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Originally published on 08/30/03
Selectparks has been mentioned once or twice here before for its encouragement of and the platform it creates for the games industry, in particular [relating] to small independent companies and artists doing interesting things. next>>

9-11 Survivor is a game mod in development based on the Unreal Game engine that has its documentation and details of its progress hosted on "Selectparks." [top] next>>

A game mod is basically a unit, usually visual or aural, designed for a game that already exists. [top] next>>
For example, a designer or artist takes a game such as "Quake" or "Unreal" and uses it (the basic code, the engine) to create a game with their own visuals and sounds. [top] next>>
A shoot-em-up has to stay a game with characters either chasing or fleeing from each other; a racing game has to remain a racing game; yet, beyond that, there is plenty of scope to produce interesting re-interpretations of games of the particular chosen genre. [top] next>>

"9-11 Survivor" does exactly this. It reconfigures a game environment / space to tackle current social events and real world spaces. [top] next>>
It questions the idea of a 'game' being "An activity providing entertainment or amusement; a pastime" and how a disaster situation can be so over mediated that it ultimately gets translated to a space where it can be instigated at will. [top] next>>
A game is genre where players are usually chasing each other to punch, shoot and kill each other in a fantasy environment, but here they are running for survival in a former real world scenario. [top] next>>
Whether this is an outlet for a huge loss (some of the designers seem to have been present at the real disaster) or transgresses the boundaries of taste in terms of respect for the deceased, one thing is certain: that "9-11 Survivor" is an absolutely valid new media art; it questions us, the world, and our relation to it, not because it should but because as "good" art, it must.
:: Garrett Lynch ::
[top]
Originally published on 08/30/03
Selectparks has been mentioned once or twice here before for its encouragement of and the platform it creates for the games industry, in particular [relating] to small independent companies and artists doing interesting things. 9-11 Survivor is a game mod in development based on the Unreal Game engine that has its documentation and details of its progress hosted on "Selectparks."

A game mod is basically a unit, usually visual or aural, designed for a game that already exists. For example, a designer or artist takes a game such as "Quake" or "Unreal" and uses it (the basic code, the engine) to create a game with their own visuals and sounds. A shoot-em-up has to stay a game with characters either chasing or fleeing from each other; a racing game has to remain a racing game; yet, beyond that, there is plenty of scope to produce interesting re-interpretations of games of the particular chosen genre.

"9-11 Survivor" does exactly this. It reconfigures a game environment / space to tackle current social events and real world spaces. It questions the idea of a 'game' being "An activity providing entertainment or amusement; a pastime" and how a disaster situation can be so over mediated that it ultimately gets translated to a space where it can be instigated at will. A game is genre where players are usually chasing each other to punch, shoot and kill each other in a fantasy environment, but here they are running for survival in a former real world scenario.

Whether this is an outlet for a huge loss (some of the designers seem to have been present at the real disaster) or transgresses the boundaries of taste in terms of respect for the deceased, one thing is certain: that "9-11 Survivor" is an absolutely valid new media art; it questions us, the world, and our relation to it, not because it should but because as "good" art, it must.
:: Garrett Lynch ::

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