UCI's Game Culture and Technology Lab Demos New Works

3.024.04 - A team of UC Irvine researchers and graduate students, including Calit² new media arts layer researchers Celia Pearce and Robert Nideffer, are presenting "ArtModJam" at the 2004 Game Developers Conference in San Jose this week (www.gdconf.com).

The Game Developers Conference defines the future of the $10 billion game industry and shapes the next generation of entertainment. The March 22 - 26 conference provides an independent forum for expert developers from around the world to share ideas, build skills and learn about the latest tools and technologies.

The UCI research team's ArtModJam presentation on Friday, March 26 will be a fast-paced event showcasing live demonstrations of some of the most interesting, original, controversial and entertaining examples of this emerging art form that uses commercial game engines such as Quake, Unreal and Torque.

Empowered by the increasing proliferation of moddable game engines, and incubating within a petri dish of open-source and modding culture, a new generation of artists are using game modification as an artistic practice. These artists use techniques of skinning, patching, and modding to create a wide array of interactive art works, framed as performance, virtual installation or "machinima" (films made "on location" within video games.) These works can be seen on web archives, in raves, galleries and art events, and even in museums.

"Our session introduces participants to new applications of game technology and culture, new genres and ideas," said Pearce, associate director of UCI's game culture and technology lab (www.ucgamelab.net). "It also provides insight for those interested in game fan culture, and developing modding tools and products targeted at the modding community."

The session is targeted at game designers and artists, as well as developers who are interested in trends in game modding and fan culture, and those who service fan-based modding communities. It will also be of interest to students of game design, educators and researchers.

Pearce and Nideffer will be joined in their hour long panel presentation by game researchers Peter Brinson, Mike Caloud, Mary Flanagan, Sky Frostenson and Eddo Stern.

The Game Developers Conference will also include a three day expo, March 24 - 26, featuring more than 200 international exhibitors demonstrating the latest technology, services and products for game development on the expo floor. Student projects from UCI's Sun Microsystems-sponsored course in mobile game development are being showcased at the Sun booth.