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2023-10-23 16:18

Archmage

Registered: Aug 2006
Posts: 185

Beer, SID, and pixels

As part of an online Transmission “party” a couple of years ago somebody held a talk on how to “cheat like a pro” with regards to converting graphics to the C64 format. While there admittedly seemed to be a bit of skill to the whole thing, it felt a bit lacking in the soul department. OK boomer. Today somebody asks on social media if anybody can do a loading screen for a game. “Have you considered RetroPaint?” is the answer.

No matter. The demoscene has always had vague rules when it comes demands on originality. A “pixel artist” is not necessarily an artist per se, and it has hardly ever been wrong to rip something or someone off - even if you get caught. What is the difference between copying some tacky fantasy art square by tiny square in 1989 and converting an image from a .png by means of algorithm in 2023 anyway? It’s basically the same. Be happy that somebody somewhere is doing something for the old bread box. That is the refrain.

What motivates a pixel artist? Do it for yourself, they say, the joy is in the process. Beer, SID, and pixels is a nice place to be. Still, there is always that feeling of making something for an audience. You put it out there, and to some extent you care if people see what you’ve accomplished. “See what I have done!”. It is rooted deep within us, and it is part of what makes us into a productive community.

However, what chews on the pixel artist’s motivation with dull flat teeth is the fact that the audience is happily ignorant. They do not know the telltale signs when something is done by means of shortcuts, and frankly, they wouldn’t care if they did. If the results are the same and the effect is just as striking, nobody pays heed to the process. Why should they?

Those who pixel by hand these days are now like the skilled typesetters of old. Obsolete, slow, and pointless. There is just a single handful of proper pixel artists left in the C64 scene now, but the point has been reached where this is not an issue. Conversion has always been there, and now it has evolved nearly to perfection. Add to this the Artificial Intelligence. Prompt and convert. It serves the purpose, and the scene will keep outputting at an even higher rate. Get with the program, sad pixel man! But I refuse. Because I like that warm place with beer, SID, and pixels.

2023-10-23 17:00

Hein

Registered: Apr 2004
Posts: 954

Hear, hear, you're not alone, sad pixel man. :) There are still plenty around that apply the painstaking process of creating something without algorithms, AI and Photoshop filters.

Don't give in to the production demand of today's multi disc-side demos, take your time and enjoy the sluggish process without glooming deadlines.

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