Albert Art : PARTY! GDC 2012 Super7 Insert Coin PixelJunk 4am

Sunday, March 11, 2012

PARTY! GDC 2012 Super7 Insert Coin PixelJunk 4am

PARTY! GDC 2012 Super7 Insert Coin PixelJunk 4am

Super7 has always been on my list of toy shops to hit up if ever I was in town, I just never had a chance to visit the shop until my recent trip to San Francisco. It seemed like the forces had aligned and I had an opportunity to check it out. Fresh off the plane, I was in a bit of a groggy state, going out into the night and in need of a party.

Super7 is a well known Kaiju figure shop with a side of Japanese Star Wars figures, and limited print graphic tees. I knew the place was cool, I just didn't know how awesome it was until I got there.

With the Game Developers Conference in town, they threw a party for the launch of their new line of gamer tees called 'Insert Coin', so I jumped at the chance to check it out. After a sardine packed BART ride from downtown, and a walk through a dark street towards Haight St., (fearing I would be stabbed), I found Super7. Then I realized, I could have just taken the bus! (Their previous location had been in Japantown, and is now located on Haight.)

The party was packed with art fans spilled on the side walk. Sony's PixelJunk 4am was being demoed at the event. Using the Sony Move controller, users can create and layer sounds and beats using the visualizer on screen. The experience has been described as similar to the music process of a DJ, transitioning through beats, with the ability for people to spectate.

The visualizer is like an instrument, with button inputs creating different sounds, when the controller is waved around, or whether buttons are held then released. I could definitely see the depth in program like this. Though I don't think was a way to save out the audio into a convenient format to create and share. (PixelJunk 4am was also set up on the Expo floor at GDC, Sony booth.)

The Insert Coin tee designs were all pretty creative, taking retro gaming and design and slapping it on a tee is a tall order, but these artists did a great job. Unfortunately, I didn't pick up any of the gamer tees, and instead opted for the In-N-Out secret menu tee by artist Josh Herbolsheimer. Fans of burgers should appreciate this.