A MAZE. Hypertalks - 7 knowledge-injections - 5 minutes each

The A MAZE. Hypertalks at ON SCREEN bring together diverse perspectives on games and playful media, exploring their role across art, culture, and the industry. The hypertalks create a space for interdisciplinary exchange between game developers, artists, curators, and cultural practitioners, highlighting the new wave and expanding boundaries of games beyond entertainment.

This session is focussing on the following themes by the following speakers: Michael v. Zur Mühlen, Sarah Bashir, Lorenzo Pilia, Farfama, Jira Duguid, Almut Schwacke, Marina Diez - Moderation: Johanna Keil, Thorsten S. Wiedemann 

Is Indie Industry An Oxymoron? by Sarah Bashir: her talk will explore aspects of the (European) independent games movement and the plethora of places and practices between production and consumption that largely go unexplored and undervalued. I will share preliminary findings of my own fieldwork and research and explain why we should all talk more about the indie game movement and its very unique characteristics. 

Community Matters by Lorenzo Pilia: his talk about building communities and the importance of in real life gatherings. 

Wind, still! by Almut Schwacke: her talk is a listening exercise that delves into the creative processes behind sound design and music in games, emphasizing the importance of audio in shaping immersive experiences.

Thoughtful Human Games Curation Against Profit Driven Algorithm Fueled Monopolistic Platforms by Farfama Hargaaya: over 20000 games were released last year. Most went unplayed. his talk will focus on the importance of hyper-focused video game curation in an age of monopolistic online game stores.

Emotional Game Design: The art of crafting authentic emotional experiences by Marina Diez: Have you ever wondered how you could make the audience empathise and connect more with the story that you want to tell, no matter who they are or where they come from? Have you ever wondered if you can plan on purpose what set of emotions do you want people to feel with something you make even if you don't know yet what you are exactly making? Emotional game design is the answer. In this talk we will learn the techniques for creating specific emotions in games, films or any other medium. 

On Immersive Music Theater by Michael v. Zur Mühlen: are game engines—as multimedia machines, as environments for total sensory design—the opera houses of our time? What artistic possibilities emerge when digital art, performance, and music theater converge? Drawing on selected recent works, this talk explores an aesthetic for interactive music theater in virtual spaces.

Games meet Performance Art by Jira Duguid: Jira Duguid, of the video game art collective and label Fantasia Malware, reflects on her experiences developing games for live performance and explores how games can be experienced beyond digital distribution platforms.

This session is part of the program special ON SCREEN and was curated by A MAZE.