Faculty of Arts & Science

Digital Futures

Nicholas Addeo

After Life

After Life is more than just a Beat 'Em Up stage—it’s a love letter to my childhood, to the streets of St. Clair West, and to the memories that still walk with me today.Built inside an arcade cabinet that looks like it’s been forgotten by time, After Life fuses the digital skills I’ve honed at OCAD with my roots—both cultural and personal. It’s a physical-digital hybrid that holds a piece of my story.I grew up in Toronto’s Corso Italia, raised by my Nonni while my parents worked. As a second-generation Italian-Canadian, I spent my days weaving through the rhythm of St. Clair—waiting patiently as my Nonna chatted with neighbours, tagging along to the dollar store, or grabbing 2-for-1 pizza with my Nonno. These streets were my playground, my backdrop, my home.When the weather turned or the day wound down, I’d be parked in front of a TV, flipping through channels—my earliest gateway to pop culture. That blend of outdoor wandering and screen-fueled imagination shaped what I love today and how I tell stories.After Life is built from that nostalgia. The stage is a stitched-together dream of real places and half-remembered storefronts, recreated from old Google Maps images and memory. It's where pixelated fists fly and echoes of the past linger in every alleyway and building corner. It’s a tribute to the spaces that shaped me, and the media that helped me make sense of them.This is my Toronto. This is my After Life.

“After Life is my thesis project for my final year in the Digital Futures program. It’s an amalgamation of the various skills and mediums I’ve explored, blending digital media with physical components.”