Software:Moondust (video game)

From HandWiki
Moondust
Box art
Publisher(s)Creative Software
Designer(s)Jaron Lanier
Platform(s)Commodore 64
Release1983
Genre(s)Music game, art game
Mode(s)Single player

Moondust is a 1983 generative music video game created for the Commodore 64 by virtual reality pioneer, Jaron Lanier. Moondust was programmed in 6502 assembly[1] in 1982,[2] and is considered the first art video game.[3][4][5] Moondust has frequently been used as an art installation piece in museum exhibitions[6] from Corcoran Gallery of Art's 1983 "ARTcade"[7] to the Smithsonian's 2012 "The Art of Video Games".[8][9] It has also been used by Lanier and others in papers and lectures as an example to demonstrate the unexpected ephemerality of digital data.[10][11][12][2]

Moondust is also considered to be the first interactive music publication,[13][14] and it sold quite successfully.[15] With the profits from Moondust[16] and additional funding from Marvin Minsky,[17] Lanier formed VPL which would later go on to create the DataGlove and the DataSuit[18] and to become one of the primary innovators of virtual-reality research and development throughout the 1980s.

Gameplay

Screenshot of gameplay.

Moondust's gameplay is characterized by graphical complexity,[19] and the game features an abstract ambient score.[20] The goal of the game is to cover the bullseye at the center of the screen with "moonjuice." To do this, the player controls spaceman Jose Scriabin (named in honor of synaesthetic composer Alexander Scriabin)[7] as he drops a seed square and then moves around the screen in arcing paths to run over the seed, smearing it to cover the bullseye. As Jose travels, flight patterns of he and the bullet-shaped spaceships he must avoid are created and as they pass through the trails that are created, and as the moonjuice spreads and smears, the musical score is modified according to a generative algorithm.[21] In-game scoring system assigns point-values according to an algorithm when the level is completed. Players start with three seeds but may acquire more if they have scored highly enough.[7] The game has been compared to the works of Jeff Minter.[22]

The game features 4 modes: Beginner, Evasive, Freestyle, and Spinsanity. In Beginner mode, the seeds that Jose must smear remain in one position wherever they had been dropped. In Evasive mode, however, the seeds seek to evade Jose by rushing to the edge of the screen. Freestyle mode greatly increases the player’s control over Jose, removing the physical element of momentum to connect Jose's motions directly to the joystick controller's. In Spinsanity mode, the spaceships travel in a spiral pattern making smearing of the seed more difficult for the player.[7]

Reception

Ahoy!'s review began "And now for something completely different. You have never seen anything like Moondust ... No mazes, no nuke the alien aggressors, no 'find ring, sit on ring'". The magazine, which gave the game a grade of B for graphics and A for gameplay, stated that it was "not for everybody", warning that "the instructions are confusing. Even the people at Creative Software didn't know what Lanier was up to". The review nonetheless concluded "Players shopping for a non-violent game that incorporates graphics and music will want to consider Moondust ... I recommend it".[23] The Commodore 64 Home Companion agreed on Moondust's uniqueness, describing it as "one of the most creative new games I've seen for any computer". Describing gameplay as "more like ballet than combat", the book concluded that it "is a computer game for people who don't like computer games".[24]

References

  1. ↑ "Brief Biography of Jaron Lanier". Homepage of Jaron Lanier. http://www.jaronlanier.com/general.html. Retrieved 2008-09-11. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Manes, Stephen (7 April 1998). "Time and Technology Threaten Digital Archives . . .". New York Times. https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E04E3DD113AF934A35757C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. 
  3. ↑ Pease, Emma. CSLI Calendar Of Public Events. Stanford Center for the Study of Language and Information. 14 May 1997.
  4. ↑ Jaron Lanier. KurzweilAI.net entry. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  5. ↑ Thomsen, Michael. "Super Mario Turns 25: How Nintendo redefined everything before and after." IGN. 18 October 2010.
  6. ↑ Amirkhanian, Charles. New Music in the Bay Area . KPFA Folio KPFA FM94, Listener-Sponsored Pacifica Radio program guide. October 1983
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Blakeman, Mary Claire (January 1984). "The Art Side of Video Games - Moondust: Music Of Your Own Making". Video Games 2 (4): 27–30. 
  8. ↑ Thomsen, Michael. "Review: The Smithsonian Celebrates Video Games - America's first art museum and The Art of Video Games." IGN. 30 March 2012.
  9. ↑ Thomsen, Michael. "Culture Clash: How Video Games Are Crashing the Museum Party." Gamasutra. 22 May 2012.
  10. ↑ Neumann, Horst. How Long Will Digitised Data Last? . The Journal of the Launceston Computer Group Inc. Volume 1, Issue 3. April 2005.
  11. ↑ Van der Reijden, Anna Denise. Authenticity in Internet Art . University of Utrecht masters thesis. August 2008.
  12. ↑ "Clockthoughts". Homepage of Jaron Lanier. http://www.jaronlanier.com/clockthoughts.html. Retrieved 2008-09-11. 
  13. ↑ Demarinis, Paul. Review of Jaron Lanier’s Moondust. Computer Music Journal Volume 08, No. 2 (Summer 1984), p. 61
  14. ↑ Donovan, Tristan. "Inside Music Games - Let's face the music and dance." Eurogamer. 10 August 2011.
  15. ↑ Chesher, Chris. Colonizing Virtual Reality - Construction of the Discourse of Virtual Reality, 1984-1992 . Cultronix. Volume 1, Number 1. Fall 1994.
  16. ↑ Burr, Snider. Jaron. Wired. May/June 1993.
  17. ↑ Virtual reality: spreadsheets for industry - tutorial. RELease 1.0. 8 October 1990.
  18. ↑ Hamilton, Joan O'C. Going Where No Minds Have Gone Before. 5 October 1992.
  19. ↑ Burkeman, Oliver. The virtual visionary. The Guardian . 29 December 2001.
  20. ↑ Silfer, Kyle. Applied Ludology - Art games and game art. Alibi. Volume 16, Number 28. 12–18 July 2007.
  21. ↑ Brownstein, Mark (February 1984). "Computer Corner - The Year in Review: Shockwaves in the Computer Industry - Moondust". Video Games 2 (5 #17): 65. ISSN 0733-6780. 
  22. ↑ Moondust . MayhemUK Commodore 64 Archive review. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
  23. ↑ Michaels, R. J. (January 1984). "Moondust". Ahoy! (1): 52. https://archive.org/stream/Ahoy_Issue_01_1984-01_Ion_International_US#page/n51/mode/2up. Retrieved 27 June 2014. 
  24. ↑ Beekman, George (1984). "Chapter 6 — The Marvelous Toy: Recreational and Educational Software". The Commodore 64 Home Companion. Datamost. pp. 169–170. ISBN 0-88190-294-2. https://archive.org/stream/The_Commodore_64_Home_Companion#page/n169/mode/2up. Retrieved August 19, 2016. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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