The Game Collection Vol.2 is a downloadable virtual exhibition of video games created for the 23rd International Exhibition of Triennale Milano by some of the world’s most renowned independent game designers, showcasing these artists’ experimental approach to interactivity.
Over the past two decades, more innovative games have been designed than in the previous thirty years of this medium – video games are now more than entertainment for kids or for video game enthusiasts, they reach the accessibility and cultural depth of film, music, and literature. After the success (over 180,000 downloads) of the Game Collection Vol.1 in 2016 for the 21st International Exhibition, these Collection presents the state of the art of the medium with a glimpse into the future, presenting the work of the most important and original international designers.
(Click here to view the Game Collection Vol.1 , made for the 21st International Exhibition)
WADE
A stroll along the shore of a wide river that flows into the underworld. As the player ventures deeper, the scenery starts to shift and they may encounter oddities or curiosities.
We Are Poems
A swim through the queerest region of deep space. Its inhabitants float and gravitate in bountiful joyous explosions of light, embracing the void as a place to thrive.
Nonno's Legend
A game about imagining places you’ve never seen. Nina's grandfather shows her that a globe has some magical properties – you can reshape the planet!
MINE
A first-person game that ushers the audience into an “open-mine” and deals with the unknown relationship between raw materials and the virtual spaces that we inhabit.
Contact
A game about the search for life in the universe and identity in oneself. Players interact with onscreen interfaces to decode and understand the signals received from outer space.
The artists
Dong Zhou & Yijia Chen (Optillusion)
[China / USA] Optillusion Games is a studio founded by game designers Dong Zhou and Yijia Chen, creators of the award-winning puzzle game Moncage, a world trapped inside a cube where each face is an interactive scene, all interconnected by visual illusions. The studio was later joined by lead programmer Chen Mi. They are united by their passion for expressive games and their desire to use game language as an art form. Their work focuses on innovative gameplay and unconventional storytelling, providing dream-like experiences for all players.
Fern Goldfarb-Ramallo
[Argentina] Fern Goldfarb-Ramallo (he/they) is a Berlin-based multidisciplinary artist and designer from Argentina. Fern has made creative software, immersive interactive installations and musical computer landscapes, including the award-winning audiovisual interactive experience Panoramical. They're interested in creating radically playful spaces and tools that provoke a sense of beauty, wonder and curiosity. With their work, Fern aims to spark moments of joy and meaning for others and themselves.
Nina Freeman (Star Maid Games)
[USA] Nina Freeman is an American game designer and streamer based in Maryland. She is best known for her work on small, personal games, made in collaboration with Jake Jefferies (game art and programming), Ryan Yoshikami (music and sound effects), and Star Maid Games. Some of these games include Cibele, an FMV game about her relationship with a lover she met in an online game, and most recently, Last Call, a poem-exploration game about sharing her personal experience with domestic violence.
Akwasi Bediako Afrane
[Ghana] Akwasi Bediako Afrane is a Ghanaian artist living and working in Kumasi, Ghana. His works explore the idea of augmentation and extensions between technological gadgets and humans. He works with discarded electronic gadgets which he refers to as “amputees”, which he refashions and repurposes into machines and micro-organisms he describes as TRONS. These become interactive media for reflection and engagement around the globe through a variety of physical and virtual platforms.
Llaura McGee (Dreamfeel)
[Ireland] Llaura McGee is an Irish artist, writer and game maker known for creating experimental video games, installations and performances through 'Dreamfeel', a video game studio she founded in Dublin. In particular the narrative games 'Curtain', which follows an abusive relationship between two women in a Glasgow punk band; and 'If Found', which follows a trans woman in early 90's Ireland trying to erase her memories. She is very busy chasing too many ideas but is delighted you are reading these words.
The Triennale Game Collection is curated by Pietro Righi Riva and the virtual space in which the exhibition takes place is produced by Italian game studio Santa Ragione.
