User:Thijshijsijsjss/PTMoMNBM/Groninger Rijmelarij

What is it?

A game poem exploring the disassociative yet intimate experience of being in a (new) city. It presents a handful of small, spatially connected vignettes of a city, each visually manipulated by abstract shaders and accompanied by sounds (possibly field recordings).

Why make it?

Several separate reasons:
1) We are invited to bring old and new projects to the Counter-Tourist Information Center: Groningen Edition. As my role during SI24 primarily consisted of conceptualizing the event and creating promotional material, I can now lend my efforts to another project.
2) In addition, I had wanted to make a more personal project for the SI, but didn't manage. This is a nice opportunity to do so still.
3) Continuing my research over the summer break, I have become more interested in game poems within the field of video games. Again, an opportunity presents itself to explore this format in a hands on manner.

Workflow

Phase 1: prepping. I intent to make this using the open source game endine Godot. I want / need to brush up on 3d manipulation, shaders and sound in this environment.
Phase 2: inspiration and Groningen. This project is supposed to be featured in SPREAD Zinefest in Groningen. While I hope to be able to capture a (to me) universal feeling, it would be nice to ground the vignettes in Groningen. We will have the opportunity to visit. In this time, I'd like to capture some footage (photo, video and audio) on which the game poem can be based, and parts of which can be bricoleur'd into the experience.
Phase 3: creation. This involves making some vignette prototypes using the aqcuired material, doing some testing, and potentially doing some exporting (depending on the setup at the zinefest)
Phase 4: presentation. Be present at the zinefest, let people experience the project and have a good time there.

Timeline

Phase 1: Before September
Phase 2: whenever we visit Groningen, hopefully at the start of September
Phase 3: Between the visit and the zinefest
Phase 4: During the zinefest, 26-29 September

Some Reservations

This rogue section presents itself to you, as this PTMoMNBM is a special one in my collection so far. Contrary to most that preceded it, which were hypothetical by design and conception, this one has, practically, no reason to be hypothetical. It is not just an exercise in writing a proposal, it is an exercise in forcefully exploring this idea in written form to see if I feel strongly enough about it to commit. My reservations concern themselves with this commitment. (1) Most other projects have already been tested at the SI24 release, and we know their constellation works. Introducing a new project is scary. (2) Moreover, we'd have to specify beforehand what projects we're bringing (or maybe we can be handwave-y and only give some examples?), so I would need to commit before the prepping phase. (3) Amidst ongoing mental health turbulence, I find it extra difficult to commit. I expect the start of the new academic year to be beneficial, but there is a real chance I will need to take a step back in consideration of my health. It would feel like a let down to my collegues, the zinefest and myself if I had already committed to this project.

(Another reservation has to do with the setup. This seemingly would require a computer to play. Is this possible? How would we arrange this? Does this fit the aesthetic? This is a portal to so many questions about unknowns for the event)

That said, I do feel this project can be worthwhile for me, and committing might just allow me to feel motivated for it -- like I'll have a purpose. I try to tell myself that responsibiliies like this are an important part of my learning goals in this program, too, as they are peripheral to my current artistic comfort zone.

I will now ask Maria for wisdom.