4'33": the video game

Petri Purho creates a video game each month. Or at least he did until becoming focused on finishing and released the brilliant Crayon Physics Deluxe:


Now he's back to the monthly games. In February he released 4 Minutes and 33 Seconds of Uniqueness, inspired by the John Cage's 4'33" composition in which the musicians do not play any notes for four minutes and 33 seconds (so that the music becomes the ambient sounds in the concert hall). A screenshot of the game:


The game play is watching the status bar for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. If no one else logs into the game during that time, you win. If someone else logs in, you're booted off and they become the "leader."

The comment section of Petri's blog is wonderful--it's full of gamers arguing whether 4 Minutes and 33 Seconds of Uniqueness is a game or not (and using the art world as a touchstone):

• Rob Says:
  February 2nd, 2009 at 6:57 pm Cool concept, but to call this is a game is like shitting on a paper plate, signing it, and calling it art.
  
  
• Gemedet Says:
  February 2nd, 2009 at 10:25 pm I'd argue that what distinguishes games from other art forms (films, paintings) is the ability to interact. It's great to push the boundaries of a definition, but you can't throw it out completely. Otherwise we'll go the way of the art world: they've come to the point where they consider anything to be art, and so the word "art" has lost all meaning. Still, an awesome idea, and a really clever take on the Jam's theme.
  
  
• Mike Says:
  February 3rd, 2009 at 2:11 am I don't know about defining a game, but the purpose of a game is that it should be fun. This isn't.
  
  
• Jonathan Says:
  February 4th, 2009 at 2:08 am Even though it feels like starting the game is the only interaction, this game interacts with every other person playing it. The author is also exploring the boundaries of interactions.

There's also a map-based visualizer of the game, created by Jonathan Basseri, where you can see folks logging in and knocking each other off.

[via Art Fag City]

AsSLowASPossible

In 1985 John Cage composed ASLSP, a work for the organ whose directions are to play it as slow as possible. It's first performance lasted 29 minutes... a more recent performance was 71 minutes. But is that really as slow as possible? No!

Since September 5, 2001 there is an ongoing performance of the piece in Halberstadt, Germany that is intended to last 639 years. The significance of the date, location, & duration is that September 5th was the 89th anniversary of John Cage (and the year of the start of the millenium), the organ is located in the birthplace church of the modern organ, and the performance started on the 639th anniversary of the modern organ.

The computer-controlled performance began with 1-1/2 years of silence (due to the work's first initial notes being rests).

http://www.npr.org/programs/pt/features/2003/sep/aslsp.html
http://www.john-cage.halberstadt.de/new/index.php?l=e