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QQQ//////////////////////////////// a modified game environment |
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 Framework  Init() > Startup codetraceroute > locationsdynamic linking > external references |
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Init() > Startup code
'QQQ' is an ambitious project, working with cutting edge technology and contemporary gaming culture.
The work has developed from a series of game modifications that span the history of computer game development.
Ever since the first home computers played host to primitive games there has been a culture of modification.
In many cases the aim of this manipulation is cheating (the infamous POKE commands of the 8bit era), but
for some people the ability to modify or hack a game meant the opportunity to expand it's horizons, to allow greater and more abstract possibilities into the code.
The history of hacking and modification is a dual one, attracting both glamour and derision.
However the recent growth of open source projects and the success of linux and other open systems has led software manufactures to rethink their approach to mods.
In fact many games manufactures now openly encourage mods, providing free tools and incorporating successful alterations into the next generation of their software.
Observing the development of games and game modifications reveals not only the technical but also the social progress of games and gaming culture. A prior series of hacks by the artist demonstrate the movement from low-res solo player games to visually complex multiplayer experiences.
Using a combination of code rewrites and resource edits, the user of a game can become its programmer,rebuilding the game in their own image. With the current obsession of VJ culture it is suprising that little game-engine software is used outside of the sphere of PC gaming. Similarly much of contemporary design practice draws from video game culture and hack/glitch aesthetics.
'QQQ' exploits these aesthetic trends, and infuses them with an autonomous, generative aspect. The modified engine creates a continuous stream of glitched images and abstracted video sequences. The constant modulation of the digital landscape, coupled with the 24/7 interaction of online players creates an environment in flux, with no end or beginning.
For more information on the artist and associated projects:
"CYBERSPACE. A CONSENSUAL HALLUCINATION
Recent activities include an electronic score for contemporary dance,
audio to visual interfaces and tools using generative programming
techniques, a seven track EP of his generative electronic music,
and a publishing deal with EMI for his pop band, Weevil.
For the DRU Commission Tom will create an interactive installation, 'QQQ',
to be launched at the Evolution Festival in Leeds [3 - 13 October 2002].
The project is based on the expanding cultural practice of gamemodification.
The software application that gamers use is modified
to warp the users’ experience of this frenzied online space. By modifying
the code of the graphics engine the work subverts the function of the
application. The digital arenas of Quake are manipulated using generative
programming techniques to produce abstract architectural forms; players
paint afterimage trails and motion smears.
Real time gaming sessions are re-presented in a different cultural context,
while remote online gamers act as invisible 'performers'. Contextually
shifted, their actions and interactions are transformed into a participatory
live art performance.
Tom Betts will present QQQ at MEDIALOUNGE NIGHTS on 17 October
2002.
DRU:
http://www.druh.co.uk
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