Play Salon

Games are a passion for many, and can be a big part of our daily lives. When a game really moves us emotionally, intellectually, and artistically it can be a profound experience. In the spirit of the SFIAAFF’11 game panel, we bring together an esteemed group of innovative and artistic game designers to discuss their work and brainstorm game ideas with the audience. The featured artists will discuss their history with games, as well as give the audience a taste of their creative process by developing a game design/idea with the audience. Bring your game ideas to the salon because it is time to design and play!

Featuring:
Jenova Chen
Game Designer, Journey, thatgamecompany

Michael Cheng
Game Designer, The Last Sleeper, Triple Jump

Suyin Looui
Interactive Designer & Producer, Hey Baby Game

Moderated by:

Dino Ignacio, Designer & Artist, Electronic Arts

Cook Salon

Food is the next rock n’ roll. From celebrity chefs to food trucks, our culinary culture is exploding with innovative new tastes and eating establishments. Many of the must-try offerings are Asian American restaurants and pop-ups. In this salon, we celebrate this explosion by bringing together two talented Top Chef Alums, Preeti Mistry and Beverly Kim to discuss their experiences and food. They will also create different international movie snacks live with the audience. Consult your spice rack and come to share ideas for Asian movie snacks!

Featuring:
Preeti Mistry
Chef, Juhu Beach Club, Top Chef Alum

Beverly Kim, Chef De Cuisine, Aria Restaurant Chicago, Top Chef Alum

Moderated by
John Lee

Groove Salon

SFIAAFF has long celebrated the contributions of Asian American artists to the fabric of musical life. In the Groove Salon, we bring together two Directions in Sound artists to go beyond performance to talk life and shop. Here DJ Neil Armstrong and HOTTUB meet up in conversation/collaboration to create a song with the audience. They are from different parts of a musical spectrum but both are innovative musicians that challenge the boundaries of hip-hop. During the salon, they will play samples of their work, speak about their experiences as musicians, and give the attendees a taste of the creative process. This is a participatory event, so come prepared to ask questions and contribute to the song!

Featuring:
Neil Armstrong, Tour DJ for Jay-Z, Mixtape Maker,
Directions in Sound 2012
HOTTUB, Disco Rap Band, Directions in Sound 2009

Moderated by:
Jeff Chang
Writer, Executive Director of the Institute for Diversity
in the Arts + Committee on Black Performing Arts at
Stanford University.

I also have a cameo in it. – in the nonprofit world, you wear a lot of hats.

This game is a prototype based on DAUGHTERS OF EVEREST, a feature-length documentary film that follows the first Nepali women’s expedition of the highest peak in the world. The game attempts to subvert the notion that mountain climbing is a male dominated activity and summiting the mountain is the given goal of such an endeavor.

In it’s place, CLIMBING SACRED MOUNTAIN engages players with an interplay between the strong and spunky protagonists showcasing how diverse personalities might consider and react to a variety of obstacles and choices they face. The game mechanics will highlight socially conscious milestones that encourage civic engagement as players journey from Kathmandu to Everest Base Camp and towards the summit.

The current artwork is done by Undoboy.

We are now working on a new iteration with Take Action Games, that will look and play very differently! We are very excited for this new version!

You can check out the whole series on the CAAM Channel on YoutTube.

HAPAS.US is no longer active.

I was a Producer/Art Director for the game Filipino or Not?

“Filipino or Not?” is a game about race in media, focusing on influential Filipinos throughout different cultural spheres. Whether they be actors, athletes, artists, politicians, etc, this game highlights the role Filipinos have played in the media-making world. Often Filipinos in the media are assumed to be ambiguous or of another ethnicity; with this game we want to make visible the contributions of Filipinos in a playful way. Ultimately, this game asks us to look at how we make assumptions about race and ethnicity in the media sphere. Players will be given clues then quizzed on whether or not a specific person is actually Filipino or not Filipino. “Filipino or Not?” is part of a larger series of new media projects developed to foster participation in the arts. You can download Filipino or Not? from the iTunes store.

If you are going to be at SXSW this year stop by our panel and let’s hang out after!

I will be speaking with Susana Ruiz of Take Action Games and we will be talking about the CAAM produced game Climbing Sacred Mountain