Playing With the (im)Possible: Computing Games V.3

Just about fifty short years ago, a ball was paddled back and forth across a screen. It wasn’t the moon landing, but this simple action was the basis of one of the first computer games. Pong was core in shaping what has become a multi-billion profit generating global industry. Since then, computer games have become that ubiquitous media that is everywhere in one form or another. Unifying, dividing, compelling, even addictive for some people, they are part and parcel of contemporary culture. Candycrush, Grand Theft Auto, Minecraft – just a few of the most popular games that are played by people everywhere on different digital devices. What about Communist Games, Indie Games, Art House games and all the other sub-genres? What are the engines behind the engines? This omnipresent cultural phenomenon isn’t all high tech and cash flow, as arty geeks and nerdy freaks are also in the mix. In Playing with the (im)possible – Computing Games, proposes a spectrum of seeing, playing and making games by artists, activists, developers and game enthusiasts. Playing with the (Im)possible – Computing Games will look at game histories, practices and genres with an invitation for students to share their own experiences and works. In SoSe 25 there will be a particular focus on gender in games and gaming culture.

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Depending on the level of engagement, students can receive one of two credit options: (Leistungsschein Medienkunst, Leistungsschein Fachtheorie Medienkunst).