Last week, the award-winning game designer and co-founder of Charles Games, Vít Šisler, visited the U of A from March 11-13. Šisler gave a public lecture on the evening of March 12 called "Gaming Language and Playing Kafka: Intercultural Education in the Ludic Century" in the World Languages & Digital Humanities Studio, located in J.B. Hunt Center, room 207.  A Q&A was held after the lecture, and dinner was provided by Renzo's Pasta & Italian Steakhouse. 

Šisler discussed founding Charles Games at Charles University in Prague and the process of starting a game development studio, sharing how Charles Games collects student feedback to determine trends in the gaming industry. He then discussed the state of intercultural education today and how games can positively contribute to cultural studies. With primary focus on Playing Kafka, a 2024 narrative game based on Franz Kafka's life and work, Šisler emphasized the importance of game development for higher education, intercultural competencies and multilingualism to an audience of more than 40 undergraduate and graduate students, as well as U of A faculty.  

On Tuesday, Šisler gave a guest lecture in Curtis Maughan's Introduction to Digital Humanities course and shared how aesthetic, literary and practical choices shaped Playing Kafka. Key points in his guest lectures ranged from character controls designed to evoke alienation to the real-world challenges of game production. Additionally, Šisler also held guest lectures in Game Design II and Catullus & Interactive Fiction, both taught by David Fredrick (WLLC, Classical Studies & Game Design). 

Šisler shared his thoughts on his first-time, in-person visit to the U of A and Arkansas.

"I had an absolutely great experience at U of A," he said. "I have taught several classes for Curtis Maughan online before, and rarely have I met an audience so knowledgeable and passionate about our work. Talking to U of A students and faculty was fun and inspiring, and the hospitality and kindness of all involved made me feel really welcome." 

Vít Šisler’s talk, "Gaming Language and Playing Kafka: Intercultural Education in the Ludic Century,” was held March 12 in the World Languages & Digital Humanities Studio.

Šisler is an associate professor of new media studies at Charles University and has published on Arabic and Muslim representation in digital media and video games that explore contested memories of World War II and the Holocaust. Playing Kafka is free to play via Steam, the Apple App Store and Google Play. 

This lecture was sponsored by the World Languages & Digital Humanities Studio in partnership with Student Success and the World Languages, Literatures & Cultures Department.