2012 Into the Pixel Collection Announced

The AIAS and ESA Unveil Winning Pieces at the E3 2012 in Los Angeles

CALABASAS, Calif., May 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) are pleased to announce the 16 winning pieces of the esteemed 2012 Into the Pixel (ITP) collection.  Now in its ninth year, ITP is a juried art exhibition that brings together experts from the traditional fine art world and the interactive entertainment industry to display and discuss the art of the video game.  The 2012 Into the Pixel art collection will be unveiled and presented at the annual E3 in the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 5-7, 2012 at the Concourse Foyer. 

"ITP is a testament to the artistry and creative vision of our industry's innovators and remarkable talent," said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, the trade association that represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. "I congratulate the selected artists for achieving their creative vision and having that talent recognized by their peers."

"The Academy is pleased to partner with the ESA to celebrate the finest art in video games from the year," said Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.  "This year's collection exhibits incredible creativity.  We're looking forward to unveiling this year's collection at E3 and sharing it worldwide at other industry events!"    

"Artists are becoming more and more sophisticated about translating complex storytelling ideas into even the smallest details of the visual environment," said Glenn R. Phillips, Principal Project Specialist and Consulting Curator Department of Architecture and Contemporary Art, Getty Research Institute.  "The best works are not only visually exciting and technically accomplished, but they also function as ambient narratives, with the potential to convey large amounts of story in a single image."

2012 Into the Pixel Winners:

2012 Into the Pixel Jurors:

• Bob Rafei, Big Red Button Entertainment, Founder, CEO and Visual Director
• Eddo Stern, UCLA Games Lab, Director
• Glenn Phillips, Getty Research Institute, Senior Project Specialist & Consulting Curator, Department of Architecture and Contemporary Art
• Ian Milham, Electronic Arts' Visceral Games, Creative Director
• Jon M. Gibson, iam8bit, Founder and Partner
• Matt Hall, Timbuk2 Studios, Senior Partner Production Designer
• Nora Dolan, Independent Curator
• Ryan Wilkerson, Microsoft Game Studios, Senior Art Director
• Seth Spaulding, Blizzard Entertainment, Art Manager
• Shane Caudle, Epic Games, Principal Artist

About Into the Pixel:

Into the Pixel (ITP) has established itself as the annual opportunity for video game artists to receive critical review of their creative achievements by peers in the both digital interactive world and traditional fine art experts. The ITP collection has been on exhibit at GDC, PAX East, South by Southwest, SIGGRAPH Asia, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the D.I.C.E. Summit, among others. For more information on this year's Into the Pixel 2012 collection and previous collections, please visit www.intothepixel.com. 

SOURCE Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences