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By BBC News Online's Alfred Hermida |
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A new video game inspired by the abstract artist Kandinsky aims to overload the senses with its psychedelic visuals and pulsating dance beats.
Rez for the Playstation 2 seeks to create a sense of synaesthesia, literally a crossing of the senses, so that you can "see" sounds or "taste" colours.
"Rez is an experience, a fusion of light, vibration and sound completely immersed in synaesthesia," said its creator, Tetsuya Mizuguchi of Japanese game developers United Game Artists.
The game takes place in a virtual world inside a computer. You play a hacker of sorts, flying through six levels of cyberspace in search of the artificial intelligence at the heart of this world.
But there is a twist to the traditional shoot-em approach that makes Rez stand out.
Virtual DJ
Every time you destroy one of the insect-like enemies, a sound is generated. This sound becomes a form in the scrolling, flashing 3D computer world rushing past.
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Enemies create sounds when destroyed |
Destroying enemies in patterns results in more elaborate sounds and effects, literally creating the music and the graphics on the fly.
"We worked closely with the artists within the game, breaking down the tracks to the most basic of notes then putting them all back together to fit in with the game structure," Mr Mizuguchi told BBC News Online.
"We tried to create a game that was true to the concept of synaesthesia, as nothing has ever been done like this before I guess you could say we tried to be different."
Artistic influence
Tetsuya Mizuguchi drew much of his inspiration for Rez from the concepts of Kandinsky, whose own paintings were influenced by music.
Kandinsky was fascinated with power of expression in music and the freedom of imagination it gave the listener.
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While one person is playing Rez, the others can watch the visuals and listen to the music
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Tetsuya Mizuguchi, United Game Artists |
Mr Mizuguchi was thinking along similar lines when the idea for Rez came to him at a club, seeing the lights, feeling the vibrations and hearing the music all around him.
He sought to capture some of Kandinsky's ideas by using wireframe graphics that are reminiscent of the 1980s film, Tron.
The look of the Rez brings to mind the neon-charged cyberspace envisaged in William Gibson's bible of cyberpunk fiction, Neuromancer.
By flying through the virtual world of Rez, players are bombarded with colour, form, movement and sound.
"We have a vision that people will be chilling out with friends," said Mr Mizuguchi.
"While one person is playing Rez the others can watch the visuals and listen to the music."
Rez for the Playstation 2 and Sega Dreamcast is out now
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March 1, 2002 Looking for Life in Cosmic CornersBy JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
The show this time, though, is less about the universe itself — the merry-go-rounds of planets orbiting stars, the cascades of galaxies spilling through the heavens and almost into your lap, the tumult of creation, destruction and regeneration. All this is here: what would a planetarium show be without cosmic splendor? But it is only the setting for the real subject, which is life. As promised by the title, "The Search for Life: Are We Alone?," the 23-minute show is a fast-paced survey of one of the most provocative pursuits of modern astronomy. The title question goes unanswered, and may even be unanswerable in the immediate future. Nonetheless, the show could not be more timely. Thinking about life beyond Earth is no longer the stuff of idle speculation and science fiction. Serious scientists are devoting careers to the search, encouraged by recent discoveries to raise their sights and stretch their imaginations. A rock that may or may not bear traces of microbial life and increasing evidence of an aqueous history has renewed interest in Mars as an abode of life in some simple forms, at least in the past if not now. Life is found thriving in the most perverse environments on Earth, suggesting that it could adapt to unsuspected extraterrestrial niches. And, of greatest importance, more than 80 planets have recently been detected around nearby stars other than the Sun, raising expectations that there are many places in the universe where life might abound. Dr. Michael Shara, an astrophysicist at the American Museum, cited the developments as major influences in the selection of the show's subject. It also happens that museum scientists are active in the field, with surveys of all nearby stars that could have planets, simulations of star and planet formation, and various theoretical studies of life in the universe. More than a year in the making, with help from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the show combines the latest scientific knowledge with the boldly creative use of computer simulations and visualizations. The script was written by Dr. Steven Soter of the museum and Ann Druyan, widow of the astronomer and author Carl Sagan and an accomplished author in her own right. The actor Harrison Ford is the narrator. As the house lights dim, there are sounds of life on Earth, of gulls and monkeys, dogs barking and people chattering in many languages, a train whistle and the crack of a baseball bat, a baby crying and children singing to hopscotch. This beginning was conceived after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 as a way to celebrate life where it is known to exist, troubles and all, before moving on to look for it in other worlds. Then the music soars and stars flood the planetarium ceiling. The universe holds billions of galaxies, each with billions of stars. And many of these stars could have planets, some of which could be Earthlike and — who knows? — could harbor some kinds of life. "Is there someone out there lying awake wondering if we exist?" the narrator asks. "What would they be like? We have no idea. It's hard enough to imagine life on Earth. If you have never seen one, could you imagine an elephant or a lobster?" One has hardly had time to wrap the mind around these questions before the scene shifts again, from the heavens into the depths of the sea. In a brief voyage through virtual reality, black sulfide smoke belches from cracks on the sea floor and supports bizarre forms of life that require no sunlight. If life can thrive under such extreme terrestrial conditions, the reasoning goes, it must be sufficiently adaptable and tenacious to spring up in what once would have been thought the most unlikely places. Suddenly, a rumble fills the room and one senses an ascent from the deep and the breaching of the sea surface, back to a world warmed by sunlight. It comes as a surprise and is the most visceral sensation of the show. A similar feeling comes when one seems to be plunked down on the russet surface of Mars, at a site recreated after the Pathfinder spacecraft landing place in 1997. Mars was and still is the other planet most likely to harbor some life, though not the little green men of yore. In any event, the visuals of the Martian landscape surround the audience and create the feeling that, with a step or two, one could be out strolling among the rocks and dust of another world. The illusion is stunning. The show moves on to the fundamentals of life and how it emerged on Earth, the astronomers who listen for possible radio signals from intelligent beings elsewhere and the rush of discoveries of planets around other stars. The most arresting observation from the show is that "planets could well outnumber the stars." "At this very moment, the same process that made our world is making new ones throughout our Milky Way," the narrator says. "Making worlds is what galaxies do." What is one to conclude after seeing the spectacular show and being introduced to the ideas and evidence behind the surge in research about life elsewhere in the universe? Is it a realistic quest? The producers and their scientific advisers said that they sought only to present reasons for thinking there might be life out there and how and where it might be. They are optimistic enough to think it's worth a look and to encourage others to imagine that extraterrestrial life is at least possible. These very thoughts make the universe seem grander still. The scientists exercised care not to inflate the results or prospects of the search for life beyond Earth. "We don't want people leaving with the idea that we've found extra terrestrials," Dr. Shara said. "We leave the doors open." Information The American Museum of Natural History's Rose Center for Earth and Space is at Central Park West at 81st Street. The center's Hayden Planetarium includes the Space Theater, where, beginning tomorrow, the new space show, ``The Search for Life: Are We Alone?,'' will be screened. Museum hours: daily, 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. (The Rose Center stays open Fridays until 8:45 p.m. for ``Starry Nights: Fridays Under the Sphere,'' with music, cash bar and tapas; this month, Valerie Capers Ensemble, from 5:45 to 8:15.) Space shows run every half-hour all day. Suggested admission to the museum, which includes the Rose Center: $10; students and 60+, $7.50; children 2 to 12, $6; under 2, free. Admission to the museum, the Rose Center and the Hayden Planetarium space show: $19; students and 60+, $14; children 2 to 12, $11.50; under 2, free. Information: (212)769-5100. Reservations: (212)769-5200. |
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