Attend Robby Gilbert's talk on Game Design and the art of designing decisions.
Plus get to watch Gertie the Dinosaur as we come together to celebrate his 100th birthday.
What Does a Decision Look Like?
Decision Painting: Designing Meaningful Choices
Decisions as an Artistic Medium
Rob Gilbert, M.Ed.

"She eats, drinks, and breathes! She laughs and cries! Dances the tango, answers questions and obeys every command! Yet, she lived millions of years before man inhabited this earth and has never been seen since!!"

Winsor McCay's 1914 "Gertie the Dinosaur" is often heralded as a stunning achievement in animation based on its realism, commercial success and on the mastery of drawing, weight, and timing. But "Gertie" was also an interactive piece. McCay would appear on stage with the projected animation, and had synchronized a dialog with the animation giving to the audience the illusion that Gertie was responding to verbal cues in real time. McCay would give Gertie commands that she would appear to obey (or not obey) in a choreographed stage presentation.

Often studied as a watershed moment in creating the 'illusion of life' in animation, its importance as a piece of interactive media goes largely undiscussed. While the 'illusion of life' in the film is commonly attributed to the realism of the drawings, there is a specific moment where Gertie disobeys McCay's request, "raise your left foot" that may be even more important. By refusing to raise her foot, Gertie has made a decision, or at least the illusion of decision, in context, and in this simple act of disobedience the illusion of life is brought to a high pitch. McCay 'paints' into Gertie an illusion of Free Will. Could it be possible that this simple act of decision, designed by McCay, did more to make Gertie 'real' than any of the drawing, weight, or timing ever could?

Hosted by Robby Gilbert, DAFNE Celebrates 100 years since this breakthrough in animation first appeared. Gilbert will discuss the film and discuss the film's impact on interactive media.