Origin Stories

Documenting the games and stories of our origins, Origin Stories is an exhibition of the first digital games and immersive media art works by members of the DMG community.

Video games as a medium has come into its own as an art form in tandem with the growth of the Toronto community over the last 10 years, as DMG has carved an unexpected path alongside Canadian artists and artist-run centres working in related media.

By highlighting how games history is rewritten when origins are forgotten, we claim our history in the broader independent games community. Tracing the trajectory of each of the participating artists – all first-time gamemakers when they joined DMG – we map careers, artistic growth, technological advances and obsolescence onto these original works to create a narrative of collective achievement connected inexorably to each artist’s answer to why games?

DMG‘s mandate is to further the creation of game and interactive media art works by voices traditionally marginalized in the production of tech. The achievements of independent game arts workers are historically undervalued and erased. These twin obfuscated histories have contributed to ongoing inequity in games, on both the arts and industry side, and created barriers to participation for the most vital voices. We believe creating games is a tool for liberation and a form of resistance against capitalistic notions of what games should look like and how stories should be told.

Artists

• Thirza Cuthand
• Ahn Mur
• Rui Jie Wang
• Max Lander
• Gillian Blekkenhorst
• Karen Chapman
• Natalie Zina Walschots Origin Stories is made possible by the generous support of the Ontario Arts Council.

Special thanks to the Toronto Media Arts Centre.

Learn more about Origin Stories!

Co-presented with Toronto Media Arts Centre.

This exhibition is generously supported by Ontario Arts Council - Conseil des arts de l’Ontario.