Generation Y is succeeded by generation game, a group consisting of gaming enthusiasts, young and old. This group was the focus of today’s Generation Game event at Haus der Berliner Festspiele, put on by Kompetenzzentrum Kultur- und Kreativwirtschaft des Bundes. We enjoyed spending a day among game designers, creatives and media experts. At the core of the discussion was the homo ludens and its continued modern existance as part of generation game.

A so-called Live Escape Game opened the day, immediately capturing our attention. Involving the entire audience, the game was centered around a kidnapping plot. Aided by experts, it required us to solve tasks and make decisions under time pressure in order to get outside – literally.

The subsequent Game Café provided plenty of opportunities for exchange with interesting projects and initiatives from the realm of intelligent gaming. We especially enjoyed the educational projects presented by Creative Gaming e.V., who turn virtual games like Pac-Man into real-life street games for the school yard as well as letting shooter games become ballet performances. ActiWait by Urban Invention brings together traffic safety and playful interaction by challenging pedestrians for a classic game of Pong, right at the intersection with the nice side effect of making people cross the street safely.

By the way, the Live Escape Game ended with a hot button that reminded us of the Backflip Button in Professor S.’ Time Lab. We hope that all attendants have found back into their correct time zone.

Bild: Kompetenzzentrum Kultur- und Kreativwirtschaft des Bundes