The appeal of video games has its roots in 1950s America. William Higinbotham gave everyone with an aversion to sport the chance to play tennis from the comfort of their sofa. In the 70s, video games became a significant economic factor.
A decade later, the first LAN parties took place, with groups of players connecting their computers to a local area network in order to play video games together. At the same time, the computer industry developed portable devices that could be used to play online. By the start of the new millennium, video games had meshed with virtual reality to create an entirely new experience of total immersion in a game world.
The boom in the video game industry soon proved to have a downside, however, with some games including sexist and racist content, and the risk of addiction among young players. The latter will form the subject of a talk by Niels Weber at one of the seven “Soirée au musée” organised by the Château de Prangins.
A cultural mediation programme will include family breakfasts followed by tours of the exhibition and a chance to try out some games, gaming afternoons, as well as encounters with psychologists, neurologists, game developers and others, offering visitors the opportunity to meet figures from the Swiss video game industry and explore topics in greater depth, including addiction among young people, the cognitive skills that players develop, and scenes of violence in some games.
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