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VR is now a concept which is gaining more  popularity. It is a fun way to bring video games to a more realistic aspect. But research shows that VR effects children in a different way than adults. It shows that adults with a VR headset on, and then asked to move their hips in a circle, are completely capable to do so. But children, when faced with the same circumstance can't. What does this mean for children in the future, when VR is a part of society?

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Virtual reality affects children differently than adults

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Immersive virtual reality disrupts the child’s default coordination strategy, scientists show, something that should be taken into account when developing virtual reality rehabilitation protocols for children.

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This article talks about how Computer Science has made composing intricate and flawless music pieces or songs much easier than it was before. Originally, sampling pieces needed pricy and cumbersome machines, but now through the use of new production software sampling other songs is easier than ever. Computers allow composers to access so many music resources. This let composers find the beat that they're looking for really easily now! Additionally, musicians can now live stream their performances and allow fans around the world to see their shows.

Open Question:

If composers are able to easily access new find instrument samples online, how will this affect actual instruments? Will they go extinct in the near future?

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Computer science seems to be taking over the world. This applies for music too.
Recording music used to need a tape recorder. But now, we have DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) a recording software to make things easier.

You might be wondering, why do computers and music work so well together? This is because music is measured in time. Computers are very good at following directions and are more consistent at keeping time than computers are. This is why many people look to computers as the future of music.

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Nowadays, it is almost impossible to meet music producers who do not use any form of technology in their production. It could be the instrument they play or how they record and process a musical piece, computer science has its footprint on their production.

As an electronic musician and a beginner programmer, I find the two very similar in many ways. In fact programming is a form of music production and performance utilizing computer softwares and electronic devices such as synthesizers, workstations, sequencers and samplers.

To go over moredetails of how computer science and music go hand in hand, I decided to take a closer look at a few areas and discuss the impact of computer science on music.

Recording
It was not long ago when recording a music piece was being done with an analog tape recorder. However, tape recorders carry a unique analog soul into the production, they were very limited in terms of editing and manipulating the recorded piece. There was not much to edit except splicing and patching tapes until computer technology found its ways into recording studios by introducing digital audio workstations (DAW).

What is DAW?
A digital audio workstation (DAW) is an application software used for recording, editing, processing and in general producing audio files. They usually come in the form of a single software program which user can install on their personal computer.
Most DAWs have a central interface that allows users to interact with the recorded or imported audio files, process them using the configurations which are provided by the software and export the final production in different formats.
Ableton Live by Ableton, Logic by Apple, Reason by Reason Studio, Protools by Avid, are few common DAWs if you want to learn more about them.

You might ask how computer science or to be more specific programming and music have this close relationship. The answer is time!
Music happens in time. One important key characteristic of music is presentation of a sound in a temporal organization. Musical time is measured in beats. How many beats per second or minute( Bpm) which also known as tempo. The beats are typically organized into measures and phrases creating a time structure. Computer programs can model the time related aspect of the music and then use that data to manipulate the sound.
For example delay! It works by sending the input signal to the output at a later time. Now, since the computer modeled the time factor of the music it can send the signal at a different time defined by millisecond to produce a delay effect.

All audio related functionalities in a DAW depend on how they are programmed and equipped with functionalities and configurations. You might still find that limiting and this is where plug-ins come to play.

Audio Plug-ins
An audio plug-in enhances audio related functionality in a DAW. The purpose of a plug-in is usually specific to one area such as signal processing or sound synthesis.
No surprise to see the power of a plug-in really depends on what algorithms, it is equipped with since the way plug-ins work is to analyze the audio files on a the DAW and let users have the power on manipulating the existing sound.

Most plug-ins are written in C++ due to the frameworks and available libraries, however, it is advised for beginners to use environments such as Max/MSP, SynthMaker and Reaktor which let you create plug-ins with no need of low-level coding.

Thinking of programming and audio, we cannot forget about how HTML <audio> element broke the silence of the web. Many web application to this day use HTML audio element to playback their audio files, but it has significant limitations when it comes to interactive applications and games.
That is where Web Audio API comes to play.

Web Audio APIIt is a high-level JavaScript API for processing and synthesizing audio in web applications. It provides a powerful and versatile system for controlling audio on the web which allows developers to choose audio sources and manipulate in different ways, such as adding effects, create audio visualizations, spatial effects and much more.
It basically handles audio operations inside and audio context which allows modular routing. This brings a lot of flexibility when developers want to create a very unique signal flow and create their own sound.
A typical workflow for web audio would be like;
1. Create audio context
2. Create sources such as <audio>, oscillator and stream inside the context
3. Create effects such as delay, reverb, compressor or filter.
4. Choose a final destination for the audio such as your system speakers.
5. Connect the sources to effects and effects to destination.

Live coding
Computer science and coding could not hide behind the scene for long and found its way on the stage by introducing live coding or A lgorave.
Live coding is a type of performance where the performer creates music by programming and reprogramming synthesizer as the composition plays.
The code is usually projected on the screen so the audience can see the code and there are often some visuals involved.

There are many programing languages being used for live coding and the more popularly known to be Sonic Pi, which introduces itself as a code-base music creation and performance tool. It is an open source project created for the Raspberry pi, and it is available for macOs and Windows.
The interface is a basic text editor and it looks pretty much like any other IDE except some performance specific button like play and stop.

Live-Coding - programming masterly music | Juan Romero & Patrick Borgeat | TEDxKIT

In addition, technology has introduced a new way of connecting between artists and their fans by providing tools which make the music more accessible to the audience as well as making it easier for musicians to publish their production.

A great example would be the online music company bandcamp which allows musicians to upload their music to the website and have control over selling their productions. It means they can set their own price and have more control over their releases. Uploading music is free for artists and the website takes 10-15% of the sale, which is a very reasonable offer if you have had worked with record labels before!

To conclude, for past decades, computer science or in general technology has made a huge impact on music. It has expanded all areas from the creation of the music to production and streaming and it is improving every day.

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Nowadays, it is almost impossible to meet music producers who do not use any form of technology in their production. It could be the instrument they play or how they record and process a musical piece, computer science has its footprint on their production.

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Ever sit down in a chair and just think, "Man, I sure do wonder when my coffee maker will become sentient and try to take over the world." Luckly for us, that future is far away. In this article, it details how AI and robots have improved humanity as a whole, with the good and the bad. We have robots doing our jobs for us, witch is good for companys but not so much for people wanting jobs. Either way, the article will teach you the ups and the downs of AI and robots.

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Founder and CEO of InCloudCounsel, the leading technology and services provider of contract automation and intelligence. Where Artificial Intelligence Falls Short
We've been warned for years that artificial intelligence is taking over the world. PwC predicts that by the mid-2030s, up to 30% of jobs could be automated. CBS News reports machines could replace 40% of the world's workers within 15 to 25 years. While the advancement in technology will contribute to the growing number of jobs lost to automation, one thing is for certain: There are still many industries and workflows that need humans.

There is no doubt AI has fundamentally changed and enhanced our lives. Our cities are connected, our homes are smarter, and the way we do business is more efficient. Yet AI only has the ability to change the subset of our world that can be automated, which primarily includes jobs in more structured and predictable conditions like factories or warehouses. Machines can automate certain behaviors and tasks, but they don't yet have the cognitive skills and critical thinking ability needed to execute subtle or complex actions. When it comes to environments that rely on uniquely human traits and abilities - perception, social intelligence and creativity - artificial intelligence falls short.
What Is Human-In-The-Loop?
Surgery is better off in the hands of experienced surgeons, whose extensively trained fine motor skills and ability to perceive and assess each individual situation make them far superior to any machine. Similarly, AI cannot replicate the level of social intelligence needed for HR professionals to engage and build healthy relationships with candidates and employees. Finally, machines cannot duplicate the creativity or savvy of attorneys constructing, negotiating or adhering to complex contracts.
The Value Of Artificial And Human Intelligence Combined
This is not to say that AI has no place in these businesses. In fact, they can be accelerated by AI as long as it's paired with a human operator - an approach called human-in-the-loop.

Simply put, this approach combines artificial and human intelligence in an integrated workflow to augment the humans and produce an outcome better than either could independently. A person working alongside a machine or computer adds data into the system to achieve the desired result. This process becomes a continuous loop, with humans training, tuning and testing algorithms that become smarter and more accurate over time. By incorporating human judgment and preference into the loop, complex AI systems evolve into tools that are more powerful and efficient than what could be achieved with fully automated or fully manual systems alone.

The three aforementioned industries - medical, human resources and legal - can greatly benefit from this human-in-the-loop AI approach. While machines are undoubtedly transforming the medical industry, it's important to note that they are a complementary technology designed to enhance, not replace, medical professionals. Researchers at the Center for Clinical Artificial Intelligenceare developing machines that not only improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients but also create cost and time efficiencies to upgrade the overall experience. However, there will probably never be robot doctors because empathy, perception and instinct play a major role in making medical decisions. Adding human-in-the-loop technology to the industry ensures that medical professionals can use data to augment their practice, constantly improve and offer better patient care.
The One-Two Punch: Humans And Technology
Similarly, many companies today are integrating AI into their HR processes to streamline employee training, candidate identification and employee self-service. In these cases, AI analyzes millions of data points to provide recommendations, match profiles, and look up company policies and benefits so the HR team can spend more time on high-quality candidate care and the other aspects of their jobs that require human attention. Though helpful, these AI systems still rely on trained humans to give feedback and provide data that contributes to better learnings and transparency. In doing so, the company ensures its AI systems don't unintentionally introduce bias. The most effective way for an HR organization to develop and maintain successful professional relationships is with a human-in-the-loop.

The legal industry is another example of a field where the combination of artificial and human intelligence produces a result greater than its parts. Consider alternative asset managers, an industry that invests and oversees trillions of dollars. Investing all of that capital requires continuous and complex contract negotiations to support new funds and new investments. It's a labor-intensive, time-consuming process that is prone to human error. Advancements in legal technology make these processes easier by turning documents into data that feeds an AI system. In doing so, companies - with the help of seasoned human legal experts - can use AI to augment their abilities and find efficiencies in everything from how they negotiate documents to how they manage their obligations to their business partners. With those processes reliably streamlined and secured, asset managers are free to focus on prospecting and closing best-in-class investments.

As it evolves, AI will play an increasingly critical role in shaping the way we live, work and play. However, we are far from a time when machines will supplant the global workforce, particularly when it comes to occupations that rely on aspects (perception, social intelligence, creativity) that are uniquely human.

We are at the inflection point that will determine the shape of AI in the future. Those who embrace and leverage it to build efficiencies into everyday tasks while incorporating human abilities and expertise into the system are likely to be the ones who stand to benefit the greatest as technology's breadth and capabilities expand. Rather than take an all-or-nothing stance, embrace the human-in-the-loop approach of augmenting abilities and benefit from the one-two punch of artificial and human intelligence while preparing for what's next.

Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?

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Council Post: Robots Aren't Taking Over The World (Yet) - Artificial Plus Human Intelligence Is Still The Best Combo

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Founder and CEO of InCloudCounsel , the leading technology and services provider of contract automation and intelligence. Where Artificial Intelligence Falls Short We've been warned for years that artificial intelligence is taking over the world. PwC predicts that by the mid-2030s, up to 30% of jobs could be automated.

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https://onix-systems.medium.com/how-virtual-reality-is-transforming-the-gaming-industry-bc0d3d606b07

Virtual Reality could change the way people view games and their perception on reality.  Many people who live off of games could lose their connection with reality and distinguish the virtual world as their main way of living. Many game companies are planning to take advantage of this and making most of their games vr compatible.

Open Question:

Will people be so hooked onto virtual reality in the future that nobody will have an excuse to go outside and actually socialize, eat or exercise?

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VR is currently a big thing on the Internet and a promising future of the immersive experience technology market. Although VR will never replace other forms of entertainment completely, it has made the gaming industry more inclusive and inviting for consumers.

Users spend vast amounts of money on entertainment. Particularly it concerns video games. Thanks to innovative technologies, the gaming market has seen a popularity increase in VR-based entertainment. According to Statista, the VR gaming market revenue in the United States alone is forecast to generate up to 19.5 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2025.

VR as already improved the gaming experience and changed the gaming "universe." Let's see why VR games are attracting so many new users.

Most of the computer games can be successfully transformed into VR format and provide a new and more enjoyable interaction:

1. Enhanced user engagement. They look more appealing for avid players and occasional gamers with an immersive experience. VR players get more involved as they are equipped with a number of tools, including hand controllers and a headset at their disposal, compared to engaging with the flat-screen games.

2. Cutting-edge capabilities that enrich the game environment. The release of controllers has become a turning point in building the player interaction in VR surroundings. Now players can control the game environment at their own will. Also, in the near future, we can anticipate virtual reality technology to evolve from mere strapping on a headset for a visual encounter to introducing truly immersive experiences that incorporate every human sense.

3. Expanded content. VR technology is a new boosting factor in creating gaming content. Genres like shooters, adventures and simulations have changed thanks to VR.

According to Statista, in 2020, adventure and racing games are the most popular VR gaming genres. 48 percent of users said they were interested in VR racing games, while 73 percent felt the same way about adventure VR games.

Now let's take a close look at the types of VR games that exist.

As a new medium, virtual reality is transforming the way we imagine space and interact with it during the game.

They are the most popular genre of VR games. Players feel everything that is happening on the playing field, including the visual and sound special effects. Reloading guns, nature sounds, flying bullets, storms, other players' speech, strokes, steps, falls, traffic, etc., they all feel real. The only issue for the shooters' games that remains is lacking the freedom of movement.

VR racing games are different from the previous type since players are not restricted in movement. VR racing games are typically based on cutting-edge graphics.

They are also one of the most popular game genres. The graphics are so realistic, so it is harder to play in.

While more hectic action games can make some players queasy, virtual reality is perfectly suited to a more leisurely pace of exploration and puzzle-solving through the adventure genre.

The city-building games use the exciting possibilities of virtual reality to further enhance the classic city building game with entirely new gameplay experiences and interactive mechanics.

It allows a user to discover new perspectives to look upon cities like never before. It enables them to travel along the streets like a giant, observe architecture from up on high, zoom in to the ground or zoom out to the air, build new cities, change the lighting and weather, and take snapshots of the most unique city views that they discover on their own.

Thanks to VR, a user can visit a casino anytime and anywhere they are. Inveterate players can plunge into the world of rotating roulettes, bright lights, slot machines, and blackjack tables without leaving their homes. Virtual reality casino games are effectively blurring the lines between video gaming, esports and gambling.

VR devices used in the game industry are enabled with interactive software and hardware. You can experience or control the VR games by the movement of your body and walk around the artificial world.

Today's diversity of devices offers freedom of choice of how you would like to interact with the virtual reality. Technology giants, such as HTC, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Facebook, Sony, etc. have all contributed to the industry's development and introduced their own virtual reality headsets that provide an immersive game experience.

In one of our blog posts, we took an insight into some of the most popular VR platforms for game development and explored what experience you can receive with them. Each of the VR platforms reviewed in the post targets different levels of virtual reality experience, going from those that are struggling to provide the most realistic experience to gamers (HTC Vive), and to those that focus on inexpensive solutions (Samsung Gear VR). And also, those who wish to add value to VR/AR by making it useful for everyday problem-solving.

VR gaming is one of the industries where innovations have taken it to an all-new height. The ideas implemented in virtual reality games are fascinating and fantastic in every sense. The advancement of VR technology has created new opportunities to enhance the connection with the player.

Most of the computer games have a long road ahead to become fully transformed into VR format, but you can reasonably predict that one day it will become mainstream. If you have an idea of how to apply VR/AR in the gaming or any other business industry, Onix team is here to help. Together, we will bring your ideas to life.

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How Virtual Reality is Transforming the Gaming Industry

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VR is currently a big thing on the Internet and a promising future of the immersive experience technology market. Although VR will never replace other forms of entertainment completely, it has made the gaming industry more inclusive and inviting for consumers. Users spend vast amounts of money on entertainment.

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Technology has helped us advance in ALOT of things, especially in the medical industry. If youve ever seen a hospital you would know that it is practicly run by technology. X rays, MRI's, CT scans, and a million other things take part in making sure that youre healthy. And now Virtual reality is taking part in that, VR is now actually being used to prepare surgeons for their surgery, and help treat phobias. This artical talks all about the new medical advancements in technology.

Open question: If you dont already know computers have done surgerys on their own before, and since technology is constantly improving do you think that the job of being a surgeon will be completely over run by robots and technology In the Future?

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The video game industry is an ever-evolving area, and those interested in the field may ask how does computer science impact games. In today’s highly technological world, game developers are constantly looking for new fresh ideas to broaden the range of consumers seeking to purchase and play an array of video games. As computer science has progressed, the video game industry has implemented various computing technology concepts. Computer science has improved graphics, enhanced multiplayer games, enabled cloud-based and on-demand gaming, and availability of virtual and augmented reality.

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The video game industry is an ever-evolving area, and those interested in the field may ask how does computer science impact games. In today's highly technological world, game developers are constantly looking for new fresh ideas to broaden the range of consumers seeking to purchase and play an array of video games. As computer science has progressed, the video game industry has implemented various computing technology concepts. Computer science has improved graphics, enhanced multiplayer games, enabled cloud-based and on-demand gaming, and availability of virtual and augmented reality.

Improved Graphics

The advancement of technology has enabled game developers to use superior graphics to create a variety of characters. Often times, it is hard to tell the difference between actual human beings and computer-generated characters. Characteristics are looking more realistic and games have much more detail. Facial recognition and 3D scanning also enable players to create custom avatars that closely resemble their actual features. Players can transfer their own expressions to digital characters. The settings in games allow gamers to experience playing in completely rendered worlds with photo-realistic backgrounds. The higher quality of images allows players to feel like they are right inside the game. The advancement of television technology has also affected the view and feel of games. With the release of high definition televisions, the game designs had to follow suit.

Enhanced Multiplayer Games

Multiplayer games have been available for many years, but the incorporation of computer science into gaming boosted the level for various players. With the wide range of devices with access to the internet, including computers, tablets, phones, and watches, individuals can play other people from around the world in the same game. Voice recognition enables players to communicate with each other and games can also recognize voice commands from users. Voice commands can be used to interact on social media and control gameplay.

Cloud-Based and On-Demand Games

Previously, if an individual wanted to play a game he or she had one device to run the program. Today, cloud-based gaming enables gamers to continue their game from multiple devices. A game can be started on one device and continued on another without starting over or a player losing their progress. Cloud gaming lightens the load of gaming without the need for powerful hardware. It decreases the need for a large amount of memory and creates vast server-size limits where images are streamed through the internet. The Los Angeles Times shares how On-demand gaming enables players to stream video games through a variety of devices and services.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

The newest development in gaming is alternative reality, a concept that enables players to feel like they are actually inside the game. Virtual reality involves taking the player somewhere else and augmented reality involves using the current surroundings as if placing a "skin" over the real world. Virtual reality headset displays are available to immerse gamers into the game setting. Augmented reality games maneuver spaces within actual settings and make the object of the game feel real in the gamer's current environment.

With consistent advancements and growth in the gaming industry, there are increased opportunities for graduates of computer science degrees in the gaming field. Those seeking a career in the field now have a basic understanding of how does computer science impacts games.
Related Resources:

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How Does Computer Science Impact Games? - Computer Science Degree Hub

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The video game industry is an ever-evolving area, and those interested in the field may ask how does computer science impact games. In today's highly technological world, game developers are constantly looking for new fresh ideas to broaden the range of consumers seeking to purchase and play an array of video games.

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Did you know the fastest human solve on a 3x3 Rubik's cube is 3.47 seconds. that's fast but now it has been changed by AI, as it solves the Rubik's cube in 1 second!

The article"AI solves Rubik's Cube in one second" addresses this.  This is improvement as it now solves it even more faster. I hope you enjoy his article!

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"The solution to the Rubik's Cube involves symbolic, mathematical and abstract thinking, so a deep learning machine that can crack such a puzzle is getting closer to becoming a system that can think, reason, plan and make decisions," said Prof Baldi.

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"The solution to the Rubik's Cube involves symbolic, mathematical and abstract thinking, so a deep learning machine that can crack such a puzzle is getting closer to becoming a system that can think, reason, plan and make decisions," said Prof Baldi.

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Computer science has greatly transformed and advanced the electronic gaming industry. With new developments in coding, games have become more entertaining for the users.
Now, people can learn how to code along with play each other's games and watch each other's animations on scratch.mit.edu, a coding platform made by MIT to get kids started with coding in block form.

Open Question:

Will AI eventually be able to formulate one's written ideas and code them into full-on games?

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MIT's Scratch coding platform is an amazing way for kids to get started with coding. There is a myriad of reasons why it's perfect for kids and beginners to make projects in Scratch. Its drag and drop interface is easy to learn and use, plus there is an abundance of resources built into the platform. It's available for multiple platforms like browser, desktop application, or ipad app. This means you can get right to work on projects learning how to make a Scratch game even without having previous coding experience.

But one of my all-time favorite features of the platform is being able to remix the best games on Scratch and open up their code to see how they work. If you're interested in understanding code, or if you just want some awesome Scratch games to play, we have a list of 25 of the best Scratch games out there.

And as a bonus for you to enjoy and to inspire ideas, I've also added in some of the best games on Scratch for different age groups that didn't make the top list!

List of The 25 Best Scratch Games

Popular games in Scratch - side scroller, clicker, platformer games and more!

Our list of the 25 best Scratch games out there isn't simply those on Scratch with the most hearts. Having a lot of hearts doesn't necessarily mean it is the best game! Instead, this is a curated list of 25 certifiably awesome Scratch games that I've put together for you. From most hearts to least, here they are:
1. Geometry Dash! (167453 hearts)
Geometry dash is a pro-level Scratch project. This is a version of the popular rhythm-based game by Robert Topala ported to Scratch. Jump over obstacles to get as far as you can!
2. Paper Minecraft (17461 hearts)
A lot of popular Scratch games use themes that copy established properties, but that doesn't mean that they aren't fun in their own right. Paper Minecraft is a side-scrolling adventure and crafting game that makes good use of the Minecraft theme.
3. [3D]ボールころころ2 (16702 hearts)
Don't be confused by the name, this is actually a really fun game! In this Scratch project, keep your ball on the platform as it rolls towards the end. The colored squares make you jump.

An extremely well done platformer game with fun graphics and icons. Jump on baddies and collect coins as you race to the end. Try to get the best time!
5. Appel (12549 hearts)
Appel is a great example of what's possible in a Scratch platformer game. Jump, dodge, and collect as quickly as you can as you compete against other Scratchers to get the best time!
6. Pokemon Clicker (12511 hearts)
Click your way to getting every pokemon in this popular clicker game. Keep clicking to get points that you can use to upgrade your pokeballs, and collect popular pokemon to become the very best.
7. Flip 3D (10428 hearts)
A 3D puzzle game that is well loved in the Scratch community. Move the prism around the board without falling off or landing on a red square. Get to the purple square to move on to the next level. A lot of amazing work went into this one!
8. Random Tycoon Thing (10051 hearts)
Click the button to build toys to sell, upgrade your facilities, and get the high score in this tycoon game. After you're done playing, check out the underlying code to see how it all goes together.
9. Animate a Name Platformer (10021 hearts)
I love the way this popular platformer innovates on the genre. Instead of a single character, you control all the letters in the developer's name. Collect as many stars as you can, while trying not to lose any letters along the way!
10. Fortnite Z (9593 hearts)
A top down Fortnite-style shooting game. Collect weapons and try to outlast your enemies. The last one standing wins!
11. Ball Blast (9108 hearts)
This one is probably my favorite Scratch game to play! Fire the cannon into the air to break the balls before they crush you. Also be sure to upgrade your cannon to help you get farther.
12. Old Western Way (8904 hearts)
Try to make your way by mining, hunting, fishing and more. Sell your goods, buy upgrades and watch out for bandits! After all, this is the old west.
13. The Crusty Quest (7858 hearts)
Play as a pirate trying to get back your treasure. Jump, slash, and dodge your way through each level in this extremely well made platformer.
14. Golf Battle (7444 hearts)
Pull back the mouse to let your golf ball fly as you try to make it to the hole. Obstacles and wrong turns await you in this short, but entertaining golfing game.
15. Tower of Scratch (6704 hearts)
Play against other Scratchers as you climb the tower and try to avoid the baddies. Try to get the fastest time!
16. Farming Interactive 3 (6021 hearts)
Grow and sell your crops to become the most profitable farmer on Scratch. Upgrade your crops or hire workers to help get there faster.
17. Slash Knight (5525 hearts)
Dodge obstacles and slash through baddies to make your way through each floor in this delightful dungeon crawler. Defeat the goblin on the last level to beat the game!
18. Hide and Seek (5441 hearts)
Run and hide before the seeker comes to find you! This Scratch game is best enjoyed with friends.
19. Creature (4991 hearts)
This one is a horror themed adventure game, with an "escape room" kind of feel. Collect the pieces and use them to advance the plot, but don't get caught by the creature!

20. Spacevale (4626 hearts)
This one is a game in the vein of classic side-scrolling space shooters! Use the mouse to move your ship around the screen. Destroy your enemies while avoiding getting hit.

21. City Simulator (4489 hearts)
Use your resources to build up your city, but don't forget to supply it with plenty of water and power. See how high you can get your population before you run out of supplies.
22. Airplane 5 (3992 hearts)
Become a flying ace in this classic side scrolling shooter game. Dodge enemy bullets, and return fire to get through as many enemies as you can!
23. Duel! (3225 hearts)
Jump, dodge, and shoot to win a duel against the enemy square. Earn coins from your battles to improve your character.
24. Tower Defense Game (3140 hearts)
Place towers along the path to destroy the invading army. The more enemies you destroy, the more money you earn and the better towers you can buy.
25. Fortnite Online (2922 hearts)
This one is a 2-dimensional version of the super popular shooter, Fortnite. Pick your weapons and try to outlast your opponents!
Recommended: Scratch Games for Kids
Best Scratch Games for Elementary School

Elementary school is a great time to start learning how to make Scratch games. These are some of the best Scratch games for kids in grades 3-5. You'll find excellent games to open up and seeing how things work on the inside. Give them a try and remix to code your own version!

EmeraldKart | Alpha 3 (228 hearts)
This one is still in development, but is shaping up to be a great example of a racing game! Choose your character and your track, and use the WASD keys to win the race.

Teamwork! (2017 hearts)
Control the separate characters with the WASD keys and the arrow keys. Navigate both characters to the goal flag to get to the next level.

Crumbling Platformer (1118 hearts)
Get across the screen before the ground crumbles below you. A fun and simple little game. Check out the code for making the block crumble!

Golformer (1265 hearts)
Try to get the golf ball into the hole in as few moves as possible. Con

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MIT's Scratch coding platform is an amazing way for kids to get started with coding. There is a myriad of reasons why it's perfect for kids and beginners to make projects in Scratch. Its drag and drop interface is easy to learn and use, plus there is an abundance of resources built into the platform.

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Computer science and video games have always been entwined. Many video games are based on computers and as computers and technology advance, so do video games. The article "Ask an Expert: How Computer Science Has Impacted Games" shows many examples of how computer science has changed and shaped the way video games function and are designed.

An open question about video games would be:

At one point, will technology and video games advance so much that it will be hard to differentiate between simulation and reality?

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When you have a question, it's always best to turn to a subject matter expert for answers. In our blog series, Ask An Expert, National University staff and faculty members take turns answering challenging questions in their areas of expertise. This time we speak to computer science professor, Subra Subramanya, about how computer science has impacted games over the years.
Gaming has come a long way since players plopped a coin in a pinball machine.

As computer science has evolved, so have many industries rooted in computing technology, including the video game industry - or simply "gaming" as it's often called today. But at its center are some of the same concepts computer science students have been learning for decades.

"Programming is an essential foundation for game design," says National University computer science professor Dr. S.R. Subramanya. "It's well-grounded in languages like Java and C++."

Let's take a look examples of how computer science has impacted games as well as explore how to study computer science, a degree which can prepare you for a career in the gaming industry.

Enhanced Graphics

Wait. Are those real-life actors? With all of the advancement in game design, sometimes it's surprisingly hard to tell the difference between computer-generated characters and an actual human. The evolution of television technology has also impacted the look and feel of games. According to GameDesigning.org, original gaming systems "weren't designed to support high-definition picture modes." So, aside from graphics looking more realistic, this upgrade in visuals was also practical. Televisions were becoming more powerful, so the game design had to keep up.

Multiplayer Games

You could say multiplayer games have been around for some time. For instance, friends could take turns on the arcade version of PacMan; when one player "dies" the next person is up, and so on. Later, two or more players could compete in console-based games, such as racing or wrestling, by playing against each other in real time. Around the turn of the century, thanks to the internet, the concept of multiplayer games allowed for people around the world to compete (or collaborate) in the same game, while also communicating with the other players.

Cloud-based Gaming

In years past, when you wanted to play a game, you essentially had one device on which to run the program. Perhaps your Nintendo console and your living room television, or maybe running a game like The Sims on your home desktop.

Cloud-based gaming allows players to pick up their game from various devices, from mobile to TV to computer. Gartner Research vice president Brian Blau told Yahoo! Finance in 2018 that, "there's a big push in the game industry to play games in lots and lots of different ways."

Augmented Reality: Living in the Game

How computer science has impacted games also involves augmented reality (AR). Virtual reality (VR) is the predecessor to augmented reality, but the difference is that VR takes the user somewhere else, while AR works in existing surroundings as if it were overlaying a "skin" onto the real world. The Pokemon Go craze a few years ago is an example of AR technology. In this game, players could find and capture Pokemon characters in actual locations. The technology essentially adds a "skin" to the real world.

Gamification in Education

An early example of gamification - before it was called that - is Girl Scout badges. You learn something or do a task, and then you earn something: in this case a patch to sew on your sash. This concept is found in many applications today from health and wellness programs to getting points for "checking in" to places through apps like Swarm.

Subramanya says this has also been working its way into education at all levels. "There are certainly a lot of opportunities for gaming," explained Subramanya. "My take is that I'd like to see people use those skills in developing educational software."

He adds that incorporating gaming into instructional design, especially in online degree programs, can keep students engaged and immersed.

Join the Gaming Industry: How to Study Computer Science

With the growth of and advances in games, there are more opportunities for computer science graduates in the gaming industry. As Subramanya says, programming skills and a mathematical foundation are essential to a career in game development and design. But when considering how computer science has impacted games, Subramanya explains knowledge and skills beyond programming, such as "computer graphics and the user-interface design," are helpful.

Bachelor and master's degree programs, such as the Master of Science in Computer Science at National University, can give students that foundation. In fact, online degrees in these areas may be of special interest to those in the gaming community!

There are many other examples of how computer science has impacted gaming over the years, including portable games, social gaming, open-world game design, voice commands, and motion. If being part of this industry's exciting future interests you, visit our program page to learn more.
Dr. S.R. Subramanya is a professor in the School of Engineering and Computing at National University in San Diego, California. He is also the president and CEO of Exskillence, a company specializing in technical skills enhancement workshops for students, as well as for corporate employees. He has also worked at several multinational corporations - ASEA AB in Vasteros, Sweden; NOKIA in Helsinki, Finland; and LG Electronics in San Diego, California. His current research interests are in algorithm design, novel services for digital content, mobile applications, and computer science education.

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Computer Science's Impact on Video Games | NU.edu

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When you have a question, it's always best to turn to a subject matter expert for answers. In our blog series, Ask An Expert, National University staff and faculty members take turns answering challenging questions in their areas of expertise. This time we speak to computer science professor, Subra Subramanya, about how computer science has impacted games over the years.

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https://pixelloid.com/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-2d-and-3d-animation/#:~:text=2D%20animation%20comprises%20of%20characters,realistic%20contrast%20to%202D%20characters.

2D and 3D animations solve the problem of not having child-friendly tv shows, movies, etc. Animations look appealing to children watching their cartoons. It is an improvement because it advances entertainment to another level. The incredible and the transformers are examples of 3D animations while The Jungle Book, The Simpsons, and Snow White are examples of 2D animations. How can we advance these animations to excel in what it has already accomplished?

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Do you remember the evenings we used to rush from the school the moment the bell chimes in order to see Tom and Jerry, Mickey Mouse, Oswald, and Donald Duck? It was those days where our stomach brimmed with laughter, joy, and contentment by just watching these shows. They even turned out to be my best friends and kids of my age as well.

But I am not sure whether kids of today might have an idea of what these characters are. They were the actual superstars in the period of 2D animation. But the advent of 3D animation has made them look like veterans. It turned the things upside down of how images and scenes are portrayed on screen; which intrigued many youngsters to choose it as a career. And that is the reason for a vast number of advertisements on the internet. Got it, right?

Difference between 2D and 3D animation :

2D animation implies that the object is two dimensional.

3D animation implies that the object

2D animation comprises of characters or objects only in height and width. In other words, in X- axis (horizontal dimension) and Y - axis (vertical dimension).

3D animation comprises of objects in height, width, and depth. In other words, characters are going to be more a realistic contrast to 2D characters.

2D animation objects are created by traditional drawing method. Each move of the character has to be created frame by frame with hand-drawing, also called as a cell-animation method. However, today's 2D animators make use of software in developing action sequences. But creating the first action scene has to be created and the tool will generate the rest of the motion sequences automatically.

In 3D animation, everything is going to be done in available computer software. The development consists of several phases or steps such as modelling, texturing, lighting, rigging, rendering etc.

2D animation comes for a less price compared to 3D animation since you only need expert candidates who can draw and sketch aptly.

Well, the cost of 3D animation depends on the money you spent in rendering. You have to shell out for each second; which is why the 3d animation course demands more from your pocket. Since the final product has to go through several steps, you gotta have a skilled professional for expected outcome.

2D animation is all about frames.

3D animation is all about movements.

It is not suitable for conceptual drawing as you can only represent in two dimensions.

3D animation is impeccable for conceptual designing as it results in all the three-dimensional views. The software helps the animators to create a detailed character concentrating every possible

2D animation is widely implemented in advertisements, films, cartoon shows, websites, e-learning courses, engineering etcetera.

3D animation is widely used in gaming, movies, medical, biotechnology, aerospace etceter

Examples: The Jungle Book, The Simpsons, Snow White Examples: The Incredibles, Toy Story, and Transformers

Regardless of the advantages and disadvantages of 2D and 3D animation people prefer to blend both the techniques for breath-taking visuals. Let us know in the comments section below which one do you prefer and why:
Tags: 3D Animation Course in Hyderabad, 3D Animation Course in Bangalore, 3D Animation Institute in Vizag, 3D Animation Training in Guntur

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What is the difference between 2d and 3D animation? - Pixelloid Blog

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Do you remember the evenings we used to rush from the school the moment the bell chimes in order to see Tom and Jerry, Mickey Mouse, Oswald, and Donald Duck? It was those days where our stomach brimmed with laughter, joy, and contentment by just watching these shows.

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Animation is a diverse method many use especially in movie making or video game designing. There are many different types of animations like 2d and 3d animation which can make the process brutal but video games are also a challenging platform when it comes to animation. There is a ton of work when it comes to creating and animation. If you are interested in the differences in animations when it comes to games and in movies, you will find the article ¨How Animation for Games is Different from Animation for Movies¨ intriguing.

An open question about games and movie animation would be:

What similarities do video games and movies have when it comes to animation? Do they both use similar types of animation or is the process the same?

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You might think animation for video games and animation for movies are really the same thing. That's a fairly common misconception. Even though the same tools and principles of animation apply to both mediums, the processes and techniques actually differ greatly between the two. This article will give you a strong understanding of how creating animations for movies and animation for games is different, and what you need to know if you want to pursue a successful career as a game animator.

What Is Animation?

Animation is a process where multiple snapshots are taken and manipulated by showing them in rapid succession, which creates the illusion that they are moving. This can be done using drawings, models, puppets, computer images, and more. Originally, the method of choice for animation was drawings, which were applied to transparent sheets and then photographed. However, it is now more common for animation to be created using computer-generated imagery, also known as CGI.

What Are the Different Types of Animation?

Animation can be created using numerous techniques. Learn more about some of the different types of animation below.

Traditional/Classical 2D - This method was used in the early days of animation and was achieved using hand-drawn images for each frame of the story. Subjects were painted onto plastic cells, and those images were captured individually in front of painted backgrounds to create scenes.

Digital 2D - This method uses digital technology to create images in a 2D space, similar to drawing them by hand. However, the technology enables animators to complete the process more quickly. Some actions can be performed in batches instead of individually, while others can be narrowed down and simplified. For example, a computer image of a person waving can be manipulated to change only the hand motion in each image, rather than completely re-drawing the entire form. Changes can also be made more easily, such as the color of a dress.

Digital 3D - This type of animation uses 3D models that are created and manipulated digitally, which is much easier and faster than changing individual images.

Stop-Motion - Stop-motion animation uses tangible objects, such as clay models. One frame is captured, models are moved ever so slightly, and another frame is captured. Many hours of work are spent creating only minutes of recorded motion.

Mechanical - Instead of an actual moving robot interacting with other characters, a machine can be manipulated using the methods described above in order to make it appear as though the machine moves on its own.

Puppetry - Puppets are used, often with interchangeable heads for different expressions, and captured using a stop-motion technique.

Claymation - Clay models are used and manipulated during a stop-motion filming process.

Zoetrope - Images are adhered to the inside of a spinning cylinder that resembles a drum. When the cylinder spins, the images appear to be moving. This technique is great for short animation, such as gifs.

Cut-Out - Paper drawings are cut out and put in front of background settings, then captured using stop-motion animation.

Sand - This method is arguably one of the most difficult, and therefore most artistically challenging. Sand is set on a lighted table and artists draw images in the sand, erasing and beginning again for each frame with a stunning end result.

Paint-on-Glass - Similar to sand, images must be at least partially cleared between each frame using turpentine. Each frame is photographed, then the next is painted.

Pin-Screen - Pins are used to poke a screen, softer for lighter impressions, and harder for larger holes. Light is filtered through to show the image.

Typography - This technique is used for images of words and letters, typically title sequences.

Drawn-on-Film - Images are drawn or etched directly onto reels of film, sometimes in a darkroom.

How Does Animation Work?

Animation uses a combination of images and optical illusion to create the appearance of movement. The human brain will naturally retain an image for a little longer than it actually exists in front of the eyes. When this scientific principle is combined with the animation process - a rapid succession of images - our brains interpret these images as continuous motion. For example, a clay model may be moved a fraction of an inch in each image, and when combined, they make the model appear to be moving.

How to Make Animations

Using one of the different types of animations listed above, each frame is created and put in chronological order to tell a story. Whether using drawings, 3D objects, or computer programming, the frames are shown in rapid succession to create the illusion of movement. Sound and dialogue are then added to complete the process of bringing the story to life.

You can create your own animations using items around your house and a video camera. Keep in mind, however, that it is not a quick process. You will need an area that can remain undisturbed between work sessions so nothing is changed without your knowledge or approval. The good news is, there are also various computer programs available to help you with the animation process.

Animation in Games

Games are meant to be interactive. When you play a game, you'll have complete control of the character and the camera. You're the one driving the story forward and making the character move. So not only does the animation need to look good, it needs to look good from every possible angle.

For instance, if the game is third person, and the player rotates the camera around they'll see the walk or run cycle from a completely new angle. This new angle can reveal things like knee pops that may not have been visible in the normal camera view. These are things that a game animator needs to take into account to ensure their animation holds up to whatever the player may throw at it. Unlike animation in a movie where the animator doesn't need to worry about how it will look from a side view or from behind, creating animations for games needs to look good from any angle. For instance, when implementing the principle of arcs into an animation, the animator needs to ensure the character is following nice smooth arcing motions from any camera angle.

Animation in Movies

When it comes to animation for movies, the animator is only responsible for animating whatever is in the view of the shot camera. In other words they only have to worry about one camera angle at a time. If you're watching a movie, you hit the "Play" button on a movie you can't rotate around to look at the whole set. So you're stuck looking at whatever the camera is viewing.

This allows an animator working on a movie to cheat in many ways, because they know that the shot will only be seen from one angle. So if it looks great from that angle, that's ultimately all that matters. This isn't to say animating for movies is easy. Quite the contrary. But there are certain difficulties that arise with video game animation that can be very different than the difficulties that arise with animating for movies. As previously mentioned, in movies the audience has no control over what's happening. In a sense they're just along for the ride. If you were to get a behind the scenes look at a movie you'd see a whole set, with the director, lights and many other things sitting right behind the camera. As long as they're out of the shot of the camera, the audience is never going to see the whole production crew.

How Long Does it Take to Make an Animated Movie?

The length of time needed to complete an animated movie will depend on the style of animation you are using, as well as the length of the movie you are creating. On average, it takes roughly 6 weeks to complete 60-90 seconds of film. A high-quality, professional level, full-length animated movie running about 90 minutes can take anywhere from 200-600 people working for 3-4 years. Lower quality, shorter movies can be made more quickly with fewer people.

Creating Game Animation

As a game animator you'll be exposed to many more types of animations than what is typically found in a movie like Pixar or DreamWorks produces. You may find yourself creating animations for fantasy creatures, giants, combat maneuvers, scripted events, etc. And you'll do many different types of cycles, not just walk and run cycles. For instance, most games will need to have a breathing cycle, an idle stance cycle (when the character is standing still) crouching and walking, walking forward while aiming a gun, laying down and crawling forward, the list goes on. You can get an idea of what these look like in the Bringing the Hero to Life for the Indie Game Development Pipeline article.

Most games are driven by body mechanics, so you'll need to spend a lot of time perfecting your body mechanics to be successful in games. That's not to say you won't be animating any acting scenes, but if you look back at the last video game you played, you'll probably see just how body mechanics heavy it is.

The timing for animations in games is often determined by the needs of the player inputs. Nothing is more frustrating than getting caught in a gun fight in Call of Duty and suddenly having to reload, typically resulting in your death. But those reload animations have be timed perfectly to enhance the gameplay. For instance, you want a reload animation to be fast enough so the player can get back to the action, but also slow enough to be realistic, and add a challenge for the player.

Working in Games

Typically each animation you're given must be completed in a much shorter amount of time than film. It's not uncommon in feature film animations for an animator to have several months to finish a single shot, depending on how complex it is. In games the turn around is much faster, while the animations may not need to be as perfected as in a movie, they still must look good in the game. The number of passes you can have on a single animation are often much smaller, simply because you won't have the time to go from blocking, blocking version 2, blocking version 3, etc. You will need to find ways to get from blocking to the finished animation in the shortest amount of time. Since there is less time to refine your work, you will need to have a greater understanding of the animation and the purpose of it, and what you want the player to feel. Game animation isn't about creating top-notch performances like in Frozen, but about ensuring the animation will work well for the player.

Working with Motion Capture

While there's a huge emphasis on body mechanics in game animation, there's still a need to push the story forward, and as hardware progresses games are becoming even more story-driven. For instance, look at the Uncharted series or The Last of Us as great examples of story-driven games. Video games are typically a much more realistic style of animation, rather than something like Toy Story or Megamind, of course there are more stylized animations in games like Wildstar but for the most part games try to be grounded in realism to help keep the player engrossed in the gameplay. To ensure the game is as realistic as possible motion capture is a technique that's being used more often, especially for the more subtle acting cut scenes like you would find in The Last of Us. As a video game animator motion capture is something you will need to become familiar with, because more studios are implementing it into their pipeline. This does not mean traditional animation is not needed, but you will often need to use motion caption data as a starting point in your animations, and build off from there. To learn more about motion capture, check out Introduction to Motion Capture in MotionBuilder. Animating for games can bring a whole new set of challenges to the table, but it's also very rewarding. If you're interested in pursuing game animation make sure you check out the 3D animation tutorials to help you push your skills further. If you have any questions about the differences between animating for games and movies make sure to leave them in the comments below!

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Animation for Games vs Animation for Movies

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You might think animation for video games and animation for movies are really the same thing. That's a fairly common misconception. Even though the same tools and principles of animation apply to both mediums, the processes and techniques actually differ greatly between the two.

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Have you wondered how your favorite Marvel or Star Wars movies came to life? Perhaps, maybe even your favorite show?

The article, "What is CGI? Examples of Computer-Generated Imagery in Film," helps bring light to the importance CGI has in the filming industry.

An open question about CGI may include:

Will, there be a time when CGI is so advanced that the need for actors or the people behind the camera is no longer a must? If yes, what do you think will be the outcome?

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What Is CGI? Examples of Computer-Generated Imagery in Film - 2022 - MasterClass

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Learn about computer-generated imagery, a special effect that artists use to composite images and create animation.

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Computer science and technology are impacting the music industry in many different ways. 

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Computer science has allowed the music industry to progress and revolutionize. This is because computers make creating music much easier as there are a wide array of sounds, rhythms, and it makes it easier to record and fine tune songs. Computers have allowed musicians to make their music  sound better and help with the production and distribution of their music. The article "How Computer Science Impacted Music" goes in-depth into how the music industry has been impacted by computer science.

Question about how music is made using CS:

What types of software are used to create digital music (create different sounds,virtual instruments...etc)? What types of instruments do they use to base off digital sounds/instruments? What software is used for that?

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EXAMPLE
If you are interested in art and music you will find the article, "Computers are changing how art is made"  very interesting.

An open question about how art/music is made using CS is:

How can computer science keep the artistic process moving forward while the human artist remains in control?

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Maya Ackerman just wanted to write a song.

She tried for years - song after song. In the end, she didn't like any of the tunes she wrote. "I didn't have the gift, if you will," she says. "All the melodies that came into my mind were so boring that I couldn't imagine wasting time performing them."

Maybe, she thought, a computer could help. Computer programs already are useful for recording songs that people come up with. Ackerman now wondered if a computer could be more - a songwriting partner.

It was a flash of inspiration. "I knew in an instant that it would be possible for a machine to give me ideas," she says. That inspiration led to the creation of ALYSIA. This computer program can generate brand-new melodies, based on a user's lyrics.

As a computer scientist at Santa Clara University in California, Ackerman has a lot of experience using algorithms (AL-goh-rith-ums). These are step-by-step mathematical recipes to solve problems and make predictions. Algorithms are useful in programming computers. They also can be useful for everyday tasks. Online movie and music servers use algorithms to recommend films and songs. Self-driving cars need algorithms to safely navigate roads. Some grocery stores track the freshness of produce using algorithms that are connected to cameras or sensors,

Obvious/Wikimedia Commons

When a computer runs software, it's completing tasks by following algorithms written as computer code. Computer scientists like Ackerman analyze, study and write algorithms to solve a wide range of problems. Some of them use algorithms in the field of artificial intelligence, or AI. This emerging technology teaches computers to mimic tasks or activities that the human brain usually handles. In ALYSIA's case, that's songwriting.

Ackerman isn't the only one using AI for songwriting. Some programs build entire orchestral scores around small bits of melody. Others generate music for many instruments. AI also is finding its way into other arts. Painters, sculptors, dance choreographers and photographers have found new ways to collaborate with AI algorithms.

And those efforts are paying off. In October 2018, an art auction in New York City became the first to sell an AI-generated work. A group of computer scientists and artists in France used AI algorithms to create the work. This portrait of an imaginary man made a splash: The painting sold for $432,500.

Ahmed Elgammal runs a computer-science lab that focuses on using AI to influence art. It's at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J. "AI is a creative tool that will be accepted as an art form," he says. Eventually, he adds, "It will affect the way art is made, and what art will be."

Virtual art school

Artists and computer scientists began looking for new ways to create art with computers back in the 1950s and 1960s. They built computer-controlled robotic arms holding pencils or paint brushes. In the 1970s, an abstract painter named Harold Cohen introduced the world to the first artistic AI system, called AARON. Over the decades, Cohen added new forms and figures to AARON's abilities. Its art often depicted plants or other living things.

Computer History Museum

A recent experiment from Elgammal's group at Rutgers now suggests that algorithms can create works that could be considered fine art. For this study, 18 people viewed hundreds of images. Each image showed a painting or other work of visual art. Some had been created by people. An AI algorithm had created the rest. Each participant ranked the images based on aspects such as their "novelty" and "complexity." The final question: Did a human or AI create this work of art?

Elgammal and his collaborators had assumed that art made by people would rank higher in categories such as novelty and complexity. But they were wrong. The recruits they invited to review the works often judged AI-created art to be better than those by people. And the participants had concluded that human artists had created most of the AI art.

In 1950, a British computer-science pioneer named Alan Turing introduced the Turing Test. A computer program that can pass the Turing Test is one that can convince a person that it (the program), is human. Elgammal's experiment functioned as a kind of Turing Test.

matdesign24/iStock/Getty Images Plus

"From a viewer point of view, these works passed the Turing Test of art," he now argues.

His group's AI algorithm uses an approach known as machine learning. First, the researchers feed tens of thousands of images of art into the algorithm. This is to train it. Explains Elgammal, "It learns by itself the rules of what makes art."

It then uses those rules and patterns to generate new art - something it hasn't seen before. This is the same approach used by algorithms that can recommend movies or music. They collect data on someone's choices, then predict what might be similar to those choices.

Since its Turing Test experiment, Elgammal's group has invited hundreds of artists to use their software. The goal isn't to show that AI can replace artists. Instead, it seeks to use them as one source of inspiration. The researchers have created a web-based tool, called Playform. It lets artists upload their own sources of inspiration. Then Playform creates something new.

"We want to show an artist that an AI can be a collaborator," Elgammal says.

More than 500 artists have used it. Some use Playform to generate images. Then they use those visuals in new ways for their own works. Others find ways to combine the AI-generated images. An exhibit last year at the largest art museum in Beijing, China, included more than 100 works shaped by AI. Many had been created using Playform. (You can use it, too: Playform.io.)

Bringing art and AI together is Elgammal's passion. He grew up in Alexandria, Egypt, where he loved studying art history and architecture. He also enjoyed math and computer science. In college, he had to choose - and he chose computer science.

Still, he says, "I never abandoned my love for art and art history."

Rise of the cybersongs

Ackerman, in California, has a similar story. Although she listens to pop music, she really likes opera. She studied piano as a child and even performed on national television in Israel, where she grew up. When she was 12, her family moved to Canada. They couldn't afford a piano or the lessons to continue her training. So by high school, she said, she felt lost.

Her father, a computer programmer, suggested she try coding. "I was really good at it," she says. "I loved the sense of creation."

"When I wrote my first computer program," she says, "I was so amazed that I could make a computer do something. I was creating."

In graduate school she took up singing lessons and music came back into her life. She sang in staged operas. Those lessons and performances made her want to sing her own songs. And that led to her songwriting dilemma - and ALYSIA.

Maya Ackerman

The first version of it came together in a few months. In the three years since then, Ackerman and her team have made it easier to use. Other improvements have led it to also turn out better music.

Like Elgammal's algorithm, the algorithm that runs ALYSIA teaches itself the rules. But instead of analyzing art, ALYSIA trains by identifying patterns in tens of thousands of successful melodies. It then uses those patterns to create new tunes.

When users type in lyrics, ALYSIA generates a pop melody to match the words. The program can also generate lyrics based on a topic from the user. Most of ALYSIA's users are first-time songwriters. "They come in without any experience," Ackerman says. "And they write songs about very beautiful and touching things." In November 2019, the French magazine Liberation named a song written with ALYSIA - "Is this Real?" - as its song of the day.

Ackerman thinks ALYSIA offers a glimpse of how computers will continue to change art. "Human-machine collaboration is the future," she believes. That collaboration can take many forms. In some cases, an artist can do all the work. A painter might scan a painting, for instance, or a musician might record a song. In other cases, a computer does all the creative work. With no knowledge about art or coding, someone simply pushes a button and the computer creates something.

Those two situations are extremes. Ackerman is looking for "the sweet spot" - where the computer can keep the process moving, but the human artist remains in control.

But is it creative?

Paul Brown says AI makes it possible for more people to engage with art. "It enables a whole new community to get involved," he says - one that lacks drawing or other skills that one normally links with creative artistic behavior.

Brown is a digital artist. Throughout his 50-year career, he has been exploring the use of algorithms in art. After training as a visual artist in the 1960s, he began exploring how to use machines to create something new. By the 1990s, he was designing and teaching classes in Australia on using computers in art. Now, he has a studio at the University of Essex in England.

P. Brown

The rise in AI's popularity also has triggered a debate, Brown says. Are the computers themselves creative? It depends on whom you ask, and how you ask it. "I've got younger colleagues who believe that artists working with computers are doing something new that doesn't relate to traditional art," he says. "But new technologies are always adopted very quickly. This isn't a particularly new branch of anything, but it does allow them to do new things."

Brown says artists who can write code are at the forefront of this new movement. But at the same time, he also sees AI as but one more tool in an artist's toolbox. Michelangelo used a stonemason's tools to create many of his most famous works. The introduction of paint in tubes, in the mid-19th century, allowed artists like Monet to work outdoors. Similarly, he thinks computers enable artists to do new things.

Elgammal says it's not that simple. There is a way in which AI algorithms themselves are creative, he argues. Computer scientists design the algorithm and choose the data used to train it. "But when I push that button," he points out, "I have no choice over what subject matter is going to be created. What genre, or color or composition. Everything comes through the machine by itself."

In that way, the computer is like an art student: It trains, then creates. But at the same time, Elgammal says, these creations would not be possible without the people setting up the system. As computer scientists continue to refine and improve their algorithms, they'll continue to blur the line between creativity and computation.

Ackerman agrees. "Computers can do creative stuff in ways that are different than humans," she says. "And it's so exciting to see that." Now, she says, "How far can we push the creativity of a computer if a human is not involved?"

Power Words
More About Power Words

abstract: Something that exists as an idea or thought but not concrete or tangible (touchable) in the real world. Beauty, love and memory are abstractions; cars, trees and water are concrete and tangible.

algorithm: A group of rules or procedures for solving a problem in a series of steps. Algorithms are used in mathematics and in computer programs for figuring out solutions.

artificial intelligence: A type of knowledge-based decision-making exhibited by machines or computers. The term also refers to the field of study in which scientists try to create machines or computer software capable of intelligent behavior.

behavior: The way something, often a person or other organism, acts towards others, or conducts itself.

code: (in computing) To use special language to write or revise a program that makes a computer do something. (n.) Code also refers to each of the particular parts of that programming that instructs a computer's operations.

colleague: Someone who works with another; a co-worker or team member.

computer program: A set of instructions that a computer uses to perform some analysis or computation. The writing of these instructions is known as computer programming.

computer science: The scientific study of the principles and use of computers. Scientists who work in this field are known as computer scientists.

data: Facts and/or statistics collected together for analysis but not necessarily organized in a way that gives them meaning. For digital information (the type stored by computers), those data typically are numbers stored in a binary code, portrayed as strings of zeros and ones.

digital: (in computer science and engineering) An adjective indicating that something has been developed numerically on a computer or on some other electronic device, based on a binary system (where all numbers are displayed using a series of only zeros and ones).

field: An area of study, as in: Her field of research was biology. Also a term to describe a real-world environment in which some research is conducted, such as at sea, in a forest, on a mountaintop or on a city street. It is the opposite of an artificial setting, such as a research laboratory.

focus: (in behavior) To look or concentrate intently on some particular point or thing.

graduate school: A university program that offers advanced degrees, such as a Master's or PhD degree. It's called graduate school because it is started only after someone has already graduated from college (usually with a four-year degree).

high school: A designation for grades nine through 12 in the U.S. system of compulsory public education. High-school graduates may apply to colleges for further, advanced education.

intelligence: The ability to collect and apply knowledge and skills.

link: A connection between two people or things.

machine learning: A technique in computer science that allows computers to learn from examples or experience. Machine learning is the basis of some forms of artificial intelligence (AI). For instance, a machine-learning system might compare X-rays of lung tissue in people with cancer and then compare these to whether and how long a patient survived after being given a particular treatment. In future, that AI system might be able to look at a new patient's lung scans and predict how well they will respond to a treatment.

online: (n.) On the internet. (adj.) A term for what can be found or accessed on the internet.

programming: (in computing) To use a computer language to write or revise a set of instructions that makes a computer do something. The set of instructions that does this is known as a computer program. The term is also used, in an analogy to computer programming, to describe the way something - such as cells - have been designed to function. A person who writes or revises software is a known as a programmer.

recruit: (noun) Someone brought in to become a participant in a research trial or experiment.

self-driving car: Also known as a driverless car or autonomous vehicle. These cars pilot themselves based on instructions that have been programmed into their computer guidance system.

sensor: A device that picks up information on physical or chemical conditions - such as temperature, barometric pressure, salinity, humidity, pH, light intensity or radiation - and stores or broadcasts that information. Scientists and engineers often rely on sensors to inform them of conditions that may change over time or that exist far from where a researcher can measure them directly. (in biology) The structure that an organism uses to sense attributes of its environment, such as heat, winds, chemicals, moisture, trauma or an attack by predators.

server: A term for a computer - and especially the software on it - that provides services (hence, the name server) to other computers. A server computer program, for instance, stands ready to fulfill requests by its clients (which are other computer programs). For instance, a web server pulls up website pages or other files upon request. The web browser that you use on your computer to find things on the internet is one type of client. It calls up files from a web server.

software: The mathematical instructions that direct a computer's hardware, including its processor, to perform certain operations.

virtual: Being almost like something. An object or concept that is virtually real would be almost true or real - but not quite. The term often is used to refer to something that has been modeled - by or accomplished by - a computer using numbers, not by using real-world parts. So a virtual motor would be one that could be seen on a computer screen and tested by computer programming (but it wouldn't be a three-dimensional device made from metal). (in computing) Things that are performed in or through digital processing and/or the internet. For instance, a virtual conference may be where people attended by watching it over the internet.

Stephen Ornes lives in Nashville, Tenn., and his family has two rabbits, six chickens and a cat. He has written for Science News for Students since 2008 on topics including lightning, feral pigs, big bubbles and space junk.

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Maya Ackerman just wanted to write a song. She tried for years - song after song. In the end, she didn't like any of the tunes she wrote. "I didn't have the gift, if you will," she says. "All the melodies that came into my mind were so boring that I couldn't imagine wasting time performing them."