The Zero Game Manifesto (Opening)
The Zero Game Manifesto was written at the inception of The Interactive Institute's Zero Game Studio in order to cohere and communicate the group's beliefs about the nature of gaming.
The purpose of this 'live' document is to construct and clarify the group's principles, motives and intentions during its lifetime. We believe that games sit at the very centre of cultural, technological, social and artistic innovation, acting as a fulcrum of activity that has the potential to drive creativity and inspire the imagination in our post-futurist 21st century media age. Background Launched on Santa Lucia in December 2001, the Zero Game Studio was one of the very first applied research labs looking at game form. The research community is moving rapidly in this newly accredited field of study and critique, and as such there is value in marking some of the starting points, and groups, in this arena, the Manifesto is such a mark. We elected to perform this first version of the Manifesto during our opening. The Zero Game Studio launch concept highlighted the unique competencies of each researcher in the studio through the use of a role-playing game. It focussed on visualising their personal backgrounds as well as their common vision of games, research and future of the studio. Further description The Manifesto has 3 parts; a critique of current attitudes towards game form, a presentation of beliefs about the nature of gaming and a list of practical ambitions for the group. We elected to use Marxist language in order to draw attention to the purely capitalistic development of the modern gaming industry. It is our belief that gaming has great potential for humanity outside the peculiar restrictions of the commercial sector. The core values of the Manifesto (the full Manifesto can be read in document 020225-GameStudio-Manifesto.doc) can be summarised as: Part I Critique - Games are too powerful to be regarded as merely entertainment. - Games have the potential to change society. - Current games obsessed with supremacy are only one amongst many possible forms of game experience. Part II The Nature of The Game - Games should be regarded as an opportunity to inspire our realities. - Games represent a form of reality. - Playing games is a creative activity. - Playing games frees humanawareness from the every day. - Games are a form of ritual. - Games are art. - The game player, by playing, completes the piece. - Games are a form of magic. - The Game is the Great Work. Our plan is to revisit the Manifesto at key stages and re-write and extend its core values using different language as counter balance and inspiration for ongoing work. Goals - To unite the studio group around a common and highly recognisable identity. Deliverables a. A text that reflects the group's perspective on game form. Dissemination The Zero Game Manifesto has been presented and performed in various forms at a number of international events. |