A MAZE. / Berlin 2025

Our own identity is inevitably reflected into the games we make. Personal life and anecdotes, 'zeitgeist', culture, country and family of origin — all these diverse elements of identity are getting more visible as themes for story-driven games, either autobiographical or historically-set. But what if we try to apply the notion of our identity as gamemakers not only to the aesthetics/semantics of a game concept but to its very mechanics? Goal of the workshop is to collectively experiment such a different approach by taking a 'round trip' through concept generation: first, analysing conventional game genres and mechanics and finding narrative elements that connect them to our identity; then, elaborating and enriching different game mechanics by drawing from these narrative elements and from our own identity.

AUDIENCE: Game designers and writers, but everyone is welcome!

REQUIREMENTS: Average knowledge of conventional game genres and mechanics, no specific skills required

BRING: Pen & paper (notebook is optional)

For this workshop online registration is not required to attend. The spots will be assigned on a first-come first-served basis, so make sure to be at the workshop location at least 10 minutes before the starting time.