Studioforum

Oktober / November 2010

Lectures from "A MAZE. Interact – Jan 29 – Feb 6 2010 ...celebrating the convergence of games, art, and music"

1) Keiichi Yano
2) Martin Pichlmair
3) Symposium Talkround

KEIICHI YANO (JP)
Keynote: The Future of Music Games (Jan 31, 15:45)

Tokyo-based game designer and musician. He started his career by creating the cult music game "Gitaroo Man" as lead programmer. In 1996 he co-founded the independent game development company iNiS, where he continued to design music games such as "Ossu!, Tatakae!, Ouendan" and "Elite Beat Agents".
iNiS regularly develops games for major platforms. Most recently he created the karaoke game "Lips", for the Xbox 360. When he's not making games, he spends time on his second passion: music. Yano-san majored in Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California and regularly performs at jazz gigs in Tokyo's club scene.
"Music games have fast become one of the major gaming genres in our time. They include some of the best selling games ever and continue to grow in popularity. The advent of new user interfaces such as Nintendo's Wii remote, Microsoft's Project Natal and Sony's Motion Controller create new challenges for music game developers who are trying to get the most possible out of these exciting new interfaces. In this talk, a presentation of these new technologies and how it can apply to music gaming will be presented. Futuristic insight into how the next generation of music games can continue to push the genre forward into new gaming plateaus with these interfaces will be be the focus." His game 'Osu!, Tatakae!, Ouendan' is part of the Music-Games Exhibition.
www.inis.jp
 
MARTIN PICHLMAIR (AT)
Tracing the History of Synaesthetic Video Games and Media Artwork (Jan 31, 16:45)
Game designer, media artist and researcher living and working in Vienna, Austria. Pichlmair holds a PhD in Informatics and was assistant professor at the Institute of Design and Assessment of Technology at the Vienna University of Technology between 2004 and 2009.
His art pieces have been shown at various international exhibitions and festivals including Ars Electronica, Transmediale, ISEA, Microwave Festival and MANIFESTA7. Currently, Pichlmair is establishing his own game company: Studio Radiolaris.
"Radio Flare Redux is a new way to experience music. It is a video game designed to render contemporary electronic music an interactive experience. A shoot Õem up where your enemies are slaves to the rhythm. A synaesthetic voyage through space. The level design of Radio Flare Redux is closely tied to music. Every sound event triggers a gameplay event. Each level is a song. Radio Flare Redux is a very experimental game that challenges traditional notions of gameplay. There are no lives and there is no game over. Just music in hyperspace.
The lecture will present the game Radio Flare Redux and trace the history of synaesthetic video games and media artworks Ð from Kandinsky to Rez, from Frank Malina to wipeOut.
www.radiolaris.com
http://attacksyour.net/pi/wordpress/

ABOUT A MAZE.
By combining courage for experimentation and joy in gaming, A MAZE. celebrates the convergence of computer games and art. A MAZE. is more than simply a festival, it is a series of events as well as a conceptual format that offers a regularly emerging platform for interdisciplinary exchange. Creatives are encouraged to break down the conventional computer game and surpass established concepts of play.

A MAZE. emerges regularly with exhibitions, lectures, workshops, or concerts and creates a platform to communicate, express ideas, learn from each other and playfully experiment together. This reveals the creative and cultural potential that lies behind the ambivalent medium of the computer game. Playful interaction encourages interpersonal exchange. Intersections with related media such as film, TV, literature or music offer further sources for inspiration. A MAZE. was founded in January 2008 in Berlin. At their heart all projects realized since then center around the presentation and production of art, culture, and science. A MAZE. combines enjoyment with critical reflection.

Elektronische Studios aus ganz Deutschland und dem Ausland werden hier portraitiert und stellen ihre aktuellen Projekte, Forschungsvorhaben und Entwicklungsarbeiten vor. Das Studio-Forum dient langfristig dem Austausch zwischen den Studios als Produktionsstätten vielfältiger elektroakustischer Musik und Klangkunst.