Understanding 'Game Design Today' with curator Damian Fopp

Who would have imagined that a tool for play would one day occupy such a conspicuous space in our daily lives, in that its presence would move beyond the supposedly clandestine shroud of basement set-ups and dismally lit game parlours, and onto gadgets that ubiquitously permeate our daily lives, by the minute if not by the second.

When video games first entered the market, they were dubbed as extensions of imaginative board games and role-play activities practised by children on the playground, in gardens, and in backyards. Considered also as extensions of tools and gadgets, these new inventions were categorically viewed as objects meant exclusively for adolescent boys. Later still, the target audience for video games expanded to accommodate men who were older. It was, however, the popularisation of mobile phones and the ease with which these devices had begun to hold game applications, that video games were accessible to a diverse audience.

Today, video games have moved past their nascent classification as a niche product and have begun to pervade various areas of the virtual landscape, as well as influence the physical world. With a focus on the design processes that enable these experiences, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich (Museum of Design Zurich) in Toni Areal, Zurich, Switzerland, is currently hosting the exhibition Game Design Today. On view till July 23, 2023, the showcase is curated by Damian Fopp, curator of the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, and Maike Thies, Research Fellow Game Design & Head of Interdisciplinary Innovation, Department of Design, Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK.

The exposition beckons visitors to come in and navigate their way through the various showcases that include myriad games, all with the intent of encountering multifaceted narratives, characters, and impending issues. In doing so, the exposition aims to initiate a conversation about game design, engage the visitors in immersive experiences and induce introspection regarding the stories narrated through these games and the mechanics that enable the development of seamless systems for various modes of play, entertainment, and interaction. The curation of the design exhibition is designed in a manner that video games are presented as works of art. In hanging up video games in the format of immersive installations and artworks, the curators invite visitors to view them with a more critical eye.

Enunciating the impact of game design in our daily routines, an excerpt shared by the museum reads, “Video games have been around for fifty years–a short space of time which has brought rapid growth of this branch of the creative industry, accompanied by technological advances. Games and their designers are no longer purely an important driver for the entertainment industry. Games now also influence areas such as theatre and film, as well as education and research.” It is this culture of gaming that the exhibition offers a glimpse into. From popular games such as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey to their lesser-known counterparts such as This War is Mine, Plug & Play, Metahumans, Cyber Space, Rakete, and Untitled Goose Game, among others, the showcase exhibits a wide range and variety of games that can be played and experienced by the visitors differently. While some of these require bodily movement, others invite groups to sing along.

With the showcase of these games, the exhibition also presents examples of the game industry tackling societally relevant topics, such as the climate crisis, war, the lack of parity, migration, health crises and the impending economic crisis, as well as the new developments at the intersection of physical and digital.

While Greek artist Theo Triantafyllidis’s 2018 creation Painting plays with gender clichés apparent in video games and shines a light on queer culture, the artist’s Anti-Gone presents a bright blue ocean next to abundant and colourful vegetation and a sunken city, pervaded by social unrest and environmental disasters. It taps into the persuasive power of video games. Exercube by Sphery, on the other hand, is an interactive and immersive fitness game that combines physical and mental exercise with an entertaining game experience. Another game at the exhibition, This War Of Mine, developed by 11 Bit Studios—and now a part of the curriculum in Poland—pushes visitors to imagine what war feels like, by confronting players with various moral dilemmas.

Plug & Play, developed by Mario von Rickenbach and Michael Frei, on the other hand, veers close to art. It presents a nowhere place, white, sterile, with a  lot of cables, and two characters who meet and separate in random ways. “Their internationally acclaimed iPad game Plug & Play is a surreal chamber play that takes a close look at interpersonal relationships. Deadly serious and incredibly funny at the same time, it deals with the communication challenges in a relationship,” highlights the exhibition text.

Games such as Terra Nil, by South African studio Free Lives, present the challenge of restoring local ecosystems, and the likes of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey communicate snippets of Grecian history lessons. Samorost 3 and Untitled Goose Game tend to the mischievous side, and Controller serves as a mode of documentation entity that illustrates the evolution of gamepads.

Papers, Please, set in the fictional country of Arstotzka in 1982, focuses on the job of an immigration officer at a border checkpoint. Based on the experiences of the maker, Lucas Pope, when travelling between Southeast Asia and the USA, the game urges players to make moral decisions and think about the impact of migration.

Other games displayed at the museum include MMOS—Massively Multiplayer Online Science, Seeds, Chantlings, Panda Bear - Boys Latin, Character.Synth, Operation Jane Walk, Abgott, The Longing, Everything, Enhance.Computer, Cyber Space, Billie Eilish gets Interviewed by a Robot, Rakete, Wobble Jungle, Line Wobbler, Metahumans, Polygon Forge, and Womenize!.

In order to gain further understanding regarding the idea behind the exhibition and the process of curation, STIR interviewed Damian Fopp, one of the curators of the exhibition. Click on the banner video to view the full conversation.

Game Design Today is on view until July 23, 2023, at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich (Museum of Design Zurich) in Toni Areal, Zurich, Switzerland.