Space Invaders Bomb World Trade Center

Space Invaders are bombing the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, and while the passage of time may have taken the edge off such a display it doesn't explain who thought this would be a good idea.

The Invaders! art exhibit at the Leipzig Game Convention features a large display of the 1978 arcade classic, except this time the orderly little invaders from space are bombing the Twin Towers, knocking holes in its walls and starting fires and apparently causing 8-bit figures to jump from the burning structures. The game was projected on a massive screen near other Space Invaders bits and pieces, on display as part of the game's 30th anniversary.

The display is based on a work created by Douglas Edric Stanley in September 2001, but this time on a much larger scale, with support for more advanced options as well as a "stronger tie-in to the historical narrative that originally inspired me to make this version in the first place," he said on his website. Stanley said he was invited by Andreas Lange of the Computer Spiele Museum to include his "somewhat ambiguous juxtaposition of this mythical game and the historical events of September 11th" as part of Space Invaders' 30th anniversary celebration.

A press release on Stanley's site says, "The World Trade Center attacks mark a deep cut in our recent history that is still being processed. The French-American artist Douglas Edric Stanley has found an unusual - though obvious - metaphor with his work Invaders!, which is based on the 1978 arcade original. In his interactive large installation, the players must prevent the catastrophe by controlling the well- known cannon at the lower screen border with their bodies and firing it using arm movements. Like the original, this trial is ultimately unsuccessful, thus creating an articulated and critical commentary about the current war strategy. In this regard, Douglas Edric Stanley sees Space Invaders as 'a social tale that can be related to historical tales without losing its poetic power.'"

The whole thing comes across as a little tasteless, but apparently that's the point of art these days. More information about Invaders!, including a video and a Mac OS X version of the game (and a link for Windows users to complain about not having a version of their own) can be found at Stanley's site, abstractmachine.net.

Source: Kotaku

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Tasteless does not begin to describe this.

I have a thousand witty insults that I could throw at this game, but it would probably get me banned for being crude, uncouth, or just downright rude. What does that tell you about the game itself? There's certain things you don't poke fun at no matter how old it is.

Video games are now being thought of as an art form right? It seems more tasteless than the latest, but it's actually only one terrible stab at the event out of many many more. I'm sure people, especially video game haters, will enjoy ripping this thing to pieces. I'm sure those same people never batted an eye at the numerous world trade center event movies that were released.

I'm sure tons of artist depictions have been made of the event in it's truest harshness, people fleeing from the building by jumping from windows, the buildings crumbling.. This one is just getting more press.

Just another piece that makes me wonder.. Just like the time I saw a shelf of 9/11 dvds at the store a year or so ago. Why do I want to buy that? Why do I want to see it again and again?

I cant believe how disgusting some people are. Why even post this? Keep it on Kotaku dont spread the filth around

Not very smart. There may have been an attempt to start a debate at some point (hey, look at WWII games!) but it's most awkward in its presentation.
That's also a good way to make noise around Invaders, considering the "new" releases we're getting here and there. Nothing is purely gratuitous after all.

Ionait:
Video games are now being thought of as an art form right? It seems more tasteless than the latest, but it's actually only one terrible stab at the event out of many many more. I'm sure people, especially video game haters, will enjoy ripping this thing to pieces. I'm sure those same people never batted an eye at the numerous world trade center event movies that were released.

I'm sure tons of artist depictions have been made of the event in it's truest harshness, people fleeing from the building by jumping from windows, the buildings crumbling.. This one is just getting more press.

Just another piece that makes me wonder.. Just like the time I saw a shelf of 9/11 dvds at the store a year or so ago. Why do I want to buy that? Why do I want to see it again and again?

*bows* I'm soo glad someone mentioned those pretentious pieces of crap. I hate when people say I'm being unpatriotic when I talk about how insulting it was to make assumptions about what everyone was doing for dramatic purposes.

Thank goodness it's only available to Mac OS users.

That's awesome!

Urgh, there are some really insensitive people out there... but there has been worse than this.

There is nothing inherantly wrong with the use of 9/11 references in a game, after all it is the world we live in, but this is evidently rubbish. The Postal 2 use of Osama Bin Laden as a boss showed greater sensitivity and wit - and that really says something.

Modernist Artists are HACKS. Real (postmodern) art is on the streets, eg Banksy et al

Would it be less insensitive if the Space Invaders were attacking Guernica? Or less tasteless if it were simulating a raid over the Reichstag?

I dont see why people are being touchy about it. They may say its out of order and yet do they make the same suggestions when playing historically accurate games set in WW1&2.

I think this may be a case of Americans being outraged because its something that made them feel vulnerable. In my opinion you cannot sensor creativity no matter what subjects they touch upon.

Its a game. Get over it. If you are offended, don't buy it.

Some people will do anything for attention. For shame.

edinflames:
There is nothing inherantly wrong with the use of 9/11 references in a game, after all it is the world we live in, but this is evidently rubbish. The Postal 2 use of Osama Bin Laden as a boss showed greater sensitivity and wit - and that really says something.

Modernist Artists are HACKS. Real (postmodern) art is on the streets, eg Banksy et al

No matter the slack Uwe gets, I must admit that what I saw from Postal actually surprised me a lot in a positive way. It's a totally assumed over the top averagely acted film with explosions and some other effects.

The funny thing is, my first knee-jerk reaction when I saw this was shock, not at the content itself but at the balls it would take to present something so wildly tasteless and inappropriate at a high-profile show like Leipzig. But when I read what the artist had to say about it and gave the thing some thought myself, I started to see what he was going for. And it makes sense.

The problem, as I see it, is that the insertion of Space Invaders appears on the surface to trivialize the issue, which in itself is an interesting commentary on how the WTC attack has morphed over the years, but superficially it makes the whole thing look throwaway. But it is, in many ways, a very interesting commentary on the attacks.

Er, what exactly is the problem here? Sure, I guess its no Super Columbine Massacre RPG - http://www.columbinegame.com/ , which IMHO was thought provoking, but the idea of defending the towers from invaders doesn't seem so bad and the idea that these days that defending has become less than ideal *cough*iraq*cough* is not far off is it?

Malygris:
The funny thing is, my first knee-jerk reaction when I saw this was shock, not at the content itself but at the balls it would take to present something so wildly tasteless and inappropriate at a high-profile show like Leipzig. But when I read what the artist had to say about it and gave the thing some thought myself, I started to see what he was going for. And it makes sense.

The problem, as I see it, is that the insertion of Space Invaders appears on the surface to trivialize the issue, which in itself is an interesting commentary on how the WTC attack has morphed over the years, but superficially it makes the whole thing look throwaway. But it is, in many ways, a very interesting commentary on the attacks.

Well done. I would recommend anyone reading this article - and especially the author, read In The Shadow of No Towers. I'm sure some would say, "*GASP* a comic book about a terrorist attack on our nation??? It seems so tasteless and trivializes a tragedy." But it takes a pretty hard look at the event, and is a deeply personal story by a very talented artist.

I think this piece loses points for having no subtlety, but definitely wins points for being excellent commentary on the xenophobia that sweeps our nation every time '9/11' is dropped. People still get so easily offended or blinded by the buzzword '9/11.' It's losing its meaning other than to elicit 'knee-jerk reactions,' and I don't think this is what the artist was going for. So to say that Postal is somehow better commentary than this seems somewhat flawed when considering that was just another tax shelter 'movie' that hoped to shock at least a couple hundred people into going.

kenji8055:
I dont see why people are being touchy about it. They may say its out of order and yet do they make the same suggestions when playing historically accurate games set in WW1&2.

I think this may be a case of Americans being outraged because its something that made them feel vulnerable. In my opinion you cannot sensor creativity no matter what subjects they touch upon.

You know, I sortof had the exact same thought. But after all 9/11 was only a few years ago and the shock from that event could never be over in just 7 years. Plus, america get's alot of shit nowadays, people saying we're stupid, all the stereotypes everywhere, ole' uncle sam.

Though why, I wonder, would Liepzig even consider showing this game there? I mean, obviously it's going to raise some eyebrows.

Malygris:
But when I read what the artist had to say about it and gave the thing some thought myself, I started to see what he was going for. And it makes sense.

I fail to see how it does, or how it's supposed to be formulated intelligently.
Is it just about pointing fingers as to how people react about anything associated to 9/11?

What's the message here? Thus far, I'm only seeing a thing that seems rather terribly superficial without any useful message, no matter the convoluted underlying meaning you want to attach to this.
His own "explanation" tells me nothing about his opinion and intent. But attention he does get.

After his take on Invaders, I can't wait to see how he's going to use Defender.
I think it's a waste of time.

Eggo:
In light of wildly popular game series like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Medal of Honor, why is this so horrible exactly?

Because it's freshhhh! ;)
Or possibly because a large fraction of the planet doesn't seem to give a shit about 9/11.

Road deaths. Less spectacular, no broadcast.

Eggo:
And let's not forget, a American civilian's life is far far more valuable than the life of a foreign Muslim civilian.

You got that right ;O

I get some of the symbolism of the piece, and I can't say it's a bad idea. I'm not really inspired by it, either. Many gamers instantly recognize Space Invaders as an exercise in futility. You can't survive forever. One facet of the message here is that preventing all "terrorism" is a ridiculous idea. Ultimately I don't see the art piece as being all that much deeper than, say, Missile Command.

Still...

Ed Halter describes several video-game-themed art pieces in his book From Sun Tzu to Xbox: War and Video Games. The WTC/Space-Invaders piece is hands-down better than all of them. Of course, it's competing with stuff like a picture of a Mig next to some Mario clouds.

-- Alex

After watching some video of this installation?

Way more understanding and appreciation for what he's done here, even if I don't agree with all of it.

People should get over 9/11 already. There is stuff happening all the time that is equal or worse than what happened there.
It's okay for people to have fun playing the battle of normandie in CoD or Medal Of Honor but a game like this is tasteless? Take a closer look at the games you're playing all the time.