Reader IDFA 2005

recources for the IDFA evening programs and the workshop

This reader provides some interesting links to websites and articles that are useful for the themes of the workshop and the two evening programs Mediamatic organizes during the International Documentary Film festival in Amsterdam (IDFA) 2005.

This reader is a work in progress where new links to articles and interesting websites are added ongoing.

The central theme in the workshop and evening programs is propaganda. The two subthemes are documentary games and the use of extremism in the media. These two subthemes are going to be discussed in the evening programs. Interactive documentary film is the main topic of the workshop.

Documentary games

Historic and actual events are not only represented by television, photography or documentary film. Also computer games represent nowadays more and more actual themes in their script. But in how far represent this medium the reality as it was? In how far can we see games as a documentary medium?

Reality game Quake in portable version

The cultural study of games: More than just games

by Matthew southern
About the role of games in the proces of creating a worldview. How games can influence peoples’ view.

World War II Action Videogames as Post-Modern Fantasy

A work in progress paper presented by Malmö University/Lund University, November 29 – December 1, 2002
By: Eva Kingsepp, Stockholm University

When reading this article my main questions were: Can war-computer games represent a ‘real-time historical space’? Can they represent an historical event by simulate it and make it interactive? And in how far are these games propagandistic? This article tries to find answers on these questions.

Social Realism in Gaming

by Alexander R. Galloway
An article on social realism in games and the effect on the gamer.

Loading the Dice: The Challenge of Serious Videogames

by Stewart Woods
Serious statements in games. About critical and creative expression in games.

America’s Army: war simulation game

Civilization Game

Players match wits against some of history's greatest leaders as they strive to build the ultimate civilization to stand the test of time. The legacy of this incredibly fun, addictive series continues today with the development of Civilization III.

The use of extremism in new media

With this topic we want to give an insight in the working of extremism and terrorism in new media. The question of how propagandistic material can be used in new media to express thoughts and reach their goals will be discussed.

Observatory Archives is a collection of works that share the same idea. Freedom of expression of ideas and thoughts.

Guerrillia news Network

is a world archive of terrorism over the whole world in the media.

Interactive propaganda film

Constructing the Concept of the" Interactive 3D Documentary": Film, Drama, Narrative or Simulation?

By: Hanne Dankert & Niels Erik Wille

To combine the terms interactive, 3D and documentary, cause some difficulties.
“ This article takes its point of departure in a discussion of salient features of the documentary film, in order to investigate to what extent it is feasible and valuable to transform concepts, devices, tools and modes of expression and representation from (documentary) film production to interactive works, and to what extent these new types of works calls for new concepts. We then proceed to discuss interactivity and the complexities introduced by 3-dimensional representations as opposed to the 2-dimensional
representations of space normally used in film.