HUM 203: The World in Motion, Animation in Theory and Practice

Assignment 1

Assignment 2

Final project

Through this animation, the philosophical aspects of poker can be revealed; I make this animation because people do not usually see poker this way, and I hope this can bring the watchers a different view of poker. Poker is a game full of closures: normally people tend to view a big bet as the signal of possessing strong hand and vice versa, but the one who makes a big bet does not guarantee to have a premier hand; he might be bluffing. Closely related to closure, the idea of force is also embedded in the story. Force can help forming a closure of some kind that is the decisive factor of the move made by other players, but it does not actually make the move for them. Several important aspects are mentioned: First, poker is not a game totally relying on luck; it is a game about playing the opponents by creating false consciousness or confusion (or, applying the words used previously, creating a force that leads the opponents to the wrong closure) that has the opponents make bad moves. Second, poker is very addictive and hard to quit once committed; when one is “in the zone,” it is really hard for him/her to notice the passage of time. Lastly, time is dependent upon events; the massive usage of the terms “before” and “after” in the animation implies that it is impossible to talk about time without reference to events.

In order to complete this animation, Flash plays a big role in the producing process. Through its functionalities, notably Motion Tween and Shape Tween, the animation can be completed more easily than doing it using other animation programs. I also use several Wave files from Full Tilt Poker to elaborate the sound of poker chip shuffling, dealing cards, and making bets. Last but not least, real-life poker game experience helps me animate the motion of the poker players smoothly.