Video games have acquired the greatest possible social and cultural importance in contemporary societies. It is not just a flourishing industry, but a phenomenon that is beginning to permeate the length and breadth of the social fabric. The ultimate proof that video game culture is affecting practically every area of our society is demonstrated by those aspects of video games that go beyond the limits of the games themselves. By this we mean the process of video gamification of social activities through which different aspects of our daily lives are being colonised by the mechanics, languages, aesthetics, interfaces, logics, meanings and practices of video games. Thus we see video-gamifying processes in areas as diverse as the economy, work, leisure, politics, education, health, social and personal relationships, the construction of identities and consumption. Starting from a conception of the video game as a socio-technical device or assembly – that is, as the expression of a network of discourses, practices, knowledge, rationalities, technologies and spaces – this seminar seeks to address the social, cultural, political and artistic importance of the video game within an increasingly gamified reality. The main focus of the seminar is the idea of the video-gamification of the social and how it is possible to approach fundamental issues that affect contemporary society from the video game in all its facets (narrative, recreational, social, ethical, political, technological, cultural and artistic). The speakers invited to the seminar will address issues such as gamification and the creation of subjectivities, the hegemony of neoliberal political rationalities, the relationship between recreation, art and capitalism, the gender and feminist perspective, and the video-gamification of cultural dynamics.
PROGRAMME (The programme can be followed by streaming)
Wednesday 28 April
17:30-17:45. DANIEL MURIEL Seminar presentation IN-PERSON (ES)
17:45-19:00 ALFIE BOWN Sexbots and Smart Condoms: Ludified Love in Digital Society ONLINE (EN>ES)
19:15-20:30. LUCA CARRUBBA Sociedades lúdicas: el videojuego como objeto del proceso artístico IN-PERSON (ES)
Thursday 29 April
17:30-18:45. MERCÉ OLIVA Seguir las reglas: Imaginarios laborales, ludificación y medios ONLINE (ES)
19:00-20:30. MARINA AMORES Y MARTA TRIVI De “¡Protesto!” a “Nerfeadas”: hablando desde la teoría a la práctica del machismo en el mundo del videojuego. Includes the showing of an episode from the documentary series Nerfeadas IN-PERSON (ES)
Friday 30 April
12:30-13:45. VÍCTOR NAVARRO REMESAL Slow Gaming: hablando desde la teoría a la práctica del machismo en el mundo del videojuegcómo la lentitud y la relajación conquistaron el videojuego ONLINE (ES)
19:00-20:15 EURÍDICE CABAÑES Governanza lúdica ONLINE (ES)
20:20-20:30. Closing of the seminar. Brief session to close the seminar, summarising the main conclusions. IN-PERSON
Video games have acquired the greatest possible social and cultural importance in contemporary societies. The speakers invited to the seminar will address issues such as gamification and the creation of subjectivities or the hegemony of neoliberal political rationalities.