Pop-up Arcade & Conversation

An evening of original videogames and conversation about military recruiting from warGames Tactical Media Collective teen artists Jonathan Mora, Gabriel Moreno, Isabella Orihuela, Luis Salas, Genaro Salgado & Ivan Salinas

As Core Residents for Contemporary Conversation at Chicago Art Department, the warGames Tactical Media Collective (Steve Ciampaglia, Kerry Richardson and Eric J. García) collaborated with Latinx teen artists in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood to create a series of art games tied in with our game Discharged. The project began with discussions about the US military's use of videogames as a tool for recruiting, training and remote warfare operations. The teen artists, who are themselves targeted by military recruiters through JROTC programs in their high schools, considered the real-life consequences of serving and the role of the military in their communities.

The games from the project were featured in a Pop-Up Arcade and conversatin event held at Chicago Art Department. Family, friends and even teachers and the principal from the local high school attended.