Infinite Lives

Here, commercial illustrator Zara Picken conveys a friendly dialogue exchange as a game of Pong. I think the whole thing—the X-Ray blackboard, the starkly simple cutout figures—makes for a striking image. And because I sincerely cannot remember the last time I had a conversation that felt like a ball was zinging back and forth between two like minds, maybe I am also wistful.

I’ve had little luck finding the exact source of the original image, but a peek at Ms. Picken’s portfolio uncovers this charming rendering of a Nintendo controller, commissioned by Who Knows.

Late edit: In semi-related pseudonews, Alex Litel just referred me to Pong-versation the game, which is itself a heteronormative wooing simulation. In it, the blue paddle plings conversation topics at the pink paddle in an effort to pique her interest.

• Zara Illustrates via intweetion