Game Pics Jam/Show

Videogames pervade our everyday lives and therefore carry a cultural force. Still, they are far from being embraced as art by major parts of society. When talking about the gaming experience, however, it is undeniable that they are not only a source for short-term entertainment but can provoke deep emotional engagement, let players immerse into astonishing worlds, and demand a process of learning and reflection. As an important form of artistic expression from the designer’s perspective as well as an object of productive examination from the player’s perspective, videogames have the potential to enrich established art forms. With the annual Game Pics Jam/Show, we want to create a platform for the discussion of the diverse intersections of videogames and art. Our target is to support not only a critical examination of circulating values in culture and society but also to discuss gaming experiences and their artistic processing on a scientific level.

As a part of our master’s programme Game Studies and Engineering, the Alpen-Adria-University Klagenfurt wants to experiment with reflections on in-game imagery: In a first phase, gamers play up to their favourite scene or a memorable moment of a videogame and take a screenshot. In a second phase, an artist or photographer then reworks the image with the means of their respective trade. All participants are interviewed throughout the process. We present the results of this Game Pics Jam on our campus grounds for one month in a Game Pics Show, accompanied by information boards elaborating the creative process behind each motif and the artistic decisions of experts and Players.