Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt

“Superb…a force for change” ★★★★★ The Guardian

V&A London: September 2018 - February 2019
V&A Dundee: April 2019 - September 2019

Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt was a ground-breaking exhibition exploring the worlds of videogame design since the mid-2000s.

Across three distinct segments, the exhibition delved into the design process of a host of international contemporary studios, from giant block buster AAA game producers, to small independents creating work from their homes. Design provided insights into the production of a number of diverse games from the last decade from around the world. Disrupt explored the conversations happening around what games can be and who they are for. Works here provided insight into how games can be tools to explore hot-button topics in nuanced ways, from representations of sexuality, to violence, racial discrimination and feminism. These were augmented with conversations from leaders in the field. Play invoked the creative work of players; be that through mass and online participation, from esports at the Birds Nest arena in Beijing, to giant virtual worlds built in Minecraft; to the independent DIY sector where grassroots designers and producers create exciting social spaces to play alt-control games together. This was the first major institutional exhibition looking at the contemporary world of videogames, receiving worldwide acclaim and setting a precedent for the presentation of videogames design in museums.

The curators also organised three major international games design conferences, Parallel Worlds, throughout the period of research and development 2016-2019.

Curated by Marie Foulston and Kristian Volsing