I really should have posted this ahead of the last Picotachi event (Vol. 41), that was held a couple of weeks ago, but I really liked the wood block “Picotachi” logo that Joseph built. If you’re an indie game developer in Tokyo — or one passing through — make sure to follow Joseph so that you don’t miss the next event.
I’m a huge fun of the game-themed book bundles that Simon Carless curates for StoryBundle — I’ve happily bought every single one of them, even though I still have plenty to read. A new one came out this past week, and I’d say it’s even extra special as it’s themed around my friend Joseph White‘s Pico-8 fantasy console. On top of including the full Pico-8 development software and the 4 issues released so far of the excellent Pico-8 Zine, it’s also a fine selection of great game-related reads — I’m currently reading the Super Mario Bros. 3 book from Boss Fight Books (one of my favorite imprints), while I’m actually playing the game again on my NES Classic Edition. Make sure to grab the bundle before it expires.
If I was in Tokyo today, I would have made a point of going to Joseph’s Pico Pico Cafe for a piano concert of music from the first two Mother games (known as EarthBound in the west) by Kousuke Hata. You can also purchase two CDs of his Mother music at the cafe.
Do you have a thing for pixel art? If so, then boy do I have the exhibition for you. “Pixel Art Park 3” looks to be a fantastic celebration of all things prettily pixelized, and it’s taking place at the always interesting 3331 Arts Chiyoda space (September 9, 2016). Fans of Lexaloffle‘s PICO-8 fantasy console should also note that Joseph will be taking part, showcasing PICO-8 on his trusty 7″ TV.
The indie gaming scene in Tokyo is on the rise — the Branching Paths documentary illustrates this quite nicely — and one of the components of that growing scene is the Picotachi series. Organized by game dev Joseph White at his Pico Pico Cafe — a lovely space in Kichijoji — it’s a bilingual show-and-tell series where local and visiting devs can share what they’re working on. The next edition, Vol. 35, is set for this Saturday (August 20), starting at 20:00.