Channel is Somerset House’s new curated online space for art, ideas and the artistic process.
Share
Fri 11 Apr 2025
09.00 - 22.00
Combined Ticket £35
Symposium £30 / £27
Play Parlour £10 / £9
New Wing
The Cologne Game Lab partners once again with Now Play This and Dr. David Murphy to present a dedicated day exploring the concept of Folk Games through talks, round tables, and playful sessions led by game designers and academics.
In the evening there's a relaxed meet-up focused on networking and reconnecting with the community, featuring a programme of live music and micro-talks. Plus play-test corners hosted by University partners and a Boardgames & Books Nook. A celebration of playful creation and shared ideas.
Schedule
Folk Games Reimagined: Bridging Tradition and Change
Symposium, 09.00 - 18.00
The Cologne Game Lab partners once again with Now Play This and Dr. David Murphy to present a dedicated day exploring the concept of Folk Games through talks, round tables, and playful sessions led by game designers and academics.
Speakers: Dr Niall Moody (UK), Anna Blackwell (UK) Pedro Mota (Brazil/Germany), Emilie Koonce (USA), Dr. Philipp Bojahr (Germany) Ruth Dorothea Eggels (Germany)
Organizers: Prof. Dr. Sonia Fizek, Dr. Philipp Bojahr, Dr David Murphy & Now Play This
“Folk Games Reimagined: Bridging Tradition and Change” is about the games passed down through generations and how they are adapted, rewritten, and reimagined. Another aspect of this theme is the notion of emergent gameplay, playful interventions that sit on top of existing space and carefully question or subvert the physical environment. Folk games inspire a design philosophy grounded in social adaptability, cultural nuance, and communal meaning-making.
Folk games are frequently defined by their simplicity, improvisation, fluidity of rules, and the social context in which they occur, rather than the rigid structure we find in many contemporary, commercially produced games. In recent years, a growing number of game designers and researchers have turned their attention to these forms of play, examining how their qualities can inform both the design of new digital experiences and the preservation of intangible cultural heritage.
Play Parlour: Evening Meet-Up
Sonaris Ensemble, Los Pat Moritas, Micro-talks & Games, 19.00 - 22.00
Join us for a relaxed evening to connect, catch up, and celebrate the wrap-up of Now Play This. The event features a lineup of live music performances and micro-talks about ongoing creative projects. Explore the open Boardgames & Books Nook, and play-test new game prototypes in the University partner’s Play-spots.
Come share stories, discover new ideas, and toast to the spirit of playful creation.
Pay Bar available at The Exchange, Somerset House.
Line up:
19.00 – 19.30 Sonaris Ensemble, Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Join the Sonaris Ensemble for a unique live performance of iconic game music, arranged by students from the Electronic & Produced Music Department of Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Experience reimagined songs from beloved games like Horizon Zero Dawn, Hollow Knight, Baldur’s Gate 3, Final Fantasy, and many more.
20.00 – 20.45 Microtalks
Gerard San Miguel Navarro (The Well’s Blessing, Gameplay Pompeu Fabra), Florence Smith Nicholls, Moo Yu (Mythmatch), Riya Mahajan & Ruby Bell (Moody Monsters), MA Fine Art: Computational Arts at Camberwell College of Arts
21.15 – 21.45 Los Pat Moritas
A one-of-a-kind solo performance that blends the nostalgic sounds of classic video games with the rich, vibrant rhythms of traditional Latin American music. Featuring a fusion of iconic gaming consoles like Game Boys and Famicoms alongside traditional instruments, this high-energy live show transforms the stage into a joyful celebration of rhythm and gaming culture.
Play Spots: MA Games Design, UAL: LCC // Game Pathway, BA Media, UCL // MA Fine Art: Computational Arts at UAL: Camberwell College of Arts // Gameplay Lab Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona)