Haptic Media FAQ

Hello, and welcome to (text-style:"bold","italic","buoy")[The Haptic Arcade], a showcase presented by [[Dr. Teddy Pozo]], Professor of the Practice [[Ryan Rose Aceae->Professor of the Practice Ryan Rose Aceae]], and Student Assistants [[Jasmine Reyes]] and [[Jonah Roth-Verity]]. [[Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[What games are in the showcase?->Games]] [[What class is this from?->Haptic Media]] [[What's a Haptic Arcade?]] [[How can I play the games?->Showcase]] [[What's next for this work?->Bundle]]

We called this showcase The Haptic Arcade because the class and the showcase explores the sense of touch, also known as //haptic sensing// //“Haptic sensing is critical to our experience of the world, from providing us with the information that enables us to use just the right amount of force to lift a glass of water from a table, to finding the light switch on the bedroom wall in the dark.” – Lynette A. Jones, Haptics (2018)// [[learn more about haptics->hapticarcade2]] [[ask about something else->Start 1]]

The Haptic Arcade features work by Hugo Enser, Julia Lindemuth, Anaiah Little-Diop, V McCoy, Scott Morris, Manny Rothman, and Zoey Solomon. Who would you like to know more about? [[Hugo]] [[Julia]] [[Anaiah]] [[V]] [[Scott]] [[Manny]] [[Zoey]] [[Thanks! I want to ask about something else now.->Start 1]]

This class, Haptic Media, is part of both the Computer Science and Media Arts and Culture departments. It was created by [[Dr. Teddy Pozo]] as part of a Mellon Grant about arts and technology. As part of the grant, Dr. Pozo was able to work with a large number of [[guest artists]] who visited the class to share their haptic art and design practice. [[Who are the students?->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[Who are the instructors?->Instructors]] [[learn more about the class->HapticMedia2]]

//“Haptics engage people’s sense of touch to enhance the experience of interacting with onscreen interfaces. For example, the system plays haptics in addition to visual and auditory feedback to highlight the confirmation of an Apple Pay transaction. ” --Apple Developer human interface guidelines// The kind of vibration described here is currently the most common kind of //haptic display//. [[learn more->haptics3]] [[ask more->haptics2]]

//“Haptic visuality is distinguished from optical visuality, which sees things from enough distance to perceive them as distinct forms in deep space: in other words, how we usually conceive of vision. Optical visuality depends on a separation between the viewing subject and the object.” – Laura U. Marks, The Skin of the Film (2000)// The gaze of cinema divides between subject and object. Haptic visuality collapses this distance to create intersubjective viewing. Marks calls this a //feminist visual strategy//. [[learn more->hapticviz2]] [[ask more->hapticviz3]]

Can haptic technologies touch us in sophisticated intersubjective ways, like feminist art film or independent video games? In other words, is there a //haptic haptics//? The seminar portion of this class was dedicated to finding out. Student [[games->Games]] in the showcase are inspired both by the concepts from seminar and the students' own creative goals. [[ask more->definition2]]

Technically an arcade is any kind of covered passageway, which is why you hear about 19th century people walking through old-timey "arcades" that sound more like shopping malls. But we usually think about either [[penny arcades]] or [[video arcades]] today. Today's [[showcase->Showcase]] is more like an independent game festival or zine fest, the kind of place where most video game artists begin to share their work. [[Ask about something else->Start 1]]

Hugo Enser (he/him) is a Junior Psychology major with a Media Arts and Culture minor. He is passionate about video games. His game [[Work - Social - Family]] is in a corner near some comfy chairs. [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to know more about the games.->Games]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

Julia Lindemuth (she/her) is a second-year student planning to declare a Media Arts and Culture major. Her game is [[Rootie and the Moon Doors]] and can be found under a starry sky near the exit of the arcade. [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to know more about the games.->Games]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

Anaiah Little-Diop (she/her) is a Senior Computer Science major with a Media Arts and Culture and Studio Arts minor. Her game [[WorkDay]], is in an office cubicle. [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to know more about the games.->Games]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

V McCoy (they/them) has many interests including Media Arts and Culture, Philosophy, Writing, Rhetoric, Computer Science, and Music Production. Their game [[WOND333RLAND]] is in its own custom arcade cabinet! [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to know more about the games.->Games]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

Scott Morris (he/him) is a Senior Computer Science major whose game, [[3 Days]] can be found near a fireplace. [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to know more about the games.->Games]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

Manny Rothman (he-series) is a senior Media Arts and Culture major. His game in the arcade is [[The Art Critic]], and can be found near the front entrance! [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to know more about the games.->Games]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

Zoey Solomon (she/her) is an Urban and Environmental Policy major with a minor in Media Arts and Culture. Her game, [[Marcy's Plight->Her game]] will be on a very messy desk. [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to know more about the games.->Games]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

This arcade contains seven original [[visual novels]] by students in [[Haptic Media]](COMP/MAC 271). Here are the games in the showcase: [[3 Days]] by [[Scott Morris->Scott]] [[The Art Critic]] by [[Manny Rothman->Manny]] [[Marcy's Plight->Her game]] by [[Zoey Solomon->Zoey]] [[Rootie and the Moon Doors]] by [[Julia Lindemuth->Julia]] [[WOND333RLAND]] by [[V McCoy->V]] [[Work - Social - Family]] by [[Hugo Enser->Hugo]] [[WorkDay]] by [[Anaiah Diop->Anaiah]] [[I want to learn about something else->Start 1]]

After the Haptic Arcade showcase, some students will be releasing their games in a bundle on itch.io, an open-source distribution site for independent games, zines, and other projects. [[I want to be emailed when the bundle comes out!->Email List]] [[I want to know something else about the games, now.->Games]] [[Ok, thanks! I want to ask about something else.->Start 1]]

This showcase is similar to a "zine fest" or independent games festival, in that students who made the games will for the most part be present near their games to help you play, and maybe to give you something to take with you for your time. [[how to play]] [[ask about something else->Start 1]]

(bg:#ffffb3)[<a href= "https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQK7Dax6FWH8iV3C4HZnIa1PumB1JkK9jZ5B63in0Ud1EnvQ/viewform?usp=sf_link">Click here</a>] to join the email list for the Haptic Arcade! [[I want to learn more about the games!->Games]] [[I want to ask about something else.->Start 1]]

//''The Art Critic ''//(Manny Rothman, 2022) Meet Lukas: a sickly-sweet art critic in New Austin, the modern center of art critique. You start the game with Lukas entrenched in a piece of art, until he gets a call that his mother has fallen ill. Will Lukas tend for his mother, or will he reform the critique community, and shine a light of positivity throughout New Austin? Download and play the game yourself (bg:#ffffb3)[<a href="https://fcpwiz.itch.io/the-art-critic">here</a>] or find it in the arcade near the entrance! [[I want to learn about the rest of the games!->Games]] [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

//''Rootie and the Moon Doors''// (Julia Lindemuth, 2022) Stuck on a moon alone with no memories, Rootie is eager to meet who fell out of the sky and uncover the secrets of the Moon Doors. Will she solve the mystery of her lost memories or will she stay stuck on the moon forever? [[I want to learn about the rest of the games!->Games]] [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

//''3 Days ''//(Scott Morris, 2022) Jump into the life of Steve the goldfish and experience life through his fishbowl. Meet the people in his life such as his roommate Nicky and his unbearable landlord. Where he goes and the decisions he makes are up to you. [[I want to learn about the rest of the games!->Games]] [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

//''WorkDay''// (Anaiah Little-Diop, 2022) You're sitting down at your desk in your office on a normal day. There's nothing weird going on at all, right? Even if there was, is it really your place to find out? [[I want to learn about the rest of the games!->Games]] [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

//''Work - Social - Family''// (Hugo Enser, 2022) Play vicariously through Kiin, a broke game store manager who needs to decide how to navigate his life and ultimately what direction to concentrate his life on. Make difficult decisions about whether to prioritize your work life, social life, or family life over the course of the game to pave Kiin’s path. [[I want to learn about the rest of the games!->Games]] [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

//''WOND333RLAND''// (V McCoy, 2022) Enter the ephemeral void and face God, creation, and Alice, a conjuring of late-stage humanity containing all lives, all love, and all loss. She also really likes 2015 hyperpop... [[I want to learn about the rest of the games!->Games]] [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

//''Marcy's Plight''// (Zoey Solomon, 2022) Home-bound Marcy is determined to uncover a conspiracy theory. What happens when she gets pulled in too far? [[More about the students, please!->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[I want to know more about the games.->Games]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

Dr. Teddy Pozo (they/them) created this class as part of an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Media Arts and Culture Fellowship in Computer Science, "Arts and Technology in a Cultural Metropolis." To learn more about Dr. Pozo and their work, (bg:#ffffb3)[<a href="http://www.drpozo.com">visit their website</a>!] [[ask more->Start 1]]

Ryan Rose Aceae (they/he) is a Professor of the Practice in Haptic Media, supporting the students to create visual novels in a style inspired by their own art practice as a game developer, illustrator, and cartoonist. He is also an academic studying queer and trans game studies. To learn more about Prof. Aceae's work, (bg:#ffffb3)[<a href="https://gendervamp.itch.io/">visit their itch.io page</a>]! [[ask more->Start 1]]

Jasmine Reyes (she/her) is a Senior Computer Science major who was a student in the Haptic Media class in Spring 2021. Her virtual pet project from last year, //''PlantBuddy''//, is (bg:#ffffb3)[<a href="https://mangoagogo-warrior.itch.io/plantbuddy">available to download on itch.io</a>.] [[ask more->Start 1]]

Jonah Roth-Verity (he/him) is a Senior Media Arts and Culture Major who was a student in the Spring 2021 Haptic Media class. His final project, //''Dragoumanos''//, is (bg:#ffffb3)[<a href="https://jonepone.itch.io/dragoumanous">available to download on itch.io</a>]. [[ask more->Start 1]]

What do you want to know? [[Now I want to learn more about haptic visuality.->haptic visuality]] [[I want to learn more about how this applies to the arcade!->What's a Haptic Arcade?]] [[I want to learn more about the class.->Haptic Media]] [[I want to ask about something else, now.->Start 1]]

The word //haptic// means "related to the sense of touch." It comes from a Greek root meaning "to grasp, hold, or fasten." In this class, [[Haptic Media]], we studied two main definitions of haptic. [[What are the definitions?]]

What do you want to know? [[Are these definitions even related?]] [[Ok, but what's an arcade?]] [[Ok, that's enough about the definition of haptics (go back)->Start 1]]

What do you want to ask about? [[I want to know more about the class.->Haptic Media]] [[I want to learn more about haptic technologies->haptics]] [[I want to learn more about haptic visuality->haptic visuality]] [[I want to learn more about arcades->Ok, but what's an arcade?]]

Here are the guest artists and scholars who were part of Haptic Media in Spring 2022: (bg:#ffffb3)[<a href="https://tambalaya.itch.io/">Tamara DuPlantis</a>] (she/her), computational media artist, experimental musician, homebrew Game Boy developer, and teacher of the arts (bg:#ffffb3)[<a href="http://www.oscarmoralde.com/">Oscar Moralde</a>] (he/him), who studies embodied aesthetics and ideology in video games and other media. (bg:#ffffb3)[<a href="https://www.daniellebrathwaiteshirley.com/">Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley</a>] (she/her), an artist who seeks to archive Black Trans experience. (bg:#ffffb3)[<a href="https://eugeniabarbuc.cargo.site/">Eugenia Barbuc</a>] (she/her), a multidisciplinary filmmaker, sculptor, and installation artist. (bg:#ffffb3)[<a href="https://squinky.me/">D. Squinkifer</a>] (they/he), a queer game designer and member of the Soft Chaos collective. [[ask more->guestartists2]]

To see the syllabus for this year's Haptic Media class, (bg:#ffffb3)[<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E7NJUqdpRY68njmkBgdjn29pxuiroIPf_81auPKb-YM/edit?usp=sharing">click here</a>]. [[ask more->HapticMedia3]]

What do you want to know about next? [[more about the guest artists->guest artists]] [[more about the definition of haptic->What's a Haptic Arcade?]] [[something else->Start 1]]

What do you want to know about? [[haptics]] [[haptic visuality]] [[the class->Haptic Media]] [[something else->Start 1]]

What do you want to know? [[More about the class->Haptic Media]] [[More about haptic technologies->haptics]] [[More about arcades->Ok, but what's an arcade?]] [[Something else->Start 1]]

In class, we learned about the history of haptics like early arcade electric shock and vibration machines (from as far back as the 19th century!), vibrating movie theater seats in //The Tingler// (William Castle, 1959), and also played with the latest haptic technologies like the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller, and the Oculus Quest 2. [[ask more->haptics2]]

In this class, we talked about how penny arcades were where the first moving pictures were displayed in hand-cranked flipbooks called mutoscopes or early film projectors called kinetoscopes. To look at these, you'd have to put in a coin and bend over a peephole, which is why some were called peep shows. Vibration and electroshock machines, mechanical animatronics called "working models," fortune telling machines, phonographs, and moving pictures all existed side by side in the penny arcades. [[What about the video arcades?->video arcades]] [[Ask about something else->Start 1]]

Video arcades are pretty retro now, but in their heyday of the 1970s and 80s, big cabinets holding early arcade games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders earned fistfuls of quarters from fans. Video arcades were loud and boisterous, with flashing lights, loud beeping and bells, cheering onlookers, and people jostling to get through the tightly packed space. Have you ever been to a video arcade, either a retro arcade or a contemporary "barcade"? [[What about the penny arcades?->penny arcades]] [[ask about something else->Start 1]]

In class, to help understand haptic visuality, we watched films like //It Wasn't Love// (Sadie Benning, 1992) that authors like Laura U. Marks had used as an example of the strategy. We also played the surreal walking simulator //CURTAIN// (Dreamfeel, 2014), whose shifting pixel graphics demonstrated the relationship between surface and depth in haptic visual works. [[ask more->hapticviz3]]

The games in the arcade will ask you to make choices among a list of options, using a controller supplied by the game, or the arrow buttons and enter key, or the trackpad of a laptop. Make sure to wear headphones to hear the music for each game. The headphones and music will help you concentrate on these narrative-focused games in a possibly-noisy space. If you want to rest and relax, sit on the soft couches. [[Can I download the games?->what else to do]] [[ask about something else->Start 1]]

These games are mostly pre-release right now, meaning you can't download most of them to play yourself yet, but they will be coming out really soon! [[Click here->Bundle]] to learn more about how the games will be released! [[Thanks, I want to learn about something else now!->Start 1]]

The instructors of Haptic Media are: [[Dr. Teddy Pozo]], Professor of the Practice [[Ryan Rose Aceae->Professor of the Practice Ryan Rose Aceae]], and Student Assistants [[Jasmine Reyes]] and [[Jonah Roth-Verity]]. The class also included multiple [[guest artists]]! [[Have any questions?->Start 1]]

First, [[haptics]] refers to haptic technologies that communicate information and alert users in video game controllers, smart phones, accessibility devices, movie theater seats, and arcade machines. Second, [[haptic visuality]] refers to a feminist visual strategy related to embodiment, intersubjectivity, and intercultural communication in film and video art, that video game designers also use. [[ask more->hapticarcade3]]

Visual novels are kind of like an interactive book, with a story, illustrations, and music. The player gets to make a series of choices that affect the story. Some are a slice of life, some are dream-like, some are funny, and some are scary. Visual novels are good at expressing emotionally complex narratives about relationships between characters or between a character and the player. These visual novels are made with (bg:#ffffb3)[<a href="https://www.renpy.org/">The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine</a>], as directed by [[Professor of the Practice Ryan Rose Aceae]]. [[Back to the games->Games]] [[More about the students->Who are the students in the showcase?]] [[More about the class->Haptic Media]]