I Crave Rapport

Seems i’ve morphed into the Producer of an epic postapocalyptic RPG improv theater show with realtime livedrawing and digital scenery.

Typical.

Sometimes while filing ancient email I run across something powerful that I wrote years ago in correspondence with a friend.  That happened to me yesterday and it resonated with me enough that I want to share it.  Maybe this perspective I describe isn’t just about being a female artist, but my suspicion is we especially need to hear it, at a certain moment in our creative lives, especially those that work in traditionally masculine-dominated media.

On 3/23/08 11:16 AM, Karen* wrote:

Dude, can I ask you a question? I have to update my
website to list my projects, but I feel so critical
of everything I've ever done, I don't want to put
anything up. But that's stupid.  But I still feel
that way.   

On 3/23/08 12:47 PM, Heather wrote:

I'm actually going through the same thing because
i'm working on this artists talk that i have to give
in a week at my symposium, where i'm supposed to be
"an artist."  It's like, why the heck would anyone
be impressed by X?  (For example, a quickly thrown-
together DS game concept demo using badly-edited
photos of cupcakes and auto parts that I pulled off
the web?)

I think you/me/we/women just have to do some things
(and this may just be various ways of saying the same
thing over and over, plus I'm ranting):

1. Realize that the quality is there, regardless
   of our perception of it

2. Practice getting over our self-criticism to see
   what is good from an objective perspective

3. Know what to highlight and what to ignore

4. Spin Spin Spin

5. Realize people WANT to think it's good, to be
   impressed, to look up to us/someone.  So don't
   do anything to disavow them of that desire.

6. There's always the hidden insecurity behind the
   scenes, with everyone. So it's there. Who cares.

7. Talk about what is interesting about the work,
   from a completely external perspective.  If you
   were seeing this stuff for the first time, what
   would be interesting about it to you?

On 3/23/08 3:12 PM, Karen wrote:

Oh my god this email is awesome. THANK YOU. I needed this.
I wish this wasn't so hard!

Yeah, that Heather Kelley writes some decent stuff sometimes.  I should listen to her more often.

* All names (except mine) have been changed.

The keynote lecture I gave at the FMX conference in Stuttgart last month introduced a concept I call “GameSpaces.” Drawing from the best design patterns of tech startup incubators, indie game jams, unconferences, and hackspaces, GameSpaces are a thoroughly un-radical call for indie game developers to collaborate with local and regional entities (governments, bureaus, indie developers in other fields) and build permanent creative spaces in the places where they live.   Here’s my presentation slides, with narrative notes.

PDF – 14.4 mb (no video)

Keynote – 25.2 mb (with video)

PPT – 24.6 mb (with video)

As World Cup 2010 approaches, let me direct your attention to Breakaway, a game sponsored by the United Nations with the goal to end violence against women by reaching out to young men around the world.  Through exciting football (soccer) gameplay and intriguing character and story, the game reveals issues of gender discrimination and violence, and offer alternatives.  The hope is to end violent and discriminatory acts against women and girls before they even start.

I had the great privilege of working on this project with the incredible team of students at the Emergent Media Center at Champlain College.  They have launched the first episode of this ground-breaking online game right in time to ride the wave of World Cup fever.  Breakaway is free to play – so pass it along to all the young people you know!

The student and faculty team at the EMC have done an amazing job at balancing the needs of institutional sponsors and partners, the interests of the young players, and the complexity of the issue itself.  I can’t wait to see what happens next!

From now through the end of May i’m going on something of an epic multi-part travel and speaking “tour” in New York, Germany, and Austria.   Mostly I’m talking about the development of Gamma, and how things seem to be coming together right now for a semi-movement of stylish and creative short-form gaming in public/social spaces (formerly/formally known as arcades).  Maybe I will see you at one of these stops!   The public (free/cheap) events are in bold.  I’ll update this as I gather more details to fill in for each.

(awesome poster by Rachel Morris)

Friday April 23 – NYC
NYU Game Center presentation and discussion – “Building the New Arcade”
721 Broadway, Room 006, 6pm
http://gamecenter.nyu.edu/?p=382

Continue reading →

Hopefully no actual breastmilk was harmed in the making of this poster.

Deep in the throes of Gamma4 preparations this week, but also have some happy news for my personal efforts. At the beginning of April I’ll be in Hong Kong for an upcoming sex+tech gallery exhibit co-curated by monochrom, founders of Arse Elektronika (not to be confused with, or at least only briefly and bemusedly confused with, Ars Electronica) and Hong Kong new media gallery Videotage.

Technosexual Bodies

I’m working with Damien on a new piece called Body Heat that’s a manifestation of some concepts I’ve been thinking about for a year or so. So, they’re not showing Lapis!

This will be my first time in China, or anywhere in Asia, for that matter. Very much looking forward to it.

Please Say Something – Full Length from David OReilly on Vimeo.

Watch HD, fullscreen, with headphones.

GDC is fast approaching, and Erin Robinson and I are already hard at work on our 2010 Game Design Challenge concept, defending our title after winning last year’s challenge.  I don’t think the theme has been announced yet so I don’t intend to reveal it here, but I can safely say it is NOT a sex-themed game!   Hooray.  Seriously.   Also, looking forward to sitting on the panel with Kim Swift and Jenova Chen.  Can’t wait to see what they come up with!

Both of the panels I spoke on last year ended up as free content on the GDC Vault.  So, if you want to catch up on last year’s Game Design Challenge on sex+autobiography, or the Indie Game Maker Rants at the IGS, head over to the Vault and check ‘em out.

View of Lake Champlain from the Firehouse Center for the Arts

What you see here is the view from my window.  I’m in the top level of a turn-of-the-19th-century firehouse, in Burlington Vermont.  The old structure has been converted into a downtown center for the arts, and at the moment the entire ground floor has been transformed into a stylish arcade of some of the most notable “art games” (or, artistic games) of the past 3 years or so.   The show is called Game (Life) and it’s on display until February 13th if you want to come check it out.

Up here in the tower, I’m the Artist in Residence for a week.  I’m primarily working on an oral/visual history of Kokoromi and Gamma’s first four years, which I’ll present at a lecture on Friday evening at Champlain College, just up the hill.   I’ll also be doing an artist’s talk and discussion here at the Firehouse on Saturday evening, followed by a reception.   At that one I’ll talk more about my Live Game Code project, and SUGAR, since it’s on display here in the gallery arcade.

Paolo's game and SUGAR nestle up at the Firehouse

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

I’m back in Montreal (though I’m now actually in Austin, which should (and will) be a whole ‘nother post) where I’m doing research in the Technoculture Art and Games research group at Hexagram – Concordia.  I’m working with Jason Camlot in the English department to design an experimental game inspired by his research on late Victorian sound recordings.

Meanwhile, SUGAR, the game I created at my Subotron/Quartier21 residency, is debuting in the U.S. on Friday in the show Game (Life): Video Games in Contemporary Art at the Firehouse Gallery in Burlington Vermont.  If you’re nearby, come play!   In January, I will be holding a short residency there, and giving some lectures.

And of course, Kokoromi announced the theme for Gamma 4!   Things are really heating up… developers seem excited by the accessible challenge (not to mention the accessibility challenge), and by the event’s visibility since our move to GDC.  Submissions this year could be an order of magnitude more plentiful than previous years.  So we’re preparing for that possibility….