For the tenth time, the Clash of Realities international research conference is providing the opportunity for interdisciplinary exchange and dialogue. Experts from the academy, science and research, economics, politics, and the game industry will discuss pressing questions concerning the artistic design, technological development, and social perception of digital games, as well as the spreading of games literacy.
This conference welcomes scholars, social scientists, game developers, specialists in education and media, up-and-coming creative talents, students, and all those interested in and excited by digital games.
More than 50 international speakers from the academy, science and research, economics, politics and the game industry along with an enthusiastic audience will convene at the Cologne Game Lab, TH Köln – University of Applied Science, a pillar of interdisciplinary exchange and dialogue.
The conference kick-off including the opening keynote will be followed by a day of summits featuring talks, project presentations, panel discussions, and workshops. Finally, the main day of the Clash of Realities will feature renowned speakers from all around the globe.
As part of the tenth anniversary edition, the conference will also host the interactive touring exhibition „Games Culture in Germany. Milestones“ by the Computerspielemuseum, which presents a selection of milestones in German games culture.
We are looking forward to welcoming you to the Cologne Game Lab of TH Köln in November 2019.
Virtual Bauhaus
The Virtual Reality Experience "Virtual Bauhaus" was commissioned by the Goethe Institute Boston between 2017 and 2019 and was presented worldwide on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Bauhaus. The playful application invites visitors to Dessau, where the famous school building for the Bauhaus School of Art, design, and Architecture was built from 1925 to 1926 according to plans by Walter Gropius. Various interaction scenarios make it possible to experience the building and the historical situations of the 1920s. The program includes a visit to the iconic staircase where the school's famous female students gathered, a trip to one of the student apartments, "participation" in the introductory course introduced by Johannes Itten, and a visit to the Bauhaus cafeteria, on whose stage Kurt Schmidt's Mechanical Ballet is performed. The HTC Vive VR goggles were used, along with the corresponding computer hardware - a port to the Oculus Quest 2 is already projected.
Virtual Bauhaus belonged to the field of development-oriented, artistic research at CGL. It was realized over several iterations, from an initial feasibility study to the finished application in close collaboration with the Goethe Institute Boston (Christoph Mücher) and the Cologne Game Lab (Björn Bartholdy, Ilja Burzev). The project's goal was to take advantage of the expansion of space in VR and create an immersive experience of the Bauhaus world. Virtual Bauhaus is intended to provide a broad audience with an engaging and informative introduction to the Bauhaus using virtual reality, taking advantage of the specific benefits of the VR medium while doing justice to the historical dimensions of the Bauhaus. Instead of generalizing about the school and its members, Virtual Bauhaus aims to convey specific aspects that have been historically underrepresented or previously misrepresented (such as the role of women at the Bauhaus). Fundamentally, the goal is to promote a positive experience through virtual reality for visitors without foregrounding the technological component. Focusing on the Dessau Bauhaus made it possible to experience different episodes and aspects. One slip into the role of a student: explores the architecture of the famous school, interacts with objects of everyday life, and can become creative oneself in the introductory course
The development process took about two years and led from an initially very realistic interpretation to the final, aesthetically minimalist model, which is radically reduced in the material world. The symbolic area leans on Oskar Schlemmer. The project is completed but offers the perspective of adding new modules or a fundamental integration in the museum space. A comprehensive porting to current VR hardware is also planned, which should increase the distribution, handling, and mobility of Virtual Bauhaus.
Minister President Armin Laschet invites to the 2nd Games Summit at the Cologne Game Lab!
For the second time, NRW head of government Armin Laschet has invited 30 representatives of the North Rhine-Westphalian games industry to the "Games Summit" in Cologne - we were happy to host
this meeting at the Cologne Game Lab!
At least once a year, he wants to exchange ideas with the game developers and publishers from North Rhine-Westphalia, announced Minister President Armin Laschet (CDU) in the run-up to the first
Games Summit. This time, the Cologne Game Lab at the Cologne University of Technology hosted the second round of talks on May 7. 30 game industry representatives accepted the state government's
invitation.
"The games industry of North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the most dynamic and innovative economic sectors in our state," praised the head of the government. "That's why the exchange with the
industry at the annual Games Summit is a matter close to my heart."
