BEIJING and College Station, TX – September 19, 2018 – A new exhibit, Play Beyond the Game, is underway at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) Museum in Beijing, where an international crowd recently gathered for the opening to explore the culture, art, science and technology featured in video games. Presenting at the exhibit was National Academy of Science advisor and Triseum CEO, André Thomas, who also accepted a prestigious Game Academy Award for Triseum’s educational immersive art history game, ARTé: Mecenas®.
“It was an honor to be in the company of such imaginative and forward thinkers, and we are grateful for the award recognition from CAFA,” said Thomas. “The event was a tremendous celebration of gaming, providing an opportunity to see how digital technology and artistic creativity are merging in video games, as well as helping define and advance the future of game-based learning.”
Triseum’s participation in the exhibit added to its recent exposure in the Chinese gaming market. In June, Triseum announced a partnership with Tencent, a leading provider of Internet value-added services in China, to expand access to Triseum’s calculus game, Variant: Limits®. Tencent is publishing the game, which is being called the Calculus Adventure in the Chinese market, to bring entertainment quality learning games to players across China. Additionally, Thomas was invited to speak this week at the World Conference on Science Literacy in Beijing, which gathered more than a thousand people from government agencies, science organizations and businesses, universities, and research institutions. Thomas presented Variant: Limits at the event and talked about the importance of calculus engagement in STEM programs.
“China is playing a significant role in the growth of serious games on a global scale. We are excited to be a part of this revolution with some of the country’s top gaming insiders and thought leaders, expanding our footprint and growth strategy in China,” added Thomas.
In a recent article, Zhang Zikang, the museum’s curator, noted that video games are not simply forms of entertainment, but also an inseparable part of life today. He stressed that in the future, games that are not centered around entertainment, such as education games, will play an even more important role in people’s lives.
Presenting to a packed house at the CAFA exhibit opening, Thomas shared his insight in game design and development from his decades of work in the space, and specifically the importance of combining both active game play and engaging story lines with measurable learning goals in a game-based learning environment. Triseum’s educational video games, which have been developed in collaboration with the LIVE Lab in the Department of Visualization in College of Architecture at Texas A&M University, mirror the sophistication and imagination of some of the most popular entertainment video games on the market, while staying true to their roots in academic rigor, research and outcomes.
In collaboration with China’s Culture and Entertainment Industry Association, Play Beyond the Game offers a journey of discovery and adventure where visitors can connect with game producers, play both live and unreleased games, and share their own creative ideas when it comes to social and cultural aspects of video games. The exhibit discusses the combination of games with other fields such as art, education and medicine, aiming to explore the functional value and cultural significance of games as well as the development direction of digital entertainment education in China.
About CAFA
The Central Academy of Fine Arts, located in Beijing, is an academy where culture, history and art are flourishing, and where students and educators enjoys the best art resources in the world. CAFA, as a leading institution for modern art education in China, provides a rich land for those who wish to learn, experience and engage in creativity. It has nurtured quite a lot of pre-eminent artists over the past ninety years.