2023 ✿ Interactive memoir / Game

Chao Bing: A Read-Only Memory Experience

An interactive memoir about read-only memories, transformation, and making a game.

Play on itch.io

Chao Bing: A Read-Only Memory Experience is an interactive memoir in the style of a 90s CD-ROM storybook game.

The game features narrated storybook scenes and mini-games based on moments from my childhood to tell a larger story about time, memory, and transformation. Chao Bing is a game––and also about the performative and poetic act of making a game.

Chao Bing takes place as a web-based game on itch.io, and also has been presented in an exhibition format and a live-performance.

Gameplay

Chao bing preview 5 Chao Bing preview 1 Chao Bing Preview 4 Chao Bing Preview 2 Chao bing preview 6 Chao Bing Preview 3 Chao bing preview 7 Chao Bing Preview 8

Credits

Design, art, programming: Jackie Liu

Soundtrack: Don Hanson

Exhibition

I exhibited Chao Bing as part of the Art & Code group exhibition at Dunkunsthalle (an art gallery out of a former Dunkin Donuts) during NEW INC's DEMO2023 Festival. To adapt the game to be suitable for exhibition, I displayed a playable demo of the game in a Raspberry Pi computer in kiosk mode and connected it to an early 2000s monitor--all within my "childhood bedroom".

Dunkunsthalle Exhibition 1 Dunkunsthalle Exhibition 2 Dunkunsthalle Exhibition 3 Dunkunsthalle Exhibition 4 Dunkunsthalle Exhibition 5 Dunkunsthalle Exhibition 6 Dunkunsthalle Exhibition 7

Photography by Isaiah Winters

Performance

In December 2023, I adapted the story of Chao Bing into a live-performance during my 1-week residency at CultureHub. You can learn more and view the recording on CultureHub's project page for the event.

Chao Bing performance 1 Chao Bing performance 2 Chao Bing performance 3

Photography by Eric Leong

Acknowledgements

I'm so thankful for the friends and mentors who have seen me through making this piece and/or given me critical feedback and support.

Special thanks to NEW INC for supporting this project and the team at CultureHub for giving me the space to develop it further.