The CCCB invites you to play in this exhibition dedicated to video games. Brought to you by Germany's ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe and adapted to the local context, the exhibition goes back to the origin of video games, analysing the language used and putting a value on the impact they've had on popular digital culture as well as art and society.
'Gameplay' asserts that video games are culture, and you can make your way through it in a traditional way, following the audiovisuals and the reflections of modern thinkers and authors, or you can interact with the machines via 28 game points, to reconnect with a discipline made up of many disciplines, linking with cinema and literature, and that, despite its perceived dark side, has also become a tool that can be used to spread more just and equitable social values.
There's room for nostalgia here, with the first consoles, famous characters and landmark games, but also for discovering names and movements (Mary Flanagan, Harun Farocki, Mónica Rikic, Blast Theory, Roc Herms) that have helped advance the video game universe, as well as various devices that have made us into a video game culture (mobiles, YouTubers, e-sports).
Video games aren't just for kids – in fact, the average age of players is 37 – nor are they bad in and of themselves. Find out for yourself in this highly playable exhibition, where Donkey Kong, Monument Valley 2, Pac-man, Super Mario World, Bubbles, Asteroids and many more await you.