ABOUT
POP: Methodology Experiment One is an experimental game by Rob Lach which dissects the impact of reinterpreting the typical game development process and following a self-prescribed dogma to its creative conclusion. POP takes you on a visual and emotional roller-coaster, throwing at you a series of disjointed interactive vignettes of ranging purpose, visual style, and frustration.
Methodology Experiment #1
POP:ME1 was designed music first, with the game mechanics, visual aesthetic, and overall structure derived from the creative flow of the music production process. As Rob created each song, he imagined a game that would go along with it, tapping into the emotional energy of the music he was creating, documenting his concepts, and executing the ideas with minimal iteration. What emerged is a series of interactive vignettes, disjointed, taking the player on an intimidatingly intense and equally indecipherable journey of frustration and wonder.
Links
GAME OF THE SAECULUM
For the Steam release of POP:ME1, Rob Lach created a satirical Game of the Saeculum edition playing on the "Game of the Year" obsession, but also providing him with an opportunity to bring something fresh to the project.
ARTIST'S VOICE
Included in the GOTSE is an audio track of developer commentary featuring some playful anecdotes regarding the development of the game and some of Rob Lach's observations in relation to the medium.
VIDEOS
Steam Release
Steam Release Trailer - 1920x1080 60 FPS
Steam Release Trailer - 1920x1080 30 FPS
Original Release
TRAILER - 60 Seconds - DOWNLOAD MP4 720P
TEASER - 30 Seconds - DOWNLOAD MP4 720P
Screenshots
GIFS and EMBEDDABLES
PROMOTIONAL ART
Box Art
Awards and Recognition
"Nominee"
IndieCade 2012 (Culver City, CA)
"Official Selection: Main Showcase"
Fantastic Arcade 2012 (Austin, TX)
"Official Selection: Left-Field Collection"
Rezzed PC and Indies Games Show (Brighton, UK)
"Semi-Finalist"
A MAZE Festival Indie Connect 2012 (Berlin, DE)
"IGF Nuovo Award - Honorable Mention"
Independent Games Festival 2012 (San Francisco, CA)
"OnLive GDC Indie Showcase"OnLive 2012 (San Francisco, CA)
EXHIBITIONS
Chicago Games as Art and Culture
Dittmar Gallery at Northwestern University 2014 (Evanston, IL)
Interplay Arcade
Jackson Junge Gallery 2014 (Chicago, IL)
Press
Podcast Interview - BigSushi.fm (John Lindvay)
Review - TheVerge.com (Adi Robertson)
Review - coolhunting.com (Graham Hiemstra)
Review - IndieGames.com (John Polson)
Video Review - Super Indie Spotlight
Video Review - Big Dave Is Cheap
Testimonials
"Between the flat, pastel video clips, the game sections become vivid, even psychedelic."
-TheVerge.com
"It’s like the Mel Croucher future that never was"
- RetroRemakes.com
"My brain is pretty fried now..."
-Phlogiston (Musician, Super Crate Box)
"Can’t properly type after playing it for a couple of minutes.
Teh fcuk just happened?"
- pakoito (RockPaperShotgun.com comment)
"This game does things to me which are probably not neccesarily healthy for my brain"
- Big Dave is Cheap
"It felt like Videodrome!"
- Oliver Lane (Musician)
Monetization Notice
Rob Lach Games explicitly allows monetization of videos containing video and audio content of all games it publishes. Have at it. If any issues arise please use this notice to clarify the situation.
Developer
Rob Lach is an interactive media artist from Chicago, IL primarily focusing on the medium of video games. His current artistic vision consists of dissecting and expanding upon the defintions and assumptions of the medium.
Lach is also a community builder in Chicago, cultivating video game culture and interactive arts in the city. He is one of the primary organizers of Bit Bash, an interactive arts festival in Chicago and sits on the board of Indie City Games, the city's primary independent game developer collective.
Information
Email: rob@roblach.com
Twitter: @lachrob
Skype: rob.lach