Games and Politics

The exhibition Games and Politics will showcase the latest developments in the field of computer games - the most popular kinds of the digital revolution, including the so-called Impact Games, Serious games and news games.
The effects of globalization as well as other real-world references are further reflected significantly in computer games: they address inter alia the Syria conflict, the use of drones in war zones and global economic contexts of the globalized financial market. Whether computer games are seen as a political issue, as an entertainment medium or – even – as art, is dependent on the context in which they are viewed. Every game positions itself in a society and simultaneously isolates society as the central issue in focus. Political relevance can therefore be attached to all computer games, even if they seem to evade any political action.
This holds true even in these games: The players issue directions but, in turn, have to play by the rules of the game in order to be able to play at all. At the other end of this spectrum are games which are consciously used for the purposes of political education or propaganda. This unfolding of computer games‘ political potential is explored in the touring exhibition Games and Politics.