Week 12. Comments on Thackara, John, 2005, "Speed", In the Bubble L designing in a complex world, MIT Press Cambridge, MA, pp. 31-50.

Excellent final reading... I guess a movie isn't really a reading. But anyways, this narrative explores the accelerating nature of modern society and it hints at a distance dystopian result (I think). I shall be discussing computer games as a designed environment and through the use of design fundamentals; the game can instill an addition on the user.

Firstly, I shall be just referring to World of Warcraft (WoW), a mass multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). This game is imbued will lust colorful landscapes which real add a very mystical and fairytale like touch to the game. I feel that the use of colors and textures intrigue the users and initially enjoy this “new” experience of being somewhere magical.

The consistency of this textures and colors eventually creates this alternate environment that the user exists in. As if he/she has become part of the fantasy story. Therefore, it can be seen that in this analogy, that a user who has visited this human designed environment has been shaped to make their experience magical and alternate to the real world, and hence encouraging them to become a part of it.

I have come to a realization, that shooting games are becoming more and more realistic. The advancements in computer graphics and even physics are to merely make the game more believable. As if to make it seem that the players are in a life and death situation. I feel that this shaping which is employed by the design fundamentals are used to enhance the user’s enjoyment value while playing the game.

These computer games simulate a virtual environment for the user and through the fundamental techniques of design; I believe the general experiences of user can be enhanced. However, these games require a faster computer in many cases and yet a gain we are forced to keep up with the ever increasing speed of the world.