TechBrunch: Early Internet Games
What makes a game worth preserving? What happens to digital culture when the technology it relies on disappears? In this TechBrunch, join PhD researcher Adrian Demleitner for a deep dive into the history of early online games, as we explore and install the largest archive of digital games from the 2000s.
Join us for a TechBrunch that takes you back to the early 2000s – a time when the internet was a wild playground for digital experimentation, creativity, and community building. From quirky Swiss creations to cult classics like early Flash games, we’ll explore how these titles helped shape digital culture and laid the groundwork for today’s gaming landscape.
To kick things off, Adrian Demleitner, a PhD candidate at the Bern University of the Arts (HKB), will share insights into the early days of Swiss gaming, discussing the technical challenges, cultural innovations, and artistic experiments that defined this unique digital era. As he puts it, «Playing is something fundamentally human: it is a foundation of human culture. Digital gaming is really just an extension of this natural human urge to play.»
Afterwards, we’ll dive into Flashpoint, a free, open-source platform that acts as a digital time capsule for early online games. It offers access to thousands of forgotten titles, preserving a vital piece of our digital heritage. You’ll also get a crash course in the basics of emulation – the technology that makes it possible to run these old games on modern systems.
Whether you’re into internet culture, a gamer, or just curious to explore the early web, bring your laptop and rediscover forgotten digital worlds. No technical experience or prior knowledge required – just the desire to play and explore!
This TechBrunch is part of a three-part sub-series supported by the Sophie and Karl Binding Foundation (SKKG) as part of the «Zeitreise in unsere digitale Vergangenheit» project. The series will also feature a workshop on the first home computers and a behind-the-scenes look at how digital artworks are preserved in the HEK’s media art collection.
Adrian Demleitner (he/him) is a PhD candidate at the Bern University of the Arts (HKB), where he researches Swiss video games, digital humanities, and the cultural impact of code. His background spans design research, process design, and critical code studies. Before starting his PhD, he worked as a scientific software programmer, junior researcher, and full-stack developer. His research interests include sustainable software, archival practices, and the intersection of art and technology.