A slow year

[high voltage]

all sold out, anyone here buy the $500 version?

http://www.opentexture.com/products/aslowyear/limitededition.aspx

[0078265317]

500 dollars for just a few poems. No thanks

[Miss 2600]

I bought the cheaper CD version.

 

Update: I see there is a big sale on the CD version. $8.95 for CD and book. That's an awesome deal if anyone is intrigued by this project.

Edited March 25, 2013 by Miss 2600

[JPjuice23]

Yeah I don't like the idea of limiting the amount of games you sale as reason to have an extremely high price.

 

I mean, it's a cool concept, but only 25 copies for 500 bucks is disrespectful to people who can't afford it. And it's obviously not worth $500. Could care less about the CD version. Takes the soul out of the whole project.

[yllawwally]

This is priced higher, because of the really nice case and book. I'm not against the large amount for a premium version. Miss 2600, does the CD contain the ROM, and an emulator? Unfortunately it looks like it's more of a demo, than an actual game. I find it funny that one of the quotes for this "game" says that it resurrected the Atari 2600.

[+Gemintronic]

A slow year? You'd have to have a slow LIFE to purchase a $500 game!

[RevEng]

Yeah I don't like the idea of limiting the amount of games you sale as reason to have an extremely high price.

 

I mean, it's a cool concept, but only 25 copies for 500 bucks is disrespectful to people who can't afford it. And it's obviously not worth $500. Could care less about the CD version. Takes the soul out of the whole project.

 

It's not meant to just be a game for enjoyment - the book and game together are meant to be an art piece. The poems are algorithmically generated, and go with the 4 seasons theme in the games. So we have machines generating human art, and a human created piece of machine art.

 

$500 is a bit rich for my blood, but I do find the concept interesting, and when you consider it as a limited-run art piece its not an outrageous sum. If I had a budget for that sort of thing I would have bought it, and I'm not a 2600 collector.

 

Ian has a reputation for doing good in the community (co-authoring Racing the Beam, turning his students on to 2600 development with asm and batari basic, being outspoken about negative trends in the gaming industry) so I have no doubt about his intentions here.

[Wickeycolumbus]

Miss 2600, does the CD contain the ROM, and an emulator? Unfortunately it looks like it's more of a demo, than an actual game.

 

I was wondering the same thing, does anyone know?

[Miss 2600]

Miss 2600, does the CD contain the ROM, and an emulator? Unfortunately it looks like it's more of a demo, than an actual game.

I was wondering the same thing, does anyone know?

 

I don't think so. When I get a chance, I'll take a look, but I doubt it.

 

They are fully playable games. They are just more observational. I wrote a review on Amazon (under the user name mwreview).

[SeaGtGruff]

I don't think so. When I get a chance, I'll take a look, but I doubt it.

It would be great if the CD does have the ROM on it, so it could be loaded to a programmable cart (Harmony, Krokodile, or Cuttle) and played on an actual 2600.

 

But if it doesn't, I can certainly understand why Prof. Bogost might not want to make the ROM available so that unscrupulous people could potentially use it to make and sell carts.

 

The $8.95 price is very reasonable for a paperback book and CD.

 

As for the sold-out limited edition version, its price was more than my budget would have allowed for a 2600 game, but judging from the description I'd say the cost probably had more to do with the book-- "Leather casebound, foil embossed... with color details..."

[JPjuice23]

It's not meant to just be a game for enjoyment - the book and game together are meant to be an art piece. The poems are algorithmically generated, and go with the 4 seasons theme in the games. So we have machines generating human art, and a human created piece of machine art.

 

$500 is a bit rich for my blood, but I do find the concept interesting, and when you consider it as a limited-run art piece its not an outrageous sum. If I had a budget for that sort of thing I would have bought it, and I'm not a 2600 collector.

I absolutely agree with you. It's a cool concept for sure! But you and I don't get to experience it because it is set upon a fictional prestigious pedestal of rarity. So we, the common folk (And when I mean common, I literally mean, middle class people who make a decent living) can't experience the concept here due to that. It's obviously not in good spirits and not in the best interest of the people who actually want to experience the art here.

 

Sorry for delving the topic off stream with my ranting. I've said my peace.

[nofrills100]

Oh boo-hoo so you can't afford it and that somehow makes someone bad spirited.

You know I can't afford the car of my dreams.... bloody mean spirited people at Ferrari!! (*that was just an example - I don't really want a Ferrari)

This is an artwork by an established artist, and in perspective it is actually a very reasonably priced artwork. My smallest works are $250, they don't take anywhere near as much work to make, and I sell them like hot cakes, and my bigger stuff sells for 4-5 thousand (unfortunately not like hotcakes!) But the point I am making is that this appeals to a far broader audience than 'us' here at Atariage, - and is not based on any 'fictional prestigious pedestal of rarity' but rather a life's work building a reputation as an artist - and believe me that ain't a life of champagne and caviar.

[nofrills100]

So we, the common folk (And when I mean common, I literally mean, middle class people who make a decent living) can't experience the concept here due to that. It's obviously not in good spirits and not in the best interest of the people who actually want to experience the art here.

 

And as mentioned he released a CD version for those who want to 'experience the concept' without buying the artwork.

[high voltage]

I would have bought it if I could've. Wonder how high import tax would be for $500

[JPjuice23]

Oh boo-hoo so you can't afford it and that somehow makes someone bad spirited.

You know I can't afford the car of my dreams.... bloody mean spirited people at Ferrari!! (*that was just an example - I don't really want a Ferrari)

This is an artwork by an established artist, and in perspective it is actually a very reasonably priced artwork. My smallest works are $250, they don't take anywhere near as much work to make, and I sell them like hot cakes, and my bigger stuff sells for 4-5 thousand (unfortunately not like hotcakes!) But the point I am making is that this appeals to a far broader audience than 'us' here at Atariage, - and is not based on any 'fictional prestigious pedestal of rarity' but rather a life's work building a reputation as an artist - and believe me that ain't a life of champagne and caviar.

That's fine. If you feel it's worth the cost, than go right ahead. I would argue though that just by calling it art doesn't mean you should but it on a higher peg of worth. For me, it's just not worth the price. And buying the CD instead is like buying a Jpeg of the Mona Lisa instead of the actual painting.

[nofrills100]

 

That's fine. If you feel it's worth the cost, than go right ahead. I would argue though that just by calling it art doesn't mean you should but it on a higher peg of worth. For me, it's just not worth the price. And buying the CD instead is like buying a Jpeg of the Mona Lisa instead of the actual painting.

 

Of course 'just by calling it art' shouldn't put it on a 'higher peg of worth', but the fact that it is on an obsolete Atari cartridge also shouldn't detract from what it is worth. If his art is worth x amount, why should programming it onto a cartridge suddenly make it worth $50 or whatever the standard rate for homebrews is? As an extreme example, what if Lucien Freud, or Julian Schnabel, or any of the most famous living artists put their work onto a cartridge and made an edition of 25... Would you genuinely expect it to be $50 when a similarly editioned print of theirs might sell for $10,000?

[Miss 2600]

It would be great if the CD does have the ROM on it, so it could be loaded to a programmable cart (Harmony, Krokodile, or Cuttle) and played on an actual 2600.

 

But if it doesn't, I can certainly understand why Prof. Bogost might not want to make the ROM available so that unscrupulous people could potentially use it to make and sell carts.

 

 

Yeah, that's what I think. Plus it would devalue the limited edition cartridge somewhat.

 

I just wanted to play the games because the whole concept was intriguing, I'm OK with playing it on a CD. They aren't action games or shoot 'em ups where it would be cool to use the authentic joystick. There's not much activity at all, so the space bar and arrow keys suffice.

 

His price was reasonable enough as he sold out his limited edition stock; whether the buyers were Atari fans, poem enthusiasts or art collectors.

[Jinks]

Price is only what your willing pay as art has no real practical value..

[nofrills100]

art has no real practical value..

Aside from personal enjoyment... Like gaming

[high voltage]

Hehe didn't we have this discussion way back, I mentioned video games are art. Now 40 video games are on permanent display at the MOMA, say no more.....

[nofrills100]

Hehe didn't we have this discussion way back, I mentioned video games are art. Now 40 video games are on permanent display at the MOMA, say no more.....

The curator must have read your post here at Atariage! So what should I be investing in next?

[Zwackery]

At first glance, I thought this thread was about a slow year for collecting.

[boxpressed]

Aside from personal enjoyment... Like gaming

 

Good one!

[Matthew]

Its garbage, I'm going to make a cartridge called "The profound square". I will draw a square in the middle of the screen and sell it as an art piece.

 

$10000 per cart sound like a fair price.

[nofrills100]

Its garbage, I'm going to make a cartridge called "The profound square". I will draw a square in the middle of the screen and sell it as an art piece.

 

$10000 per cart sound like a fair price.

Good luck to you