Infinite Lives » Art

Link can’t lose

Jenn Frank — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:22:08 +0000

Aled Lewis, “Hyrule Forever”

Linksplosion: Martin Amis, ‘Minecraft,’ and Emporium Bar Arcade

Jenn Frank — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:18:24 +0000

Hello and hi. I collected a couple links a couple days ago, but I hadn’t yet posted them—until now! Lucky you!

Joystiq – Minecraft building blocks (via Metafilter.
The correct reaction is “what the—”
Eater – Emporium Arcade Bar Opening in March
A Barcade-style barcade is coming to Chicago, and everyone is freaking out:

Expect a focus on Midwestern and local beer with half of the beer on tap always being from the Midwest. The plan is to rotate their selection often, so there will always be new brews to try. There will also be a large whiskey list, with a selection of standard and upscale varieties. A full bar will be available as well and there may be more specialty cocktails down the line.
Writer Martin Amis once penned a video-game near-classic, Invasion of the Space Invaders. The Millions has a review of the book (via Slate).

Since the book is impossible to buy used, some Good Samaritan is publishing Amis’s book’s very best lines as a Twitter feed.

Related posts:
1. Daily Linksplosion: Wednesday, July 07, 2010
2. Super Button Mashers: a Gamer Tribute at OhNo!ARCADE

Quotables: artist Tyler Coey does Sega

Jenn Frank — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:20:58 +0000

“Growing up you were either a ‘Sega kid’ or a ‘Nintendo kid.’ I was a Sega kid!”

—Artist Tyler Coey on Sonic the Hedgehog. His piece appears in the upcoming Super Button Mashers: a Gamer Tribute at OhNo!Doom, opening February 11.

OhNo!DOOM – Tyler Coey

Super Button Mashers: a Gamer Tribute at OhNo!ARCADE

Jenn Frank — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:49:20 +0000

This could well be the first-ever ALL GAMES-THEMED exhibit to ever open in Chicago.

“Super Button Mashers,” opening February 11, 2012, features an incredible roster of artists:

Aya Kakeda, Alex Willan, Ben Spencer, Blütt, Brandon Garrison, Brain Killer, Brian Stuhr, Brian Walline, Brianne Drouhard, CHema Skandal!, Cory Benhatzel, CZR PRZ, David Palumbo, David Rettker, Eric Broers, Glen Brogan, Isaac Bidwell, James Liu, Jason Castillo, Jenny Frison, Jeremiah Ketner, J.Shea, Joey D, Jordan Elise, Lana Crooks, Leeanna Butcher, Luisa Castellanos, Martin Hsu, Matt Hawkins, Matthew Ryan Sharp, Max Bare, Melissa Sue Stanley, Mike Budai, Mike Graves, Mr. Walters, Natalie Blue Phillips, Nathan West, Sean Dove, Shawn Smith, Shayne Labadie, Steff Bomb, Steph Laberis, Tyler Coey, Yosiell Lorenzo, Zoë Bare, and Plush Team

What an all-star cast! I am so damn thrilled I don’t know what to do with myself.

And one more thing: curator Max Bare somehow convinced Chicago’s own Jake Elliott to submit an arcade game to the exhibit! It is an all-new game, and it will be playable at the show.

OhNo!Doom
Super Button Mashers Mega Opening
February 11, 6:00 PM-10:00 PM
1800 N. Milwaukee
Chicago IL 60647
Tuesday and Thursday 4:00 PM-10:00 PM
Saturday 12:00 PM-7:00 PM

Isaac Bidwell, Donkey Kong.

Yosiell Lorenzo, Princess Toadstool.

David Palumbo, The Graveyard.

Chicago! Gear up for next month

Jenn Frank — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:23:37 +0000

Strap in! I’m not sure how much I can—or want!—to tell you about this gallery show, but know this: it opens on February 11, and there will be art. Details forthcoming.

Here is a really old Katamari/Shadow of the Colossus mashup

Jenn Frank — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 01:22:50 +0000

Jeesh, how had I ever missed this? It’s called “Colossal Katamari,” and I guess Joystiq reported on it in 2006 (the year in which I continue to live, apparently). And! It’s MS Paint. MS Paint, you guys.

I feel like you can get a much better feel for it at the link, so go look. And use the little zoom buttons!

Pixel Joint – Colossal Katamari

Classic television, arcade style

Jenn Frank — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:21:33 +0000

What might happen if all your favorite old television shows—circa 1978, say—were gussied up as Intellivision games? Motion graphics collective PUNGA has the answer!

Here’s their cheery promo ‘spot’ for a block of retro television programming, slated to air on FOX in Italy. D’awww! B.A. Baracus never looked so twee!

Vimeo – FOX Retro via Retropoly

Daily Linksplosion: Monday, August 01, 2011

cronjob — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:00:23 +0000

Young Princess Zelda by Salvador Ramirez Madriz (via Gamma Squad)

Kloonigames – Crayon Physics Deluxe is now available for Mac and Linux
YYEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Play This Thing! – Inside the Haiti Earthquake
A fair critique of the playability of ‘Inside the Haiti Earthquake,’ an award-winning "newsgame."
IndieGames.com – Indie Game Site GameTunnel Relaunched
Do you know how I found out about GameTunnel’s relaunch? THROUGH PROJECT WONDERFUL. I was like, "Oh, look, I can run a new ad from… GameTunnel? Whoa." I should add that this redesign is aytch oh tee tee, HOT, all electric apple and slippery menus.

Also worth noting: indie developers can submit their games for review. Like, there’s an actual spot to do that, right in the navigation header. I love that.
Kotaku – Retro Game Master
Eh? Kotaku.com has been covering the everloving Jehoshaphat out of ‘Retro Game Master’ (née Game Center CX) all summer, and I was none the wiser! Corrected.
Wired Magazine – Rate This Article: What’s Wrong with the Culture of Critique
"Technoculture critic and former Wired contributor Erik Davis is concerned about the proliferation of reviews, too. ‘Our culture is afflicted with knowingness,’ he says. ‘We exalt in being able to know as much as possible. And that’s great on many levels. But we’re forgetting the pleasures of not knowing. I’m no Luddite, but we’ve started replacing actual experience with someone else’s already digested knowledge.’"

Doki Doki Picnic

Jenn Frank — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:30:39 +0000

Nicole Gustafsson’s Shy Guys, completed just in time for the SUPER iam8bit exhibit, which opens August 11 in Los Angeles. (It’s nice to see somebody exploring the softer side of “shy.”)

I am pretty sure I have mentioned this every summer for the last several summers, but my birthday is actually that very—oh, never mind. Twenty-three was the last birthday I celebrated, anyway. I know, I know.

nimasprout – Upcoming Iam8bit show! via Sugoi

Mario Menpo

Jenn Frank — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 22:09:50 +0000

Elisha Hale (AKA Electric Method) is selling this print at various sizes and price points.

Society6 – The Defender of the Mushroom Dynasty via it8Bit

“Ancient Mega Man” by Anak Binal

Jenn Frank — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:00:01 +0000

Artist Papang (AKA Anak Binal) reinterprets Mega Man for an upcoming art anthology. (See also.)

Sugoi – Dagens bild: Myten om hjälten

Darling new paintings by Martin Hsu

Jenn Frank — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 05:04:01 +0000

Illustrator Martin Hsu’s latest solo show, CRAKENS, opened at Chicago’s Rotofugi Gallery late last week. The LA-based artist was in attendance, and he is every bit as charming, friendly, and animated as his paintings are.

At least two of the cutest pieces in the exhibit are video games -themed, and of course I am totally in love with both of them.

Here’s one of Hsu’s recurring characters, Snappy Pig, playing his 360. He appears to be losing to the little fox-rodent on the left:

And here’s another recurring character, Sea Monkee, playing his brand new 3DS in a tree.

Giclee prints of each, signed and numbered by the artist, are available in limited runs of 30 (US$120 framed, $70 unframed). The prints are very nearly the same size as the originals, which is nice.

And at the time of this writing, the originals themselves are unsold—Snappy Pig Xbox can be yours for a piddling $325, while Sea Monkee 3DS is just $350.

CRAKENS runs through June 26, so if you are in the Chicagoland area, stop by Rotofugi Gallery. As always, there is no admission fee.

You can read more about the show’s opening reception at Hsu’s blog.

Rotofugi Gallery
2780 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago
(773) 868-3308

Rotofugi Gallery – CRAKENS: New Works by Martin Hsu

Canabalt cross-stitch

Jenn Frank — Sat, 21 May 2011 20:58:33 +0000

The weather is strange: a real dog day, overcast and grey and still; perhaps a steady hail of cogs and caps and casings; here and there, a garble of boards and wiring, spat out of the sky, maybe.

Overhead: some sort of roaring gyrodyne or helibus, chopping through the smog sideways; a thin soupy ring of cloud where the sun was. In the distance, a bank of steeples stretch heavenward, bellowing tines of smoke. A fibrillation underfoot; a structural undertow; a gnashing of architectural teeth. Just beyond the next concrete cliff, a window, a promise, a torii framed in steel and sealed with plate glass.

Only a terrible fairy tale. So rest easy tonight, young Charlie, little Jamie, tiny Tilda—the apocalypse is nigh, but it is not yet here. For now, there are only the signs: a pigeon, a dove, an office chair.

Lord Libidan – Canabalt Cross Stitch via Brandon Boyer

Daily Linksplosion: Wednesday, January 19, 2011

cronjob — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:00:27 +0000

“When You See It” by Aled Lewis (via Jez Burrows)

The Rumpus – 10/40/70 #32: EXistenZ
Sure, this has to do with video games (but not really).
Salon.com – How "World of Warcraft" helped me through my divorce
This is really beautiful.
The A.V. Club – Sawbuck Gamer: January 10, 2011
What a cool list of, er, I think these are all browser games? Right now I’m hooked on ‘Neon Race.’ A little Enduro, a little Burnout, a little Tron, knowwhatImsayin.

“1000 Avatars,” an installation in Second Life

Jenn Frank — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:57:00 +0000

My Second Life avatar, awestruck by almost a thousand other avatars (click for a closer look).

“Mixed reality” artist Kristine Schomaker—Gracie Kendal in Second Life—is completing work on 1000 Avatars, a tower of larger-than-”life”-size avatars photographed from behind. Get it? Because, in a third-person game like Second Life, you only see your own backside—Kristine’s photos reflect how Second Life users actually come to visualize their virtual selves.

Her statement of intent is here.

1000 Avatars (direct link)

Yoshi Mech (with flip-top nose)

Jenn Frank — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:01:54 +0000

Ten months since the debut of his Mario Mech (which I blogged about at GameSetWatch, here), Donald Kennedy unveils its sequel, the Yoshi Mech.

Maybe the Best Thing about this particular customization is the robot’s flip-top snout, revealing Yoshi’s inner workings—the command center along the back wall was reappropriated from a Playmobil police station, Donald writes, while Little Yoshi’s laptop-console was ganked from a LEGO set.

“I can’t wait to do another,” Donald writes. “I think Luigi may be next.”

Flickr – Custom Yoshi Mech via KodyKoala.com

Talkin’ bout Jason Nelson’s art games

Jenn Frank — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:43:30 +0000

Right before I started playing Jason Nelson’s games, I had been reading an article by some neurobiologist about the connection between agoraphobia and “spatial estrangement” and modernity and urbanity. I was in exactly the right mental room already.

Then Mr. Nelson emailed me about his “odd art games,” many of which you can play right in your web browser by visiting Arctic Acre. (In his email, he also suggested that I visit Jason Nelson’s School of Games. You should probably go watch his video lecture series, too, because it is hilarious. There are currently 16 episodes, each only seconds long.)

Maybe ‘odd’ is almost the wrong word for his games: they’re straightforward 2D platformers, with moving and jumping and spatial circumnavigation and an end destination in sight, so that the way to play is immediately discernible even to your mom. But as you run-and-collect, the screens become cluttered with prose noise, taking on the likeness and verve of treated text. Everything feels very inaccessible and obfuscated despite the mechanics’ simplicity.

I got a little bit nervous when I googled Mr. Nelson and discovered he is a “lecturer on Cyberstudies, digital writing, and creative practice at Griffith University,” which itself is located in another country etc. (Everything I know about both digital writing and other countries, amounting to peanuts, I learned from 253.) And I am not a lecturer. Also, you probably already know more about Nelson’s games than I do. So I was pretty nervous about approaching his work at all.

Anyway, a bit about each: I started with the first one (?), called game, game, game and again game, or: belief systems are small clumsy rolling-type creatures. As I played, I typed into my note-taking software, “I am a spider or hairball or some kind of space-time tumbleweed,” and so when I went back to the first screen and noted its title I was relieved.

And as game, game, game’s story comes to the surface, sometimes the new scribbles onscreen will obscure (or totally change) your intended pathway to the end goal, and you are forced to reconsider and regroup. Just as in the game of life! And in some stages, choosing one avenue subsequently walls off another. Very philosophical and nice, OK.

Next I tried i made this. you play this. we are enemies, which I appreciated right off the bat because I am usually wondering as I am playing a game why the game designer hates me so much when we haven’t even met. I did enjoy the exhilarating physicality of hopping around Metafilter and Fark, but also I liked that the things to run-and-collect were hyperlinks and search terms. That is how we read! That is how we search the web! As in the first game, this one had a lot of portals in it, zapping your little rolling ball from location to location. The portals don’t actually make the games nonlinear, but that’s fine.

Evidence of Everything Exploding is the third game Jason Nelson links to at Arctic Acre, I think, and since I am predisposed toward a certain liturgical orderliness, I went to that one next. From the start this one is a lot more polished than Nelson’s other games, but it shares the same scrappiness that makes them credible. It is also more challenging and more playable, and so it is more fun.

It’s similar in makeup to the other two, except you swim around the mazes of text instead of hopping from platform to platform. And you blow stuff up! That’s cool. I’m pretty easy to please, though, because this is a game for people who play games and like the secret language of games. Of Mr. Nelson’s games, EoEE is definitely my favorite.

In each of these works, maybe the author is satirizing video games’ cutscene “reward system” when he includes his hair-tearingly meaningless videos. You don’t have to watch them, and I am pretty sure he is making fun of you for watching them, but I watched them.

Alarmingly These Are Not Lovesick Zombies woke up my family because I was playing it pretty late at night. It is bombastic and action-packed. I liked it least, in fact, even though I liked the branching “play as living or undead” option best in terms of mechanical ingenuity. Still, a playthrough is well worth Nelson’s “hidden secrets of the video game industry” game design whiteboard series, which appear during level intermissions.

But all of Jason Nelson’s maybe improvised? whiteboard demonstrations, which I entirely watched, are collected at Jason Nelson’s School of Games. Again, check those out. Seriously.

Some of Jason’s older work is available at Secret Technology dot com, below.

Secret Technology – Jason Nelson digital art and poetry

Garth Marenghi’s ‘Darkplace’ for Intellivision

Jenn Frank — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 13:07:06 +0000

For the uninitiated, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace was produced for Channel 4 in the mid-80s—don’t you correct me—starring the esteemed horror novelist, Marenghi himself, in the main role. As Dr. Dagless, Marenghi will very quickly discover that there is something sinister lurking beneath Darkplace Hospital’s cheery exterior.

OK: the “charming anachronism retro demake cover art” trend is getting tired, but there is something appealing about a show-that-doesn’t-exist spinning off into a game-that-doesn’t-exist. It’s so postmodern! Here, illustrator and noted retro gamer John Calcano accompanies his box art with a pixel-perfect, Intellivision-quality screenshot.

deviantART – Darkplace for Intellivision via Dullest Blog in the Universe

Before they were stars

Jenn Frank — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 23:57:55 +0000

Aled Lewis (earlier, twice) with his latest, “How They Died.”

Update: Recreated in Minecraft.

Flickr – How They Died via Gamefreaks

KodyKoala’s “Bowser Claus”

Jenn Frank — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 00:19:30 +0000

Did you know Macy’s department store is already decorated? It is.

So it’s no surprise that custom toy artist Donald Kennedy of KodyKoala (see also, also, and also) is gearing up for the holiday season!

I admit, I like the name Bowser Claus, but I would have been more likely to go with “Koopa Kringle.”

Bowser Claus is Coming to Town flickrset via KodyKoala.com