GLOBALE: Global Games

Sun, October 11, 2015: Family day with a diverse program and numerous events!

The exhibition »Global Games« shows recent developments in the area of computer games, including those known as impact games, newsgames, or serious games. The effects of globalization and other real-world reference points are clearly reflected in computer games.

Computer games now address the conflict in Syria, the use of drones in combat zones, the global economic interrelations of the globalized financial market, the situation of refugees at Europe’s borders, the social injustices of turbo-capitalism, and much more. In contrast to the escapism of mainstream computer games, serious games focus mostly on the challenges and issues of a globalized and digitized world.

The computer games with the paradoxical name serious games are capable of transforming players into interconnected citizen scientists. Some games, such as »Foldit« (since 2008), are even programmed by research institutions with the aim of using human perception to support complex research projects. Playfully presented virtual puzzles, for example, generate information that can yield important results.

The »Global Games« exhibition is designed interactively: The games in the exhibition can be played. As an accompaniment to each computer game, ZKM is presenting what is known as a »Let’s Play« video. These videos show how a given game works.