potpourri no.2

mind stuff

so yeah, this fell through the cracks a little bit already. you can't blame me! i had a game jam submission, two back to back presentations, and a wonderful surprise visit from a wonderful friend. i am sad such an eventful weekend is now over, but i am also happy to be getting back on track.


slapping on the bow

presentations

the weekend of talks went incredibly well! both of my presentations garnered immense interest, and i have now made some really cool connections through them.

the creative coding fest workshop recording is not yet available to the public. i will link/upload it as soon as i am notified that it is!

if you would like to watch my maker talk, you can see the recording of the livestream on youtube, or watch below!

i will also have a separate page linking the slides for both, as well as a zine of the contents of the maker talk for download!

and special shout-out to one of my best friends, ellie, for surprising me and attending the talk! i was genuinely so surprised that i questioned if my nerves could really make me hallucinate her presence.

queer joy jam: polly heart, mall mop

some friends and i submitted polly heart: mall mop to queer joy jam!

as game jams go, there were issues with the build, not all of the art was completed, we all got burnt out at the end, etc..... i do not say this in a defeatist way. not being hard on oneself for missing self-imposed, recreational deadlines is a standard i will always uphold. this experience was super freaking fun; the team i worked with was so amazingly talented, and i look forward to pushing the game through the finish line with them in the upcoming weeks!!! stay tuned!!!

japan-us careers webinar

i attended a webinar last week that was a collaboration between the embassy of japan and kizuna across cultures. it was a discussion on how americans can pursue careers in japan, or even pursue careers in the united states that deal with us-japan relations.

my study abroad this year has empowered me to actually consider a career abroad, and finding opportunities such as this helps me get further with that goal. i will list some of the resources the panelists recommended below!


creatin'

live coding dungeon synth with a vocaloid choir

some friends of mine are hosting an algorave in october (details about how to particpate below).

i like electronic music, but it is not something i envision creating. i do not know why, exactly, just doesn't feel like me, whatever that means.

therefore, i thought of what other music genres can be recreated in code. music genres that are synth heavy and/or usually electronically produced would be easiest to live code (yes, obviously these would still be under the electronic umbrella). that is where i came up with the idea to livecode dungeon synth.

i have been downloading samples of wacky retro synths & orchestral instruments to implement in foxdot. i chose foxdot because it is python, and it also has sinsy.jp integration, which is an open source vocaloid program. i plan on using sinsy to have a "choir" singing effect, like many fantasy instrumentals do.

us-japan relations in gaming

usually, i denote economics as the straight guy's version of astrology (/hj). who knew that i would be becoming more and more invested in its inner workings?

i have fell down a research rabbithole of tensions and competition between american and japanese gaming companies, and the implications of this rivalry for larger economic security collaboration. i will be turning some of this research into a publication, hopefully coming soon.

if you are interested in learning more about us-japan economic security relations more broadly, i recommend checking out this publication from the wilson center!

psyche quest

psyche quest is one of the projects that i am most proud of, though it has not yet reached the potential i believe it has. i am going to be re-working the level design to be longer & more intuitive, flesh out the narrative, do further research on bpd to include in the game, and adding all of the standard menus, settings, save states, etc. over the next few months.

psyche quest has only been made possible by the efforts of my classmate, sara, who worked with me on this tirelessly for a midterm project for one of our courses last year. thank you, sara!

status update: clown egg

i went to blick in downtown dc to get some face paint to test out my design for twinkles.

also ideating on my outfit! i am thinking of having a wizard hat with some white, lacey ruffles attached to the bottom. i think the rest of the outfit will be a puffy onesie, very boobah-esque. now i just need to learn how to properly sew!

status update: you are so loved.

this one is a bit on the backburner, but i am trying to focus on it further!


evanescent interests


moodboard

adult ps2 ads

crowdstrike tokusatsu mascots

gan-q from ultraman


🌱 sprouts from my mind garden

kaiju psychological horror game

what makes a god? how does a god become forgotten? how would one overcome a forgotten god’s wrath?

i think cthulhu was the first kaiju. no, really, not even king kong. (or, okay, maybe biblically accurate angels were or something). there are too many similarities between the role godzilla plays in his early films and cthulhu. i believe there is a lot of untapped potential in the kaiju genre for cosmic & psychological horror elements because of this comparison.

i am currently ideating on a psychological horror game about a sole survivor of a kaiju attack who must find their way back to their loved ones through piecing together memories of their life that were wiped away through injury. this is a rather intense premise, and thus would have a very intensive development process, especially since i would envision such a game as a first-person 3d experience. because of this, this is mostly a sprout until i have the bandwidth to seriously consider development.

temporary tattoos

when thinking on pervasive games, i like to consider the roles of "the person" and "the body" as actors within a space. what is a way to (ethically) integrate "the body" into pervasive play?

in taking the playful cities course, i thought temporary tattoos would be an interesting way to explore this idea. i considered using them as tattooable qr codes that would start a hive mechanic session. unfortunately, this was an idea that i did not get to explore but would definitely like to further.

technology as a metaphor for the body (and the body informing technology?)

on a tangential note to the sprout above, i have also been inspired by ali na's work, the fetish of the click: a small history of the computer mouse as vulva. i am thinking of other ways in which technology mirrors the analog, biological human experience, especially regarding "the body."

this has been massively inspirational in some of the ideas for further artwork i am exploring. these sprouts are not even sprouts, just seeds, so i will share more on my ideas as i flesh them out!

syllabus project

instagram has allowed me to stumble into the syllabus project. i love learning, and i love teaching, so i am thinking of a syllabus idea to propose. i am trying to think of the wackiest, weirdest game design-based syllabus as possible that would also have a worthwhile impact, of course. stay tuned to see where i go with this!


consumin'

  • playing: depression quest (watch out for a review!)
  • viewing: pink floyd - the wall (1982) [special thanks to the nostalgia critic of all people + the people dunking on him for inspiring me to finally watch it!]
  • listening: flowers for the dead
  • reading: godzilla vs. mighty morphin power rangers vol. 1

events & opportunities


memento vivere,

kristen 💌