I created this image approximately ten years ago, for my business AlbumHut.com, an online music store for independently produced music. The image was created using Microsoft Paint, although more advanced software was an option. The common man special was a package deal for having CDs and CD covers designed, printed on inkjet printers, and placed in jewel cases. CDs would then be available for sale on AlbumHut.com and could be sent to the artist/band for other sales or promotional activities. The package was created to allow independent artists without much financial capital to have a somewhat professional looking product to show for their musical work. The concept of the "common man" is a popular designation claimed by many artists who attempt to accomplish their work on their own, without the influence of producers or others high up in the industry, allowing them to create art that represents the people of the working and/or middle classes. The silhouetted figure was intended to represent an unidentifiable person, an everyman, who may represent the artist him or herself; contrasted by the detailed crate and crate-label.
This is another image that was created for AlbumHut.com, using Microsoft Paint, approximately ten years ago. It was created as part of the advertising campaign for a headhunters program. Although participants in the program are referred to as "headhunters", the image title uses the two separate words version of "Head Hunter". This program paid individuals $10 for every previously unregistered band who listed them as a reference when registering and submitting an album to AlbumHut.com. The image was designed to be reminiscent of the tiki theme that is popular among the Rockabilly music crowd and in pop culture. At the time, I had hoped that this type of imagery would appeal to the artists and friends of artists who were already listed with AlbumHut.com, due to the higher number of rockabilly related artists already registered.
Game Websites
I have chosen the two video games that have been the most memorable to myself. Pharoah, a PC game that I played in undergrad, and Altered Beast, which I played on the Sega Genesis console while in junior high.
Pharaoh is the first game that I feel I had truly became addicted to. I played the game for days at a time, with very few naps, to the point of seeing the game layout every time I closed my eyes, and as my dream landscape. Although it has been more than ten years since I regularly played this game, even the small triggers of a similar sound or visuals give me strong game cravings. I enjoyed the egyptian themed visuals, audio, and topics, but also enjoyed the experience of building city landscapes, attempting to maintain and grow a population, harvesting crops, and producing for trade.
Although Pharaoh is similar to other games that I have enjoyed, such as SimCity and Caesar, the egyptian theme is somehow more appealing to me, personally. I hope that I have learned something of egyptian history through my time spent playing the game. The items grown or created are probably key items to commerce in ancient egypt, and the gods available for worship are probably somewhat accurately described. Hopefully, all history based games are representing accurate information, even if it must be abbreviated.
Altered Beast: http://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/altered-beast
Altered Beast has been the most memorable game that I have played. It is one of the games that my brother and I shared on the first gaming console that I had regular access to, the Sega Genesis. Although I probably spent many more hours playing Sonic the Hedgehog (the first game in the Sonic franchise), the scenery and sounds of Sonic the Hedgehog have not stuck in my head to the same extent as Altered Beast. I enjoyed the simple 2D side scrolling and platform based path of the game and creative visuals, such as the Octeyes boss throwing eye balls; but the sound of the wolf's howl, the boss' laughter, the deep drum-like beats in the soundtrack, and the narrator's comments, such as "level up", are my fondest memories. I believe this shows that regardless of the depth of a game, or the technology behind the visuals, the auditory aspects of the game can be the main method of endearing the game to a consumer.
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