Do you Paku Paku?

The second edition of AGO All Hours is almost here! With programs inspired by the digital works on view in Hito Steyerl: This is the future, we can’t wait for this Saturday to take in a full day of immersive artmaking activities, interactive gaming and spine-tingling performances. Oh, and did we mention Allie X is the headliner?!

Free for AGO Members, Annual Pass holders and everyone under 25, AGO All Hours kicks off bright and early at 10:30 am October 26. Activities will take place throughout the day all over the museum, inviting visitors of all ages to experience the AGO in a whole new way. With a vintage arcade, pop-up talks by exhibition curators, indie video games, choral performances, life drawing and more, we have something for everyone. Check out the online schedule to help you map out your day.

To get a taste of what’s in store, we spoke to artist David Fono, who joins us at AGO All Hours to bring Paku Paku – his version of the 1980s gaming sensation Pac-Man – to life in the Weston Family Learning Centre. With light-up power pellets, a life-sized maze, and original sound effects, Fono is almost as excited as we are to get our visitors playing a real-life version of this classic. Just watch out for those pesky ghosts!

AGO: How did you into creating interactive gaming experiences?
Fono: I have a degree in computer science, but early on I became interested in creative and social uses of technology. There’s a pretty rich subculture of academics using tech to make weird art and the like. I explored that world for a while, and eventually became most interested in gaming as a form of making art. 

AGO: What makes live gaming different to traditional video games?
Fono: It’s very difficult to directly adapt a video game into a live game. In a digital game, the designer has more control over the space and the rules, while a live version depends on the human players to understand and enforce the rules. I wanted to make this real version as fun as the video game, so that required cutting some key elements of the original game and focusing on others.

AGO: How does the game work?
Fono: It’s a team-based game, where one team are Pac-people and the other team are ghosts. The game is all about the chase between those two characters. The ghosts chase the Pac-people and tag them to score points; but the Pac-people can grab power pellets that turn the tables and allow them to tag the ghosts instead. At the end of the game, the winning team is the one with the most points.

AGO: Can adults play or is the game just for kids?
Fono: Everyone is invited to play. Adults always want to play the same games kids do, they just need a good excuse. Adding some bells and whistles and dressing it up as an “interactive experience” provides that excuse. This game is basically a variant of tag, but I guarantee you that we’ll see plenty of adults playing some intense games of Paku Paku on October 26th.

Excited to your game on? Join us on October 26 for AGO All Hours. And to skip the line, get your AGO Membership or AGO Annual Pass online before you arrive.

Admission to the AGO Collection and all special exhibitions is always free AGO Members, AGO Annual Pass holders and visitors 25 and under. For more information, please visit the website.