Auto-Combat (2020). Digital Hybrid Tabletop Game
Artist Statement
I have a strong passion for a large variety of games and while many view digital games as distancing us from the physical world, I see the divide between the two continually narrowing. Every medium has advantages and differences over the others, whether it be digital, mobile, tabletop, physical, and so on. Since no single medium has all the answers, I decided that delving into a combination of them would be an ideal starting point for uncovering something rarely studied in academia.
One of my greatest joys in the past decade has been experiencing the resurgence of designer tabletop games and the blurring of lines between the tabletop and digital worlds. My work, titled Auto-Combat, explores these topics in the form of a digital hybrid board game adaptation of the new ‘auto-battler’ genre that made a huge splash in early 2019. Seeing the similarities in tabletop design, but with the complexity that can only come from a digital interface, I knew it would be a perfect genre to inspire my work.
The game can be found hosted here: https://Stexe.itch.io/Auto-Combat
Biography
Stefan Sain Lopuszanski is a game designer and researcher hailing originally from North Wales, Pennsylvania, about 30 minutes north of Philadelphia. He has had a love of all games since young childhood, and has followed his passion and dreams throughout his life. With Associate Degrees in Game Design and Liberal Studies from Montgomery County Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Temple University, and soon a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Digital Media and Design from University of Connecticut, Stefan is always looking to learn new things. Focusing on learning as much about game design from as many different sources as possible, Stefan has participated in over a dozen game jams, organized multiple D&D groups, worked at an arcade and also an escape room, and has analyzed thousands of video games and tabletop games. His ultimate goal is to explore the unknown of where gaming can go by pushing it to its limits.
More of his work can be found on his personal website: www.Stexe.com
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