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Boulder Parchment Hedgeclippers

March 6th, 2010 by PeteV

(the other) Pete here, buried neck-deep in new activity development for the Summer of 2010 at iD Tech Camps! I have been hard at work on several projects to enhance the fun-factor and culture of all 70 or so camps, including my attempt to create iPhone apps for our Activity Curriculum. In case anyone is wondering, programming for the iPhone from scratch is pretty complicated – which is why I really wish I could simply take the iD course this Summer instead of hacking away on my own… but I digress!

I have been mistaken for an Activity Expert, but I have always believed that I’m an Experience Expert. The difference is that while I do know a good deal of games and events that our Staff can facilitate, I prefer having the ideas come from within. Games and activities that are generated by our Staff are genuine, unique and encourage greater buy-in from the Campers. Homebrew events are not easy to encourage and execute because many times they require preparation and some level of testing. My goal, therefore, is to create tools and templates for game and activity creation to be as simple as possible.

The 2009 Activity Curriculum featured an entire section on how to create new games, which is where many of the field games inspired by video games began. We created a step-by-step process that detailed the different pieces of a successful game (along with some industry secrets) and enabled our Staff to fully customize the activities to suit their camp needs. Our Nacho Incentive Program that was directed at the Staff encouraged creation and sharing of games throughout the whole iD Tech community – from our Connecticut summer camps to our summer camps in CA!

Another incentive encouraged the Staff to create a new version of Rock Paper Scissors for their camp. We thought that we would only get a handful of variations – but boy, were we wrong!

Rock Paper Scissors is the foundation to many gaming interactions. The concept that Rock beats Scissors beats Paper beats Rock, appears in many popular games, both virtual and real. Football, for instance, matches two sets of plays, an offense and a defense. Depending on the choice of the opponents, the advantage will shift from one side to another. The showdown between a pitcher and a batter in Baseball follows the same pattern. Choices dictate success or failure. While other factors inform these choices, such as picking up details in the formation of the other side or watching for the turn of the baseball, the concept of making a choice based on as much information as you have available is consistant with RPS.

ROCK

PAPER

SCISSORS

Many RPS players believe that the game is based completely on luck, while others seem to win more than half of the time. Another gaming concept emerges, which is that of identifying patterns. Humans are relatively rotten at randomization – rather, humans playing RPS are rotten at randomization because they believe they have a strategy. If one is playing to win, they attempt to incorporate a strategy that will inform their choices, based on the perceived choices of the opponent. Let’s look at an example:

What are the players thinking after this round? Neither player is going to play Scissors next, because they believe that Rock will be played again (a common move). Of course, if Rock is played again, then one must play Paper to win. Taking that a step further, if one player goes as far as Paper, the other may want to play Scissors – which leads to Round 2…

Each player thought that they outsmarted the other. Now the fun begins. Three of the same symbol in a row is generally unlikely, or so many players will believe. That makes Rock the least likely symbol for either to throw – meaning that the logical play is Scissors. But wait – the logical play is to do the unexpected, which is another Rock play. Each player at this point has to make a choice based on the pattern that they observe. There is no randomness to the symbol that they choose, instead a calculated decision based on the information they have available.

Round 3 ends the game in a dramatic fashion. Pete believes that the least likely play is Rock, which means that Bryan will likely play Scissors. This logic is based on the thought that Bryan also knows that Rock is unlikely to be played. Pete’s strategy is that Bryan, as an experienced player, will deduce that Pete is going to play Paper to defeat the unlikely Rock. The truth is that Bryan knows that Pete loves repeating the same symbol and doesn’t overthink it, leading to his victory.

(variations after the break)

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More Ms. Pac-Man Pizza – with Ghosts!

February 26th, 2010 by Josh

Hi Everyone! This blog is a Part II to my Ms. Pacman pizza blog. After making my Mrs. Pac-Man pizza, I had an entire pizza crust so I decided to make the “ghosts” from the Ms. Pacman game!

Remember, never cook with out an adult present. I am no exception to this rule. Fortunately, my good friend, adult and former iD Tech UCLA director, Jeff was still around to help me out:

1) SHAPE THE CRUST
The difference between this and the Ms. Pac-Man Pie mainly the shape of the crust. Each pizza crust will yield two ghosts, so start by a cutting a line right down the diameter of the crust, thus halving it:

Next, make two vertical cuts on either side of the crust. How deep in to make the cuts will depend on the size of your crust, the distance from the edge should be about 20% the width of the pie. Then, to round out the top a bit, shave a bit off of the edges:

PROTIP – Don’t waste food! Dip the excess dough in the sauce you are making while you wait for the pizza to bake – yum!
Next cut out three triangular shapes from the bottom of the pizza:

(again, an example of “real life” subtractive 3D modeling, a modeling method taught at our 3D animation camps)

And repeat on the other half of the pizza.

2) MAKE THE SAUCE

Next is time for the sauces, unlike Ms. Pac-Man, we actually have some options other than making an Alfredo “White” Pizza depending on which ghost(s) you want to make:

Blinky – the red ghost – Just as I was about to stir up some red food coloring I realized that I could just use the most fundamental of all pizza ingredients – tomato sauce! A pizza that only has tomato sauce as a topping is called a “tomato pie” (my favorite, a Philly tradition), however as we’ll be adding mozzarella slices for the eyes, this will be a “margarita” pizza.

Pinky – the pink (duh) ghost – for this we can use an “blush” sauce which is usually used for pasta, typically gnocchi and ravioli. A blush sauce is a mixture of tomato sauce and Alfredo (more or less). Refer to my Ms. Pacman blog for an Alfredo recipe or just use your favorite off the shelf!

Sue (or Clyde in the orignal Pac-Man) the orange ghost – for orange, you can also use a blush sauce however , you’ll want to vary your ratio of tomato : Alfredo sauce. You’ll want to use more Alfredo sauce and possibly even add some cheddar.

Inky – The blue ghost – No “natural” options here. Time to get our the blue food coloring! To achieve light blue a little bit of color goes a long way. Fill a small bowl with Alfredo and stir, stir, stir:

Once the sauce is made, pour the sauce on slowly and smooth it out with a knife or spoon, remember to leave room around the edges:

I decided to make Blinky and Inky.

3) ADD DETAIL

Next, for the ghosts eyes. You’ll need a tube of mozzarella. Cut down a slice of it into a rectangular shape:

BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN USING KITCHEN KNIVES AND ALWAYS HAVE AN ADULT PRESENT

Next, simply cut a black olive in half and place each half in the corner of each eye:

4) BAKE THE PIE!
Now it is time to bake! Preheat the oven 450 degrees and let Ms. Pacman bake for about 10-15 minutes, checking frequently as cooking time will vary depending on what kind of crust you are using.n While you are waiting, you should get some fresh air and do something outside, like gardening:

DO NOT LEAVE AN OVEN UNATTENDED! MAKE SURE YOUR PARENTS ARE WATCHING THE OVEN WHILE YOU GARDEN!

6) TIME TO EAT!!!
Another master piece! Now let’s eat those ghosts like we were Pac-Man!

 

 

DIY: Creating a Pop-Up Card

February 12th, 2010 by Marta

That big red, white and pink holiday is just around the corner and there’s still time to send out a pop-up valentine card to someone you know. I learned how to make these pop-up cards way back in elementary school and they’re easy and fun to make. All kids and teens out there, think of how much Mom or Grandma would appreciate it if she received one of these cards? Who knows, she may even sign you up for that iD overnight summer camp right after she opens it. I might give one to my manager at the office and see if it gives me clearance to attend a site visit at one of our Visual Arts Academies so I can brush up on my filmmaking skills. It’s always worth a try.

STEP 01: GRAB THE CARD TEMPLATES
Below are two templates that I’ve created that you can choose from. The first one allows you to have one pop-up image; the second template gives you spots for two pop-up characters.

Download: PDF Template 01: One Pop-Up Card
Download: PDF Template 02: Two Pop-Up Card

Once you download them, don’t print them out just yet, since you’ll want to first decide what and how you’re going to write a phrase on the inside of the card (the template you just downloaded.) You have two options here. The first is that you can grab art supplies you have at home and hand-write a phrase. If you decide to do this then go ahead and print the template.

If you have Photoshop at home, you can also open the PDF template into Photoshop and create your text there. After you’ve created your text phrase and any other design elements in Photoshop, then you can print the template on your home computer. Being that I love to use Photoshop, I decided to open my card up in Photoshop and add some of my own flair using the skills I’ve learned as a graphic designer.

STEP 02: GRAB THE POP-UP CHARACTERS
Download the page of gaming characters to add as the pop-up elements to your card. You’ll be doing the same thing here as before; you can either color them with art supplies or you can color them in Photoshop.

Download: PDF Template 03: Character Cutouts

If you thought all valentines were adorned with mushy hearts and flowers, think again. I’ve picked out some cool characters that could be in your projects this summer if you attend one of our game camps.

STEP 03: ASSEMBLE YOUR CARD
Now that you have all of your artwork prepped, let’s recap what you should have in order to assemble your card.

• The inside part of your card taken from the downloadable template.
• An outer part or cover for your card. You can use a nice piece of construction paper or just another piece of printer paper.
• Your cutout characters, colored and ready to go.
• Glue or another adhesive like double-sided tape.
• Scissors

Assembling your card is really easy. Let’s go through the steps:

1. First take your inside template, cut out the card to be 8.25”tall x 5.5” wide. Fold it in half and cut on the dotted lines.
   
   

2. Next, open your card up and fold it the opposite way so that your text is on the inside of the fold. Open the card slightly, and use your finger to push forward the flap(s) that you just created by cutting on the dotted lines in Step 2. Slide a pencil into the flaps, so it’s easier to do the next step. With the pencil still in place, fold your card so that you crease the flap you just pushed in. 
   

   Your card should now look like this.
   

3. Cut out the characters you want inside your card. Then on the front area of your pop-up flap, place an adhesive like glue or double sided tape.Take your character and stick him on the front of the pop-up flap. Open and close your card and see how cool it looks!
   
   

4. Now we just have to put the last finishing touch on it. We need the cover so that the person who receives the card doesn’t see the big pop-up hole(s). Cut out a piece of construction paper to the dimensions of 8.25” tall x 5.5”wide (if you want your card to have a border on the inside, cut it a bit bigger). If you don’t have construction paper handy, white printer paper will do just fine.Fold your outer cover in half, then using an adhesive, stick the cover to the outside of the card.
   Once your card is dry, you can decorate the outside. I created my outside design in Photoshop.
   
   

That’s it! You’ve now created a 3D card adorned with your favorite gaming characters. The cards you make don’t even need to be used for valentine’s day…they can used for birthday’s or other holidays too, so feel free to modify the graphics by using your own designs. It would be great to see some photos of your pop-up card creations, so if you make some and want to share, send them to info@internalDrive.com. We here at the main office always love to see the creative side of our campers (and parents too!)

(PS: If you want to mail your artwork to someone, your card will fit perfectly in an A2 envelope. A2 envelopes are sized to about 4.375”x5.75” and can be found at most craft stores since it’s a common envelope size for cards. )

 

 

Super Bowl Food Fun

February 5th, 2010 by PeteV

Hey All – it is I, (the other) Pete once more with a glorious food craft!

Now, I know that I normally blog about activities that are happening at iD, but I wanted to share these cool iDeas for the BIG GAME!

Football is not a sport that we normally play at iD during the summer, but aspiring game designers can learn a great deal from observing this popular sport. Because we are, in part, a game creation camp, I love to have discussions with the teens about how they can learn to design a fully functioning, high quality experience. Also, I believe that any opportunity can be turned into a learning opportunity!

Football has risk and reward, a fundamental concept for all gaming. Should they kick or go for it on the fourth down? Strategy plays a huge role as well – in fact, matching the opponent’s play is almost equivalent to picking Rock, Paper or Scissors. Another major component is the clock – 2 minute drills reinforce the importance of resource management, as well as the challenge flag.

We constantly find teachable moments at our overnight summer camps – and here’s a delicious moment that you can make this weekend, courtesy of Bryan and I!

NOTE: These crafts require some cooking, sharp objects and marshmallows. Please get a parent / guardian to observe / give permission FIRST. Thank you.

NACHO STADIUM

KRISPY FOOTBALLS

Full instructions after the break(!)

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Looking at Typography

January 18th, 2010 by Marta

Hello iD readers! My name is Marta and I’m part of the design team at iD Tech Camps. I started out with iD back in 2004 as a  summer camp instructor for  Web Design & Flash^® Animation at our Stanford University location. Fast forward to 2006 and beyond and I found myself a full-time employee at the iD headquarters doing what I love…being creative and having fun. So from here on out, I’ll be writing blog articles that will give you some fun tips and tricks of the trade about design, photography, Photoshop, Illustrator and creativity in general. Let’s get started, shall we?

SO, WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT TYPOGRAPHY?
Whether you realize it or not, typography is an integral part of design. Not only does typography play a practical role in design, such as how easily a viewer can read and understand the information at hand, typography plays an aesthetic role as well. Different fonts can actually convey a specific feeling depending on how you utilize size, kerning, leading and styles.

CAN YOU SEE IT?
Did you know that typography is practically everywhere you look? Many common logos depend on the look and feel of the type within their logo design, and even though the everyday viewer may not see it, subconsciously the logo can send a message. Here’s some cool logos have hidden things in them.

Can you see the arrow in between the letter “E” and “x”? This is no accident; the arrow represents the speed and precision of the FedEx Company.

All you sports fans out there probably know that the Big Ten conference has eleven schools, but when the Big 10 name has been around forever, what’s a tournament to do? Add the number 11 in the logo of course. Can you see it hidden around the letter “T”?

Here’s a logo that had me surprised. At a quick glance the Sun Microsystems logo looks like just another logo. Take a closer look and you’ll see it’s quite complex. If you look carefully at the diamond shape in the logo, you’ll eventually be able to see that at any angle the word, “SUN” is apparent…all while only using the lowercase letters “u” and “n”!

THE BASICS
1.)     Specific parts or measurements make up every letter in a font. The most common ones include:

• Ascender
• Caps Height
• Median
• X-height
• Baseline
• Descender

2.)     Most font types can fall into these categories:

• Serif: Fonts that have serifs or “tails” at the end of each letter. These fonts often are used to convey a feeling of prestige. They are also common in most large areas of printed type, like books and magazines, because the serifs create an invisible line for the eye that allows for better legibility.
• Sans-Serif: Fonts that do not have serifs or tails at the end of each letter. These fonts usually convey more of a modern feel and are used on digital mediums since they are easier to read on screens and look better when placed at very small sizes.
• Script: Fonts that have a handwritten or fancy feel to them. Most often used as headings since they become difficult to read as font size decreases.
• Dingbats: Fonts that incorporate images in place of each letter. These fonts can be great tools for adding clipart into your designs since it’s easy to resize them without losing the quality.

3.)     Some Important Typography Lingo:

• Font Styles: These can include such styles as Regular, Italic, Semi-Bold, Bold, Condensed (and many more). Not all fonts have a wide range of style options, but if you can find one that does it will give you more variety in your design, while keeping a consistent look to the text. (Myriad and Adobe Caslon Pro are good examples of fonts with a wide range of styles.)
• Kerning: Adjusting the space in between two letters.
• Leading: Adjusting the space between lines of type.

4.)     Quick Tips When Incorporating Fonts into Your Designs

• Use only 1-2, (at most 3) different font families when designing a piece that incorporates a lot of text that is crucial information for a viewer. (ie: a newsletter, informative poster, website, postcard). Too many font families are often distracting to the viewer.
• If you choose to use more than one font family, it’s a good idea to use one for all of your headers or titles, and then use one for your body text.  Don’t mix them up between headers and body text.
• When designing for the web, remember to keep in mind the age-old rule of thumb and use web safe fonts if you want your type to be HTML text. If you use a crazy, new font, your layout design may look great on your computer, but view it on another computer that doesn’t have that specific font and your layout will look completely different.
• Try using a font family that incorporates a wide range of styles. Styles are the options you have to make your text look Regular, Bold, Italic, Semi-Bold, Black, Heavy and the list goes on. Many free fonts can look neat as headers, but if you use them in the text body, they don’t always give you the ability to use different styles within the font family that you’re using.

There is a wealth of knowledge to learn about typography. Many beginning designers often over-look typography because it seems like an afterthought. Want to learn more about typography? Check out iD’s Web & Graphic Design Courses or the iD Visual Arts Academy. You’ll be sure to learn about typography basics in these courses!

In the meantime, what are some of your favorite examples of typography in our everyday world? Do you find interesting typography in logos, posters, billboards or magazines? Have you seen any really creative ways to manipulate text? Have you created any really cool examples of typography? Leave a comment and let the iD world know what you’ve seen or created!