Theresa Devine
Portfolio Artist Statement About
This is not a toy. The artwork of Theresa Devine
Back
The fifth game in the Spot Games series is the first of a sub-series of Match 3 games titled, "Controlled Substances" and then numbered. This game is titled "Controlled Substance One." Up to this point in the development of the Spot Games I have adhered to the replication of the visual manifestation of Hirst's Spot Paintings. Starting with this game, I deviate from that way of being influenced and am working with his conceptual basis of embedding the name of each pharmaceutical in each piece. Each painting of his is titled with the pharmaceutical and then the viewer can use his legend, "Controlled Substance Key Painting" to try to discover the embedded name. My pieces use the same legend, but look different from his, because I am depicting the actual medications that I take and these pharmaceuticals are a part of my personal narrative. I am not detached from these medications; Hirst is removed from the ones he has chosen for his work.

There are eight levels in the game. The first level begins with four letters given to the player. These letters can be identified using Hirst's key. Each of the remaining letters is revealed in the other seven levels of the game. The collection of each letter is an analog game to discover the name of the medication. When each of the levels has been completed, the player will have the letters and must unscramble them to identify the medication. In this piece (and the Match 3 pieces that will follow) analog and video game mechanics are both being used to create the play experience for the audience. The following list is the medications for the Match 3 games: Lansoprazole, Cephalexin, Mycophenolate, Ondansetron, Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen. This game has one of these medication names embedded in the gameplay. If there is not a match the game board collapses in on itself and the player must hit the "Again" button to reset the level. The player has to concentrate to keep track of which level they are on; the game is disorienting because it is not clear from the user interface which level is being played.

<< Back
© 2012-2017 Theresa Devine. All rights reserved.