Joystiq

Here's how many people saw The Smithsonian's Art of Games

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 01:30:00 EST

The Art of Video Games exhibit just concluded its run at The Smithsonian and the final number of visitors is in: 686,406. The exhibit ran for six months, from March 16 - September 30, so that's well over 100,000 people per month critiquing the art from such games as BioShock, Diablo 2, Donkey Kong, Fallout 3, Goldeneye 007, Doom 2, Minecraft, Jet Set Radio Future, Shadow of Colossus, Star Fox: Assault, Zaxxon and tons more, all chosen by fans via some smooth Smithsonian voting.

For reference, 686,406 people is slightly more than the entire country of Montenegro, more than six Grenadas, or 617,765 dollar-store items in Grenada (10 percent sales tax).

Here's how many people saw The Smithsonian's Art of Games originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 01:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kojima working on 'something' related to film, announcement coming in the 'near future'

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 13:30:00 EST

During a heavily curated question and answer session at the Smithsonian Museum of Art, Hideo Kojima was asked whether he is interested in making films, as his lifelong passion for the cinema has heavily influenced the way he makes games.

According to the Metal Gear Mogul himself, filmmaking is something he's always been interested in and has wanted to try, although he doesn't believe Metal Gear Solid would work as a film in its current form. That doesn't mean he isn't working on anything, however: "I'm working on something, and I hope in the near future I'll have something to announce."

Well then! Here's hoping for that live-action Snatcher adaptation we've been dreaming of since 1994.

Kojima working on 'something' related to film, announcement coming in the 'near future' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hideo Kojima recalls Snatcher's heat-activated disk (what?)

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:30:00 EST

Among the many things that Metal Gear series creator Hideo Kojima is known for - microblogging about everything he eats, for instance - we're particularly interested in his proclivity for breaking the fourth wall. The first Metal Gear Solid's controller port trick is but one example of his bizarre, outside-the-box thinking when it comes to making games. As it turns out, he was trying to do so as early as 1988, when he first worked on the original Snatcher for Konami.

During a roundtable interview session today, just ahead of his appearance at the Smithsonian's "The Art of Videogames" event, Kojima detailed his first forays beyond the game as presented on screen. "Back when I was making Snatcher, which is a PC game - at the time we used floppy disks," he said. "One thing that I wanted to do that I wasn't able to do was that I wanted to have a secret message on the disk -- actually have something written or printed on the disk." Kojima wanted the missive to be heat activated - which is to say "activated by the heat created by the disk drive itself." S ... seriously?

"So maybe when you put it in your disk drive and you're playing for about fifteen minutes, the heat from the disk drive interacts with that chemical and creates a certain smell. It smells like blood or something like that," he said through a translator. "And when you pull it out you see like a dying message on the disk. That was actually an idea I had for the original Snatcher but unfortunately I got yelled at for it and they didn't let me do it." Isn't it always "they?" Those guys are the worst!

Hideo Kojima recalls Snatcher's heat-activated disk (what?) originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smithsonian 'Art of Video Games' winners announced

Justin McElroy — Fri, 06 May 2011 09:31:00 EST

We get a little nervous when a mainstream group decides to make a best-of-gaming list -- "mainstream," of course, in this context being defined as "anyone that's not us." But damned if the Smithsonian and voters like you didn't turn in a dynamite list for the museum's "Art of Video Games" exhibit.

... OK, so Brutal Legend and Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II are kind of out of left field, and where the hell is Yo! Noid? But how do you not love a list that snatches Zack and Wiki from the brink of obscurity and places it right next to Shadow of the Colossus? Read the whole list after the break or peruse it with pictures along a timeline in this PDF.

Continue reading Smithsonian 'Art of Video Games' winners announced

Smithsonian 'Art of Video Games' winners announced originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 May 2011 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smithsonian extends voting on Art of Video Games exhibit through April 17

Mike Schramm — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 08:45:00 EST

We know -- you were going to vote for the Smithsonian's Art of Video Games exhibit, but then your cat got lost, you had extra homework to do and your collection of various Mario figurines needed organizing. But just in case you hadn't made plans to get your vote in by Thursday, you're in luck: the voting deadline has been extended to April 17, through the third Sunday of this month.

The vote is trying to narrow down the list to just 80 games set to be featured in an exhibition at the famed museum right around this time next year, so you'll be helping to make history with your choices. Joining in to vote also sets you up to get advance notification about the winning games, as well as behind-the-scenes information about the exhibit as it's shown off at the Smithsonian and then toured around the country. So go, vote now -- Chrono Trigger isn't going to pick itself!

Smithsonian extends voting on Art of Video Games exhibit through April 17 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PAX East todo: The Digital Game Canon, a panel about video game preservation

Christopher Grant — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 15:01:00 EST

PAX East is underway and we're dedicated to making sure each one of you makes it to one very special panel. But first, we'll level with you: it requires some homework on your part. "Ten Games You Need to Play: The Digital Game Canon" borrows its name from the 2007 GDC session of the same name, in which an incredible group of panelists (including this writer) deigned to select ten video games that deserved to be preserved. We're revisiting that effort, and reconsidering it with a stellar group of panelists.

This year's panelists include:

Henry Lowood is a professor (and curator!) at Stanford University and chairman of the IGDA's preservation SIG. His academic work is focused on the preservation of video games.
Chris Melissinos was a longtime gaming evangelist at Sun, before founding Past Pixels, an organization dedicated to the preservation of video games. He's currently curating the Smithsonian's Art of Video Games exhibit, scheduled to open in 2012.
Jon Gibson has worn many hats (including games journo and screenwriter hats) but is currently busy with iam8bit, the LA-based outfit responsible for art exhibits, books, and excellent game marketing gigs (think: Capcom Fight Club).
David Gibson has been employed as a Processing Technician in the Library of Congress's Moving Image section since 2006. In that time, he has become a key player in the Library's initiative to collect, preserve, and provide access to America's gaming heritage.
Chris Grant is a writer who works from home in his pajamas.

And your homework:

Get a crash course in game preservation by listening to the entire hour-long "b-side" interview with Henry from Episode 2 of the excellent A Life Well Wasted podcast, which you can find here.
Read the excellent "Preserving Virtual Worlds" final report while waiting in PAX East lines (download it here!) and, when you finish that, move over to "Before It's Too Late: A Digital Game Preservation White Paper" (which you can download here).
VOTE! Head to www.artofvideogames.org and "vote for games that you think are visually spectacular or boast innovative design!" This is for the Smithsonian Institute, guys. Think about that!

And, one final bit of homework: Get in line early. The panel takes place at 2pm on Sunday, March 13, at the IGDA Dev Center (on the 2nd floor, right next to Manticore Theater).

PAX East todo: The Digital Game Canon, a panel about video game preservation originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 12 Mar 2011 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vote on games for Smithsonian's 'The Art of Video Games' exhibit

Randy Nelson — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST

The debate over whether games are art will no doubt still be unsettled when the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. puts them on exhibit -- as art! -- on March 16, 2012. The choice of which games will be on display is being left up to the public to decide, with voting open at artofvideogames.org through April 7, 2010.

The exhibit will feature 80 games and 20 platforms, "from the Atari VCS to the PlayStation 3," spanning five eras: "Start," "8-bit," "Bit Wars," "Transition" and "Next Generation." It's slated to run through September 20, 2012. 240 games are on the ballot, which was vetted by a panel of industry vets. The exhibit's site also features forums where the especially passionate gamers among us can "campaign for particular games and voice their opinions about the selections."

Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some campaigning to do for BotS.

[Image credit: Bobak Ha'Eri]

Continue reading Vote on games for Smithsonian's 'The Art of Video Games' exhibit

Vote on games for Smithsonian's 'The Art of Video Games' exhibit originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OnLive, PlayStation Motion Controller and others getting GDC panels

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:02:00 EST

The latest salvo of announcements for panels and presentations taking place at the Game Developers Conference was recently launched, revealing sessions focusing on a wide range of topics. Said topics include OnLive, Shadow Complex, the Smithsonian's admittance of video games, Blizzard's philosophy on game design, and a panel titled "Introducing the PlayStation Motion Controller." We're pretty sure we're already acquainted, thanks -- though we wouldn't mind if you'd finally tell us the damn thing's name.

Check out the full list of scheduled speeches on GDC's interactive site. Just don't look too hard for that special session which allows you to dine on the finest of breakfast cereals. That one will be at the other March gaming convention.

OnLive, PlayStation Motion Controller and others getting GDC panels originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smithsonian exhibit 'The Art of Video Games' opens in 2012

David Hinkle — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST

From March 16, 2012 until September 9, 2012, the US's popular Smithsonian museum will be showcasing something patrons aren't used to seeing in such an environment: video games. Sure, we've seen video game art exhibitions before, but the Smithsonian exhibit will attempt to be "the first to examine comprehensively the evolution of video games themselves as an artistic medium."

The exhibit, The Art of Video Games, will feature game footage, video interviews with artists and game developers, a history of game consoles and even a few consoles for visitors to play. The museum will also welcome suggestions from attendees and tap Chris Melissinos as guest curator for the exhibit. Our first suggestion for the Smithsonian: hit up Krix for some of his amazing props.

[Thanks, MowDownJoe]

Smithsonian exhibit 'The Art of Video Games' opens in 2012 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The DS Life: Wish Tree

Eric Caoili — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:59:00 EST

Filed under: The DS Life

"As a child in Japan, I used to go to a temple and write out a wish on a piece of thin paper and tie it around the branch of a tree. Trees in temple courtyards were always filled with people's wish knots, which looked like white flowers blossoming from afar." - Yoko Ono

Since the 1990s, Yoko Ono has helped install Wish Trees around the world, just like the ones she used to see in Japan, inviting passerbys to write down their wishes and tie them around the tree's branches. So far, the project has gathered over a hundred thousand wishes.

Many of the wishes are what you'd expect from such an idealistic installation, hopes for peace on Earth and goodwill towards all men. Some are goofy, like petitions for super powers, and a few are even vulgar, such as this one here. The bit of paper we're featuring for this edition of The DS Life, however, is a wish that might melt your heart. Join us past the post break!

Continue reading The DS Life: Wish Tree

The DS Life: Wish Tree originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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