Games and Politics

Whether computer games are seen as a political issue, as an entertainment medium or – even – as art, they all have to be views in a contextual manner. Every game positions itself in a society and picks it out as the central issue at the same time. A political relevance can be postulated for all computer games, even if they seem to evade any political action. Because the following holds true even in these games: The players issue directions but must play by the rules of the game in order to be able to play at all. At the other end of this spectrum are games which are consciously used for the purposes of political education or propaganda objectives. The touring exhibition »Games and Politics« as well as this catalogue examine how computer games unfold their political potential.

With texts and interviews by Johannes Ebert, Jeannette Neustadt, Christian Huberts, Pierre Depaz, Stephan Schwingeler, Katharine Neil, Pablo Abend, Nina Kiel, Michael Schulze von Glaßer, Lea Schönfelder, Miguel Sicart, Souvik Mukherjee, Malath Abbas, Tom deMajo and Albert Elwin.