Culture Game Jam

The Department of Experimental Game Cultures took part in a 48-hour game jam recently, bringing together two teams to face four different challenges: NPC & AI, Immerse Yourself into Culture, On the Go, and Museum Accessibility.

This event was intense, pushing participants to think new and experimental about games and how they can be more inclusive and engaging.

Photo by Florian Bauer

Schlafwandern

One of the projects that came out was “Schlafwandern,” developed by Stefan Maier, Clara Hirschmanner, Marlene Mautner, and Georg Luif. It’s a cooperative two-player exploration game in the “Schlafzimmer” at Belvedere. The game is made for the Museum Accessibility challenge, where Player 1 is blindfolded or visually impaired and navigates the game world using sound, while Player 2 helps with a map and paintings in the space. It’s like a kind of virtual reality without glasses, using soundscapes called “Klangbilder.”

With mentor Susanne Buchner-Sabathy, the team focused on making both roles important for the game. The idea was to create a computer game for visually impaired visitors and see how other senses can make the game fun. The goal is simple: You are dreaming, and you need to explore and find your lost dog!

This game jam showed how experimental games can break the usual rules and push the limits of how we experience culture through play. The creative ideas of the teams pointed out how important it is to make museums and exhibitions accessible, so everyone can have a chance to enjoy art and the stories behind them, no matter their abilities.

The game won the Technology Award.

Photos by ÖW/Rainer Fehringer, Florian Bauer, EGC Team

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Deck Of Arts

“Deck of Arts” is a prototype of a mobile game that focusses on exploring art in urban spaces. Based on their location, players are presented with cards depicting silhouettes of and cryptic sentences about art pieces they have not seen yet. The app suggests a route for visiting the artworks after swiping the cards left (reject) or right (approve).

During the walking phase, more information about the works is provided via audio cues. Upon arrival, players may solve a simple puzzle to assemble the card and are then rewarded with a virtual collectible representation of the artwork. The ‘Deck of Arts’ also provides a function to review the collection.

Wassily Bartuska, Aziz Duque, En Su, Nikola Supuković (in alphabetic order).

Photos by ÖW/Rainer Fehringer, Team Orca

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