Punk Arcade is an exhibition I co-curated with Philadelphia-based artist and curator Lee Tusman.
Punk Arcade is a traveling DIY games exhibit presenting works that are independent, minimal, offbeat, and sometimes gritty. All the featured games have been constructed rapidly, by one person or a small team, outside of the AAA world of mainstream videogames. These works are the product of increased access to game-making software tools which have opened up the field of game-making to publics who had previously never had the necessary skills. These new designers, or “video game zinesters” (as dubbed by game designer Anna Anthropy), are shifting the pre-existing paradigm for the creation and distribution of games by creating radical work that can be distributed online for free.
Punk Arcade is an alternative arcade featuring seven games meant to represent the range of work produced by the DIY videogame community. The exhibition is supplemented with a game-making workshop for artists and others with no prior experience in programming or videogame design.
Featuring: Keep Me Occupied by Anna Anthropy, Big Huggin’ by Lindsay Grace, Tennnes by Jan Willem Nijman, Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure by Ryan and Cassie Creighton, Can You Jump It 3D by Steven “Increpare” Lavelle, The Immoral Ms. Panic by Hannah Epstein, Jetpack Basketball by Messhoff.
Press:
DIY Video Game Exhibit Asks “Do You Feel Lucky, Punk?”- PhiladelphiaWeekly.com
Hey Philadelphia: Visit the Punk Arcade This Friday at Little Berlin – Venus Patrol
Re-View: Game On – Philadelphia City Paper
