[spectre] There is no such thing as Situationist Sim City

[Michael Connor]

Dear Colleague,

You are cordially invited to the first meeting of Situationist Sim City.

2.30 PM, Friday 28 May 2004
FACT, 88 Wood St., Liverpool, UK
Booking & information: thorn at fact.co.uk

The similarities between the 'physical' and the 'virtual' in online gaming
worlds have inspired the imaginations of artists, writers, and the Hollywood
hive mind. Yet these parallels are by no means accidental ­ the creators of
these gaming worlds made conscious, often scholarly efforts to design
systems that effectively emulate real-world society. At the same time, the
most complex games allow users the free will to shape their online societies
in their own image. The complexities of our society, politics, and economy
have been mapped onto virtual worlds by both creators and participants. Any
questions we ask of these worlds, we ask of our own.

With this in mind, Situationist Sim City brings together international
artists, writers and thinkers to investigate the aptness of video game
worlds as metonyms for society at large, and the formation of ideology in
such worlds. 

Speakers will include:
 
JULIAN DIBBELL
Writer for Wired magazine, author of A Rape in Cyberspace
 
NATALIE BOOKCHIN
Artist, co-creator of agoraXchange

ED HALTER
Cultural critic, Village Voice

JELENA KLASNJA
KRISTIAN LUKIC
Artists, Eastwood Real-Time Strategy Group

Best regards,

 
Michael Connor



A project of the VirtualCentre-Media.net, funded by Culture2000.