News / 2007 / February / 18

2 articles

• Police enforce Mario Sunshine
  Deviant college students were found painting offensive pixel art today on the brick walkways of University of North Carolina's Halton Arena. The mural of reptilian Mario arch-nemesis Bowser rendered in pastel chalk was discovered by the police with the help of several upright student informants on the scene. Details
  18 Feb 2007 by Jeriaska ↑ 9 ↓ discuss permalink
• Not-quite photo-realistic game images really creeping people out
  Roboticist Masahiro Mori coined the term "Uncanny Valley" in 1970 to refer to the anxiety produced by looking at human marionettes that are entirely lifelike... only not quite. Now the term is being used to describe near photo-realistic videogames like French developer Quantic Dream's Playstation 3 thriller Heavy Rain, whose kinda almost lifelike visuals are reportedly really creeping the shit out of people. The term "uncanny" comes from Sigmund Freud's concept of the Unheimlichkeit, the sensation of seeing a dreamlike image in reality. Be sure to weigh QD's Uncanny Valley effect against Square Enix's equally Freudian Sexy Lightning effect when deciding your game purchases. BBC
  18 Feb 2007 by Jeriaska ↑ -14 ↓ discuss permalink