9-21-2011~ In your notebook answer the following

prompt

What is your favorite piece or image of art?

Why is this your favorite?

What about it makes it your favorite?

Learning Target

I will SUMMARIZE an article through the GIST method.

GIST•Turn to a blank page in your notebook

•Number 1-20•Summarize the paragraph in ONLY 20 words

GIST Paragraph 1The advent of the 20th century brought with it technological wonders including the airplane, cinema, and the radio. Among these feats was one of the most influential inventions ever – the personal computer. Through the introduction of e-mail and instant messaging, the computer revolutionized our lives by allowing people to interact quickly regardless of location. Computers have also made constant human inspection and regulation of mundane tasks obsolete through automated management and control. But one overlooked impact of the computer is the changes it has brought to the world of art. Computers have opened up new avenues of creative expression. Video games are one progeny of the pursuit of new heights of artistic expression through technology. Although the idea of games as art has its critics, not only can games be art, but a form of art with the capability to be more successful than any other in aesthetically conveying feelings and experiences.

GIST Paragraph 2•Either next to it or on the next page

•Number 1-20•Summarize the paragraph in ONLY 20 words

GIST Paragraph 2To successfully argue that something is art, one must first

define art. The five classical forms – painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and poetry – make up the nucleus of what is generally considered fine art. Other art forms, such as literature and film, have gained acceptance because they contained key elements of the classical forms. Yet the common ingredients of these five art forms are a mystery to many. Though there is no unified consensus on an exact definition, it is implicitly agreed that all art contains certain elements. Art generally conveys ideas and feelings through a medium. This is evident in all five classical forms. Painting, music, and poetry are expressions of an artist's thoughts and emotions. Sculpture and architecture also create a visual representation of a feeling, idea, or experience. I believe art is best defined by Encyclopedia Britannica as “the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others.” There are several reasons why video games meet this definition.

GIST Paragraph 3•Either next to it or on the next page

•Number 1-20•Summarize the paragraph in ONLY 20 words

GIST Paragraph 3Video games are inherently an amalgamation of other

acknowledged art forms. They combine aspects of visual arts, music, and narrative literature. Video games incorporate intense and realistic graphics to paint a vivid simulation of reality that players can lose themselves in. Take, for example, one of the best graphic games of 2009. “Resident Evil 5” contains intricate landscapes and painstakingly crafted details: dust twists in the air and the sun gleams off buildings. Visually the game is so breathtakingly constructed that a player can almost step into the clothing of the main character. The correlation between a game developer's attention to visual details and an artist's careful rendering of each brushstroke or a filmmaker's meticulous consideration for every scene is evident. To enhance the visual experience, game developers often hire a musician to compose the soundtrack. As video game critic Glenn McDonald notes, “sound and music … in video game design … goes to work on you subconsciously – heightening tension, manipulating the mood, and drawing you into the gameworld faintly but inexorably.” Games incorporate the established art form of music to elicit emotional reactions from players.

Can Video Games Be Art?

Subject What is it about? What is the general topic?

Occasion What is the time and place that the article was written?

Audience Who did the author write this article for?

Purpose Why was this article written?

Speaker Who is telling the “story” or speaking in the article?

Can Video Games Be Art?

•Review SOAPS•Write a SUMMARY of the entire article

Can Video Games Be Art?

•Read the entire article•Complete GIST worksheet over the entire article

•Review as a class