Allen Run

Allen Run

Where the artwork actually grows "legs" and runs away!

Based on the Allen Memorial Art Museum located in Oberlin, Ohio, this 2D platformer game centers the idea of turning museum artwork into pixel art game characters. Once you select an artwork, you transform into a player whose objective is to escape the museum and find freedom beyond the gallery. Be careful of the security guard, or you might find yourself back in your exhibit! 

The game development and pixel art were all done by Amanda Rabin. Allen Run was created as part of a Summer 2025 independent research project. Amanda did this as a part of the Oberlin Summer Research Institute (OSRI) and Communication Accessibility Research and Design Studio (CARDS). Thank you to the AMAM and its curators for supporting this project! 

Artwork References

• Scholar’s Rock. 19th-20th century, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin.
• Marie-Elisabeth Lemoine. Self-Portrait with Straw Hat and Palette. ca. 1795, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin. 
• Fly Whisk. 20th century, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin. 
• Claes Oldenburg. Giant Three-Way Plug (Cube Tap). 1970, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin.
• Jan Davidsz de Heem. Still Life. ca. 1645, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin.

Known Bugs

• Sometimes the security guard (blue guy) gets caught on the obstacles in the WebGL
• To start a run with a new character, you will have to reload the webpage

History

• v1.0 - Initial Release