Touring internationally and available from 2013

“Game Masters is vital work. It should serve as a cornerstone both for videogames culture and for Australian cultural institutions for some time to come.”

CRIKEY

“What really resonates is just how well researched and broad Game Masters is. Everything is laid bare for you to see…”

IGN ENTERTAINMENT

“You owe it to yourself to check it out, you won’t be disappointed”

NEW ZEALAND HERALD

“On one level, ACMI’s latest exhibition Game Masters is an important step towards video games receiving proper recognition as an important and valid form of art. On another, it’s pretty much THE GREATEST ARCADE EVER.”

TIME OUT

“I wasn’t prepared for the care and detail that has gone into making Game Masters a truly spectacular celebration of the games and people who make them. It looks incredible.”

KOTAKU

“What we encountered at Game Masters was nothing short of astounding… I came away from Game Masters event not only reinvigorated about video games but also with a fresh appetite to expect more from museums.”

WIRED

“The exhibition is innovative and demonstrates admirable curatorial rigour in the research and investigation that has gone into its realisation.”

MUSEUMS AUSTRALIA

“Yu Suzuki says that his goal when making the upbeat racer OutRun was to fill the game arcade with bright voices. Game Masters does just that in this comprehensive celebration of playing together.”

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) presents the award winning Game Masters, a highly interactive videogame exhibition which had its world premiere in Melbourne, Australia in 2012.

Created and curated by ACMI, Game Masters showcases legendary international videogame designers through new in-depth interviews, 200 objects and original artworks, and over 100 playable games from the arcade era through to the latest console and mobile game technology.

The exhibition is presented in three sections: Arcade Heroes, Game Changers and Indies. Over 35 game designers who have made a significant and ongoing impact in the field are profiled throughout the exhibition, including the most famous and influential creators in the history of the medium. The designers’ work is explored through a combination of rare concept artwork, specially commissioned interviews and playable games.

Arcade Heroes spotlights pioneering designers from the trailblazing and revolutionary arcade era, including Shigeru Miyamoto, Ed Logg, Tim Skelly, Masanobu Endo, Toru Iwatani, Eugene Jarvis, Konami, Tomohiro Nishikado, Taito and Dave Theurer.

Leading contemporary designers who have had a major impact on shaping the medium as we know it feature in the second section, Game Changers, including Blizzard Entertainment, Paulina Bozek, Hideo Kojima, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Peter Molyneux OBE, Yuji Naka and the Sonic Team, Nintendo, Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy, Tim Schafer, Warren Spector, Yu Suzuki, TT Games, Fumito Ueda and Will Wright.

GAME MASTERSDISCOVER THE GODS OF GAMING

Space Invaders, 1978

The third and final chapter of the exhibition, Indies explores the groundbreaking and future-focussed world of independent game designers. Artists such as Jonathan Blow, Capy, Eric Chahi, Jakub Dvorský, Firemint, Halfbrick, Introversion, Masaya Matsuura, Markus ‘Notch’ Persson, Rovio, Erik Svedäng, thatgamecompany, and The Behemoth are profiled in this section.

Game Masters features unique experiences such as an immersive 3D version of Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s acclaimed Child of Eden (2011), a spectacular multiplayer dance stage for a large-scale version of Dance Central 3 (2012), hands-on experiential music booths and a selection of 20 original classic arcade machines from the 1970s and ‘80s acquired especially for the exhibition, all playable in their original form.

ACMI’s Game Masters exhibition appeals to audiences of all ages and abilities, from families with children to the original generation of gamers, and from the average smart phone user to the budding game developer.

An exciting digital program is available to complement the exhibition, including:

> Education program with 85 pages of educational resources

> Series of forums, talks and events> Suite of online resources including

exclusive video content> Bespoke website> 128-page eBook catalogue

(also available in hardcopy)> Newly commissioned mobile game,

Game Masters: The Game (free to download from Apple iTunes and Google Play, and playable large scale within the exhibition).

Game Masters won Museums Australia’s 2013 Museums and Galleries National Award (MAGNA) for best large temporary exhibition, and was recently shortlisted for the 2013 Australian Interior Design Awards.

Game Masters premiered at ACMI from June to October, 2012. The exhibition has travelled since to the National Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, showing from December 2012 to April 2013. The exhibition will be updated regularly with new content and is designed to be customisable for inclusion of local designers and games from its host countries as well.

Warren Spector, Developer Forum

5

game masters exhibitionAUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR THE MOVING IMAGE, JUNE-OCTOBER 2012

9GAME MASTERS EXHIBITION

ARCADE HEROES

11GAME MASTERS EXHIBITION

Concept art, various artists, Brutal Legend, 2009

GAME CHANGERS 13GAME MASTERS EXHIBITION

GAME CHANGERS

15GAME MASTERS EXHIBITION

GAME CHANGERS

17GAME MASTERS EXHIBITION

INDIES

19GAME MASTERS EXHIBITION

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NEW ZEALAND, TE PAPA TONGAREWA DECEMBER 2012 - APRIL 2013

Images: © Te Papa

21GAME MASTERS EXHIBITION

Images: © Te Papa

SHIGERU MIYAMOTOJAPAN

The success of Miyamoto’s Donkey Kong (1981) set Nintendo onto the path of becoming one of the largest video gaming companies in the world. Miyamoto went on to create both the Mario and Zelda series, along with other successful franchises such as Star Fox, Pikmin and the Wii series. With a career spanning 33 years, Miyamoto still works as a creative and is currently serving as Nintendo’s Entertainment Analysis and Development (EAD) General Manager.

Featured GameDonkey Kong 1981

TIM SKELLYUSA

Tim Skelly’s experimental vector graphics games illustrate the passion for innovation that fl ourished in the early arcade years of lone designers, before game genres and controls became standardised. The classic Rip O� (1980), was the fi rst game to feature two-player cooperative play and Reactor (1982)was the fi rst arcade game to include an on-screen credit for the designer.

Featured GamesRip O� 1980Reactor 1982

TOMOHIRO NISHIKADOJAPAN

As the creator of Space Invaders (1978), Tomohiro Nishikado qualifi es as a true legend of the ‘golden age’ of arcade games. Space Invaders was so popular in Japan that it caused a national coin shortage. A year later, its phenomenal success in the US brought a whole new audience into the arcades and delivered videogames into mainstream culture.

Featured GamesGun Fight 1975Space Invaders 1978

ED LOGGUSA

Ed Logg programmed and designed Asteroids (1979), Atari’s most successful coin-operated game. With its minimalist vector graphics and sense of boundlessness, players had a new freedom to move around the screen. Asteroids was the fi rst game to invite high-scoring players to enter their initials on screen. Centipede (1981) co-designed with Donna Bailey, was also a huge hit, appealing to female players with its cast of brightly coloured insects.

Featured GamesAsteroids 1979Centipede 1981

ARCADE HEROES

DAVE THEURERUSA

In an era when creating games was a one man job, Dave Theurer designed two of Atari’s classic games. Missile Command (1980) requires the player to use spatial logic and precise timing to defend their cities against a rain of nuclear missiles. Missile Command’s large trackball allowed for greater accuracy. Tempest (1981) features a fast-moving, vector graphics tunnel through which the player fl ies while attacking an onslaught of monsters. Its custom controller, a smooth moving dial, made gameplay super-fast.

Featured GamesMissile Command 1980Tempest 1981

EUGENE JARVISUSA

Eugene Jarvis’ games o§ ered swift death and spectacle. Defender (1980) featured horizontal scrolling, enabling the game’s universe to be much larger than the screen. The game was notoriously challenging with elaborate controls. Despite its di ̈ culty it was a huge hit. Robotron: 2084 (1982) was the fi rst game with dual-joystick controls, one for shooting, one for moving.

Featured GamesDefender 1980Robotron: 2084 1982

TORU IWATANIJAPAN

Tōru Iwatani was 25 when he created Pac-Man (1980), one of the most popular and original games of all time. Iwatani playfully explored the pleasures of eating; bypassing the usual sporting or apocalyptic themes. The cuteness of the characters is matched by the appeal of the design. Pac-Man is credited with being the fi rst game to feature power-ups, and the fi rst with broad appeal to a female market.

Featured GamesGee Bee 1978Pac-Man 1980

MASANOBU ENDOJAPAN

Masanobu Endō joined Namco in 1981 and his fi rst game, Xevious (1982), became a cult hit in Japan. Xevious features vertically scrolling gameplay and coloured graphics depicting a Peruvian landscape as seen from a low-fl ying spacecraft piloted by the player. Endō also designed Tower of Druaga (1984), a complex 60-level maze game comprising the fi rst episode of Babylonian Castle Saga.

Featured GamesXevious 1982Tower of Druaga 1984

23ARCADE HEROES

Game Changers

YU SUZUKIJAPAN

Yu Suzuki is the pioneer of immersive, full-body arcade games. The Hang-On arcade machine was designed as a ride-on motorcycle that enabled players to control and move through the game as though riding a real bike. Suzuki continued to garner critical acclaim with increasingly elaborate immersive arcade games, including the sports driving game Out Run (1986), considered the first arcade game to deliver a real sense of speed with a 3D look, and Virtua Fighter (1993), a global sensation that established the blueprint for all 3D fighting games.

Featured GamesHang-On 1985Out Run 1986Virtua Fighter 1993Shenmue 1999

YUJI NAKA AND THE SONIC TEAM JAPAN

Yuji Naka and the Sonic Team are responsible for creating one of videogames’ most loved characters: the super-fast Sonic the Hedgehog. The first game in the series staggered players by ignoring the slow-moving conventions of platformers, and pushing high speeds and constant progression. The Sonic Team has developed a wide array of titles for various platforms and genres beyond the Sonic series, Nights into Dreams… (1996), Chu Chu Rocket! (1999) and The Rub Rabbits! (2005). The recent release of Sonic Generations (2011), at once a fresh and nostalgic addition to the series, shows that the blue hedgehog still holds a prominent place in the modern games world.

Featured GamesSonic the Hedgehog 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 1992 NIGHTS into Dreams 1996 Sonic Generations 2011

25GAME CHANGERS

HIDEO KOJIMAJAPAN

Hideo Kojima is the creator of the iconic METAL GEAR SOLID series and is credited with the introduction of action stealth-based gameplay, in which the player avoids attack by advancing under cover. Kojima’s passion for narrative and cinema is evident in the complex storylines and filmic look of his games.

Through each new title in the METAL GEAR series, Kojima has created a distinct visual language, collaborating with Yoji Shinkawa on the visual concept for the games to craft experiences that extend beyond the boundaries of traditional gaming.

Featured GamesMETAL GEAR SOLID 1998 METAL GEAR SOLID 2: Sons of Liberty 2001 METAL GEAR SOLID 3: Snake Eater 2004 METAL GEAR SOLID 4: Guns of Patriots 2008

BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENTUSA

Blizzard Entertainment are the creators of World of Warcraft, the world’s most popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Blizzard games take place in complex worlds, which draw on myths, fables, and role-playing game traditions.

The release of Diablo saw the launch of the online gaming service Battle.net, now one of the largest gaming networks in the world. With StarCraft the company returned to the RTS genre, with a sci-fi twist. StarCraft has spurred the rise of professional gaming tournaments, especially in Korea.

Featured GamesWarcraft III: Reign of Chaos 2002Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty 2010Diablo III 2012

26

TETSUYA MIZUGUCHIJAPAN

Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s games combine music composition with abstracted visuals to create immersive experiences based on emotional responses rather than narrative.

Mizuguchi’s first game job at SEGA was to design the influential arcade racing game Sega Rally Championship. It was his second game, however, that signalled the start of a new creative direction. Space Channel 5 is a rhythm game in which you defeat aliens by outdancing them! Mizuguchi’s following title, Rez, takes a more serious approach with its Kandinsky-influenced journey through an abstract visual space. Child of Eden, his motion-controlled title, builds on Rez to cast the player as the conductor of an electronic orchestra: each sweep of the hand directs the music as the screen explodes with light and colour. The Game Masters exhibition features a large scale 3D version of Child of Eden.

Featured GamesSega Rally Championship 1995 Space Channel 5 1999 Rez 2001 Lumines 2004 Child of Eden 2011

PETER MOLYNEUXUNITED KINGDOM

Peter Molyneux is acknowledged as the creator of the ‘god game’ genre, which positions players in control of the game’s inhabitants and environments. Molyneux’s first commercial release, Populous, the first ‘god game’, sold four million copies. Black & White won numerous awards on release and was recognised for its use of artificial intelligence in the introduction of a creature character that the player teaches throughout the game.

Molyneux then shifted focus to Microsoft’s new Xbox console, developing the action role-playing game Fable which enhances the moral choice component of ‘god games’ by letting players decide between good or evil actions. In 2012 Molyneux established a new studio, 22Cans.

Featured GamesPopulous 1989 Dungeon Keeper 1997 Black & White 2001 Fable III 2010

27GAME CHANGERS

TIM SCHAFERUSA

Tim Schafer is revered as a master of the comic adventure game. The Secret of Monkey Island remains one of the best-loved adventure titles ever created. After directing classics such as Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango for Lucas Arts. Schafer formed, Double Fine Productions in 2000, releasing the cult classic Psychonauts and the heavy metal-themed action adventure Brütal Legend.

Featured GamesMonkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge 1991 Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle 1993Grim Fandango 1998 Pyschonauts 2005 Brütal Legend 2009

NINTENDOJAPAN

Nintendo are responsible for some of the game world’s most beloved characters and are recognised for continuously revolutionising the field by introducing new game mechanics and platforms.

Formed as a playing card company in 1889, Nintendo first tried its hand at videogames in 1973. Donkey Kong, designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, was their first big games success. Miyamoto went on to become one of the games industry’s most highly esteemed figures.

In 1985 Nintendo released the Nintendo Entertainment System™ (NES). The console launched Nintendo’s most successful franchises, Super Mario Bros. ™ and The Legend of Zelda. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is repeatedly voted the greatest game of all time.

Featured GamesSuper Mario Bros. 1985Super Mario Bros. 2 1988New Super Mario Bros. 2006Super Mario 3D Land, 2011 Mario Kart 7, 2011The Legend of Zelda 1986The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 1998The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword 2011The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, 2011

28

TT GAMESUNITED KINGDOM

With an emphasis on fun, comedy and casual gameplay, TT Games have combined LEGO with top movie titles to produce original, entertaining games that have attracted a strong following with both younger and older audiences.

At its inception, TT acquired the worldwide rights to LEGO games and began combining the versatility and imagination of LEGO with one of film’s most popular worlds to create LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game. The unlikely combination of LEGO, Star Wars and puzzle-solving gameplay was a surprise hit, garnering acclaim not at all common to children’s games.

Featured GamesLEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy 2006LEGO Batman: The Video Game 2008LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 2010LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 2010

FUMITO UEDAJAPAN

Fumito Ueda is the creator of some of videogames’ most emotional journeys. The simple visual beauty and powerful themes of his games have made him one of the most recognised videogames auteurs. Ueda joined Sony Computer Entertainment in 1997 and began developing his first game, ICO, a poetic adventure game based on an abstracted boy-meets-girl premise. ICO is a minimalist game in which many usual gameplay elements have been removed in order to enhance players’ immersion in the story. In Ueda’s next game, Shadow of the Colossus, players aim to defeat 16 majestic colossi. Both titles haunt the memory, and have paved the way for Ueda’s forthcoming The Last Guardian.

Featured GamesICO 2001 Shadow of the Colossus 2005 Shadow of the Colossus HD 2011

29GAME CHANGERS

WILL WRIGHTUSA

Will Wright is the father of simulation games. He empowers the player to build environments and narratives. While making his first game, Raid on Bungling Bay, he enjoyed building the game even more than playing it and, reasoning that players may also enjoy the building process, he conceived of what became his first major success, SimCity. He followed with The Sims giving players control of one or more virtual persons (or Sims) in a suburban household. Appealing far beyond the traditional videogames audience, it quickly became the best selling PC game of all time.

Wright’s most recent game, Spore allows players to evolve a single-celled organism into creatures, construct whole civilisations, and eventually colonise outer space.

Featured GamesSimCity 1989 SimCity2000 1993 The Sims 1998 Spore Creature Creator 2008

WARREN SPECTORUSA

Warren Spector’s catchphrase is ‘playstyle matters’: his games empower the player through choice and consequence. In creating his games, Spector has drawn on his passion for popular culture, including cartoons, comics, and science fiction. In 1997, Spector founded Ion Storm Austin, where he worked on the seminal and immersive Deus Ex, a dynamic, conspiracy theory-inspired role-playing game that is widely considered one of the finest PC games ever created. In 2005 Spector established Junction Point, and developed Disney Epic Mickey, a game that explores the forgotten characters and worlds of Disney’s early animated films.

Featured GamesUltima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss 1992 System Shock 1994 Deux Ex 2000 Disney Epic Mickey 2010

30

PAULINA BOZEKCANADA/UK

Paulina Bozek’s breakthrough release was the karaoke-based SingStar which introduced videogames to new audiences through its focus on pop music. Bozek understood that an MTV-cool feel and stylish graphic design were very important to the intended audience, as was the use of original music and videos. In 2005 SingStar was awarded a BAFTA for Originality. After six years at Sony, Bozek left to start inensu, which focuses on creating social games and apps.

Featured GameSingStar 2007

ALEX RIGOPULOS AND ERAN EGOZYUSA

Inspired by their love of music and composition, Rigopulos & Egozy, as, co-founders of Harmonix, resurrected the music game genre with games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The games are designed to appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers and they incorporate custom instrument controllers that provide an immersive, full-body experience. The exhibition features a large scale installation of Dance Central 3.

Featured GamesFrequency 2001 Amplitude 2003 Rock Band 3 2010 CEO (Harmonix) Dance Central 3 2012 CEO (Harmonix

31GAME CHANGERS

ERIC CHAHIFRANCE

Eric Chahi is renowned for groundbreaking innovations in game design. Another World was hugely influential, with its rotoscoped animations, cinematic aesthetic and lack of on-screen text information. Chahi’s most recent game, From Dust, sees a radical departure of style. Inspired by travels to live volcano sites, this environmental god game challenges players to control natural resources — water, land and lava — to e§ect the survival of a group of villagers.

Featured GamesAnother World 1991Hearts of Darkness 1998From Dust 2011

MASAYA MATSUURAJAPAN

Matsuura’s career began in writing and performing electronic music: he developed multimedia projects that eventually morphed into games. PaRappa the Rapper appealed to a broad demographic due to its catchy tunes and comic animation. Matsuura followed this success with UnJammer Lammy and the generative music game vib-ribbon. The recent mobile game, WINtA continues to use interactive technology to create fun and imaginative ways for non-musicians to immerse themselves in music.

Featured GamesPaRappa the Rapper 1996vib-ribbon 1999WINtA 2010

ACMI / CHOCOLATE LIBERATION FRONTAUSTRALIA

A custom-made mobile game created to enrich the experience of the exhibition or played on its own. Designed for all ages and abilities, for single or two player fun, Game Masters: The Game requires players to navigate a ball past opponents to score. The design features familiar game genres including space, sim and adventure games, drawing visual inspiration from early arcade through to the latest indie games, reflecting the content of the exhibition. By visiting the exhibition, users can unlock additional game content by scanning codes within the gallery and also play a large-scale, two-player version of the game. Game Masters: The Game, commissioned by ACMI and developed by Chocolate Liberation Front, can be downloaded for free from the App Store and Google Play today.

Featured GameGame Masters: The Game 2012

Indies

ERIK SVEDANGSWEDEN

Erik Svedäng won the Seamus McNally grand prize at the 2009 Independent Games Festival for Blueberry Garden, which was inspired by the idea of a complex ecosystem that reacts to player actions. Svedäng’s next game, Kometen, continues in the vein of gentle exploration. Svedäng has also developed two-player ’digital board games’ for the iPad: Shot Shot Shoot and the frantic Tri-Tri-Triobelisk.

Featured GamesBlueberry Garden 2010Kometen 2011Tri-Tri-Triobelisk 2011

CAPY

Capy was formed in 2003 by a group of Toronto-based game enthusiasts, led by Kris Piotrowski and Nathan Vella. The success of Critter Crunch enabled them to focus on making increasingly complex and creative games. Capy collaborated with designer Craig Adams and musician Jim Guthrie to produce the cinematic, music- rich game Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP, which has been widely praised for its lush sounds, sombre visual tone and moments of idiosyncratic humour.

Featured GamesCritter Crunch 2008Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP 2011

HALFBRICKAUSTRALIA

Halfbrick is a growing development studio started by a group of graduates in 2001. Lead designer Luke Muscat created Fruit Ninja, the swiping game that topped the charts in 20 countries with over 100 million downloads. Fruit Ninja’s four-word instruction manual — ‘swipe fruit, avoid bombs’ — illustrates a philosophy of presenting an e§ortlessly simple interface to casual players. Jetpack Joyride features ever-increasing levels of di¨culty without relinquishing the one-touch ease of gameplay.

Featured GamesFruit Ninja Kinect 2011Jet Pack Joyride 2011

MARKUS ‘NOTCH’ PERSSONSWEDEN

Creator of the breakout phenomenon Minecraft, and a bona fide indie celebrity, ‘Notch’ originally developed the game in his spare time. Minecraft is a sandbox game in which players use blocks to create and modify models of literally anything they can imagine. Notch strives to maintain a transparent relationship with Minecraft’s millions of fans and he used their feedback during the development stage to help shape the game’s final release version.

Featured GameMinecraft 2011

33INDIES

JONATHAN BLOWUSA

The time-manipulating mechanic in Blow’s influential game Braid is a testament to his early fascination with tackling the ‘really hard programming challenges’. Blow has been a significant force within the independent games scene as a commentator and mentor and, together with other successful indie developers, in setting up the Indie Fund to provide fledgling projects with financial support. His most recent game is The Witness.

Featured GameBraid 2008

FIREMINTAUSTRALIA

Flight Control, designed by Rob Murray, initiated a new genre of line drawing games on mobile platforms, and rocketed to the top of the international app sales charts. Firemint’s success is due to Murray’s vision to create games which are easy to play, elegant and addictive in equal measure. In addition, his successful reading of the drive towards personalised gaming, led by the ubiquity of social networking on mobile platforms, has kept his games on trend.

Featured GamesFlight Control 2009Real Racing 2 HD 2011

ROVIOFINLAND

In 2009, Finnish company Rovio released Angry Birds, a casual puzzle game for touchscreen smartphones that by late 2011 had notched up an astonishing 500 million downloads across various platforms. Angry Birds has been extremely well reviewed, due to its challenging gameplay, abundance of levels, excellent sound design and high attention to detail. Rovio attributes the success of the game to a number of factors, including their decision to approach the game less as a static product and more as an experience or a service, comparable to a website that is constantly updated and responsive to fan feedback.

Featured GamesAngry Birds 2009

THATGAMECOMPANYUSA

Jenova Chen and Kellee Santiago founded thatgamecompany on the strength of Chen’s award-winning student game Cloud (2005). Their subsequent games flOw, and flower are built around easy to master gameplay and a sense of gliding or floating through the game world. The feelings of discovery and wonder this produces are inspired by the transformative power of nature. Their most recent game, Journey, o§ers a blissful experience of exploring a desert landscape.

Featured GamesflOw 2007Flower 2009Journey 2012

34

JAKUB DVORSKYCZECH REPUBLIC

Jakub Dvorský is the founder of Amanita Design, a seven-member studio that produces games, music videos and animation. Dvorský’s point-and-click puzzle games use few words, and players solve idiosyncratic puzzles in order to progress through delicately animated levels. Machinarium unfolds in a world of devious physics-based puzzles which block the path of the robot protagonist. Botanicula designed by Amanita’s Jaromír Plachýs and produced by Dvorský, features five timid tree creatures, and a joyful soundtrack alive with natural birdsong and human voices.

Featured GamesSamorost 2 2005Machinarium 2009Botanicula 2012

INTROVERSIONUK

Introversion Software has created four critically acclaimed games that feature strikingly original story lines, an appreciation of gaming history and a dynamic mix of various game genres.

Introversion was founded in London in 2001 by three university students, including lead designer Chris Delay. Their games to date are set within enclosed computer or military systems. They feature complex real time or strategy gameplay rendered in clean, minimalist visuals.

Featured GamesDawinia 2005DEFCON 2006

THE BEHEMOTHUSA

Dan Paladin is the lead artist, art director and co-founder, with programmer Tom Fulp, of The Behemoth. The prototype of their first game, Alien Hominid HD, was played online nearly 20 million times before being further developed for console release. It is a stylish, action-filled side-scroller populated with quirky characters and graphic wit. Castle Crashers continues the cartoon- like carnage in a medieval-themed ‘beat-em-up’, and builds on their first game’s strengths: speed, humour and great replay value.

Featured GamesAlien Hominid HD 2002Castle Crashers 2008

35INDIES

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image celebrates, explores and promotes the cultural and creative richness of the moving image in all its forms – art, film, television, video games and digital culture.

Through a vibrant annual calendar of film programs, festivals, major exhibitions, live events, creative workshops, talks, forums, education programs and collection resources, ACMI delivers diverse audiences with countless ways to engage with the moving image.

Since opening its doors in 2002, ACMI has cemented a reputation as one of the world’s leading moving image centres and is internationally recognised for its commitment to bringing excellence and innovation in world film and digital media to Australian audiences. In the 2010-2011 financial year, ACMI recorded its largest attendance figures with 1.14 million people through the centre.

According to The Art Newspaper, this made ACMI the 40th most attended cultural institution in the world that year and the most visited specialised film centre anywhere in the world.

2009 saw ACMI come of age with the opening of a free, permanent exhibition, Screen Worlds: The Story of Film, Television and Digital Culture, as well as a film access centre, the Australian Mediatheque.

Open every day of the year, except Christmas Day, there is always something to do at ACMI, making it a regular stop for locals and a must for every travel itinerary. General opening hours are 10am to 5pm, seven days a week, with cinemas and public events running until later in the evening. ACMI is located in Federation Square, in the heart of Melbourne’s vibrant city.

About ACMI

I don’t think there’s anything like this [ACMI] in Los Angeles… We’re the capital of American film, and we should have something as beautiful and stunning as this. It’s a national treasure for you guys.ROY CONLIPRODUCER DISNEY’S TANGLED

ACMI is an unparalleled centre for innovation, not just for cinephiles but for punters.CATE BLANCHETTACADEMY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR

ACMI is... world class. Screen Worlds is amazing.LEONARD MALTINUS FILM CRITIC

Screen Worlds: The Story of Film, Television and Digital Culture

ACMI’s permanent exhibition Screen Worlds has been a hit with local and international visitors since its star-studded opening in September 2009.

This free entry, permanent exhibition charts this history of the moving image from the very beginning; from the invention of film to introduction of television, games, the internet and the digital age.

Gallery 1

This 1000 square metre subterranean gallery is home to ACMI’s major exhibitions. Highlights among past exhibitions include; Stanley Kubrick: Inside the mind of a visionary filmmaker, Centre Pompidou Video Art 1965– 2005, Pixar: 20 Years of Animation, Game On, Replay Christian Marclay, Len Lye, Dennis Hopper and the New Hollywood, the record-breaking Tim Burton: The Exhibition, Dreams Come True: The Art of Disney’s Classic Fairy Tales, William Kentridge: Five Themes, and Game Masters.

Gallery 2

Casting a light on the work of screen culture innovators, the free-entry Gallery 2 space has hosted the popular Mary and Max: The Exhibition, showcasing the extraordinary craft behind the first feature claymation of Academy Award®- winning film maker, Adam Elliot. Other exhibitions have included the annual Best of the Independent Game Festival showcase, Tim Burton: Polaroids, Julian Rosefeldt: American Night, Bill Viola’s The Raft, and a celebration of Australia’s beloved film critic duo Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton in Margaret and David: 25 Years of Talking Movies.

ACMI EXHIBITIONS

Australian Centre for the Moving Image Federation Square, Melbourne www.acmi.net.au

ENQUIRES

Chris HarrisSenior Manager, Exhibitions & Touring+61 3 8663 2376 Chris.Harris@acmi.net.au