Untitled Game1999

Untitled Game was made just as game modifications began to gain widespread recognition as an art form unto itself. JODI made the piece by altering the graphics of Quake as well as the software code that makes it work. Their mods reduced the complex graphics of Quake 1 to the bare minimum, aiming for maximum contrast between the complex soundscapes and the minimal visual environment. For the mod ‘Arena,’ JODI took this principle to the extreme: they completely erased every graphical element of the game, turning monsters, characters and backgrounds all to white. The more psychedelic ‘Crl-Space,’ the earliest of the set, is not based on a static image. Instead, it features a swirling black-and-white background. The game engine generates this effect as it continuously tries, and fails, to visualize the interior of a cube lined with black-and-white wallpaper.