Clash of Realities 2016: 7th Conference on the Art, Technology and Theory of Digital Games

Experts from the academy, science and research, economics, politics and the game industry will discuss pressing questions concerning the artistic design, technological development, and social perception of digital games, as well as the spreading of games literacy. The conference is aimed at scholars, social scientists, game developers, specialists in education and media, up-and-coming creative talents, students and all those interested in and excited by digital games.

The conference venue is located on the Cologne Game Lab / TH Köln campus (Schanzenstr. 28, 51063 Köln-Mülheim). Registration is open now: http://www.clashofrealities.com/2016/register

The conference will start on the afternoon of November 14 with two pre-event guest lectures on “Star Citizen – Open Development as a Disruptive Game Design Practice.” In the evening, the opening keynote by Prof. Eric Zimmerman (Tisch School of the Arts, New York University) will officially kick off this year’s Clash of Realities.

The opening day will be followed by a summit day (November 15) featuring specialized lectures, project presentations, panel discussions and workshops on six topics:

– Aesthetics of Play (Game Development Summit)
– Digital Games: Transmedia Works of Art (Game Studies Summit)
– Digital Games as Social Environments (Media Education Summit)
– Cineludic Aesthetics (Film and Games Summit)
– Of Broadcasters and Game Masters (Games and Television Summit)
– Save the Game (Games Preservation Summit)

On its main day (November 16) the English speaking conference will host the following international keynote speakers: Prof. Mark J.P. Wolf, PhD (Concordia University, Wisconsin); Prof. Thomas Elsaesser, PhD (University of Amsterdam); Prof. Miguel Sicart, PhD (IT University of Copenhagen); award-winning filmmaker, artist and game designer David O’Reilly (Los Angeles); Alexander Knetig, editor in chief at ARTE Creative; game designer Prof. Colleen Macklin (Parsons New School for Design).

Clash of Realities 2016 is supported by Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, TH Köln, the city of Cologne, and Electronic Arts.

Further information on the program and the speakers can be found here: http://www.clashofrealities.com

The Clash of Realities Conference is organized by the TH Koeln – University of Applied Sciences. Those responsible for the Clash of Realities concept and program layout 2016 are the Cologne Game Lab and the Institut für Medienforschung and Medienpädagogik of the TH Köln; the ifs internationale filmschule köln GmbH; the Institut für Medienkultur und Theater of the University of Cologne; Electronic Arts, a global leader in the field of digital interactive entertainment; Eyes and Ears of Europe, the Association for the Design, Promotion and Marketing of Audiovisual Media; and AG Games, an interdisciplinary association of researchers in the field of digital games.

The TH Köln offers students and scientists from Germany and abroad an inspirational study, work, and research environment in the social, cultural, societal, engineering, and natural sciences. Currently there are more than 23,600 students enrolled in over 90 bachelor’s and master’s programs.

The TH Köln creates social innovation – with this claim we meet the challenges of our day. Our interdisciplinary approach to thinking and acting, as well as our regional, national, and international activities, have made us both a valuable collaborative partner and a trailblazer in many areas. The TH Köln was founded as the Fachhochschule Köln in 1971 and is regarded as one of the most innovative universities of its kind.

Media contact

TH Köln
press and public relations
Petra Schmidt-Bentum
0221-8275-3582
pressestelle@th-koeln.de