| Contemporary American interactive work has entered a period dominantly characterized by two movements: the games industry movement, and the independent games movement. These movements satisfy many, but they do not represent or address the totality of what is possible, or what is desirable, from interactive work---this is because they do not embrace a philosophy of total aesthetics, instead choosing to emphasize particular aesthetic components arbitrarily, in-line with their own anecdotal successes, or selected by personal bias.;The total aesthetics of an interactive work include the media content in concert with design and technology. Interactive work produced under the philosophy of total aesthetics recognizes that each aesthetic element can be accomplished in numerous ways and that, while projects may emphasize certain elements over others, no element has an inherent necessary emphasis nor a relationship of superiority or inferiority with other choices. The term total aesthetics is chosen because the aesthetic of a game---its total aesthetic---is a standalone product independent of its individual aesthetics and their quality.;This paper argues that a philosophy of producing interactive work that emphasizes total aesthetics will produce more creative and varied work, more engaging work at cheaper costs, work with more authorial voice. The project, American Braves, is a submission of interactive work that was created under this philosophy. This work contains a total aesthetic which has never been seen before. This was made possible not by technological innovation, myopic focus on studies and analytics, or craftsman-level dedication to the individual aesthetics of work, but by an improvement of mindset in the creation of work---focusing on authorship, influences and intention as they relate to the total aesthetic. |
