DeMOS | The game

What is DeMOS | The game?

DeMOS_The game is a site specific performative game by UrbanDig Project and Odysseas Velentzas that begun its journey in LABOURGAMES.

It intends to function as an alternative educational model to acquire and cultivate the “soft skills” of participation and collective decision making. Its main aim is to constitute a unique methodology for the investigation and the processing of issues that concern already established or random diverse communities –while connecting and having fun!

The everyday life in the city is the inspiration. For the game, the city becomes a big floor-map that functions as a board. An urban imaginary walk and its unpredictable character becomes the condition in which the players investigate a large palette of issues -from practical issues of everyday life to wonderings that start from abstract concepts.

This enjoying condition of collective training and search does not end here: A performative live-art experience creates an experimental deepening attempt that refers both to the mind and the emotions, to the spirit and the body, to the collective and the individual.

Take a closer look:

The game's story

Although not so obvious at the final version, the original idea is the working model of a prostitute (Gabriella Ushakova) back in Athens of the 20th century. Gabriella was well known for her “life coaching services”, the generous support to her clients (psychologically, economically, mentally), as well as her unique relationship with working time.

After spreading its wings in LABOURGAMES jam (December 2017), the game continued evolving through Art Games Game Jam (February 2018), several months of work and three playtestings: an informal one (February 2018), one in a closed circle in Athens Goethe Institute (March 2017) and an open event in Leipzig, along with Interaction Leipzig e.V. and supported by START-Creating Cultural Change Program (October 2018). Demos was presented in the final LABOURGAMES event in Rome (March 2019), while its last station was in Placemaking Week Europe in Valencia (June 2019)!