Living Organism

The short film, Pixels, by Patrick Jean at Paris-based One More Production has absolutely taken the internet by storm. It crested 1 million pageviews in the first 24 hours (April 8th, 2010) and over the course of the weekend it has soared over 3 million views. It has been featured in Wired, Boing Boing, and Motionographer, all for good reason.

In Pixels, NYC is overrun in 8-bit terror. Pac-Man eats his way through the subway. Donkey Kong is atop the Empire State Building raining barrels on what’s below. All the while Space Invaders destroy the buildings from above. The execution is fantastic and the attention to detail make this film a real stand-out. (Catch the Commodore ad on the MTA stop?).

But what makes this film an overnight internet phenomenon? We can directly attribute its success to the shared experience of early video game technology and specifically, the nostalgia for our gaming days of yore. But more specifically, there is something about hearing Pac-Man chomp, and the sound of Space Invaders shooting their lasers, that instantly transports you back to your childhood basement where you spent umpteen hours trying to beat Zelda. Sure, this video, its concept, art direction, and creative execution are stellar. But that’s expected and a bit superficial.

What really grabbed our attention was the familiarity and memory sparked by the sound effects alone. Those of us who were alive, aware, and gaming between the years of 1979 and 1987 know these sounds like we know our own parents’ voices. When we hear these old school gaming sounds, it is almost as recollective as hearing someone’s voice from the past. It amazed us how much memory these tiny, seemingly relevant sounds were able to reignite. So much so that even listening to the piece with your eyes closed was in some way meaningful.