Post-Soviet apocalyptic realism – declared in computer games by developers from the countries of the former Soviet Union – provides a good illustration of how the real is formed through phantasmal images. It is known that the collapse of the Soviet Union was preceded by a series of disasters, the largest of which was the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Considering that the very fact of the existence of such catastrophes was in conflict with the prevailing ideology (total control of social and natural forces) – it is easy to understand why everything traumatic was instantly packed by the mass consciousness into the symbolism of phantasm or fantasy. It is more difficult to understand the meaning and significance of these phantasmatic neoplasms. Just as the crisis in the control of nature, expressed in Chernobyl, led to natural disasters, and in mass folklore to the appearance of mysterious objects, plants and animals – monsters, so the crisis in social control (the disappearance of the Soviet Union from the world map) led to the emergence of new social conditions, institutions, relations that were seen from within the Soviet myth as monstrous.

The guest lecturers from »The Laboratory for Computer Games Research (CGRL)« at St. Petersburg State University will present their answers to questions such as: »How is possible the documentary of magical, mythological, ideological consciousness?« or »What is a Gamer polypsychism?«.

The event takes place on Thursday, 21th November 2019 at 7p.m. at Bauhausstr. 11, Room 014. We are inviting all students of media science and other programs, as well as all interested parties, to think with guest lecturers on phenomena and practices of the Decolonization of imagination in computer games.

For more information please contact Daria Kolesnikova at daria.ko[at]gmail.com.