Bit by bit, the ‘80s return

IN an age when video gamers can be immersed in hyper-realistic 3-D realms, it’s hard to believe there was a time no so long ago when children spent hours enthralled by games that consisted of nothing more than pixilated blocks of color.

Yesterday’s crude, however, is today’s classic, and for Gallery 1988’s just-opened, third annual “i am 8-bit” show, more than 100 artists have re-imagined their favorite ‘80s game memories. The result is about 200 paintings, sculptures, photographs and even plush toys inspired by the ever-popular Mario Bros. and Pac-Man as well as relatively obscure titles such as Dig Dug and the ridiculously silly BurgerTime, which boasted a chef being chased by Mr. Hotdog, Mr. Pickle and Mr. Egg.

“The games from the ‘80s were so simplistic and raw that you just treated them in all sorts of different ways in your head,” says show curator Jon Gibson, who grew up with Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda as a baby sitter. “Maybe Mario was super-surreal, and the whole mushroom thing was a drug experience for you -- everybody had a different interpretation of these really basic characters who were only a couple of pixels tall.”

For the show, Gibson, a TV animation writer and former game reviewer, drew on his industry connections to recruit animators and video game artists, and from sources like MySpace, where he was able to tap into Los Angeles’ burgeoning emerging artist scene. So in addition to artists such as Gabe Swarr, an assistant director on Nickelodeon’s “El Tigre,” and video game concept artists Jose Emroca Flores, the show’s roster includes former graffiti artist Greg “Craola” Simpkins, comic book artist James Jean, plush artist Anna Chambers and lowbrow legends Gary Baseman and Anthony Ausgang.

Not surprisingly, ‘80s video games resonate most strongly with thirtysomethings such as “Family Guy” storyboard artist Joe Vaux. “I don’t think there’s anybody in our age groups who’s not inspired by ‘80s video games,” says Vaux, 34. For his painting, Vaux captures in detail a scene from the arcade game Joust, which featured inch-high armored combatants riding birdlike creatures. “I was a huge fan of Sam Jones’ ‘Flash Gordon’ flick,” he adds, “and Joust reminded me of the Hawkmen flying around on ostrich birds.”

Given the extraordinary advances in video game graphics, it’s not without some irony that video game artists like Scott Campbell are also contributing to the show. In fact, Campbell notes that his company, San Francisco’s Double Fine Productions, maintains a shelf full of Atari and Commodore game systems. “We don’t play them often, but we look at them and think, ‘That’s why we do this stuff,’ ” he says. In a 180 from Double Fine’s latest release, the visually stunning Psychonauts, Campbell’s 27 mini paintings all include gaming’s simplest yet perhaps most iconic character, Pac-Man.

“I wasn’t very good at video games a kid, but Pac-Man always gave me a good vibe,” says Campbell, 33. “The concept for my paintings is pretty simple -- I just wanted to explore what Pac-Man and Ghost did during their downtime.”

In addition to the 2-D works, the show also features Jen Rarey’s vision of BurgerTime done in plush, Brian McCarty’s photograph of Frogger skimming a busy highway suspended beneath a car, and even a 5 1/2 -foot-tall replica of an Atari 2600 joystick by graphic designer Jason Torchinsky.

The working joystick will be hooked up to a console that plays Mega Man 2600, a redo of the classic Nintendo game developed exclusively for the show. And unlike the flimsily constructed original, Torchinsky’s version will be strong enough to support the weight and gyrations of an adult.

“It’s amazing how much fun you could have with something as simple as a joystick,” Torchinsky says. “And given the limitation of the time, you have to respect the hell out of the original game makers who did an awful lot with so little, and somehow managed to make characters represented by little blocks of color engaging.”

weekend@latimes.com

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‘i am 8-bit’

Where: Gallery 1988, 7020 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles

When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays

Ends: May 12

Info: (323) 937-7088, www.gallery1988.com