My first experiences video gaming came in dedicated handhelds. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Tiger Electronics produced a number of handheld games that captured my attention, including some based on my favorite animated Disney movies, such as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. But Tiger’s Electronic Baseball became my undisputed favorite.

Published in 1988, this small game presented a LCD screen depicting a baseball diamond. The game seemed an odd choice for me, as I’ve never been a sports fan, and, though I played softball for a year, I spent more time practicing dance steps in the outfield than paying attention to who was at bat or when a ball came whizzing my way. Nevertheless, Electronic Baseball captivated me. Perhaps that simplicity attracted me to the game more than anything else. The gameplay required me to make the avatar hit the ball and run around bases. I spent hours playing it, mainly while I was with my family riding in the car. When I set it aside for a bit, my mother often picked the game right up. She’d grown just as addicted to the game as me.

So what does this have to do with music and sounds? Quite simply, I played the game so frequently that I eventually completed my objectives with my eyes closed. The game produced sharp beeps when the pitcher threw the ball, and softer bleeps when the player ran the bases. I knew exactly when to make the avatar swing the bat and how many bleeps it took for him to get from one base to another. When my mother played, I could mentally keep track of her score because I deciphered from the sounds when she struck out, when she failed to make it to bases on time, and when she hit home runs.

ICHEG Assistant Director Jeremy Saucier recently unpacked a box filled with Tiger Electronics games, acquired to support the extensive collections of dedicated handhelds. Our offices are adjacent to one another and one morning, when he began testing these new artifacts, I heard a series of familiar bleeps and bloops. I shot out of my chair and into his office, begging to test out my favorite baseball game. In all my years of gaming, no other video game sounds or songs have produced such a nostalgic feeling in me.

And yes, I discovered I can still play the game with my eyes closed.

What video game sounds or songs provoke the best memories for you?

Papo & Yo presents a fable of game designer Vander Caballero’s childhood relationship with his alcoholic father. The story follows a young boy, Quico, on his quest to cure his friend Monster of his addiction to frogs. When Monster consumes frogs, he becomes belligerent and attempts to hurt Quico. When Monster is sober, he transforms into a gentle giant, allowing Quico to use his belly as a trampoline and assisting the young boy with more challenging game-related tasks. As a kid, Caballero considered the unpleasantness of the adult world that surrounded him and, like Quico, he often felt vulnerable. Caballero explains that he did not feel “like that when I was playing as Mario: I felt powerful and in control of a fantastic world.” The fantastic world plays a significant role in the success of the emotional components of Caballero’s game. Quico turns the environment into a magical place—when he lifts a cardboard box, for example, he moves entire cement foundations. Chalk outlines create doors, stairs, and other means for Quico to navigate the evolving landscape. The world provides him with what he needs. When I played the game, I experienced one of the moral complexities involved with addiction. How do I help my friend, but also save myself?

The Unfinished Swan introduces another example of a young character coping with issues typically affecting individuals later in life—the loss of a parent. The Unfinished Swan features the story of Monroe, an orphan, and his need to preserve his mother’s memory in one of her incomplete paintings of a swan. One night, the swan magically comes to life and escapes from the painting. Monroe follows the bird into a garden that resembles Kazimir Malevich’s White on Whites series of bare minimum oil paintings. Monroe brings the garden back to life by painting it with black. The game play unfolds much like a storybook and as Monroe navigates the space, vines, balloons, glowing orbs, and other whimsical details that illustrate the pages. Game play that involves fantasy, make-believe, and imagination, such as the world presented in The Unfinished Swan, helps children to handle complex emotions. Psychologist Sandra Russ and Julie A. Fiorelli note that through play “children develop cognitive skills such as the ability to organize thoughts into cause-and-effect sequence, to generate ideas, to solve problems, and to use symbolism.”

When thinking about imagination and pretend play, the song “In a World of My Own” from Disney’s film adaptation of Alice in Wonderland always comes to my mind. I imagine the whimsical world Alice created where cats and rabbits reside in fancy little houses and they’re dressed in suits and trousers. Games like Papo & Yo and The Unfinished Swan provide another outlet for the imagination.

The roots of the American arcade can be traced back to the dime museums, exposition midways, and amusements parlors of the 19th century. At the end of that century, parlor owners filled their establishments with such new novelties of the Industrial age as phonographs, kinetoscopes, and mutoscopes. These inventions provided parlor goers with the magical experiences of listening to recorded sounds and watching moving images. However, by the turn of the century, as the novelty of those inventions wore off, many amusement parlors transformed into penny arcades. When arcade owners repurposed these spaces, the character of their establishments also began to change as the crowds of refined men and women willing to pay as much as 25 or 50 cents to view kinetoscope films were replaced by throngs of nearby office workers, tourists, vacationers, shoppers, and young, working-class men. Arcade patrons flocked to coin-operated peep show machines, shooting galleries, grip and strength testers, stationary bicycles, slot machines (in some areas), machines that dispensed fortunes or candy, and other mechanical amusements they could play for as little as a penny.

During the 1930s, David Gottlieb’s Baffle Ball (1931) and Raymond Moloney’s Ballyhoo (1932) introduced pinball to arcades. As pinball designers added bumpers, flippers, and thematic artwork, pinball surged in popularity, even as some local legislators banned the game because they associated it with gambling, organized crime, and delinquency. Nevertheless, over the next three decades arcade owners replaced many older mechanical novelty games with pinball machines and electromechanical baseball, target shooting, horse racing, shuffle board, and bowling games. Pinball machines ruled arcades until the late 1960s when new more sophisticated electromechanical games such as Chicago Coin’s Speedway (1969) and Motorcycle (1970 and 1974) grew in popularity. These new machines used motor-powered, belt-driven, spinning discs and blower motors to simulate the thrills and spills of the race track.

The introduction of arcade video games during the early to middle 1970s pushed pinball and electromechanical games out of many arcades. Pinball, it seemed, couldn’t compete with the blips and bloops of Pong (1972) while Speedway couldn’t match the excitement of navigating a glowing race car in Gran Trak 10 (1974). By the early 1980s, video games were a cultural phenomenon and arcades had transformed again, becoming “video arcades.” Indeed, according to Play Meter magazine, by 1981 there were approximately 24,000 full arcades with thousands more non-arcade locations including restaurants, gas stations, and dentist offices all over the United States. An oversaturated market for arcade games, improved home video game consoles, and rekindled anxieties about the relationship between arcades and juvenile delinquency (among other things) all contributed to the decline of video arcades by the end of the 20th century.

Today, the arcade survives in several related forms, including entertainment venues such as Dave & Buster’s and Chuck E’ Cheese, where families can munch on pizza while playing the latest redemption games; vintage arcades and museums such as the American Classic Arcade Museum and exhibits such as The Strong’s eGameRevolution and Boardwalk Arcade (opening July 6), where visitors can test their skills at a range of classic and modern arcade and pinball machines; and theme bars such as Barcade and Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade, where adults can quench their thirsts for arcade games and spirits. ICHEG and these other museums and businesses recreate or put new spins on the arcade, assuring that visitors can relive past glories or create new arcade memories in the 21st century.

Before mobile phones, portable video game systems like the PSP and 3DS proved the best option for game play. Portable platforms like the Neo-Geo Pocket Color and Atari Lynx often featured great technology, but the most successful systems provided great content at an affordable price and included long-lasting batteries. Nintendo’s Game Boy line dominated portable gaming after its debut in 1989, because it excelled on all three of these factors.

Ten years prior to kids booting up Tetris on their Game Boys, Milton Bradley’s Microvision offered portable play and interchangeable games. But consumers preferred dedicated games like Simon, Coleco’s and Mattel’s football handhelds, and Texas Instrument’s educational products like Speak-‘n-Spell, Little Professor, and Data Man. (Nota Bene: if you’re wondering why Data Man made it into this blog it’s because I spent hours of my geeky childhood immersed in the glow of its blue LCD display, tackling one math problem after another on it).

Advances in technology have long contributed to the development of new mobile toys. During the Baby Boom of the 1950s and ‘60s, however, it was plastic, not electronics, that toy makers used to meet the insatiable demand for fun. Prosperous parents throwing down big money for new cars didn’t mind tossing their kids a few dimes for cheap, plastic, handheld maze games, bagatelles, and other ball-rolling amusements from manufacturers like Leo Marx. Peace and quiet in the back seat was well worth it!

These handhelds often reflect the tenor of the times in which they were created. One game, for example, hearkens back to the bombing black outs of World War II—as a Messerschmitt or Zero swoops down on a city, players must roll BBs into holes to “cover” the light post. Another variation simulates warfare between World War I era tanks. Pigs in Clover, the dexterity game from 1889 that first-popularized these ball-rolling handhelds, hearkens back to America’s agrarian past. A favorite of President Benjamin Harrison, it challenges players to roll marbles (representing pigs) back into a small chamber (representing the pen). It’s still fun and challenging today, and the eternal appeal of this ball-rolling mechanic explains why many modern mobile games, like Super Monkey Ball, still feature it.

Even before Pigs in Clover, game makers invented portable, easy-to-play games. The Game of Authors, a ubiquitous, educational title from the late 19thcentury, taught users the major masterpieces of prominent writers of the day. Milton Bradley produced perhaps the first dedicated portable game: a travel version of his Checkered Game of Life. During the Civil War Bradley realized soldiers craved pastimes that filled the tedious hours of waiting that constituted the majority of a their  life. Bradley miniaturized his new game for soldiers to play by the campfire.

Of course the humble deck of cards was a far more popular gaming device among people of that period, as it had been for centuries before and continues to be today. From smoky barrooms, elegant parlors, and Mississippi river boats, to mess halls, dorm rooms, and poker tables, cards have brought people together over games of poker, whist, bridge, rummy, and a thousand other countless game variations. Easy to carry and easy on the hands, cards have endlessly entertained millions. They are perhaps the perfect portable platform for play.

Thus even though my phone offers an astounding variety of games and an always-on electronic opponent, I suspect the best mobile games of today still can’t match the capacity of a humble deck of cards to bring people together and create friends. That’s something this old-fashioned play form still has in spades.

Earlier this month, The Strong opened its newest permanent exhibit, Game Time!, which traces the history of non-electronic games. The exhibit includes an artifact-rich timeline of games from the 1800s to the present, and also presents collections of some of the most popular game genres, such as race, strategy, party, and wealth accumulation. As excited as I always am to explore a newly completed exhibit, I had a special sense of pride in this one, because a small group of artifacts I donated are on display.

Released by Wizards of the Coast in 1993, Magic: The Gathering became the first commercially produced trading card game. More than 12 million players follow the game currently. As a fellow fan of Magic for nearly a decade, I understand the significance of the game and I wanted to contribute some of my own cards to augment the museum’s collection.

Magic proves a relatively easy game to learn but difficult to master. Players begin with land cards, also known as manna, which gives them the ability to summon creatures and cast spells. These cards damage opposing players and their creatures, gradually reducing their life points. When a player’s life points reach zero, it’s game over. Magic requires a large amount of strategy, as well as a hefty amount of luck when it comes to drawing the right cards, but the rewards for successfully completing a difficult game are immensely satisfying. I’m still learning some of the deeper intricacies of the game, but Magic remains a favorite pastime. I also enjoy playing several electronic iterations of the card game.

MicroProse released the first electronic Magic: The Gathering game for the home computer in 1997. The game included three different playing modes, beginning with a single-player campaign that focused on quests to gather different cards, in the hopes of constructing a strong deck to play against the game’s villains. It also featured a dueling mode, which initially allowed the player to challenge a computer-based opponent. A later expanded version included a multi-player mode to challenge other human players. In dueling mode, players either constructed their own deck or allowed the computer to randomly generate one for them.

Wizard of the Coast’s Magic: The Gathering Online became the first attempt to simulate real-time games. It allowed players not only to challenge one another to virtual duels, but also to trade cards with one another. Players purchased cards online at regular market value, and if a player ever collected a full set of virtual cards, she may exchange them for physical copies. Magic Online is an especially fun online game for beginners, because serious tournaments and purely casual games are clearly separated.

While I prefer to play with physical cards, the best part about electronic versions of Magic is the inability to make mistakes. If, for example, I try to play a card at an incorrect time, the computer does not allow me to do so. This is a great way to learn game mechanics and prevent misconceptions of how the game works. I also find it easier to examine my opponent’s cards, which I can easily call up on my screen as opposed to having to lean across a table. It’s also incredibly handy when there’s no one around to play with and I’m itching for a game.

Magic is only one example of the myriad of exhibited games that began in physical form and ultimately progressed into the digital realm. Game Time! is a wonderful resource for all types of gamers, and I hope many of our readers will have the opportunity to experience it firsthand. Is there a particular traditional game you love that has an electronic counterpart, or perhaps one you wish existed? Share your stories with us!

Between 1845 and 1847, Thoreau occupied a small cabin at Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. He spent time reflecting on the beauty of the landscape and attending to the tasks necessary to live a self-reliant existence (see quote above). After his stint in the woods, he penned Walden; or a Life in the Woods. His reflections inspire many today and last year the National Endowment for the Arts awarded $40,000 to a group of academics at the University of Southern California to “support production for a video game based on the writings of Henry David Thoreau at Walden Pond.” The game simulates Walden’s experiment and allows players to discover the landscape that inspired his ideas and attend to tasks that fulfill basic needs. The design team involved in the project believes that the game creates an immersive experience and exposes a new generation of readers to Walden. While I am under the impression that Thoreau might tell the designers to take a hike, I am intrigued to see how the game evolves.

Thoreau’s contemporary, Edgar Allan Poe made Slate’s list of most adapted authors or 25 of Hollywood’s favorite authors. His dark, creepy mystery tales also adapt well to the video game format. In 1995, Inscape Inc. released the puppet adventure PC game The Dark Eye. The game presents three playable Poe stories including “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Tell-tale Heart,” and “Bernice.” The Dark Eye, composed of 3-D graphics and claymation, featuring characters with uncanny clay-modeled faces that exaggerate these sinister tales. Beat and Postmodernist author William S. Burroughs provides voice over for the character of Edwin and sequences illustrating “The Masque of Red Death” and “Annabel Lee.” Last year, Kotaku’s Chris Person explained that Burroughs’ reading of “Annabel Lee” proves even more suspenseful if you know his back story—the author was convicted of murdering his wife and the poem explores the death of a man’s lover. For a less eerie game play experience with Poe, I’d recommend EDGAR, Wrought Iron Games’ forthcoming 8-bit style adventure game.

At the 2005 Game Developer’s Conference, Thoreau and Poe’s peer, poet Emily Dickinson, served as a muse for the Game Design Challenge. Designers Clint Hocking, Peter Molyneux, and Will Wright were tasked with designing a game based on the poetry of Dickinson. During the conference, the designers were each given 10-15 minutes to present concepts. Hocking described a game that required a player to collect symbols, such as willow trees or anguish, that influenced Dickinson’s work. A player would then use those elements to build one of her poems. Molyneux shared a concept that required a player to use “digital clay” to create visual poetry inspired by Dickinson’s life and work. He demonstrated the idea by sculpting a chair and then placing it in a virtual, 3-D version of Dickinson’s room. Wright’s idea involved the player serving in the role as Dickinson’s therapist. The game would be stored on a USB flash drive and Dickinson would live in the player’s virtual world, appearing at random in an email, in a text, or on the desktop. “As you interact with her, you start with a cordial relationship. She becomes romantically obsessed with you, or goes into suicidal depression,” Wright explained. Wright’s dark humor won the challenge. While none of these games were created, Dickinson would make an intriguing avatar. Her name continues to make headlines such as “Emily Dickinson’s New Secret: Life in that Amherst House was More Exciting Than We Knew” and “Emily Dickinson’s Secret Lover!: Why the Big News is Being Ignored.”

The works of Thoreau, Poe, and Dickinson are more than a century-old, yet the themes, plots, and characters continue to inspire modern artists and play. Games such as Walden and The Dark Eye might even persuade readers to pick up a classic text.

My work with others on this exhibit for the past couple of years highlighted anew for me the many ways non-electronic forms of play have influenced video games.

Sometimes the physical forms of electronic games descend from their analog and electro-mechanical antecedents. The arcade cabinet, the form of electronic gaming that first introduced millions of people to video gaming, found a home in bars, restaurants, and arcades because people had already grown used to playing pinball in these settings. If you follow ICHEG’s Facebook page, you know we’ve been rapidly expanding our pinball collection, and the Game Time! exhibit provides  guests with more opportunities to test their reflexes on these eye-catching, bumper-thumping machines.

The basic play mechanics of video games often descend from older, non-electronic antecedents as well. For example, one exhibit case of race games from the 19th-century to today illustrates race games long preceded Mario Kart or Gran Turismo. Similarly, electronic word games have often mimicked their analog predecessors. I enjoy playing Ruzzle on my phone, but it differs little from Boggle. Similarly, one of the most popular of all electronic games, Words with Friends, is essentially Scrabble ported to a screen. It’s a wonderful irony that Hasbro released a Words with Friends board game to entice players who have perhaps never played Scrabble but know its electronic cousin. Old-fashioned brain teasers and puzzles demonstrate a mainstay of computer gaming as well. Guests in the Game Time! exhibit might try their hand at pentominoes, the fiendishly-difficult shape sorting game that inspired Alexey Pajitnov to create Tetris.

Perhaps more than any other game, Dungeons and Dragons molded the basic structure of a significant number of video games. D&D introduced fundamental elements of game play such as experience points, fantasy settings, the level, the boss, non-player character, and much more. Many of the best-known game designers of all time, such as Richard Garriott, Don Daglow, and Lou Castle, began programming computer games because of their passion for D&D. Anyone interested in the history of role playing games will enjoy seeing the sections of Game Time! that explore the history of D&D. Most notable is the Dalluhn manuscript, a copy of what is possibly the earliest known version of Dungeons and Dragons, that predates the first published copy. ICHEG is grateful to game historian Jon Peterson for lending it to us for display.

Board games, card games, puzzles, and other forms of non-electronic play are, of course, not merely antecedents to their electronic counterparts. If you play a Euro game like Settlers of Catan or are part of BoardGameGeek, you know that non-electronic gaming is alive and thriving. In fact, I prefer analog games to video games for some styles of play. I haven’t seen an electronic jigsaw puzzle that matches the pleasure and sociability of putting together a traditional cardboard version. When I truly want to engage deeply with people at a party, I prefer a game like Pictionary or Telestration over even the most sociable video games like WarioWare. And while I love what Douglas Wilson and his colleagues have done at Der Gute Fabrik to create “Folk Games” like Johann Sebastian Joust, I still find pleasure in folding paper into a football and flicking it across the table.

So, if like me, you enjoy games of all varieties, come visit Game Time! and eGameRevolution and celebrate with us the wonderful history of games, puzzles, and play!

Gomez, who describes himself as a “huge Marvel fan,” grew up reading Marvel comic books and still remembers the first issue he picked up—Fantastic Four #39. The story of how Reed Richards (aka: Mr. Fantastic) worked tirelessly to replace the Fantastic Four’s powers after the group lost them in a battle with the Frightful Four, struck a chord with Gomez. What did it mean to be superheroes without super powers? What reader couldn’t relate to feelings of loss or powerlessness? The characters, as Gomez explained, “weren’t one-dimensional.”

Gomez felt the same way about The Avengers, a team of comic book heroes who first appeared in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s The Avengers #1 in September 1963. Originally composed of Ironman, Hulk, Ant-man, and Thor, the team took on and swapped out a variety of new heroes over the next five decades before settling on Captain America (Chris Evans), Ironman (Robert Downey Jr.), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Blackwidow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) in director Joss Whedon’s recent film. As one might suspect, a team of superheroes that includes a Norse god, a millionaire play boy, and a green, muscle-bound monster with an anger problem also must contend with super egos and frequent internal conflicts.

As Gomez and his team began designing The Avengers pinball, they believed those stories of internal strife appeared much more interesting than a meditation on good and evil. Rather than rehashing plot points or making “a stuffy game,” the design group focused instead on the challenging task of assembling the Avengers team. To that end, each Avenger has his or her own ramp or target shot: an Ironman lane on the upper-right part of the playfield; a Blackwidow cross-playfield ramp; a set of four-bank “T-H-O-R” stand-up targets on the middle-left of the playfield; a Hawkeye lane on the left of the playfield; a Captain America lane just to the right of the Hawkeye lane; and a Hulk figure which turns, raises its arms, and sits behind four “H-U-L-K” drop targets at the top of the playfield. Players expend much of their effort making these shots in order to assemble the Avengers before assaulting the “Helicarrier” (sub-wizard mode) and ultimately engaging in the “Battle For Earth” (wizard mode).

Yet the game, as Gomez admits, is less about defeating the Avenger’s enemies than about playing pinball itself. In the tradition of such pinball machines as The Simpsons (1990), FunHouse (1990), and Medieval Madness (1997), The Avengers heckles players as they hit or fall short of their targets. For instance, a typical game features frequent humorous commentary from the Hulk, including such lines as “What Hulk ever do to puny player,” “Hulk want bonus, too. Give Hulk bonus,” and my favorite, “Hulk smash you to people paste!” Indeed, Hulk’s figure and his fiery comic banter are focal points of the game.

Although The Avengers pinball is not a faithful adaptation of Whedon’s film, it captures the spirit of the comic book and pinball’s ability to celebrate and lampoon even the most serious of subjects, stories, and characters. Those interested in learning more about The Avengers and other comic book heroes can visit The Strong’s American Comic Book Heroes exhibit and play Stern’s The Avengers pinball in The Strong’s new Game Time! exhibit, opening April 13.

1. Mario Kart Telephone

It’s not surprising that a popular series like Mario Bros. includes a remarkable amount of related merchandise. With more than 200 games to its credit, Mario is the best-selling video game franchise ever created. Most gamers know about Mario figurines, stuffed animals, and t-shirts, but what about a 2002 telephone promoting the Mario Kart series? Manufactured by Pollyflame Concept Ltd., Mario zooms from room to room with you throughout your house, ensuring you’ll never miss a phone call, again. I’d recommend you avoid any banana peels or blue shells heading your way before you answer it.

2. Pac-Man Halloween Costume

Looking for something with a bit more vintage flair? Pac-Man, one of my favorite arcade games, pairs well with a number of fascinating merchandise. Published by Namco in 1980, Pac-Man provided a non-violent, maze-based gaming experience that was unique among arcade games of the era. I still smile whenever I see the wide-eyed yellow character munching happily away at his dots. When I came across a child’s Pac-Man Halloween costume in ICHEG’s collections, I had to resist the urge to try it on. The plastic mask and bib may not seem intricate by today’s standards, but it certainly pleased many a gamer during its time.

3. Nacho Cheese Doritos

Clothing and knick-knacks prove popular, but how about something to consume while playing a favorite game? In 2010, fans of Microsoft’s flagship Halo series found themselves picking up an extra bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos featuring Master Chief and his soldiers. Not only did it sooth the munchies, it also reminded buyers that the new Halo: Reach game would hit the shelves soon. I always hoped to win one of the free prizes marketed on the bag.

No matter how you’re looking to display your love for a franchise, there’s enough varied merchandise to satisfy even the most devoted gamer. Do you have a game-related item you particularly love to show off to friends and family? Share them with us in the comments.

Multi-media artist Cory Arcangel’s work interprets video games through a variety of formats.  In the late 90s, Arcangel became interested in how individuals use technology to express themselves. He joined BEIGE, an experimental programming collective, where he began to hack and alter game consoles. In 2002, Arcangel uploaded his project Super Mario Clouds v2k3, along with source code and detailed tutorial, to the Internet. To create the piece, Arcangel stripped a 1985 Super Mario Brothers cartridge of all content with the exception of the blue sky and white, puffy clouds. In his video, the clouds slowly float across the sparse sky.  Arcangel did not play many video games as a kid, but he watched his friends play and he thinks that’s why his pieces are “about watching, not interacting.” When I played Super Mario as a kid, I thought of the sky as filler. Now, I find it a peaceful backdrop for stimulating game play.

Veteran video game designer Mike Mika’s Donkey Kong game hack recently earned significant media attention. Video game fans first went ape over Nintendo’s Donkey Kong in 1981. During gameplay, a player maneuvered Jumpman (Mario) across various platforms in an attempt to rescue Lady (Pauline) from the giant ape, Donkey Kong. This scenario is not unlike many early tales of damsels in distress. Mika, however, thought to change the situation after his three-year-old daughter asked, “How can I play as the girl? I want to save Mario.” That night Mika set to work. The original game design included a tile set (a collection of pixel tiles that create a single, large image) composed of four eight by eight tiles. Pauline stood a tile taller than Mario. In order to turn Mario into Pauline, Mika had to reduce Pauline’s height and make her fit in the existing tile set. Mika slightly altered her design. The next morning, his daughter played as Pauline. Mika noticed that she proved more motivated and excited by the experience.

Another game that provides a clever twist to classic titles is Pippin Barr’s Commodore 64-inspired title Art Game. Barr advertises, ““Experience the agony of rejection….Consider selling out….Be a star of the art world! Be a horrible failure! Be an artist!” A player must use classic forms from Snake, Tetris, or Space Wars to create artwork. When a player creates a sizeable portfolio, a curator judges the pieces and determines if any are worthy of being installed in an exhibit. When the player finally succeeds, he walks through the installation. When I played, I quickly learned that my lack of Tetris-skills only led to more intriguing sculptures—the negative space and juxtaposition of random pieces made for an interesting composition. My ego quickly deflated when I saw my paintings. To create a painting, I had to use forms from Snake, a late 1970s game that requires a player to navigate a long, snake-like creature around a plane. As I worked, I imagined a Pollock piece with splatters across the canvas. I ended-up with a minimalist, stark piece that did not convey my anguish.

The appeal of the new experiences presented in Super Mario Clouds v2k3, Mika’s Donkey Kong, and Art Game resides in a familiarity with classic video games. If you’re a game designer, looking for inspiration, might I recommend Dripped?