Workshop Series „Rethinking Games”
Session 2: A History of Video Games

“History is the interpretation of the significance that the past has for us.” 
— Johan Huizinga, Historian, of Play author of “The Autumn of the Middle Ages” and “Homo Ludens”

History is first and foremost an act of selection and exclusion. It is not different when speaking of the history of video games. Significant examples are chosen and presented to us in a sequence that makes sense of today’s trends and developments. But is it still relevant to talk about ancient arcade machines and dusty cartridges when trying to understand video games as a cultural phenomenon? Our second session on Rethinking Games will allow you to dive deep into the history of video games while offering space to question accepted narratives. That is why we will not be just talking about the usual suspects such as Atari, Nintendo, and Sega but also put the Polish Games Industry into our spotlight to present a local narrative that is significant to us here in Warsaw.

Benjamin Hanussek is an educator and researcher in the field of game studies & development. He received his formal education at the University of Klagenfurt in Austria. In early 2022 he became an Austrian Marshall Plan Fellow enabling him to visit Teachers College at Columbia University in New York to conduct a research project on game-based learning. After completing his project, he founded PJAIT Game Lab with the help of New Media Arts Dean Prof. Ewa Satalecka at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Warsaw to conduct exploratory research on methods of teaching game development and to support students in their careers as future game developers and designers. Moreover, Benjamin Hanussek works at Lionbridge Games in Warsaw where he reviews video games and their localisations before they are published.

Organisation: Austrian Cultural Forum Warsaw
Partner: Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology
PJAIT Game Lab: https://bhanussek.com/pjait_game_lab/


14.03.2023 (Tue.)18:30
Austrian Cultural Forum
ul. Próżna 7/9, Warszawa
In English
Registration: warschau-kf@bmeia.gv.at
Entrance free (please register for the event)