The Art of Video Games 2013
“Simulacrum of Fantasy: Multiple Perspectives and Contemporary Prisms” is made as the theme concept for the exhibition of the Art of Video Game. “Fantasy” makes a general reference to imagination and creativity that is irregular and detached from the daily life imagination and creativity; however, it is tightly connected with the reality with a fuzzy border, a kind of “Non-routine and variable” relative to ordinary life.
“Simulacrum” is a term borrowed from the theory of Jean Baudrillard. It is necessarily to point out that digital technology has deepened and transformed his theory. Video game nowadays is not only extremely realistic, but also replaces the reality by creating a brand new “simulation” with alternative methods such as somatosensory, sensory system and etc. With the mergence of these two ideas, we think that video game is creating a brand new interactive world using digital technology. We called this kind of visual confusion “magic” in the past, and now it is called “technology”. The fact that we stopped calling it “magic” symbolizes the process of Max Weber’s theoretical term “Disenchanted”; on the contrary, technology has finally become such a new thing to confuse human organoleptic perception that we cannot easily differentiate between what is shot in real world and what is done in a computer lab in contemporary movie. This kind of “Simulacrum” may not just be a “simulation”, but a “reality” in the new century.
In the exhibition, we try to connect to the audience using multi-screen, internet live streaming and theme videos, by which means we can interact with reality. We not only focus on the “Simulacrum of Fantasy” of video game, but also verify the social community flow between video game and contemporary thoughts, dealing with practicality of commercial, artistic ideas and academic theories.
| Image | Works |
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Merging real historical context and technological entertainment: UBI |
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NAMCO BANDAI Games: The fusion creator of technology, dreams and gameplay |
