The summer before my senior year of high school, I attended the Sci Art Nanolab. Looking back, I realize that I didn't understand most of the research taking place in the laboratories at the California Nanosystems Institute. Now a UCLA student pursuing an engineering degree, I'd like to think I've come a long way since my days at CNSI. I remember being in awe of the massive machines in the labs and the extensive computers present.
I was reviewing some old files on my computer when I ran into this gem. Throughout the program, we were required to write blog posts daily to draw connections between the arts and sciences based on certain presentations and guest lecturers. This blog post is about one of my favorite presentations from guest speaker Colleen Macklin.. here it is!
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As a dedicated musician, my mind suddenly sparked some intense interest
and concentration when the second guest speaker in the evening spoke of
her integration between the arts and science to teach something
educationally through technological games. Colleen Macklin, the first
speaker, spoke of how her game creations can be treated like a
mathematical equation. The equation states “Game + rules = Emergence.”
This made me realize how the boundaries present in a game can also serve
as a way to release the creativity deep inside within a person when
these borders are created, incorporating both art and science in the
process. Musician Samuel Lover once claimed, “Circumstances are the
rules of the weak; they are but the instruments of the wise.” The uses
of both science and art are extremely effective when trying to stimulate
the human mind to utilize reactions and paradigm shifts.
The existence of rules have often been scrutinized and hated by many
people. Rules are often seen as the ultimate concrete barrier to break
through; human beings like to ignore their existence. Playwright and
critic George Bernard Shaw once said, “The golden rule is that there are
no golden rules.” Yet, when such a principle for freedom is set, it
seems as if the universe seemed too large and everybody else seemed so
small—exactly how I felt after watching Hubble 3D at the California
Science Center. When human beings are given too much freedom and no
boundaries to be restrained within, it seemed as if our contributions
are useless. However, if I were to look at things on a smaller sized
scale and take baby steps to reach a bigger goal, these contributions
eventually will make a difference, be it on a local scale or a universal
scale.
The idea of rules and boundaries is what caused me to think about the
changes and improvements that could take place if everybody would look
at things on a smaller scale. For instance, a toddler would only be able
to walk if he or she learned to take the smaller steps to be able to
allow him or herself to be capable of physically moving on the Earth.
The games presented today are just like taking baby steps on a miniature
scale. I know that personally, as a human, I always want to take the
shortcut and make it to my final goal in a shorter amount of time. Yet, I
think rules like those set in interactive games force me to limit my
goals and take the puny steps that would create a better final product. I
was stimulated when I heard the professional musician state that she
wanted to create a game that would allow people to learn something about
music and the difficult theory behind it. I could relate to her
personally; I am a musician and I find myself much better a performer
than I am at understanding music theory. Those books from Keyboard
Concepts that teach Deceptive and Augmented Cadences are some things I
detest most about music. However, the actual music performance is
entirely different, and knowing that someone wants to create an
interactive experience with music through a game is inspiring. The game
forces the player to have restrictions in the learning process, which is
important; otherwise, the player might just want to know instantly how
to play a Chopin Polonaise within an hour. Furthermore, the learning
process is done in an exciting way. Games like Budgetball Colleen
devised are exciting ways that create the borderlines for people to be
able to take diminutive steps and gradually expand their knowledge on
the current economic crises.
The devising of these games serves as one of the best examples of the
integration of art and science. In addition, it has an educational
purpose behind it and teaches patience, a quality necessary for both
science and art.
