Sven Pahlsson
Balling games - Installation - 2005
presented as part of the exhibition Panorama 6
Installation
In today's society everyone is playing games, or everyone has to partake in playing games in one way or the other. In businesses, work and most everyday situations, you have to apply some sort of strategy and "play your cards right" to win or "get ahead" of an ever increasing and tougher competition.
Gaming is all about simulating a given situation with a predefined set of rules, which are often derived from the actual reality. Video gaming is able to take the simulation aspect even further, giving the user an even more complete visual and audible experience. This ranges from actual and exact simulation game types such as flight simulators all the way to completely free fantasy type environments. Gaming probably began to develop and evolve about the same time as modern cultures and societies evolved.
Balling Games seeks to examine different aspects of the gaming experience. This include game types such as the real/actual game type, the video game type and the simulation situation game type. Balling Games consists of three monitors in a widescreen format that forms a very long horizontal viewing experience. The three screens are synchronised, so that the screens forms a continuous film. The two monitors to the side of the centre monitor, are there to explore and visualize the peripheral element of the vision. They are not just showing more of the frontal view, but shows what happens almost 90 degrees to the side, and therefore are "peeling" the side view onto the frontal view when connected in this manner. This also allows for a more complex action experience, as we can actually see actions on the side before they hit and interact on the main screen, thereby visualizing an important aspect of the gaming" holy grail", namely the immersive visual experience.
