Kid A Mnesia Exhibition is a fascinating virtual museum

When I was in college, I recall sitting through class that lasted over an hour and where we had to debate whether or not certain shows were dramas or comedies. I suppose it was a fun exercise, since it didn’t feel like work, but it felt strange that our teacher was adamant we pick an answer. It wasn’t just about breaking the shows down, but picking sides. When called upon, I recall saying something along the lines of, “I … don’t really care,” which I’m sure she loved.

There’s value in categorizing ideas, but I often worry about creative projects falling too neatly into templates. The current game industry is fond of templates. So it’s nice to see things like Kid A Mnesia exhibition, a virtual, semi-interactive art gallery based on the music of Radiohead, which makes it clear up-front that it’s not sure how to define itself.

As Radiohead’s Thom Yorke wrote in a recent PlayStation Blog post, “We’ve built… something. We aren’t sure what it is.”

As Kid A Mnesia exhibitionIt starts by setting expectations.

“This is not a game

Be patient

This is the beginning

Also, there has to be an end

Some locations will be more logical than others

Others will make no sense

See you later”

The semantics can be debated if necessary. I’m sure someone will mention it’s strange the project is published by Epic Games, or that it’s listed as a game on the PlayStation Store. Or you can study the design, and how it’s missing the verbs and challenges people expect from games.

The fact that it is there on the fringes makes it so interesting. The game-like experience is one of dual-analog motion and the buttons to zoom in or run. You also feel like you are in an art gallery with calm surroundings and lots of interesting exhibits. And at the moments those two ideas work together — when a picture breaks into thousands of particles as you approach it, for instance — it starts to feel different from what we’ve all played before, and like it can surprise you in ways most games can’t.

I don’t want to oversell anything. Kid A Mnesia exhibitionIt is simple and easy to use. You can think of it as a adult Happy Meal Toy. Art is what you see as you walk by. You can listen to music. Sometimes it feels like an early ‘90s computer graphics experiment. It’s kind of weird it’s not in VR, given the concept. It combines incredibly simple game mechanics and the opportunity to tour a museum. This makes it a great place to spend an hour in, even if Radiohead is not your thing.