Scrape Scraperteeth: Surrealist Gaming As Modern Art

[Jim Grim]

Sometimes there's no difference between art and a load of old shit.

 

[WanderingFool]

What the hell did I just play?

ART!


Okay, I dont have a fucking clue myself, but whatev...

 

[Quellan Thyde]

You know what's really great? The Cat and the Coup [http://store.steampowered.com/app/95700/?snr=1_4_4__13]. Not only it is well made, but it also bears a sensible message. Unlike this piece of turd. Can you mention this as well?

No doubt. I'd also like to nominate The Path [http://store.steampowered.com/app/27000/]. It's quiet to the point of ambiance but makes its point clearly and with little fuss. This Red Bull hipster mess screams so loudly to obscure the fact that it really doesn't have much to say. (Am I supposed to be impressed to learn that modern aesthetics suck? That ain't quite news, chief.)

 

[LandoCristo]

I did not like that. I don't particularly agree with his "message", I didn't get the "art", and it was a pretty crappy game. I don't care how "artistic" it is, if there's nothing for me to do with it, I won't like it.

Like others have said, there's very little game involved with it, and since the message that I saw was relatively simple (not to mention old), then the game bored me.

 

[Layzor]

For me, not art. Art is worthy of study. This seemed to be trying a bit too hard.

 

[jacksonb]

I guess I'm in the minority. But I really loved this game. Sure it isnt much of a game, but it does borrow from much of contemporary art and I found myself playing it over and over, just to catch all the things missed. It seems like people either love or hate this guys work. If you go to his site: http://www.secrettechnology.com there are some really cool artworks. Check out Sydney's Siberia or I made this, you play this. we are enemies. So you can slam it if you want. But as art is subjective, I for one really like it.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Sometimes there's no difference between art and a load of old shit.

This is my problem with the contemporary idea that "everything is art!" There is a practice of infusing your non-effort sculpture/painting/whatever with a thin layer of pseudo-philosophical meaning, that doesn't actually go anywhere, and then announcing it is a deep social statement and the interpretation is up to the viewer. Bollocks!

For me, not art. Art is worthy of study. This seemed to be trying a bit too hard.

Yes, it seems to take all the modern art guidelines and run a marathon with them. "Oh look, my form and function is soooo random! nothing makes sense. Here's some random words, have you noticed how modern and unexpected our music is? BAM: quote about real estate. Oh look, the level changed halfway through! you weren't expecting me to do that! Aren't I arty?

This game is aesthetically ugly and haphazard, has no coherent narrative or plotline, no notable music or audio, no engaging gameplay elements, it's just a bunch of crap vomited onto a flash player and then paraded as being art because there is a vague connection to the economy running through the nonsense quotes and terrible visuals. That's not art, and it's not a good game either.

Spoiler: Now THIS is art.

Aesthetically pleasing, a great contrast of the macho alpha male figurehead in the feminine realm. A genre-smashing masterpiece.

 

[Cousin_IT]

I have no idea what I won, or how I won. But I won. It told me so. I won! Or at least I survived. It told me I survived. But surviving is winning, right?

Also: anyone sent the email & got anything back?

 

[SoopaSte123]

Waste of time. A drunk 3 year old playing LittleBigPlanet could make something just as "artsy" as this.

 

[Mad1Cow]

There's games as art (Cat and the Coup [free on steam, check it out]) and there's a mess being claimed for art. It's as simple as comparing the Mona Lisa to an unmade bed, one's obviously had a lot more work put into it and therefore merits more value. Like I said, one's art, the other's a mess. They can both have artistic value, but of varying quantities...

 

[instantbenz]

some forms of art go from 'i can sort of make out what i want to do' to 'alright it's the object i've tried to render' to 'wow that looks exactly like that object' to 'let's completely mess up what i was doing'

right out of the gate someone decided 'let's just make this as messed up as possible'.

Just an observation, i'm not against or for it.

 

[IvoryTowerGamer]

Always disappointing when an "art game" only shallowly uses gameplay to explore its themes. It's a shame the SF MOMA chooses to showcase this over the work of Tale of Tales and Jason Rohrer.

SO all the people who wanted games to be ART?
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA @u
Welcome to the Art WORLD

There's a difference between something being considered an artistic medium and a medium being commandeered by modern art movements.

I guess I'm in the minority. But I really loved this game. Sure it isnt much of a game, but it does borrow from much of contemporary art and I found myself playing it over and over, just to catch all the things missed. It seems like people either love or hate this guys work. If you go to his site: http://www.secrettechnology.com there are some really cool artworks. Check out Sydney's Siberia or I made this, you play this. we are enemies. So you can slam it if you want. But as art is subjective, I for one really like it.

The other stuff is a little better, but overall the interaction has very little impact on the works as a whole. I admit that I could be missing something about Scrape Scraperteeth though, so feel free to explain more about why you found it so engaging.

 

[Luke Cartner]

So where exactly is the game?
After all the warnings I got into a messy application with no interactivity at all.
Zero interactivity and nothing of interest.
I cant believe after people campaigned for games to be considered an art form people are so blatantly trying to cash in with this drivel, with the caveat that if you dont like it you just dont understand it.
What a tosspot.

 

[MaxwellEdison]

I know there's going to be an argument over whether this is art, so let me just say this. The argument on this sort of art ended a long ass time ago. Dada and surrealism are very much enjoyed by some of us. Check out most modern art, and tell me it's got more of a meaning than this.
He's very clearly talking about a certain theme, "More boxes for half lives! Let them build anywhere, anywhere." with a an aesthetic that, sure, some people dislike. I happen to enjoy it. I love his shit, and honestly this is the best one of his I've played.

 

[MaxwellEdison]

The other stuff is a little better, but overall the interaction has very little impact on the works as a whole. I admit that I could be missing something about Scrape Scraperteeth though, so feel free to explain more about why you found it so engaging.

I enjoy the aesthetic he uses, and agree with the message he's getting across. As for the interaction, the fact that the interface is so broken is part of the aesthetic. It's not supposed to be a cohesive build. Feel free to respond to me as to why you don't like it- I've always been confused by the 90% of people in this case.

 

[similar.squirrel]

I particularly liked the sub-Leninist overtones. They fondled my staunchly-held paradigms in a most pleasing manner. Joycean stuff!

 

[IvoryTowerGamer]

The other stuff is a little better, but overall the interaction has very little impact on the works as a whole. I admit that I could be missing something about Scrape Scraperteeth though, so feel free to explain more about why you found it so engaging.

I enjoy the aesthetic he uses, and agree with the message he's getting across. As for the interaction, the fact that the interface is so broken is part of the aesthetic. It's not supposed to be a cohesive build. Feel free to respond to me as to why you don't like it- I've always been confused by the 90% of people in this case.

Isn't the interface simply an extension of the aesthetic? Or were you referring to the controls? I didn't find them to be particularly broken.

Mechanically, here's what the work consisted of: a simple, linear platformer without death penalties and an emphasis on light exploration (to find the extra "flair" bits in each level). The only obstacles to the player are the heights of the buildings, which forces them to wait for the "elevators". Now, these elements certainly match Nelson's message, but that doesn't make them particularly revelatory or interesting. Indeed, if the work were a video of the man going through each level rather than an interactive game it wouldn't really lose all that much meaning. As such, I can't say that the interaction really does anything.

Contrast this with something like "Passage" by Jason Rohrer. A video playthough of that game would cause the work to lose nearly all its impact. The majority of the message of "Passage" is conveyed through mechanics alone, rather than simply having the gameplay mirror the aesthetics as in the case of Scrape Scraperteeth.

 

[MaxwellEdison]

The other stuff is a little better, but overall the interaction has very little impact on the works as a whole. I admit that I could be missing something about Scrape Scraperteeth though, so feel free to explain more about why you found it so engaging.

I enjoy the aesthetic he uses, and agree with the message he's getting across. As for the interaction, the fact that the interface is so broken is part of the aesthetic. It's not supposed to be a cohesive build. Feel free to respond to me as to why you don't like it- I've always been confused by the 90% of people in this case.

Isn't the interface simply an extension of the aesthetic? Or were you referring to the controls? I didn't find them to be particularly broken.

Mechanically, here's what the work consisted of: a simple, linear platformer without death penalties and an emphasis on light exploration (to find the extra "flair" bits in each level). The only obstacles to the player are the heights of the buildings, which forces them to wait for the "elevators". Now, these elements certainly match Nelson's message, but that doesn't make them particularly revelatory or interesting. Indeed, if the work were a video of the man going through each level rather than an interactive game it wouldn't really lose all that much meaning. As such, I can't say that the interaction really does anything.

Contrast this with something like "Passage" by Jason Rohrer. A video playthough of that game would cause the work to lose nearly all its impact. The majority of the message of "Passage" is conveyed through mechanics alone, rather than simply having the gameplay mirror the aesthetics as in the case of Scrape Scraperteeth.

I was tired and trying to refer to the controls and how limited they are, but it wasn't really an important point, so I'll move on
I do agree completely that interaction could have played a bigger part, and I am slightly disappointed by the fact that it doesn't in his games. They're definitely not the best they can be. I do, however, still enjoy the experience. I'm not quite sure if they'd lose anything by being transferred to a video. Honestly, most of my initial reaction to his work in playing it was how completely different than every other game on the sites it was found on, which I definitely wouldn't get from a video. I sort of feel that the fact that it forces me to participate slightly stops me from getting bored, as I would with a video, or incredibly frustrated, as I would if this was made into a challenging game.
Thanks, by the way, for not coming out and accusing it of being not art because it looks unappealing. That's basically the type of opposition I've come to expect on this issue, and it gets rather frustrating.

 

[IvoryTowerGamer]

The other stuff is a little better, but overall the interaction has very little impact on the works as a whole. I admit that I could be missing something about Scrape Scraperteeth though, so feel free to explain more about why you found it so engaging.

I enjoy the aesthetic he uses, and agree with the message he's getting across. As for the interaction, the fact that the interface is so broken is part of the aesthetic. It's not supposed to be a cohesive build. Feel free to respond to me as to why you don't like it- I've always been confused by the 90% of people in this case.

Isn't the interface simply an extension of the aesthetic? Or were you referring to the controls? I didn't find them to be particularly broken.

Mechanically, here's what the work consisted of: a simple, linear platformer without death penalties and an emphasis on light exploration (to find the extra "flair" bits in each level). The only obstacles to the player are the heights of the buildings, which forces them to wait for the "elevators". Now, these elements certainly match Nelson's message, but that doesn't make them particularly revelatory or interesting. Indeed, if the work were a video of the man going through each level rather than an interactive game it wouldn't really lose all that much meaning. As such, I can't say that the interaction really does anything.

Contrast this with something like "Passage" by Jason Rohrer. A video playthough of that game would cause the work to lose nearly all its impact. The majority of the message of "Passage" is conveyed through mechanics alone, rather than simply having the gameplay mirror the aesthetics as in the case of Scrape Scraperteeth.

I was tired and trying to refer to the controls and how limited they are, but it wasn't really an important point, so I'll move on
I do agree completely that interaction could have played a bigger part, and I am slightly disappointed by the fact that it doesn't in his games. They're definitely not the best they can be. I do, however, still enjoy the experience. I'm not quite sure if they'd lose anything by being transferred to a video. Honestly, most of my initial reaction to his work in playing it was how completely different than every other game on the sites it was found on, which I definitely wouldn't get from a video. I sort of feel that the fact that it forces me to participate slightly stops me from getting bored, as I would with a video, or incredibly frustrated, as I would if this was made into a challenging game.
Thanks, by the way, for not coming out and accusing it of being not art because it looks unappealing. That's basically the type of opposition I've come to expect on this issue, and it gets rather frustrating.

Hey, sorry I took so long to respond.

I can see what you mean now about the controls, and upon further reflection I agree that the lack of difficulty/linearity of the interaction added to the game in a way that would not be possible in a video. I guess my problem with Scraperteeth is the same problem I have with "Every day the same dream" (http://www.molleindustria.org/everydaythesamedream/everydaythesamedream.html). It's just severely restricting the potential of the medium in order to make a somewhat simple point. I feel it's like if a movie director chose to depict key scenes as text in intertitles. Yes, it would probably make an artistic point, but it seems like you'd be giving up a lot more than you'd gain.

In any case though, at least now I understand why you liked the game so much.

 

[MaxwellEdison]

The other stuff is a little better, but overall the interaction has very little impact on the works as a whole. I admit that I could be missing something about Scrape Scraperteeth though, so feel free to explain more about why you found it so engaging.

I enjoy the aesthetic he uses, and agree with the message he's getting across. As for the interaction, the fact that the interface is so broken is part of the aesthetic. It's not supposed to be a cohesive build. Feel free to respond to me as to why you don't like it- I've always been confused by the 90% of people in this case.

Isn't the interface simply an extension of the aesthetic? Or were you referring to the controls? I didn't find them to be particularly broken.

Mechanically, here's what the work consisted of: a simple, linear platformer without death penalties and an emphasis on light exploration (to find the extra "flair" bits in each level). The only obstacles to the player are the heights of the buildings, which forces them to wait for the "elevators". Now, these elements certainly match Nelson's message, but that doesn't make them particularly revelatory or interesting. Indeed, if the work were a video of the man going through each level rather than an interactive game it wouldn't really lose all that much meaning. As such, I can't say that the interaction really does anything.

Contrast this with something like "Passage" by Jason Rohrer. A video playthough of that game would cause the work to lose nearly all its impact. The majority of the message of "Passage" is conveyed through mechanics alone, rather than simply having the gameplay mirror the aesthetics as in the case of Scrape Scraperteeth.

I was tired and trying to refer to the controls and how limited they are, but it wasn't really an important point, so I'll move on
I do agree completely that interaction could have played a bigger part, and I am slightly disappointed by the fact that it doesn't in his games. They're definitely not the best they can be. I do, however, still enjoy the experience. I'm not quite sure if they'd lose anything by being transferred to a video. Honestly, most of my initial reaction to his work in playing it was how completely different than every other game on the sites it was found on, which I definitely wouldn't get from a video. I sort of feel that the fact that it forces me to participate slightly stops me from getting bored, as I would with a video, or incredibly frustrated, as I would if this was made into a challenging game.
Thanks, by the way, for not coming out and accusing it of being not art because it looks unappealing. That's basically the type of opposition I've come to expect on this issue, and it gets rather frustrating.

Hey, sorry I took so long to respond.

I can see what you mean now about the controls, and upon further reflection I agree that the lack of difficulty/linearity of the interaction added to the game in a way that would not be possible in a video. I guess my problem with Scraperteeth is the same problem I have with "Every day the same dream" (http://www.molleindustria.org/everydaythesamedream/everydaythesamedream.html). It's just severely restricting the potential of the medium in order to make a somewhat simple point. I feel it's like if a movie director chose to depict key scenes as text in intertitles. Yes, it would probably make an artistic point, but it seems like you'd be giving up a lot more than you'd gain.

In any case though, at least now I understand why you liked the game so much.

I was at a camp and took even longer!
I definitely agree with you that it restricts the potential. I would LOVE to see better examples of this type of thing.

That's all.
Thanks for sharing views on this!