interesting. without the epilogue this is utterly incomplete and not worth much discussion. with the epilogue though, this is a unique take on a game about art.
A few good goofs but mostly just kind of bland 3D platforming that didn't really land for me.
the most uninteresting thing i have ever played
dude my bf can’t go a week without quoting part 4 u go to fucking hell lol
also did not know this was like a real game till today
also did not know this was like a real game till today
Es triste que este sea el mejor juego de Bubsy
Bubsy Visits The James Turrel Retrospective is a satirical take on art featuring a critically panned platforming mascot from the 90s. It gets pretty surreal near the end (which is a given with Arcane Kids games apparently) and I had no idea what was happening at some points. But like Sonic Dreams Collection it doesn't have much to offer other than satire. But I don't really think that people are playing this game for gameplay so eh.
ngl i didn't really learn who james turrell really was but maybe that's just me being bad at the game
This review contains spoilers
Arcane Kids made one of the most sincere and thoughtful analysis on the culture behind human consumption of art.
The very use of Bubsy as the protagonist creates a very interesting contradiction, exploring the meaning of art using Bubsy as its protagonist is essencial, because he represents just that, the LOWEST of LOW ART, a 90s videogame (which by itself wasn't considered the highest of art forms) and not only that, but one that has been universally panned since forever.
The Epilogue, which shos Bubsy as a washed up artist is where the real meat of what the game's message is resides.
In Bubsy's dialogue in relation to that art exhibition that contains a giant boulder, you can see what his character really is about, the notion that you should make something that lasts for generations and is "timeless", make your mark on the world, something that many artists think about and hope to achieve, when he goes to that underground place, you see statues of many famous artists whose art is considered timeless, as he becomes one of them.
When Bubsy chooses "humanity" over "art", the game devolves into Bubsy spinning and shooting zombies in a way of showing that Bubsy rejects the very notion of "high art", returning to what's considered "kitsch" or "low art", because that's how he wants to express himself, so that's what he'll do.
The part about Bubsy himself becoming a statue to be put on display also comments about again, the separation between art and human self-expression in that Bubsy's life, his existence, is just part of his life's work, it's just another piece in his catalogue.
Bubsy's art isn't Bubsy's self-expression anymore, Bubsy's life is simply another one of his own artworks.
In the public's view, Bubsy's artwork hasn't happened because of his personal experiences, thoughts and life in general, his whole life is just the background for his artwork.
The search for timelessness and artistry robs art of human self-expression.
The very use of Bubsy as the protagonist creates a very interesting contradiction, exploring the meaning of art using Bubsy as its protagonist is essencial, because he represents just that, the LOWEST of LOW ART, a 90s videogame (which by itself wasn't considered the highest of art forms) and not only that, but one that has been universally panned since forever.
The Epilogue, which shos Bubsy as a washed up artist is where the real meat of what the game's message is resides.
In Bubsy's dialogue in relation to that art exhibition that contains a giant boulder, you can see what his character really is about, the notion that you should make something that lasts for generations and is "timeless", make your mark on the world, something that many artists think about and hope to achieve, when he goes to that underground place, you see statues of many famous artists whose art is considered timeless, as he becomes one of them.
When Bubsy chooses "humanity" over "art", the game devolves into Bubsy spinning and shooting zombies in a way of showing that Bubsy rejects the very notion of "high art", returning to what's considered "kitsch" or "low art", because that's how he wants to express himself, so that's what he'll do.
The part about Bubsy himself becoming a statue to be put on display also comments about again, the separation between art and human self-expression in that Bubsy's life, his existence, is just part of his life's work, it's just another piece in his catalogue.
Bubsy's art isn't Bubsy's self-expression anymore, Bubsy's life is simply another one of his own artworks.
In the public's view, Bubsy's artwork hasn't happened because of his personal experiences, thoughts and life in general, his whole life is just the background for his artwork.
The search for timelessness and artistry robs art of human self-expression.
videogames are art
So, I know I have already done a review dismissing the game as a "reddit game." That review is a little popular, but I've been thinking about this game for the past few days again and I need to get my thoughts out.
Right out of the gate, this game is very critical of art as a concept. Themes of being suffocated, overworked, and tired by the concepts of art and what it could be or mean are expressed throughout the game. Such an example is an Applebees being destroyed revealing it as "art." Bubsy is immortalized as the epitome of a bad game in the gaming sphere. To the point where people talk about him as much as they would a good game. In a way Bubsy has become a statue, unchanging and unprecedented in its reception. The game ends with Bubsy getting a second chance by breaking out from his statue referencing the at the time up-coming revival of the Bubsy series. A main question raised throughout the game is if James Turrell can make art out of light or earth then does that make Applebee's or Bubsy 3D art? Well, according to Ben Esposito: no. In an interview with Esposito, he says the game ["[Uses] the aesthetics of a bad game in poorly executed edutainment in order to get people to interact with art, [gets people to] actually think about concepts related to art and the infinite. Being critical of the idea that games should could be art.”](https://killscreen.com/previously/articles/good-laugh-ben-esposito/amp/#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16654923673909&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com)
So for one, the game's dismissal and smug additive towards light being an art form just feels misplaced. Art is the showcase of creative and imaginative power shown in visual form, whether it be paintings, sculptures, etc. James Turrell's artworks are meant to showcase the visual power of the brain. Turrell has a clear sense of artistry with light, and is an undeniable master with the form. He uses color as if it were from a brush painting out beautiful landscapes fully realized within reality. This fine comprehension for light within his work allows for some beautiful pieces. So yes, Turrell's use of light should definitely qualify as art. His artwork very clearly showcases the human skill and creativity required for the medium. Secondly, in response to Esposito's criticism of games as an art form this can go forth onto Bubsy 3D. Programmers, artists, game designers, and the rest of the team working on the game used their creativity and imagination to create something which we can call art. Now, whether that art is good or not is up for debate But regardless it can still be seen as "art" in one way or another. Same thing for Applebee's, whether you like their food or not architects worked to plan out and build the establishments. Food itself is also an art form. It requires people to use their creativity to create and cook new dishes for Applebees that families can eat. This is where Bubsy throws a punch with its criticism of art, by saying that this perception of so many things being considered art can be suffocating.
However, Arcane Kids biggest fault when engaging in these critiques of art is their absence of elaboration on their ideas. This absence even hurts some of the good points they make. I think you can clearly see this in their manifesto which for the most part reads like word vomit, by saying things just for the sake of saying them. Take the excerpt "Stop listening to advice" which is just a backwards and hypocritical thought process. They don't flesh out on what to do instead of listening for advice. It feels like Arcane Kids is demanding for you to stop listening to advice which in of itself is advice. There’s the saying “show don't tell” but there’s a difference between that and just “show.” This lack of contextualisation continues its way into Bubsy. Yes, perceiving so many things as art can be suffocating, but any points or perspectives on how we should be classifying art are never brought up. Art being seen as so many different things is only brought up because it is and nothing more. There are similar criticisms for the ending in which Bubsy rejects art for humanity because art has no relief. This ending is ambiguous in almost a nonsensical way. Bubsy rejects all practices of creative and imaginative works for "humanity." What "humanity" is doesn't really seem to be spelled out. Humanity could mean kindness, or just the human race in general. Maybe this confusion could have been avoided had Bubsy gained some sort of characterization other than "what if the annoying 90s platformer mascot became an art snob.” and Empty attempts at dadaism, absurdism, and overall reeking of the age old saying "I am 14 and this is deep" plague the game's duration as well. As a whole, how does rejecting art as a concept correlate to the human race? Once again, it just seems like Arcane Kids using word vomit, by not following up on anything they say.
Bubsy 3D: Bubsy Visits the James Turrell Retrospective is a game that has very little to say, and what it does have to say is shallow and pretentious. The game doesn't even have much to gain from outside of the message of the game. The gameplay is near Identical to Bubsy 3D (so not good) and collectibles are placed nonsensically and seem to offer no purpose to the overall game. Generally it's not worth playing over watching a video of someone else playing through the game. Reddit is a platform that has little to gain out of actually interacting with it. Most of the time you'll get a bunch of pretentious and shallow comments about whatever you decided to post. Whether it be a piece of art, or your opinion on a piece of media, it's generally not worth it. Do I need to connect the dots for you?
Right out of the gate, this game is very critical of art as a concept. Themes of being suffocated, overworked, and tired by the concepts of art and what it could be or mean are expressed throughout the game. Such an example is an Applebees being destroyed revealing it as "art." Bubsy is immortalized as the epitome of a bad game in the gaming sphere. To the point where people talk about him as much as they would a good game. In a way Bubsy has become a statue, unchanging and unprecedented in its reception. The game ends with Bubsy getting a second chance by breaking out from his statue referencing the at the time up-coming revival of the Bubsy series. A main question raised throughout the game is if James Turrell can make art out of light or earth then does that make Applebee's or Bubsy 3D art? Well, according to Ben Esposito: no. In an interview with Esposito, he says the game ["[Uses] the aesthetics of a bad game in poorly executed edutainment in order to get people to interact with art, [gets people to] actually think about concepts related to art and the infinite. Being critical of the idea that games should could be art.”](https://killscreen.com/previously/articles/good-laugh-ben-esposito/amp/#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16654923673909&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com)
So for one, the game's dismissal and smug additive towards light being an art form just feels misplaced. Art is the showcase of creative and imaginative power shown in visual form, whether it be paintings, sculptures, etc. James Turrell's artworks are meant to showcase the visual power of the brain. Turrell has a clear sense of artistry with light, and is an undeniable master with the form. He uses color as if it were from a brush painting out beautiful landscapes fully realized within reality. This fine comprehension for light within his work allows for some beautiful pieces. So yes, Turrell's use of light should definitely qualify as art. His artwork very clearly showcases the human skill and creativity required for the medium. Secondly, in response to Esposito's criticism of games as an art form this can go forth onto Bubsy 3D. Programmers, artists, game designers, and the rest of the team working on the game used their creativity and imagination to create something which we can call art. Now, whether that art is good or not is up for debate But regardless it can still be seen as "art" in one way or another. Same thing for Applebee's, whether you like their food or not architects worked to plan out and build the establishments. Food itself is also an art form. It requires people to use their creativity to create and cook new dishes for Applebees that families can eat. This is where Bubsy throws a punch with its criticism of art, by saying that this perception of so many things being considered art can be suffocating.
However, Arcane Kids biggest fault when engaging in these critiques of art is their absence of elaboration on their ideas. This absence even hurts some of the good points they make. I think you can clearly see this in their manifesto which for the most part reads like word vomit, by saying things just for the sake of saying them. Take the excerpt "Stop listening to advice" which is just a backwards and hypocritical thought process. They don't flesh out on what to do instead of listening for advice. It feels like Arcane Kids is demanding for you to stop listening to advice which in of itself is advice. There’s the saying “show don't tell” but there’s a difference between that and just “show.” This lack of contextualisation continues its way into Bubsy. Yes, perceiving so many things as art can be suffocating, but any points or perspectives on how we should be classifying art are never brought up. Art being seen as so many different things is only brought up because it is and nothing more. There are similar criticisms for the ending in which Bubsy rejects art for humanity because art has no relief. This ending is ambiguous in almost a nonsensical way. Bubsy rejects all practices of creative and imaginative works for "humanity." What "humanity" is doesn't really seem to be spelled out. Humanity could mean kindness, or just the human race in general. Maybe this confusion could have been avoided had Bubsy gained some sort of characterization other than "what if the annoying 90s platformer mascot became an art snob.” and Empty attempts at dadaism, absurdism, and overall reeking of the age old saying "I am 14 and this is deep" plague the game's duration as well. As a whole, how does rejecting art as a concept correlate to the human race? Once again, it just seems like Arcane Kids using word vomit, by not following up on anything they say.
Bubsy 3D: Bubsy Visits the James Turrell Retrospective is a game that has very little to say, and what it does have to say is shallow and pretentious. The game doesn't even have much to gain from outside of the message of the game. The gameplay is near Identical to Bubsy 3D (so not good) and collectibles are placed nonsensically and seem to offer no purpose to the overall game. Generally it's not worth playing over watching a video of someone else playing through the game. Reddit is a platform that has little to gain out of actually interacting with it. Most of the time you'll get a bunch of pretentious and shallow comments about whatever you decided to post. Whether it be a piece of art, or your opinion on a piece of media, it's generally not worth it. Do I need to connect the dots for you?
look i dont like saying this but this was a reddit game lmao
turns out me and bubsy have more in common than i thought
one of the greatest games of our generation. the boys are back in town.
at the top of maslow's hierarchy of needs is every human's inate desire to go to applebees
almost made me feel something! every time i felt like i was on the cusp of something truly beautiful it pulled me back down to earth with what felt like a lot of generic imagery purely just for imagery's sake: Woah game, you're really making me reexamine my view of art by telling me capitalism is bad! i left feeling at least something of an appreciation for turrell's art, but felt little else.
also call me a philistine but bubsy's right: that michael heizer installation really did suck. it is just a rock!
almost made me feel something! every time i felt like i was on the cusp of something truly beautiful it pulled me back down to earth with what felt like a lot of generic imagery purely just for imagery's sake: Woah game, you're really making me reexamine my view of art by telling me capitalism is bad! i left feeling at least something of an appreciation for turrell's art, but felt little else.
also call me a philistine but bubsy's right: that michael heizer installation really did suck. it is just a rock!
The best Bubsy game.
I miss Arcane Kids.
I miss Arcane Kids.
I see some people deriding this as pure irony, a mockery of modern art. This is a profound misreading. This is not a work of nihilism, it is one of exuberant joy. When it says "Art's cool ;^)", it is saying that Art's cool ;^).
I have a feeling my soft spot for this game is very much based off my very personal connection to the specific James Turrell exhibition this game features.
So for context - this game specifically concerns the massively popular 2013 James Turrell retrospective located at LACMA in Los Angeles. I grew up in LA and was just beginning my senior year of high school at the time. I grew up in a solidly upper middle class community where attaining cultural capital and going to a prestigious college were the primary aspirations that parents had for their kids and that most kids had for themselves by extension.
Given this context one would imagine that going to the big ticket art exhibition in town would be popular but good god I cannot overstate just how popular and lauded this exhibition was. For a few months in the fall of 2013 basically every kid at my high school as well as their parents were talking about and posting about the god damn James Turrell exhibition almost non stop. For anyone not familiar James Turrell does what could be called light art in layman’s terms (my language when it comes to fine art). His works are very accessible and aesthetically pleasing and create an experience closer to an immersive art installation than a traditional exhibition. His 2013 exhibition predates but creates an experience for lay viewers that is shockingly similar to the heavily corporatized and Instagram friendly “art experiences” that would come to dominate the landscape of big American cities in the 2010s. The way most people talked and posted about this exhibition was also very similar to the way they would end talking and posting about faux art installations like “the museum of ice cream” some years later. The James Turrell exhibition, however, obviously has a lot more going for it than one of these Instagram experiences. I’m not trying to say his work is crap or disingenuous or anything - just that the way people talked about and approached the exhibition felt very similar to how they would talk about and approach aforementioned “Instagram art experiences”. But anyway - the exhibition was massively overhyped and there was a very real sense of FOMO surrounding it. People didn’t want to miss out on what seemed like this crazy aesthetic experience where you’d be transported to a surreal and abstract world and also didn’t want to miss out on the cultural capital to be gained by “having seen the James Turrell exhibition”.
Is this game partially responding to the geographically and culturally specific hype surrounding the exhibition? Maybe I guess? I have no idea. It does however immediately make me remember this somewhat comical time period from my youth, and I have a definite soft spot for it because of that. I saw this exhibition on a second date with the person who ended up becoming my first ever serious partner, which heightens the nostalgia factor for me a lot. For all the ridiculousness surrounding this exhibition seeing it in real life was a very memorable and frankly beautiful experience. Given its sheer popularity it’s also something that’s probably associated with fond memories for a lot of people. I hope Bubsy at least had a fun time at the exhibition like I did :’ )
A somewhat relevant aside: I had a friend in high school whose family owned this very post modern looking house. In the entranceway there was this strange rectangular hole in the wall leading to a small white room that would light up with bright green light if you flipped a switch. Nobody in the family knew what this room was for and they used it to store piles of literal junk for the entire time I knew them. After the exhibition got popular this family realized that their junk closet was very similar to the James Turrell pieces on exhibit at LACMA and did some investigating into its origins. It turned out the rectangular hole was indeed a James Turrell installation and they very quickly cleaned the junk out and bragged to everyone about having a James Turrell in their house. The story was even publishing in the LA Times. I don’t have any incisive commentary about this event. It’s just something I find supremely ridiculous and quite funny and also very depressing all at the same time.
So for context - this game specifically concerns the massively popular 2013 James Turrell retrospective located at LACMA in Los Angeles. I grew up in LA and was just beginning my senior year of high school at the time. I grew up in a solidly upper middle class community where attaining cultural capital and going to a prestigious college were the primary aspirations that parents had for their kids and that most kids had for themselves by extension.
Given this context one would imagine that going to the big ticket art exhibition in town would be popular but good god I cannot overstate just how popular and lauded this exhibition was. For a few months in the fall of 2013 basically every kid at my high school as well as their parents were talking about and posting about the god damn James Turrell exhibition almost non stop. For anyone not familiar James Turrell does what could be called light art in layman’s terms (my language when it comes to fine art). His works are very accessible and aesthetically pleasing and create an experience closer to an immersive art installation than a traditional exhibition. His 2013 exhibition predates but creates an experience for lay viewers that is shockingly similar to the heavily corporatized and Instagram friendly “art experiences” that would come to dominate the landscape of big American cities in the 2010s. The way most people talked and posted about this exhibition was also very similar to the way they would end talking and posting about faux art installations like “the museum of ice cream” some years later. The James Turrell exhibition, however, obviously has a lot more going for it than one of these Instagram experiences. I’m not trying to say his work is crap or disingenuous or anything - just that the way people talked about and approached the exhibition felt very similar to how they would talk about and approach aforementioned “Instagram art experiences”. But anyway - the exhibition was massively overhyped and there was a very real sense of FOMO surrounding it. People didn’t want to miss out on what seemed like this crazy aesthetic experience where you’d be transported to a surreal and abstract world and also didn’t want to miss out on the cultural capital to be gained by “having seen the James Turrell exhibition”.
Is this game partially responding to the geographically and culturally specific hype surrounding the exhibition? Maybe I guess? I have no idea. It does however immediately make me remember this somewhat comical time period from my youth, and I have a definite soft spot for it because of that. I saw this exhibition on a second date with the person who ended up becoming my first ever serious partner, which heightens the nostalgia factor for me a lot. For all the ridiculousness surrounding this exhibition seeing it in real life was a very memorable and frankly beautiful experience. Given its sheer popularity it’s also something that’s probably associated with fond memories for a lot of people. I hope Bubsy at least had a fun time at the exhibition like I did :’ )
A somewhat relevant aside: I had a friend in high school whose family owned this very post modern looking house. In the entranceway there was this strange rectangular hole in the wall leading to a small white room that would light up with bright green light if you flipped a switch. Nobody in the family knew what this room was for and they used it to store piles of literal junk for the entire time I knew them. After the exhibition got popular this family realized that their junk closet was very similar to the James Turrell pieces on exhibit at LACMA and did some investigating into its origins. It turned out the rectangular hole was indeed a James Turrell installation and they very quickly cleaned the junk out and bragged to everyone about having a James Turrell in their house. The story was even publishing in the LA Times. I don’t have any incisive commentary about this event. It’s just something I find supremely ridiculous and quite funny and also very depressing all at the same time.
+ epilogue + ghost
masterwork of art
masterwork of art
There's something undeniably bitter about the whole experience of Bubsy 3D: Bubsy Visits the James Turrell Retrospective. I think a version of me from a couple years ago would have found this at least a little interesting, but at this point all I see is just irony on top of irony on top of irony. The issue with internet irony and post-irony is that it's a distancer, it's a deliberate refusal to be genuine even for a second.
But even when you pull it apart it's just, like, high school nihilism. Ok dude, art sucks, life sucks, we're all gonna die, whatever man. Ironically, in the traditional sense, this game spends most of its time shitting on what it perceives to be "stuck-up postmodern art that thinks it's smarter than it is", while also being a piece of postmodern art that has pretty much nothing interesting or emotionally resonant to say. If you want to see postmodern artists take the piss out of themselves just watch The Comedy (2012) instead.
But even when you pull it apart it's just, like, high school nihilism. Ok dude, art sucks, life sucks, we're all gonna die, whatever man. Ironically, in the traditional sense, this game spends most of its time shitting on what it perceives to be "stuck-up postmodern art that thinks it's smarter than it is", while also being a piece of postmodern art that has pretty much nothing interesting or emotionally resonant to say. If you want to see postmodern artists take the piss out of themselves just watch The Comedy (2012) instead.
this was certainly something
I remember playing this in my programming class and the one kid being utterly baffled
me: "oh shit this game is bangin yo"
arcanekids: "its paint asshole"
arcanekids: "its paint asshole"
a case study in irony poisoning. and Bubsy 3D (1996) is the more compelling piece of interactive art, to boot
I hate Arcane Kids! I hate Arcane Kids!
What starts out as a high-brow shitpost comparing early 3D graphics to installation art turns into an over-the-top nightmare parody of why we make and consume art in the first place. Brief, unforgettable, and essential.
This review contains spoilers
So this is the story YIIK: a post modern rpg wanted to tell
i wish there was more time spent in the virtual museum. adding to the plethora here saying they miss arcane kids; their games opened my eyes to internet-era experimental games, and their manifesto really set my perspective on my own art into gear again this past year. i owe them a good bit. thanks, guys. you won't be forgotten.
I'll never make a game as good as this.
I miss arcane kids so much
Started eliciting words like 'beautiful', 'meaningful' and 'hopeful' from my brain, before sliding down the classic indie game trap door of ending things with a lot of aggressive glitch shite and death imagery that holds as much significance to me as a child doodling wee graves and skulls on their school textbooks. "Oooh, made you grapple with the concept of mortality, did I??? ;) ;)" - yeah, sure, whatever. It's a lot easier to remind someone that they're dying than it is to make them see something beautiful in the life around them. Alternate ending where Bubsy went to the James Turrell exhibit and then had a nice coffee and a sandwich at the museum cafe, please! Maybe let us choose out a nice fridge magnet in the gift shop, too…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09MzaJVH5b4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09MzaJVH5b4