The Society for Utopian Studies and the TAG Research Centre present:
UTOPIA ARCADE: Utopian and Dystopian Visions in Video Games.
Saturday, October 25th. 5pm. EV Building, 11th Floor Lounge. Concordia University.
Join us for a special joint presentation from TAG and the S.U.S as part of the Utopian Studies Conference,
happening in Montreal from October 23-26. This event is open to all members of the public.
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Through the creation of imaginary and possible worlds, the medium of digital games has long been
a site for the exploration of utopic and dystopic cultural themes. Join researchers Carolyn Jong,
Kalervo Sinervo, and Skot Deeming, from the Technoculture, Art, and Games Research Centre, as they
present an exhibit of games which touch upon these these themes. The games in the exhibition feature
visions of alienation through labour, unpopulated desert islands, autocratic governments, the perils of
capitalism, efficiencies of bureaucratic systems, and the instability of memory.
The works selected for this exhibition were produced by Independent video game developers from
around the world, each one offering their own unique perspective of what constitutes utopia or
dystopia. Join the curators for a conversation about these works, take some time to play and explore,
and enjoy a twilight view of downtown Montreal’s skyline from the EV lounge’s 11th floor terrace.