projects

Current projects (last update:  May 10 2010)

- I collect cinematic moments. Here's why. 

-  Curating an exhibition for The Tech Museum of Innovation in San José, CA on digital arts provisionally titled "The Tech Silicon Valley Innovation Gallery". It will open sometime in 2010.  (more info)

- Working on a series of video installations and game-related artworks that focus on the concept of simulated realities: C’était un rendez-vous numerique (May 20 2009; ObamAds (developed with Claudio Tradardi, August 15 2009); james ballard plays burnout (August 21 2009).; simulacra et simulation (September 20 2009); Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon (October 15 2009); headshotz (December 19 2009); Bruno (December 22 2009); Car Crash Gamics (February 2010). 

- Working on the digital game preservation project at Stanford University (Preserving Virtual Worlds) (see below)

- Writing/editing new books on digital games, including Ludic Cartography

- Teaching three courses at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and Oakland: Game On, Advanced Visual Studies, and Eye Openers: introduction to Visual Studies (more info)

- Writing a series of essays or LINK magazine on the complex relationship between television 2.0 and videogaming. The first three articles in the series - "videogames as services", "SingStar", and "Quiz Shows" - have been published in 2009.

My websites and blogs

gamescenes (book + blog about Game Art, text in English and Italian)

videoludica (book series on gaming, text in English and Italian)

ludologica (old website, text in English and Italian)

mbftod@y (my online blackboard)

matteobittanti.org (feed-aggregator)

schermi interattivi (blog about the interaction between videogames and cinema, in Italian)

Additional information

How They Got Game (Stanford University)

'How They Got Game' is a research project at the Stanford Humanities Lab dedicated to the historical investigation of computer games and other related technologies of leisure. It focuses on the history and cultural impact of interactive simulations and video games. Evolution of computer and video game design from its beginnings to the present: storytelling, strategy, simulation, sports, 3D first-person games. Cultural, business, and technical perspectives. Insights into design, production, marketing, and socio-cultural impacts of interactive entertainment and communication. Click here for the main website and here for the blog.

Digital Game Canon (Stanford University)

The Digital Game Canon is a project undertaken by University of Stanford University and University of Illinois that aims at preserving videogames as historical, cultural, and technical artifacts. The creation of the Digital Game Canon recognizes the importance of digital game culture. The Canon provides a starting-point for the difficult task of preserving this history inspired by the role of that the U.S. National Film Registry has played for film culture and history. It has an international scope. For more information, click here and here. I am working on this project with Henry Lowood at Stanford University, lead project manager. This is part of a a project called Preserving America, a White House initiative in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

videoludica.game culture (Milan)

Edited by Matteo Bittanti, videoludica. game culture is a series of books about critically acclaimed and much-loved videogames of the past 40 years. By turns passionate, creative, and always informed, the thought-provoking books in this series demonstrate many different styles of writing about videogames. What binds this series together, and what brings it to life, is that all of the authors - academics, scholars, critics, gamers, and writers - are the cultures that these games spawned after their releases. Each meditation revels in the distinct nature of the chosen game - or game series, or even game genre - providing insightful commentary to an overlooked practice. Available in three formats (Monographs, Readers, and Illustrated), these volumes discuss video games from a broad academic and critical perspective, setting characteristics, themes and techniques in context and exploring the game's significance. Official website.

Ludologica. videogames d'autore (IULM University, Milan) 

Launched in 2003 by Edizioni Unicopli, Ludologica. Videogames d’autore is a series of academic books that honour the most significant video games of the last 40 years. Available in two formats (Monographs and Readers), these volumes focus on one game on one series rather than an entire genre, dispensing with the standard historical background that players know already, and cut to the heart of the game. Edited by Matteo Bittanti and Gianni Canova, the series includes monographs on such titles as The Sims, SimCity, Ico, Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid and more. Official website.