SHIFT-CTRL is an examination of games, gaming, and related new technologies as interpreted by a diverse group of artists. An exhibition that takes place both in the Beall Center for Art and Technology and on the Internet, it looks critically yet playfully at how games are altering social systems and creative practice as they explode from a niche market dominated by a youth demographic to occupy cultural center stage. SHIFT-CTRL includes a mix of installations and networked pieces, putting a unique spin on creative research related to gaming while providing alternative models for appreciating how these initiatives are affecting our culture.

Over the past 75 years, some of the most provocative works produced by artists can be situated as "games" of one kind or another. The artists of SHIFT-CTRL continue this tradition with works that incorporate elements of play, performance, and parody, encouraging--and even demanding--interactive participation among audiences in order to be realized. SHIFT-CTRL gives visitors Òhands-onÓ experience of the many new forms games are taking today, with a special focus on three areas:

Role-Playing Games and Shared Social Spaces: Artists are increasingly creating not just individual pieces but entire systems that are mutually consistent and richly detailed enough to be thought of as "worlds" rather than "works". Many of these spaces are shared, collaborative spaces embodying alternative social forms and attracting thousands of players. What happens to the very idea of social space when it becomes virtual? How does role-playing differ from more familiar forms such as storytelling and performance?

Evolvable/Emergent Systems: Artists are simulating life forms and their environments within the computer, creating elaborate works through mathematics. With these new artificial life forms, has life itself become a game? What changes in art practice are heralded by artworks that can evolve or be bred?

World Hacks--Rewriting Existing Worlds: Many artists create games that transgress established conventions, question common assumptions, or rewrite the rules of existing games. These critiques raise fundamental questions about both art and games: Under what conditions can a work be extended beyond its original boundaries? How is agreement reached on rules? How do rule-based systems maintain themselves?

With the advent of digital technologies, the rules about games themselves are being rewritten. Forget about games as just a way to while away a rainy Sunday afternoon, and hit the SHIFT-CTRL key...