The ARTIST VS THE 5 EVIL ENEMIES OF ART-mAKING
gAME dESIGN & gRAPHICS by Anya Parsons - Audio & Sound by Olivia Conley
To Play: Click within the game to start. Move with the arrow keys. Press Space to interact with objects/spaces. Press Esc to restart/exit full screen.
Designing the game
"The Artist VS..." was my senior thesis project at OSU. It was made as a confrontation to art block, a return to styles and aesthetics that spoke to me, and to explore game design (first time coding!) and art. In the game, the player progresses against a few of the beasts against creativity. ​​​
Fatigue
The game begins on fatigue. In college and life in general, fatigue truly can stand in the way of our pursuits sometimes. But not to fear! The artist has a secret weapon: caffeine!
The boss of this space was designed to exemplify the physical feelings of fatigue. The thing is slouchy, melting downwards, arms slack, and clearly wants for nothing. "The Artist VS..." uses a variety of mediums to match the themes of the various levels, so fatigue is drawn in sketchy, non-committal lines. The lines and coloring are animated at different frame rates, so the color lags behind the drawing. It simply couldn't be bothered.
MS. Learn N. Software
The second stage is all about the learning curve when making art with a software you have yet to master. I felt there was no better choice but to show this with Autodesk's Maya- particularly, the nodes that terrify new eyes. Here the solution could only be YouTube tutorials.
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With each tutorial watched, the enemy of the level is picked away at, bit by bit, until there is nothing standing in the way of creation!
mind's Eye Body's Hand
![bodyhand(##]_07.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/fa69b7_f3b4061f541d4f4496ecc1c586b80d75~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_225,h_204,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/bodyhand(%23%23%5D_07.png)
Finally, we must confront the disconnect between what we can visualize and strive for in our minds and what we can create in the instincts and flow of our bodies. Of course, we must find harmony.
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My focus for this space was to distinguish between the two concepts clearly. Everything dictating the mind is a collage of photographic images and diagrams. It is analytic and understands "correct." For the body, everything is childlike, done in bold and inelegant marker. When the two are successfully brought together, the marker and photo collage are combined to create something that has elevated itself from what either could be alone.
