homegrown video games

HOMEGROWN VIDEO GAMES
_ Information
_ Content
CURRENT STATUS In development
DATE OPEN AT
THE DOWSE
10 November 2012
to 3 March 2013
14 video games, by 12 game developers. 12 of the
games can be played visitors.
SIZE
Approx 160m2
AVAILABLE
Late June 2013 onwards
NUMBER OF
OBJECTS SCREENS
12 playable games and
Digital artwork
TARGETS AUDIENCE Young people
Active engaged families
Gamers
COSTS $9,000—$12,000 depending on
number of venues and the
cost of freight to the next venue.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Some games will require an internet connection.
Venue may need to provide some projectors or flat
screen TVs (TBC).
Staff with basic technical knowledge (Dowse
technical support also available).
Note: some of the games contain cartoon violence,
which may not be suitable for very young children,
but most of the games are suitable for all ages.
Small Worlds by Outsmart / Chuck Darwin’s
Extinction Squad by PikPok / Flutter by Runaway Play
/ Ancient Frog by Ancient Workshop / Cletus Clay by
Tuna / Music Manager by InGame / Sparx by Metia
/ Star Pirate, Space Orbital and Dungeon King by
BulletProof Arcade / Path of Exile by Grinding Gear
Games / Space Hawk by Star Kiwi / Voxatron by
Lexaloffle / GameFroot by Instinct
Digital artwork / Interpretive labels and text / Most
technical equipment — iPads, computers, TV screens /
Education kit / Media release and promo images
There will be opportunities for a curator’s talk and
public programmes involving the artists (workshops
or talks, etc)
PROVIDED
All games and software, most display hardware,
furniture including seating and game controllers.
An Education kit, publicity images, press releases.
Interpretive text and label will also accompany
the exhibition.
_ Description
Every day across the world, millions of people enter
virtual worlds through video games. The Dowse
Art Museum is excited to celebrate what is now
the fastest-growing form of mass art with a major
exhibition of New Zealand video gaming. Arcade
celebrates the extraordinary skills and creativity of
the New Zealand gaming industry, focusing on the
striking visual effects designed by our most talented
and influential gaming artists. There’ll be stunning
digital art as well as still images, concept art, video
footage and the actual games that you can play.
The exhibition explores the graphics, concept art and
storytelling of some of the best games developed
in New Zealand, showcasing home-grown gaming
companies’ technical and creative skills. Arcade will
also include never-before-published sketches, models,
and works-in-progress for an exclusive behind-thescenes look at the development and innovation of
the ‘art behind the games’.
Some of the games and designers showcased in
the exhibition are listed below, (of interest, Maru
Nihoniho of Sparx and Sarah Quick of Cletus Clay
are two of the few women currently working in the
industry):
FLUTTER teaches players about the Amazon
rainforest through the magic of virtual butterflies. The
team behind the game is Dunedin based company
Runaway Play led by director Tim Nixon. Founded
in 2009, Runaway is a division of one of the world’s
largest documentary film making companies, NHNZ,
and is focussed on creating and self-publishing
meaningful games for social networks, inspired by the
natural world. [runawayplay.com]
CLETUS CLAY is a side-scrolling online action game
with fast-paced, humorous and hand–to-hand
fighting. It tells the story of Cletus, a mountain man
who gets all riled up when a fleet of alien saucers
invade his property. Anthony Flack and Sarah Quick
from Tuna are the lead designer/artist and artist
behind Cletus Clay. [cletusclay.com]
SPARX (in development), a New Zealand first, is
a computer-administered self-help programme
for adolescents suffering from depression. Maru
Nihoniho started Auckland based Metia Interactive
four years ago. The Sparx game is their first serious
game project designed and developed for the
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences of the
University of Auckland and funded by the Ministry of
Health New Zealand. [metia.co.nz]
CHUCK DARWIN’S EXTINCTION SQUAD was
created by Wellington based PikPok (a division of
Sidhe). PikPok has repurposed one of histories most
scientific figures, Charles Darwin, into a wildlife
rescuer out to save endangered species from people
who wish to destroy them with giant bombs that
fall from the sky. PikPok is a one of New Zealand’s
largest developers and publishers of games, mostly
Smartphone and tablet based. [pikpok.com]
DUNGEON KING is a hack-and-slash action-role
playing game created by BulletProof Arcade Ltd.
BulletProof Arcade was established in 2009 by
Rod Smith and Andy Wiltshire with Aaron
Neugebauer and is located on Waiheke Island.
[bulletproofarcade.com]
ANCIENT FROG is a contemplative puzzle game
set in a range of serene and atmospheric natural
environments. With over 100 unique levels and six
different types of species, the idea is to manoeuvre
your frog, leg by leg, to catch the fly on the other
side of the screen. The creator, British born James
Brown, worked in the mainstream games industry
for 10 years (including stints at EA & Lionhead). He
now works independently from his home in Napier,
enjoying more creative control over his own projects.
[ancient-workshop.com]
SMALLWORLDS is a virtual 3D world that runs inside
a web browser without the need to download or
install any other software. SmallWorlds was created
by Outsmart a company based in Auckland run
by Mitch Olsen and Darren Green. The game was
launched in 2008 and today there are over 6.5 million
users worldwide. In October 2009, SmallWorlds was
voted top prize in the Social Computing category of
the Adobe MAX Awards 2009. [smallworlds.com]
PATH OF EXILE is a gritty, dark fantasy online action
role-playing game based on visceral combat. The
game has been in development for five years by
Grinding Gear Games, an independent studio of
hardcore RPG based in Auckland. [grindinggear.com]
SPACE HAWK is an arcade action game created
by Star Kiwi Studios. Players escort the Space
Hawk by defending it from asteroids and enemy
spaceships with mini-ships via on-screen controls.
The whole game is made out of real 3D objects,
making the game feel more realistic to play with a
simulated joystick on the touch screen. The game
was developed when StarKiwi CEO Ryan Thatcher
became hooked by the iPhone game Air Traffic
Controller and was astounded that such a simple
game could become so addictive... and sell four
million units in a year. [starkiwi.com]
MUSIC MANAGER (yet to be released), created
by Stephen Knightly Auckland of InGame.
Music Manager provides up and coming music
managers with an online experience of managing
their own game.
CONTACT
The Dowse Art Museum
Bev Eng
Collections and Touring Manager
04 560 1476 or 04 560 1255