Stamps

Stamps are the building blocks of EVERYWHERE.

What is a Stamp?

Stamps are virtual items that can take on various shapes, sizes, and levels of interactivity. They can be whole levels, gameplay components, moving objects, enemies, puzzles, or simple props.

Any creation in ARCADIA, the building and self-publishing tools within EVERYWHERE, can be converted into a Stamp, which can then be freely shared with the whole community, close friends, or kept private.

Stamps are always free in EVERYWHERE so the joy of building never comes with a cost.

Stamps can be used in user-made environments (ARCs) to create or enhance gameplay. Other players can also modify and build with them, and save them as a new, updated Stamp. For instance, if you're creating a racing game but have difficulty with environment design, you can search the Stamps library to find a suitable setting created by another player and incorporate it into your racetrack.

Building your own deathrun or escape room? You can grab puzzles and traps made by the community and drag and drop them into your game instantly. If you like a particular trap Stamp, but want to make it larger and more dangerous such as adding spikes and increasing the player damage impact, you can simply edit and save it as a new Stamp.

A crediting system links all Stamps, ensuring contributions are always recorded. If a Stamp is used in an ARC, the ARC will credit the original Stamp Builder. If a Stamp is combined with other Stamps into a larger one, the new Stamp will acknowledge the contribution of all the previous Builders.

Why are Stamps important?

Stamps turn tools into a community resource, inspiring creativity and encouraging collaboration. They eliminate the "blank canvas" problem by allowing you to select and reuse the best content from the community, which accelerates the prototyping process. Less time is spent starting from scratch, and more is used to enhance the fun by incorporating others' creativity.

For instance, if you enjoy a combat game but wish it were set in space, Stamps enable you to take the original arena and adapt it to any setting that suits your preferences.

The transparent crediting system incentivizes collaboration. You can continuously augment Stamps by building on top of them with your friends. The endless remix potential allows a new type of creation trend as you collaborate to build super levels and game components.

Stamps are the quickest way to create and can help niche genres gain popularity by enabling anyone to collaborate with anyone. They also extend the lifespan of content, allowing it to be remixed for years while always recognizing the original builder and each contributor.

Why are Stamps relevant today?

The practice of remixing is a powerful catalyst for creative progress, as it brings together the best elements of both past and present innovations.

In the digital age, an explosion of technology and content platforms, including social media, has democratized the art of remixing. The tools and resources necessary for crafting derivative works are now within reach of anyone, a concept that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

This accessibility has birthed a vibrant read/write culture on the internet, where creators do not just consume art but also interact with it, modify it, and reshape it, contributing to a dynamic, participatory artistic landscape.

Remixes can take various forms. They can be as straightforward as re-editing and mixing existing work or as complex as intricate features, collaborations, and mashups. Some remixes push the boundaries even further, completely re-imagining an original work in an entirely distinctive style or genre.

Often, a remix might be sparked by just a single element, a particular detail, or a thread of inspiration drawn from the 'original' work. This not only expands the life and influence of the original piece but also opens a world of creative possibilities, a symbol of the evolution and progression of art in the modern world.