Digital CreativityART GAME 2024 SYMPOSIUM
Organized in collaboration with Montpellier’s Paul Valéry University, the symposium focused on art games, a form of video game expression that emphasizes artistic, narrative, or conceptual exploration beyond the conventions of traditional entertainment. Art games often aim to provoke reflection on social, political, or philosophical themes through interactive mechanics and unconventional aesthetics.
The symposium featured 20 lectures by researchers from 9 universities (NAD-UQAC, UPVM, Carnegie Mellon University, Concordia University, Université de Lorraine, Université de Montréal, UQAM, UQAT, and McGill University), including renowned speakers such as Paolo Pedercini, Pippin Barr, and Jonathan Lessard. This academic event took place on June 11 and 12, 2024, in a unique format: simultaneously at the NAD-UQAC School, Paul Valéry University, and online.
ART GAME 2024 EXHIBITION
Presented at the NAD-UQAC in conjunction with the Art Game Symposium on June 11 and 12, 2024, the Art Game Exhibition showcased both playable game demos and digital artworks. A dozen artists participated, including Pippin Barr, a well-known figure in the independent game scene, and Italian game designer Paolo Pedercini, celebrated for his provocative and socially-engaged games. Pedercini was invited to Montreal by the CREAT Chair.
The exhibition featured the first prototype of the feminist game CLTRS, designed by Professor Chiapello, which focuses on female pleasure. Additionally, on June 12, the Sabotage collective performed a vibrant conference-performance, merging the co-creation of a game in front of a live audience with the theme of losing control.
This exhibition provided attendees the chance to play some of the games discussed during the symposium’s lectures, while also celebrating the diversity within the art game genre.