... celebrating the convergence of games, art and society.
A Maze. Interact
About A MAZE. Interact
...celebrating the convergence of games, art, and music.
.HBC, SPA and WMF, Berlin
With A MAZE. Interact ...celebrating the convergence of games, art and music, the increasing convergence of computer games and music will be demonstrated and discussed through an international festival. Especially technology, interaction and performance provide surprising parallels for games and music – although process and result of the experiences may look very different on the surface. Play forms the intersection that wants to be explored.
The A MAZE. Interact Symposium provides the theoretical backdrop for the theme of convergences between computer games and music. Both media blur the borders between pop culture and high culture. Both are based on the creative design of new experiences. Both can entertain. Both can cause despair. Both thrive from and with other media. Using computer games as a starting point, the lectures of top-class international speakers offer fascinating insights into the networks and strategies applied by a complex media compound, which challenge and alter existing production and reception methods.
With four extravagant workshops, invited artists of A MAZE. Interact share their insights into the technological side of games, art, and music. In doing so, the program itself represents the convergence of different presentation formats. Each of the course instructors is part of another festival module. Workshop registration:workshops@amaze-festival.de
The convergence of computer games and music allows for a higher level of sonic creativity by reinterpreting the creation of music as such. A joystick can not only be an interface for the control of a synthesizer or drum machine. It also provides new forms of haptic experience as well as of auditory access to music. This innovation is, in fact, enforced by substituting the controller for a visual detection of the player’s performance and by translating this performance into music. In doing so, the access to music becomes more direct and intuitive at the same time. Thus, game art dealing with musical content is like developing new musical instruments.
This clubnight forms the closing party of A MAZE. Interact. A mix of game-inspired music, live acts, and DJ-sets combined with interactive installations, playful visuals, and exhibits based on computer games is bound to create an all-encompassing highlight to the festival experience. Two floors interspersed with several interactive enhancements invite you to celebrate the convergence of games, art, and music.
17 different computer games with music at the core of their gameplay: highlights of an ongoing convergence between the music and game industries. The chosen examples were all published as consumer products and illustrate shared principles of popular culture. Historical landmarks such as ‘Moondust’ from 1983 complement block busters from 2009´ like ‘Rockband’ or ‘Brütal Legend’. Links to specific music scenes – e.g. Beatlemania, Heavy Metal, DJ-culture or simply Pop – are aesthetically prominent or define the games’ narratives. The exhibition is open for playing and participation, offering both contrast and reference points to the art installations and performances at the festival.
This talk show event is part of an ongoing cooperation with the Computerspiele Museum Berlin. In order to establish a serious discourse on video game culture, high profile international speakers with backgrounds in game development, journalism, business, music, film, fashion, art, and many more, are invited to share their visions and insights on a continuous level. The GCC does not only bring people together in a relaxed atmosphere for an inspiring chat about the convergence of games, art, and everyday life; moreover, one of the core ideas is to build up networks that go beyond foreseeable groups of people who share the same interests. It is about interdisciplinary inspiration and encouraging unexpected partnerships. Breaking new ground is key.
SPA, Friday, January 29 – Sunday 31, 2010
Final Presentation:
.HBC, Sunday, January 31, 2010, 15:00
Creating games collaboratively within 48 hours – that is the core premise
of every game jam. This one, taking place from Friday 15:00 to Sunday
15:00, is special: on over 120 sites worldwide, people come together
and do not stop coding, designing, illustrating, making music, playing
or whatever else it takes to make good games, until they have created
just that: good games.
This evening we had 9 super games to present at the Computerspielemuseum. A big crowd were following the showcases of the freshest games "Made in Berlin".
A MAZE. presents since 2010 the Global Game Jam in Berlin. This year in cooperation with the Computerespielemuseum and Berlin based Game Jams as Gamestorm and Berlin Mini Jam. A MAZE.
A MAZE. recommends: 5 Buttons Game Design Competition Berlin
DO NOT MISS YOUR CHANCE!
You've always wanted to have an excuse to test your game production skills, but you've never managed to !nd a good one? Have you ever dreamt of having your cute experimental game played by a crowd of craving people on a quite unique game controller? With a huge screen and high power audio system? And the chance to win up to 1200€?
By combining courage for experimentation and joy in gaming, A MAZE. celebrates the convergence of computer games and art. A MAZE. is more than simply a festival – it is a series of events as well as a conceptual format that offers a regularly emerging platform for interdisciplinary exchange. Creatives are encouraged to break down the conventional computer game and surpass established concepts of play.
