Gameplay at ArtScience Museum
Let’s be real, reality isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, not when the virtual worlds of video games are there to be explored. But video games can be more than just the 128-bit characters in fantasy landscapes controlled by the WASD keys on your keyboard.
Discover how video games transcend digital screens into works of art at ArtScience Museum’s Gameplay. The special event is organised in conjunction with the ongoing exhibition Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed.
With a conference, immersive experiences and a holiday camp for children, the 2-week long event has something for everyone. Here’s what to look forward to:
Go behind-the-scenes of how a video game is produced
METRO MANIAC, a game on Singapore’s transit system was produced by the DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore
Head down to ArtScience Museum to uncover the makings of a video game at the Immersive Media Lab, where you can join in on Playable Games designed, developed and scored by students and faculty members.This programme is organised in collaboration with DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore.
Immersive Media Lab
Location: Rainbow Room, Basement 2, ArtScience Museum
Date: 10th – 12th September 2021, 11AM-6PM
Playable Games
Date: 10th – 12th September 2021, 11AM-6PM
Move from playing their video games to learning about the technology that goes on in making characters move with Live Demonstration: Future Technologies. For one day only, meet with the DigiPen (Singapore) team, as they put on a live technology demonstration on the creation of digital humans and how to bring them to life.
Live Demonstration: Future Technologies
Date: 10th September 2021, 2PM-3PM & 3.30PM-4.30PM
Free admission, online pre-booking required
Check out film screenings of video game-themed movies
Catch films like Ready Player One
In conjunction with the exhibition, ArtScience Museum also has film screenings to showcase how video games can be presented in other media. Extended Play: Videogames Meet Cinema has movies like Tron (1982), Wreck-It-Ralph (2012), and Ready Player One (2018) that will bridge interests between video game players and moviegoers.
Extended Play: Videogames Meet Cinema
Location: ArtScience Museum
Date: 3rd September – 19th November 2021
Free admission, online pre-booking required
Hear from well-known game studios locally and regionally
Hear from speakers like Desmond Wong from The Gentlebros, the studio behind Cat Quest
Image adapted from The Gentlebros and Future Gaming Conference
If all you know about video games is playing them, let the Future Gaming Conference expand your horizons. The key event under Gameplay has two days of online panel discussions exploring how games are changing the world around us.
Local game development is placing Singapore at the forefront of the industry. You’ll be able to take a peek at what went on in made-in-Singapore games like Cat Quest, Butter Royale and Noodle Souperstar. You’ll also hear from speakers from Ubisoft Singapore, Mighty Bear Games, Riot Games in SEA and more in attendance.
Future Gaming Conference
Location: Online
Date: 14th – 15th September 2021, 3PM-5PM
Future Gaming Conference event page
Bring your kids for fun mini-camps and book clubs
Image credit: ArtScience Museum
Children with endless creativity and originality will want to attend Mini Holiday Camp: Ready, Get Set, Play! The half-day camp lets kiddos run wild with their imagination, as they turn out two-dimensional drawings on paper into playable game characters.
The camp also includes a facilitated tour through the Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed exhibition.
Mini Holiday Camp: Ready, Get Set, Play!
Date: 7th – 8th September 2021, 10.15AM-12.45PM
For those slightly older, the bi-monthly G.R.E.A.T Book Club will be a treat for kids to explore thought provoking topics through books. This September, children will look at technology in a new light, as they learn about how it impacts society and its use to create a more sustainable planet.
G.R.E.A.T Book Club
Date: 4th September 2021, 3PM-4PM
Parents don’t have to be left out in the discussion of video games while your kids have all the fun. Playing video games has gotten a bad rep in recent years, but there are benefits to video gaming. The online talk ABCs of Healthy Video Gaming hosted by social enterprise SOOS OIO will break down misconceptions associated with video games.
ABCs of Healthy Video Gaming
Date: 10th September 2021, 10AM
Explore the Virtual Realms video exhibition with guided tours
While attending the events under Gameplay, don’t miss out on the Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed exhibition either.
Image credit: @thesmartlocalsg
Enter six different large-scale installations designed and developed by six acclaimed video game developers with six media design studios. Each one evokes your senses through light, sound and play.
Image credit: @thesmartlocalsg
Take in a public guided tour that will do more than just explain the installations, but give insight into the collaboration behind each realm and what the experience entails.
Public guided tour
Location: Entrance of Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed exhibition, Basement 2
Date: 10th and 17th September 2021, 4PM-5PM | 12th September 2021, 11AM-12PM
Discover the art behind video games at ArtScience Museum’s Virtual Realms
Whether you’re a casual gamer who opens up Candy Crush once in a blue moon, or a hardcore gamer joining esports leagues, there’s no escaping video games.
Gameplay’s 2-week long run of special events show that video games aren’t just limited to game consoles or even mobile devices. The complexity of video games marries art with science and technology to create contemporary art that anyone can enjoy.
Find out more about the complete lineup of events for Gameplay here
This post was brought to you by ArtScience Museum.