Gaming the Unknown: Episode 6 of From the Moon 2

David Plaisant is a freelance journalist and writer based in Italy. He began his career in London, where he worked in architecture and design advocacy groups and then as a design writer and radio producer for multimedia brand Monocle.

Pietro Righi Riva is co-founder and studio director at Santa Ragione where he worked on multiple award-winning independent games. His design philosophy is aimed at making games accessible to a broader audience by developing experiences that are not objective-driven. For the 23rd Triennale Milano International Exhibition he curated the Game Collection Vol. 2, the online exhibition of experimental games created by independent game designers from around the world, with projects exploring the themes of the International Exhibition.

Optillusion is a studio founded by game designers Dong Zhou and Yijia Chen, creators of the award-winning puzzle game Moncage, a world trapped inside a cube where each face is an interactive scene, all interconnected by visual illusions. The studio was later joined by lead programmer Chen Mi. They are united by their passion for expressive games and their desire to use game language as an art form. Their work focuses on innovative gameplay and unconventional storytelling, providing dream-like experiences for all players.

Llaura McGee is an Irish artist, writer and game maker known for creating experimental video games, installations and performances through Dreamfeel, a video game studio she founded in Dublin. She created the narrative games Curtain, which follows an abusive relationship between two women in a Glasgow punk band, and If Found, which follows a trans woman in early 90's Ireland trying to erase her memories. 

Fern Goldfarb-Ramallo (he/they) is a Berlin-based multidisciplinary artist and designer from Argentina. Fern has made creative software, immersive interactive installations and musical computer landscapes, including the award-winning audiovisual interactive experience Panoramical. They're interested in creating radically playful spaces and tools that provoke a sense of beauty, wonder and curiosity. With their work, Fern aims to spark moments of joy and meaning for others and themselves.

Akwasi Bediako Afrane is a Ghanaian artist living and working in Kumasi, Ghana. His works explore the idea of augmentation and extensions between technological gadgets and humans. He works with discarded electronic gadgets which he refers to as “amputees”, which he refashions and repurposes into machines and micro-organisms he describes as TRONS. These become interactive media for reflection and engagement around the globe through a variety of physical and virtual platforms. 

Nina Freeman is an American game designer and streamer based in Maryland. She is best known for her work on small, personal games, made in collaboration with Jake Jefferies and Star Maid Games. Some of these games include Cibele, an FMV game about her relationship with a lover she met in an online game, and most recently, Last Call, a poem-exploration game about sharing her personal experience with domestic violence.