The Impenetrable World of Computer Games


Tue., May 14 | 8:15 p.m. | DCF, screening room Warszawa

The Impenetrable World of Computer Games

after the screening of the film IBELIN, dir. Benjamin Ree

A lot of stereotypes have developed around computer games – playing them is supposed to be a waste of time, create addiction and cut us off from society. But maybe this is not the case at all. Maybe the world of games is full of surprising human relationships. The film “Ibelin”, which won Benjamin Ree the Best Director Award at the Sundance Film Festival, will serve as a starting point for a conversation about the social, cultural and emotional potentials of digital games. Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer, died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life when they started receiving messages from online friends around the world. So, do new technologies only limit us, or can they liberate us and give us an alternative space to live in? Do they divide or build digital bridges? Do they separate us or create close, friendly and sometimes even intimate relationships? We will discuss all this after the screening.

Guest:
Adam Flamma – expert and populariser of knowledge about the video game industry, specialist in the cultural conditions of game distribution and design. Academic lecturer, and animator of student artistic activities in the field of creative industries. He teaches the basics of game design, storytelling and story design, and game development for educational and social purposes. Author of academic articles on video games and the book "The Witcher. A Brief History of the New Pop Culture Phenomenon". Founder of the GameUP Game Research and Development Association.

Host:
Krzysztof Majewski