Next Level Festival for Games – Games and Digital Art in North Rhine-Westphalia

Since 2010 the Next Level Festival for Games has been elucidating the importance of games for cultural and social processes in a digital age and examining their artistic and educationally relevant potential and perspectives. For the tenth time from 28th November to 1st December Next Level brought together fans and experts within the digital gaming culture and also six international scientists, developers and curators were invited by the International Visitors Programme to take part in the festival.

From 29th November to 1st December the guests from Serbia, Uruguay, the Sudan, Belgium and China, not only explored the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site Zeche Zollverein – for the first time this year’s venue for Next Level – they were also able to engage energetically with the festival and participate in many events.

A networking meeting with Michael Eickhoff, dramaturg at Schauspiel Dortmund and the »Akademie für Theater und Digitalität« as well as scholars Max Schweder, Maria Pyatkova and Ariane Trümper led to some intensive discussions. Equally, a conversation with Carmen Johann and Jonas Zimmer of Cologne Game Lab (CGL), as well as a presentation of the institution and its current research projects, gave the international guests a robust picture of digital culture in North Rhine-Westphalia.