Electron Dance Highlights
Dabblings 2019: A Wander Through Rezzed
A video version of my series covering EGX Rezzed 2019.
GAMES & MUSIC
- GARDEN (Biome Collective) accompanied by Daedelus "Viva Vida"
- WARDIALLER (nervous_testpilot) accompanied by Soulwax "Krack"
- BECALM (Colorfiction)
- EXHAUSTLANDS (Sand Gardeners) accompanied by Mark Morgan "Ravel's Maze"
- BALLOONBOUND (Awkward Silence Games) accompanied by Calexico "Frontera"
- EMPIRES IN RUINS (Hammer and Ravens) accompanied by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Russian Easter Festival Overture, Op. 36 (Cosmos soundtrack, performed by Seattle Symphony Orchestra)
- NTH DIMENSION[AL] HIKING (Zachariah Chandler) accompanied by Naked Funk "Evolution Ending"
- OMNO (Jonas Manke) accompanied by Rysy "Brat (feat. Justyna Święs)"
- CYBERPET GRAVEYARD (Nathalie Lawhead) accompanied by Ultrasyd "Some Melodies Are Like Flowers - Just Emo"
- VECTRONOM (Ludopium) accompanied by cYsmix "Potion"
- THE TWISTED TOWER (Pocket Money Games) accompanied by Christopher Young "Resurrection"
- RECOMPILE (Phigames) accompanied by Module "Argon Refinery"
- ANNWN: THE OTHERWORLD (Quantum Soup Studio) accompanied by Greg Chandler "Rotten Walls"
- DOGGERLAND RADIO (Amy Godliman) accompanied by Willits + Sakamoto "Cold Heat"
- APE OUT (Cuzzillo, Foddy & Boch) accompanied by Skalpel "Quiz"
- SIGMA THEORY (Mi-Clos Studio) accompanied by Hybrid "Altitude (Red Square Reprise)"
A Field of Flowers
No Man’s Sky. Go anywhere. Encounter unique flora. Encounter unique fauna. Encounter unique rocks. Trade with other species. Encounter unique rocks. Swim in the sea. Fly in the air. Sting like a bumblebee. I treated the hype and wild speculation with the contempt it deserved.
I still don't know how I stretched this project out over two years. But there's a Behind The Scenes video with some answers...
LINKS
- Bateman & Zagal's paper, "Game Design Lineages: Minecraft's Inventory"
- Electron Dance interview with Ed Key
- Blake Patterson's tweet of the strange creature
- Jeff Vogel's article referencing stealing ideas to make new work
UNRELEASED BAD GAMES
- Original @moshboy tweet
- @mousefountain
- @fromsmiling
- @ragzouken
- @brie_irl
- @erikaverkaaik
- @molleindustria
- @regisRquoi
- @boxheadpixelart
- @david_is_neato
- @saltire
- @jplur_
- @PaleFeatherZen
- @horsman
- @Sleeper_Games
- @sam_suite
- @Fenreliania
- @Burrito_Tim
CREDITS
MUSIC
- Stephan Bodzin “Birth”
- Cid Rim “Surge”
- Colleen “Ritournelle”
- Oliver “MYB”
- Skalpel “Theme from ‘Behind the Curtain’”
- Professor Klik “Bust That Bust This”
- Stanley Myers “The Martian Chronicles Theme”
- Funki Porcini “Back Home”
- Bernard Herrmann “The Day The Earth Stood Still Theme”
- Kölsch “Opa”
- Ron Grainer “The Prisoner Closing Credits”
- Stu Phillips “Buck Rogers Theme (Closing Credits)”
- Sakari Oramo, The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra & Helsinki Chamber Choir “Graffiti: Bar 403”
- Superpoze “For We The Living”
- Monstergetdown & Rhett “Sanctuary”
- Biosphere “Shenzhou”
- Louis Philippe “Your Life”
- Adhesive Wombat “8 Bit Adventure”
- The Dead Texan “Aegina Airlines”
- Nitin Sawhney “Daybreak (feat. Faheem Mazhar)”
GAMES
- qrth-phyl, Verran
- No Man’s Sky, Hello Games
- Quarries of Scred, Darkest Kale
- Recursed, Portponky
- Bioshock Infinite, Irrational Games
- Out There, Mi-Clos Studio
- Mirrormoon EP, Santa Ragione
- Proteus, Key & Kanaga
- Minecraft, Mojang
- Noctis IV, Alessandro Ghignola
- Pac-Man, Namco
- 3D Monster Maze, Malcolm Evans
- Dungeon Master, FTL
- Mercenary, Novagen
- Ultima IV, Origin Systems
- Elite, Braben & Bell
- Star Raiders, Atari
- Zork, Infocom
- Adventure, Atari
- FLOP, Bennett Foddy
- Domina, Bignic
- Archaica: The Path of Light, Two Mammoths
- Chromatron, Sean Barrett
- Aargon, Twilight Games
- The Incredible Machine, Kevin Ryan
- Deflektor, Vortex Software
- Laser Chess, Mike Duppong
- Breakout, Atari
- Sky Diver, Atari
- Video Olympics, Atari
- Space Invaders, Atari
- Pelé's Soccer, Atari
- Bientôt l’été, Tale of Tales
- Soma, Frictional Games
- Only If, Creability
- Faith, Airdorf Games
- Cart Life, Richard Hofmeier
- Endlight, Bigpants
FOOTAGE
- Donald Trump 1980 Interview, NBC News
- Farage: ‘Let June 23 be the UK’s Independence day’, ITV News
- USA Trump World Tower Celebration, AP Archive
- Boris goes bananas as Brexit battle bus visits Stafford, Staffordshire Newsletter
- The Inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, The White House
- The ITV #Brexit Debate – David Cameron, Nigel Farage on the EU Referendum
- The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
- Horror Express (1973)
- No Man's Sky - E3 2014 Gameplay Trailer at Sony Press Conference
- Planet of the Vampires (1965)
- Mary Poppins (1964)
- A Clockwork Orange (1972)
- Farscape episode “We’re So Screwed, Part III: La Bomba”
- The 2017 Game Developers Choice Awards
AUDIO
FREESOUND AUDIO
Film Update: Nov 2018
I have been working hard these last few weeks and took a day off work today, just to meet a self-imposed deadline. It's not done done, but I feel okay making the date public.
Penetrate the Night: The Movie
And while you’re mulling these questions over… grind will see you through. Grind is easy. It asks no questions of you. It offers routine. It promises progress. Keep all the numbers rising, players love their sultry numbers. But they are a mere illusion of progress, a distraction from the frustration. And there… there is the trap.
Here is the next Electron Dance film, a theatrical re-enactment of Penetrate the Night, which considers the addictive qualities of Cultist Simulator (Weather Factory, 2018).
Watch the film below or direct on YouTube.
FEATURED GAMES
- Starseed Pilgrim
- Cultist Simulator
- Bonbon
- Overcooked
- Minecraft
- The Sense of Connectedness
- Cookie Clicker
- Domina
AUDIO
- Imphenzia Universal Sound FX
- Albert Clock Bell (https://freesound.org/s/433773/)
SPECIAL THANKS
- Andy Durdin
- Gregg Burnell
- droqen
Status Report: May 2017
This is an update for my YouTube subscribers and includes footage for the in-development Endlight. Watch on YouTube or embedded below:
Links
Music
- Professor Klik "Wire & Flashing Lights"
- Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind-Tourre "Title Music From A Clockwork Orange"
The Drake Incident: A Dark Souls Story
Ding dong, the Bell Gargoyles are dead. I ring the bell. Where next for my lonely undead hero...?
Watch the film below or direct on YouTube.
HOW IT WAS MADE
If you're interested in how the film came into being, which is partly through luck and partly through bloody-minded determination, here's How I Made: The Drake Incident.
FEATURED GAMES
- Dark Souls, From Software
- Temple of Apshai Trilogy, Epyx
FOOTAGE
- 1970s Cinema Intermission Intro
- Intermission Time
- Home Alone (audio of scream)
- Odeon adverts and trailer package
- Mecha-Mecha Iketeru!
- WarGames
- No Country For Old Men
- Kill Bill Vol. 1
MUSIC
- Motoi Sakuraba "Firelink Shrine" (Dark Souls)
- Motoi Sakuraba "Bell Gargoyles" (Dark Souls)
- Kokenn "Without"
- Quantic "Common Knowledge"
- Vladimir Platine "Destiny"
- Motoi Sakuraba "Centipede Demon" (Dark Souls)
- Motoi Sakuraba "Dark Sun Gwyndolin" (Dark Souls)
- scntfc "Lost (Prologue)" (Oxenfree OST)
- Robin Trower "Bridge of Sighs"
What I Really Thought About The Witness
Hidden inside The Unbearable Now was access to a secret video. After three weeks, I decided to make the video public for everyone. Here it is, twenty random observations about The Witness (Thelka, 2016) which had no home in The Unbearable Now.
There be much spoilers for The Witness from the very beginning; the focus is more on puzzle mechanics.
Also here’s the audience retention graph for The Unbearable Now! Click the image for a larger version.
The red band indicates the twenty second challenge. I was pleased to discover that the audience who hung on this far stayed for the ride and did not let me down. The green circle seems to be interest in Sokobond, but I can’t be sure. The spike at the end is clearly a lot of viewers trying to solve the mystery of the secret video.
The Unbearable Now: On The Witness
On the theme park island of The Witness, you solve puzzles. Solving puzzles leads to more puzzles. Keep working. Keep digging. Keep solving. Again and again and again. But this process cannot continue forever. Where does The Witness end? And why?
At last, it is here: The Unbearable Now is a spoiler-filled interpretation of The Witness (Thelka, 2016) that’s been months in the making. It is laced with a few choice expletives, but definitely no gore. Or nudity.
Watch the film below or direct on YouTube.
FEATURED GAMES
- Futilitris, Twinbeard Studios
- Braid, Number None
- Sokobond, Hazelden & Lee
- The Talos Principle, Croteam
- Full Bore, Whole Hog Games
FOOTAGE
- The Last Mimzy
- The Karate Kid
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- The Matrix
- The Witness Consciousness - Vashishta Cave Talk With Anand
- MBSR Widening the Circle Video
MUSIC
- Worakls "Toi"
- N'To "Trauma" (Worakls Remix)
- Fauré Requiem Op.48, Angus Dei (perf. by The Sixteen)
- Worakls "Salzburg"
- Edvard Greig, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op 46, Anitra's Dance (perf. by Metropolitan Philharmonic Orchestra)
- Edvard Greig, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op 46, In the Hall of the Mountain King (perf. by Metropolitan Philharmonic Orchestra)
- b.lakes "Cemetary Walk"
- The.madpix.project "Bad Chick"
- Edvard Greig, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op 46, Death of Åse (perf. by Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra)
- Howlround "A Viewless Sea"
- Mikael Fyrek "Bathing in a River of Discordant Music"
- Push-Pull "Liquid Mountain"
- Lecyr "Luminautore"
- Teho "Ade"
- Rémy Bourgeois "Nostalgic Memories"
- Rémy Bourgeois "Few Minutes of Us"
- Boris Brejcha "Lost Memory"
FURTHER READING
- Taming the Inexplicable, Liz Ryerson
- The Meaning of the Witness, Sean Han-Tani-Chen-Hogan
- The Witness: What It Means, Jeff Grubb
- The Witness - A Great Game That You Shouldn't Play, Joseph Anderson (YouTube)
Trailer: The Unbearable Now
As the next film is taking a while to complete, I thought I'd put out a trailer. No game spoilers for The Witness appear in the trailer, although the final film will be nothing but spoilers.
Into The Black: The Movie
How do videogames undermine those players who enjoy exploring virtual worlds? Here is the fourth Electron Dance film, a hybrid of Into the Black and Chekhov's Collectible.
Watch this video below or direct on YouTube.
FEATURED GAMES
- Obsolete, Orihaus
- Proteus, Key & Kanaga
- Flight Simulator II, subLOGIC
- GTA III, Rockstar Games
- Fuel, Codemasters
- Dear Esther, The Chinese Room
- TRIHAYWBFRFYH, Connor Sherlock
- TIMEframe, Random Seed Games
- Secret Habitat, Strangethink
- Bernband, Tom van den Boogaart
- Aeon, Orihaus
- Lumière, Orihaus
- Césure, Orihaus
- Xaxi, Orihaus
FOOTAGE
MUSIC
- Jerry Goldsmith "The Cloud" (Star Trek: The Motion Picture soundtrack)
- Rémy Bourgeois (prev. Aaren Reale) "Bal de Nuit"
- Max Richter "Maria"
- Andrew Hewitt "The Double Theme (Version 2)" (The Double OST)
- Andrew Hewitt "A Boy Held Up By String" (The Double OST)
- Jerry Goldsmith "Ilia's Theme" (Star Trek: The Motion Picture soundtrack)
- Max Richter "November"
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