2017’s No Quarter Exhibition featured four new games by veteran and rising independent and experimental game developers from different corners of the world. Exploring topics from labyrinths to art auctions, the games debuted in Brooklyn’s, Starr Gallery on November 3, 2017.
NOTE FROM THE CURATOR, ROBERT YANG
For 8 years now, the No Quarter Exhibition has been paying game designers to make the games they want to make, and then throwing them a big fun party to celebrate and amplify their unique voices. We claim no ownership over the resulting work — we just want these artists to speak their mind, and so we give them space and support to do that. We think it’s a pretty great deal for them, but we also get a lot out of it: their act of creation, and our shared acts of play, help strengthen our communities.
Now, we do all this at a time when many people think we should isolate ourselves from the rest of the world — but we know that’s a very destructive attitude. It’s so destructive that, for the first time in the history of No Quarter, we are temporarily suppressing our vocal and insufferable belief in our city’s exceptionalism: this year, we are commissioning only artists based outside of New York City. We believe a wider diversity of backgrounds and identities can only enrich our understanding of art and community… oh, and it helps us make better games too.
The 2017 No Quarter Games
Auriea Harvey
Minorinth
Experimental multi-user VR installation by Auriea Harvey. An exploration of the mystery of the Labyrinth, as an ancient idea and as a transcendent sacred path. Read more about Auriea’s concept and process here.
Auriea Harvey is half of Tale of Tales, Belgium. She is known for her design, art direction and 3d artwork on videogames such as The Path, The Endless Forest, and Sunset. Currently she makes paintings, sculpture, and VR at their studio in Ghent.
http://auriea.org/index.pl
https://twitter.com/auriea
Droqen (Alexander Martin)
Inconsiderate Climbers
Local multiplayer community platformer by Droqen. An experiment in closeness & discord for four tower dwellers. Read more about Droqen’s concept and process here. Find the game here.
Five years ago, Droqen unleashed Starseed Pilgrim upon the world: an unforgiving journey that left half of its players lost and disillusioned. It was nominated for a few awards. Today, Droqen is an independent game developer and one quarter of the Gloam Collective. He continues working very hard to evoke feelings that were uninvited and will go unloved.
http://www.droqen.com/
https://twitter.com/droqen
Kitty Horrorshow
Garden, Eternity, Shape
Multiplayer hot-seat world builder / world wanderer by Kitty Horrorshow. An island where players go to transcend, amongst mystical architecture in lonesome places
Read more about Kitty’s concept and process here.
Kitty Horrorshow is an independent game developer whose work focuses on ambiance, architecture, horror, dread, wonder, scale, and the uncanny. She is most known for her celebrated horror game ANATOMY, but is best known as the shape a murder of crows takes as it twists its way over an empty field.
https://kittyhorrorshow.itch.io/
https://twitter.com/kittyhorrorshow
Pietro Righi Riva
Asta Grande
Surreal art auction social game / performance by Pietro Righi Riva. A drop-in, drop-out crowd game; a pretend auction of legendary items.
Read more about Pietro’s concept and process here.
Italian designer, artist, and academic. With indie game studio Santa Ragione, he created “Escape From The Aliens In Outer Space”, “FOTONICA”, “MirrorMoon EP”, and “Wheels of Aurelia”. His work was displayed at the Venice Biennale and the MCA in Chicago. In 2016, Pietro published a manifesto for nontraditional playable media called “rejecta”