"Captain Wubba's going to save Planet Xenon."
Do you recall how I made that list of upcoming events back in March? (If not, it was a mere two postings ago).
Well, all of those adventures have come and gone, and (other than a brief dalliance regaling my time at PAX East), I haven't said a word on them. Time to change that, I believe, and to add a bit more. However, in a nod to Nolan's first full length feature "Memento" (yes, he DID make movies before Batman came along, go watch all of them), I will be replaying these memories in reverse.
As in, starting with this past weekend, and moving back through to April. I hope nothing too exciting happens in the interim to interrupt this broadcast. This should be an interesting test of my rapidly degenerating memory. Good thing I picked up an iPhone and started taking a LOT of pictures with it. A lot for me at least.
Let's begin.
I'll start my rearward stroll with this past weekend. I woke up Sunday a little worn over following the previous night's carousing. Namely, the annual Fairy Party that some friends of mine host. What is a Fairy Party, you may ask? It's kind of like a costume party, only with more focus on the theme and less on the garb. In this case, there were various kinds of drinks in a sangria style, but with all sorts of "fairy" flair. There are also tarot readings, talent performances, and the reading of the secrets. Each guest is provided a slip of paper on which to scribble anything they can think of, in complete anonymity. Think Post Secret, with less collages.
It was wonderful to see so many people I know and enjoy in one place, and to have such a genuinely good time doing nothing at all. I didn't even get home until 4am, if that says anything, and I probably would have stayed 'til dawn if things hadn't started to disperse.
Some pictures to follow.
A few more (terrible) photos here.
-----
Earlier that day was a trip to DC, with the intent of finally visiting that blasted Art of Video Games exhibit at the American Art Museum. I've been looking forward to seeing it since I first heard about it this past winter. Honestly, it was a little bit of a disappointment.
Before I go into said dissatisfaction, it should be known that I am extremely delighted to see a major museum (the Smithsonian, for chrissakes) hosting an exhibit on the value of video games as an art form. This is something, obviously, that is near and dear to me. In case you're new here, I've been playing video games for basically my entire life. I don't expect I'll ever stop doing so. Hell, I've beaten "Plants Vs. Zombies" 5 times over on my phone, and I still sneak in an occasional (read: 4 times daily) level between meetings at work. Games and gaming is, has, and always will be a huge part of my life, and a big part of my "deal".
I even wrote a garrulous and pontifical post on the subject almost a year ago.
That being said, I was somewhat let down by the...simplicity of the exhibit. I later remarked
that it felt like a senior project put together over a semester, which is quite striking in review. The were only 3 rooms to the whole affair, only one of which delved into any of the actual art behind games (concept sketches, character models, even packaging designs). Even that was lacking in conveying the true strengths inherent in a medium that is more interactive than literature or film combined.
Video games tell stories that the player is directly involved in, moving the action forward or staying static at their own whims. They are not just a measure of the graphics that display them or the lines of code that define them, but of the emotional investment of the person playing the game. To quote Chris Melissinos, the creator of the exhibit:
"[Games] are the only form of art that invites us - even requires us - to participate in order to fully express itself."
While I didn't feel that his exhibit expressed this concept very well, I have to agree with that assessment.
No photos to follow, as nothing really struck me as interesting enough to snap a shot of. Instead, here's a shot of the actual production model of the U.S.S. Enterprise used in the original "Star Trek" tv series:
My game-playing over the last several months has been sorely lacking, and I must need remedy that. Forthwith!
TTFN
-Dav-
"Rand Peltzer, Fantastic ideas for a fantastic world, I make the illogical logical." "Gremlins" is one of those movies that was so much more terrifying as a kid. Going back as an adult and watching it, I'm not the least bit frightened by it. ...right?
Well, all of those adventures have come and gone, and (other than a brief dalliance regaling my time at PAX East), I haven't said a word on them. Time to change that, I believe, and to add a bit more. However, in a nod to Nolan's first full length feature "Memento" (yes, he DID make movies before Batman came along, go watch all of them), I will be replaying these memories in reverse.
As in, starting with this past weekend, and moving back through to April. I hope nothing too exciting happens in the interim to interrupt this broadcast. This should be an interesting test of my rapidly degenerating memory. Good thing I picked up an iPhone and started taking a LOT of pictures with it. A lot for me at least.
Let's begin.
I'll start my rearward stroll with this past weekend. I woke up Sunday a little worn over following the previous night's carousing. Namely, the annual Fairy Party that some friends of mine host. What is a Fairy Party, you may ask? It's kind of like a costume party, only with more focus on the theme and less on the garb. In this case, there were various kinds of drinks in a sangria style, but with all sorts of "fairy" flair. There are also tarot readings, talent performances, and the reading of the secrets. Each guest is provided a slip of paper on which to scribble anything they can think of, in complete anonymity. Think Post Secret, with less collages.
It was wonderful to see so many people I know and enjoy in one place, and to have such a genuinely good time doing nothing at all. I didn't even get home until 4am, if that says anything, and I probably would have stayed 'til dawn if things hadn't started to disperse.
Some pictures to follow.
A few more (terrible) photos here.
-----
Earlier that day was a trip to DC, with the intent of finally visiting that blasted Art of Video Games exhibit at the American Art Museum. I've been looking forward to seeing it since I first heard about it this past winter. Honestly, it was a little bit of a disappointment.
Before I go into said dissatisfaction, it should be known that I am extremely delighted to see a major museum (the Smithsonian, for chrissakes) hosting an exhibit on the value of video games as an art form. This is something, obviously, that is near and dear to me. In case you're new here, I've been playing video games for basically my entire life. I don't expect I'll ever stop doing so. Hell, I've beaten "Plants Vs. Zombies" 5 times over on my phone, and I still sneak in an occasional (read: 4 times daily) level between meetings at work. Games and gaming is, has, and always will be a huge part of my life, and a big part of my "deal".
I even wrote a garrulous and pontifical post on the subject almost a year ago.
That being said, I was somewhat let down by the...simplicity of the exhibit. I later remarked
that it felt like a senior project put together over a semester, which is quite striking in review. The were only 3 rooms to the whole affair, only one of which delved into any of the actual art behind games (concept sketches, character models, even packaging designs). Even that was lacking in conveying the true strengths inherent in a medium that is more interactive than literature or film combined.
Video games tell stories that the player is directly involved in, moving the action forward or staying static at their own whims. They are not just a measure of the graphics that display them or the lines of code that define them, but of the emotional investment of the person playing the game. To quote Chris Melissinos, the creator of the exhibit:
"[Games] are the only form of art that invites us - even requires us - to participate in order to fully express itself."
While I didn't feel that his exhibit expressed this concept very well, I have to agree with that assessment.
No photos to follow, as nothing really struck me as interesting enough to snap a shot of. Instead, here's a shot of the actual production model of the U.S.S. Enterprise used in the original "Star Trek" tv series:
My game-playing over the last several months has been sorely lacking, and I must need remedy that. Forthwith!
TTFN
-Dav-
"Rand Peltzer, Fantastic ideas for a fantastic world, I make the illogical logical." "Gremlins" is one of those movies that was so much more terrifying as a kid. Going back as an adult and watching it, I'm not the least bit frightened by it. ...right?