No one is likely to argue that games contain art, for games today are created by whole teams of artists as well as engineers. The works produced by these artisans often exceed our expectations and the standards set by previous works, and/or change our perception of what a game can ultimately be. And yet what artistic merit is afforded to games by the very society that consumes them? Certainly games are at the heart of popular culture today, and yet the notion of games as art is anything but widely accepted.
Enter The Machine. Created by Tilman for Kaliber 10000—also known as the Designer's Lunchbox—and featured in their online issue #0077, this game is indeed a work of art.
Without going into too much detail that might spoil the fun, The Machine is a Shockwave game about a normal computer interface gone awry. The object of the game is to correct the chaos, right the wrong, and make it through to the end. In other words, figure out what to do on your own because the journey is the reward. What I will say is that you will only need the mouse to point, click, and drag.
It's short, and oh, so beautifully done. Game. Art. Perfection. Click.
Thanks Toby! =)
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Comments (may contain spoilers)
Short and sweet. It's pretty and original, but the puzzles are a little too easy for my taste.
Posted by: Zengief | April 20, 2005 3:04 AM
Pretty cool! Easy to get frustrated at puzzle 1, but once you solved that, you race right through the rest of the puzzles. Not difficult at all.
Posted by: GG Allin | April 20, 2005 7:36 AM
Stuck on the one with the grey buttons. I have no idea what I'm to do, But I do know everytime I get a double digit number, it makes a wierd noise like, it accepted the number
Posted by: Richie | April 20, 2005 8:01 AM
But working with life makes my windows happier as well.
Oh dear.
Posted by: Jonathan | April 20, 2005 10:07 AM
Jonathan - =)
the irony of a user interface gone crazy and the message it would have you believe.
By the way, working on a new game? =)
Posted by: jay | April 20, 2005 10:59 AM
That was a very cool (and easy) game. I really liked puzzle with the two glowing files, that was unique.
Posted by: Harukio | April 20, 2005 5:08 PM
Very cool and stylish. Enjoyed it. The last one was cool. It's interesting how you get hints after a little while.
Posted by: Alex | April 20, 2005 5:39 PM
Very nice game. I had never played the "puzzle" flash games before, but this one was a fun (and sometimes frustrating) experience.
Posted by: SeraphSoul | April 20, 2005 7:50 PM
You're welcome! :D
Posted by: Toby | April 20, 2005 8:36 PM
Baaa! The Phone thing is making me snap :| Please Help!
Posted by: Joel | April 20, 2005 10:21 PM
NM, I get it now! persistance is the key to success. A hint is to have a good memory ;)
Posted by: Joel | April 20, 2005 10:25 PM
persistance as in pushing buttons repeatedly? i'm way stuck and braindead on the grey buttons.
Posted by: cami | April 20, 2005 11:11 PM
How do you do the puzzle with the two glowing files and the triangle? I can't fathom it.
Posted by: Daniel_ | April 21, 2005 12:51 AM
Daniel - drag the files around and absorb the hints the game gives you. It's really brilliant the way it shows you what to do if you let it. =)
Posted by: jay | April 21, 2005 12:56 AM
The files and the little moving nubs glow sometimes, but I'm not sure why. I can't figure out the mechanics.
Posted by: Daniel_ | April 21, 2005 1:05 AM
okay. persistance and a good memory it indeed was :D;; grazie, joel.
Posted by: cami | April 21, 2005 3:03 AM
Short, but enjoyable -- reminds me of the Donnie Darko flash site (warning: spoilers towards the end, if you haven't seen the rather odd Donnie Darko film) http://donniedarko.com/
Posted by: Aaron Pulkka | April 21, 2005 12:52 PM
in the upper right corner there is a button if your stuck ^_^
Posted by: tom | April 21, 2005 2:40 PM
Tom - it's actually in the upper left corner, but you shouldn't need it with this game!
Aaron - I just watched Donnie Darko a couple of weeks ago. Great movie! I will have to check out the website. thanks.
Posted by: jay | April 21, 2005 2:50 PM
This is nice. Short but packed with an intense amount of fun and great attention to detail. Props!
Posted by: Talon | April 21, 2005 8:33 PM
really, really need some help on level two...tried to follow 'hints'...no clue....stuck.....help?
Posted by: Anna | April 22, 2005 1:06 AM
Anna - it's really not that bad. You can figure it out for yourself. Just don't try so hard. Start by dragging the two documents around and let the Machine tell you what to do. =)
Posted by: jay | April 22, 2005 1:52 AM
Still stuck...so easy that I can't get it, I guess.
The machine 'told' me nothing that I can understand...yet still more proof that it's simple and I'm making it hard! Maybe a tiny hint for my tiny brain?
Posted by: Anna | April 23, 2005 12:50 AM
Ok, Ok, duh...finally figured it all out!! Definitely right about persistence. Thanks Jay, I have lots of fun with your site.
P.S....please ignore the most recent whining/pleading post from me!! (:
Posted by: Anna | April 23, 2005 1:06 AM
now im stuck with the one with the phone..help?
Posted by: danny | April 26, 2005 6:10 PM
That was absolutely brilliant. Working with the glowing files takes a long time, but that's apparently because it took me a long time to accomplish the first solution I thought of.
Posted by: Brandon | May 1, 2005 11:17 AM
Stuck on the phone. What do I do lol? Great game tho :D
Posted by: Yega | May 4, 2005 5:30 AM
i am stuck on the one with the grey buttons and the phone the machine doesnt give me any clues i understand. please help
Posted by: jemma | May 17, 2005 1:53 PM
I'm stuck in the Donnie Darko site =S, in the level three with the phone, I would appreciate some help with this
Posted by: dissi | May 20, 2005 12:06 PM
Genius! Pure Genius! Finally got part four done (it's so ridiculously easy that it's the last thing you try!) Last part was easy, took me a few seconds to work it out but they've got basically the same puzzle on MOTAS.
Posted by: Talps | May 25, 2005 8:58 AM
im on the begining and its too small to read wats happening to the wires i mean there is a square yellow box aroud it when i click on to it help please some one wat do i need to do?????????????????????????????????????????
Posted by: louisa | May 25, 2005 9:50 AM
Pretty cool game. I almost gave up on the last part, it was kinda tough! But I beat it!! Yay!
Posted by: Kamehameha_cuty | May 27, 2005 5:00 PM
Dear Louisa,
You just broke the internet. You will be receiving a bill in your "e-mail" shortly for the damage your question marks have caused to this frame. Please try to be more careful in the future.
Sincerely yours,
Hoyniham
Internet Action Committee
Posted by: Hoyniham | June 1, 2005 1:47 AM
Okay, once I solved the first puzzle the rest were easy, except for 2. Since it was 1:00 am, cheated on 2. Went back to 2 today, still can't get it. Am not getting any hints except flashing dials and boxes but no matter what I do I can't get through it. Help!! What does a hint look like?
Sandy
Posted by: Sandy | June 1, 2005 2:49 PM
mamma mia! im stuck on 2 somebody help me pleaseeee...grazie
Posted by: fernanda | June 15, 2005 12:24 PM
OK, The phone's keypad is driving me mad, what the hell do I do?
Help - Wibble Wibble.
Posted by: Brian | June 26, 2005 5:16 PM
A brilliant game, just not enough levels.
Are there any more levels to come?
Posted by: Jack | June 30, 2005 8:27 PM
yes, I have beaten the game. (including the phone part)
Posted by: josh | July 5, 2005 2:23 PM
Oh my goodness, level 2 and 3 are really hard. I had to press the cheat button. The rest were pretty easy though. Anybody have hints for my sleeping brain, I want to go back and do 2 & 3.
SPOILER ALERT! The phone's key pad is pretty easy. Look at the buttons like they were ur phone's buttons. Then simply press the buttons the machine asks you to dial. If you get it right you'll keep advancing. But if not then it'll take you back to a single digit number and will have to try again.
Posted by: KARINA | July 8, 2005 3:29 AM
EASY! hav a question, ask me -MANAX
Posted by: MANAX | July 21, 2005 3:29 PM
That is literally a 10 minute game and very, very cool to look at except for that ant-crap-sized font that will make you blind at an early age. The progressive help was great. The one with the folders - at first I couldn't figure if you were supposed to herd them into the flashing spots or what. Still don't really know what I did to get rid of them but eventually did put together that very untrue phrase... ;)
Posted by: christine | August 23, 2005 4:59 PM
Wow. That was really fun. ^_^ Took me a while actually, to understand what was going on, but after I got it, I breezed past it. Hehe. Fixing a virus on a comp is a pretty good premise for a game. I hope to see The Machine 2.
Posted by: Azrael | September 1, 2005 1:00 AM
Great game but little hard on the memory game...
Posted by: Phenomina | September 18, 2005 5:49 AM
I know there are a few of you that may be like "wtf? this ain't easy!" but when you get going - it is.
Posted by: Stacia | October 15, 2005 12:43 AM
I loved this short game. I was stuck on the phone one for a while. I didnt get the clue the machine was trying to give me. Lots of fun though.
Posted by: Craig | November 4, 2005 4:27 PM
Yea, manax, i'm completly stuck on the begining. i click, i hold, i try to drag. i see the hint of hte weird green squars with the buttons.
all it does is say stuff and type it. but nothing changes. what do i do?
Posted by: thyvillageidiot | March 5, 2006 2:07 AM
hello all, this is Tilman, the author of The Machine. I just discovered this post about my game and wanted to say hi and thanks for all the props. If somebody is really stuck, I would be happy to help: tilman@tint.de The Machine 2 is not too likely in the next months (too much work to do), but you never know!
cheers! T.
Posted by: Tilman | March 12, 2006 10:02 AM
took me a awhile on the phone part to figure it out. this is going to take me awhile considering how fast you have to be.
Posted by: jodi | March 20, 2006 4:06 AM
Very Nice, music by Sonic-subjunkies too!
Posted by: DK | April 10, 2006 5:36 AM
how do i beat tjhe second stage
Posted by: poojoe@aol.com | April 29, 2006 11:08 PM
Wow, that was an interesting game. my head hurts after that phone stage, but I liked it.
Posted by: Patrick | May 10, 2006 9:46 PM
Ehh. I just can't get through the deaf image stage, I guess you guys are much smarter than me, so.. Can anyone give a hint?
Posted by: Jorgen | May 30, 2006 1:33 PM
You have to spell out a phrase, but why sit there and strain your brain trying to unscramble it? Let the Machine do it for you. Just wait around and it will give you directions.
Posted by: Evilwumpus | June 3, 2006 9:04 PM
I beat the game, only cheating on level 2, but I really want to know how to beat it, all of the hints so far haven't helped.
Posted by: pointyclick | June 26, 2006 8:09 PM
pointyclick--
what is level 2?
Posted by: Zack | July 12, 2006 2:17 PM
A wonderful perfect game, just wish it was longer
Posted by: abbey | August 24, 2006 4:42 PM
One of the first types of these games (point and click)I was able to solve on my own without getting frustrated. Great game!!!! Thanks Jay
Posted by: sooze | December 8, 2006 7:36 PM
The cheating method to pass the phone stage
Posted by: silentbob | January 14, 2007 10:05 AM
The game is actualy easy if you understand what to do.
Posted by: JOe | January 28, 2007 10:27 AM
i dont know what happen! it says, when i open,
"an unexpected error has ocurred" error code 564 and in red: "MALFUNCTION"
help
Posted by: Marcelo | February 12, 2007 11:09 AM
i can play now. im stuck at lvl of fone(?) invisible numbers! what can i do?
Posted by: Marcelo | February 12, 2007 11:57 AM
i understand now sorry for the triple post
Posted by: Marcelo | February 12, 2007 12:08 PM
i finished it. not so difficult i say. i know chess and last stage was easy.
Posted by: Marcelo | February 12, 2007 12:18 PM
Posted by: Robert | March 12, 2007 5:04 AM
i still dunno wat to do with the lvl 1 thing~ aiks~ any help??
Posted by: Confused | March 13, 2007 11:16 PM
Wow. Nice game! The interface is nice and complete with the "high-techy" feel.
RAPHAEL'S HINTS1
2
3
4
5
Posted by: Raphael | April 24, 2007 2:40 AM
This is one of the coolest games I've played! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Posted by: Sari Everna
|
May 18, 2007 2:26 AM
What a Nice Nice Work!
Posted by: Blues Lee | June 15, 2007 3:58 AM
I've beaten lvl 2, but I'm not entirely sure why or how.
Posted by: Nebbie | September 2, 2007 6:09 PM
How do you get rid of the hint system in this game? it keeps giving me hints that I don't want.
Posted by: Coldfrog | September 27, 2007 9:16 PM
you match two of them if you see a green line there matched.
Posted by: rowan | December 17, 2007 9:37 PM
level 1?
Posted by: ? | March 11, 2008 12:38 PM
That was fun, here's how to do it:
1.
To do this, click on the squares, you'll hear a word. the words you'll hear from the squares on the left have a connection to the words on the right.
Click on the squares with the connected words after each other and you shoulld see a line appear that connects them.
2.
To do this, you have to move the 2 'word document' icons into the correct position. one of them should be put near the bottom right and the other near the top left.
3.
Working with windows makes your life happier.
4.
You must type in the numbers seen just below it, these numbers are not shown for very long so you'll have to remember them, the sequence increases by 1 digit after each go. I think it goes up to 7 or 8.
5.
You can only do this using the chess move of the knight (2 across, 1 up).
Posted by: Div_2005 | March 28, 2008 3:42 PM