The following post originally appeared on attractmo.de, on May 6, 2013.
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I’m just a few hours away from hopping on a plane, to make the trip up north to Canada, for TCAF 2013. But first, highlights from this past Friday night ‘s 4th annual No Quarter at NYU Game Center!
Long story short, the show was a rousing success. As expected, the place was insanely packed… I believe it was the strongest turn out ever in No Quarter’s four-year history. And as hoped, the Attract Mode prints were very much warmly received.
First, a few pics before show time; here we have the prints, not long after the UPS guy had dropped them off at the Game Center…
And here we have the set-up for Bennett Foddy’s 16-player version of chess…
In addition to games that were making their debut, you had a few returning favorites. Like Nidhogg, which was given it’s own room (one that would be jam-packed, wall to wall, for well over five hours straight)…
Naturally, NYC has its very own Winnitron, and of course it’s at the Game Center…
Eventually, it was 7pm, and the door were wide open. FYI: all pictures (with the exception of the Instragramed ones) are by Marion Vitus…
I’ll admit, now after the fact, that I was nervous that the artwork would be some weird curiosity that would be largely ignored. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case!
I’m happy to report that sales were quite strong. Turns out, there definitely is an audience out for finely crafted artwork that celebrates games that aren’t exactly on the tips of the tongues of your average GameStop employee…
Back in the main room; perhaps the most impressive set-up was Nik Mikros and Josh DeBonis’s Killer Queen…
A few of the talented individuals behind the prints were also present for the opening, including HamletMachine. Fun-fact: of all the artists chosen for the project, HamletMachine was the only person I absolutely had to get involved, right from the get-go. I knew her work in Starfighter (super NSFW, BTW) made her the only choice for a game like Nidhogg…
She even signed a few of the prints! Yet another reason why it really sucked if you weren’t able to make it…
HamletlMachine’s Nidhogg was a definite must have, though it definitely helped that the subject matter itself was also on-hand (and sporting a number of tweaks and enhancements, including a new dive kick move)…
And here we have Kyle Fewell with his fantastic depiction of BaraBariBall. Whereas I knew what to expect from HamletMachine, and got exactly what I wanted, was also anticipating something specific from Kyle, yet the result was totally unexpected. As well as a thousand percent better than what I had imagined…
The game’s creator was also on-hand, Noah Sasso, who happened to be the official DJ for the evening…
As noted, many games were played that night, and many minds were blown…
I’m fiercely proud with how the artwork turned out, though I’m also happy that the game creators were equally satisfied. To get the ball rolling, I asked if they had any guidance or inspiration that I could relay to the artists; Ramiro Corbetta, creator of Hokra, simply said: “Just don’t let it suck.” We both agreed that Jovo Ve’s take most definitely does not…
And finally, myself with NYU Game Center’s Charles Pratt, aka the guy who made the Attract Mode collab happen in the first place. The entire endeavor was an experiment on his part, and I believe we’re both equally delighted with the end result…
I also need to thank all the artists who did such a phenomenal job, as well with two other fine folk: Jon Kay of Fangamer, who lent a ton of assistance when it came to the production side of things, and David Murray, better known as SEIBEI, for hooking us up with pretty much the best printers in the world!
So, what’s next? Well, Charles and I will first need to wait till the dust completely settles before discussing future plans. But before that, there’s… Comics Vs. Games 2.
