KAY


Name: Kay

Pronouns: They/Xe/She

Gender: Agender

Orientation: Aroace

Species: Rat

About

Yo, it's Kay :] I'm a fictive of a Halley Labs alias, if you've seen me before. I enjoy most things videogame related, including but not limited to:

  • Retro gaming
  • Speedrunning
  • Kusoge
  • Videogame preservation & piracy
  • Homebrew
  • Glitches
  • The indie scene
  • Game jams
  • Chiptune/Tracker Music
  • Vpets

I don't tend to enjoy modern AAA games, and usually opt to play indie or older titles.

I own three consoles: a modded PS Vita, a modded n3ds, and a Nintendo Switch that's collecting dust (I don't like it). I prefer my Vita most times: it's a lot nicer to hold and its screen is a lot better quality, but I can't deny the charm and catalog of the 3ds. I even made a custom theme for my Vita! I'll probably attach a video when I have time.

The only other console I'd probably want is a Panic Playdate and maybe a Steam Deck. The Playdate is so cute and it's so up my alley as a very niche, indie piece of technology. I think it'd be fun to learn programming on it, too. Unfortunately it's $200, so I have to wait.

Spotlight

You should check out the albums my source self made!

Unrealistic Project Roadmap is a concept album of a video game soundtrack that doesn't exist. 40 minutes of chiptune bliss that takes you right into the imagined yet nonexistent world of a 5th gen console game. When I listen to this album I always imagine I had had high expectations for a gamedev project I couldn't keep up with, and got transported into the game to go on a hero's journey or learn some lesson or something. I don't know, sometimes music just takes you on a dreamlike journey (and the custom album art for each song helped, lol).

Tracker's Draft is still great chiptune, but it's quite different. It takes more of an EDM-influence in its sound, it's a little bouncier and less like something you'd hear in a classic SNES game. To be clear, that's not a bad thing! It's got style to last for days.

I'd suggesting looking at older works by this alias too! A lot of them are pretty classic in internet culture, I just don't listen to them as much

ALSO, I have to tell you about my favorite album of all time that isn't from my source!

Harumi Hosono's Video Game Music is a 1984 chiptune album that depicts various arcade game soundtracks, with sound effects purposefully rearranged to create a semi-unique sound. It's a really beautiful album even though to most it's just arcade sound effects. It was a collaboration between Hosono and composers working at Namco, and could even be considered one of the first video game soundtrack albums!

If you listen to any song from the album make it Galaga. One of my favorite songs (if not my favorite) of all time. The Galaga soundtrack is already wonderful, but the overlaid sound effects bring it to another level of beautiful, like the perfect accent to a dress.

I really want the vinyl of this album one day, but it's like $50. Maybe one day :P