McKenzie Wark on Wed, 28 Jul 1999 01:04:03 +1000 (EST)


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Syndicate: RE:PLAY


__________________________________________
"We no longer have roots, we have aerials."
http://www.mcs.mq.edu.au/~mwark
 -- McKenzie Wark 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 09:42:15 -0500
From: Eric Zimmerman <eric@flat.com>



RE:PLAY - AN ONLINE CRITICAL FORUM ON GAME DESIGN AND GAME CULTURE
July 19 - August 20, 1999

(New York - June 30, 1999) -- On July 19th, 1999, Eyebeam Atelier, in
conjunction with TechBC, will launch its second annual Online Critical 
Forum,
entitled RE:PLAY.  Centered on the RE:PLAY Web site, the Online Forum
will unite digital theorists, game developers, media critics, computer 
scientists, scholars, researchers, hackers, and professional game
players with the public for a five-week intensive debate about the past, 
present and future of games.

The five-week Online Forum will have a fast-paced, moderated question
and answer format between the invited participants and the public.  The 
discussion will be updated daily on the event Web site and a weekly
email digest will also be sent to subscribers who register at the project
site.  The Web site will contain daily postings, archived postings, 
statements by the moderators, and the bios of the participants.  The 
RE:PLAY Web site will be launched at <http://www.eyebeam.org/replay> on 
July 12th.  To subscribe to the weekly e-mail digest, please send an 
email to replay@eyebeam.org.

RE:PLAY will be directed by Eric Zimmerman, game designer and Professor
at NYU ITP, and co-moderated by Laura Trippi and Ron Wakkary, Professors 
of
Interactive Arts at TechBC.  Confirmed participants include: John
Buchanan (Electronic Arts), Greg Costykian (game designer), Chris
Crawford (Erazmatazz), Dennis "Thresh" Fong (professional gamer), 
Richard Garfield (Magic: the Gathering), Kori Inkpen (SFU), Henry
Jenkins (MIT), Maria Klawe (University of British Columbia), David 
Koenig (Gigawatt Studios), Frank Lantz (NYU ITP, R/GA), Brenda Laurel 
(Purple Moon), Marc LeBlanc (Looking Glass), Lev Manovich (UC San
Diego), Brian Moriarty (MPath), Anne Marie Schleiner (artist 
and curator), McKenzie Wark (media and game critic), Johnny 
Wilson (Computer Gaming World), and Bernie Yee (Sony Online).

Digital games are a significant cultural force in contemporary society. 
Computer, console, and arcade games generate more revenue than the
Hollywood film industry and are a major source for digital innovation. 
Many preeminent components of the computer age -- virtual spaces,
multiple identities, online communities, interactive narratives, 
artificial intelligence -- are found most strikingly in the culture of 
games.

Despite these developments, there is surprisingly little critical 
discussion of games and game design.  As theorists, developers, media 
critics, scholars, researchers, game players and hackers begin to
define, refine, and subvert the medium, a need for dialogue between
these groups has emerged.  RE:PLAY is a historic event intended to 
address these concerns.  By bringing together those that create, study, 
and play digital games, RE:PLAY will provide a forum for
interdisciplinary critical discourse.

The Web-based conversation takes place across four interconnected Modules:
â?¢ Games as Structure  [rules / systems / complexity]
â?¢ Games as Simulacra  [aesthetics / immersion / simulation]
â?¢ Games as Narrative  [storytelling / narrativity / engagement]
â?¢ Games as Exchange   [interaction / networks / community]

Using these themes as a starting point, RE:PLAY will closely examine
games past and present, as well as contextualize games within larger
spheres of technology, media, and culture.  RE:PLAY intends to establish
a deeper understanding of what games are and what they might become in 
the future.

RE:PLAY is Eyebeam Atelierâ??s second annual Online Critical Forum.  Last 
yearâ??s Forum, Artistic Practices in the Network, created a dynamic 
exchange of ideas about art and the Internet.  A book based on the 
Artistic Practices Forum will be published this fall with funding from 
the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).

EYEBEAM ATELIER <http://www.eyebeam.org> is a not-for-profit arts 
organization that serves as a resource for artists and audiences 
interested
in the educational, aesthetic, theoretical, and conceptual potential of 
new media art.  The Atelier creates innovative opportunities for
artists, students, scholars, and the general public through its 
educational programs, exhibitions, online symposia, research and 
development, internships, apprenticeships, partnerships, and public
events. The Atelier is currently planning its largest endeavor: a 
ten-story Museum of art and technology.  The Museum will be the 
exhibition arm of the Atelier, offering unprecedented opportunities 
for artists working in video, moving image, DVD, installation, film, 
2D/3D digital imaging, and sound.  Eyebeam Atelier strives to challenge 
and develop the next generation of new media artists and increase 
public understanding about digital culture and emerging technologies.

THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (TechBC) is Canada's newest
university offering innovative new programs in sync with the needs and 
future direction of our changing, knowledge-driven economy. TechBC 
offers an interdisciplinary education in Information Technology, 
Management and Technology, and Interactive Arts at the undergraduate and 
post-graduate level. The university is located in Surrey, British
Columbia. Re:Play is one of a series of public events that focuses on 
technology in art and design by the Interactive Arts program of TechBC.


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