Game on for designers

The game Commotion, designed by Francobelge, requires players to use voice control to steer a car. Provided to China Daily

Games reflect the society we live in. That's the idea behind an exhibition starting on Sunday in Beijing.

Gathering 20 game designers from Switzerland, the exhibition displays the edgy and contemporary visual culture offered by gaming.

Game designer Florian Faller will arrive in Beijing with his award-winning Feist. The 2D game started out as the designer's final thesis for his bachelor's degree at Zurich University of the Arts.

Together with his schoolmate, Adrian Stutz, the duo started working together from January 2008 on a new game.

By October 2008 they had finished with the design work, entered the game in the Unity Awards, and won Best Overall Game and Best Visual Design.

Faller says what makes Feist special is that it doesn't intend to engage the player in a hunt for points or goals, but rather provides an immersive world to explore, interact with and to linger in.

Feist takes the player on a journey over high mountains and through deep forests. The player interacts with inanimate objects, opening doors and operating elevators, as well as animating creatures.

Fired up by clay

All creatures in the game search independently for targets and act autonomously. The course of the game is subject to constant change, taking a different direction each time the game is played and therefore providing room for the unexpected.

Another group, Francobelge, comprising designers Alexandre Armand and Bram Dauw, present their 2004 game Commotion.

The interactive installation requires players to use their voice to control the car. The louder the scream, the faster the car.

Also to be displayed at the exhibition is Game Over Project, designed by Swiss artist Guillaume Reymond and his studio Not So Noisy.

The series of stop-motion animations with people mimics video games, such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders. Reymond's interpretation of Tetris won the Creative Video category of the YouTube Video Awards in 2007. The video has been viewed on YouTube over 11 million times.

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn