May 12, 2008
The world's first piece of online conceptual video game art.
...a primitive version of 'Pong', being played by two artificial intelligences, with the entire code governing the mechanics of the game exposed below it, and the variables affecting the mechanics to the right. Furthermore, you can remove lines of code and see the effects in real time.
The motivation behind this piece was to further explore the degree to which video games can be considered 'Art', by using the constituent parts of a well known gaming experience to explore themes of freedom, restriction, and frailty." I found this very interesting. I'm not sure about the themes explored, but it at least gives a nice peak under the hood.
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Is that REALLY all the code there is to PONG? Oh, okay. That's just the part we can mess with. So, by limiting the amount of viewer interaction to that one function the artist is in fact subverting the very freedom and nakedness he purports to be offering, limiting where he claims to expand, forcing the viewer into a constrained set of interpretations, just as patriarchal status-quo art has always done. Boo. (I kid. IANADBC.)
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I don't get it. Or maybe I do and think it fails as "art". Which is to say, I don't find it profound or particularly meaningful. Perhaps this is simply aimed at a different audience than me.
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The code presented is that of the AI, not the game itself.
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It's kinda fun to screw with the PLAYFIELD.