Play – Discover – Create

The Greek National Center of Audiovisual Media and Communication (EKOME) is partnering with the Onassis Foundation to organize “Play – Discover – Create” – a three-day event filled with educational activities that actively support digital making and culture.

In a time when play – be it digital or otherwise – constitutes a foundational tool and methodology for critical thought, and as part of a campaign promoting the Third International Student Competition for Board and Digital Games Design, students, educators, and parents are being given the chance to share in an event celebrating creativity, discovery, and learning.

Friday 16.12.2022

Day One is devoted to those teams whose games won awards during the competition’s first two school years (2020-21 & 2021-22), giving them a chance to meet, share their experiences, and collect their commemorative diplomas.

Saturday 17 & Sunday 18.12.2022

On Days Two and Three, students, educators, and parents – as well as anyone else interested in educational play – will get the chance to experience the award-winning games up close, in an exhibition at Onassis Stegi.

As part of this three-day event, EKOME and the Onassis Foundation are jointly organizing a series of educational workshops that tie in to the Third International Student Competition for Board and Digital Games Design. These workshops center on raising awareness about the positive effects gamification can have within the learning process, and on helping to prepare those school teams planning to take part in the competition’s third edition (registration closing date: May 5, 2023).

-Saturday 17.12 | 11:00-12:00

“The Adventure of Making a Board Game: From Concept to Realization”, Vangelis Bagiartakis, board game designer and consultant.

-Saturday 17.12 | 12:30-13:30

“Basic Principles for Creating a Digital Game on the Twine Platform”, Kostas Karpouzis, Department of Communication, Media and Culture – Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences.

-Saturday 17.12 | 14:00-15:00

“Creating 3D Graphics for Video Games” (Autodesk 3ds Max in Unity or Unreal demonstration workshop), Kostas Diamantis, 3D Graphics & Game Developer, Software & Media Administrator at Onassis Stegi.

*The scheduled workshop “Designing Games: Game Design Basics” for Sunday 18.12, 11:00-12:00, was canceled.

Workshops are open to all, but those wishing to attend must first register by e-mail (educate@ekome.media); places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Educators taking part in the workshops will be given certificates of attendance.

Visitors will also discover more about the educational programs run by EKOME and the Onassis Foundation, which make use of innovative teaching approaches, and seek to incorporate digital and audiovisual technologies into educational practice. Given the challenges thrown up by the digital environment of the 21st century, the teaching tools being developed by both EKOME – as part of its Audiovisual and Digital Literacy program – and the Onassis Foundation are essential for familiarizing students with visual culture and digital creativity through learning approaches that embrace entertainment and fun.

The “Play – Discover – Create” three-day event presented by EKOME and the Onassis Foundation is a chance to open up a channel for interaction between the teaching community and representatives from the creative industries, thus strengthening the learning process and showcasing the wide range of possibilities offered up by engagement with the expansive and rapidly developing gaming sector. This partnership between EKOME and the Onassis Foundation also amplifies dialogue between stakeholders promoting digital culture, and bolsters synergies working towards the implementation of forward-looking audiovisual and digital policies in Greece.