Pinnguaq is proud to announce Singuistics. Learn traditional and original songs by Inuit musicians in a fun, three-step program. Experience the music alongside illustrations by Nunavut’s best artists. Practice singing the songs yourself to improve your pronunciation of Inuktitut words and phrases. Then, once you’re ready, record your final performance and share it with your friends!

For both new and existing Inuktitut speakers, Singuistics is a fun way to immerse yourself in the language and culture of the Inuit people. It will serve as an excellent introduction to one of the richest and most unique cultures on the planet, while at the same time provide a useful tool for Nunavut and Nunavik parents, daycares and schools who wish to complement their Inuktitut and cultural lessons with an interactive element.

Get it on the iPad now!

Shaman’s Domain is a 1986 print from Peterloosie Kappik of Pangnirtung, Nunavut. Shamanism was an important religious practice pre-Christianity and it led the way Inuit communities ran and functioned. Shamans were of key import in a community and this picture depicts a time “pre-contact” and the beauty of the culture at that point.

The game we created for Shaman’s Domain is a narrative adventure. It tells a deeply personal story that travels through a variety of different game mechanics to tell a story of the introduction of Christianity and the “taboo’ing” of traditional shamanistic practices. The user starts by tapping the drum on the screen until it shatters the print, and then progresses through 4 unique interactive experiences to bring the print “back to life”. Through a fire puzzle, the user re-lights the “Qulliq” (traditional lamp), through a tracing game they bring back the drum and through a side scroller the user brings colour back to the world and reforms the print.

Rewarded for a Successful Hunt is a 2011 print from Poena Keyuryak of Pangnirtung. The print, as told to us directly from Peona who helped developed the piece we prepared tells the story of his grandfather who was a Shaman. It combines transformation and imagination to tell a story about around belief, the land and food. It features a large bird creature that is greeting the protagonists after a successful hunt. Peona explains that often hunters would be surprised by these spirit creatures on the land and it would lead to conflict, before finally understanding as it is revealed they are there to help.

For the game for “Reward for A Successful Hunt” we rely on this initial conflict and confusion to tell a story. Leaning on ideas like Shadow of the Colossus, this game has the player performing strategic jumps to climb the body of the gigantic bird creature and disable it. Timed jumping sequences and strategic timing and maneuvering make this a complex and entertaining game that ultimately leads to understanding.

Using all of the prints listed above we have also created a classic take on “Spot the Differences” type of game play. Intended and available both for gallery installations in which the original print is available as a comparison, or as a dual screen experience in which the original print is compared to a randomized series of differences that are procedurally generated by the system. The user has three chances to find at minimum, five differences. Each of our prints listed above is available as a spot the differences game.

Each experience is different and each time the game is started, it is a new series of differences, but the challenge remains. A timer is in place that slowly works it’s way down (each user has 1 minute to spot five differences), and for each error the user makes, they lose 5 additional seconds. The entire experience is complimented by lessons about the printmaking style, form and artistic process.

Many Hats is creating an arm wrestling video game for an upcoming APTN series entitled Arm Nation, which focuses on the training, competing, and life challenges of a group of Indigenous people competing in one of the world's oldest sports. 

The game is currently in production but will be released on Mobile in conjunction with the release of the television program in mid-2018. 

Honour Water is a singing game for mobile developed by Pinnguaq with art and design by Elizabeth LaPensée.

Songs by Anishinaabe elders and Sharon Day sung by the Oshkii Giizhik Singers pass on teachings about water in Anishinaabemowin.

The Atii Game Show has been developed in concert with the community of Arviat, Becky Kilabuk (Pangnirtung/Iqaluit), Qaujigiartiit Health Research Station (Iqaluit) and The Embrace Life Council of Nunavut (Inuusiq). It is a series of mini-games, each with a focus on fun and a message around healthy eating, and physical and emotional well being. The games are quick (and get quicker as the game moves on), and will provide an intense, fun experience modeled after games like Dumb Ways To Die, Frantic Fingers, and Wario Ware.

The Atii Game Show began development in 2014 and paused after initial development began.  It begins again in 2017 with the support of the Embrace Life Council and will see release in early 2018.

Aeroplane is a 1972 print from Pudlo Pudlat of Cape Dorset. It was made into a Canadian postage stamp and tells the story of the introduction of the Aeroplane to Nunavut. When Aeroplan’s arrived in Nunavut communities, it was a community even. The game we created around Aeroplane is an endless runner.

Using only assets from the original print, the user takes control of the “yellow shirt” man and races along the ice floes, trying to stay ahead of the planes. The user must navigate tricky jumps and avoid splashing water which will induce a “hypothermia” effect in which the screen blurs. Score is tracked by how long you can stay alive. Allowing the plane to get ahead of you, or falling in the water, ends the run.

Imposed Migration is a 1981 print from Pudlo Pudlat of Cape Dorset. It contains four simple images. A helicopter, a Muskox, a Polar Bear and a Walrus. The three creatures are hanging from the Helicopter. This print, like the others Pudlo created tell the story of the introduction of machines to the North and his experience seeing the forced relocation of both his own people and the animals they had lived in harmony with for many years

The game we created around this print is a helicopter pickup simulator. Users are tasks with flying a Helicopter over open water, pulling animals away from broken ice and bringing them to a central location. The user must balance the weight of each animal as the Helicopter can only hold so much, and they are racing against a setting sun. The goal is to get as many animals as possible to safety before the sun sets.