The art of play
We review games of chance the way we once reviewed theatre and exhibitions: for their images, their sound, their rooms and the craft behind them.
Four ways in
Every section asks the same question: what is the artist doing here, and does it work?
Game Art & Visuals
Illustration, animation and colour in slot games, read like any other gallery piece.
Read reviews →Slot Audio
Composers and sound designers on the chimes, loops and silences that shape play.
Listen in →Casino Architecture NZ
From the Sky Tower to Christchurch’s city centre: the buildings, lights and interiors.
Take the tour →Playing Card History
Court cards, card backs and the printers and illustrators who drew them.
Open the deck →Why games, why here
Art Murmurs began in Wellington as a place for honest, close reviews of theatre, exhibitions and performance. That habit of looking hard at a made thing is what we bring to a new subject.
Games of chance are one of the most widely seen art forms in Aotearoa, and one of the least reviewed. Thousands of illustrators, animators, composers and architects work on them. We think their work deserves criticism, not just marketing copy.
We write about craft. We don’t rank casinos, and we don’t tell anyone to play.
Latest murmurs
New features and reviews.
Noir on the reels: how Nolimit City draws its darkness
Ink-heavy illustration, comic-book framing and why the palette is almost all shadow.
Slot AudioThe sound of a near miss: inside NetEnt’s audio craft
Short loops, rising tones and the design choices that make a spin feel like music.
ArchitectureA needle on the skyline: SkyCity and the Sky Tower
How a casino complex ended up with Auckland’s most recognisable silhouette.
Playing CardsWho drew the kings? A short history of court card faces
From woodblock printers to the standard English pattern still in every deck.
Game ArtSticker-bright: the cartoon language of Hacksaw Gaming
Flat colour, thick outlines and a style borrowed from street art and zines.
ArchitectureChristchurch Casino and the rebuilt city
A building that survived the quakes, and what it says about the centre around it.
archive
Before games, we reviewed Pōneke’s stages and galleries: shows at BATS and Circa, exhibitions, performance and live art. Those reviews are part of Wellington’s cultural record, and they stay online.
Browse the archive