Space Invaders
Programming
Born out of a meditation on the impact of gentrification on Black and Brown communities as well as inspiration from the classic Atari Space Invaders game, I created a clone of the game where players are able to battle against aspects of gentrification to save their hood.
SPACE INVADERS (2018)
In July of 2018, I was sitting in the Orlando airport across from an arcade, thinking about how gentrification disproportionally impacts Black and Brown people and how I could communicate those frustrations. Staring into the arcade I noticed the “Space Invaders” console, and thought “oh hello, metaphor.”
Using C# and Unity, I created a Space Invaders clone, where users battle against symbols of gentrification in order to defend their hood. The galactic battle against neo-colonization consisted of only one level, but the difficulty and sprites were meant to evoke the angst Black and Brown communities feel when signs of gentrification begin to appear on their doorstep.