Djon spills the beans on Hot PXL

It must feel awesome to have a character designed after you in a PSP game, or for any game for that matter! But while this is but a dream for most of us, Jonathan “Djon” Choquel lives it. Hot PXL‘s creator talks about his baby, and how it came to be.

Prior to being tapped as Creative Director, Djon worked as a journalist, with two magazines and a podcast under his belt. As he used to write and deal with mostly skateboarding and street culture lifestyle, it then makes perfect sense that Atari and zSlide would think to make him the game’s hero.

His experiences with street-culture is greatly reflected in this collection of “micro-games”. From the aesthetics to the photo-realism to the street-influenced graphics, you know it’s street. You feel it’s street. And that’s what makes this game so cool. It’s fuss-free and really laid-back, while at the same time providing for some funky and challenging fun.

For example, they didn’t call the games in here “micro” for nothing! That’s because they really are uber short. As in, five or so seconds short. Really darned short. And that’s where the exciting part comes in. With so little time and so much to do, you better make sure you get it right in as little use of “lives” as possible. And getting the wrong answer per question ain’t pretty, as you’ll see Djon himself getting blasted. It’s gory in a twisted sense, but the pixelated blood graphics successfully tones it down to something remotely humorous.

Anyway, Hot PXL also allows you to immerse yourself into the not-so-typical day of an urban explorer. As Djon puts it, you can just “cross a busy street, customize sneakers, write on the griptape of a skateboard, take snapshots of street art, enhance a photo on a computer, play BreakOut on the facade of a skyscraper, scratch a vinyl back and forth… or simply chomp burgers!”

Hmmm…well, ain’t that the good life?

Via IGN

It must feel awesome to have a character designed after you in a PSP game, or for any game for that matter! But while this is but a dream for most of us, Jonathan “Djon” Choquel lives it. Hot PXL‘s creator talks about his baby, and how it came to be.

Prior to being tapped as Creative Director, Djon worked as a journalist, with two magazines and a podcast under his belt. As he used to write and deal with mostly skateboarding and street culture lifestyle, it then makes perfect sense that Atari and zSlide would think to make him the game’s hero.

His experiences with street-culture is greatly reflected in this collection of “micro-games”. From the aesthetics to the photo-realism to the street-influenced graphics, you know it’s street. You feel it’s street. And that’s what makes this game so cool. It’s fuss-free and really laid-back, while at the same time providing for some funky and challenging fun.

For example, they didn’t call the games in here “micro” for nothing! That’s because they really are uber short. As in, five or so seconds short. Really darned short. And that’s where the exciting part comes in. With so little time and so much to do, you better make sure you get it right in as little use of “lives” as possible. And getting the wrong answer per question ain’t pretty, as you’ll see Djon himself getting blasted. It’s gory in a twisted sense, but the pixelated blood graphics successfully tones it down to something remotely humorous.

Anyway, Hot PXL also allows you to immerse yourself into the not-so-typical day of an urban explorer. As Djon puts it, you can just “cross a busy street, customize sneakers, write on the griptape of a skateboard, take snapshots of street art, enhance a photo on a computer, play BreakOut on the facade of a skyscraper, scratch a vinyl back and forth… or simply chomp burgers!”

Hmmm…well, ain’t that the good life?

Via IGN