By splicing, reforming, transposing, and transforming musical elements of my previous project, Hack #4, I remixed my remix to offer a new, critical message. This old work used three musical pieces from three distinct time periods to exhibit music’s quality and tendency to be used for advocacy against systems of oppression, inequality, and injustice. “This is America” (2018) advocates against gun violence and speaks upon the Black Experience in America, “What’s Going On” (1971) offers heartwrenching melodies and lyrics to tackle police brutality in wake of the Vietnam war, and “Water No Get Enemy” (1975) critiques dictatorship and governmental water pollution through innovative soloing and percussion. Thus, these three pieces share a common factor of using music to unveil the overwhelming negativity and corrupt undertones of society. As a response, my Hack #5: Beta Release recontextualizes these pieces by suggesting that music, in addition to being used as a form of advocacy, can also be used as a coping mechanism to forget and distract from these times of negativity. By keeping and splicing certain lyrics of “This is America” and adding new elements from songs like “Funny Thing” (2020) by Thundercat, “Boogie Wonderland” (1979) by Earth, Wind & Fire, “The Bottle” (1974), and “Comment #1” (1970) by Gil Scott-Heron, the meaning of Hack #4 becomes reshaped to exhibit how music offers an outlet during dark times. My Hack #5: Beta Release achieves this reimagination by relying on rhetorical devices of remixes and mashups as described by Virginia Kuhn in “The Rhetoric of Remix” from The Journal of Transformative Works and Cultures 9 (2012). First, I use Ironic Recontextualization to subvert the original meaning of Hack #4 by placing the lyrics of “This is America” in a new context. I used lyrics like “this is America, look how I’m livin’ now,” and “look what I’m whippin’ now” in tandem with the upbeat, energetic instrumentals from “Funny Thing” and “Boogie Wonderland” to shift the original meaning entirely. Previously, these lyrics spoke on inequality and gun violence towards Black lives portraying that this is a corrupt America that we live in and that guns (whippin’) are being abused. Now, however, these lyrics offer more uplifting meanings, suggesting that we can live lavishly by whippin’ fancy cars and go dancing in clubs to forget about the horrors of society. Other lyrics, like “And America is now blood and tears instead of milk and honey” from Gil Scott-Heron’s “Comment #1” also become recontextualized by these new instrumentals. By only keeping the words “milk and honey,” and placing them among the infectious groove of “Boogie Wonderland,” the iconic spoken word that criticizes white supremacy becomes a rhythmic ad lib that contributes to this idea of escaping and forgetting corruption in society. Finally, I used layering to stack the multiple pieces of music together to create a deeper texture of meaning. For instance, I used Logic Pro’s stem splitting audio feature to combine an aspect of each piece of music. I combined the drums of “Funny Thing” with the instrumental of “Boogie Wonderland,” and later mixed in the vocals and percussion of “The Bottle.” By doing so, the larger meaning of each track became more visible. For instance, these three pieces of music all exhibit coping mechanisms during times of distress. “Boogie Wonderland” represents how dancing, music, and disco clubs can be used to escape everyday troubles, “The Bottle” depicts alcohol and substance abuse in times of racial prejudice and inequality, and “Funny Thing” combines these two themes of music and substances by using the two to escape depression. Thus, the layering of the various elements of these music pieces continues to support and strengthen the idea of using music as a coping mechanism. Through these rhetorical devices, my Hack #5 significantly alters, transforms, and reimagines its alpha version, Hack #4.
This week, similar to last week, was not filled with many big failures! Although, I ran into some small road-blocks regarding the required readings for class. While I thoroughly enjoyed both readings and their concepts on the future of humanity with respect to technology, I had a bit of a tough time reading the MIT article. I think that the friendly medium and article format of the reading led me to believe that it would be an easy read, so I went into it with a casual mindset. I was quite wrong as the concepts and ideas soon became not so digestible for a casual lunch-time read. Once I had begun to focus more, however, these ideas of extinction and profitability revealed themselves to be quite fascinating, especially when thinking about the current “panic” like state of the world right now. One last little failure that I had was that I had to miss class My older brother just graduated from college last year and is now working in NYC, so our family doesn’t get to see him often. He decided to surprise my parents for Easter break and booked his flight for Thursday morning. With that being said, I had to pick him up from the airport at home, so I had to miss class. I was looking forward to discussing these readings and hearing the guidelines for our last project, but I’m also glad to see my brother! FLOG: out!
My flog of the week isn’t filled with many failures. In fact, this week was our screenings for Hack #4, which I had a great time with. I was super proud of my remix and I was really excited to share with the class what I had made. I wanted to do my music piece justice, so I actually brought some of my own speakers to play the remix. I, in fact, avoided a big failure of playing the audio out of the TV speakers, as it would have made my remix sound SO terrible in my opinion (at least to my OCD ears). One big failure, though, is that I didn’t think we had a Flog due! I saw on the course website that there was no Flog assignment posted, and because of the two class periods dedicated to our Remix screenings, I assumed that there was no Flog due for the week. Regardless, it was a great week and I had an awesome time watching / seeing everyone’s creativity through their remixes!
– Hans Christan Andersen, 19th century Danish author
Music has, and will always be, the medium that represents the human condition and innate creativity. While other creative mediums certainly allow self expression and representation, music remains special for its ability to move emotions beyond visual practices. Whether through rich oral traditions like Griots or through angsty breakup-pop songs, music creates a platform that allows those who listen to participate firsthand in the feelings, emotions, and experiences of an artist. Thus, music has been used for generations to advocate for groups, allowing voices to be heard and stories to be told.
For my Hack #4: Remix, I tapped into this inherent quality of music to create a product that pays homage to legendary songs of advocacy throughout different time periods. By using Logic Pro, a digital audio workstation, I combined and remixed the tracks “What’s Going On” (1971) by Marvin Gaye, “This is America” (2018) by Childish Gambino / Donald Glover, and “Water No Get Enemy” (1975) by Fela Kuti. These three songs all share a common theme of using music as a way of fighting oppression and injustice caused by institutionalized racism, prejudice, and government corruption. It is important to note that despite their different time periods, historical contexts, genres, and styles, music gave these artists a platform to spread awareness and advocate for the oppressed.
In 1971, Marvin Gaye, one of the most influential and important musical figures of history for his contributions to Motown and Soul, released arguably his most important project, What’s Going On. The album instantly gained attraction for its heart-wrenching melodies, applicable lyrics, and emotional grip, giving it both commercial and critical attention. The title track (by the same name) was mostly responsible for this overwhelming success. It topped the Hot Soul Singles chart for five consecutive weeks, remained at number two on Billboard Hot 100, and was ranked number four on the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time magazine in 2004. What mainly inspired this single (and project as a whole) was through an experience with police brutality in People’s Park (Berkeley, California). On May 15th, 1969, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, a member of the Motown group, the Four Tops, encountered police brutality against anti-war activists who were holding a protest for the Vietnam War. Struck and bothered by what he saw, Benson wrote and composed a song about love and understanding in response, which he then presented to Marvin Gaye. Gaye then altered the song, adding new lyrics and melodies, forming it into a narrative rather than simply another musical track. Eventually, the track became just as monumental to Gaye as he had been inspired to advocate against war and hatred upon hearing emotional stories from his brother Frankie Gaye, who had served three years during the Vietnam War. Some lyrics that reflect these feelings include:
“You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today
Picket lines and picket signs
Don’t punish me with brutality”
Similarly, “This is America” by Childish Gambino uses tactics of music and art to advocate against hate and societal inequalities. In 2018, Childish Gambino, or Donald Glover, released this gripping single alongside one of pop culture’s most famous music videos. Both the single and the music video gained instant traction with over 12 million views / listens in the first 24 hours and over 950 millions views to date. It won all four of its nominations at the 61st annual Grammys: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video. Its popularity was not only due to its catchy rhythms, melodies, and bassy instrumental, but its reflections on the Black Lives Matter Movement, systemic racism, racial prejudice and injustice, gun violence, and the Black Experience. While lyrics like, “police be trippin’ now” or “guns in my area” explicitly offer Glover’s stance on these societal issues and his purpose of artistry, “This is America’s” music video offers a far richer commentary on the Black Experience in America. The music video has also been analyzed by countless scholars on institutional levels (even here at Davidson, FMS220), to unveil its depictions of historical inequality. From the allusions to Jim Crow caricatures, the 2015 Charleston Church Shooting, and even South African dances, Gambino relies on artistic musical and visual choices to deliver powerful commentaries on racism and prejudice within America.
Finally, Fela Kuti’s afrobeats track, “Water No Get Enemy,” also uses music and artistry to fight against systematic oppression and discrimination. Afrobeats is a genre originating from Nigeria in the 60s and 70s that features a blend of West African music with American jazz and funk. It emerged primarily through Fela Kuti, a crucial figure for the genre’s historical, social, and musical importance. Oftentimes, Kuti used his music to criticize and advocate against the Nigerian military dictatorship during the 70s, using Afrobeats as “a form of resistance” against pervasive norms, government structures, and colonial brainwashing. Through the genre’s blend of traditional Yoruba music (specific West African styles and rhythms), afrobeats relies on syncopated rhythms and complex percussive elements to act as method of self expression and storytelling. “Water No Get Enemy,” one of Fela Kuti’s most famous tracks, was released in 1975 in response to controversial actions regarding clean water sources. Alternatively translated to “water has no enemy,” the song is based on a Yoruba proverb that advises living in harmony with nature. Through the lyrics, the song claims that water, since it is an essential part of life, has no enemies; it is the basis of all life and provides sustenance to every corner of the earth. Kuti, however, is arguing that humans have become the enemy of water, polluting its sources, limiting availability, and destroying the harmonies of nature. By using jazz-inspired structures and methods of improvisation, Kuti (and the other musicians in the recording) freely advocate and criticize the systems that perpetuate the antagonization of water through music.
With this historical context of each song, my Hack #4: Remix exhibits the ways in which music has been used to advocate for or against a purpose larger than itself. By using intentional choices like resampling, chopping, splicing, stem-splitting, and MIDI recording, I combined each track to tell a new story of how music has and will always be used as a powerful voice for society.
Firstly, I used Logic Pro’s time warping ability to match the tempo of every audio track. Luckily, “What’s Going On,” “This is America,” and “Water No Get Enemy” are relatively around the same tempo, so time stretching and altering tempo wasn’t an issue. I then used the stem splitting ability in Logic for each track, which allowed me to isolate the vocals, drums, bass, and other musical elements of the song. Using this feature allowed me to blend the different parts of each song in a fluid, clean way. After each track was ready, I decided to juxtapose the smooth, orchestral instrumental of “What’s Going On” with the energetic vocals and trap inspired drums of “This is America.” This juxtaposition created an engaging product that thus recontextualized the meanings of each song. I also resampled vocal sections of “This is America” further emphasizing this idea of recontextualization and storytelling. I then combined a 4 bar looping instrumental section of “Water No Get Enemy” with vocal samples from both “What’s Going On” and “This is America.” “Water No Get Enemy” is in the key of D minor while “What’s Going On” is in the key of E major, so I had to transpose “What’s Going On” up by one semitone so they could fit together. Finally, I concluded the remix with my own recording of a neo-jazz, funk piano solo. I thought that adding my own language and voice in the form of a jazz inspired solo paid homage to the idea of music being a form of free expression for all. In conclusion, my Hack #4 combines these three very different, yet similar for their purpose in the context of societal contribution, songs to depict how music acts as a form of advocacy and voice.
This week wasn’t filled with too many failures until Thursday (yesterday’s class period). During class, we had a workshop day in which we began our remixes that are due on Tuesday. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do and which rules to break, so I was feeling quite prepared (remixing three songs together). When I started remixing the songs I chose (using Logic Pro and a feature that lets you split the stems of the song, isolate vocals, drums, etc.), I ran into some issues with tempo, key, and bleeding audio. As I began to combine the different songs together, I noticed that there were slight variations in tempo, causing the audio to become unaligned and unlistenable. There were also some weird frequencies throughout the isolated vocal tracks which made the overall song sound super strange. I didn’t have enough time to correct these failures in class yesterday, but this morning (just a few hours ago) I decided to switch songs. This change drastically improved my remix and I am super proud of how it turned out and I am looking forward to sharing it with the class. One upcoming failure, however, is that it is my birthday on Sunday and I know I’m gonna have to grind out this artist statement then
This week wasn’t particularly filled with many failures, at least any academic ones pertaining to class. I had general failures with sleepiness and exhaustion (as this week has been insanely busy), but as far as course content, ideas, and materials, I had a generally easy time understanding and applying the concepts of remix, fair use, and commons that were discussed in class this week. I particularly enjoyed our discussions around remixing and the rhetorics / arguments of remixing on Tuesday as it exhibited the medium’s quality to be used for more than something just entertaining. Granted, many remixes and parodies are often made for simply entertaining, surface level reasons (Shining trailer, Star Trek ships), but looking at the different arguments that they can make was quite insightful. With that being said, I am looking forward to Hack #4 and what I will create. I am definitely going to do something with sound, but I am also planning to branch out in other mediums if possible. I am also curious to see which rule I end up breaking!
This week, we discussed concepts of creativity and unoriginality through the history and lineage of text and music. This was an exciting week for me because of my passions for music, but also because of my philosophy when regarding creativity. I believe that this “theft” that we discussed in class is a crucial and natural part of creativity and innovation. We as humans are designed for input and output, meaning that we are constantly being shaped and produced by everything we intake in life (physically, mentally, and conceptually). Thus, creativity reflects this same natural lifestyle as being creative means to use the tools and works around you as inspiration, influence, and strongholds for new ideas. For class, I specifically enjoyed the comic (the history of music reading) as it presented quite complex concepts in a digestible form. Although, a failure for this week is that I often had trouble following along with certain speech bubbles and comic panels. My brain is used to reading Japanese manga (reading everything from right to left), so I was often tripped up. Despite this, I am excited for the coming classes as we discuss more even philosophy and ideas behind creative “theft.”
36. Does this technology require me to think more or less?
Logic Pro is a very powerful software with many hidden capabilities, therefore it requires me to think more. I feel like I am always discovering new features within the software, allowing me to experiment with new techniques, sounds, and ideas. Similarly, there is quite a large curve for proficiency in speaking the language of the software, the more you know about the tools and terminologies, the greater you can achieve. The only limitations are how much you know and how much you know how to do, requiring the user to think greatly.
18. Can I imagine living without this technology? Why, or why not?
I think it would be really hard, given that Logic Pro (and other DAWs) is something that has been around ever since I’ve been around. I’m sure that it would take some getting used to, as analog recording and music production would still be available, but it’s almost like asking a teenager if they could live without their smartphone. Then again, I feel as if recording and creating music through analog means, like tape, would limit me in a way that would stimulate creativity and intention. Since tape cannot be altered or changed, and often quite expensive, being critical with production choices and practicing would become crucial, making me a better musician and creative.
For Hack #3, Software Invasion, I used Logic Pro to act as a word document software. Logic Pro is a digital audio workstation, meaning it is intended for audio recording, production, and music composition. Just like other digital audio workstations (or DAWs), Logic Pro utilizes musical instrument digital interface, or MIDI, technology to store musical data. MIDI is the universal, digital language of musical devices and technologies, essentially storing musical data (typically in the form of notes). In virtually every DAW, there is a “piano roll,” a storage medium that depicts and emulates audible frequency ranges for selected sounds, that allows users to input music notes and their durations. In the piano roll, users can either digitally record MIDI data through hardware (MIDI controllers, keyboards, and even traditional QWERTY keyboards) or physically punch in desired notes. Most piano rolls and their MIDI data of a typical composition appear to be stacked lines and blocks, similar to that of spectrogram analysis (visual representations of frequencies). For my Hack #3, however, I used MIDI and piano roll technologies to display letters and words, rather than chords and melodies. By manually changing the duration and location of different notes, I built every letter of the alphabet so that Logic Pro can act as a typing software. Additionally, one comment stuck out to me in class that particularly inspired this project: “think about the ways in which the software’s tools suggest ideas through their names and functions.” Logic Pro’s primary piano roll editing tool is named “pencil tool,” suggesting that I write. Thus, my Hack #3 challenges social assumptions of what the software offers.
My Hack #3 is informed by both historical readings and concepts on critical play, hacking, and design. These readings and concepts include chapters from Steven Levy’s Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution (1984), the term “Cognitive Friction” coined by Alan Cooper, and excerpts from The Craftsman (2008) by Richard Sennett. These three different influences exhibit how the imperfect, incorrect, and unintended use of various tools and technologies often lead to the most innovative discoveries and productions. Thus, they act as crucial foundations for how I use software “incorrectly” and innovatively for my Hack #3.
For starters, Levy describes in his chapters that early computers were often only used for military and government applications upon their initial development. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for instance, the first digital computer was used during World War II to develop missile flight patterns for the US Navy (Levy 10). However, a group of students who were part of the Tech Model Railroad Club (TMRC) at MIT secretly used these machines in ways that were unintended, yet innovative. By developing their own code and programming and “hacking” the machine at night, these students created several video games and even music creation software on a computer that was otherwise meant solely for war. Essentially, this “incorrect” use of technology allowed for the newly discovered possibilities that computers have to offer. Of course, the scales between my Hack #3 and early MIT missile computers are quite different, but the understanding of using technologies in unorthodox ways remains consistent. Just as the members of the TMRC challenged the expected use of early computers, so too does my Hack #3 challenge the expected use of Logic Pro.
In a similar vein, Alan Cooper’s concept of “cognitive friction” continues to inform and inspire the ways in which my Hack #3 challenges traditions and expectations. Cognitive friction (mostly used when referring to design and user experience) is “the resistance encountered by a human intellect when it engages with a complex system of rules that change as the problem changes” (Cooper 2004, 19). In simpler terms, cognitive friction refers to seemingly intuitive systems that deliver unexpected results. This concept greatly influences Hack #3 as the whole objective of the project is to redirect, break, and warp the expected uses of a particular software, creating high cognitive friction. For instance, creating letters through MIDI notes would inevitably create undesirable, odd melodies that would be difficult to use in a composition context. The letters Z, J, or S, for example, would create strange chords, arpeggios, and melodies that would deter the users from including them. Similarly, creating words with these letters is extremely time consuming and simply unnecessary when word document software is so readily accessible. Thus, using Logic Pro to display text challenges its expected use as music creation software.
Similarly, this idea of challenging the norm / expected use can be seen through Richard Sennett’s chapter “Arousing Tools” from The Craftsman (2008). In a portion of this chapter, Sennett mentions that the early discoveries and uses of microscopes were quite imperfect, leading to newly found creativity and imagination. More specifically, Sennett references an iconic drawing of a fly found in Robert Hooke’s Micrographia (1665), a historical research book on the microscopic observations through different viewing lenses. The drawing of the fly “is a much clearer image than what Hooke or Wren could have seen under the microscope’s lens” (Sennett 201), meaning that a great deal of imagination had to have been present when crafting such a detailed image. While the early microscope may not have been able to provide an accurate depiction, it instead nurtured creativity and imaginative thinking. Faults or improper uses of tools (microscopes in this case) thus have the ability to spark unorthodox ideas. For my Hack #3, Sennett’s ideas on imagination prove to be crucial. Many pieces of software have faults and imperfections, so being conscious of them allows for creative stimulation. In the case of my hack, however, being too perfect is its imperfection. For example, Logic Pro’s piano roll allows for the quantization of MIDI notes and data. Music heavily relies on time and its relationship with time, so most (if not all) genres encourage playing in “time” or at least being aware of time. Typically, each musical bar in music is divided up into infinite equal divisions of two, creating different durations of notes (whole, half, quarter, eighth, etc.). In the piano roll, these divisions are represented through a grid, displaying the timed layout of each bar. Thus, Quantization allows for the perfect alignment of MIDI notes with respect to the grid, meaning that notes can be played exactly at the halfway, quarter, eighth, and so on point. Essentially, users can write notes that are impossibly accurate because of human imperfections. While a bit of an oxymoron, this utter perfection acts as Logic Pro’s imperfection when thinking about The Craftsman (2008). Since users can create such perfect durations of notes, the piano roll becomes a pixel-like, 8-bit form of illustration. Ultimately, creating legible letters and words is only possible through such a “perfect” system.
Through these various influences, ranging from Steven Levy’s Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution (1984), the term “Cognitive Friction” coined by Alan Cooper, and excerpts from The Craftsman (2008) by Richard Sennett, my Hack #3 challenges the implications and expectations of Logic Pro’s functions and purpose.
Informed by:
Steven Levy, chapters 1 and 2 of Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution (1984), pages 1-31
This week, I mostly worked on my Hack #3. For my software invasion, I am using Logic Pro, a digital audio workstation, to display text (like typing software). I figured this would be a playful intervention as Logic Pro is solely used for creating audio and music. Within the software, there are spaces known as MIDI regions that display the notes being played. So, instead of notating chords and melodies, I used the MIDI regions to notate letters of the alphabet. I had a lot of fun creating the notes as the grid-like structure of MIDI notation almost acted as an 8 bit, pixelated style of graphics. However, I failed more than once at creating letters that were easily discernible. It became monotonous to individually develop and change each letter of the alphabet so that they were all consistent and legible in context of one another. Additionally, I particularly enjoyed the “Arousing Tools” reading from Thursday. Specifically, thinking about how tools can spark creativity and discovery reminded me a lot of past readings. I felt as this reading related a lot to the concept of “cognitive friction” and how many objects have natural, assumed social functions. Thus, innovation and creativity particularly arise when tools are used incorrectly, or in the case of Thursday’s reading, when they are used imperfectly.
This week, we looked at everyone’s Hack #2 projects. This show and tell presentations have quickly become a favorite of mine for the class as I love seeing other people’s creative ideas, productions, and connections to the course. I particularly enjoyed the Hack #2 projects as it made me realize the more sinister, underlying nature of childhood games (well not enjoyed per se, but I was fascinated with how people recontextualized games). It was interesting to see the connections that people made between “innocent” games and how they can represent larger themes of inequality, oppression, and injustice. One failure that I experienced this week, though, was I was super nervous to present my project. Usually I don’t really get too nervous when it comes to presenting things, especially when the class is so small. However, I was just so worried that my ROM hack wouldn’t work in front of class, similar to how my Hack #1 didn’t work. Luckily, everything was okay! It worked smoothly and it seemed like people enjoyed it (or not really enjoyed it because it was pretty dark). Overall, 8.75/10 week.
Despite their societal notions of having whimsical, frivolous characteristics, many video games contain, or have the ability to contain, underlying critical implications. While some video games, like The Last of Us (2013), Detroit Become Human (2018), and Mouthwashing (2024), offer more explicit commentaries on societal concepts, other iconic franchise titles, like New Super Mario Bros (2006), Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015), or NBA 2K16 (2015), appear superficial when thinking about their critical arguments. However, when situating some of these titles within the framework of ROM hacking, “an ‘umbrella term’ referring ‘to the direct manipulation of commercially released video-game program data to alter the original gameplay, graphics and sound or level designs,’ and involves deconstructing the physical game cartridge and circuit board as well as altering the ROM itself” (Kirtz 2-3), seemingly insubstantial games can offer impactful critiques on societal issues.
For instance, the NES video game series, Donkey Kong, initially appears to be a simple game with an objective to rescue a damsel in distress, Pauline, from the giant gorilla, Donkey Kong. Players control the main character, Mario, to jump on platforms, climb ladders, and avoid obstacles. When viewed more closely, however, this game (and franchise as a whole) embodies hegemonic masculinity through its objectives, reinforcing the idea of male consumerism, power, and dominance. In response to this unproductive masculinity, “Mike Mika created a Donkey Kong NES hack [in 2012] that places Pauline in the protagonist role that is usually occupied by Mario” (Kirtz 2). While the ROM hack was initially created for Mike’s daughter, it gathered vast public attention through both news outlets and social media platforms for its critiques on masculinity. The hack represented large video game communities “where there often is ‘a lack of interest or even outright derision regarding games about domesticity and girlhood’” (Kirtz 2). Mika’s gender swapping revealed concentrations on hegemonic video-game culture, assumptions on video-game gender, and the marginalization of feminine and women centric video game players and creators. This hack proves that even the most seemingly “basic” video games like Donkey Kong contain underlying themes of society and power.
Similar to Mike Mika, I altered at another seemingly “innocent” game for my Hack #2: Pokémon Ruby Version. Pokémon is without a doubt one of the most iconic, worldwide, and influential franchises in entertainment for its thousands of different creatures. With over 200,000 distinct trading cards, 122 different video game titles, and even its own live action movie, Pokémonis widely accepted and enjoyed by millions of fans. Despite these various mediums and large influences, Pokémonremains true to its defining factor of combat. The objective of Pokémonis simple: to train your creatures (Pokémon) to best other, opposing creatures in battle. While the franchise makes this premise out to be lighthearted, playful, and impressive, Pokémon, at its core, is a glorified representation of animal cruelty and animal fighting. Most also tend to gloss over this fact due to the cute, loveable nature of some Pokémon designs. Iconic Pokémon like Eevee, Jigglypuff, and Squirtle (to name a few) are designed to spur wholesome feelings, blinding fans from their inevitable combat with one another. With that being said, I used hex editing software named “Hex Maniac Advance,” to rewrite, redesign, and recontextualize the Gameboy Advance title, Pokémon Ruby Version. Hex editing, which Kirtz explains as programs that “display the software code or data in a hexadecimal notion that can then be directly manipulated by the hacker/user,” allowed me to alter various Pokémon sprites in the gameto more explicitly represent the underlying animal cruelty that the franchise exalts (13).
While many ROM hacks often redesign sprites to completely new ones, I, instead, altered the sprites to create a larger argument and impact. To reskin the Pokémon sprites completely, (like to real life animals for instance) would certainly exhibit the nature of animal cruelty and animal fighting within the game. However, the slight alterations and additions to the sprites allow their designs to remain within the “Pokémon Universe,” offering a larger critique on the franchise itself. Essentially, the complete reskin of the Pokémon sprites is nowhere near as impactful as keeping and altering the original sprites. My changes are haunting, forcing players to think more critically about the premise of the game. The adorable starter Pokémon, Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip, have traces of their loveable designs, only masked by the chain leashes, bloody eyes, and violent gashes that I added. By adding these features, users are able to both recognize the original qualities of the game (and franchise as a whole), all while viewing them from a new, critical lens on animal cruelty. The sprite alterations completely recontextualize the combat aspect of the game, unveiling the truths of what players are actually participating in.
To inform these redesigns, I drew primarily from the critical play concept of “re-dressing” or “reskinning,” coined by Mary Flanagan in her first two chapters of Critical Play: Radical Game Design (2009). She describes that re-dressing or reskinning, a principal type of critical play, occurs when “players make alternative arrangements and disguise their dolls for subversive roles, altering the appearance or the presentation of dolls in a way that allows dolls to enter the forbidden scene. Dolls could merely change costumes, or they could be reskinned with makeup or masks to literally efface the surface of the body” (Flanagan 33). Essentially, doll reskinning creates new opportunities and contexts for critique that were not otherwise accessible and possible. Of course, dolls in this context are rudimentary and situational to childhood play, but can be interchangeable with practically any form of play. Thus, my Hack #2 similarly recontextualizes what the Pokémon franchise exhibits, exalts, and commercializes, unveiling new, deeper implications of animal cruelty.
This week, I worked extensively on my Hack #2. In my previous flog, I stated that I wanted to create a ROM hack for this project. Luckily, with a bit of technological finagling, I was able to use ROM hacking software to work on my project. I have a Mac computer, so I initially thought I wasn’t going to be able to ROM hack (Mac OS is notorious for being restrictive on things of this nature compared to Windows machines). So, I worked around this problem by temporarily borrowing a Windows laptop from Davidson T&I. On Monday, I was able to check out a rental computer for 2 weeks and I was able to immediately use the software I needed. The software, Hex Maniac Advance, is an open source, all purpose editor that specializes in GBA (Gameboy Advance) Pokémon games. To start, I had to download a few different applications for the software to work properly. Once everything was set up, I downloaded a Pokémon ROM from the internet (Pokémon Ruby Edition) and uploaded it to the software. There aren’t many tutorials or videos on how to begin using the software, so it was quite difficult to navigate and understand the interface at first. After browsing through and exploring for a few hours, though, I discovered ways to edit sprites, scripts, in game events, and map configurations. Throughout the week, I worked on my Hack by redesigning character sprites, Pokémon sprites, and in game text. To offer a critical stance on the underlying implications of the Pokémon objectives, I redesigned the game to be about animal cruelty. I worked pretty hard throughout the week, as I expected the project to be due on Thursday, but because of the extension, I am able to take a bit of a break before it is due this coming Tuesday. Although, I’m quite grateful for this extension because I don’t think I would’ve had enough time to produce a well thought out artist statement within the time frame. Overall, I am quite pleased with how my ROM hack is coming. This process has been extremely fun (yet painful, I’m so sorry to all the poor Pokémon I’ve redesigned) and makes me curious about how much more I can discover about the platform over the weekend.
My older brother just graduated from college last year and is now working in NYC, so our family doesn’t get to see him often. He decided to surprise my parents for Easter break and booked his flight for Thursday morning. With that being said, I had to pick him up from the airport at home, so I had to miss class. I was looking forward to discussing these readings and hearing the guidelines for our last project, but I’m also glad to see my brother! FLOG: out!
