Pick up, you Nickel-plated Nincompoop!It's Wednesday, May 25th, 2011. A day that will promptly be forgotten and wasted. I imagine when you're old, infirm, and rotting away in a nursing home tended by a robot who's stopped responding to your cries for help, you'd gladly give it all for just one more day like you're going to have today. To be young, healthy, and free, just (gasp) one more day! And on that note, news.

First off, something really neat: Depixelizing Pixel Art: Upscaling Retro 8-bit Games. It took me a little while to figure out what's going on here, but it amounts to a new algorithm that turns blocky pixel images into smooth vector images. The actual article is pretty technical, but also includes lots more cool transformations. I can see tech like this being used to "update" old games, perhaps even on-the-fly. The researchers really seem to get what they're doing, too, and believe they've "managed to capture some of the charm of the original" from the 8-bit "masterpieces." Can't wait to see what Samantha Fox will look like.

While we typically think of videogame and computer collecting as simply acquiring hardware, software and accessories, there are also the occasional cool one-of-a-kind items, like this original cover art painting for the legendary Castle Wolfenstein (featured in Chapter 2 of our book, Vintage Games), apparently created with alkyd oils. If I were rich, I'd definitely get into this kind of artwork collecting moreso than what is traditionally considered art collecting.

So I ask, if you had the financial resources, would this collecting of the more "cultural" aspects of videogames appeal to you as well?

Armchair Arcade's transition to its latest revision is almost - but not quite - complete. While we upgraded our server-side software and feature-set, one thing we're still missing is a killer design theme to really give us that Web 3.0 vibe (Web 2.0 is so 2009). If you know how to create killer Drupal themes or are an artistically inclined designer and would like to help, let us know via our Contact Us form. If we end up using your work, in return you'll get a copy of our books, Vintage Games, complete with an autographed bookmark, as well as an autographed and personalized copy of Wii Fitness for Dummies.

*Fame and riches not actually included with this offer, but you will have the books, our eternal thanks, and a nice mention on our About Us page.

While not exactly as monumental or groundbreaking as my tongue-in-cheek title would imply, in my small world it's something fun that I wanted to share--original pixel art (much like AA staffer Mark Vergeer's wonderful icons that we often use on blog posting headers, like the C-64 icon to the upper left) not seen since the mid-1980's. Without further ado, here's the public unveiling of original artwork done by myself and late friend, Ed Beck, done back in our youth on the Commodore 64, armed only with lots of time, a joystick and crude, but effective art programs.

I AM 8-BITSometimes I think I'm more intrigued by the video games culture bleeding into other forms of media and seeping deeper into popular culture, than I am in the games themselves. The "I AM 8-BIT" show at Gallery 1988 was referenced in a previous post as being featured in a vidcast elsewhere, but there was not a link in the AA post to the artwork featured. So, here it is:

kong invadersYours too, I'm sure. Here's the link. It may take awhile, and I should probably waterproof the place first, but of course it would be worth it. This certainly would entertain the spiders. Hopefully even keep them occupied, so they no longer visit us on the first floor.

As I write this I realize I am posting this 4th generation. But I'm guessing there's plenty of people who still haven't seen it. And I'm pretty sure my three friends who actually read my blog haven't seen it.