1. ICEC2012 Tutorial
Open Source Software for
Entertainment (OSSE)
Letizia Jaccheri, Norwegian
University of Science and
Technology, Trondheim, Norway

2. • Introduction
• Inspiration Art and Technology
• Open source software
• Experience
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3. Norwegian University of Science
and Technology

www.ntnu.no

4200 staff members

budget

4.2 bNOK =

0.72 bUSD

20,000 students (10,000
full time)

Trondheim 160.000
persons

Norway 5 M persons

4. •
open source software
In this tutorial, we explore
practices and tools that are suitable for a growing number of
creators of interactive and playful systems. The
introduction of open source tools such as Processing and Arduino has motivated a broader participation of technical and non-technical users in the creative
Maker communities
production of interactive systems. meet regularly and they share resources and
knowledge for creative hacking, fun, and networking. In this context there are two main issues: on the one hand, software creation practices, based on
collaboration and sharing , on the other hand, the respective end-user programming
tools for artists, hobbyists or children. This tutorial presents a coherent overview of related work and our own experiences in the organization and running of
maker workshops. It encompasses creative sessions whose goal is to inspire the participants to experience open software practices and tools. This goal can
divided into three sub-goals: 1) Technical (Interactivity, multimedia) 2) Artistic (poetic message,
•
playful, experimental) 3) Open (sharing, reuse and participation).
As a side effect of the study, the participants will cooperate and get to know each other and learn examples of new media prototyping tools and sharing
platforms. The tutorial proposes a set of initial research questions which will challenge the participants to explore the relationship between Open Source Software
and Entertainment.

5. The audience for this tutorial comprises
software engineers, researchers and PhD
students interested in creative technologies
and processes.

6. About you
• Presentation around the table
• dropbox
– osscreativetutorial@hotmail.no
– Passwd trondheim2012
• Template group: rename into a new name
(make groups)
• Provide name surname email if you want
• Upload in the end

7. Inspiration
• http://prezi.com/aogkcqtopkbv/art-and-open-source
/
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8. • Introduction
• Inspiration Art and Technology
• Open source software
• Experience
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9. What is software?
Computer programs, procedures, and possibly
associated documentation and data pertaining to
the operation of a computer system. (adopted
from IEEE Std 610.12-1990 )
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10. Open source software (OSS)
A software system is open source if
its code is available to everybody
for inspection, use, and
modification. Use and further
release of modified version of an
OSS system are regulated by a
license
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11. OSS Examples
• Linux (operating system)
– loc 4,142,481
• Apache (web server)
– Web Sites hosted 179,720,332
– Percent 60.31%
– loc 89,967
• Scratch (to create animations, games, small multimedia programs)
– Users 300.000
– Projects 1.5 M
– http://scratch.mit.edu/users/artentnu2009
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12. Author – audience (License)
• Who can use and make copies of a cultural
object?
• A license places limits on who can use and
make copies of a cultural object
• GPL GNU General Public License
• Creative Commons
• Commercialization
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13. GPL (Gnu Public License)
• copyright is replaced with copyleft
• copyleft licensing gives all recipients of an
object the right to use, copy, modify, and
distribute it, while forbidding them from
imposing further restrictions on any copies
they distribute. This means everyone can use,
while no one can own
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14. Licenses and commercialization
– to build business models around OSS,
organizations have developed licenses of their
own, like for example the Apache licenses, which
are less restrictive than GPL with respect to
commercialization
– Creative commons (CC) provides a family of
licenses that enables an author to specify the
constraint she wants on the cultural objects she
produces
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15. Media Formats
• Open formats are standardized by
International standardization bodies such as
ISO (The International Organization for
Standardization).
• Proprietary formats are developed and
owned by single organizations or groups of
organizations.
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16. Process
• Open: newcomers can contribute (e.g., Linux)
• Close : newcomers cannot contribute back
their modifications (e.g., mySql, Scratch)
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17. Maker communities
• http://www.scratch.mit.edu
• http://arduino.cc
• http://makezine.com
• http://makerbot.com
• http://processing.org
• http://www.adafruit.com
• http://www.wayneandlayne.com
• http://littlebits.cc
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18. Game specific communities
• SDKs for Kinect-based application
development
– http://openkinect.org OSS OpenKinect +
libfreenect
– http://openni.org/ OSS OpenNI + SensorKinect
based on PrimeSense’s (the original Kinect
manufacturer)
– the proprietary Microsoft Kinect for Windows SDK
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19. Game software development
• how to address non-functional requirements
for game characters
– choice of game play mechanics well-suited for the
game’s genre
– the look and feel of game level or world design
– user interface design and overlay
– little/no focus on game’s software functional
requirements
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20. Collaborative efforts -
• competitions or hackathon
game code sprint
• Indie game jam
• Emphasize production of useable game within
a pre-specified period of time, compared to
other requirements
• buildable game source code
• all game content assets provided
• complete run-time executable installation
• http://
www.clubs.uci.edu/vgdc/blog/showcase
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21. Collaborative game software
development kits
• Microsoft XNA
– XNA Creators Club Online
• GameMaker Studio http://
www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/studio
• Unreal Development Kit http://www.unrealengine.com/udk/ free
for non commercial use
• http://unity3d.com/ Unity 3D
• OSS http://www.blender.org/ Blender (3D modeling and
animation)
• OSS http://www.ogre3d.org/ OGRE (graphics run-time
environment)
• OSS http://www.crystalspace3d.org/main/Main_Page Crystal Space
• OSS http://www.delta3d.org/ Delta 3D
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22. Mobile development
• Createjs.com A suite of Javascript libraries &
tools for building interactive experiences with
HTML5.
• http://www.andengine.org/ Android app
development
• http://appinventor.mit.edu/ App inventor
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23. • Introduction
• Inspiration Art and Technology
• Open source software
• Experience
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24. Art and Technology for Young
Creators
Marikken Høiseth and Letizia Jaccheri
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
International Conference on Entertainment Computing, ICEC 2011
Friday 7 October, 2011

25. Structure of presentation
• Background
• Introduction and evaluation of a workshop program
• Proposals for design of future workshops

26. Background
• Workshop program Computer + Art = Creativity
• Workshop goals:
– Strengthen pupils’ interest in computer science
– Strengthen pupils’ interest in arts
– Present creative alternatives of digital media use
• How to reach these goals?

27. Introduction
• Strategy: programming activities Scratch (OSS) + recycled
materials + sensors
• New media art
• Computer literacy
• Philosophy: reuse and creativity, constructionism
• ReMida centre is a physical environment for recycling

28. Introduction
• 2 workshops lasting 2 days
• 15 pupils from School A
• 14 pupils from School B
• 12 years old
• Teachers
• 2 artists, 1 project manager
• 1 senior researcher
• 1 PhD student, 4 master students
• Make interactive artworks

29. 1. Short demonstration Scratch

30. 2. Make 3-dimentional physical characters

31. 3. Scratch tutorial first part: motion, looks and sound

32. 4. Make a storyboard and start programming in Scratch
5. Scratch tutorial second part: sensing and variables

33. 6. Finish programming. Connections from Scratch to the physical
world by means of light, sound and touch sensors

34. 7. Decorate a room for exhibition and install artworks

35. 8. Presentations
9. Closing Discussion

36. • Evaluate how we reached our workshop goals
• Participant observation
– Data: pictures, videos, field notes
– Scratch projects
• Semi structured interviews
– 6 pupils from School A
– 5 pupils from School B
– Evaluation of the workshop goals in Master thesis

37. Evaluate goal: strengthen interest in computer science
Using terms!

38. Understanding!
Interest?

39. Implications for design of workshop
programs
• OSS or low cost technology (and stress
it!) • Active engagement in
• Programming concepts: carefully learning process
explained
• Making own characters is fun • Personal connection
• Take pictures and making storyboards • Creating projects that
is useful
are of value to a larger
• Activities should support flexible
working style
community
• Collaborate in subgroups of two while
programming
• Letting children present their projects
contributes to motivation and feeling of
achievement

40. Scratch and Recycled Material for Creative Adults
• Experts in Team
– Compulsory master course at NTNU
– Teaches multidisciplinary team work
– 2000 students, 70 teachers each year.
40

41. Experts in Team, Liv Arnesen and
Water!
• 2011 Two EiT courses with water theme
• 2012: One EiT course with water theme
• Motivation:
– Experience creative, multi-disciplinary team work
– Inspire young adults in engagement and
environmental issues
– Learn/use new (media) technologies
41

42. 3 workshops
• 2011 (2)
• 2012 (1)
• All available at
http://scratch.mit.edu/users/artentnu2009
• See for example
• http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/artentnu2009
/2293375
42

43. Products::Vill etter vann
http://villettervann.com/
43

44. Trå for Vann
44

45. Goal of the WS
• Produce new media projects / games
• Experience open software and new media
– Technical (Interactivity, multimedia)
– Artistic (poetic message, say what you want to say
with a new language) playful experimental
– Open (sharing, reuse) Participation
– Cooperate and get to know each others
– Learn Scratch as an example of new media
prototyping tool and sharing platform
45

46. Main research question
• How to understand the cooperative creation
of software dependent artworks
46

47. Plan
• 1. Short demonstration of Scratch projects – Instructors explain
• 2. Make physical characters, take pictures and edit cutout images til
10.30-11.00
• Break
• 3. Scratch first part: experiment with motion, looks, sound
• 4. Make a storyboard. Think Scratch, the artwork will evolve by
interactivity with the audience through sensors (Log!)
• 5. Scratch second part: experiment with sensing (broadcast and when-
receive) and variables. The connections from Scratch to the physical world
by means of light, sound, and touch sensors should be implemented by
Pico Board
• 6. Finish programming (Upload artentnu2009 kkkkkkkk ! & Log! 10)
• 7. Find a room for exhibition and install artworks
• 8. Presentations
• 9. Closing discussion
47

48. Evaluation
• Each group produced a project and a process
report for a total of ten documents of
approximately 30 pages each.
48

49. Data
• After the visit to ReMida center we were more motivated to produce a
computer game
• When the ”Drop” became the main character at ReMida center, the
group decided to use the figure as a character in the game.
• The day at ReMida center is a very positive experience for the group as a
unit. We had several hours of completely free time to play and be creative,
both by creating characters and put them into a story where we could
experiment with Scratch, the computer program we ended up using to
make our game. But we did not only results in the form of that we formed
the basis of experience with Scratch, we also had a common experience
and had fun while we made our film clip, and saw more of each other's
​
personality through both creativity and humor. In this way, made our day
at ReMida center that we are more relaxed around each other, and
became more social.
• ​
The experiences at ReMida made us become more aware that our
product should have a deeper meaning or message.
49

50. Pictures
50

51. Data
• The day was perceived as positive from all
group members, as we were challenged
to create something physical and then put it in
context using Scratch and present this as
an animation
51

52. Moreover
• Trå for Vann received good attention in
Norwegian media (newspaper, Radio) and
selected for technoport exhibition
• http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/artentnu2009
/2393402 (keyboard)
• http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/artentnu2009
/2393390 (pico)
52

53. References
• http://www.citeulike.org/user/letiziajaccheri
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