box office, terrible reviews, or both. There are only four video-game-to-movie adaptations to earn more than $200 million in the worldwide box office and have a Rotten Tomatoes score higher than 50%, respectively:

Rotten Tomatoes Scores
Detective Pikachu (2019) 68%
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) 63%
Rampage (2018) 51%
Tomb Raider (2018) 51%

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Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes is a review website for movies and TV shows. Ratings are given a score using the Tomatometer, a form of measurement based upon the quality of a tomato; Good reviews receive a fresh tomato. Bad reviews receive a rotten tomato.

In 2017, the highest Rotten Tomato score for film adaptations of video games was 48% for Mortal Kombat (1995). With a score of 37%, both Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017) tied for second highest rating. The average score across all 38 titles was 19.9%. It’s safe to say that the history of video game adaptations transitioning to the silver screen was ill-advised.

With several dissatisfying films at the wayside, production studios were forced to revamp and refresh their efforts. Through tumultuous trial and error, a set of best practices were used to structure and present narratives pulled from video games storylines. One corporation took note of these changes and set out to make a plan that could change film adaptation as we know it.

Sony Leads the Way

*Sony has entered the chat*

Sony is the only corporation to have a department for both motion pictures (Sony Pictures Releasing) and video games (PlayStation, Sony Interactive Entertainment). Despite these resources, Sony has only produced a movie adaptation for one video game, Ratchet & Clank (2016). Unfortunately, this film did not beat the odds, producing little in box-office sales and receiving a mere 22% Rotten Tomato score.

However, this failure did not stop Sony.

Tony Vinciquerra, Sony Pictures Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, recently announced the One Sony program, a collaborative effort between Sony departments for project development. The current objective for One Sony is to produce three movies and seven TV shows based on video games exclusive to the PlayStation.

The One Sony project is an opportunity to promote PlayStation across with their distribution and production companies. PlayStation exclusives are a huge advantage for the One Sony program. Video game exclusives, such as God of War, Uncharted, Jak and Dexter, The Last of Us, and Bloodborne, can only be manufactured and distributed by Sony.

So, What Happens now?

There is hope! The future of entertainment is ready for a new era of well-produced video game adaptations. As of today, there are two exciting video game adaptations scheduled for release. This includes the film Uncharted, starring Tom Holland, and HBO’s The Last of Us series. 

Perhaps the stigma may shift from always-bad towards often-good, and studios become motivated to adapt more of our favorite video games and expand beloved story worlds.

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Leo Herrera

Leo Hererra is a graduate student of EMDD. He currently works as a graduate assistant for the program.

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X1 Eye Controls – Disability Design on a Massive Scale

X1 Eye Controls - Disability Design on a Massive Scale

According to the CDC, roughly one in four U.S. adults live with some form of disability. This number reflects a need for disability accommodation and inclusion during the development of popular products.  Within the last year, Xfinity Comcast launched a new feature that massively benefits people with disabilities. It is called X1 Eye Control, an eye contact that allows viewers to change the channel, set recordings, and search content. It can also be controlled with the use of voice activated commands. 

What is X1 Eye Control?

X1 Eye Control uses a web page remote control that works with previously produced “eye gaze” software. X1 Eye Control  is free and is compatible with web page remote controls, as well as Sip-and-Puff switches (Assistive technology used to send signals to a device using air pressure). Eye Control software usually works with a system of external cameras that attach to your computer, table or tv. The cameras then use surrounding light sources  to illuminate the eyes of the user. This causes highly visible reflections to be monitored. One of the other additional cameras in use captures the images of the eye and their reflections.  

Aside from its ability to control the television, the X1 Eye Control can be used for the traditional TV channels and on-demand media, as well as apps like Netflix, Pandora, and YouTube. Additionally, X1 can connect to Xfinity Home services. These platforms can now control smart locks, thermostats, interior and exterior lights installed into their home. This technology makes essential functions now highly accessible to so many more customers. It can quite literally help improve their safety and quality of life.

Technological developments like X1 Eye Control l are crucial in all aspects of design. Similar systems are designed for disabled communities to help these individuals live more independent and fulfilling lives. Technology like this can help eradicate pre-existing notions or stereotypes about life being “harder” for these individuals. It is a perfect example of how design can lead to personal liberation. Contrarily, it also demonstrates the need to bring widespread practice to inclusive design. It is promising, but there is much work to be done elsewhere. 

Picture of Chase Keller

Chase Keller

Chase Keller is a second-year EMDD graduate student. His research interests include usability testing and design.

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Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

“There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts.” About Gabe Gabe Eastridge graduated from the

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Diversity & Representation: How “Apex Legends” fosters inclusivity with character design

Diversity & Representation: How Apex Legends fosters inclusivity with character design

Apex Legends is an online, multiplayer video game that launched on February 4th, 2019. It is set up as a first person shooter in a “Battle Royale” styled fight and is very similar to its main rival game, Fortnite. However, what makes this gaming experience stand out from the other competitors is it’s interesting and well-rounded character list. Apex Legends helps inspire the movement for equal representation amongst game development companies and gamers. Representation is important in any form of interactive media. It opens users up to new groups of people. Additionally, it allows for various users around the world to have a character to identify with, which grants a more personalized experience. 

Apex Legends has done an excellent job of highlighting different heritages when developing their characters. It is a triumph for successful representation. Successful representation is made up of various ethnicities, cultures, and gender distribution. Furthermore, the depictions of these characters can only be successful when they are designed from accurate sources of cultural information. Apex Legends has a total roster of fourteen characters, six of which are female. This is an almost perfectly even gender distribution among characters. The characters come from different backgrounds, ranging from: Jamaican, French, Portuguese, Indian, Icelandic, and Pacific Islander (amongst others). 

Rampart is the most recent character unleashed by Apex Legends. She is classed as a “tactical” legend and is described by the game developers as a “British-Indian Business owner.” While these little details may not seem like much, they’re very important to the realm of video game diversity, inclusion and equality. The pieces of information shown in the persona descriptions add another level of depth to the characters. It makes their portrayal all the more empathizable to the player of the game. 

Apex Legends demonstrates the positive changes being made to diversify video games. This is a stride in the right direction, but there is still a lot more ground to cover throughout the gaming industry. Developers and designers should branch off of Apex Legend‘s example of diversity in gaming and incorporate similar efforts in the future. Diverse representation is beneficial to these companies and to the players they cater. 

Picture of Chase Keller

Chase Keller

Chase Keller is a second-year EMDD graduate student. His research interests include usability testing and design.

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Blog
Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

“There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts.” About Gabe Gabe Eastridge graduated from the

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Dr. Palilonis Awarded by Ball State Immersive Learning

2020 Ball State Immersive Learning Faculty Awards

“This video celebrates not just our award winners, but also every individual who is involved in community-engaged activities."

This year, Dr. Jennifer Palilonis, Director for the Center of Emerging Media Design & Development, was recognized by Ball State Immersive Learning with one of five 2020 Immersive Learning Faculty Awards. Dr. Palilonis was awarded for her work on the David Letterman Learning Experience project. This project has created a physical museum exhibition, digital games and learning modules, and other experiences focused on the career and character of Ball State’s most notable alum, David Letterman. 

 

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