Jun 25, 2020Divest from the Video Games Industry!This piece seeks to contextualize the problems of the video games industry within its own mythology, and from there, to imagine and celebrate new directions through a lens of anti-capitalist and embodied compassion. My name is Marina Ayano Kittaka (she/her), I’m a 4th gen Japanese American trans woman from middle…Video Games18 min readVideo Games18 min read
May 29, 2020Reflections on Paul Robeson and the Timing of UprisingThe artist must take sides. He must elect to fight for freedom or slavery. I have made my choice. I had no alternative. ―Paul Robeson Been listening to Paul Robeson’s music lately and starting to learn more about his life. What strikes me was that he was a lifelong learner…3 min read3 min read
Nov 10, 2017Helping People Play Your Small GameWhen I was a child, one of the big reasons I turned to small hobbyist games was because they were often free and available online. I had a lot of energy, time, and desire for games, and it was a lot of fun to find hidden gems. …Games4 min readGames4 min read
Oct 12, 2017Chapter 3: Character Art and DesignNote: major story and visual spoilers abound in this one!Pixel Art7 min readPixel Art7 min read
Sep 29, 2017Chapter 2: How to Paint a Landscape the “Even the Ocean” WayIn Chapter 1: From Pixels to Painting, I looked back on the process that led me to digitally paint Even the Ocean’s outdoor areas. Today, we’re looking at the painting process itself! Growing Pains Even after I settled on a digital painting style, there was still a continued development process during which…Design6 min readDesign6 min read
Sep 26, 2017Color Outside the Coloring Book MindsetNotes on Contour and Color from the Artist of Even the Ocean — Since childhood, I’ve always been more attuned to contour (depicting objects with the outlines of their form — line drawing) over color and form. Instead of fun and vibrant “kid art”, I offered ambitious-yet-drab pencil drawings in Thank You and birthday cards. …Colors4 min readColors4 min read
Sep 20, 2017Chapter 1: From Pixels to PaintingIntroduction Hi, my name is Marina Kittaka, and I made Even the Ocean with Sean Han Tani. Even the Ocean is a narrative action platforming video game about balancing the light and dark energies that hold the world together. I’ve wanted to do things like share my process and feel a…Game Development9 min readGame Development9 min read
Sep 18, 2017Kelly KoalaKelly Koala is a handmade book, printed during a book arts class in 2011 using polymer plates. The initial idea of this book centered around creating a humorous and kinetic rhythm by having each illustration depict the text from the previous page spread. …Picture Books4 min readPicture Books4 min read
