Video Games New York

During our trip to New York, we were asked to try and locate some kind of site for our project to be located in. The site could be a physical place or merely some kind of psychological proximity, and during a walk near Cooper Union, my site found me.

The building in question is called Video Games New York, and is located at 6th Ave East and Bowery in New York City. The store drew me in because of its focus on old-school games, which seems to be its specialty. From the outside, a yellow awning with the simply written title of the store overhangs a window packed with old-school gaming memorabilia. There's a giant Sonic the Hedgehog relief, along with a progression of Sega systems he's appeared on. Next to the window, approaching the entrance, is an oddly proportioned statue of Mario, standing on a cardboard box. Once I saw all of this, I felt compelled to go inside, even though I wasn't sure where everyone was going, and was uneasy about leaving my group.

What I found inside was both exciting and somewhat disturbing for some reason. The place is literally packed wall to wall with old games. Behind the counter there are some newer games, but this kind of game store isn't dedicated to the present, it's dedicated to the past. As I walked by each shelf, I saw pieces of my childhood on display. Old games I had played, some of which I had reviewed in my time as a member of the press, as well as old systems that came out even before my time.

In a sense it was extremely exciting to have found a place like this. The entire store is like a concentrated shrine to my childhood memories. Games that my brothers and I had saved up or pooled money to buy, that were received as gifts, and that were played for hundreds of hours in some cases littered the aisles, and waves of nostalgia washed over me. The memories were comforting, but the setting was unsettling.

The store is fairly run down, and the games are jammed as tightly as can be into every nook and cranny. None of them are given any special priority, and they aren't organized in any discernable fashion. To me, it looked like the store was run by someone who didn't necessarily respect the games for their non-monetary value, although I knew someone who didn't care about that wouldn't start that kind of store in the first place.

The other thing that is quite disconcerting to me is the fact that I feel such a connection with certain games, that the games almost create a kind of map of my memory. Each game is like a fragment in time, a memory, and together they create a history for me. This map is made up of cartridges and discs, but in this store those memories are parceled off and sold to whoever wants them.

The idea of someone coming into a store and purchasing someone else's memories, let alone my memories, is an interesting thought, and one that I think deserves some real investigation.

I never intended this studio to turn into a study on video games, but once you start taking a look back into my memories, there's no way to separate them from my life. Video games are hugely important to me still, and the idea of exploring the phenomena of video games and virtual worlds is one that is extremely interesting to me.

Playing a video game is an experience that’s quite unique. Rather than passively participate in a story, like a book, TV show, or film, the video game allows (sometimes forces) you to participate in what’s happening. You do this by manipulating a “controller”, sending impulses and directions to the system, which are then interpreted by the system and relayed to the screen. The screen gives you feedback as to what’s happening and what you just input, so that you can continue to control the storyline. A video game is also different from other media in that you have an objective, and the possibilities of failure and success are always present.

There are also many proximities that are created every time you play a game. There’s a relationship between yourself and the avatar that represents you, as well as your relationship to other characters in the game. There is a physical relationship between yourself and the controller, the system, the screen, and most importantly, other players if it’s a multiplayer game.

In order to approach this relationship between video games and memory, as well as between the physical and virtual world that video games create and exist in, I would like to create an interface for both playing and creating a video game. A highly customized computer terminal created to build and then showcase a virtual world that I create based on memory could be something that would have a lot of value in exploring these relationships. Perhaps I could create a mod of a game that is based upon my memory of places and situations that have shaped my memories over the years. The resulting game would be both model and drawing, but would also become an experience that one could engage in and explore.