Mary Flanagan and José Luis de Vicente

The Centro de Cultura Contemporánea de Barcelona is currently showing a tour version of the ZKM games platform: »Gameplay. Video Game Culture« travels to the origins of video games, analyzes their language and shows the effects on digital popular culture, art and society.

In the context of the exhibition, researcher, artist and game designer Mary Flanagan and curator, writer and researcher José Luis de Vicente talk about how the cultural dynamics of the hyper-connected society have been accelerated by the confinement.

Digital leisure has played a key role during the pandemic. Sales of videogames have shot up and online games platforms and streaming have beaten their records of users and simultaneous connection. But, as the days go by, the framed screen has shown its limits, especially when it has become almost the only available space of relationship. Can we revert the sudden migration of all our social interactions into the virtual world? What spaces beyond the screen will we find to keep playing?

Please note: The event will be held in English with Catalan and Spanish subtitles.