THIS FEELS GREAT is the title of four computer games specially developed for Annesley Black’s portrait CD “no use in a centre” by Andreas Schönau, Jairo Gutiérrez, Jonas Hansen and Milan Grajetzki from the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. Each game is based on specific pieces of Annesley’s music and combines them with the wonderful bizarre illustrations of Hazel Meyer into an unique form of explorative and musical play.
smw.smc is an artistic game modification of the SNES game Super Mario World. The usual world representation of the platform game is broken — all graphics are erased. The gaming experience is at the border between playability and aesthetic representation and tries to question this relationship. It is an homage to the great work of JODI and Cory Arcangel.
Thumbs Down is the modern way of Pfahlsitzen (pole-sitting). Similar to pole-sitting, the player has to perform a specific action over a longer time. Thumbs Down is played on an android smart phone. The objective of the game is to hold down your thumb on the touch screen of the phone as long as possible. Instead of skilled actions, the abandonment of any activities brings you closer to the win. The player has to ignore calls and neglect other functions of his phone. The result will be added to a global high score in order to determine the best slacker world wide. The negative gesture of the “thumb down” is a symbol as well as the only play activity of the game. ...
Eight+ is a synaesthetic user-generatedcontent-post-new-rave-multiplayer-shooter in 2D. Eight+ is an anarchic mix of rhythm, action, sounds and visuals provoking the conventions of standardized content and feedback loops in computer games. In this multiplayer game, players shoot at objects drawn live by other players. The longer they interact, the more distortion emerges. The borders between parties blur as ever more content is created and destroyed. The installation explores the social behaviors of groups as well as the limits of game design. ...
iobox is an experimental game, developed during the Play08 (play08.de) Festival in Potsdam, Germany by Creative Gaming Lab08: Jonas Hansen (Cologne) Karin Lingnau (Cologne), karinlingnau.com Leif Rumbke (Hamburg), rumbke.de Marek Plichta(Potsdam), marek.monoid.net
MS Blast is a game prototype made in the blender game engine, in which a virtual ship can be moved by blowing into the microphone. The intensity of the blowing determines the speed of the ship. By moving the camera around, the ship can be blown in different directions. The goal of the game is to collect all boxes in the sea without getting shot by the black pirate. ...
CollecTic is developed as a part of my graduation project for the Master’s program Media Technology (MSc) at Leiden University in 2006. The game is made for the Sony Playstation Portable and uses existing wireless local area network access points in a city as a main game element. In the game, the player has to move through the city to search and collect new access points. In this study I concentrated on developing game concepts, that use real life properties as game elements, but can be easily played everywhere at any moment. By using the physical world as a game board I hope to stimulate players to rediscover the real world around them in a new and playful way. I am also interested in the social effects, that result from expanding the magic circle of play by mixing the real world with the game world. ...
The prototype is developed during the CARGO WORKSHOPS in Oostende, Belgium. The object of the GPS game Wanderer is to be in continuous motion and to follow auditive commands given by the game system. Because the game is not mapped onto the coordinates of the physical space, it can be played in any location. The player is continuously confronted with the objects in public space functioning as game obstacles. In this way the game transforms the meaning of the physical object in public space. ...
For The Birdz is a motion tracking game, where the player can can fly a virtual bird by real body movements. The player is standing in front of a camera. A computer is analyzing the movements in the image and will filter out the positions of the users hands. The positions are translated to a virtual 3D bird, which is projected in front of the player. By moving the hands the player can control the wings of the bird and start to fly. ...
qbic is an abstract computer game, an interactive environment, where the user is challenged to build audio visual sculptures. He is encouraged to express himself and to develop a sensitivity in the use of colors, forms and sounds. In qbic the user can build audiovisual sculptures, which are determined by different parameters: First the user chooses a basic form (pyramid, sphere or cube) with a color. He can define this color with three RGB sliders. Depending on the chosen form and color a specific sound fragment is linked to that object. He can place that object in the 3D environment. The position in the space defines the moment when the object is activated and plays its sound. The shape of the object can be deformed, by which the pitch of the sound fragment changes. Through these different parameters, there are infinitive possibilities to create own compositions. The created composition can be saved and presented to other users. ...