"We play games and talk about them the way people talk about books in book clubs."
At the LJ Games Club, members first agree on which game to play, and then they discuss it at monthly meetings. They focus on games that are critical of their own medium. Among the games they’ve chosen so far are non-commercial works by artists and small teams, critiques of imperialism and capitalism, interactive poetry, critiques of games themselves, and works that explore interactivity in unique ways.
They analyze games both in terms of their design and their anthropological significance. Occasionally, they also read — creators’ manifestos or, for instance, academic articles published in game studies journals. They play short games (under 2 hours), affordable games, and ones that don’t demand too much from players. They are not interested in commercial standards aimed at profit. They are interested in games as an artistic medium.
If you're interested in games and would like to discuss them, you can join their meetings every second Tuesday of the month from 18:00 to 20:00 on the ground floor of the Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova (+MSUM)!
LJ GAMES CLUB #19: Ctrl Alt Ego (2022)
What keeps us submerged when we immerse ourselves in our games? Ctrl Alt Ego is an immersive sim and first-person puzzle game, where the player controls a disembodied EGO-a dispersed presence that takes control of machines and automated systems throughout a vast space station. The game breaks the narrative barrier between player and player character.
Core mechanics—saving progress, inventory management, managing menus—are diegetic, seamlessly integrated into the game world. While modern narrative games strive to build immersion through cinematic animation, realistic graphics, and engaging character motivations of the protagonists through which we experience their worlds, in Ctrl Alt Ego the player's presence is shaped through player choice and the complex web of interactions between its many robots and devices he controls.
In our discussion, we will explore the role of the player and the player character, how games construct immersion, and to what extent Ctrl Alt Ego succeeds or subverts our expectations of player identification. Along the way, we’ll also touch on related ideas such as diegetic game design, immersive sims, and shifting player perspectives in games.
