When Museums Meet Videogames
a series of talk and collaborative workshops
presented by the Villa Albertine and the French Embassy of the United States, organised by We Are Museums, in cooperation with the Smithsonian.
Today, videogames are a new social and cultural practice.
They have become this new space of socialization where people meet and evolve together. As diverse and varied as one can imagine, videogames deal with all the major topics of relevance in today’s society. They also touch the majority of the population. The potential of videogames for museums is limitless.
However, the relationship between the creative and the cultural sectors of education is still full of pitfalls. Museums often digitize their collections without considering how they appear in digital-native environments, while production studios do not pay enough attention to the historical and scientific context that museums provide.
Museums also struggle to pass on a sense of ownership and leadership to their audiences.
Thus, it is clear that the relationship between museums and videogame studios remains complex and requires further examination.
Museums also struggle to pass on a sense of ownership and leadership to their audiences.
Thus, it is clear that the relationship between museums and videogame studios remains complex and requires further examination.
Our goal is to
raise awareness about this complex issue and to provide a safe environment conducive to honest and impactful discussion. Utilizing the collective intelligence of a well-curated group of professionals, we hope to accelerate innovation at the intersection of museums and videogames.
We want to
- Foster collaboration between museum and videogame studios
- Provide a safe space for open conversation
- Provide networking opportunities to a broad range of actors from the museum and videogames sectors
- Unpack the structural barriers preventing museum and studio collaboration
- Brainstorm solutions, using case studies and references
If a building becomes architecture, then it is art
SESSION 1: Exploring New Horizons: Videogames and Museums
October 28th, 2020
October 28th, 2020
When MOMA’s curator, Paola Antonelli, expanded the appeal of MOMA’s art exhibition with 14 videogames, it wasn’t only to improve audience interaction with arts, or appeal to a broader audience beyond the art community. Videogames help museums tell a better story behind every exhibit in a way that is relatable to people within and especially outside the art community.
The first session of our program creates a common ground of knowledge and understanding of what a game is and what it brings, what are the different formats and possible uses and interactions, who are the audiences and how museums could benefit from them. In order to bring critical thinking and show what is possible, the second part of the session will present two very different uses of videogames in museums.
The first session of our program creates a common ground of knowledge and understanding of what a game is and what it brings, what are the different formats and possible uses and interactions, who are the audiences and how museums could benefit from them. In order to bring critical thinking and show what is possible, the second part of the session will present two very different uses of videogames in museums.
Host:
María Luján Oulton, Directora de Game on! El arte en juego, Game Arts International Assembly (GAIA), Women in Games Argentina (Argentina)
Speakers:
Brad MacDonald, Creative Media, Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building, and Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (United States)
Olivier Mauco, Director, Game in Society (France) and Augustin Pagenot, Centre Pompidou (France)
WORKSHOP 1: Mutual Learning Between Videogames Producers And Museums
October 28th, 2020
October 28th, 2020
Unlike regular videogames, combining the art experience and gaming is quite unique. To better understand how museums can collaborate with studios, we invited René G. Cepeda to facilitate collaborative workshops with a group of professionals from museums and video game studios. Dr. Rene G. Cepeda is a Mexican lecturer, independent researcher and curator specializing in New Media Art. He is also the author of the Manual for the Curation and Display of Interactive New Media Art.
SESSION 2: When Cultural Institutions Become Videogame Producers
November 18th, 2020
November 18th, 2020
This talk covered how museums can thrive in video game production, but also how they can interact with audiences and collaborate effectively with stakeholders to produce games.
Challenged by the pervasive technologies in our contemporary societies, museums need to radically transform their exhibition practices and audience experiences by incorporating new practices and actors in their programs. The second session of our program will dive into groundbreaking examples of museums nailing videogame production to explore new ways of engaging with audiences and exploring interactions. Let’s dive into these examples showing us new ways to tell stories from the museum’s collections.
Challenged by the pervasive technologies in our contemporary societies, museums need to radically transform their exhibition practices and audience experiences by incorporating new practices and actors in their programs. The second session of our program will dive into groundbreaking examples of museums nailing videogame production to explore new ways of engaging with audiences and exploring interactions. Let’s dive into these examples showing us new ways to tell stories from the museum’s collections.
Host:
Kristian Volsing, Project Curator, V&A Museum of Childhood (United Kingdom)
Speakers:
Nick Fortugno, Playmatics (United States)
Kate Meyers Emery, Manager of Digital Engagement, George Eastman Museum (United States)
WORKSHOP 2: Implementing an innovative project in a museum & Producing a videogame: Challenges & solutions
November 18th, 2020
November 18th, 2020
This second workshop will drive us into the production phase of a videogame. From high-end games to low budget and low expertise, each group will go through the production process of a videogame, discuss each step and identify how to foster successful collaborations. Each team will also highlight the potential pitfalls and roadblocks to avoid but also share useful resources and tips to make things easier. This session will include a great variety of profiles to ensure in-depth content, such as game designers, game players, non-profit organizations or commercial companies.
SESSION 3: Videogames - A Door to New and Diverse Audiences
December 9th, 2020
December 9th, 2020
A new world of tools, technologies, and social habits is created daily in videogames, which are being redefined as the new social space for cultural practice.
Today, videogames are understood as the new social spaces where the cultural practice is being re-imagined, with new tools, technologies and social habits emerging daily. They are fabulous spaces where one can reach out to new and diverse audiences and start building strong relationships with each other.
However, how this new space is shaped and behaves depends on the people living in it.
Today, videogames are understood as the new social spaces where the cultural practice is being re-imagined, with new tools, technologies and social habits emerging daily. They are fabulous spaces where one can reach out to new and diverse audiences and start building strong relationships with each other.
However, how this new space is shaped and behaves depends on the people living in it.
Host
Tanya DePass, I Need Diverse Games (United States)
Speakers
Skawennati, Co-Director, Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace, AbTec (United States)
Deborah Papiernik, SVP, New Business & Strategic Alliances, Ubisoft (France)
WORKSHOP 3: Achieving Positive Social Impact Through Videogames
December 9th, 2020
December 9th, 2020
This final workshop aims to better understand the diversity of audiences active in the videogame industry and how to better reach them. When we know that 1 person in 3 plays videogames in the world, we can easily imagine that most of the museum's audiences are within this group. Museums could achieve their social mission by amplifying social impact through videogames. The first part of this session will be about identifying the rich variety of audiences playing videogames. Who are they? Why do they play? What are their habits and passions?
The second part of the workshop is all about ideation to identify strategies to reach out to these non-accessible audiences through a collaboration between a museum and a videogame studio.
The second part of the workshop is all about ideation to identify strategies to reach out to these non-accessible audiences through a collaboration between a museum and a videogame studio.
Our partners
'Museum Lab: When Museums Meet Videogames" is presented by the Villa Albertine and the French Embassy of the United States, organised by We Are Museums, in cooperation with the Smithsonian.