Game Review: Artist Survival Simulator

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

You’re looking at this post and you’re asking yourself, “Since when has Lisa cared about games? I thought she only cared about Italian horror films and Lifetime movies! Is Lisa seriously reviewing a game?”

Well, as a matter of fact, I am.

Why?

Because I love the Artist Survival Simulator.

The Artist Survival Simulator is a work of interactive fiction that was designed by using Twine. As the title suggests, the Artist Survival Simulator allows you to live the life of an artist. And who doesn’t want to be an artist, right? But, as this game shows, the life of an artist is not an easy one.

The game begins by asking you three times whether or not you really want to embark on this life. At the very least, you can’t say that you haven’t been warned. After clicking yes three times, you are informed that you have just completed your studies in fine arts! Yay! Your inspiration is strong (though, as you’ll soon find out, your inspiration increases and decreases depending on your actions throughout the game). You worked while you were in college so you’ve got 5,000 Euros saved up.

(That’s right — you’re European! So, while the rest of your fellow Europeans are busy voting for the UKIP and the Front National, you’re saving the world through art! Yay!)

Each month, you’re given four options. You can make art, you can work for a living, you can apply for a grant, or you can go on an inspirational excursion. Now, if you’re anything like me, you’re going to want to make art and that’s great. Depending on how or low your inspiration may be, you might create anything from a “timeless painting” to a “controversial monument” to a “mediocre sound art work.” But here’s the thing — regardless of what you create, you’re not going to make any money from it.

“That’s okay,” you say, “Art is not about money!”

Well, that’s all good and well and hey, good luck with that and enjoy your Occupy reunion, you moonbat. The fact of the matter is that, in both the game and real life, you need money to live. Each month, your living expenses total 1,000 Euros. As soon as you’re out of Euros, the game ends. So, go ahead and just concentrate on creating art. The game will be over in 5 turns.

So, let’s say you decide to spend a month working. Hey, that’s a good idea. At least you can make money. But here’s the problem — each month you spend working, your inspiration decreases. And here’s the thing — as your inspiration decreases, your art becomes less and less impressive and once you have totally run out of inspiration, your artistic career is over.

Luckily, there is a way to increase your inspiration. You can go on an “inspirational excursion,” which is also known as a vacation. These excursions are great because you return from them ready to create something wonderful. The only problem is that they cost 2,000 Euros, which means that as soon as you return, you’re in danger of running out of money. And how do we make money? By working, which decreases the inspiration that you just spent so much money to build up.

Okay, so how can you make money without destroying your inspiration? Well, you can apply for a grant but — much as in real life — there’s no way to predict whether or not you’ll actually get that grant. If you do get it, you’ll be able to spend a few months creating art but, if you don’t, it just means that you’ve wasted an entire month and you’re down another 1,000 Euros.

The challenge is to balance the need for money with the need for inspiration. Because, as soon as you run out of money and/or inspiration, you’re informed that maybe its time to start thinking about paying back your student loans…

THE HORROR!

I love the Artist Survival Simulator because it proves something that I’ve always suspected. If you want to survive as an artist, it helps to come from a rich family.

Play it here!

Artist Profile: Hyung-tae Kim (1978 — )

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Arleigh

Korean manwha artist and illustrator Hyung-tae Kim has become famous for his video game illustrator and art design work.

Born in February 1978 in Seoul, South Korea, Kim began his career in the video game industry creating background music for games, but he soon moved on to the art and design phase of the game process. His most notable works has been the covers and art design for the console rpg series Magna Carta and the Korean mmorpg title Blade & Soul for software studio NCSoft.

His style of artwork has been described as anatomically incorrect which is true, but he uses this deformation technique as a way to allow the unique individual personalities of each character to come out through the design. The unique look of his artwork has made his art books and art pieces highly sought after (both of which are very limited in nature) once they come out and then afterwards in secondary collectible markets.

Artist Profile: Luis Royo

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Arleigh

LUIS ROYO

Art is a word that has a broad meaning. It could mean art in the sense of how some people perceive music and films. Some people have begun to look at video games and similar entertainment media as art. I will always look at art, first and foremost, the realm of painters and those who create images on canvas and other similar materials. I also consider such individuals as purveyors of their own brand of entertainment. While some may not find entertainment when looking upon the works of masters in a gallery for others it’s the highest form.

To start of a feature that will profile artists who have contributed to the furthering of their craft I choose one of my favorite artists of any field today. The first artists chosen is Spanish fantasist Luis Royo whose work has spanned several decades. His distinctive style of blending the sensual and erotic female form with very dark and apocalyptics settings and background has made Luis Royo one of the preeminent artist in the scifi and fantasy literary world. Royo has done covers for genre literature and has even branched out to creating covers for heavy metal bands and video game titles.

Luis Royo’s particular style was first limited to sketches whose images then unveils fully once he has put brush (both traditional and mechanical air) to the canvas. Such pieces have become quite sought after by collectors. While he’s not averse to having his pieces sold to private buyers it’s usually a rare thing for him to sell from his own collection. Most of his artistic pieces owned by private art collectors have been those sold by owners who had contracted Royo to do the piece for them.

In the 1990’s he began to create pieces both in sketch and finished form and collected them into artbooks. These books usually had their artwork fall under a specific theme Royo had in mind to tie everything together. Such collected artbook like Malefic, Prohibited, Tattoos and Subversive Beauty have become fan favorites and one doesn’t have to look too hard to find them in bookstores and comic book collectible shops.

In the last couple of years, he has begun to branch out to creating his artistic pieces using other mediums. He has begun to bring his own paintings to three-dimensional life through sculpture which he saw as just a logical step in his evolution as an artist. Maybe he’ll begin to learn how to adapt his subversive beauties beyond canvas and sculpture and into the world of CGI. From this artistic genius I wouldn’t put it past him not to make that next step into the digital realm.