Lyon-based illustrator Vaskange has adapted his viral infinite zoom artwork into Vaskange.world, creating the first video game in France fully explorable by zooming.
Vaskange began drawing when he was very young, copying Pokémon before developing a passion for comic books and manga. While in high school, he created three comic books and won an award at the Angoulême festival. He said his desire to tell stories, convey emotions, and immerse people in a universe guided his transition to video games.
The illustrator discovered infinite drawing on social media through the tablet application Endless Paper, which was originally designed for taking notes on an endless canvas. He adopted the concept and posted a video featuring a drawing of his holidays on the Côte d'Azur mixed with fantasy elements. The clip has received more than 11 million views on TikTok.
After early sketches showing himself drawing at his desk, Vaskange created other worlds involving robots, reflecting his previous career as an engineer. He also drew outer space with astronauts and galaxies, noting that space offered a great playground when searching for the most infinite subject. His inspirations include video games such as Zelda, animated films by Hayao Miyazaki, and children's books by Claude Ponti, who is known for detail-heavy illustrations.
Development and game features
Vaskange initially created infinite drawings without planning to make a game. As he shared videos, he began hiding small characters for viewers to find, which led to the concept of a playable game. He spent nearly a year building a website for the project and updated it annually with new features, including distinct music for different worlds.
To gamify the artwork, Vaskange worked with a developer for six months. The playable version launched a little over six months ago, and Vaskange said players can spend between 20 and 30 hours completing Vaskange.world. He noted that while few artists worldwide produce infinite drawings, he is the only one who has created a real game interface to gamify the artwork in France. He added that an artist in the United States inspired by infinite drawing has not exported a game from the Endless Paper application.
Player base and future expansion
More than 300,000 people follow the illustrator on social media, and Vaskange.world has registered 20,000 users with around 100 playing daily. Vaskange said players range from children and families to adults seeking a calming experience, with some visitors simply exploring the artwork without playing. He said parents appreciate the game because it requires focus to read and solve riddles rather than fast-paced action.
Vaskange plans to expand the game with a paid version following an upcoming crowdfunding campaign. He also intends to release two paid expansion worlds. He said his dream is to launch a Kickstarter campaign to fund a large project featuring a world dedicated entirely to insects.
