Streaming Time: 8.12.2005 (20:00 GMT +1) 30mins, Istanbul

Technical Specs:

The system uses the open source Darwin streaming server . http://www.apple.com/quicktime/streamingserver/ together with the free Apple broadcaster http://www.apple.com/quicktime/broadcaster/ to serve clients. The client requirement is any Quicktime 7.0 viewer or any other client capable of decoding the RTSP stream. (Example. VLC VideoLan) Network has only 512kbit bandwidth served from Istanbul (2Mbit downstream, 512kbit upstream ADSL connection from TTNET)

Description:
Real time streaming (4-5 people discussing issues orbiting around "games") mixed with pre-recorded material (footage and animation).

Introduction
Interactive Computer Games in Turkey is the only social phenomena that can push 300.000 people to interact with each other and/or to any mechanism of social life in real-time. Therefore, along with the Internet facilities, this phenomena is moving ahead through relationship of game culture and culture of technological production in Turkey. In assessing the technological progress in games, there is a dilemma between the pre-established norms in game design, production and consumption and realities of social networks. (i.e. idiosyncratic attributes of social networks for each county, milieu, city, social group, whatever).

Well established norms in gaming, user interface, goal settings, character design and other factors structure consumer expectancy fulfillment as almost a linear rating system. In today's world, production of games seems quite like a progress in these pre-defined ratings. However each social group is unique in its attributes and games by the virtue of being abstractions, have the capacity to engage the social network. What are the challenges for game designers in non-western countries, in tackling their societies' perceptions of technological innovation and self-reflection? How far can they go with notions of space in games in the creation of social space? how far they can go with technological innovation?

Gaming for serious purposes
Designing games for other than entertainment purposes. Constructing an interactive space for people to immerse in and get involved in some collaborative activities and socialize for certain tasks in society.

In 90s virtual reality applications were quite promising for liberating the user from the limited interactivity of the input devices such as keyboard and mice. Soon after it was realized that VR hardware and software is not the fully compatible for creating such sufficient environments.

During the last decade, however, gaming industry has developed in such a pace that now we can discuss on such and immersive and collaborative environments. Yet, it is also dependent to formed up culture which has flourished on online realm.

Serious Games Summit which was held in Washington D.C. between the dates Oct 31- Nov 1, 2005 indicates how deliberately games industries and other governmental and non-governmental organizations are focusing on their productions for creating games for enhancing certain abilities of individuals within their roles in the societies.

One of these striking pieces of games is named "America's Army", which was developed initially as army recruiting tool, later developed as combat training simulation game. It can be downloaded free online, and it has 6 million registered users worldwide. Users/players of the game are mostly attracted to this game because of its attractive first person-shoot-em-all scenario, though they have to fulfill a hard training period in order to take part in the combat missions. Real life data gathered from US army missions, which took part in particular places, like Afghanistan and Iraq are used in the scenarios of the game. Army uses this game for training the soldiers for hard task like protecting a convoy in a hostile ground. Trainees are encouraged to use their own weapons or vehicles, such as their M16 or Hummers in such mission simulations.

While US army is presenting these gaming/training products, some other governmental organizations and NGOs are focused on developing games for teaching or enhancing social interaction for peaceful resolutions. a game developed aiming for teaching high school students, approaching political conflicts in peaceful manner. Hard issues like Arab-Israeli conflict is presented in the game in where the player is expected to face the real life problems playing as if he/she is A. Sharon or M. Abbas. They have to interact with the data coming as media coverage, governmental report, public reaction and so on.

Apart from these games on hotter areas of life, there are a large collection of games on other grounds like education, health, corporate management, science and so on. Needles to say, these are adjusted for specific needs of mainly the US population.

Yet, we are also aware of that non western game developers are working on for various games designed for specific needs of other societies and needs. Disaster management, life rescue, science education and psychological treatment games are those that deserve mentioning.