Old school videogames like Super Mario Bros., Excitebike, and Punch Out! aren’t just relics bound in the annals of digital history. They are monuments to the technological and creative genius of their creators for their pioneering design and the simple joys they brought to people around the world.

Shigeru Miyamoto, the visionary behind the pinnacle gaming franchise Super Mario and other innovative series, managed to build vibrant new worlds out of the graphical limitations of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Thus, his works have also served as a great inspiration for many artists today for their charming 8-bit look.

Buffum’s 8-bit Masterpieces
One such artist that has taken this style to the next level is Jude Buffum. He studied in the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, where he graduated with a BFA in Graphic Arts and Design in 2001. He has made great use of his skills and knowledge, selling out illustrated books for the mainstream market and designing for respected publications while also achieving critical acclaim.

What sets him apart in the highly-competitive world of art is the fusion of his imaginative visual thinking and his love for the videogames of old. He believes in injecting a sense of levity in the serious outlook of art, and colorful low-res pixels are his magic medicine.

He has even come up with 8-bit works reflecting his opinions on the political landscape of the US in a humorous way. He likes to juxtapose the harsh realities of everyday grownup life with the childlike black-and-white conflicts of early videogames.

One of his most intriguing projects that play up the real/fantasy conflict is the “8-Bit Butcher Diagrams”. He literally dissects his memories of some of the most popular videogame animals and monsters. This was a result of his morbid fascination with butcher diagrams depicting cut-up cows, pigs, and chickens in all of their grotesquely delicious glory.

He was also inspired by the concerns of the vegetarian/vegan community (his girlfriend and some of his other friends are vegetarians) regarding the treatment of animals, as well as the effects of a meat-heavy diet on human health.

Some of the project’s “victims” include the Chocobo (the big, yellow bird from the Final Fantasy series), as well as Mario’s cute pet dinosaur sidekick Yoshi and his terrifying fire-breathing turtle nemesis Bowser the Koopa King.

Each creature is sliced and diced, with the separate parts categorized for various cooking styles. Seeing such beloved videogame characters chopped to pieces is disturbing and amusing at the same time. Of course, what is art but just that?

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Vincent Sevilla is a Professional Graphic Designer and a Marketing Consultant for UPrinting.com, an online printing firm that prints poster and various printed marketing media