If you believe, as I do, that the future of art lies in video games and generative design, then please let your friends know about Anomalies.
I love art in all its various forms. I paint, I draw, I have worked as a professional sculptor, and more. However, 3D design and games are dominating the culture in terms of advances and public interest. Some people try to shrug this off as mere "entertainment" but I think those people are missing the boat. What's happening is that people, artists, are exploring the potential of these newer forms of art, and of course a lot of it is going to be commercialized and used as entertainment. There's nothing wrong with that at all. However, that does not diminish the potential artistic value of these new media.
In their time, great artists like Da Vinci, Michelangelo and others were very much commercial artists, who used their particular skills to make money. Does this diminish the value of their contributions to art and culture?
While traditional arts will always have their place, it's exciting to see all the new ideas and dimensions that are allowed through the use of technology. Anomalies is my first foray into the vast universe of generative art and game design, but it will not be my last.
Of course it helps if people like what you are making, so I'm asking you to consider helping out. Sharing with your friends is one great way to help spread the word, but here are a few other ideas you might consider.
1. Play the Game - Set the auto-timer, hit randomize, and watch it do it's thing for a while ... or just let it run in the background while you do something else. I find it soothing and it still occasionally surprises me with an anomaly that I never anticipated.
2. Write a Review - every review helps, even if it's short. Reviews also help me as a developer to see what people want, or don't want in a game.
3. Buy Anomalies as a Gift - it's not too late to give a small token of your friendship to that special person. Why not give the gift of art?
4. Share a Screenshot - Hitting F12 will allow you to easily upload a screenshot of your anomaly to the Community Hub. Other users can see your work, and comment on it. Check out the screenshots that are already up there and feel free to like, dislike or comment on them: http://steamcommunity.com/app/546780/screenshots/
5. Record an Anomaly - the game does not have this as a built in feature, but running a screen recording program like Camtasia or Bandicam will allow you to create a video of your Anomaly and share it on You-Tube or on the Steam Community Hub. Again, likes, dislikes and comments are always welcome: http://steamcommunity.com/app/546780/videos/
6. Record a Song - I have recorded many of the "songs" generated by Anomalies, on two albums (so far). Mostly, anomalies produce somewhat random sounding effects, but with the right parameters, things can get pretty musical at times. Feel free to use the resulting songs for your own purposes ... in a game ... in a video ... heck, write lyrics for it and sing along if you want :) Please do mention Anomalies if you end up publishing it anywhere though. Here's are my examples: https://mkschmidt.bandcamp.com/
Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying the holidays!