Mega-GIRP

BACKGROUND, Field, Context, Research Question In both the industry and in game art contexts, videogames are typically exhibited as "stable" and coherent objects with clear authorship. But players' experience of videogames depends heavily on how they are exhibited, where, and with what controllers. A recent wave of physical and DIY controllers (e.g. the annual Alt.Ctrl.GDC exhibition) re-frames videogames with unfamiliar alternative input devices. Mega-GIRP pushes this distancing even farther, asking: how do we show existing traditional videogames in new ways that are spectator-friendly and more suitable for public exhibition? CONTRIBUTION, Innovation, New Knowledge Mega-GIRP is a physical installation/"remix" of Bennett Foddy's popular rock-climbing videogame, GIRP. Wilson was the installation and controller designer. The project takes four commercial dance pad controllers and repurposes them into a giant physical keyboard using printed labels, tape, and a software input re-mapper. This installation effectively reframes Foddy's original game, translating it back out into the physical world in a self-consciously absurd way. This new controller demands intensive physical play, making the act of using a "keyboard" spectator-friendly and challenging. It also supports multiple people playing together. The humor of the piece is party located in its surprising re-appropriation of game peripherals. SIGNIFICANCE, Evidence of Excellence Mega-GIRP pioneered a fresh approach to exhibiting traditional videogames in public, showing how we can re-appropriate existing games to make them more absurd, social, and collaborative. The project has been exhibited at festivals, parties, and museums internationally, including at a prominent 2014 exhibition at the Hong Kong Arts Centre. It was also exhibited at the prestigious Experimental Gameplay Session at GDC 2012, chosen by a group of industry peers.

【研究背景】 在行业与游戏艺术两大语境中，电子游戏通常被视为具备清晰作者归属的"stable"且连贯的实体。但玩家的游戏体验在很大程度上受制于游戏的展示形式、举办场地与所用控制器。近年来兴起的实体化与自制控制器浪潮（例如年度Alt.Ctrl.GDC（Alt.Ctrl.GDC）展览），借助陌生的替代输入设备对电子游戏进行全新诠释。而Mega-GIRP则进一步拓展了这一诠释边界，提出核心研究议题：我们应当如何以更适配公开展示、且便于观众参与的全新形式，呈现现有的传统电子游戏？

【核心贡献】 Mega-GIRP是对Bennett Foddy开发的热门攀岩类电子游戏《GIRP》（GIRP）的实体化装置与"再创作"作品，该装置与控制器的设计者为Wilson。该项目将四款商用跳舞毯控制器，通过打印标签、胶带与软件输入重映射工具，改造为巨型实体键盘。此装置以刻意营造的荒诞感，将Foddy的原作游戏重新拉回物理世界，完成了对原游戏的有效重构。全新的控制器要求玩家进行高强度的肢体操作，既让"使用键盘"这一行为兼具观赏性与挑战性，同时也支持多人协同参与游玩。该作品的幽默感部分源自其对游戏外设的颠覆性再利用。

【项目意义与影响力】 Mega-GIRP开创了公开展示传统电子游戏的全新范式，证明了我们可以通过再利用现有游戏，打造更具荒诞性、社交性与协作性的展示场景。该项目已在全球范围内的节庆活动、线下派对与博物馆展出，其中包括2014年香港艺术中心的知名展览。此外，它还受邀在2012年GDC的游戏玩法实验环节（Experimental Gameplay Session）展出，该环节由行业同仁共同评选入围。