Beep/Boop 2

Level 1-2: we get a view of the majestic knight astride his steed. His lance straight ahead, he charges toward his opponent, gaining speed, hoping against hope that he will strike the felling blow and not be knocked off his... ostrich?

What I love about Sokowa's renaissance etching of Joust is that it captures a moment of absurdity in a stately crest. Joust itself, as a game, is one that has maintained its cult status largely for that absurdity... you're a knight riding an ostrich? Sounds awesome to me! It is less loyalty to the game, and more to the amusing concept, which is why Tilteed is bringing you this little gem.

I've never played Joust, which should be it's own explanation of why this towers above similar work in and of itself. For me, it is that image of a knight on an ostrich which is so wonderful. It's an image that seduces the imagination... you don't need to know anything about the game itself to appreciate it, especially in the capable hands of the artist. The piece is more about that imagery of the knight-errant than 8-bits of gameplay. Again, the designer picks a smart style to attach the images to an art form that corresponds and compliments it, and that makes the whole shebang feel more inspired by Don Quixote than Shigeru Miyamoto. Which is probably good, since Miyamoto didn't even create Joust.

If you're an artist who wants to send your design knights careening down curation lane, feel free to approach me at Adder (at) Tilteed (dot) com. We're not in the business of printing a million videogame references, but we ARE in the market of awesome shirts. Hopefully that's your bag, too. And don't forget guys, this tee will only be around until noon pacific on Monday, so grab yours now!