Accepting Minecraft as Legitimate Art

Man playing Minecraft

 

The question of whether a computer game is (or at least can be) a work of art is still divided. Last week, the entertainment software Self-Regulation presented a revised version of its guiding criteria for the age rating of games, such as Minecraft (played at the best Minecraft servers), and took a clearer position in the new version of the preamble than before.

In the first version of the guiding criteria (which, by the way, are not to be confused with the strongly procedural “principles”, but concretize and supplement them), it was still relatively dry that computer games “today […] have become part of our everyday culture”. Now the corresponding passage in the new version has become much more extensive:

Computer games are a natural part of our everyday culture and also attract attention from an artistic point of view. Technically feasible and aesthetic expression can combine in such a way that games acquire features of an art form in contemporary entertainment. Through the opportunity of interactivity, developers and players can express themselves through the medium, critically deal with society and its processes and reflect on reality, development and change.

This assessment was unanimously made by the advisory board of the USK. This has something of a broad consensus, as this committee includes not only representatives of the games industry and the state youth authorities, but also representatives of the churches, independent youth welfare agencies, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, and, last but not least, the chairwoman of the Federal Inspection Agency for Media Harmful to Young People.

 

ALSO READ: 5 Graphic Design Tools for Social Media Visuals

 

However, this also exhausts the changes to the guideline criteria first published in 2011. In purely substantive terms, the self-regulatory body believes that the standards for the protection of minors have not changed in the past two to three years. In a press release, the USK expressly points out that the new attitude to the art form of computer games has “no direct influence on the level of age ratings”. Our original explanations of the guiding criteria should therefore continue to apply.

However, the question of the art character in youth protection law is not completely irrelevant. Thus, with every indexing, it must be checked whether the protection of artistic freedom does not outweigh the interests of the protection of minors with regard to the species examined game. Also with regard to the use of unconstitutional symbols, one can hardly avoid the impression that “recognized” forms of artistic expression are granted more than the games. In any case, (legal) practice has so far dealt with computer games much more restrictively than, for example, with feature films, which has also been reflected in the case of law in the past. In these areas, the positioning of the USK could certainly set accents.

Benefits Of Creativity And Making Art

Creating art not only heals the mind and soul, but also the body as all elements are interconnected. Creating art works on several levels, not only to relax, but also to regenerate and rejuvenate, bring joy and increase your energy and zest for life.

Therapeutic benefits of making art

Many studies have shown the therapeutic benefits of making art. It is a meditative practice that gets you into “the zone” and bring your attention to the present.

Making art allows you to be playful and gives you the freedom to explore and experiment with new techniques, materials and methods.

Art can also help you identify feelings and express thoughts that are otherwise difficult to articulate. Exploring the art and making a creative design of your imagination is a way to get to know yourself better. Art enables you to explore new forms of expression that transcend the limitations of language.

Tips for Hanging Your Art in a Museum Exhibit

Did you ever think you’d see the day when you were reading a blog post about how to hang art? That alone tells you something about the state of the world, right? It’s not that hanging art is an especially difficult task. In fact, most people can do it without much effort.

What changes things is where you hang your art. Working in a museum requires you to consider things like lighting and visitor traffic patterns. While this may seem like overkill if we’re talking about your living room, it makes sense when working with limited space and other real-world concerns.

So, before you go gallivanting off with your latest masterpiece, read these tips for hanging your art in a museum exhibit or otherwise:

Know Your Environment

In a museum exhibit, you need to consider the type of wall you’re hanging on. Not surprisingly, an oil-based paint will stick to a wall made of oil-soaked bricks. You may have to use a different material to avoid peeling or fading.

This holds true for other surfaces in your environment. If you’re hanging in a hallway or other high-traffic area, for example, you’ll want to use a more durable material.

Use the Right Hook

Hooks are the most common way to hang a piece of art. In a museum exhibit, they’re also the best way to avoid damaging your artwork.

That’s because museum professionals typically use a lightweight, non-impeding hook. You can find hooks made of a wide variety of materials. These include wood, plastic, and other materials. You can also use cup head bolts for better security that your art won’t fall to the ground.

Find the Right Height

We’ve all seen people hang art too high or too low. But what’s the right height for your piece? You may think of this as a simple question of personal taste. But there are a few things to keep in mind when deciding how high to hang your art.

One factor is the size of the room or museum exhibit. The larger the room, the higher you’ll want to hang your piece. This will help it stand out against the wall. Another consideration is the age of your audience.

Best Tech Gadgets for Arts Students

Canva

Arts students are often on a budget, which makes it difficult to get the best tech gadgets. However, there are some great options that are affordable and can help students create their own designs.

Read also: Principles of Design

Best Tech Gadgets for Arts Students on a Budget:

  • Apple iPad Pro 9.7″. The Apple iPad Pro is the best budget tech gadget for artists because it has a lot of high-quality apps and online resources to help with research and design. It also comes with a stylus pen that can be used to create drawings, sketches, and notes.
  • Microsoft Surface Pro 4. Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is a tablet designed for professional creative use. It has a 10.6-inch screen that provides crisp, clear images and the sleek design makes it easy to carry around in your bag or on the go.
  • Microsoft Surface Book. The Microsoft Surface Book is a powerful laptop that can be used for a wide range of tasks. This revolutionary device is the first laptop that boasts both a touch display and a detachable keyboard. It provides seamless integration with Windows 10, which means users have access to Microsoft Office as well as thousands of apps and games from the Windows Store.
  • Canon EOS Rebel SL2. The Canon EOS Rebel SL2 is a mirrorless camera that has an APS-C size sensor, 24.2MP, and features a continuous shooting speed of up to 8.3 frames per second. The camera offers 5-axis image stabilization for both stills and videos and is the perfect fit for photographers who want the portability of a mirrorless camera without sacrificing performance or flexibility.
  • DSLR Camera. DSLR cameras have revolutionized the way professionals and hobbyists shoot pictures. DSLRs are capable of producing high-quality, detailed images with a variety of different shooting modes. DSLRs also allow for more creative control and flexibility than traditional point-and-shoot cameras.

If you have questions about your gadget, from your smartphone, laptop, or tablet, you may find the solutions on the GadgetRoyale website.

Why Arts & Design Students Need Tech Gadgets

The introduction of technology has been a game changer for the design industry. It has helped in making the industry more competitive and accessible to artists.

It is not just about creating art but also about producing tangible products that can be sold. This is why many schools have started adding hardware and software courses to their curriculum. Students are now taught how to use these tools as part of their coursework and are given the opportunity to experiment with them on their own time.

5 Graphic Design Tools for Social Media Visuals

Canva

 

Imagine scrolling through your Instagram feed or Facebook timeline. Where does your gaze get stuck and your thumb stops swiping? Exactly – with the beautiful pictures, graphics and videos. Visuals are very important in social media marketing, as well as using a top SMM panel to get more followers.

If you’re wondering how you can manage to create such posts for your social media accounts (without training as a graphic designer), you’ve come to the right place.

In this post, I will show you a basic set of tools with which you can create real eye-catching posts for the social networks yourself. Let’s go!

Why are visuals so important?

You know it from your own experience and studies confirm: when scrolling through the social media feed, the eye always falls on the image first. In a matter of seconds, we sorted internally: WHAT the picture means and WHETHER it is interesting for us.

We process visual information faster and more directly than most texts.

A few amazing facts:

  • It only takes our brain a fraction of a second to understand an image. To read 200-250 words, we need 60 seconds.
  • Social media posts with a relevant image receive 94% more views than posts without an image.
  • With images, the click-through rate of posts can be increased by 50%, with videos by 270%
  • Facebook posts with images generate 3 times more interactions than posts without images.
  • LinkedIn posts with images lead to 98% more comments

What is Visual Content Marketing?

Our attention span has dropped to about 8 seconds in recent years. This does NOT mean that we have all become dumber than a school of goldfish. It’s just that there are an immense amount of distractions and we quickly decide what is interesting for us – and what is not.

At this point, visual content marketing (this is how the targeted use of photos, (info)graphics and videos in social media marketing) provides valuable help. A suitable image attracts attention, stops scrolling through and thus opens the door to the following information, so to speak.

It doesn’t always have to be pictures. I like to use the term “visuals,” which includes photos, graphics, and videos. Especially videos have enormous potential on all digital marketing channels and we should all get used to it (and by that I mean shooting videos ourselves and showing ourselves, not just consuming!).

But now back to the initial question: I am not a graphic designer and have recognized the importance of visuals. So how do I create social media posts that delight my customers?

Fortunately, there are numerous good tools that are intuitive to use and do not cost the world (usually they are even free in the basic version).

 

ALSO READ: Why is a Well-designed Patio in a Theater Important?

 

Canva

No longer an insider tip: the Canva app has become the darling of all social marketers and influencers. It allows (even in the free version) to create posts in different formats, e.g. for Instagram Feed, Instagram Story, Facebook Feed, etc.

You have a choice between numerous ready-made templates, which you can customize with your images and brand colors. This works very well on the mobile phone and very well on the PC.

With Canva’s paid version, you can unlock a lot of photos and store your brand colors, logo, and fonts.

This way, you can create wonderful templates that you can use for all your future posts. This saves a lot of time and your followers recognize your posts at first glance (think of the goldfish!).

Price: Canva is available in the free version or in the Pro version for 11.99 EUR/ month.

You can try Canva for free for 30 days.

Adobe Spark

Honestly, I’m almost overwhelmed by the number of templates and the possibilities. The Adobe Spark app has thousands of royalty-free templates that you can use to design your posts on your smartphone. Let yourself be inspired!

What I miss with Adobe Spark is the ability to adapt to different formats such as feed or story.

Price: The Adobe Spark app is free, but you’ll have a watermark at the bottom right of the graphic. This disappears with the payment variant, which is 11.89 EUR / month. This also gives you access to premium templates, Adobe fonts and much more.

Mojo

The mojo app, which is also free in the basic version, helps you to create animated stories for your social media accounts. Without previous knowledge, it will be easy for you to pack your message chic into the story format with numerous ready-made templates.

Price: The paid variant Mojo Pro is offered at a price of 9.99 Euro/month or 39.99 Euro/year and includes all templates, more fonts and the possibility to install your own logos.

Youcut

My favorite tool for video editing on the smartphone! The app can do everything that is usually necessary for the fast editing of video clips: editing, filters, text overlays, stickers, music, the possibility to adjust the speed and the adaptation of a video to different social media formats (1:1, 4:5, 16:9, etc.)

Sometimes a bit “frisky”, because on the smartphone display, but that’s the only lack of operation that strikes me. Otherwise, the mobile phone tool of my choice for video editing.

If anyone knows a similar application for the PC, I would be grateful for the tip! (Movavi??)

Price: The tool is free of charge and is financed by the import of a pop-up advertisement before saving.

Affinity Designer

Last but not least, my favorite graphics tool I use every day: Affinity Designer. A tool for non-designers (like me) who want to create social media graphics on pc.

The software requires some training time, but this is rewarded with endless creative possibilities and reliable operation.

Since I use Photoshop, it was relatively easy for me to use with layers and tools. The structure is probably very similar to Adobe Illustrator.

If you value complete creative freedom and enjoy design, you’ll love Affinity Designer!

Price: For a one-time fee of 54.99 euros, there is the full version, without any subscription fees (as with the Adobe Suite)

Result

You can take the design of your post into your own hands! It costs you some time and a bit of patience in the training – but not huge sums of money.

You will be rewarded with extraordinary graphics and videos that will delight your customers and put your company in the right light. Spot on – try it out!

Why is a Well-designed Patio in a Theater Important?

If you’re the owner of a movie theater and are about to renovate the place for a new look, you should think about doing a complete makeover. A renovated theater will not only see more people coming in but also help you drive more footfalls.

However, one of the most important things to get right when giving your theater an uplift is the design of your patio. Perhaps, you’re wondering as to why is it so important? Here we discuss why is a properly designed patio in a theater so important and what could be done:

Improve the Overall Look of Your Cinema Hall

A properly designed patio in a theater can help give your place a look-and-feel, which will make it more attractive for people to visit.

You can choose from a wide range of patio designs that could give your place a different vibe and make it stand out. A patio is the first thing that people see when they step into your theater.

It Drives more Footfall in Your Theater

A well-designed patio could drive more footfalls in your movie theater. The more footfalls you have, the more you will be making as revenue. The patio is the first thing that customers see when they visit your place. If the patio is not designed well, it could leave a bad impression on the customers; it could even make them walk away.

It Attracts more People to Come Back for More

A well-designed patio would be able to draw more customers to come back for more. If your patio is well designed, it will be able to help increase your customer base and attract more people.

If your patio is not designed well, customers might end up not visiting your place again.

Makes it more Comfortable for Your Audience

A well-designed patio provides a great experience to the people who visit the movie theater. When you renovate your patio, you can make the place more comfortable for your audience.

If you want to let your audience experience watching a musical theater drama outside, you can go to outdoor patios builder Perth to help you have some ideas.

The Importance Of Shapes In Design

Shapes are the basic building blocks of everything you see. The importance of shapes fundamentally reveals how you understand the world. They are so universal that most visual artists first learn how to draw using shapes or how to break down images into geometric components. But shapes are more than just practical, constructive tools. Their meaning enables designers to communicate visually.

Shapes are to be taken seriously

As you can see, basic shapes are extremely useful. They are versatile tools that designers need to know how to use. If you underestimate the importance of shapes, not only do you risk neglecting on their communicative influence. You could also inadvertently create meanings and messages that don’t match your design’s vision.

Understanding the meaning of shapes is only the first step. Using these meanings consistently, skillfully, and effectively along with other design elements takes time and practice.