selectparks - cutexdoom

Yumi-co 2004 Australia & Canada

Runs in Unreal Tournament 2003

"CuteXdoom is a game mod installation that explores modern cultures' addicton to cuteness and fabricated entities. Your mission is to become a member of the toy worshipping yumi-co cult and gain access to the exclusive temple-quarters. To accomplish this, you must collect enough toys to make an offering and please the robotic panda guru, who will in return give you a special gift."

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http://www.sikofshadows.com

Anita Johnston: Lead artist and design
Luke Illett: Sounds and concept design
Michael Pelletier: Programming
Geoff Lillemon: Additional art and textures

http://www.turbulence.org/blog/archives/001425.html CuteXdoom is a mod for the PC game Unreal Tournament 2003 that explores society's obsession with fabricated characters and all things cute, or kawaii. The goal of CuteXdoom is to become a member of the toy worshipping Yumi-Co cult and gain access to their temple by collecting enough toys to present as an offering to the robotic panda guru. (This sort of exploration of society's addiction to cuteness reminds me of Satoshi Kon's compelling anime series Paranoia Agent, which can be seen in the U.S. on [adult swim].) Anyway anime referencing aside, CuteXdoom was created by Yumi-Co, a collective of game designers, illustrators, sound artists and coders that was founded by Anita Fontaine. She worked as the art director and designer for this project and currently works for the Mobile Digital Commons Network in Canada. She is also participating in the Toytakeova exhibit this fall in Australia. I really could go on and on, but I'll end it with this last plug: also check out some of the locative media projects she's worked on: Ghost Garden and Global Heart Rate. [blogged by Carol T Chung on Cool Hunting] http://www.entermultimediale.cz/?id=prg&nid=79&nlang=1 Cutexdoom Yumi-Co (Anita Johnston) [CA] Game modification of Unreal Tournament CuteXdoom separates itself from the plethora of aggressive fighting, high-paced action games and geek-fantasy adventures that flood the big business of video games: it plays within familiar gaming conventions while commenting on our existence within a global, networked, and information-based culture of rapid exchange, consumerism and technological development. The game CuteXdoom explores contemporary cultures fascination with mass-produced and mass-marketed material objects, specifically the kawaii and otaku cultures that preoccupy Japan. The players scramble through the landscape to collect the plush and high-tech toys needed to make an offering to the toy worshipping Cutexdoom Cult. Once the player has amassed all 10 toys entrance can be gained to the exclusive Cutexdoom temple. Inside a robotic panda-guru awaits with a personalized message- an engrish mantra and light simulation. Bio Yumi-co is a collective of game designers, illustrators, sound artists and coders who develop original media, including games and game hacks. Anita Johnston is a founding member of Yumi-Co. She is an interdisciplinary artist and designer specializing in the development of new media, videogames, and illustrations. She is currently working on the sequel to CuteXdoom, and acting as conceptual designer for "Global Heart Rate", an educational location based videogame set deep in the forests of Canada. mike.banff.org/cutexdoom www.sikoshadows.com