Baptize

This is from a series of experimental video games exploring religious actions. As an atheist who nevertheless feels religion to be a part of my life, I choose certain rituals, activities or mental games that people play to reinforce their faith and attempt to simulate them. The rules of the game are meant to be learned through experimentation. I began with the verb "Baptize" because the essential expressive power of a game is through the repetitive performance of an action, and attempted to create game mechanics that expressed feelings associated with that verb. When the player makes a connection with a non-player character, the character gets pulled toward the player and becomes part of the same mass, moving together, seeing through imperfectly-merged eyes.

Instructions: Tilt only, tap to begin (and intermittently to keep phone from going to sleep). Audio required. Right-click for full-screen.

Video: https://vimeo.com/5401610

The PC version was selected for these exhibitions:

Searching for God, Kuhn Fine Art Gallery, Marion, OH, 2011
FILE Media Art 2010, São Paolo, Brazil, summer 2010
JavaMuseum 2010 “Celebrate!”, Cologne, Germany (online), 20-26 Dec., 2010
Cyber Human Forms, UAVM & Fonlad #06_2010, Coimbra, Portugal (online), Oct. 7-Dec. 26, 2010
HZ Net Gallery #13: December 2009, online
VIDEOKILLS International Video Art Festival, Berlin, Germany, 8/26-8/30/09