Are computer games objects of cultural value? | Nils-Holger Henning

Audio & slides (26 MB) Literature, music, dance, film or architecture – all of them are clearly known as arts. But what about games? Can they be counted as objects of cultural value? We think they definitely can. Computer games are the result of artistic activities. They feature their own esthetics, colors, music and content. Artists like designers and composers are part of the gaming industry. Virtual games have become part of our culture and are not a fringe group phenomenon anymore. For that reason the German Cultural Council accepted the German Association of Computer Game developers as an official member in August 2009. This session examines the meaning of games as new objects of cultural value and how casual games contributed to this development. After all games are more than just games. Delivered at Casual Connect Europe, February 2010

DOWNLOAD

Nils-Holger HENNING (email) After graduating with Diplom-Kaufmann, Master of Laws (LL.M.) and several stays abroad in Argentina, Thailand and Italy, working in companies like AOL Time Warner, Whirlpool and Hays Plc., Nils-Holger Henning joined Bigpoint GmbH (formerly e-sport GmbH) as a Director for Marketing and Sales in 2005. Since then Bigpoint developed to become the leading developer and publisher of browser based multiplayer games, and grew from 20 employees in 2005 to 300 in 2009. Combining deep Internet distribution knowledge with games industry knowledge, Nils-Holger has successfully built up a sales and marketing department at Bigpoint with a growth strategy focusing on internationalization. He has established business co-operations with major portals and media partners in Germany and around the world including AOL, WildTangent, T-Online, Yahoo, Bild and Lycos as well as major TV stations like SBS, Pro7, Sat1, Giga, RTL, MTV and Viva.