Artists Re
Thinking Games
Published on 15. March 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
87 pages
978-1-84631-247-2 (ISBN)
Description
Digital games are important not only because of their cultural ubiquity or their sales figures but for what they can offer as a space for creative practice. Games are significant for what they embody; human computer interface, notions of agency, sociality, visualisation, cybernetics, representation, embodiment, activism, narrative and play. These and a whole host of other issues are significant not only to the game designer but also present in the work of the artist that thinks and rethinks games. Re-appropriated for activism, activation, commentary and critique within games and culture, artists have responded vigorously.
Reviews / Votes
Ruth Catlow and Marc Garrett, the two founders of Furtherfield (a collaborative artist-led community and organization dealing with art, technology and social change since 1996) are joined by artist and curator Corrado Morgana in editing this nice compendium of texts about game art. In the Furtherfield tradition the book is centered on artistic practice and is engaged with re-thinking games and their set of expected rules and stereotypes. So a few unedited interviews and texts by a valuable roster of contributors (Mary Flanagan, Mathias Fuchs, Anne-Marie Schleiner, Heather Corcoran, Daphne Dragona, Emma Westecott and David Surman) share quite a few remarkable concepts and topics: from "slow gaming" defined by Corcoran to the "interpassivity" formulated by Fuchs and the freedom of movement in game space discussed by Schleiner. Morgana, in the introduction, tries to frame many of these practices within Situationism and its strategies, including the preeminent and famous detournement. And strategies are undoubtedly essential for game art, so Morgana also points to the hacker approach as the other reference for artists who recombine games technically and conceptually. Published in conjunction with the exhibition "Space Invaders: Art and the Computer Game Environment" at FACT Liverpool (which travelled to the Netherlands Media Art Institute), this book talks about artists who construct non-normative games, and collects a representative selection of the significant game art scene. Neural 201011More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Liverpool
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-84631-247-2 (9781846312472)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Ruth Catlow is a net artist, and co-Founder and co-Director of Furtherfield. She is involved in research into net art and cultural context on the internet and co-curates featured works on furtherfield.org and HTTP Gallery, London. Marc Garrett is an internet artist, writer and curator. He is co-Founder and co-Director of Furtherfield/HTTP Gallery, London, and is one of Furtherfield's principal researchers into net art and cultural context on the internet. Corrado Morgana is a media artist, electronic musician and researcher. He teaches Computer Games Design at University of Wales, Newport.
Content
Preface, Mike Stubbs
Introduction, Corrado Morgana
Mousing Around with Jeremy Bailey Ruth Catlow and Marc Garrett
About the Journey, Not the Destination: Slow Gaming and an Interview with Bill Viola Heather Corcoran
From Parasitism to Institutionalism, Daphne Dragona
Color Plates
Creating Crticial Play, Mary Flanagan
Ludic Interfaces Matthius Fuchs
RSG's Kriegspeil, an interview with Alex Galloway Marc Garrett
Freedom of Movement Within Gamespace Anne-Marie Schleiner
Everday Hacks : Why Cheating Matters David Surman
Playing with the Gothic: If you go down to the woods tonight... Emma Westscott
Contributors biographies
Introduction, Corrado Morgana
Mousing Around with Jeremy Bailey Ruth Catlow and Marc Garrett
About the Journey, Not the Destination: Slow Gaming and an Interview with Bill Viola Heather Corcoran
From Parasitism to Institutionalism, Daphne Dragona
Color Plates
Creating Crticial Play, Mary Flanagan
Ludic Interfaces Matthius Fuchs
RSG's Kriegspeil, an interview with Alex Galloway Marc Garrett
Freedom of Movement Within Gamespace Anne-Marie Schleiner
Everday Hacks : Why Cheating Matters David Surman
Playing with the Gothic: If you go down to the woods tonight... Emma Westscott
Contributors biographies