How will you play it?

PixelJunk Eden is the third in the inventive series of PlayStation Network titles from Q-Games - find out more from the people behind it here.

Game Director Tominaga "Tomi" Shouichi and Baiyon, the multimedia artist with whom Q-Games collaborated, provide an insight into the unique PlayStation Network title that is PixelJunk Eden.

What was the inspiration behind the art and music for PixelJunk Eden?
Tomi: Baiyon's creations were the biggest inspirations. I wanted to bring across the liveliness of his live performances.
Baiyon: My main interests are multimedia, and everything I have been touched by in the medium until now is reflected in the work I did for Eden. Artworks, music, videogames that I have played, memories, experience and my past self, and also RGB and CMYK!

How old were you when you attended your first concert, and who played?
Tomi: It wasn't a concert, but when I was about 18 I visited a visual audio exhibit created by Brian Eno and it left a lasting impression on me.

If you could play Eden co-op with two other people, who would they be and why?
Tomi: I'd like to play Eden co-op with children and adults who normally don't play videogames. I want to see how they would play the game.
Baiyon: I'd like to play Eden co-op with my past self.

If you could have any famous piece of art hanging in your home, what would it be and why?
Tomi: The smallest Paul Klee illustration I can find perhaps, but I try to keep my house as neutral as possible so rather than place famous pieces of art I try to live modestly.
Baiyon: I have never really thought about it before because I have too much of my own art, music and works by friends of mine, and favourite records. If I was forced to choose though I would have Marcel Duchamp's The Large Glass (joke).

What is your favorite garden in Eden and why?
Tomi: Garden 10. The imagery and music along with the overall atmosphere of that stage feels very impressive.
Baiyon: Garden 9, because it has a deep feeling like a club dance floor. The background's motion and colors, mixed with the sound is an especially feel-good combination.

Who were your biggest influences in art and music?
Tomi: The media artist Katsuhiro Yamaguchi who was also one of my professors at University. He taught me that art is constantly new; in other words, art can get old. If you want to create art you always have to search for something new.
Baiyon: I have been influenced by too many people in both art and music to answer this properly. However, Shigesato Itoi taught me how to communicate via creating and selling my work, and also the beauty of drawing further even after you have finished the journey.

Will there be Eden merchandise available for sale and where can we get it?
Tomi: We are planning to release the PixelJunk Eden soundtrack soon on the PSN Store, so stay tuned for more info. 

How did this collaboration between Q-Games and Baiyon start?
Tomi: I first met Baiyon at a party held by a common acquaintance. I found Baiyon to be a very interesting person and we started talking about how it might be interesting for him to take part in the PixelJunk series we were just beginning to think about back then. Eden was different than other games in the series because it didn't start out with a solid idea for the actual gameplay.