”ERVAX for 2” is an interactive art piece by composer Anders Monrad and Designer Simon Bækdahl Nielsen. We call it both a game and a compositional tool, because even though it looks and plays a bit like an arcade game, part of the point is that the players are creating music. Sort of a Guitar Hero in reverse, where the music does not dictate the gameplay, but instead is generated by playing the game.
Mechanically, it’s a two-player arcade racing / shoot-em-up, though I should say that in the process of creating this thing, decisions have been made that are not guided solely by conventional game design wisdom, but rather the needs of the compositional framework. That means that in some aspects, it’s a bit of an unfair game and that some details (like, for instance, a clear win condition) have been discarded.
We hope to get people from the audience to play it through a few times, preferably someone who haven’t touched it before. Later, there will probably be a chance to play it off stage. Next to no gaming experience required. Select from a roster of characters, each with their distinct sound, including:
Arnold Schönberg (the sombre serialist), Stokastiko (the aleatoric entity),
XV-32768 (the interstellar robot), Hank Marvin (master of the solid body)
and Surfer Dude.
”ERVAX for 2” is an interactive art piece by composer Anders Monrad and Designer Simon Bækdahl Nielsen. We call it both a game and a compositional tool, because even though it looks and plays a bit like an arcade game, part of the point is that the players are creating music. Sort of a Guitar Hero in reverse, where the music does not dictate the gameplay, but instead is generated by playing the game.
Mechanically, it’s a two-player arcade racing / shoot-em-up, though I should say that in the process of creating this thing, decisions have been made that are not guided solely by conventional game design wisdom, but rather the needs of the compositional framework. That means that in some aspects, it’s a bit of an unfair game and that some details (like, for instance, a clear win condition) have been discarded.
We hope to get people from the audience to play it through a few times, preferably someone who haven’t touched it before. Later, there will probably be a chance to play it off stage. Next to no gaming experience required. Select from a roster of characters, each with their distinct sound, including: Arnold Schönberg (the sombre serialist), Stokastiko (the aleatoric entity), XV-32768 (the interstellar robot), Hank Marvin (master of the solid body) and Surfer Dude.
