Wargames
22 April 2014 00:00 - 20 June 2014 00:00
Some games are more fun when the rules are stretched. On the Deck, which was turned into an arcade hall, visitors were challenged to play games in a different way.
The makers of the war game Verdun, for example, altered the game to create a permanent cease-fire. In the game it is always Christmas, the time of year when, as the story goes, French and German soldiers sang songs together and played a game of soccer. In the popular game Fable 2 players can decide if they want to be good, evil, or something in between. Their choices alter the character of the game. In Papers Please players face difficult ethical dilemmas in deciding which refugees to allow into the country. And in September 12 you cannot win the 'war on terror', it only has losers. All games in the arcade can be played free of charge.
People who do not like playing computer games are still welcome to come and have fun. The collective of light artists operating under the name Mr. Beam have used 'projection mapping' to bring one of the arcade games to life.
This project also has an underlying theme: the question of neutrality. During the First World War, which started a hundred years ago, the Netherlands succeeded in remaining neutral. Neutrality is often understood as an ethical choice, but can also be seen as a search for a position that did not seem valid at first glance. By placing itself outside the conflict, the Netherlands twisted the rules of the war.
Made possible by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), and sponsored by Dutch Game Garden and Mr. Beam.