The Gaming Democracy project brings together a wide variety of artists, academics and activists to investigate how participatory performance, social media and democracy interact in the contemporary political and online landscapes.

In direct contrast to the online gamification of conflict by the far-right through the use of memes, role-play and alternative world-building, we want to explore the untapped potential for more egalitarian and progressive forms of online (and onstage) political engagement.

Through collaborative conversations and experiments between a variety of creatives and researchers, the project aims to develop new, interdisciplinary perspectives and ways of working together. With Web 2.0 becoming an engine of radicalisation, how can we combat fascist and white-supremacist ideologies through investigating and participating in alternative political realities built from the fields of political science, game design, and interactive theatre?

Each webinar in this series brings together a pair of creatives / researchers from diverse disciplines in order to discover useful intersections in their respective fields. Through a public conversation (as opposed to a more ‘traditional’ sharing of research), we offer space to explore and discuss these issues, to build on these initial connections, and to open up an ongoing dialogue.

The Gaming Democracy project is led by Dr Joseph Dunne-Howrie (Rose Bruford College) and Dr Tom Drayton (University of East London).

Event details

Ashton Kingdon and Andrew Westerside

Wednesday 13 April at 6:30pm

In the first Gaming Democracy webinar, we explore how digital technology alters political and cultural participation in today’s information society.

Booking

Malaika Cunningham and Aurelien Mondon

Wednesday 11 May at 6:30pm

In the second webinar of the series, we turn out attention to the state of liberal democracy post-2008 and consider how theatre and the arts can contribute to it’s re-imagining during a time of multiple crises.

Booking

Kesia Guillery and Georg Hobmeier

Tuesday 14 June at 6:30pm

In the last webinar, we look at how games, politics and theatre intersect and consider the significance of different art forms converging in digital environments.

Booking

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