Until this point, my projects have all examined unseen rules codified into the spaces we inhabit; conditions we must accept in exchange for our continued presence in a place. Intervening in and therefore drawing attention to these rules has been in the centre of my mind when developing my practice, searching for ways of making sense of the inherent esoteric of our everyday lives. I suppose I believe in some fundamental right to understanding
I’ve looked at these rules in the contexts of operating systems, social media platforms, art world spaces and cities in general. My attention now turns to a more figurative but focused area; discourses, specifically conversations taking place digitally.
In the 21st century, conversations are arguably no longer organically occurring things. There is a deliberateness behind an exchange of words; where it takes place, who is included, which views rise to the top and sink to the bottom. These aspects, too, are at the behest of human-made design decisions and complex media structures to which we are all in some ways susceptible, but often unaware of.
I am interested in taking a discourse about a specific subject and translating it into a new medium, so as to examine how it might change, disrupt or open up the kind of conversations that take place. The medium is the message, after all. (1)
When previously exploring the idea of ‘intervention’ in the context of digital spaces, I sought to challenge our way of thinking about the space through documentation of use. However, my particular interest this time is to use design more actively to create a space of my own. By creating an original ‘vessel’ for a discourse to take place in, I hope to heighten my own awareness of the design of unseen rules and see firsthand the way they shape content and conversation.
In order to narrow my focus I will be using a specific discourse as my subject matter; the conversation and culture surrounding video games. I believe it is an area rife for scrutiny with regards to its relationship with pre-existing media structures and capitalism.
Video games are a young medium with a short history. Yet, they now stand at the forefront of today’s cultural moment. No longer the niche domain of specialists, we live in an age of near video game ubiquity. The medium of games is unique amongst art forms in its intrinsic links to capitalism. If the history of games was to be followed to the letter, they would be considered a technological by-product first, a consumer entertainment product second and an art-making medium third. That the game has evolved into a platform for artistic expression is testament to the work of individuals; as there is fine art and the ‘art industry’, there is a second conversation about games in parallel to the mainstream, where the pursuit of ‘art’ is founded more in accolades and sales.
I have a vested interest in the medium, having spent many years immersed in its culture whilst writing and publishing about it. It has been a long-held ambition to create a space in which stories about games with a human focus can take precedent, whilst exploring the potentials of a conversation taking place outside of the insular, self-referential traditions of the medium. What does a games discourse that incorporates the viewer, rather than ‘the gamer’, look like?
The form of the discourse surrounding video games mirrors the medium itself, taking place mostly in digital spaces or online. I am interested in taking that discourse and situating it in physical space to examine what effects this might have. Can taking the conversation about games offline place it more closely in relation with other mediums and the world at large? Can these stories reach an audience who would not typically consider games a medium of interest?
Whilst there is a tradition of video game magazines extending to the late 80s, these were typically focused on marketing, news and criticism and often compromised by the ownership of video game publishers themselves. I am interested in outlining a new concept for print video game media that prioritises accessibility and considers this in its very form and distribution.
(1) McLuhan, Marshall (1967)
The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects
London: Penguin Books