Mar 27, 2025

Open Call to join »Game(s)Changer – Play a New Bevölkerung« // EXTENDED UNTIL APRIL 25!

Photo/Design: Hiroko Tanahashi

THE CALL HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL APRIL 25!

Ever played a game and wished it were different? Maybe more cooperative? With new ways to win? With opportunities to take on a different role? Or have you ever wondered what could make a game more exciting—or how it could better reflect your own world?

Games tell us a lot about the world—but whose world? What would the world look like if we invented it ourselves and played within it? Find out with us! Bring your friends and become a game designer yourself!

In four workshop sessions (each lasting half a weekend, between May and July 2025) at Akademie Schloss Solitude, you’ll get to discover the people behind game development. What themes and situations do games engage with? »Game(s)Changer« offers exciting insights into cultural backgrounds and game mechanics, as well as exchange with international artists at Akademie Schloss Solitude and experts from the gaming world. Together, we will explore the world of games and their diverse possibilities, invent a (social) game, and present it together.

»Game(s)Changer« is a three-year collaboration (2025–2027) between Akademie Schloss Solitude and Post Theater. Each year, through a series of workshops, the project explores games as a tool for engaging with socially relevant topics, co-developing them with the urban community. In the first year, the focus is on cultural diversity in society, which is why the first workshop series is called »Play a New Bevölkerung«.

Who Can Participate?
Anyone aged 18 to 28 living in Stuttgart or the surrounding area. No prior experience is required!

What to Expect from »Game(s)Changer«?
The workshops will be led by Hiroko Tanahashi, a media artist from Tokyo, and Max Schumacher, a theater director and dramaturge from Cologne—both from Post Theater. Guest experts from the gaming world will join selected sessions to provide insights and inspiration. The workshop will be conducted in German and/or English, depending on participants’ needs. Together, participants will create a game and present it to the public at the end.

What Is ?»Play a New Bevölkerung« About?
What are the benefits of a culturally diverse urban society? How can the coexistence of different people be reflected in a game? Will it be a strategy game, a bluffing game, or a game of chance? With cards, dice, a game board – or something entirely new? Join a group of curious minds to co-create a game about and for a new urban society!

When & What’s Happening?
In May and July 2025, a total of four workshop sessions will take place at Akademie Schloss Solitude, focusing on the theme »Play a New Bevölkerung – Wie möchten wir gemeinsam leben?«

May 9, 2025 | 3–7 PM – Getting to know each other & playing favorite games
May 10, 2025 | 10 AM–2 PM – Playing more games & analyzing what makes them fun (or not)

May 23, 2025 | 3–7 PM – How do game designers work?
May 24, 2025 | 10 AM–2 PM – Playing games about cities & societies & planning our own game

July 11, 2025 | 3–7 PM – How to design a game & build prototypes
July 12, 2025 | 10 AM–2 PM – Testing & refining our games

July 18, 2025 | 2–7 PM – Finalizing our games & planning the presentation
July 19, 2025 | 10 AM–7 PM – Final workshop day & public game presentation at 7 PM

How Can I Be a Part of It?
Interested participants can apply until April 25, 2025, using the following e-mail link: gamechanger@akademie-solitude.de
The e-mail will then already contain the correct reference line and a little questionnaire for the registration.

Participation is free of charge.
Participants are asked to attend all sessions.
The number of participants is limited to 15 people.
First come, first served.
No prior experience is required.

More about the project »Game(s)Changer« hier.
More about the place and the institution: www.akademie-solitude.de
More about the artists and workshop leaders: www.posttheater.com

A cooperation between Akademie Schloss Solitude and Post Theater.

»Game(s)Changer« is funded as part of Kulturkessel, an initiative by the Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft in Stuttgart, made possible by Mercedes-Benz.

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