Protopixel HARDcade (2009)
Interactive installation
Photo: Marcos Morilla
Protopixel HARDcade consists of a software embedded into a vintage videogame arcade cabinet. Visitors can perform live visuals, interacting with the original controls of the cabinet (joystick and button). The visuals are generated by the software and displayed through the monitor of the cabinet and two video projectors. The monitor displays the images at a slow refresh rates (15Khz), in a similar way to the arcade games of the 1980s, while projectors provide a different experience. The images on the monitor look blurred, while those projected on the walls are more crisp. The moving images are characterized by low resolution, aliased images, limited frame rate and set of colours, as well as loops and “old school” effects such as colour cycling. Some graphic elements are abstract geometries and repeated patterns. The software also includes electronic 8-bit glitch sound, related to the images displayed on the screens.
