Game Zone

For the fifth time, Ji.hlava opens its Game Zone where it introduces computer games which address the pressing and complex issues of the contemporary world, use references to reality in unexpected ways, or seek exceptional visual solutions. We have been following certain game styles and approaches for some time already: games where the players’ actions contribute to the research and solution of scientific problems, games which explore political questions and contribute to the formulation of arguments in the social discourse, or the so-called slow games which motivate people to take a break from their frenetic daily routine.

film database

The sidewalks of Bratislava are occupied by advertisement tripods, traffic signs, lampposts and garbage cans, while the rest of the territory is occupied by wildly parked cars. The game Pawns seeks to highlight the long-standing, unresolved problem of the quality of public space and, in a fun way, shows the most natural way to get around – by walking, which has turned into a frustrating and dangerous activity.

Pešiaci

Noha v mede

Slovakia / 2018 / 1 min.

section: Game Zone

A Polish independent game with a strong political message is a satirical simulator reflecting on the social debate on the 2016 law which banned abortions in Poland. Among other things, it points out there are pregnancies which endanger the mother's life, and opens fundamental questions regarding female reproduction.

Fantastic Fetus

Thomas Feichtmeir, Aleksandra Jarosz

Poland / 2019 / 1 min.

section: Game Zone

An award-winning adventure game which takes on fake news by the means of developing knowledge and critical thinking. The player takes on the role of a news editor who defines the news and observes its effect on the society, his friends and his career. The player faces many ethical questions and discovers the process of news creation.

Headliner

Jakub Kasztalski

United States / 2018 / 2 min.

section: Game Zone

A scientific neurology game. Exploration of the brain is an incredibly complex discipline the results of which are crucial to medicine and other fields of science. Thanks to the involvement of thousands of participants in this game, scientists are gaining data which enable them to model various types of brain cells.

Mozak

Allen Institute for Brain Science , The Center for Game Science at the University of Washington

United States / 2017 / 1 min.

section: Game Zone

An autobiographical adventure that takes players along the exciting and surprising path of the young Syrian artist Abdullah Karama, who under dramatic circumstances, but presented with humor, escaped civil war in 2014.

Path Out

Georg Hobmeier

Germany / 2017 / 1 min.

section: Game Zone

This visually exceptional work which straddles the line between a slow game and an interactive animation invites the players to explore a landscape full of natural motifs and surprising artifacts depicted in a gentle drawing style.

Procházka

Marek Andrýsek, Lucie Polášková, Daniel Jenikovský

Czech Republic / 2019 / 1 min.

section: Game Zone

A series of crime-solving mini games which make the players use various cognitive skills to help the research community understand the evolution and the forms of cognitive abilities, ways of problem solving, and reactions to common stimuli. This also advances the understanding of cognitive anomalies and the possibilities to identify them at their early stages.

Skill Lab: Science Detective

Jacob F. Sherson

Denmark / 2018 / 1 min.

section: Game Zone

Sophisticated investigative game in which a player searches for a true picture of events in narratives and contexts using exploration and connecting parts of the story. It works with a database of images and secretly recorded conversations that capture two years in the lives of four people, gradually revealing their intimate life and details of their common story.

Telling Lies

Sam Barlow

United Kingdom / 2019 / 1 min.

section: Game Zone