wish u were here...

"wish u were here" was a multiplayer community TV / interactive mural designed for public exhibition at the 2020 BOFFO Residency Fire Island. 

Players inhabit a virtual simulation of the legendary gay enclave Fire Island Pines, go on both mundane and sexy adventures, and chat / flirt with each other, all in real-time with hundreds of other AI agents wandering the community.

Above all, the sim imagines The Pines as a communal social space where the art is the people. A place is only as interesting as its residents.

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THE ORIGINAL VERSION

This project was made for an artist residency with BOFFO in Summer 2020.

The original public installation debuted poolside at 225 Bay Walk in Fire Island Pines on July 11, 2020, from 9:00 - 11:00 pm.

The installation used SMS text messaging to provide an approachable familiar game interface that afforded safe social distancing and cheeky sex jokes.

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THIS DOWNLOADABLE VERSION

This personal downloadable version here does NOT use SMS text messaging -- instead it uses your desktop computer keyboard, and requires an internet connection to chat with other anonymous players around the world. 

You might have to share The Pines with dozens of other players, or maybe The Pines will feel realistically lonely with zero players. Who knows what will happen!

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DISCLAIMER OF CONTEXT: This was made for a public exhibition with a specific audience in mind. Outside of this context, it might not be as entertaining nor interesting.

DISCLAIMER OF SUPPORT:  This game build is provided without warranty of support nor maintenance. It might be broken, especially in the far future.

HOW TO PLAY: Type messages into the prompt at the top, then watch and read.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:  a powerful gamer-type desktop computer with Intel i5+ processor, 16+ GB RAM, high-spec discrete GPU (Nvidia Geforce 1060+, AMD Radeon RTX, recent high spec Macbook Pro)

CONTENT WARNING:  this game features cartoon penises, butts, and implied gay sex acts.

ARTISTS:  this was made in 2.5 weeks by Eddie Cameron, Fernando Ramallo, Kevin Watters, and Robert Yang